ACT360 Media / TestDEN.com Blog

TestDEN.com International Student Lead Generation

2011-11-17T14:02:00.001-08:00

120,000 Saudi Students Studying Abroad

2011-11-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

The following numbers came from the Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia via Al Watan Newspaper article dated September 6.

There are currently 120,0000 Saudi students studying abroad.
76% are male and 23% are female
45% of students who are paying their own way are attending institutions located in Arab countries.
37% of scholarship students are in the USA
14% of scholarship students are in Canada
7% of scholarship students are in Australia
7% of scholarship students are in Egypt
5% of scholarship students are in Jordan
29% of students are enrolled in Business Administration
12% of students are enrolled in Engineering
11% in IT
6% in medical services

TestDEN.com traffic and our own internal surveys confirm the above trends.

Canada Expands Permanent Residency Program for International Students

2011-11-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Postnedia news reports that the Government of Canada will expand the Canada Experience Class to 7,000 people in 2012. The program allows international students studying in Canada to apply for permanent residency more quickly. Students will not be required to return to their home country to apply for permanent resident status.

This is a clever move that helps Canada recruit and retain highly skilled international students. So why is the number only 7,000 and not 70,000?

Read the Postmedia article here.

USA Processes a Record Number of Travel Visas from China

2011-10-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Mission to China adjudicated more than one million U.S. visas for Chinese students, tourists, and businesspeople during FY 2011, a 34 per cent increase from FY 2010, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke recently announced in a press release by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. This number consists of the contributions by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, as well as the U.S. Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, and Chengdu, the press release points out.

Ambassador Gary Locke commented on the US-China relationship:

“The U.S.-China relationship is profoundly important, and welcoming Chinese visitors to the United States strengthens our cultural and commercial ties. I am very pleased at the success we have had in significantly reducing wait times for visa appointments this year.”

This is fantastic news and we hope that our Chinese guests will enjoy their visit to America.

TOEFL Serves 25 million Students Worldwide

2010-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Education Testing Service (ETS), the administrators of the TOEFL test, announced that over 25 million students worldwide have used the test to "achieve their education goals." That means they have used the test to establish their English proficiency as part of their application process to schools in the United States and Canada.

We confirm these numbers as TestDEN.com's traffic has been steadily growing over the past 12 months and we have had sky-high interest in our online practice course.

Foreign Students Worth $18.8B to USA

2010-11-29T09:53:00.001-08:00

The 2009-2010 economic impact statement from international education compiled by the National Association of International Educators (NAFSA) was released last week. The numbers are big. International students are worth a lot to the US economy, $18.8B conservatively using NAFSA's methodology.

Here is how the total breaks down for the current academic year:

690,923 international students
Spent $13.1B on tuition expenses
Spent $12.5B in living expenses
Received US student aid of $7.2B
and spent $448M in dependents living expenses
NET CONTRIBUTION BY FOREIGN STUDENTS: $18,776,000,000

Facing a budget deficit of $1.42 trillion and a trade deficit of $375B, how soon before the Obama administration opens the education door wide open?

ACT360 Moves to Gastown

2010-11-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

ACT360 is moving back to downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada. Our new address in the Dominion Building in Gastown, effective December 1, 2010:

Suite 1116
207 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 1H7

Love the 270 degree view!

Andy Krieger Teaches Arizona Teachers

2010-09-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

TestDEN accent expert Andy Krieger was in Arizona to train elementary school teachers. Here is a link to the coverage by the Arizona Republic. The feedback from the teachers was gratifying:

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart because it's something wonderful and beautiful what he is doing to help us.

- Margarita Drauden, teacher

TestDEN TOEFL Challenge Launches on QQ Network

2010-05-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

TestDEN's Free TOEFL Practice China Challenge launched today on the QQ/Tencent network in China. We are pleased to be working with QQ again in 2010, and we will have additional contests running through the summer of 2010 with QQ in China.

Connect with Andy Krieger on QZone

2010-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

Andy Krieger launches his Tencent QZone site to connect with young Chinese on China's most popular social media service. Find Coach K on the QQ network at:

QQ: 909748335
QQ空间: http://user.qzone.qq.com/909748335

Accent Reduction Bejing DVD Launch

2010-04-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Andy Krieger spent the afternoon today at the Zhongguancun Book Building in Beijing to attend a book signing event. Andy gave a short talk explaining how the K Method helps young Chinese rapidly improve their speaking ability. A young, enthusiastic audience had the opportunity to see Coach K in action as he demonstrated his speaking techniques. Here is what one student had to say:

Dear Andy,

I am Neo, the Chinese boy you've met at your speech in Zhongguancun Book Building several days ago. Here's something about myself. I am a senior student at USTB,the University of Science & Technology Beijing and majoring in MIS, Management Informationg System.

