Announcing eLocker 2 for iOS

Season’s Greetings from all the team at Studywiz!

We have been extremely busy over the past six months, and are all looking forward to a very exciting 2011. The team has been working overtime to put the finishing touches on 9.4.5, and the response to our new marking module has been fantastic!

It’s still not too late to order our marking interface and receive the bundle discount/priority update, so if you are interested, please let us know!

Our move to the new office in Melbourne is also complete, so please note our new address AND our new Accounts / General Enquiries number:

Suite1, Level 2/55 Walsh Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
ph: +61 3 9328 8237
fax: +61 3 9329 0193

We have some very exciting new development initiatives planned for the new year, and are looking forward to continuing to work with and support your school!

Wishing you all a happy and safe new year!

All the best from the Studywiz Team.

Handheld Pilot Program Shows Early Success with Studywiz!

Fulton County Schools, Georgia are piloting a handheld computing program using the iPod touch combined with Studywiz Spark and are already seeing the benefits. “Handheld devices reach children where they are and engage their playful nature while in the classroom,” said Kathy Politis, Director of Instructional Technology “We’re seeing improved student engagement”.

The pilot program gives students access to iPods during class time, and Studywiz allows teachers to distribute content to the students for different classes. “We believe the students will study more if they find it enjoyable,” said Teacher Mark Schuler of Roswell High School “We’re  designing – not re-inventing – the wheel for this generation of learners. It’s the way these kids are wired.”

Fulton County Schools now have a third school getting involved with the program and many more of their schools are now interested in joining the program.

Original Article: Handheld pilot program shows early success.

Studywiz 9.4.5 coming soon to a school near you!

The Studywiz developers are working furiously to get the finishing touches ready for the release of Studywiz 9.4.5!

With this release come some features requested by our long time users, including Quick Create and Crumbtrails, and overhauls of existing features such as FastFile and Assignment.

Quick Create – Users can now create new activities from any screen in Studywiz and your choice of activity is never more than one click away. Quick Create remembers your location and creates the new activity there by default, but also allows you to change the location as required. Quick Create dramatically speeds up the time it takes to create a Studywiz Activity so if you need to get a quick eBulletin out to your class, with Quick Create your students will be reading it within just a few seconds.

Crumbtrails – Crumbtrails help you to navigate through your class folder hierarchy and ensure you will never get lost again. Even when you are editing an activity you can see exactly which class and folder it is assigned to and you’ll be able to easily jump back to the class page.

FastFile – Upload any file quickly and easily in just two steps. Plus FastFile now gives you the ability to upload multiple files simultaneously.

Assignment – Improvements to the Assignment feature include

• a new interface, making it easier for teachers to manage and students to use
• better submission process for students
• improved tracking of student submissions
• easy and quick submission grading and commenting
• integration with Studywiz marking module

Marking Interface

The big news though, is that with 9.4.5 comes integration with Studywiz marking module, an add-on feature that can be purchased to work in conjunction with Studywiz. For those wanting to see it firsthand there will be demo accounts available shortly, so email your interest to clientservices@studywiz.com and we’ll get back to you with more info.

Studywiz Spark Mobile: New eLockers are Taking Online Learning Offline!

WASHINGTON, DC, June 22 – Studywiz Spark Mobile, the Codie award-winning K-12 Dynamic LearnSpace for mobile learning, is raising the standards at NECC 2009 (June 29 – Jul 2, 2009) with the launch of new Studywiz Mobile eLockers that will provide students with a whole new level of interactivity and connectivity to 24/7 learning within a safe and secure environment.

The launch of Studywiz Mobile eLocker is the latest development to the newly optimized Studywiz Spark Mobile that connects students to their classes online to actively engage in learning anytime, anywhere. The new eLocker provides a storage space for teachers and students on the iPhone or iPod Touch for all files types, supports audio and image recording and uniquely provides both on and off line access to learning.

Etech Group, the makers of Studywiz Spark Mobile, will also announce the findings from the world-first global mobile research project involving schools in the USA, Australia and Singapore. Creating a buzz with educators around the world, the project investigates the potential for mobile devices to engage and motivate at-risk literacy students in 9-12 years.

