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Osmo’s Halloween Sale Turns Learning Into A Fun Treat!

Osmo

Palo Alto-- Osmo announces a Halloween sale that turns learning into a fun treat for kids ages 3 to 10+. From 10/10 through 10/16, save 25% off select kits, games and bundles at PlayOsmo.com, Amazon, Target, BestBuy & other retailers. Kits and games on sale through PlayOsmo.com and multiple retailers include: Little Genius Starter Kit (base included) Genius Starter Kit (base included) Coding Starter Kit (base included) Creative Starter Kit (base included) Pizza Co. (base required) Detective Agency (base required) Super Studio Disney Mickey Mouse & Friends (base required) Super Studio Disney Princess (base required) Super Studio Disney Frozen 2 (base required) Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons (base required) Math Wizard and the Magical Workshop (base required) Kits and games on sale through Amazon include: Little Genius Starter Kit for Fire Tablet (base included) Little Genius Starter Kit + Early Math Adventure for iPad + Case for iPad (base included) Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons (iPad base included) Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons (Fire base included) Math Wizard and the Magical Workshop (iPad base included) Math Wizard and the Magical Workshop (Fire base included) Math Wizard and the Amazing Airships (iPad base included) Math Wizard and the Amazing Airships (Fire base included) Math Wizard and the Enchanted World Games (iPad base included) Math Wizard and the Enchanted World Games (Fire base included) Super Studio Disney Mickey Mouse & Friends for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Super Studio Disney Princess for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Super Studio Disney Frozen 2 for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Pizza Co. for iPad (base included) Detective Agency for Fire Tablet (base included) Monster for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Genius Tangram for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Genius Words for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Genius Numbers for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Little Genius Sticks & Rings for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) Little Genius Costume Pieces for iPad & Fire Tablet (base required) A full list of deals, including Amazon exclusives, can be viewed at Osmo’s Amazon store. Bundles on sales exclusively at PlayOsmo include: Math Wizard Bundle Pretend Play Bundle (Digital) Literacy Bundle Super Studio Artist Bundle A full list of deals at PlayOsmo.com can be viewed here. A full list of Osmo deals at Target can be viewed here. About Osmo Osmo is an award-winning STEAM brand whose products are used in over 50,000 classrooms and 2.5 million homes. It is building a universe of hands-on play experiences that nourish the minds of children by unleashing the power of imagination. The company brings physical tools into the digital world through augmented reality and its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence. Osmo is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and is part of BYJU’S, a global leader in online learning. Learn more at PlayOsmo.com. For information about its educational division, Osmo for Schools, visit schools.playosmo.com. Contact Details Carolyn Kamii PR Carolyn Kamii +1 310-251-0550 carolynkpr@gmail.com Company Website http://www.playosmo.com

October 10, 2021 06:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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VinUniversity launches global case competition