While studying, I find it more and more important to conquer English because I have got to learn those more advanced knowledge from overseas like the great book "Thinking in Java" which is about computer programing.

And what's more important I think, is that we Chinese should make our voice widely heard throughout the world. At least, I must use English to communicate with you and to e-mail you.

To be frank, I've read some books about how to pronounce in the right way before which are written by Li Yang. It helped me with my oral Englich more or less. It's Li Yang who created the Crazy English to help Chinese people solve their accent problems and I don't know if you have heard about him before. He's very famous in China.

However, I still learned a lot from your speech. I am deeply impressed by your patience, enthusiasm and mostly, your beautiful American accent. I appreciated it a lot you've taught me such a great lesson.

And I have learned one thing from you that while speaking, one should speak as slowly as he or she can which can give him or her enough time to think and to put his or her tongue in the right position in order to pronounce right and besides, one should say 2 to 3 words at a time with the help of one hand, thus he or she could get a proper rhythm.

All in all, thanks very much for your teaching and I hope you can enjoy this trip in China.

Yours

Sincerely

Neo

Thanks to Mei at Chinese Renmin University Press for organizing a fantastic reception. Here are some links to Chinese media coverage of the launch:

Tencent QQ

Sohu

Sina

Xinhua

TestDEN Partners with Chinese Renmin University Press

2010-03-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

TestDEN.com brings Andy Krieger's K-Method to China in partnership with Chinese Renmin University Press. The K-Method DVD and Practice Guide have been translated into Chinese and localized for students in China. The package includes 30-day access to TestDEN's Online Speaking Course and retails for 168 RMB.

TOEFL Practice Test Re-design

2010-03-02T13:18:00.001-08:00

TestDEN launches its new free TOEFL Practice test interface. As usual, our marketing team is tinkering with various design elements and came up with a much friendlier landing page.

TestDEN Spanish Site Launches

2010-01-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

TestDEN.com launched its Spanish version today in order to better server our customers in Central America, South America, and Spain. Visit the site at:

http://www.testden.com/es/index.htm

More languages are coming in March!

English Slang Pronunciation Guide

2010-01-05T15:51:00.000-08:00

The English Slang Pronunciation Guide is now available to help English as a Second Language students sound more "American" when they speak English.

The English Slang Pronunciation Guide is written for intermediate and advanced learners of English. If you have already passed your TOEFL test or achieved a TOEIC score of 680, then this slang resource is for you. When you are done with English grammar and formal public speaking, it's time to have some fun. Learn how Americans really speak at home, at the office, and at the shopping mall.

Each entry contains a definition of the slang word, a funny video showing how the word is used, and the English text used in the video. Enjoy!

Free TOEFL Japan with Ryugaku Journal

2010-01-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

Japanese students take free TOEFL test and win monthly iPod

January 4, 2010, Vancouver, B.C., Canada – TestDEN.com, provider of the largest online TOEFL course in the world, is pleased to launch the Free TOEFL Contest Japan in partnership with Ryugaku Journal.

Japanese students wanting to study abroad will be able to take a 30 minute online TOEFL test and see what the real test is like. Students can do the Free TOEFL test up to five times, and their highest score will be entered in the monthly Free TOEFL Japan Contest.

TestDEN.com will choose from the top 10 scores and randomly select an iPod winner. TestDEN.com will also randomly select five winners who will receive a free Online TOEFL Course program valued at US$129.

"The Free TOEFL Contest is a quick and easy way for students to experience the TOEFL exam as part of their preparation for overseas study," says TestDEN.com vice president Radames Bernath. "We are pleased to be launching the contest with Ryugaku Journal, the premier study abroad counseling and placement organization in Japan."

To sign up for the Free TOEFL Japan Contest, visit:
http://www.testden.com/challenge/free-toefl-jp.asp

To read the Japanese press release, visit:
http://www.ryugaku.co.jp/rjnews/rjnews.php?nid=602

TestDEN.com is a leading provider of e-learning and training solutions that help students meet international standards. Our customers include global education institutions and Fortune 500 corporations. The TestDEN platform is being used to deliver TOEFL IBT, TOEIC, business English, and accent reduction training in more than 60 countries. For more information, visit www.testden.com/jp

Ryugaku Journal Inc. promotes cultural exchange through education, counseling, research and publishing. A private counseling and placement organization founded in 1971, Ryugaku Journal (formerly ICS) is a storehouse of information concerning all aspects of overseas education. Ryugaku Journal serves as a liaison to Japanese people who wish to study abroad and for professionals working in international education.

[Ryugaku] literally means “Study Abroad”, and our magazine journal "Ryugaku Journal" is widely read by students and professionals of all ages in Japan. For more information, visit www.ryugaku.co.jp

Google Search and Translate features now on TestDEN.com

2009-11-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

With over 200 pages of new ESL and TOEFL content with more to come in 2010, it's time we added a search feature to improve usability for our students.

