During the Florida Educational Technology Conference StudySync.com discussed how to use technology to increase student engagement and promote social learning. 

Focused on middle school and high school students and aligned to the Common Core, StudySync is using broadcast-quality video, digital media, mobile platforms and social learning as one of the finest programs available on how to use technology to increase student engagement and promote social learning.

Studysync.com has a platform well-able to improve reading, writing and critical thinking.  Since its launch in January 2011 with 12 lessons, StudySync has seen near-100 percent growth with a marked increase in educator participation, via trial, pilot, and paid accounts.

StudySync’s exclusive multimedia content is likewise expanding at a rapid clip.  SyncTV now includes some 50 episodes, and the StudySync library is approaching 400 unique titles.  Another 100 titles are in development, with release anticipated in the first quarter.   In 2011, the company completed a dozen middle school SyncTV episodes with a new set and a younger, high school-age cast for grades 6-9, and expects to have 20 completed by February.  

“On a number of important fronts, the response to our offering has been gratifying, particularly as our teachers report an increase in reading and writing among their students using StudySync,” said BookheadEd CEO Robert Romano, who attributed StudySync’s growth to the enthusiasm of its users – teachers, administrators and students alike. 

“It’s been especially encouraging to see the product expand organically, as teachers and students experience our approach to social learning and engage with classic and modern texts in a compelling new way.“

Romano cited the spate of industry awards and critical acclaim that have contributed to StudySync’s momentum. District Administrator named StudySync one of the Top 100 Products of 2011, Scholastic included StudySync in its “Top Software Picks for 2011,” and the product earned the EdTech Digest “Cool Tool” Award.

HowToLearn.com dubbed StudySync one of the year’s Best Back-to-School Websites and great example for how to use technology to increase student engagement and promote social learning

And in conferring its EDDIE Award on the software, ComputED Gazette called StudySync “stunning…flawless” and “an impressive example of 21st Century innovation that should be made available to all high school students.”  

Extending Momentum into 2012

StudySync enters the new year looking to build on these milestones by expanding its accessibility, scope and subscription rate.  StudySync has already added closed-captioning, voice-over reading, and annotation capability to its texts in order to enhance learning for all students. 

Future developments pre-ready glossaries and writing prompts specific to the Common Core for all library texts and lessons, as well as the development of a mobile app and a refreshed corporate website. Meanwhile, monthly rollouts of new content, along with enhancements to the interface and to tech support, promise to make the software even more collaborative, effective and seamless.

According to Romano, these changes “promote engaged learning and directly address the needs of today’s teachers and make StudySync an “indispensible tool for teachers looking to engage multimedia technology for collaboration and social learning.”  

In addition to monthly expansion in features, titles, and content, strategic initiatives will begin in the first quarter of 2012 with expanded educational research that aims to strengthen StudySync’s value proposition, and a market expansion concentrated on English language Learning and charter school markets at the district and state-wide levels.

“Overall, Studysync.com provides one of the finest programs showing how to use technology to increase student engagement and promote social learning,” noted Pat Wyman, founder of HowToLearn.com 

About BookheadEd Learning, LLC

BookheadEd Learning connects high school and middle school students to the great ideas of mankind through technology, multimedia, and a rich library of classic and modern texts. 

StudySync, its award-winning flagship product, uses web-delivered educational tools – including broadcast-quality video, digital media, mobile platforms and social networking —to help teachers inspire higher levels of students’ reading, writing, critical thinking, academic discourse and peer-to-peer collaboration. 

Based in Sonoma, Calif, BookheadEd is comprised of educators and experts who believe “Together We’re Smarter.” To learn more about BookheadEd Learning and its StudySync educational platform, visit www.StudySync.com.

Pat Wyman is the best selling author of  Instant Learning for Amazing Grades, Learning vs. Testing, CEO and founder of HowToLearn.com . and the creator of the Personal Learning Styles Inventory.

Read more on how to use technology to increase student engagement and promote social learning.