ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - Nov 21, 2013) - EMC Publishing, a division of New Mountain Learning, announced it will unveil its pioneering online learning environment tomorrow at the American Council on The Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) convention (booth #503). Called EMC Languages, the environment is designed to revolutionize the teaching and learning of world languages in K-12 classrooms. EMCL will be available for adoption by educators in early 2014.
EMC Publishing also announced the addition of Peter Negroni as senior academic advisor, World Languages, for EMC Publishing. Negroni, a former College Board executive and a long-time language educator and school administrator, is responsible for fostering relationships with leaders of relevant associations and institutions. He's also charged with leading EMC's academic advisory council, comprised of professionals from the world language community. The council will collect input, identify trends and meet to discuss EMC Languages' evolution.
EMC Languages was born out of a long-term collaborative partnership between EMC Publishing, a 60-year-old publisher of world language educational materials, and LT Media Lab in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. The environment is part of a pilot program in schools this fall and it's scheduled to roll out in early 2014 for French and Spanish. German and Chinese will follow. EMC Languages content is aligned with ACTFL National Standards and promote the teaching of languages based on cultural context and using the three modes of communication, which are presentational, interpersonal and interpretive.
EMC Publishing executives and LT Media Lab professors will provide ACTFL attendees with hands-on demonstrations of the technology.
"We're excited to lift up the hood for ACTFL attendees and let them see what we've created as we prepare to go to market in 2014," said Eric Cantor, Chief Executive Officer of New Mountain Learning. "We're also thrilled to have Peter Negroni on board. He thoroughly understands the challenges world language educators face and sees how this will help them improve engagement and learning outcomes in the classroom."
For the past year, EMC Publishing and the LT Media Lab have collaborated on the expansion and K-12-specific development of two video-based platforms created by the Lab: Avenue™ and Flipgrid™. Avenue allows an educator to conduct a one-to-one assessment of a student's performance via webcam, by creating custom tasks based on EMC's rich library of curricular media. Flipgrid is a more informal, video-based discussion platform that encourages students to discuss topics sparked by their educator.
"My deep love of language and my interest in putting students at the forefront led me to EMC Publishing," said Negroni. "We invite people who have a commitment to world language instruction to come see this revolutionary project. It's like nothing else."
EMC Languages gives students control over how they want to interact with the target language -- encouraging exploration and providing for differentiated learning. At the same time it easily enables educators to bolster students' success. It will flow with any approved curriculum. Educators can subscribe to the entire suite or individual elements.
Prior to EMC Publishing Peter Negroni was senior vice president of relationship development at the College Board. An award-winning educator with 50 years of experience, he began his career as a New York City teacher and administrator. He capped his time with the NYC school system with a 10-year stint as a district superintendent, for which he received recognition for his work in school reform and his commitment to language education. He also served as superintendent of the Springfield (Mass.) public school system.
Images available upon request.
About EMC Publishing
A division of New Mountain Learning, EMC Publishing is a recognized leader in world language solutions in classrooms throughout the nation. Founded in 1954, EMC publishes instructional materials, supplements, and assessments for the K-12 market, delivering print and digital solutions for world languages, literature and language arts, and computer applications and literacy. For more information, visit EMC Publishing on Facebook, Twitter, or on the web.
About The Learning Technologies Media Lab
Founded in 2010, the Learning Technologies Media Lab is an innovative design and research center located in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at the University of Minnesota. This lab is affiliated with the Learning Technologies academic program area in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction within CEHD, which is nationally known for developing innovative educational technology.