Check out the new Google custom search bar we added to the top of each page. This is the same Google technology that is being used in the main Google search engine. Love how fast it is!

The second feature we added today is the Google Translate widget. For TOEFL, TOEIC, and accent reduction product pages, our global visitors can now select a language for automatic page translation. We agree that Google Translate isn't perfect, but it's useful for learning about what TestDEN has to offer ESL students that visit our site.

TOEFL home page in Spanish

Let us know what you think.

TOEFL English Grammar Guide

2009-11-20T17:49:00.001-08:00

TestDEN's new TOEFL English Grammar Guide for Students is now live. The Grammar Guide provides a complete guide to English grammar for students.

More TOEFL Resources

2009-11-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

In addition to the TOEFL guide that we launched last month, we have just uploaded a new set of questions to help students prepare for the TOEFL test. These free resources are now available at TestDEN.com

They include:

TOEFL IBT is a collection of questions showing what the TOEFL IBT test looks like

TOEFL Grammar is a collection of listening and reading questions.

TOEFL Speaking and Writing shows you what the speaking and writing sections look like.

TestDEN.com will be adding additional TOEFL resources in the coming months! Subscribe to this blog by clicking the "RSS" button on the right.

TOEIC Test Guide

2009-10-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

The TOEIC Test Guide is now available on the TestDEN.com website. The TOEIC Test Guide is a well-organized resource for students intending to take the TOEIC test in the next three to six months. The TOEIC Guide offers information about TOEIC scores, TOEIC preparation, and even provides sample TOEIC questions.

Visit the TOEIC Test Guide at:
http://www.testden.com/toeic/info.htm

TOEFL Test Guide Now Available

2009-10-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

The TOEFL Test Guide is now available for free to all students planning to take the TOEFL test in the next four months. The TOEFL Test Guide is an excellent starting place to learn about the TOEFL exam so students can prepare their study plan.

The TOEFL Guide contains information about the test, how to register, how the scores work, and we even provide free samples of TOEFL questions.

Visit the TOEFL guide at:
http://www.testden.com/toefl/info.htm

ACTDEN Powerpoint Tutorial Review

2009-09-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Kevin Cummins is an e-learning coach based in Victoria, Australia and runs the Edgalaxy blog for nerdy teachers at www.edgalaxy.com

He recently reviewed the ACTDEN.com Powerpoint tutorials and had this to say:

Powerpoint in the classroom is a great site to teach you some of the more advanced and cool tricks tucked away inside PowerPoint that we often overlook. with simple to follow visual tutorials that will catch you students attention and give them plenty of new tools and ideas to present and create their ideas.

Read the full review here at the Edgalaxy blog.

New Video for TestDEN Academic Partners

2009-09-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Our new information video for Academic Partners is now available at the TestDEN Academic Partner home page. This short video is a great resource to help private schools and language institutes understand how TestDEN's online TOEFL and placement testing services can improve service and lower costs.

Check out the video and let us know what you think!

If you are a language school or university institute offering English programs, contact TestDEN.com now for a free demonstration:

Vincent Wong
E-mail: comment@testden.com
Skype: vincent.wong360
Direct: (604) 270-3656

New TestDEN Videos on Youtube

2009-08-31T16:26:00.001-07:00

Our summer student has been hard at work producing new videos that show the features of TestDEN online programs. This video gives a detailed overview of what's in the TestDEN Test Prep for TOEFL online course.

This one shows what TestDEN Test Prep for TOEIC looks like:

Two billion English students worldwide

2009-08-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Jay Walker is a successful American entrepreneur and in the below video, he gives a thought-provoking lecture on the English mania overtaking the world. The photos of thousands of Chinese students rehearsing their sentences are amazing.

The really compelling message of Mr. Walker's speech is that English has become the world's second language. As he says in his video:

"English is the world's second language. Your native language is your life. But with English, you become part of a wider conversation. A global conversation about global problems...Like the harnessing of electricity in our cities, or the fall of the Berlin Wall, English represents hope for a better future."

This idea is behind everything we do on TestDEN.com.

LMS Market Grows to $817m in 2009

2009-08-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

According to Josh Bersin, principal and founder of Bersin and Associates, organizations will spend $817m on Learning Management System (LMS) software in 2009. You can read his insights in PDF format here in the August edition of Chief Learning Officer.

This shows impressive growth from $380m in 2004 to $754m in 2008. Even with the global recession hitting hard, companies and organizations are still investing in e-learning infrastructure.

TestDEN.com is aggressively going after this market with a hosted solution aimed squarely at small and mid-sized organizations. Watch for our new marketing initiatives in September to promote the TestDEN Academic Partner program.