Vingroup

HANOI, VIETNAM - Media OutReach - 9 October 2021 - VinUniversity Global Case Competition (VGCC) is an annual competition organized by VinUniversity with support of Cornell University. This annual competition confronts participating teams with global business problems, based on real challenges facing real businesses/sectors. The competition asks teams of students from diverse educational and ethnic backgrounds to work together in order to maximize their chances of winning. VGCC 1: Prof. Rohit Verma, Provost of VinUniversity and Mr. Michael Lohscheller, CEO of VinFast Global shared with students during the webinar introducing the competition. The Organizing Committee is currently receiving registration before 11:59 am (GMT + 7) on October 17, 2021. According to plan, each year VGCC will collaborate with a business to come up with a realistic case study. The theme of VGCC 2021 is "VinFast – Go Global": How can VinFast – a young Vietnamese business – lead the "green" movement and establish a permanent presence in the US market with its electric vehicle models. The competition's methodology and case were designed with the consultation of Cornell University, a world-class Ivy League institution. Just 8 weeks after its inauguration, the competition received approximately 2.000 applications from Vietnam and other world-leading universities around the world, such as the University of Oxford (UK), Duke University (USA), Nanyang Technology University (Singapore), Warwick University (UK), among many others. The electric vehicle industry has gained increasing attention around the world. "We see that around the world, climate change is obviously one of a key topics and sector in term of automobile is supporting this change. Therefore, electric vehicles play a key role." - shared Mr. Michael Lohscheller, CEO of VinFast Global in the conference introducing the competition. Furthermore, electric vehicles will open up opportunities for the development of a myriad of other supporting industries and technology, such as Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, which would improve living standards and customer experience. The biggest appeal of this year's theme is the inspirational story of VinFast, with its pioneering and "borderless" approach. "VGCC is a bold and outstanding move from a Vietnamese university and an ambitious Vietnamese enterprise. VinFast, with its "Make in Vietnam" brand, brings the desire to lead and promote the global 'green' revolution. VinUni, a fledgling university, has pioneered in its call for global students to participate in solving the question of expansion into the US market, one of the most fiercely competitive markets in the world. Unprecedented stories tend to have a great appeal and arouse participating teams' desires to conquer", shared Prof. Rohit Verma, Provost of VinUniversity. Through VGCC, students from various disciplines, such as business administration, engineering, or computer science, have to join forces and put their knowledge into practice. Students will be trained in teamwork, research, analytical skills, in addition to problem-solving and leadership skills. Such "real learning – real practice" activities contribute to the attraction of VGCC and demonstrate VinUni's educational philosophy, preparing students for the real world post-graduation. VGCC is held virtually from October 4th to November 14th, 2021 with a total prize value of nearly 400 million VND (equivalent to 17,000 USD), including the First Prize worth more than 200 million VND (10,000 USD). Each participating team consists of 3-4 members, who can come from different universities or countries. Team registration must be completed on the program's official website https://vinuni-globalcase.com/ before 11:59 AM (GMT+7) on October 17th, 2021. The top 10 teams will be selected to move on to the final round, which is scheduled to take place in November 2021. In addition to the First Prize, the winning team will have the chance to work directly with the business and carry out their solution. About VinUniversity (VinUni) VinUniversity (VinUni) is an excellent, private, not-for-profit university established by Vingroup. VinUni aspires to develop talents for the future, to make a breakthrough in Vietnam higher education and to become a world-class university. With the goal of becoming one of the top 50 young universities of the world, VinUni has built strategic partnership with two of the world top 20 Universities, namely Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. About VinFast VinFast is a member of Vingroup - one of Asia's largest private corporations. With a vision to become a leading smart electric vehicle brand, VinFast has recently opened its branches in the US, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The company is also actively preparing for the global launch of its electric vehicle models. Contact Details Vingroup Media Contact v.nammh@vingroup.net

October 10, 2021 01:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Yoodli, A Startup Backed by Madrona Venture Group and the Allen Institute for AI (AI2), Applies AI to Life's Biggest Stress: Public Speaking

