Durham, NC – In a continued path of growth and expansion into new global markets, Urban Planet Mobile, the world’s leading mobile education provider based in Durham, North Carolina, has announced that its Urban English audio lessons are now being distributed in more than 40 countries and across four continents with access to over 1 billion mobile phone users.  The rapid expansion now makes Urban English the largest distribution network for English education on mobile telephones in the world.

Urban Planet Mobile’s Urban English program, which features the largest library of mobile content for English language learning in the world, can now be found in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and most of Latin America. New distribution opportunities include countries as far-reaching as South Korea, Vietnam, Guatemala, Peru and Dubai.  Urban Planet Mobile’s expansion comes at a time when mobile phone use is soaring, and various government and intellectual leaders around the globe are beginning to understand the power the mobile phone has as a learning tool.

“The mobile phone is, for most people in the world, a primary device meaning it is the only piece of web-enabled technology that they own and perhaps the only piece of technology they own,” said Brian OliverSmith, CEO of Urban Planet Mobile. “It is exciting see there is a global understanding about the power and importance that mobile education possesses to advance societies and help them reach their individual and communal goals.”

Urban English is available for delivery to any mobile device, with content that is customized to basic, feature, and smartphones.  It can be delivered via SMS plus ringtone, SMS, WAP, IVR, and as a smartphone app. The Urban English App Series will employ award-winning Urban English content & pedagogy combined with visuals, gamification, and interactive quizzes.

The education technology market is experiencing a convergence of mobile and online technologies, bringing the two closer than ever before.  “Computer-based educational tools are moving to tablet and mobile, and basic mobile tools are being reconfigured to fit the smartphone and tablet platform,” says John Eyles, Urban Planet Mobile’s ESL and global education technology expert.  “One cannot conceive of an online tool without considering its functionality in mobile, and vice-versa.  Thinking in terms of cross-platform is the key.”

Urban Planet Mobile is set to launch its game-changing online educational tool, Writing Planet with PEG, which boasts the only writing assessment engine built for English language learners using non-native writing samples as the base for its rubric. The program will be accessible cross-platform, with high usability and functionality for laptop, tablet, and even smartphone.

Urban Planet Mobile is a leading innovator of educational products created for mobile, tablet and computer. With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to TOEFL & SAT preparation, to a new online writing tool with assessment and tutorials,  Urban Planet Mobile specializes in forward-thinking educational tools for cross-platform use.  Additional information about the company and our products can be obtained at www.urbanplanetmobile.com and www.writingplanet.net.

Press contact:
Will Gordon
(919)-237-2755
will@up-me.com

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DURHAM, NC (April 12, 2012) — In a study released today at the annual meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), MI’s Project Essay Grade™ software delivered the most accurate scores in eight separate evaluations of student writing.  PEG’s ability to predict scores outpaced eight other vendors of automated scoring software and proved even more reliable than two professional human judges. ”We are extremely gratified that PEG software performed so well,” said Michael Bunch, Ph.D.,

The agreement index Dr. Shermis used was more stringent than simple agreement in that it did not give credit for chance agreement. For example, on a four-point scale, it would be possible to agree one-fourth of the time by chance. The index has been used for the past 50 years and is well documented. After computing an agreement index for each of the eight essay prompts for each vendor, it is also possible to average over all eight prompts to produce a single score for each vendor. The results are shown in the figure below.

vendors

Measurement Incorporated’s PEGScores™ achieved the highest agreement index, as the figure shows. In addition, five vendors (MI and vendors A-D) had higher agreement indices than human readers had with each other (as shown by the dashed line at .75). The dashed line near the bottom of the graph shows the agreement that could be achieved simply by estimating each essay’s score based on the number of words it contained (word count).

The ASAP competition represents the first time these widely used programs have been compared to one another under controlled, objectively refereed conditions. The results demonstrate conclusively the viability of AI scoring in general and MI’s leadership in particular. For a complete copy of the study, please click here.