“Mobile learning is a hot area in education because of its ability to extend learning outside the classroom on affordable, low cost portable devices. The USA is a world leader in mobile learning and we’ve made considerable investment in the development of our mobile solution by working with schools in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania and DC.” said Bob Longo, Executive Vice President Etech Group, North America.

“Since launching Studywiz Spark Mobile at NECC last year, we have demonstrated clear leadership in the mobile education sector, winning the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) Codie Award for Best Mobile Software Solution and Handheld Learning Award for Innovation in the UK. The launch of our new eLocker functionality adds a new level of sophistication to Studywiz Spark Mobile because students can still access learning even if they’re offline.”

Studywiz Spark is used in 30 countries worldwide and from Maine to California in the US. Teachers, students and parents can take advantage of its capabilities to enhance learning, including: student-rated galleries, eBulletins, messaging, chat, discussion, podcasts, RSS Feeds, online polls, assignment, testing and reporting.

Visit Studywiz at NECC on Booth 704 or for further information go to www.studywiz.com

NECC 2009 held at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC from June 29 – July 2, 2009

Press Contact:
Fiona Martin
Email: fiona@etechgroup.com.au
Cell: +61 439 979 804

Studywiz 9.4.4 scheduled for release this June!

Louise Duncan – Revolutionizing Mobile Learning

Read how Studywiz Mobile and the iPod Touch helped Louise Duncan revolutionise teaching and learning at Shepparton High School, Australia.

The Innovators – 16 Louise Duncan
11 April 2010
By Bob Harrison

Studywiz Spark perfect for Apple’s iPad

The arrival of the iPad is not only creating headlines around the world but it is also creating a real buzz in the education market. Its small size, low cost, efficient internet access and broad appeal makes it ideal for schools. Combined with Studywiz Spark it is the perfect tool for the classroom.

Using Studywiz Spark on the iPad brings a new dimension to teaching and learning by enabling students, teachers and parents to access a huge range of interactive and media-rich tools.  The ability to individualize instruction, access learning resources, submit assignments and activities anytime, anywhere within and track and monitor student progress is all made possible with Studywiz Spark is easily achieved because of the Wi-Fi and 3G capability of the iPad.

Read More >>

Handheld pilot program shows early success

Fulton County Schools (Georgia, USA) is piloting handheld computing using iPod Touch devices equipped with Studywiz Spark Mobile.

The interim findings of the pilot indicate that the use of Studywiz Spark Mobile has increased student engagement and motivation. The early success of this project, along with Studywiz Spark Mobile being selected as a finalist for a CODiE Award in the US for the second year running, confirm that mobile learning is the hottest space in online education!

Read the Article >>

Studywiz Spark Mobile – Finalist for 2010 CODiE Awards

WASHINGTON, DC (February 23, 2010) – The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has announced that Studywiz Spark Mobile has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious CODiE Awards. Having won the award for Best Mobile Solution last year, Studywiz Spark Mobile this year is a finalised in the Best Education Solution for Mobile or Hand-held Device category. All products that qualified as finalists will now be reviewed by members of SIIA, who will vote to select the winner for this category, as well as 55 other categories. The winners will be announced in May.

One hundred eighty-eight products from 136 companies were selected as finalists from more than 785 nominations submitted by 374 companies. Nominated products underwent an intensive review by subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, and others with deep experience in the field.

“This is the twenty-fifth year we have recognized excellence in the software, education and information industries through the CODiE Awards program,” noted Ken Wasch, President of SIIA. “In this economic climate, companies are doing even more to innovate. Studywiz has demonstrated a commitment to innovation and quality that is reflected in their selection as a finalist for the CODiE Awards. I am pleased and proud to have them listed among the candidates, and I wish them the best in the final round of voting.”

The CODiEs were created so that pioneers of the then-nascent software industry could evaluate and honor each other’s work. Since then, the CODiE Awards program has carried out the same purpose – to showcase the software and information industry’s finest products and services and to honor excellence in corporate achievement and philanthropic efforts.

For more information and the finalists or to learn more about the CODiE Awards Program, contact the SIIA Awards Program Manager, Lisa Mitchell-Brooks, at 202.789.4458.

• The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)
• Read more on Studywiz Spark Mobile