Renaissance Learning and Ignite! Learning
Integrate 21st Century Classroom Products
June 21, 2010, Wisconsin Rapids, WI - (Virtual Press Office) – Renaissance Learning™ and Ignite! Learning™ formally announced a joint agreement that will enable educators to utilize the Renaissance Responder™ and NEO 2™ with the Ignite! ™ Learning curriculum offering.
This integration allows a class of students to use products from the Renaissance Learning’s hardware line, the 2Know! ™ classroom response system and the NEO 2 student laptops, to interact with Ignite! Learning’s assessments, which can be used as formal tests or as whole-class reviews. The responses are immediately and automatically scored, recorded, and available for review.
NEO 2 offers valuable writing and keyboarding practice throughout the curriculum. In addition, the NEO 2 allows students to take Accelerated Reader™ quizzes, enhance computational fluency with the MathFacts in a Flash™ software, interactively participate in lessons through the built-in classroom response system, and print documents wirelessly. Students can also upload documents to MY Access!™, a web-delivered instructional program that diagnoses and assesses the writing ability of students, and to Google Docs™, Google’s document, spreadsheet, and presentation application.
As part of the interactive 2Know! classroom response system, the handheld Renaissance Responders use two-way radio frequency technology to help teachers know instantly if students understand key concepts. The system’s user-friendly toolbar allows teachers to set up questions in seconds and the included test generator tabulates results automatically into the built-in gradebook, which saves teachers time and eliminates paperwork.
The Ignite! Learning curriculum targets lasting middle school progress with interactive materials designed to current state, local, subject and grade-level priorities. The product integrates with existing technology, supports classroom instruction, and promotes critical thinking. The digital content is delivered via the Ignite! ION, an enterprise software-only license, or through their latest offering the Ignite! Torch, a portable device that simply plugs into a classroom computer’s USB port—making local standards-driven math, science, and social studies curriculum immediately available. Each course offers three years of middle school curriculum with lessons for every day of the school year.
“The amazing benefits of the seamless integration between the Renaissance Responders and the NEO 2 with the Ignite! Learning offering extend beyond these products,” said Jack McLaughlin, Renaissance Learning’s Vice President and General Manager of the Hardware product line. “These products will allow educators to better maximize the utilization of other technologies, such as interactive whiteboards and wireless slates—a true enhancement to the 21st Century Classroom.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with Renaissance Learning to expand our support for classroom response systems,” said Ken Leonard, Ignite! Learning’s Chairman & CEO. “This collaboration further strengthens the use of our classroom curriculum and will be a wonderful benefit to our mutual customers.”
The update for Ignite! Learning will be available in July 2010. Both products will be demonstrated at the upcoming ISTE conference in Denver, CO in late June 2010.
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About Renaissance Learning, Inc.
Renaissance Learning, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of computer-based assessment technology for pre-K–12 schools. Adopted by more than 72,000 schools, Renaissance Learning’s tools provide daily formative assessment and periodic progress-monitoring technology to enhance core curriculum, support differentiated instruction, and personalize practice in reading, writing and math. Renaissance Learning products help educators make the practice component of their existing curriculum more effective by providing tools to personalize practice and easily manage the daily activities for students of all levels. As a result, teachers using Renaissance Learning products accelerate learning, get more satisfaction from teaching, and help students achieve higher test scores on state and national tests. Renaissance Learning has seven U.S. locations and subsidiaries in Canada and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit http://www.renlearn.com.
About Ignite! Learning
Ignite! Learning is the leading middle school digital content solution focusing on motivating hard to reach learners and enhancing local standards based instruction. Ignite!'s interactive Math, Science, Social Studies, and Special Education solutions are available for all 50 states across grades 4 through 8. Ignite! Learning targets lasting middle school progress with interactive materials designed to state, local, subject, and grade level priorities that integrate with existing technology, support classroom instruction, and promote critical thinking. Ignite! serves more than 1/2 million students in middle school classrooms everywhere.
ISTE's Annual Conference & Exposition · June 27–30, 2010 · Colorado Convention Center · Denver, CO