TestDEN Academic Partner Program on Slideshare

2009-07-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

Here is a copy of the latest TestDEN Academic Partner slideshow, hosted on Slideshare. We will be adding an audio soundtrack in August to help all our new Academic Partners understand the value of working with TestDEN.

Visit the TestDEN Partners website at:
http://www.testden.com/partner

TestDen Academic Partner Program

Effective Approaches to Blended Learning for Independent Schools

2009-06-30T16:55:00.001-07:00

By Radames Bernath, Vice President, ACT360 Media Ltd.

Click here to download PDF for printing.

What is Blended Learning?

A blended learning program uses a combination of e-learning and classroom instruction. Independent schools that teach English as a second language and TOEFL / TOEIC prep are using this learning solution to save time, lower costs, and improve quality of service to students.

Kaplan, one of the world’s largest private education providers, sees blended learning as an essential part of its business strategy:

Our Blended Learning approach to instruction stems from the best practices, research, and experience available in the field of education today. We developed our revolutionary approach because we know that children learn best when exposed to different methods and approaches to instruction. We offer a unique blend of personal and online instruction. (Source: www.kaplan.com)

How does blended learning work?
Blended learning is flexible. Students in these programs can learn at their own pace while benefiting from personal instruction in the classroom. ACT360 Media’s TestDEN.com service makes it easy for large and small schools to integrate custom e-learning solutions into their curriculum.

Case Study 1: Online English Placement Tests
Teachers at an independent ESL school were spending a significant amount of time marking tests. The first week of class was particularly chaotic as they finalized schedules, organized school orientation, and administered English placement tests for all incoming students.

In search of a solution, the school’s academic director partnered with TestDEN.com to create an online version of the English placement test. The school provided their test content and answer key to the TestDEN team, who authored the content into a custom online test.

The online test includes listening and reading sections and a customized log-in page to access the online test. All pages are branded with the school’s logo and colors. After the initial setup, the academic director purchased passwords in blocks of 50 from TestDEN.com. Each incoming student gets a password to access the online test and the school buys additional passwords in blocks, as needed.

New online test saves teachers’ time and improves school image
The school saw immediate gains in productivity. Incoming students take the placement test online before they arrive at the school and overseas agents issue it to students before they leave their home country. Teachers see the results as soon as the tests are submitted and they can assign students to the correct class before they even arrive at the school.

The academic director decided to retire the paper exam and use only the online version. Now she is considering other tests and practice materials that can be offered online.

Adopting this blended learning approach gave the school several important advantages:

Teachers now spend less time grading exams and more time on classroom instruction and higher value student services.
The school differentiated itself from competitors by projecting a technology-savvy image to its customers by having its overseas agent issue the placement test online.
Students received a good impression of the school because it was well-organized, with orientation and classes beginning as soon as they arrived.

Case Study 2: TOEFL Test Prep
The same school offers a four-week TOEFL prep course. During the classroom-based course, teachers provide instruction and practice materials to help students improve their TOEFL scores.

Each student is issued a set of paper-based practice materials. Some of these practice sets are submitted for teacher grading and feedback, while others are provided for supplemental use only.

To improve the effectiveness of the TOEFL test prep course, the academic coordinator decided to add online practice tests to the course. She signed up the school for the TestDEN Academic Partners program and selected the TOEFL Practice Test option for each student. The program works as follows:

Each student is issued a unique password for accessing online course materials.
Students log in from a custom login web page that displays the school’s logo.
Once inside, students have access to four complete TOEFL tests that include listening, reading, speaking, and writing sections.

After-class access to online practice tests
With the new blended learning curriculum, the TOEFL class instructors continue to provide English instruction in person. Students complete online practice tests outside of class hours – freeing up time for additional face-to-face instruction.

Teachers assign one practice test each week and monitor student progress using an administrator login. This allows them to see each student’s progress and identify areas to work on. Instructors may also grade student speaking and writing responses.

They are prepared for each student and are able to address highest priority needs. The end result is that each student receives personal attention to achieve skill mastery.

For more information about how TestDEN.com can help your independent school create blended learning programs, visit our website at www.testden.com/partner/

Andy Krieger on CTV News

2009-06-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

TestDEN voice coach Andy Krieger was recently in Calgary to teach a group of Canadian actors how to speak more American. Don't laugh, because if you are an actor auditioning for Hollywood movies and TV shows, it's the difference between being a star or being unemployed.

Believe it or not, Canadians do speak English differently from Americans, and there is a distinct Canadian accent. Coach K's methods work with all nationalities, even English speakers from Western Canada.

Click here to see Andy's interview.

Coach K Accent Training DVD Coming July 15

2009-06-26T10:28:00.001-07:00

Voice coach Andy Krieger just gave us a sneak preview of his new Accent Training DVD, and it looks awesome! The packaging looks very Hollywood, which is appropriate because Andy used to work in Central Casting with all kinds of famous movie stars.