About PEG Software

Project Essay Grade (PEG) software is an automated essay scoring solution based on more than 40 years of research by Ellis Batten Page, Ed. D., whose pioneering work in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), computational linguistics and natural language processing has distinguished him as the father of computer-based essay scoring. In 2003, MI acquired the PEG technology and continues to develop and extend Page’s pioneering research. Coupled with MI’s 25+ years of experience in performance assessment (human scoring of essays), today’s PEG software delivers valid and reliable scoring that is unrivaled in the industry.

About Measurement Incorporated

MI is an employee-owned company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, and has been a leader in educational assessment since 1980. The company provides a wide range of educational and testing services and specializes in the development, scoring and reporting of large-scale educational tests.

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Definition: Swag – appearance, style, or the way someone presents himself. One can “swag up” or be “swaggin”.

DURHAM, NC – English, the most sought-after language skill in the world, just got swagged up with the development of Urban Planet Mobile’s Urban English Hip Hop. Durham based Urban Planet Mobile, the global leader in mobile and digital education, launches Urban English Hip Hop, the first product in the world to use hip hop to teach English, featuring local Durham hip hop artist and California native Adisa McKenzie.

“This line has been in the works for several years”, says head of product development Quran Karriem, about the 90-lesson Urban English Hip Hop line, premiering in Philadelphia on March 28th at the TESOL English Language Learning Convention and English Language Expo. Hip hop artist Adisa will aslo be in attendance at TESOL, performing live with DJ Yoichi Friday evening at a “VIP Party” hosted by Urban Planet.  “It takes the right person with a mix of skills, timing and awareness to make it work without coming across as ironic, over the top, or inaccessible to non-native learners. We can’t wait to see how our audience responds to this exciting new product, unlike any in the market today,” says Karriem.

The Urban English Hip Hop line features 1-2 minute tracks, each track presenting one phrase or word delivered through the creative use of rhythm, rhyme, and repetition. Launch will occur in April with release to Livemocha’s 13 million subscribers through Livemocha’s Mobile English powered by Urban Planet. It will also be a feature product in the new series of Urban English apps that Urban Planet is releasing to the market later in 2012.

“In many of the mobile markets, we are the first and only educational content carriers have offered—generally mobile products have focused on entertainment such as games, music, and ringtones,” says Brian OliverSmith, Urban Planet Mobile co-founder and CEO. “Urban English Hip Hop bridges the divide by showing that music & entertainment can be educational, and that learning English can be highly entertaining.”

Urban English Hip Hop, like all the Urban Planet Mobile products, works to improve students listening comprehension, expand vocabulary, and break down barriers to speaking the language by making it accessible in a creative and innovative way.

“English is a living and breathing language that is constantly changing and evolving,” says John Eyles, Senior Pedagogue & Development Advisor for the Urban Planet Mobile products. “We want to show the diversity of the language, and show the diversity and depth of English as it is spoken and used by English-speakers in all corners of the world, of all generations, and of all walks of life”.

This product line rounds out the largest English language learning library in the world available for mobile devices, expanding the appeal and reach and providing a strong entry level product that has already generated high interest from carriers, distributors, and partners.

About Urban Planet Mobile

Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education products created specifically for worldwide, digital delivery.  Developing a wide range of education content for mobile devices including basic and feature phones, smart-phones, and tablets, Urban Planet Mobile has secured distribution on four continents, and digital products available in 20 countries and counting.  With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation for mobile delivery and computer-based comprehensive writing development and assessment programs, Urban Planet has the largest library of digital English educational content available in the world.  Additional information about the company can be obtained at www.urbanplanetmobile.com.  

