PRESENT DIRECTIONS IN EDUCATION:

This is an exciting era for education. To a large degree, what is best for us as individuals is also wanted for us by society, and is needed from us by the new economy. To participate and contribute fully today and into the future, students must be lifelong learners. They must possess the attitudes and skills necessary to plan and direct their own learning, to collaborate extensively with others, to learn when need arises, and to transform their own belief systems and behavioral patterns.

Continually changing, today's schools seek to present learning environments and experiences that will enable their students to become lifelong learners. In attempting to foster the requisite initiative and autonomy, we know that how a person learns at school will be at least as important, if not more important, than what he or she learns. This shift in focus is evident in three fundamental areas: Engagement, Interaction, and Thinking.

The shift in emphasis in Engagement has been from students completing pre-defined tasks because they are compelled to do so, towards learners mindfully constructing knowledge as they pursue their goals. We usually describe this as a shift from extrinsic to intrinsic engagement.

The shift in emphasis in Interaction has been from students passively receiving information and corrective reinforcement to students actively participating and collaborating in the learning process. We usually describe this a shift from passive recipients to active recipients.

The shift in emphasis in Thinking has been from students memorizing facts and behaviors to students dealing creatively and analytically with ideas and generating personal knowledge. We usually describe this shift from processing facts to acquiring knowledge.

Our products and services are designed to support schools as they move along the continua of increasing higher-order Thinking and learner-centered Interaction and Engagement.

What does this have to do with Technology?

Humans drive change and do so through innovation. As we continue to shape our world with new technologies, so too must we use these technologies as both a catalyst for and a vehicle for change in our schools. Schools maintain relevance with developments in society not by introducing computer skills as curriculum, but by assimilating information and communication technologies into the learning environment and across the curriculum.

The medium is digital; there are new things to learn and new ways to learn. Digital technologies will be the normal way that our students will access information, share their thoughts, and hope to influence others throughout their lives. The medium presents dynamic and layered ways to convey meaning and so we must revisit what it means to be literate and infuse our curriculum with new notions of information literacy.

We successfully create new learning environments, experiences and expectations when we give technology to students such that they can use it to seek information, analyze and create information, collaborate, add value, and, ultimately, create their own information products and tools. Technology itself is not the solution by itself; it simply provides opportunities and potentials. It is up to learners, teachers and students alike, to act as critical users of technology, selecting and exploiting the facilities that truly enhance their learning.

With these factors in mind, our products are designed by:

	Identifying the qualities of learning that can effectively foster lifelong learning.
	Creating resources and services that facilitate these qualities in today's class rooms.

"We are committed to change the world, one learner at a time."