Yoodli

Yoodli, a startup leveraging AI to help people develop the necessary soft skills to present and communicate confidently, opened early access to their beta product at www.yoodli.ai. The founding team of Varun Puri, Esha Joshi, and Dr. Ehsan Hoque, alumni from GoogleX, Apple and the MIT Media Lab, brings a passion to a challenge that most people experience every day. The Company is also announcing it has already raised $1M in pre-seed funding from the Allen Institute for AI and Madrona Venture Group. “Many of us have struggled with public speaking and have been on the receiving end of poorly delivered presentations,” said Varun Puri, co-founder of Yoodli. “During my time in Silicon Valley, I met countless colleagues, often fellow immigrants, who didn’t receive the recognition they deserved because they struggled to communicate effectively. Our platform will be an incredible leveler enabling people to practice and get real time feedback based on science as well as from friends and coaches.” According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the fear of public speaking affects 73% of people. However, we all need to speak in group settings — remember the awkward wedding toasts, dull classroom presentations, and never-ending team meetings? Numerous studies have suggested that oral communication is the number one skill that college students find useful post-graduation and yet is not taught in a direct way while in school. “As a female engineer in a male dominated industry, I felt like I had to try even harder for people to take me seriously,” said Esha Joshi, co-founder and CTO of Yoodli. “The nerves and doubts before a presentation can be crushing, and the feeling of successfully expressing yourself in front of an audience is a huge confidence booster. Our platform takes you from the nerves to the confident persona you need to achieve your goals.” Puri previously ran special projects for the President of Alphabet and then led Africa operations for a GoogleX initiative that is expanding internet connectivity using invisible lasers. Joshi brings her expertise as an Apple engineering lead as well as her experience speaking at large gatherings such as the Grace Hopper Conference to the mission of Yoodli. Dr. Hoque, the co-lead of the Rochester Human Computing Interaction group and MIT 35 Innovators Under 35 awardee, adds decades of research experience building AI interfaces to upskill the workforce. His work has helped people with autism practice communication skills, doctors prepare for end-of-life conversations with patients, and Parkinson’s patients detect their condition directly from their computer screens. “We see a tremendous opportunity to use AI as a way to improve human social and cognitive skills,” said Matt Mcllwain, Managing Director of Madrona. “We like to back exciting teams from Day One and this team has the passion, technical and industry experience that inspires us to come to work every day. And give presentations!” Yoodli is hiring for applied AI engineers, fullstack developers and a Head of Growth. Reach out at info@yoodli.ai if you are interested and sign up at www.yoodli.ai to join the product waitlist. About Madrona Venture Group Madrona ( www.madrona.com ) is a venture capital firm based in Seattle, WA. With more than 25 years of investing in early stage technology companies, the firm has worked with founders from Day One to help build their company for the long run. Madrona invests predominantly in seed and Series A rounds across the information technology spectrum, and in 2018 raised the first fund dedicated to initial investments in acceleration stage (Series B and C stages) companies. Madrona manages over $2 billion and was an early investor in companies such as Amazon, Smartsheet, Isilon, Redfin, and Snowflake. About the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) AI2 was founded in 2014 with the singular focus of conducting high-impact research and engineering in the field of artificial intelligence, all for the common good. AI2 is the creation of Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder, and is led by Dr. Oren Etzioni, a leading researcher in the field of AI. AI2 employs more than 100 top-notch researchers and engineers from across the globe. AI2 prides itself on the diversity and collaboration of our team and takes a results-oriented approach to complex challenges in AI. Learn more at allenai.org. Contact Details Yoodli Forrest Carman +1 206-859-3118 forrestc@owenmedia.com Company Website https://www.yoodli.ai/

October 07, 2021 09:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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Gen Z Responds, Demands More From Facebook and Big Socials

