04 January 2012
Autology selected as Microsoft Learning Suite Partner
Leading education technology company Autology World Limited
announced today that it has been successfully selected as a
Microsoft Learning Suite partner.
Autology's intelligent learning resource software Autology Lite
will now be available for download to every Windows PC in schools
throughout the UK, as part of Microsoft's innovative new desktop
Learning Suite. In addition, over 21,000 members of
Microsoft's online UK Partners in
Learning resource hub will have access to Autology Lite
as part of a downloadable version of Learning Suite, containing
innovative applications, web-based tools and teacher resources.
Eric Hobson, Chief Executive Officer, Autology World Ltd, says:
"This is great news for Autology and is a big step in the right
direction for our business development, raising the visibility of
Autology to the next level. We are delighted to have been
successfully selected as a Microsoft Learning Suite Partner,
alongside other respected, leading learning brands including Oxford
University Press, Encyclopedia Britannica and Nelson Thornes.
"Microsoft is aligning itself closely with the education
community here in the UK with its new, customisable Learning Suite
Installer that includes Publisher partnership content. Learning
Suite provides users with instant access to a host of added value,
free learning applications on their desktop, including Microsoft
Mathematics 4.0 and third party content such as Autology Lite."
Autology software harnesses the power of globally successful
pattern matching and search software for learning. Learners will
have instant access to free Autology Lite content via Microsoft's
Learning Suite, with an option to upgrade to the full version.
The World's Most Advanced e-learning system
Mark Stewart, UK Education Partner Lead, Microsoft, says: "We
are customising our Learning Suite Installer to include Publisher
partner content to add value to the PC purchase and Learning Suite
offer, increasing both student and educator value.
"We are promoting Learning Suite to learners via MyPC PC vendor
partnerships and to educators via Microsoft's Partners in Learning
community. Learners win, because they have access to more resources
on their PC, educators win because they have access to enhanced
learning resources and Publishers win because they have new
channels to market and the prestige associated with being an
approved Microsoft Learning Suite partner."
Autology's Hobson continues: "The timing of our partnership with
Learning Suite couldn't be better. We have invested in a major
overhaul of the front-end user experience of Autology, which will
be unveiled at BETT in January.
"We will be rolling out an ongoing programme of updates,
introducing innovations such as how the user interface looks and
works, depending on whether you are logging-in at school or at
home. This is driven by feedback from research with focus groups
that our users want a different experience when accessing Autology
inside and outside of school or college. We are looking at smart
ways of integrating social media and messaging into the home
experience, whilst maintaining a more conservative interface in
school."
Autology uses Autonomy's world leading pattern recognition
search functionality, which is unlike normal search engines such as
Google or Bing. Autology attempts to understand the concepts that
are being searched by students. It selects information from a pool
of easily searchable premium learning content from providers such
as Heinemann, Letts, Lonsdale and World Book, as well as easy
access to over 50,000 vetted websites with curriculum content.
The pre-edited content database delivers results specific to the
user's learning profile. The search results that a Key Stage Two
user searching Ancient Egyptians, versus a user studying GCSEs, is
tailored accordingly. Furthermore, Autology's unique Accelerator
The World's Most Advanced e-learning system
function enables the software to suggest relevant research articles
in real time as a student types an essay.
Manchester Academy
Manchester Academy in Salford is an early adopter of Autology
and was awarded 'Outstanding' status in March 2009 by Ofsted. More
recently it has been awarded the Education Investor Magazine award
for Academy of the Year 2010. The Academy has been using Autology
since 2009.
Kathy August, Principal of Manchester Academy and Acting Chief
Executive of the United Learning Trust, says: "Every child deserves
the best education possible. Our motto is 'The Best In Everyone'
and we are committed to providing the best education to our
students. Autology helps us to do this by providing students with
the resources that will support and enrich their learning, without
financial cost to the families."
Jay Patel, Assistant Principal, Manchester Academy, says: "I am
amazed at how many of our students regularly access Autology. The
6th form students find it easy to use and agree that it is a great
tool to help them prepare for examinations.
"Autology has no social boundaries. Students can access the
resources both in school and at home but with the added bonus that
in hard economic times, parents do not have to purchase new books.
Autology eliminated the financial burden for many families,
enabling all students to have access to the most recent, highest
quality and most relevant resources available.
"We believe that Autology makes a difference and when used to
support the teaching in class improves student confidence and
levels of engagement. It also helps enable a stronger work ethic as
well as developing independent learning." The World's Most
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Year 9 students Hazara and Sanjay Singh and John Anderson agree:
"We think Autology is really useful for homework and revision. It
has lots of really good links to websites and is easy to use."
For further information about the benefits of Autology or to
sign up for a trial, visit www.autology.org or email
keith@autology.org