SoftChalk 6 Enhances Educational Content Sharing

SoftChalk has updated its Web authoring tool, SoftChalk 6. The latest release has been enhanced to allow users to publish material directly into the open access MERLOT educational content sharing Web community.

Self-described as being "designed for teachers and content experts who don't have time to learn complex software," SoftChalk aims to allow producers of educational content--lessons, exercises, activities, games, and even entire electronic courses--to create, publish, and post their material while requiring them to have a level of programming knowledge or capability greater than is necessary to use a conventional word processor.

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Teaching Online) is a free Web site for sharing and locating educational content via online communities under a variety of classifications, including general and specific subject area and type of learning material desired. The site also offers content related to academic support services for educators, as well as materials provided by content partners covering peripheral areas of interest, such as international studies, education financing, and data resources.

The accommodations SoftChalk has made in version 6 of its software, explained a spokesperson, will allow for a symbiotic integration of content creation and its online dissemination "in an effort to support the easy creation, discovery, and adoption of Open Educational Resources (OERs) throughout the education community."

"This partnership is another step towards our mission to improve teaching and learning by expanding the quantity and increasing the quality of online learning materials," said Gerry Hanley, executive director of MERLOT.

A detailed brochure of the features and capabilities of SoftChalk6, including enhancements offered in the newest version, is available as a PDF here.

About the Author

Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.

Featured

  • glowing brain, connected circuits, and abstract representations of a book and graduation cap on a light gray gradient background

    Snowflake Launches Program to Upskill 100,000 People in Data and AI

    Cloud data platform Snowflake is embarking on an effort to train and certify more than 100,000 users on its AI Data Cloud by 2027. The One Million Minds + One Platform program will provide Snowflake-delivered courses, training materials, and free access to Snowflake software, at no cost to learners.

  • two abstract humanoid figures made of interconnected lines and polygons, glowing slightly against a dark gradient background

    Microsoft Introduces Copilot Chat Agents for Education

    Microsoft recently announced Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, a new pay-as-you-go offering that adds AI agents to its existing free chat tool for Microsoft 365 education customers.

  • hand touching glowing connected dots

    Registration Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Thriving in the Age of AI

    Tech Tactics in Education has officially opened registration for its May 7 virtual conference on "Thriving in the Age of AI." The annual event, brought to you by the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal, offers hands-on learning and interactive discussions on the most critical technology issues and practices across K–12 and higher education.

  • Three cubes of noticeably increasing sizes are arranged in a straight row on a subtle abstract background

    A Sense of Scale

    Gardner Campbell explores the notion of scale in education and shares some of his own experience "playing with scale" — scaling up and/or scaling down — in an English course at VCU.