Sports Bytes Delivers Math and Science Sports Quizzes to Mobile Phones Worldwide

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Contact: Heather Katz, Ph.D. 301-789-1891


Washington, D.C. (May 27, 2008) - Hot Lava Software, Inc. is collaborating with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, MO, to use the most ubiquitous computing platform on the planet -- the mobile phone -- to deliver on-demand Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education that is accessible and captivating.

During the summer of 2008 Hot Lava Software will use mobile phone technology at major summer sports events -- soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming and cycling -- to engage more than 100,000 people worldwide with a Sports Bytes Competition. Sports Bytes are sports themed STEM educational modules -- quick quizzes -- delivered via mobile phones.

A spring 2008 Sports Bytes Pilot Project proved successful in reaching more than 16,000 users in over 114 countries. The ultimate goal with the summer 2008 Sports Bytes Competition is to demonstrate the potential for delivering STEM education to millions of people, via their mobile phones.

"Particularly relevant to math and science education is the love affair that many U.S. teens have with their mobile phones. This age bracket represents the pivotal turning point toward or away from math and science careers and thus mobile phones become a potentially significant intervention vector," says Merrilea J. Mayo, Ph.D., director, Future of Learning Initiatives, for the Kauffman Foundation.

The Sports Bytes Competition will be live at select August D.C. United soccer games as well as the Kansas City T-Bones, Frederick Keys, Aberdeen Ironbirds, Bowie Baysox, Wilmington Blue Rocks and Delmarva Shorebirds baseball games, during July and August 2008. Those not attending a game can access the Sports Bytes content via www.hdwap.com/sport7 from a mobile phone web browser.

Users can access these STEM educational modules while attending summer sports events. When users correctly answer at least one Sports Bytes quiz item, they qualify for a chance to win a stadium prize pack. Prize packs can include kajeet mobile phones, first throws at a minor league baseball game, team jerseys and baseball caps and other items related to each team.

In addition to these U.S. demonstrations of the program, global partners in Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Australia and the European Union will engage users worldwide to access the Sports Bytes modules via their mobile phone web browsers.

About Hot Lava Software, Inc.

Hot Lava Software, Inc. is the leading provider of mobile authoring, publishing, delivery and tracking solutions. Using Hot Lava Software's content development and publishing system (LMA) integrated with the Hot Lava Mobile Delivery and Tracking System TM (MDTS) allows organizations to have the tools and knowledge needed to launch and track mobile initiatives faster, with more cost efficiency. Hot Lava Software provides mobile content solutions and a mobile content design, authoring and publishing solutions to Corporations, Governments and Universities around the World. More information is available at: http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/

About the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. It also works to prepare students to be innovators, entrepreneurs and skilled workers in the 21st century economy through initiatives designed to improve learning in math, engineering, science and technology. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Kauffman, the Foundation has more than $2.4 billion in assets. More information is available at: http://www.kauffman.org/.

Take eLearning to the Next Level

Looking for a great mobile authoring tool? Looking for a fun, innovative way to make eLearning material accessible for mobile devices? Try Hot Lava Software’s Learning Mobile Author (LMA) and Mobile Delivery and Tracking System (MDTS). With this authoring toolkit you can create content once and publish to PalmOS, WM PocketPC, WAP, HTML and Java. Create tests and polls/surveys and track the results in real time.

This software is specifically designed for mobile devices of all makes and models, including Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericssion, HP, HTC, iPhone, Palm, Blackberry and all other major brands of mobile phones, smart phones and PDAs.

The growth of mobile communications networks and the rate of distribution of web enabled mobile phones around the world is virtually unparalleled. Now mobile learning can be distributed to the average mobile phone user, without the need for a fancy gadget, without the need for advanced technical skills and NO plug-in is required!

For a Free Trial TODAY please visit our website at:
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The European Repository Adds Hot Lava Software as Project Partner

Haymarket, VA and Zierikzee, Netherlands (March 28, 2008) Take Shape Share (TSS), The European Repository, has added Hot Lava Software as a mobile learning project partner. This strategic partnership will allow TSS partners the opportunity to author, deliver and track mobile learning via Hot Lava Software’s Learning Mobile Author (LMA) and Mobile Delivery and Tracking System (MDTS). The impact of this partnership will facilitate the mobile sharing of educational content among a European community of schools and colleges as well as improve, in general, the quality of learning and vocational training. The excitement of this partnership abounded during an interview with Drs. Albert de Vos, Project Manager for the Take Shape Share project.