LookUp.Live

Facebook’s attempt during today’s Congressional hearing to defend its inaction to protect children from online harms fell short on transparency and accountability. Digital natives, tired of being the guinea pig for big social media companies, are taking their message to the global stage at the Youth 4 Youth iSummit, October 14-17th, 2021. Hosted by LookUp.live, a by-youth-for-youth social venture, in partnership with the creators of the Netflix docu-drama, The Social Dilemma, more than 100 youth activists, entrepreneurs, and innovators are confirmed to speak on topics ranging from digital addiction, suicide, ethical AI, sexual exploitation, and the undeniable impact of Instagram and Tik Tok on young girls mental health. A sampling of youth speakers includes: Maddie Freeman, who after losing several friends to suicide in high school, launched NoSo November to educate youth about social media’s impact on mental health/suicide. John Grady of Screen Allies will lead a panel of ethical engineers in a discussion around the definition, benefits, and need for more human-centered technologies. Smith Alley, Founder of Live Life Bigger, will speak to the effects of the addictive nature of social media and pornography on children and teens. Emma Lembke, Co-Founder of LogOff Movement, alongside her co-founder of Tech[nically] Politics, Aliza Kopans, will speak to current legislative efforts to regulate tech and how youth can get involved. Sanat Mohapatra, Founder of Unmasked, a mental health app, will speak to the importance of creating supportive, anonymous mental health communities. The Y4Y iSummit is a catalyst for uniting and mobilizing youth advocates and their allies who are taking bold actions to create a healthy, more inclusive, and responsible digital world. Nearly 700 youth advocates representing 35+ countries registered last year for what was believed to be the largest known gathering of youth changemakers committed to this global movement. Attendance at the Y4Y iSummit, which will be hosted live, virtually, and free around the clock in the US, UK, and India, is expected to double this year. In addition to the Children’s Screentime Action Network adult ally panel, which includes several parents who have lost their children to cyberbullying suicide or a social media challenge, a host of global leaders have stepped up in support of this movement including English Premier League star, Nedum Onuoha, Deval Patrick, Co-Chair of the Future of Tech Commission and former Governor of Massachusetts; Marissa Meizz, founder of No More Lonely Friends; Amanda LaCount, hip hop dancer, choreographer, and plus size model; Jenk Oz, the UK’s youngest CEO and social entrepreneur; and John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at Harvard’s Insitute of Politics and author of Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Passion and Fear to Save America. Senator Edward Markey will issue a call to action in support of this youth-led movement and the KIDS Act. Susan Reynolds, Co-Founder of LookUp.live, believes that youth-led and youth-designed solutions are key to fixing the broken digital ecosystem so it benefits the whole of society - especially youth. "Adult-designed solutions to a problem they don’t fully understand or - as in the case of the big social companies - have chosen not to fix, have had limited success. The Y4Y iSummit will amplify youth voices and showcase youth-designed solutions to creating a digital world in which they can thrive." Why it Matters The digital transformation of society is happening at a rapid pace yielding many undeniable social and economic benefits: mental health and wellbeing communities and support are more available online, access to information and economic opportunities have improved, as has the use of artificial intelligence to advance the sustainable development goals. Yet, our disruptive and ubiquitous digital ecosystem and attention economy are wreaking havoc on the social, emotional, and developmental fabric of our youngest generations - those born digital. Consider the following: Fact - Children who are cyberbullied are 3X more likely to commit suicide; Fact - Non-fatal self-harm for girls 10-14 has increased 189% since 2009 - coinciding with the launch of Instagram; Fact - Nearly 1 in 3 teen girls have been asked by adults for nudes online; Fact - 50% of youth surveyed say they feel addicted to their phones. One of the most important facts, however, is that Facebook’s own internal research, which was recently exposed in The Wall Street Journal Facebook Files, indicates that the company knows that Instagram is damaging youth mental health. Still, Facebook continues to push toward the launch of Instagram for Kids under 13. About the Organizers The Y4Y iSummit is made possible by LookUp and the creators of the Netflix Docu-drama, The Social Dilemma, in partnership with Center for Humane Technology, Children’s Screentime Action Network, AGL Communications, Digital Wellness Institute, Thred. and the JW Brick Foundation. Founded in 2019, LookUp is a youth-led 501(c)3 social venture dedicated to helping young people thrive in the digital world. Through our flagship programs and events, we discover, empower, and mobilize youth leaders who are taking action to raise awareness, inspire, and design a healthy, more inclusive, and responsible digital world. Exposure Labs is the film & impact production company behind The Social Dilemma a film that blends documentary investigation and narrative drama to disrupt the disruptors, unveiling the hidden machinations behind everyone’s favorite social media and search platforms. Attend: Those interested in attending any or all of the Y4Y iSummit should register HERE. Contact Details LookUp.Live Julie Barrett O'Brien +1 617-834-9227 info@lookup.live Company Website https://www.lookup.live

September 30, 2021 05:51 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Agile Therapeutics Partners with Carli Lloyd, U.S. Women’s Soccer Star and Four-Time Olympian, to Bring Awareness to Women’s Health Topics