Andy tells us that the DVD is 209 minutes long, and includes new teaching material that he added to his course from his recent trip to Asia. He successfully taught over 500 students at HSBC Group, and hopes to return later this year for another round of training.

The DVD has been sent to the factory for production, and we expect to get our first copies on July 15.

Here is a look at the back of the DVD. Notice the t-shirt is from his work on the movie Forbidden Kingdom which came out last year starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Crystal Yifei Liu, and Li Bing Bing.

TestDEN New Look Goes Live

2009-06-23T16:56:00.001-07:00

TestDEN.com has a new, friendlier look. It took us a while but we finally launched the new website. Thanks to all our customers and partners who gave us their input these last few months.

Among the many changes:

Separate sections with lots of info and free demos for TOEFL, TOEIC, and Accent Reduction.
Easy access to TestDEN Challenge for free TOEFL and TOEIC tests.
Revised 180-day training bundles for TOEFL and TOEIC that offer extreme value to students.
Integrated Paypal payment option.
A completely revamped TestDEN Partners section with descriptions of all TestDEN services and details about how to become a TestDEN Partner.

In the coming months, we will be continuing to add new features and programs to TestDEN.com. Send your feedback to comment@testden.com

TestDEN Partners with Omni College for Accent Training

2009-06-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

TestDEN Accent Reduction Course provides nursing students a clear path to professional success.

Richmond, B.C., Canada, June 18, 2009 – ACT360 Media Ltd., developer of TestDEN.com, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Omni College of Richmond, B.C. Beginning on July 1, 2009, all nursing candidates enrolling in Omni's CELBAN Prep course will be required to complete TestDEN's Accent Reduction Course.

Developed by voice coach Andy Krieger, the TestDEN Accent Reduction Course is a an advanced speaking course designed for busy professionals to quickly and effectively lose their foreign accent. Students receive a 3.5 hour instructional DVD, a Practice and Review booklet, and 180-day access to TestDEN's online practice modules. Personal one-to-one sessions may be booked directly with Andy Krieger.

"Nurses in Canada need to be able to communicate clearly and effectively," says Omni College president Ron Burke. "The TestDEN Accent Reduction Course offers accent training that works and will clearly benefit our students."

As an added benefit, Omni College has negotiated a 10% discount from the retail list price of US$99.

Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) is an assessment tool designed to assess the English language proficiency of internationally-educated nurses who are applying for licensure in the nursing profession in Canada. CELBAN has been recognized by nursing licensing bodies across Canada.

ACT360 Media’s TestDEN.com is a leading provider of e-learning and training solutions that help students meet international standards. Our customers include global education institutions and Fortune 500 corporations. The TestDEN platform is being used to deliver TOEFL, TOEFL IBT, TOEIC, business English, and hotel training applications in more than 60 countries.

ACT360 Media contact:
Vincent Wong, president
604-270-3656 ext. 112
vincentw@act360.com

TestDEN Announces Academic Partner Program

2009-04-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Whether bundled with a classroom course or customized as part of an online offering, ACT360 Media’s new Academic Partners Program makes it easy for partners to sell TestDEN services through existing channels.

Richmond, B.C., Canada, April 21, 2009 – ACT360 Media Ltd., developer of TestDEN.com, is pleased to announce the introduction of a bundle package of its online training products for select academic partners.

“The TestDEN Academic Partners Program will add value and new revenue streams for colleges and language schools,” says ACT360 Media president Vincent Wong. “It’s a powerful online complement to classroom-based test preparation and ESL courses.”

Three packages are available: TOEFL IBT training; TOEFL IBT testing; and TOEIC business English. TestDEN Accent Reduction is also available as an add-on to all packages.

Learners are issued a single password that gives them access to TestDEN practice tests and trainer products. Passwords are valid for up to one year, depending on the academic partners’ requirements. Prices start at US$50 for four TOEFL IBT practice tests. Contact ACT360 Media for full price list.

ACT360 Media’s TestDEN.com is a leading provider of e-learning and training solutions that help students meet international standards. Our customers include global education institutions and Fortune 500 corporations. The TestDEN platform is being used to deliver TOEFL, TOEFL IBT, TOEIC, business English, and hotel training applications in more than 60 countries.

ACT360 Media contact:
Vincent Wong, president
604-270-3656 ext. 112
vincentw@act360.com

Rosetta Stone IPO

2009-04-16T09:30:00.001-07:00

Language software maker Rosetta Stone IPO (RST) launched today and their stock sold at the higher end of the price range. 6.25 million shares were bought at $18, suggesting that there was strong demand for a piece of the language learning software market. In total, they raised $112m to fund their global expansion. Nice to see Rosetta raise the money in this environment.

