- Extension of Technology and Content Alliance Follows Year of Widespread
Classroom Adoption and Positive Results -
BELMONT, Calif., June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thomson Higher
Education, a global provider of teaching materials for higher education and
part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), today announced that it
has extended an alliance with Turning Technologies LLC to be the exclusive
higher education provider of TurningPoint classroom response technologies that
facilitate an active learning environment with closer interaction between
professors and their students.
This announcement follows hundreds of adoptions on college campuses in
2004 as well as input from professors and students who have used
Thomson-TurningPoint technology in their classes. In response to the
overwhelmingly positive feedback, as well as faculty and student ideas for
helping make the technology even more user friendly, Thomson and Turning
Technologies have added new functions and content to better connect professors
with their students in large lecture settings, as well as new streamlined
tools that are easier to set up and use, saving professors valuable time.
The partnership stands as testament to Thomson's and Turning Technologies'
commitment to helping ensure the success of each and every higher education
student in the country. With college enrollments spiraling upward and
universities and colleges struggling to meet demand on ever-tighter budgets,
growing numbers of administrators and instructors are turning to technology
solutions to help professors continue to maintain the highest instructional
standards.
Classroom response technology engages students and significantly improves
the level of interactivity between professors and students in large lecture
halls and has become increasingly popular among professors and students as
class sizes have grown. The positive response from students and instructors
led Thomson and Turning Technologies to pursue the addition of new tools and
capabilities, such as Radio Frequency ResponseCards and text-specific content
CDs, as well as numerous software improvements that make setup even easier
than before.
"I could provide a laundry list of the value TurningPoint has had for me
and my students, but, to me, the most compelling impact is TurningPoint's
effect on my 'quiet' students," said Professor Richard Wallace, Armstrong
Atlantic State University. "Seeing a group of students that had never openly
participated in class, whether they were fearful of saying the wrong answer or
of being ridiculed for the right one, use their responder pads to join in
every discussion is more satisfying and exciting than I could possibly convey.
Gaining their participation in class has made Turning Point truly invaluable
and certainly enhanced their learning experience."
"My MBA students and I have had the opportunity to use TurningPoint for 2
semesters, and the benefits of this evolved learning environment are
remarkable," said Professor Galit Shmueli, Robert H. Smith School of Business.
"Not only does it eliminate language and cultural barriers to students
participating in class, but TurningPoint enables immediate, ongoing feedback
from students on their understanding and topic immersion, allowing
conversations and discussions to develop or, if necessary, instant lecture
augmentation to ensure a quality learning experience."
The new version of TurningPoint (JoinIn on TurningPoint, Version 2.0) is
expected to be rolled out in summer 2005 at hundreds of campuses across the
country.
"New technology offerings, especially those that help to personalize
learning, have the potential to improve student performance in significant
ways and to help faculty tailor their teaching to student needs," said Susan
Badger, CEO of Thomson Higher Education, which publishes the Wadsworth,
Brooks/Cole, South-Western, Heinle, and Schirmer brands. "Our goal is to
embrace these technological advances by expanding customization and learning
options for instructors and for students, and by making it easier for faculty
to embrace and to implement these new solutions in their classrooms."
About The Thomson Corporation and Thomson Higher Education
The Thomson Corporation (http://www.thomson.com), with 2004 revenues from
continuing operations of $8.10 billion, is a global leader in providing
integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. With
operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) has
approximately 38,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130
countries. Its learning businesses and brands serve the needs of individuals,
learning institutions, corporations and government agencies with products and
services for both traditional and distributed learning. Thomson Higher
Education (http://www.wadsworth.com; http://www.brookscole.com;
http://www.swlearning.com; http://www.heinle.com) is a leading provider of
higher education textbooks, software, and Internet materials for the
humanities, behavioral, and social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, and
business and economics. Thomson Higher Education publishes under the brands of
Wadsworth, Brooks/Cole, South-Western, Heinle, Schirmer, and imprints Texere
and Duxbury.
About Turning Technologies, LLC
Turning Technologies, LLC, is a forward thinking organization that focuses
on the development of cutting edge interactive response systems. As a leader
in group response development, Turning Technologies understands that systems
must be designed with customers' goals and budget constraints in mind. As a
result, its products are known as the industry's most user friendly, feature-
rich, interactive classroom presentation tools available on the market. With
40 worldwide distributors, Turning Technologies has strategic distribution
agreements with companies throughout North America, Southeast Asia, Australia,
New Zealand, Africa and Europe.
For more information, please visit Turning Technologies at
http://www.turningtechnologies.com
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