Agile Therapeutics

Agile Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGRX ), a women's healthcare company, announced today a partnership with U.S. Women’s Soccer legend, Carli Lloyd. The partnership with Agile will focus on bringing awareness to women’s health topics, and Agile’s commitment to elevating women’s healthcare. Lloyd, who will play her final game for the U.S. Women’s National Team on October 26 th against South Korea, was attracted to the company’s mission of addressing the healthcare needs of today’s women. “I’m excited to be partnering with a company solely dedicated to women’s health,” said Lloyd. “I aim to work with organizations that focus on things I care about, and staying healthy has been a priority for my career on the field and will continue to be so as I look ahead to my next chapter. Agile’s focus on bringing women options and knowledge when it comes to their healthcare decisions is a mission I’m proud to be part of. And the fact that I’m a Jersey girl, representing a New Jersey company makes it even better.” Agile has built its brand around a commitment to addressing women’s health needs. It received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2020 for its first product, Twirla ® (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) transdermal system, a weekly contraceptive patch. It currently has four additional contraceptive products in its pipeline. “Carli’s ‘ always believe and never quit ’ attitude fits what Agile Therapeutics believes as a company,” said Al Altomari, CEO of Agile Therapeutics. “We’ve been selective about aligning with the right partners at the right time, and Carli is someone who seamlessly fits our corporate culture, aligns with our values, and understands the importance of empowering women, especially young women, to reach beyond their limits, believe in themselves, and never compromise, especially with their healthcare.” As a growing company, Agile sees this partnership as an opportunity to help further develop its culture and corporate brand by partnering with leaders who share the company’s values and mission.. “Our short-term goal is to establish Twirla in the contraceptive market, and our long-term mission remains the same: Build a robust women’s health franchise, and Carli is a critical piece of that puzzle,” said Altomari. “She’s been a vocal advocate for women, and her voice is an important one in the national conversation about women’s health and healthcare needs. We want to be sure we communicate our message and commitment to women’s health in an authentic and relatable way. This is a mission we share with Carli, and we are proud to welcome her to our team.” About Agile Therapeutics, Inc. Agile Therapeutics is a women's healthcare company dedicated to fulfilling the unmet health needs of today’s women. Our product and product candidates are designed to provide women with contraceptive options that offer freedom from taking a daily pill, without committing to a longer-acting method. Our initial product, Twirla®, (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol), a transdermal system, is a non-daily prescription contraceptive. Twirla is based on our proprietary transdermal patch technology, called Skinfusion®, which is designed to allow drug delivery through the skin. For more information, please visit the company website at www.agiletherapeutics.com. The Company may occasionally disseminate material, nonpublic information on the Company’s website. About Twirla® Twirla (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) transdermal system is a once-weekly combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) patch that contains the active ingredients levonorgestrel (LNG), a type of progestin, and ethinyl estradiol (EE), a type of estrogen. Twirla is indicated for use as a method of contraception by women of reproductive potential with a body mass index (BMI) < 30 kg/m2 for whom a combined hormonal contraceptive is appropriate. Healthcare providers (HCPs) are encouraged to consider Twirla’s reduced efficacy in women with a BMI ≥ 25 to <30 kg/m2 before prescribing. Twirla is contraindicated in women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. Twirla is contraindicated in women over 35 years old who smoke. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events from CHC use. Twirla is designed to be applied once weekly for three weeks, followed by a week without a patch. Contact Details Matt Riley, Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications mriley@agiletherapeutics.com Company Website https://agiletherapeutics.com

September 28, 2021 02:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Minuteman Press Bethesda Partners with In America Flags to Remember COVID-19 Victims

Minuteman Press International Inc

In America: Remember is a public art exhibition being held at the National Mall that displays 660,000 white flags to honor the people in America who have been lost due to COVID-19. Minuteman Press in Bethesda, Maryland, is a partner for the exhibition, providing printed message cards from people all over the country who are paying tribute to loved ones through the In America website. “We are glad to be able to do our part to help this art exhibition,” says Leslie Klein, owner, Minuteman Press, Bethesda. “Every day, we receive all of the messages that were submitted through the In America website and we print them 8 up on 11 x 17 sheets to create 4.25 x 5.5 cards. Every night, I drop off the finished cards to one of the volunteers, and then they are transcribed onto the flags by another group of volunteers.” Leslie adds, “This is a total team effort and we are proud to be partners in such an important and moving exhibition. Our hearts go out to those who have been lost and their families.” The In America: Remember exhibition was designed by artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg. The exhibition is open for public participation now through October 3 rd, 2021. Hours are Weekdays from 10 AM – Sunset and Weekends from 9 AM – Sunset. For more information, visit https://www.inamericaflags.org. Minuteman Press in Bethesda is located at 8210 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. For more information, call 301-656-1188 or visit their website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/md/bethesda Learn more about Minuteman Press products and services at https://minuteman.com Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

September 28, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Velocity Global launches next-gen technology to power its global work platform