Brady Lemos, an equity analyst at Morningstar, had this to say about RST:

"As a provider of educational software, Rosetta Stone is more resilient to economic slumps than many other software firms, in our opinion," Lemos said in a research note. "We think Rosetta Stone offers a relatively compelling value proposition (a typical three-level program costs about $500), particularly in a challenging consumer spending environment."

ACT360 is seeing the same kind of growth with our new TestDEN training bundles.

New Online Training Available For Managers and Executives Learning English

2009-04-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

When you are new to the English language, it can be difficult to negotiate, help customers, and give clear instructions to staff. That's why ACT360 Media created TestDEN Business Trainer for Speaking and Writing.

APRIL 14, 2009, VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA – ACT360 Media, an international provider of Web-based language training, today launched two online courses for people who want to improve their writing and speaking skills in the workplace: Business Trainer for Managers and Business Trainer for Executives.

“Speaking and writing are the hardest skills to learn within a business context because not only do you have to master the language component, but also the business side as well,” says ACT360 president Vincent Wong. “These two products fill a need in the market for speaking and writing products suited for business people.”

Management Trainer focuses on the daily tasks of a manager, including 40 speaking exercises and 20 writing exercises. Executive Trainer focuses on higher level, critical-thinking skills and includes 20 speaking exercises and 40 writing exercises. Both products are based on the standards of the Test of English for International Communications (TOEIC).

Here’s how it works: Learners listen or read background information as an audio file, email, fax, or text passage. For speaking exercises, they record their voices online and the recording is stored on the TestDEN server. For writing exercises, they upload their written responses. Submissions are evaluated in one of two ways: a self-graded version (US$50) or a teacher-graded version (US$250) that includes expert marking and suggestions for improvement.

Management Trainer and Executive Trainer are both available for purchase through ACT360 Media's global reseller network.

Since 1998, ACT360 Media’s TestDEN.com has helped students around the world to improve their English communication skills. ACT360 Media also designs custom eLearning solutions for a global network of partners who provide language training for call centres and other organizations that need to meet international standards and become more competitive.

ACT360 Media contact:
Vincent Wong, president
604-270-3656 ext. 112
vincentw@act360.com

New TestDEN Accent Reduction Course Goes Live

2009-03-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Richmond, B.C., Canada, March 10, 2009 – International voice coach Andy Krieger and ACT360 Media today announce the launch of Executive Accent at www.testden.com/accent.

“It’s like having me as a personal voice coach 24 hours a day,” says Krieger, who in 2008 coached Jackie Chan, Wang de Shun, Crystal Liu, and Li Bing Bing in China during the filming of the American martial arts adventure film The Forbidden Kingdom.

“The online course captures the essence of my coaching method and really brings accent reduction to another level,” Krieger says.

Additional Media Links
Andy Krieger hi-res photo (2Mb download)
Li Bing Bing (李冰冰) Youtube video
Wang de Shun (王德顺) Youtube video
Accent Terminator online demo

Executive Accent is a convenient and affordable alternative to accent reduction classes and one-on-one tutors. It is designed for executives and expatriate professionals who want to improve their spoken English, and the $99 fee includes access to the course and practice modules for 180 days.

Learners watch videos of Krieger explaining the key concepts of his five-step “K-Method” and then they use a webcam to record themselves practising words and sentences. These online video exercises are powered by ACT360’s Accent Terminator technology that shows students how their pronunciation compares to Krieger’s.

Krieger is a licensed teacher who started in the Hollywood film industry teaching actors to speak American-style. He developed The K-Method in 1998 while teaching actors in Vancouver, B.C., Canada how to speak “American” so they could get hired on American films shooting in the local area. Since then, Krieger has also introduced the K-Method to corporate clients in medicine and finance – and now the K-Method is available online.

“We wanted to use technology to enhance Andy’s coaching style and make it available to professionals worldwide,” says ACT360 president Vincent Wong. “More than 7,000 students have used the K-Method and our aim is to expand it by a factor of 10 using ACT360’s TestDEN.com platform.”

Since 1998, ACT360’s TestDEN.com service has helped hundreds of thousands of students to raise their TOEFL scores. ACT360 designs custom Internet-based applications for a global network of content and distribution partners who provide language training for organizations that need to meet international standards and become globally competitive.

Andy Krieger contact:
Tel: 604-261-1466
andykrieger@telus.net

ACT360 Media contact:
Vincent Wong, president
604-270-3656 ext. 112
vincentw@act360.com

TestDEN Accent Reduction in BETA

2009-02-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

Coach K is in the TestDEN.COM House

Andy Krieger is the latest instructor to join the TestDEN.com team. We met Andy when one of our developers took his accent reduction course and raved about his methods. ACT360 has spent the last several months putting together his course on the ACTDEN E-learning platform.

TestDEN Accent Reduction is now in beta, and will be available for testing by qualified partners. What is cool about Andy is that he comes from the movie business, and has a thriving practice helping actors to overcome their accents to land jobs in Hollywood.

