NewCom Unveils Internet-Based Rural Education Package for Latin America, Africa
March 4, 2011
Education Package Combines Satellite-Based Internet Connectivity, Web Filters, Virtual Teaching Services and World-Class Educational Materials from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Governments, NGOs, foundations and private sector businesses interested in improving education in rural, developing regions throughout Latin America and Africa now have an affordable, turnkey solution at their fingertips, thanks to the Rural Education Package (REIS) recently unveiled by Miami, Florida-based NewCom International.
NewCom International, a global satellite communications firm committed to fostering education, advancing health care and promoting economic development through 21st century communications, has developed a turnkey education package that provides high-speed Internet connectivity over satellite, world-class online educational materials and its VideoMeetings™ application that facilitates a virtual interactive classroom. The rural education package also includes NewCom’s SafeAccess™ service which protects against viruses and enables governments or educators to block access to certain online content.
NewCom, which has been working to promote educational advancements in rural developing regions through Internet connectivity and its VideoMeetings service delivered via the satellite-based Evolution Platform by iDirect, recently teamed with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), the global education leader, to offer comprehensive online reading, math, social studies and science curriculum which meets international standards. The online educational platforms, which can be customized to meet the requirements of individual markets, provide an end-to-end solution for educational systems – incorporating innovative content, teaching tools, assessment programs and professional development resources for teachers. The intuitive online educational programs can be used to teach students in the classroom or remotely via NewCom’s VideoMeetings™ service, while also enabling students without access to teachers to learn independently.
“While partnering with governments, NGOs and private-sector businesses to bring high-speed internet connectivity to rural communities and schools throughout Latin America and Africa, we recognized the need for an affordable, turnkey educational solution that would provide the one-stop answer they need,” notes Dora Mejia, Director of Sales and Business Development for NewCom International. “Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is the recognized world leader when it comes to quality educational content. By partnering with them and their distributors to bundle a comprehensive suite of online educational programs with our internet connectivity, VideoMeetings and SafeAccess services, we are able to provide the complete package necessary to ensure students living in the most remote corners of the globe can access a world-class education.”
Terry Nealon, Executive Vice-President, International at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt added: “Strategic partnerships, such as this one, allow HMH to deliver complete educational solutions which help students and teachers reach their full potential. HMH’s best-in-class digital curriculum resources and technology platforms, combined with NewCom’s ability to meet the challenge of internet connectivity in rural areas, makes for a powerful partnership, with the potential to dramatically improve the quality of resources available to educational communities all over the world.”
At the core of NewCom’s Rural Education Package is iDirect’s cutting-edge Evolution Platform, which comes equipped with ACM (Adaptive Coding and Modulation) to ensure service continuity despite rain or other weather interferences in the storm-prone regions of Latin America and Africa. The platform also works on small antennas and offers built-in bandwidth optimization features to ensure the most affordable solution possible.
