 |
APlusStudent Inc. Unveils Bi-Lingual E-learning Destination, Developed by Polar Design and IZAR
NEW YORK, NY - November 14, 2001 - Polar Design (www.polardesign.com), a provider of multimedia marketing and content management solutions, in partnership with IZAR (www.izar.com), a web globalization and translation firm, announced today the public release of the APlusStudent Inc. (www.aplusstudent.com) multilingual e-learning web site. The updated site breaks new ground by offering multimedia educational content both in Spanish and English.
The U.S. Hispanic community has grown over 58 percent over the past decade to more than 35 million (U.S. Census Bureau), a significant audience that most e-learning initiatives ignore. Recognizing this, APlusStudent developed a team of bi-lingual educators, Flash designers, and its technology partners, Polar Design and IZAR, to adapt current content management and student interfaces to deliver Spanish language content.
A pioneer in curriculum-based supplemental online education, the APlusStudent web site (www.aplusstudent.com) offers students, parents, and teachers hundreds of interactive, engaging multimedia lessons in math, reading and other subjects, all carefully crafted by a team of educators. Lessons include interactive exercises and quizzes scored online, with progress reported in students' "portfolios" to parents and teachers.
Critical innovations pioneered by Polar Design and IZAR in the web site include linking of related Spanish and English database objects such as quizzes to permit effective site management; content deployment and tracking; translation workflow management; and special translator's interfaces. Brian P. McNeill, Senior Project Manager with Polar Design, describes the project as, "a challenging departure from classic e-learning localization where translation is forced to fit with a content management system designed for use with a single language. Instead, we worked from the ground up, to create a system designed for deployment to multiple languages."
Additionally, IZAR provided professional Spanish translation and ASP script localization services, insuring the usability and timely completion of all Spanish-language interfaces. "Clearly, the multilingual e-learning market is fast growing and APlusStudent.com fills a void as a viable educational resource for 14 million Hispanic Internet users in the United States," said Bruno Cames, CEO of IZAR.
The resulting system combines efficient management tools with a front-end interface as attractive to Spanish speakers as to the original English audience. According to Babu Aharam, CEO of APlusStudent, "kids love our animated multimedia lessons because they're interesting and let them learn at their own pace." With over twenty-five years of experience in the Technology, e-Learning and Testing markets, Mr. Aharam led two e-prior learning companies to success, including Drake Training, acquired by Thompson (TOC.TO), and, most recently, TECo Inc., a pioneer in web based testing that Sylvan Prometric (NASDAQ: SLVN) acquired.
About Polar Design
Polar Design delivers award winning graphic design, multimedia corporate presentations, rich media advertising, as well as a complete range of web site content management and e-business software. Polar Design serves a diverse group of globally active organizations such as Click2Learn.com, Prada, Young & Rubicam, Logica, The Carlyle Group, NYU Online, Jive Records, and the European Commission.
Information about Polar Design is available at http://www.polardesign.com
About IZAR
IZAR.COM services enable companies to maximize the global e-business potential of the Web by providing their visitors with the same quality experience regardless of location, language, business practices or cultural issues. IZAR serves leading global organizations including JPMorganChase, Provident Mutual, The European Community, Phillips Auctioneers, Alcatel, JCDecaux, The Metropolitan Opera and The Knot.
Information about IZAR is available at http://www.izar.com
About AplusStudent.com
APlusStudent.com is the premiere place to go online for top-quality, curriculum-based supplemental education, K-12 - for every student. At APlusStudent, students with a range of learning needs and in a variety of environments find original, self-paced, graphics-rich education... homework help... creative inspiration... and visible progress.
# # #
Contact Information:
Jean Sommier, Jr.,
Senior Director
Polar Design - Boston Metro
(978) 682-4211
jean@polardesign.com
Patrick Legin
IZAR.COM
(212) 645-2100
patrick@izar.com
Wayne Benz
APlusStudent Inc.
(612) 209-7697
wayne@aplusstudent.com
NOTE TO EDITORS:
Polar Design is a trademark of IMS, Inc. All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
|
|