The K Method really works! During the video shoot, Andy took our camera operator Benny aside and gave him a quick lesson. After a few hours of shooting and editing videos, we went out to lunch at McDonald's. For the first time ever, Benny placed his order without having to repeat himself to the cashier. A few weeks later, a customer called me and asked me what had happened to Benny's accent. He was surprised at how clearly he was speaking.

Mandarin Practice Exams on ACTDEN E-Learning

2009-01-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

Today we launched the Delta School District Challenge Exam Practice Centre for Mandarin 12. Using our background in testing platforms (TOEFL, TOEIC, UK accounting exams, nursing, legal), we added a sophisticated testing engine to the ACTDEN E-learning platform. The Mandarin 12 exam has two versions and supports both Simplified and Traditional Chinese exams. The practice exam is a full simulation with reading, listening, speaking, and writing sections.

The test costs C$25 and enables students to take a practice Mandarin 12 test online. This is a helpful and convenient service for students across the province preparing to take this exam. Interested students can order a practice exam here through our partner ILC Interactive Communications.

In British Columbia, students with Mandarin as their mother tongue can choose to skip the course, take the Challenge Exam to obtain provincial credit for the course, and meet their second language requirement. By the end of 2009, we expect to have Challenge Practice exams for other languages and subjects available from the ACTDEN E-learning platform as well.

TestDEN Challenge Begins

2008-11-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

TestDEN Challenge is a new feature on TestDEN.com for TOEFL and TOEIC students. TestDEN Challenge offers 5 mini-tests that take about 30 minutes each to finish. At the end of each mini-test, you get a sample score. The highest scores for each month are shown on the leaderboard.

This is a great way for students to quickly evaluate their TOEFL and TOEIC levels so they know how much study time they will need.

Best of all, it's free!

TestDEN China is Up

2008-09-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

ACT360's Beijing office is up and running with a brand new site at http://china.testden.com to support our China customers. Lots of projects on the go, including planning for Sickenglish.com.

China contact info:
联系人：周群
地址：北京市朝阳区十里堡甲3号院都会华庭香港阁11F
邮编：100025
电话：010-65578582
手机：13701150568
qun.zhou@act360.com

Our First Winner in China

2008-06-05T15:21:00.001-07:00

Sue and Jim 2007

2008-05-27T17:23:00.001-07:00

Our popular ACTDEN.COM Powerpoint in the Classroom tutorial has been updated for Powerpoint 2007. We now have three versions of the tutorial available online for free use in K-12 classrooms:

Powerpoint 98 for schools still using old software
Powerpoint 2003 for everyone else
Powerpoint 2007 for those school districts that have upgraded to Mister Softie's latest version.

Enjoy!

TestDEN Mini Launches on QQ.COM

2008-04-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Tencent, ACT360's newest partner in China, just released our TestDEN Mini testing service. It's a neat application for high school students to take a short 30 minute assessment based on either the TOEFL or TOEIC standard, and determine their English level.

The problem is that it's expensive and time consuming for high school juniors to actually sit through a real TOEFL test. TestDEN Mini offers them a quick and convenient way to find out their level and then begin to make post-secondary plans. Maybe it's a private tutor or an after-school language course to help boost their speaking skills. The main point is to help them prepare.

Based in Shenzhen, Tencent operates China's largest Internet service portal with 741m registered instant message users and 300m active accounts. We hope that Chinese students on QQ.COM will benefit from TestDEN Mini!

Looking for Trainers and Teachers to Test Drive ACTDEN OnDemand

2006-12-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Our new site design is also moving along nicely, along with our plans for our new e-learning service. We are calling it ACTDEN OnDemand, and the service is designed for trainers, teachers, and consultants who want a simple, easy to use system to create and manage online courses.

The service is designed for you to get your online classroom up and running as quickly as possible with a minimum of fuss:

Copy Powerpoint content into ACTDEN CMS
Add optional audio sound track for each slide
Insert online quizzes and fixed tests
Create online class and enroll learners
Monitor usage and view performance reports online

The first version isn't going to be that fancy, but we would like to invite a small group of trainers and consultants to test drive ACTDEN OnDemand. There is no charge to participate.

Click here to tell us more about you, and let us know:

- Your name
- Your school or business name
- Subjects that you teach
- City and country you are located

Unfortunately, we won't be able to accommodate everyone but we will do our best!

Sue and Jim Get an Update (Finally!)

2006-12-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

After sitting on the backburner for months as we finished up other projects, the Powerpoint tutorial is finally getting updated. Our editors are revising the content for Powerpoint 2003 and we will upload to the www.actden.com site in early January 2007.

Thanks to all of our loyal teachers and trainers who have continued to support our site. As soon as we get our hands on a copy, Powerpoint 2007 will be coming as well.

Where to get Powerpoint for free?