About Adisa

Adisa McKenzie is an experimental hip hop artist and creative collaborator from Northern California currently residing in Durham, North Carolina. He is a founding member of the TripKnight Sound & Art Collective. Adisa’s vocals have been featured in tracks throughout the world from Russia, to Canada, to the Netherlands and Norway and the UK; his songs boast over 2 million online listens and countless downloads. Adisa also holds an Associate’s Degree in Drafting Design.

Press contact:
Will Gordon
Marketing Communications
will@up-me.com
(919)-237-3755

Writing Planet with PEG will be a game-changer for students and educators, bundling writing tools innovatively, and challenging less versatile products currently available to the market. English writing proficiency is increasingly essential for job seekers in virtually every field and for students seeking advanced degrees across disciplines. The program rubrics mimic those of IELTS and TOEFL, assisting students in developing the critical writing skills necessary both for advanced academic study and participation in the world of international communication.

Writing Planet is the only product to be introduced to the market with both instant assessment and feedback combined with targeted tutorials and interactive activities. The program, additionally, offers a teacher portal providing a snapshot of individual student and entire class activity and achievement.

“From an educator’s perspective, Writing Planet has a lot to offer,” says John Eyles, M.A., pioneer of online English learning and recognized expert in international English education. “Writing is a learned skill that comes about through hard work and practice with targeted feedback and mentoring to achieve mastery. Writing Planet reduces the teacher’s chore of marking essays while giving students greater opportunities for practice along with immediate feedback. The program focuses on developing writing accuracy through the tutorials and interactive exercises, and encourages written fluency through engaging writing assignments. But what makes Writing Planet truly a ‘game-changer’ is its Artificial Intelligence engine which provides instant feedback and grades essays in seconds. The product suite is truly first-rate when compared to what is available on the market today.”

Based on the original artificial intelligence-driven writing assessment program developed in the 1960’s by Dr. Ellis Page, former Professor of Education at Duke University, Writing Planet is the only assessment engine specifically trained to recognize common errors of non-native English writers. Thousands of student essays from more than 40 different countries were used to train the AI engine, PEG (Project Essay Grade).

Writing Planet with PEG is a joint venture between Measurement Incorporated, an education industry leader with over 30 years of experience in writing assessment, and Urban Planet Mobile, both based in Durham, N.C.

Writing Planet is a powerful scalable, user-friendly comprehensive educational program that is both pedagogically sound and engaging for students. “The world is hungry to learn how to write in English,” said Dr. Henry Scherich, President of Measurement Incorporated. “We have the technology and Urban Planet has the international experience and marketing capability. We are extremely excited about jointly launching this comprehensive program and possibly revolutionizing the way the world teaches and learns English writing.”

Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education products created specifically for worldwide, digital delivery.  Developing a wide range of education content for mobile devices including basic and feature phones, smart-phones, and tablets, Urban Planet Mobile has secured distribution on four continents, and digital products available in 20 countries and counting.  With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation for mobile delivery and computer-based comprehensive writing development and assessment programs, Urban Planet has the largest library of digital English educational content available in the world.  Additional information about the company can be obtained at www.urbanplanetmobile.com.  To learn more about the benefits of Writing Planet with PEG, please visit the website at www.writingplanet.net.
Press contact:
Will Gordon
Marketing Communications
will@up-me.com
(919)-237-2755

Durham, NC –  Livemocha, the world’s largest online language learning community, announces a new line of mobile learning products powered by Durham, NC based Urban Planet Mobile’s award-winning language learning content. Livemocha Mobile English is immediately available in the U.S., with rapid expansion to Livemocha’s 13 million members planned. The new line of Mobile English is a part of a new campaign to support the Livemocha mission of creating a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages.

Livemocha Mobile English takes advantage of Urban Planet’s effective delivery method and award-winning content. The Livemocha Mobile English line offers lesson packages at all proficiency levels from beginner to advanced, with programs for specific purposes from Hotel English, to transportation, to English for Health Workers and more. The program allows English students to learn at their own level and pace and choose the topics they wish to explore, all on their mobile device. Livemocha will also feature the newest and most exciting Urban Planet line: English Hip-Hop. This creative program teaches modern hip-hop words and phrases using music, rhythm, and rhyme.

