Press > September 28, 2005 Release
McDougal Littell and WeatherBug Partner to Enhance Classroom Curriculum via WeatherBug Achieve
EVANSTON, Ill. and Germantown, Md. — September 28, 2005 — McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company, and WeatherBug®, the leading provider of live, local weather information services, today announced a distribution partnership of WeatherBug Achieve interactive online educational software to middle schools (grades 6-8) in New York and Florida.
WeatherBug Achieve is a powerful program that teaches students science, math, geography, and technology through real-time weather video and interactive lesson plans that bring spontaneity and excitement to standards-based learning. The program aligns with national and state education standards, including Florida’s Sunshine State Standards and New York State’s Learning Standards.
Studies show that students of all backgrounds benefit personally and academically from the use of WeatherBug Achieve when incorporated into a comprehensive, project-based science curriculum. Given the heightened interest in weather and hurricanes, the partnership between McDougal Littell and WeatherBug brings an important new educational tool to thousands of classrooms.
“WeatherBug Achieve fits perfectly into the McDougal Littell Science program. With the emphasis of McDougal Littell Science on ‘the Big Ideas’ and learning through hands-on inquiry, WeatherBug is a natural extension. The combination of our state-of-the-art program with WeatherBug’s real-time video and weather data provides tremendous additional value for schools at no additional cost,” said David Pieklo, Corporate Vice President and Director of Marketing at McDougal Littell.
He added,“Graphing and interpretation of data, a critical component of WeatherBug, is exactly what is required to succeed on key year-end tests, such as Florida’s FCAT and New York’s Regent Exams. We are very excited about this important addition to our instructional materials.”
“We are excited to join forces with McDougal Littell in bringing a unique and highly effective teaching tool to the states of Florida and New York,” said Bob Marshall, WeatherBug president and CEO. “With hurricane season upon us, both teachers and students will find the new program can not only educate, but help students understand and prepare for weather conditions relevant in their areas as well as across the U.S.”
About Houghton Mifflin
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with over $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments, and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. Additionally, Houghton Mifflin offers computer-administered testing programs and services for the professional and certification markets. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's Web site can be found at www.hmco.com.
About McDougal Littell
McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company, is among the fastest growing publishers in the United States, recognized for its innovation, dedication and responsiveness to the needs of educators. Based in Evanston, Illinois, the Company publishes print and technology materials for science, language arts, mathematics, social studies and world languages for grades 6 through 12. The Company’s Web site can be found at www.mcdougallittell.com.
About WeatherBug®
WeatherBug (www.weatherbug.com) ensures that individuals, schools, businesses and communities always get the most precise live weather conditions, the most relevant reports, and the earliest weather warnings to safeguard their property and their lives. WeatherBug owns the world's largest exclusive weather network, which has over 8,000 live WeatherBug Tracking Stations and more than 1,000 cameras that generate neighborhood level reports every second versus other weather providers whose data is up to an hour or more old. This network powers various products and services, including: WeatherBug, the number one weather Internet application, with over 60 million downloads, that streams live neighborhood conditions to its home and work users; WeatherBug Media Services, which delivers live weather information to over 80 million U.S. households through partnerships with more than 100 local television stations; WeatherBug Education, which provides engaging weather information and educational tools to schools and colleges, including an online learning program for K-12 schools called WeatherBug Achieve; and WeatherBug Professional Services, which uses the company's unique weather network and software to provide high-value solutions for vertical industries such as energy, transportation, and first response. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. www.aws.com.
About WeatherBug Achieve
WeatherBug Achieve (www.weatherbugachieve.com) brings live conditions into the classroom with a tool that is fun and easy for teachers and students to use at all levels. The data is unique, as it is relative to the school and features current, local weather conditions across the country. Under this innovative, hands-on program, student interest level and scores consistently rise along with student and teacher morale. Teachers and administrators credit the program for adding tremendous value to their curriculum and boosting student self-confidence. In the 2004-2005 School year over 250,000 students and teachers logged in to WeatherBug Achieve to learn with real live data and plan interactive lessons where students experience hands on learning.
Press Contacts:
Houghton Mifflin Contact:
Siobhan Arnold
Manager, Public Relations
Corporate Communications
Houghton Mifflin Company
siobhan_arnold@hmco.com
617-351-3817
WeatherBug Contacts:
Alyce Menton
WeatherBug
301-250-4127 - Office
301-648-5102 - Cell
amenton@weatherbug.com
Debra Eisenberg
WeatherBug
301-250-4017 - Office
301-523-9224 - Cell
Deisenberg@weatherbug.com
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