Velocity Global

Platform eliminates friction to manage any talent anywhere, anytime in a single click Proprietary technology delivers a seamless cloud experience for clients and talent Velocity Global scales its leading global work platform with the launch of its next-generation technology. Built on proprietary code and best-in-breed cloud solutions, the latest version streamlines the client and talent experience to deliver real-time insights to compliantly manage distributed teams. Velocity Global unveiled the technology experience at the HR Technology Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas. “Our global work platform delivers compliance, accuracy, flexibility, and customization, which inspired our next-generation technology for a seamless client and talent experience,” said Dave Martelon, Velocity Global chief technology officer. Velocity Global’s next-generation technology introduces several features including: Streamlined Supported Employee Onboarding: New team members are guided through a seamless step-by-step experience customized to their country of employment. Interactive Global Dashboard: Clients can view all of their supported employees and their employment status across the globe at a glance, and drill down into details at the country level. Simple Time Off Management: Clients view and approve time off requests for all supported employees in one place. Flexible Payroll Requests: Clients generate, view, and manage recurring and one-time payment requests based on their custom payroll schedule with ease. Consolidated Invoicing and Payments: The platform generates consolidated invoices so clients can pay their talent with a single click of a button. 3rd Party Integrations: The platform is built to reduce the overhead of manual data entry through integrations with clients’ internal systems. “Our team makes the complex simple,” said Martelon. “We built a proprietary infrastructure that connects with leading talent management systems and removes friction for clients and HR departments. The underlying infrastructure is flexible and enables the future of work.” Velocity Global’s work platform combines the company’s proprietary cloud-based workforce management technology, personalized expertise, and unmatched global scale to build globally distributed teams. More than 1,000 clients rely on Velocity Global’s platform without the need to set up their own legal entities in other countries or other states. Velocity Global is exhibiting at HR Technology Conference and Exposition at booth #5514. About Velocity Global Velocity Global accelerates the future of work beyond borders. Its global work platform simplifies the employer and employee experience to employ any talent anywhere with just a click through its proprietary cloud-based workforce management technology, backed by personalized expertise and unmatched global scale. As the largest global Employer of Record (also known as International PEO) in 185 countries and all 50 United States, more than 1,000 brands rely on Velocity Global to build global teams without the cost or complexity of setting up foreign legal entities or state registrations. The company offers additional services including Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce, and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors. Velocity Global was named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall. Founded in 2014, the company has hundreds of employees across six continents. For more information visit velocityglobal.com. Contact Details Velocity Global Eli Rice +1 720-650-4348 news@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

September 28, 2021 06:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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The State of Our Schools: The Nation’s Public School Facilities in Crisis

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/g7dJiz_7fRI Living through a pandemic has heightened the awareness for many parents around the issues of health and safety in the schools their children attend. As school districts across the U.S. prepare for and begin a new academic year, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), along with 21 st Century School Fund and the National Council on School Facilities, is releasing a new report that takes a comprehensive look into the current state of our nation’s school facilities funding and draws attention to the disparity across the U.S. in funding efforts. Ending disparities in facilities conditions and quality by income, locale and race, must be prioritized as these gaps will not be closed without an aggressive and an intentional plan to eliminate them. IWBI is working to ensure the health, safety, education suitability, and environmental sustainability and resilience for our students, teachers and staff now and for the future. The 2021 State of Our Schools Report puts a white-hot spotlight on the fact that severe and chronic underinvestment – to the tune of $85 billion a year – is eroding the country’s ability to provide safe, healthy and sustainable schools. Every day, nearly 60 million people—students, teachers and staff—walk through the doors of our country’s nearly 100,000 PK-12 public schools, which represent the second largest sector of U.S. public infrastructure spending after highways. States and local school districts do their best to increase their efforts to maintain and invest in their school facilities when funding is available, but they are falling further and further behind. For more information visit: wellcertified.com About The International WELL Building Institute: The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and the WELL Health-Safety Rating, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and well-being everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here. International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Portfolio Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Health-Equity, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Performance, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

September 23, 2021 09:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Pearson and Knowledgehook collaborate to enhance blended learning and increase math support in schools