During May 2008, in London, the first training will take place for teachers and staff members from four countries. They will learn how to use formal educational content according to the content chain. This is made possible by using metadata in conjunction with the harvester to search and locate content that lives in many repositories and databases—all based on knowledge sharing standardization.

“For this project we are focusing on eLearning as well as mLearning materials. We expect that Mobile Learning is becoming more and more important in the field of education, but there is still a lot of work to do, for example on Mobile SCORM. The Hot Lava MDTS fits exactly in this project because the MDTS has all the functionality needed to develop into the most important repository for using, re-using, storing, searching and finding mobile content on an international scale.” says Drs. Albert de Vos, CEO, I.C.O. Europe. “If we manage to integrate Mobile Learning into the learning environments of educational organizations, and companies through the harvesting system, and we can position the MDTS as an international repository for mobile content, we will make a huge leap towards the realization of collaborative learning. The LMA makes it possible to create content on demand for anytime anyplace learning.”

Sharing knowledge on an international scale that is easily accessible for students, teachers, company trainers, business employees, managers, etc. are the main objectives of the TSS European Repository Project. Easy to use tools for content development, such as the LMA, for mLearning, and tools like Wimba Create, for eLearning, and others with the restriction, that those tools are able to work with standardization protocols like XML-, IMS-, and SCORM- compatibility is just what the project needs to succeed.

“The TSS project will be evaluated at the end of 2008, with knowledge dissemination as one of the key issues for the European Commission. So, as the project manager I have to travel a lot in Europe, for instance, the EdReNe conference in Slovenia (edrene.org). I also travel within the U.S. For example, I attended the Nashville IT conference in November 2007 as well as the Society for Applied Learning Technology (SALT) conference in Washington, D.C. I target these important conferences so that I can learn about the application of new and cutting edge technologies in education, such as Hot Lava Software.” states Drs. De Vos. “In the TSS project we integrate this new technology and share this knowledge with our partners. That’s the reason that Hot Lava Software came into the picture as the leading company for mLearning solutions, as well as Hot Lava’s intense focus on innovation and their drive to be the best in their field of education and mLearning technology.”

“We are extremely honored and excited to be a part of such an outstanding project as the TSS Project. They are really making the Mobile Learning market come alive in Europe. Mobile Learning technology is fast becoming a very important part of everyday life in a lot of countries around the globe.” says Bob Sanregret, CEO, Hot Lava Software. “Making learning easier and more accessible through handheld learning is exigent for the continuance of today’s educational experience.”

“We have to invest a lot of effort in making people aware of the possibilities of Mobile Learning. In the Netherlands, the first projects initiated by the government have begun to investigate the possibilities for mLearning within Universities and Higher Education. In the UK, there are already huge conferences organized for Mobile Learning. In Germany, Mobile Learning is in its infancy. One of our main goals is to prepare an infrastructure in Europe for producing mobile content with all the possibilities users and developers need.” adds Drs. De Vos “People ask me many times: why Europe? The answer is very simple—Anytime, Anyplace Learning is an international activity of people all over the world and it is, in my opinion, a good idea to connect people with the purpose of making formal educational content (that is, content related to curriculum development), for eLearning and mLearning, available for all learners. For more information please visit: tsseurope.eu.

Contacts:

Bob Sanregret, CEO, Hot Lava
bobs@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (703) 754-1218
http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/
***

Drs. Albert de Vos, CEO, I.C.O. Europe
avjdevos@zeelandnet.nl
00+3(111) 855-8900
http://www.icosales.eu/
**

Laisa Bernard, Marketing Specialist, Hot Lava
laisab@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (479) 524-8468
http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/

Hot Lava Software Teams with Kauffman Foundation to Deliver STEM Content via Mobile Devices

Haymarket, VA and Kansas City, MO (February 12, 2008) - Hot Lava Software is teaming with the Kauffman Foundation to deliver mobile learning content to teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This teaming effort is based on the premises that students can learn more effectively when they relate STEM to real-world occurrences and that their STEM achievement levels can improve by applying mobile learning to the solution of authentic problems. One of the goals of the project includes developing context-based instructional materials delivered via mobile devices that demonstrate the convergence of real-world events with STEM concepts. Such access and exposure can facilitate the educational equilibrium needed to participate in our global society.