All lessons are delivered using Slooce Technology Inc.’s two-way mobile messaging platform. Slooce is recognized as an industry leader in SMS-based delivery solutions and has proven to be a powerful and innovative solution-oriented partner.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Urban Planet Mobile and Slooce Technology to expand our language learning options for the global Livemocha community,” CEO Michael Schutzler says. “We’ve been evaluating mobile solutions for quite a while and are pleased to have found the perfect partner with Urban Planet and Slooce. The demand for learning on a mobile device is enormous, and Livemocha Mobile English delivers a great experience for people with either a smartphone or a feature phone.”

While the smart phone platform with app-based delivery is appealing to users and tech developers both for its design and dynamic abilities, the opportunity for content delivery in the basic and feature phone market is far from hitting a saturation point. In Brazil, Livemocha’s largest subscriber market outside the U.S., 76% of mobile users access the internet by feature phone while only 24% use smart phones.

“If the feature phone market were a wagon train headed west that began on the East coast, then we haven’t even reached Appalachia,” says Urban Planet CEO Brian OliverSmith. “Partnering with Livemocha, the largest online language learning community in the world shows that there are others who believe in this model as well. We are happy to be providing our award-winning content, the largest library of content in the world, to Livemocha’s language learners”.

About Livemocha
Livemocha is the world’s largest online language learning community, fusing traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to nearly 13 million members from 190 countries, underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. Visit http://www.livemocha.com for more information.

About Urban Planet
Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education and information products created specifically for worldwide, digital delivery. With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation for mobile delivery and computer-based comprehensive writing development and assessment programs, Urban Planet has the largest library of digital English educational content available. Visit www.urbanplanetmobile.com for more information.

About Slooce Technology, Inc.
Slooce Technology is the premier provider of interactive mobile solutions and services via text messaging. Using its advanced, easy-to integrate platform and text messaging solutions—mobile messaging, interactive learning, mobile billing, multiplayer SMS games, and localized content— Slooce Technology helps businesses reach their goals for new user engagement, service monetization, client retention, further market penetration, and creative loyalty programs.  Visit http://www.sloocetech.com/ for more information.

Press Contact:
Will Gordon
Urban Planet Mobile
will@up-me.com
919-237-2755

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Burlingame, CA—March 14, 2012—DynEd International, Inc., a leader in the English language learning solutions market, and Urban Planet Mobile, an award winning developer and distributor of mobile education content, have collaborated on a new mobile English language learning series. DynEd Conversations apps target the growing smart phone market with engaging education materials using the pioneering foundation developed by Urban Planet Mobile.   By leveraging Urban Planet’s patent-pending technology for mobile content delivery and DynEd’s Voice of America English language lessons, the two companies have developed an app series that is designed to support a broad range of student needs.

“Partnering with Urban Planet helps us accelerate delivery and expand our market reach with a product series targeting mobile phone users,” said Ian Adam, DynEd’s CEO, “ The DynEd Conversations app series takes our traditional focus on developing oral fluency into a new delivery model with a recognized leader in the industry.”

“The partnership with DynEd is a natural fit,” said Brian OliverSmith, CEO of Urban Planet Mobile, “Applying Urban Planet’s mobile expertise to DynEd’s extensive catalog of award-winning education content gives English learners an engaging series of material with a proven track record of success that can be accessed in a new way.”

DynEd Conversations apps provide learning materials that align to student language levels.  For English students at the beginner level, the courses follow DynEd’s award winning materials, allowing them to progress along a defined path of acquisition.   Existing DynEd students can use the series as supplemental materials to their existing course material while past students will find the courses provide a structured practice opportunity.

