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Can Rupert Murdoch Speed the Coming of Online Learning?
GothamSchools reported earlier today that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. announced it was acquiring a Brooklyn-based startup that specializes in education technology called Wireless Generation. It's the second Brooklyn-born entity with a penchant for using technology to individualize education that Murdoch's acquired this month.
The other was New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who announced his resignation two weeks ago. Klein joined News Corp. as an executive vice president in charge of looking into opportunities in the digital learning space, part of what Murdoch refers to as the $500 billion K-12 education sector. Over the years, Klein has talked about the promise of digital learning—from online learning to so-called "blended learning" situations, where students learn from a mix of both computer-based and live instruction.
http://gothamschools.org/2010/11/22/murdoch-buys-education-tech-company-wireless-generation/
Excerpt:
http://gothamschools.org/2010/11/22/murdoch-buys-education-tech-company-wireless-generation/
Excerpt:
Murdoch buys education tech company Wireless Generation
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation took its second step into the education world this evening when it made a deal to buy Wireless Generation, a Brooklyn-based education technology company.
Murdoch took his first step nearly two weeks ago, when he acquired the chancellor of New York City’s public schools, Joel Klein. In an announcement that took most of his staff and top advisors by surprise, Klein told reporters that he was leaving the Department of Education for a job at News Corp., where he will be an executive vice president overseeing investments in digital learning companies.
After Klein resigned, News Corp. officials told The New York Times that they planned to make “seed investments” in entrepreneurial education companies. The acquisition of Wireless Generation may be the first of these investments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Bush
Excerpt:
Ignite! Learning
To fund Ignite!, Bush raised $23 million from U.S. investors, including his parents, as well as businessmen from Taiwan, Japan, Kuwait, the British Virgin Islands and the United Arab Emirates, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Documented investors include Russian billionaire expatriate Boris Berezovsky, Berezovsky's partner Badri Patarkatsishvili, Kuwaiti company head Mohammed Al Saddah, and Chinese computer executive Winston Wong.
In 2002, Neil Bush commended his brother, George, for his efforts on education as President, but he questioned the emphasis on constant testing to keep federal aid coming to public schools: “I share the concerns of many that if our system is driven around assessments, pencil-and-paper tests that test a kid's ability to memorize stuff, I would say that reliance threatens to institutionalize bad teaching practices.”[7]
As of October 2006, over 13 U.S. school districts (out of over 14,000 school districts nation-wide[8]) have used federal funds made available through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in order to buy Ignite's products at $3,800 apiece.[9]
A December 2003 Style section article in the Washington Post reported that Bush's salary from Ignite! was $180,000 per year.[4]
Bush's relationship with the controversial oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a political enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin currently under indictment for fraud in Russia and an applicant for asylum in the United Kingdom,[10] has been noted in the media. Berezovsky has been an investor in Bush's Ignite! program since at least 2003.[11] Bush met with Berezovsky in Latvia. The meeting caused tension between that country and Russia due to Berezovsky's fugitive status.[11] Bush has also been seen in Berezovsky's box at an Arsenal's Emirates stadium for a game,[12] which prompted some stateside criticism.[13] There has also been speculation in the English language Moscow Times that the relationship may cause tension in U.S.-Russian bilateral relations, "especially since Putin has taken pains to build a personal relationship with the U.S. president."[14]
Murdoch took his first step nearly two weeks ago, when he acquired the chancellor of New York City’s public schools, Joel Klein. In an announcement that took most of his staff and top advisors by surprise, Klein told reporters that he was leaving the Department of Education for a job at News Corp., where he will be an executive vice president overseeing investments in digital learning companies.
After Klein resigned, News Corp. officials told The New York Times that they planned to make “seed investments” in entrepreneurial education companies. The acquisition of Wireless Generation may be the first of these investments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Bush
Excerpt:
Ignite! Learning
Main article: Ignite!
In 1999, Bush co-founded Ignite! Learning, an educational software corporation. Bush has said he started Austin-based Ignite! Learning because of his learning difficulties in middle school and those of his son, Pierce.[6] The software uses multiple intelligence methods to provide varying types of content to appeal to multiple learning styles.To fund Ignite!, Bush raised $23 million from U.S. investors, including his parents, as well as businessmen from Taiwan, Japan, Kuwait, the British Virgin Islands and the United Arab Emirates, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Documented investors include Russian billionaire expatriate Boris Berezovsky, Berezovsky's partner Badri Patarkatsishvili, Kuwaiti company head Mohammed Al Saddah, and Chinese computer executive Winston Wong.
In 2002, Neil Bush commended his brother, George, for his efforts on education as President, but he questioned the emphasis on constant testing to keep federal aid coming to public schools: “I share the concerns of many that if our system is driven around assessments, pencil-and-paper tests that test a kid's ability to memorize stuff, I would say that reliance threatens to institutionalize bad teaching practices.”[7]
As of October 2006, over 13 U.S. school districts (out of over 14,000 school districts nation-wide[8]) have used federal funds made available through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in order to buy Ignite's products at $3,800 apiece.[9]
A December 2003 Style section article in the Washington Post reported that Bush's salary from Ignite! was $180,000 per year.[4]
Bush's relationship with the controversial oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a political enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin currently under indictment for fraud in Russia and an applicant for asylum in the United Kingdom,[10] has been noted in the media. Berezovsky has been an investor in Bush's Ignite! program since at least 2003.[11] Bush met with Berezovsky in Latvia. The meeting caused tension between that country and Russia due to Berezovsky's fugitive status.[11] Bush has also been seen in Berezovsky's box at an Arsenal's Emirates stadium for a game,[12] which prompted some stateside criticism.[13] There has also been speculation in the English language Moscow Times that the relationship may cause tension in U.S.-Russian bilateral relations, "especially since Putin has taken pains to build a personal relationship with the U.S. president."[14]
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