2006-07-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

We get a lot of e-mail inquiries from students and teachers asking us where they can get Powerpoint for free. Well, it isn't possible because it is a Microsoft product but they do give education discounts and most school districts can buy in bulk.

Presumably, if you are sending us your request, then it implies that you don't have access to a district license or that you don't want to spend the money just yet on the full MS Office 2003 suite. Of course, all of you are law-abiding citizens and have no desire to use pirate software.

What to do? Kieran Mullen has two suggestions, which I repeat here:

Use Microsoft's Powerpoint viewer to share your presentation with others who don't have Powerpoint. The viewer is free and you can get it here. However, if the point is to learn how to create presentations in Powerpoint, this viewer will not help you.

Use the Impress presentation program in Open Office. This is an open-source competitor to MS Office 2003 and it is free to download and use. I haven't tried it myself, but a quick glance at the interface shows that it has all the basic features of Powerpoint. I will test it out over the next few weeks with my own work and see how it goes. Download it here.

Here is a screen shot of the Impress interface:

Hmmm, maybe Jim and Sue should take a closer look at Impress?

TOEFL IBT and Online Voice Recording

2006-07-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a hectic six months with the successful launched our TOEFL IBT interactive suite. (Question: are there any corporate bloggers that will admit to unsuccessful launches?) IBT stands for Internet-based testing, and the new TOEFL IBT exam is one tricky application to program. There are lots of unusual question types that don't translate easily into a standardized format.

For example, in the new Speaking section, students must listen to a lecture or talk, read a passage, and then speak for 45 seconds into a microphone. Their voice is captured online and then uploaded to a server for grading. No special software is required, students just use a standard headset and microphone while interacting through their web browser.

A second type of question requires the student to listen to a talk, read a passage, and then write a short essay.

It took us a while to get the technology right, but it's been working flawlessly. Over 4,000 students have used the ACT360 IBT system to date.

We think there are applications for the IBT system beyond the niche market of TOEFL test prep. For example, it could be used for broader language training and evaluation applications or as part of a corporate training module to test for understanding.

It's a very rich way to evaluate student comprehension beyond the usual multiple choice/static response type interactions. I am sure that ETS (the makers of the TOEFL) has plenty of research on the testing methodology behind it.

For instructional designers and teachers out there, let us know what you think. We will prepare a short demo on the ACTDEN site before the end of August to let you try it. Based on your feedback, we will then incorporate the technology as part of ACTDEN 2.0 release in the fall.

Delays Delays Delays - ACTDEN 2.0 Update

2006-06-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

As you already can see, we completely missed our ACTDEN 2.0 launch date. Not by a little, but by a country mile. Reasons?

Too many to name, but mainly because ACT360 won contracts to design some very complex e-learning applications and all of our internal resources in the last seven months have been dedicated to these projects. Specs are confidential, but I can say that we now have some very powerful personalization techniques that are right at the forefront of e-learning. Our original TestDEN TOEFL Trainer had similar concepts built into the Pre-Test.

Based on the results of the diagnostic Pre-Test, TOEFL Trainer prioritized the lesson plan according to the weaknesses of the student. This was back in 1998 and though the methods we used were relatively crude, it was a nice little product that served us well.

Anyway, we have had a complete internal re-think of ACTDEN 2.0. It came as we were digging up the old MathDEN code to get it working again. Remember, most of the ACTDEN tutorials were programmed in the days of CGI scripts, and it was going to take a complete re-write to make it work again.

That's when we decided to completely gut the old code and write a brand new engine for ACTDEN 2.0. Then we thought, how about we give teachers and instructional designers a way to create their own tutorials to add to our own, and publish on the site? Why not add some more communication features like chat and blog-style comments? How about improving the registration system so that a single password gets users to the various lessons? And so and so forth.

In other words, this has been a lot like the renovations on my 96-year old house in Vancouver's east side. Once you start picking at a problem, the solution gets bigger and bigger.

We are still working away at the custom projects schedule for launch at the end of summer. ACTDEN 2.0 will kick into high gear right after that, and a limited beta is scheduled for November 2006. Ouch, that's a year after we first announced it.

Welcome to ACT360

2005-11-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

This is ACT360 Media's first blog. We are developers of collaborative e-learning solutions. You can find out more about us at www.act360.com

Our content platforms include:

TestDEN.com - Delivers English training services for TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, and TOEIC.

ACTDEN.com - Software tutorials and courses for K-12 students with over 200k users per month.

We are currently working like mad to get our projects out the door. With the TOEFL iBT launching in Asia in spring 2006 and our own plans to get ACTDEN 2.0 launched to our eagerly waiting customers, our team has been swamped!

We are now experimenting with blog technology to see how we can integrate with ACTDEN 2.0. Teachers using blogs should contact us through the ACT360 website by clicking here or by posting comments.