The series uses Urban Planet’s combination delivery of ESL content and audio files to mobile. Students receive a weekly lesson package complete with audio content and interactive lessons testing comprehension, grammar and verb usage.  The application tracks and stores the student’s progress on each lesson.   The series is being launched in Indonesia and Turkey with plans to expand to other markets later in the year.

About

DynEd is a privately held English language learning solutions company. A pioneer in blended language learning, DynEd delivers the core English curriculum for institutional providers including private and public schools, universities, leading corporations, training organizations, and government agencies in more than 50 countries. With users now numbering in the millions, DynEd courseware has won over 40 awards.

Urban Planet Mobile, the mobile education company, is the leading provider of education and information products created specifically for delivery via mobile phone. With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation, Urban Planet Mobile is the only company to develop educational content for delivery to any mobile phone, anywhere in the world.

Press Contacts:

Steve Taglio                            Will Gordon
DynEd                                      Urban Planet Mobile
staglio@dyned.com             will@up-me.com
650-375-7011 x 144             919-237-2755
 

Mr. OliverSmith was nominated for this award by local businessman and 2011 Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year, Dr. Henry Scherich, founder and president of the Durham-based educational assessment firm Measurement Inc. “Brian is one of the most out-of-the-box thinkers I’ve met who takes what others might see as disparate ideas, links them innovatively, and creates value.” Dr. Scherich shares. “It was only natural that I nominate him as a Top Entrepreneur for our region.”

Urban Planet Mobile, under the leadership of Mr. OliverSmith, develops digital education content for worldwide deployment on a variety of mobile devices including basic and feature phones, smartphones, and tablets. Additionally, the company will launch its highly-anticipated, computer-based Writing Planet with PEG artificial intelligence driven writing tutorial and assessment program in March 2012. The launch will occur at the TESOL International Convention & English Language EXPO in Philadelphia, where Mr. OliverSmith will be presenting on the future of mobile in English language learning.

Having secured distribution on three continents and solved delivery around the world, Mr. OliverSmith is widely recognized as a pioneer and leader in mobile education, speaking on panels across industries, most recently presenting on a panel organized by Pearson Education, the world’s largest education publisher, at the GSMA World Congress, where last year Urban Planet Mobile garnered the coveted Global Mobile Award for Best Mobile Learning Innovation.

“ Being not only nominated but awarded this recognition in an area as populated as it is with world leaders and innovative entrepreneurs is a great compliment to the Urban Planet team, as they work diligently on bringing our vision of accessible, affordable education utilizing digital delivery and up-and-coming technologies to the world market .” says Mr. OliverSmith.

Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education and information products created specifically for worldwide, digital delivery. With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation for mobile delivery and computer-based comprehensive writing development and assessment programs, Urban Planet has the largest library of digital English educational content available to the world.  Additional information about the company can be obtained at www.urbanplanetmobile.com or by calling (919) 323-8763.

Tigo has 16 operations in different countries around the world, including South West Asia, South Asia, Africa, and South and Central America. Tigo has more than 13 million subscribers.

The agreement gives Urban Planet Mobile its first entrée into South America, a market that is hungry for quality English language learning programs. The Tigo brand is particularly focused on reaching young, up and coming subscribers who are the primary market for Urban English making Tigo an excellent delivery partner.

“This launch in Bolivia with Tigo is very exciting for us as we know that the need for quality, accessible English learning programs is tremendous in South America, as well as worldwide.” said Mobile Education’s creator, CEO and founder of Urban Planet Mobile Brian OliverSmith. “We are continuing our expansion and reaching markets in places as diverse as Japan, Tunisia, Indonesia, Bolivia, and more.”

Urban Planet Mobile enlisted some of the greatest educational minds to design lesson plans that help people learn English.

Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education and information products created specifically for delivery via mobile phone. With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation, Urban Planet Mobile is the only company to develop English lessons for delivery to any mobile phone.  Additional information about the company can be obtained at www.urbanplanetmobile.com or by calling (919) 323-8763.