A recent interview with Merillea J. Mayo, Ph.D., the Director of Future Learning Initiatives for the Kauffman Foundation, and Bob Sanregret, CEO and Heather A. Katz, Ph.D., Instructional Technologist both from Hot Lava Software, Inc., revealed exciting news in what is being coined as the Global Telephony Competition!

So just what are the details of this exciting Global Telephony Competition…who are the end users and how will they access, learn from, and use the STEM content?

“There are 2 to 3 billion cell phones in use around the globe. Cell phones are 40% more prevalent than televisions, twice as common as computers. Cell phones could represent a breakthrough opportunity to deliver education on a massive global scale, particularly to teens, populations of third world countries and underrepresented groups in the U.S.,” said Dr. Mayo. “These demographics all use cell phones as their primary technology device. The Global Telephony Competition you’re referring to is a large scale proof of concept. Through it, Hot Lava Software will help us answer the question: if you could build it (cell-phone-based education), would anyone use it? How many would use it? Thousands? Millions? Billions?”


“The end users will access the STEM content via the Hot Lava Mobile Delivery Tracking System (MDTS) using a mobile device. Since there are over 3 billion mobile phones in use around the world the number of possible users that can access these mobile STEM modules is astounding! Leo Png, our partner in Singapore, put the first round of STEM content together using LMA and the MDTS, designing the content so that it would work on multiple devices. The MDTS senses the type of mobile device attempting to access the module and configures the screen and content to cater to that device. The MDTS and LMA were designed from day 1 to cater to the masses of users who have normal mobile phones but also allow more advanced designers to add multimedia and other advanced content elements into their LMA modules,” said Mr. Sanregret. “The challenge for the STEM project was to use least common denominator content like images, animation and text to allow for the greatest possible reach while maintaining the best instructional design to facilitate effective learning while keeping the users cognitively engaged. Dr. Katz is one of the world’s leaders in mobile content instructional design. Her contributions to this project have ensured that the content is learning effective, engaging and usable from multiple devices.”

“First, we started with a pilot consisting of 4 STEM modules — The Science of Cycling, The Science of Table Tennis, Baseball: The Science of Swing, and Baseball Aerodynamics. Each module was created in collaboration with STEM university professors and myself. The Professors ensured the integrity of the science and math content and I ensured that the content was infused with effective learning strategies and research-based instructional design,” said Dr. Katz. “The modules will assist users in understanding the science and math behind various Olympic sports. Hence, the users can access this information while attending Olympic competitions, watching them on TV or when simply discussing the Olympic Games with friends. There are also engaging quizzes that allow the user to check their understanding of the STEM content. The goal is to associate STEM content with everyday activities such as sports.”
How will accessing STEM content via mobile devices benefit the public as well as our global society?

“For this competition, and indeed, much of our work, we focus on science, technology, engineering and math education because proficiency in these subjects is so critical to one’s ability to thrive in the global economy. Personal wealth, as well as the wealth of nations, will depend on our ability to apply these fields to the betterment of mankind.” expressed Dr. Mayo.

What type of results do both the Kauffman Foundation and Hot Lava expect from this Global Telephony Competition?

“We hope at least one person dials in. In all seriousness, every big effort like this starts very small. I’m always amazed at how different a project looks by the time it’s done, compared to where we started.” said Dr. Mayo. “By the end of this competition, we hope to be able to report that we were able to produce the single biggest educational event on the planet; and, that the participants enjoyed learning what we delivered. Those two outcomes will be enough to inspire others, and transform cell phone-based education from a novelty into a reality.”

“A repeatable, replicable and recurring process for life change is the result we feel is most critical. My Uncle Jack once told me “an idea is worth ten cents but implementation of a good idea is worth ten million dollars.” Through the vision, passion and dedication of Dr. Mayo we — Hot Lava Software and the Kauffman Foundation — are creating a process to bring education to the people, to all people.” Adds Mr. Sanregret. “There are over 3 billion mobile phones in the world, some in the hands of people who will never use a PC. Success for me is designing, creating, testing and implementing a process that will bring education to them as well as the rest of the world.”

