From the Editor
Changes for B2E; Industry News
Anne Wujcik — Friday, February 26, 2010
You’ll notice some changes in our weekly newsletter next week. Starting March 5, we’re giving the B2E a facelift and adding it to the EdNET family. It will now be called the “EdNET News Alert,” so look for it in your email next week! In addition to a new name, we’re making some layout and design changes, better incorporating the newsletter and news site into the MDR/EdNET design family, while also building on reader behavior to highlight original content – my Editor’s Note, Vicki’s “Snoops” and a new rotating series of articles offering 1) ideas for marketing, 2) comments from educators, 3) advice from industry professionals, and 4) a monthly offering from Nelson aptly dubbed “the Heller Report.” We’ll continue to provide press releases and featured industry stories both in the emailed news and on the site. I know I can count on you to provide feedback, so let us know what you think at: mdrinfo@dnb.com. Or drop me personal note at : WujcikA@dnb.com
Microsoft launched the Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 this week. Designed for use in education settings, the product aims to make computing more affordable. Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 is an operating system that enables multiple people to connect to a single host computer with their own monitor, keyboard and mouse through USB or a video card. School vendors were quick to announce their support of the new operating system. Wyse announced a new a new shared desktop offering, the Wyse E01 Zero Client, with prices starting at $99. The E01 devices connect to the PC running Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 via USB cables. NComputing announced that its full product line will support the Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 operating system. NComputing already has over 15 million daily users of its virtual desktops. LanSchool Technologies, announced that its classroom management solutions will supports Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 for both the teacher console and student software.
Of course, thin clients and even desktop virtualization are not new products. Userful Corporation headlined its press release as “Microsoft Plays Catch-up.” The company points out that 30,000 schools worldwide have already chosen Userful virtual desktops to reduce computing costs and improve computer-to-student ratios. Userful's solution uses free Linux for the server, reducing the cost to just $69 per seat. Overall, however, thin client and desktop virtualization have been slow to take off in the school market. It remains to be seen if Microsoft’s “blessing” will generate more interest in shared resource computing. The timing is certainly right. Schools are looking for ways to provide greater access to computing resources while containing costs. This is one way to extend the reach of schools’ existing resources, though keyboards and monitors will still need to be purchased. It will be interesting to see how schools calculate the cost/benefit equation.
Empirical Education is getting ready to launch MeasureResults, a web-based solution designed to allow school systems and educational publishers to conduct their own research, including value-added analysis, at a very low cost. The suite of online tools allows school personnel to design a study, collect data, and review reports. Empirical Education reports that California’s Poway Unified School District (PUSD) used MeasureResults to show the effectiveness of its supplementary reading program. PUSD used longitudinal data as well as electronic logs from the reading software. MeasureResults provided a template specifying the data needed for the statistical processes and made it easy for the district to securely upload the data for integration, analysis, and preparation of a custom report. Look for Empirical Education at CoSN next week, where it will unveil MeasureResults.
Several weeks ago, netTrekker announced a partnership with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) to offer a package of instructional and professional development resources. Under the partnership, schools and districts can purchase a package of professional development resources from the NSTA Learning Center along with their netTrekker subscription. When science teachers use netTrekker to find resources for a specific science topics that they're teaching, NSTA's online professional development resources will also appear in their search results, allowing them to find the support they need to enhance their subject-area knowledge and instructional skills on those same topics. Neat idea!
The new Tech Network received a $2 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation to help the high school development organization expand its capacity to serve the increasing number of schools implementing the New Tech approach. New Tech high schools use project-based learning in a technology-rich environment to engage students and deliver 21st century instruction. There are now 40 New Tech High Schools in nine states, and plans call for the rapid expansion of New Tech schools over the next five years. The grant will enable the new Tech Network to develop the organizational capacity to support a larger network of schools.
Well, the other shoe has finally dropped over at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company and the news is better than many expected it to be. A group of institutional investors have committed to invest $650 million of new equity capital in the company. As part of the company’s restructuring efforts:
-- Senior lenders agreed to convert over $2 billion of secured debt into equity
-- All of HMH’s nearly $2.1 billion of mezzanine level secured debt will be exchanged for equity and warrants to purchase additional equity.
-- HMH will reduce its total annual interest expense by over 75 percent.
HMH also announced the creation of a $100 million innovation fund to take advantage of its deep technological strength and develop the next generation of educational products and solutions.