Knowledgehook

Pearson and Knowledgehook are collaborating to bring two mathematics resources together in a way that brings Canadian educators and students the best of two worlds. The two companies bring shared aspirations, common approaches, and complementary products that enhance mathematics education in Canada. Starting today users of Pearson’s Mathology.ca (Grades 3-6 ) will have access to integrated Knowledgehook activities from within specific lessons. This integration allows students to interact with mathematics through games and activities housed within Knowledgehook’s proprietary Instructional Guidance System and provides teachers with additional ways of providing insights into student progress. Users of Mathology.ca will continue to have access to the comprehensive set of tools designed to support the teaching and learning of math in today’s classrooms. Knowledgehook and Pearson’s collaboration began with a mutual exploration of blended learning approaches and opportunities that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on teachers and students. The two companies are aligned in their mission to provide full and responsive support for mathematics education and intend to expand their collaboration in response to educator feedback. For Teachers: Complementary curriculum-aligned digital products provide a double benefit for teachers. Teachers have access to Mathology’s comprehensive plans, assessment tools, and student lessons as well as interactive Knowledgehook activities and its underlying Instructional Guidance System which, together, help teachers assess student progress and assign relevant, engaging next steps. For Students: Students have more ways to do math with purpose. Linking Knowledgehook activities directly to Mathology lessons, students will have access to in-the-moment gamified learning that will increase engagement, confidence, and success. What is Mathology? Pearson Canada’s Mathology is a comprehensive classroom resource currently available for Kindergarten to grade 6. Built on academic and classroom research for the diversity of Canadian classrooms, it is designed to unlock the joy in learning math by engaging students and teachers with materials that: help teachers gain a deeper understanding of student thinking and determine the next best steps; meet students and teachers where they are at in their math learning journey and build teacher capacity. The central hub is Mathology.ca, an online teacher resource that allows any subscribed teacher access to the entire family of Mathology resources, from Kindergarten to grade 6. A variety of complementary print resources are available and in development. What is Knowledgehook? Knowledgehook’s proprietary technology harnesses the power of data to track where students are on their math journey. Their solution connects a child’s in-school education to their at-home learning, providing real-time insights and expert-designed remediation tools to teachers on student learning gaps. This empowers teachers to develop an understanding of the math concepts related to their students’ challenges, enabling them to adjust instruction and monitor student progress. Beverley Buxton, General Manager of Pearson Canada School Division commented: “At Pearson we believe that every child has the right to a strong math foundation, to feel confident in their mathematical abilities, and to have the necessary tools to take on everyday challenges. And we believe in teachers and their abilities to help their students develop happy, empowering, and positive math stories. We are constantly seeking and testing new ways to respond to teacher and student needs, and our collaboration with Knowledgehook, a company that shares our underlying goals, is a unique example of that. We believe that bringing our respective strengths together is in the best interests of teachers and learners and we are eager to build on the community’s response to this collaboration.” “This partnership presents the future of classrooms around the world. Knowledgehook has built a suite of resources for teachers and students that transform the blended learning environment” added Bruce Rodrigues, former Deputy Minister of Education in Ontario, Knowledgehook advisory board member, and former CEO of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). “Knowledgehook really brings content to life and this Pearson integration will enable more teachers and students in Canada to benefit” Qamar Qureshi, President and Chief Business Officer of Knowledgehook commented: “Our mission has been to equip teachers with the tools to be confident educators and to give them pathways to help students be confident math learners. Having successfully launched across Canada, we have been steadily building up our presence around the world in the UK, Australia, and recently in Mexico. The Knowledgehook solution is fully translated into Spanish and French. Through the collaboration with Pearson, we will be able to reach more math teachers who are searching for innovative, efficient ways to support not only their own learning but also their students’ learning”. “Having the right, personalised guidance makes all the difference, and our goal is to ensure every student has a teacher who has access to the best pedagogical tools, and parents who have insights into their child’s learning. Our platform pulls together a comprehensive and adaptive view on a student’s learning journey, enabling those around them to support and improve their educational experience and outcomes.” About Pearson Learning is the most powerful force for change in the world. More than 20,000 Pearson employees deliver our products and services in nearly 200 countries, all working towards a common purpose – to help everyone achieve their potential through learning. We do that by providing high-quality, digital content and learning experiences, as well as assessments and qualifications that help people build their skills and grow with the world around them. We are the world’s leading learning company. About Knowledgehook Knowledgehook, a leading educational technology company, empowers hundreds of thousands of teachers and parents to collaboratively support the mathematics learning journey of millions of students worldwide. Winner of Google’s Game Changer Award and named Top Disruptor by BNN, its platform analyses student understanding through engaging assessments, providing real-time personalised solutions to close learning gaps between classroom teaching and at-home learning. Designed by leading numeracy and research experts, Knowledgehook’s Instructional Guidance System is known for reinventing how online technology supports education and educators, while inspiring the problem solvers of tomorrow. Knowledgehook is backed by UCL’s VC fund Discentia Capital, Mesoamerica’s Alexandria Corp., Nelson Education and John Abele’s North Point Ventures. Contact Details Knowledgehook Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com

September 21, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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