Hot Lava has created a URL that the public can use to access these exciting STEM modules via their mobile devices. You can access this by going to http://hdwap.com/sport7. Follow the directions on the login page and then jump right in to the modules.


Contact:

Bob Sanregret, CEO, Hot Lava Software
bobs@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (703) 754-1218
http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/
***
Merillea J. Mayo, Ph.D., Director, Future of Learning Initiatives for the Kauffman Foundation
mmayo@kauffman.org
+1 (816) 932-1015
http://www.research.kauffman.org/
***
Laisa Bernard, Marketing Specialist, Hot Lava Software
laisab@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (479) 524-8468
http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/

Questions About Mobile Learning?

There are a lot of new and exciting things going on in the world of Mobile Learning!
Did you know that there are many universities, corporations, government facilities and academic organizations that are merging their eLearning with mLearning, all over the world? They have found innovative software that is very user friendly. This software allows the creation of mobile eLearning, mobile testing and mobile surveys. By making learning resources mobile accessible, on any mobile device, the learner literally has access to the study and training materials they need, anywhere, anytime. Mobile testing and surveys are tracked in real time! Hot Lava Software’s Learning Mobile Author (LMA) and Mobile Delivery and Tracking System (MDTS) will integrate with any LMS and has podcasting capabilities.
Check out a mobile learning demo at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HR4d7KptM1w%20%20
To download a Free Trial Version visit: http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/


Contact:
Laisa Bernard
laisab@hotlavasoftware.com
+1(479)524-8468
www.hotlavasoftware.com

Hot Lava Software™ Releases Learning Mobile Author™ 4.1.75

Haymarket, VA. (December 21, 2007) - Hot Lava Software, Inc. ™ (Hot Lava), the leading mobile authoring and m-learning publishing provider, is excited and pleased to announce their newest release of Learning Mobile Author ™ (LMA) development and delivery suite and the Hot Lava Mobile Delivery and Tracking System ™ (MDTS).

The new LMA4.1.75 ™ Release features several new authoring tool options within the LMA software and MDTS, including: hot linking images, image justification, J2ME integrated audio player, anchor pages, text capturing, drag and drop feature for resource library and a new skin. This toolkit allows rapid creation and deployment of mobile content to multiple devices such as PocketPC, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Nokia, PalmOS, mobile phones, smart phones and the desktop.

“With the ever increasing demand to make learning materials more readily available and at-hand, it is time to think outside the comfort zone of the traditional learning genre. Hot Lava Software™ is committed to meeting the mobile learning demands of the learning community,” says Bob Sanregret, CEO, Hot Lava Software, Inc™. “Everywhere we turn we see mobile devices; iPod, Blackberry, iPhone, Smartphone, iPAQ, Treo and Pocket PC just name a few. Mobile learning really is an affordable way to learn. More and more organizations are incorporating mLearning technology into their learning programs. Putting the power of knowledge literally in the hands of today’s society, by enabling them to have 24/7 access to acquire and ascertain study materials via a mobile device, takes away the need of always having to be in a “classroom environment” for learning to be effective.”


“Hot Lava Software™ is a very innovative company that regularly satisfies the demands of the global market. 2008 will be a great year for mobile learning worldwide,” states Ammar Mohd Fuad AlShami, M.Sc., PMP, Managing Director, Alpha Agility. “With Hot Lava you have an inexpensive system that allows you to create content once and publish to different mobile environments without the extra, expensive costs of hiring programmers and technical people. It is a simple, feasible and effective learning system. ”


Hot Lava Software, Inc™ is the leading provider of mobile authoring, publishing, delivery and tracking solutions. Hot Lava Software anticipated the need for mobile content in the form of learning, reference, testing and job aids to support a growing remote and field workforce. Using Hot Lava Software's content development and publishing system (LMA) integrated with the Hot Lava mobile delivery and tracking system (MDTS) your organization will have the tools and knowledge needed to launch and track mobile initiatives faster and more cost effectively than you would have ever imagined. Hot Lava Software™ provides mobile content solutions and a mobile content design, authoring and publishing solution to Corporations, Governments and Universities around the World.