Durham, NC – Urban Planet Mobile, the world’s leading mobile education
provider based in Durham, North Carolina, is expanding into Japan. The
company has contracted with NTT Learning Systems Corporation (NTT LS) to use
their innovative Manavino Platform for New Learning to offer the Urban
English Language Learning Program in Smartphone format.

The new Smartphone format will feature a Karaoke style English visual to the
audio lessons where, similar to Karaoke machines, the text will light up as
the subscriber listens to the message, enabling them to identify and learn
words faster. The agreement gives Urban Planet Mobile its first entrée into
Japan, the largest market for English language learning worldwide and a
stronger foothold in the Asia Pacific market, the region with the highest
number of mobile phone subscribers in the world.

“The demand to learn English in Japan is extremely high and this agreement
will allow us to take full advantage with a unique, fun and culturally
recognizable format,” said Mobile Education’s creator, CEO and founder of
Urban Planet Mobile Brian OliverSmith.

The Manavino Platform for New Learning is NTT LS newest innovation and
promises to change the way people think about education. NTT LS is a leader
in education innovation. Further information can be obtained at
http://manavino.jp/ (Japanese only).

Urban Planet Mobile enlisted some of the greatest educational minds to
design lesson plans that help people learn English. The program costs less
than $10.00 per month.

Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education and information
products created specifically for delivery via mobile phone. With products
ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation, Urban Planet
Mobile is the only company to develop English lessons for delivery to any
mobile phone. Additional information about the company can be obtained at
www.urbanplanetmobile.com or by calling (919) 323-8763.

Education, is expanding its Board of Advisors to include David Richard
Gleave, CEO of AsiaTrac Group, a pioneer in the development and application
of technology to provide state-of-the-art solutions for higher education and
corporate training.

Mr. Gleave is a recognized business leader and educator with almost 50 years
experience in international education and program development. He began his
unusual career track in 1963 as an Assistant Teacher in a Primary School in
the UK. Over the years, he moved up the UK educational hierarchy until 1985
when he became the Director of International Training & Consultancy Services
at the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate. In this
position, he was responsible for creating and developing the University’s
consultancy and training services in exams administration. In 1989, David
was promoted to Director of the International Development Division. As
such, he was the head of Cambridge University’s Training Centre for
Commonwealth Examination Boards, supervised all of the University’s
internationally funded development projects in Africa and Asia, managed key
components of the World Bank funded Primary Education Project in Nepal,
carried out the vehicle and hardware procurement for ODA education project
in Africa, and recruited and trained technical consultants for roles in
overseas development projects.

In January of 1993, Mr. Gleave became the University’s Director of Asia
Pacific Division where he advised on and implemented examinations
development strategies for the Asia Pacific Region, headed the Regional
Development Office and South East Asia Training Center at AIT in Thailand
and supervised educational development projects in the Asia Pacific region.
In 1996, Mr. Gleave moved to Hong Kong to become the Managing Director and a
Member of the Board of Directors for Cambridge University Asia Pacific
Limited. It was this position that offered him the chance to create
educational training and assessment courses for corporate clients throughout
the Asia Pacific Region as well as manage the development of web-based
systems for online learning and educational assessment.

In 2000, David left the University setting to found AsiaTrac Group and with
his guidance the company has grown into a worldwide presence that
specializes in online and mobile education program development for
universities and corporations.

“David’s expertise and history of success further enhances our position as
the worldwide leader in mobile education,” said Brian OliverSmith, CEO of
Urban Planet Media & Entertainment, Corp. “Our current international and
domestic initiatives are well received in various countries around the world
and in school districts across the United States.”

Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education and information
products created specifically for delivery via mobile phone. With products
ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation, Urban Planet
Mobile is the only company to develop English lessons for delivery to any
mobile phone. Additional information about the company can be obtained at
www.urbanplanetmobile.com or by calling (919) 323-8763.