McGraw-Hill and Intel Join Forces to Bring Personalized Digital Learning Experience to Elementary Classrooms

Collaboration combines McGraw-Hill's educational expertise and innovation with new Intel-powered convertible classmate PC design

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McGraw-Hill Education

Apr 26, 2010, 10:20 ET

NEW YORK, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education today announces a collaboration with Intel that brings the classroom of the future one step closer to reality. The combination of McGraw-Hill's quality educational content with Intel® Learning Series technology specifically designed for the elementary school classroom creates a personalized learning experience for students. For schools, this collaboration offers the flexibility to choose from a variety of options including total digital solutions or hybrid models consisting of print and digital components.

The first McGraw-Hill Education program optimized specifically for the new Intel-powered convertible classmate PC reference design is LEAD21, an all-new elementary school literacy program designed to reach a new generation of readers. LEAD21 is a comprehensive literacy and language arts program offering students and teachers full print, digital and professional development resources. Through this collaboration with Intel, LEAD21 offers integrated content and hardware solutions as well. The program provides every learner with easy access to digital tools, such as an Online Coach, ePractice activities and more, which help students manage and extend their own learning. In the coming months, McGraw-Hill also plans to introduce additional programs and software created to work specifically with the classmate PC.

"Our students need 21st century skills to succeed in school and in today's global economy. Having great new content and the latest technology in the classroom is essential to instruction and the acquisition of these skills," said William Oldsey, executive vice president of McGraw-Hill Education. "Through this collaboration, we are bringing together innovators in education and technology to create engaging solutions that enhance classroom instruction, drive student achievement and keep today's children – digital natives – from 'powering down' when entering the classroom."

The new Intel-powered convertible classmate PC reference design is based on extensive ethnographic research with students and teachers, catering to how students learn and how teaching is evolving in the classroom. The new design combines aesthetics with ruggedness, full PC functionality with enhanced e-reading capabilities and improved performance with energy efficiency. The flexibility and tablet touch screen of the new convertible classmate PC works and moves the way students do.

"Rich content and innovative applications bring the unique classmate PC design to life, providing a complete solution that makes learning fun and teaching effective," said Greg Pearson, vice president of the Sales and Marketing Group and general manager of World Wide Sales and Operations for Intel Corporation. "Our collaboration with McGraw-Hill leads the industry in developing an e-learning solution for elementary students. We look forward to continuing to work with McGraw-Hill to develop rich content and applications in other areas of learning."

The two companies have conducted pilots over the last year to test how students and teachers engage with technology during classroom instruction and plan to continue ethnographic research to guide their efforts.

McGraw-Hill will offer teachers' reactions to the new classmate PC on Twitter (http://twitter.com/MHEducation).

About LEAD21 LEAD21 equips teachers with flexible digital tools that make instruction effective and easy to manage, such as the Group Manager, which coordinates the placement of students for differentiated reading and inquiry groups, and the ePractice Activity Reporting Tool and Assessment Handbook, which help monitor progress toward proficiency.

A key element of the LEAD21 program is its approach to classroom differentiation. By blending whole group and small group instruction with independent practice, LEAD21 creates a community of learners with equal access and voice.

About the new Intel-powered convertible classmate PC

The new classmate PC reference design is part of the Intel® Learning Series, a complete solution for technology and education with support from over 300 vendors, including hardware vendors, operating system vendors, software vendors and enterprise solutions providers, developing applications, peripherals and services optimized for Intel-powered classmate PCs. The Intel Learning Series gives teachers resources to enhance lessons by allowing them to integrate digital and multimedia content into their existing curriculum. With the Intel Learning Series' collaboration and management software, teachers can be more responsive to the needs of their students and switch easily between individual, small group and whole-class instruction. Intel Learning Series solutions also include technical and pedagogical training for teachers. Through a secure computing environment, child-safe operating system, and web filtering and monitoring features, this enables teachers to focus on instruction.

About McGraw-Hill School Education Group

The McGraw-Hill School Education Group, a unit of McGraw-Hill Education, is a leading innovator in the development of 21st century teaching and learning solutions for K-12 education markets, offering traditional and digital instructional, assessment, and reference content and tools for teachers and students. The School Education Group addresses critical areas in primary and secondary education through Learning Solutions Centers focused on improving student learning outcomes and promoting digital innovation in literacy, STEM, college and career readiness, and intervention and special needs education. All of McGraw-Hill's content for elementary schools and secondary schools is available in digital form. McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 65 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com.

About Intel

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

Information about classmate PC is also available at www.intel.com/intel/worldahead/classmatepc/ and http://www.classmatepc.com.

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education