Contact:

Bob Sanregret, CEO, Hot Lava
bobs@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (703) 754-1218
http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/
***
Paula Bernard, Project and Support Manager, Hot Lava
paulab@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (479) 524-8468
http://www.hotlavasoftware.com/

Hot Lava Software Adds I.C.O. Europe as m-Learning Dealer in the Netherlands

Warrenton, VA and Zierikzee, Netherlands (August 13, 2007) -- Hot Lava Software, Inc. (“Hot Lava”), the leading mobile authoring and m-learning publishing provider, to deliver the industry’s premier solution for anytime, anywhere learning for today’s increasingly mobile society, has added I.C.O. Europe, a leading e-learning solutions provider for corporate, educational and government customers, to the Hot Lava Software dealer network. Under the terms of the agreement, I.C.O. Europe will represent Hot Lava’s industry recognized Learning Mobile Author (LMA) development and delivery suite and the Hot Lava Mobile Delivery and Tracking System (MDTS) in the country of the Netherlands, as well as several surrounding European countries.

“We chose Hot Lava Software’s Learning Mobile Author (LMA) and Mobile Device Tracking System (MDTS) toolkit because it is a user-friendly authoring tool that is top quality in design. The speed in which it allows us to generate content, and the way it allows us to easily upload content, is like a Dutch way of working together; the Hot Lava approach is very open and effective, listening to demands from user groups. It gives the right feel to work with Bob and his team,” states Drs. Albert de Vos, CEO, I.C.O. Europe. “Because of the fast technical development with mobile phones I was looking for a tool that was able to handle PDAs, mobile phones, html and SCORM. I was also looking for an innovative, effective solution for M-Learning. Hot Lava covers all of this.”

“Today’s market is all about convenience. With more and more people all around the world using mobile devices, we have to stay in sync with what is in demand. I.C.O. Europe is a consulting firm that specializes in E-Learning and Mobile Learning solutions for business and educational purposes, “ says Bob Sanregret, CEO, Hot Lava Software. “Sharing knowledge is I.C.O.’s core business. They have focused their visions of m-Learning on the customers, empowering them with the ability to have learning at hand, any time, anywhere. If you are truly mobile, you will not have to have a desktop or laptop sitting in front of you.”

“Because I work most of the time with other countries on international projects I was able to combine Dutch harvesting technology on educational content with U.K. repository technology. In this process of connecting VLE-independent repositories to all kinds of VLE's, the LMA and the MDTS fits perfectly in the process to transform from E-Learning to M-Learning; or as some call it, C-Learning (collaborative learning). It's all about sharing knowledge and sharing and developing educational content. The focus on our projects is to work with repository services. The repositories for educational content we use are based on international standards for sharing, storing and delivering content within communities,” says Drs. de Vos. “For this purpose we use metadata harvesting technology for searching and finding content also based on these international standards. M-Learning is a part of the range of blended learning products, so the repository service plays a crucial role the distribution and development within learning communities.” Adds Drs. de Vos. “We expect that because of the new technology on cell/mobile phones with the access to internet the way of learning is going to change. The repository is for the distribution and development within the communities for mobile content. The MDTS makes it possible to use this content in a flexible and effective way.”

“Mobile learning is not in the future. Mobile learning is now. Keeping up with today’s time-conscious society is very critical. You have to be careful or you will get left behind. So many people just don’t have time to just stop what they are doing and sit down for a learning session. But, if you put it at their fingertips the possibilities are virtually endless as to how far you can take learning on the go,” says Sanregret. “And there are so many different types of mobile devices out there today that anyone can effectively learn with out being confined to a desk. I.C.O. Europe realizes the need to be in the forefront of the mLearning market and they are taking this cutting edge technology to new heights in the European countries.”




Contacts:

Bob Sanregret, CEO, Hot Lava
bobs@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (703) 754-1218
www.hotlavasoftware.com


Drs. Albert de Vos, CEO, I.C.O. Europe
vov@roczeeland.nl
00+3(111) 855-8900
www.icosales.eu


Paula Bernard, Project and Support Manager, Hot Lava
paulab@hotlavasoftware.com
+1 (479) 668-0238
www.hotlavasoftware.com