Press Room


goFLUENT receives award for "Best eLearning Training Tool of 2010"

We are pleased to announce that goFLUENT eLearning has received the award for Best eLearning Training Tool of 2010, by the prestigious European Panel of Professionals: Nuit de la Formation Professionnelle!

We are very proud that our new eLearning training solution not only complements our telephone lessons, but has also received positive recognition from our industry peers and professionals. This award recognizes goFLUENT's dedication to educational research and continued innovative efforts to create new integrated and effective English learning solutions.

goFLUENT's eLearning solution was designed for the corporate community, and provides interactive multimedia content composed of current world and business news; which corresponds directly to the daily needs and challenges of the professional workplace.
 
 
 
 
 
NTT Com Acquires Stake in goFLUENT Group

January 7, 2010


TOKYO, JAPAN - NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced today plans to launch online educational services in Japan following its acquisition of a 29.7 percent stake in goFLUENT Group S.A. (goFLUENT), a provider of online English-language instruction. The two will partner in developing the business plan and services to be introduced in the Japanese market.

Established in 2000, goFLUENT has developed advanced expertise for the provision of online English instruction. It currently has about 30,000 students, mainly enterprise customers in nine countries worldwide, who receive remote English-language instruction from about 300 tutors based in the United States, Canada and the Philippines. The company estimates it had revenues of about 11 million euros (about 1.5 billion yen) in 2009.

Through the capital alliance, NTT Com intends to launch educational services in Japan that will combine the company's visual communication and other ICT solutions with goFLUENT's online English-training knowhow. Specific services will include the online provision of English training for enterprise personnel as well as individual customers of Internet services offered by the NTT Com Group, such as OCN-brand service. Customers also will be developed in collaboration with NTT Com's parent company, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, and its Group activity of online English training service.

NTT Com expects the services to benefit from a growing demand for English training in Japan at a time when companies are globalizing their operations and English education has become a compulsory subject beginning from elementary school. The increasing ubiquity of broadband networks and the spread of teleconference services are expected to accelerate the spread of online English education.

For goFLUENT, the capital alliance will create growth opportunities in Asian markets through collaboration with NTT Com, which has a strong market presence and significant resources, especially in Japan. The goFLUENT organization currently has bases in nine countries worldwide: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and USA.


About NTT Communications Corporation

NTT Communications provides a broad range of global networks, management solutions and IT services to customers worldwide. The company is renowned for reliable, high-quality security, hosting, voice, data and IP services, as well as expertise in managed networks and leadership in IPv6 transit technology. NTT Communications' extensive infrastructure includes Arcstar™ Global IP-VPN and Global e-VLAN, as well as a Tier-1 IP backbone reaching more than 150 countries in partnership with major Internet service providers, and secure data centers in Asia, North America and Europe. NTT Communications is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, one of the world's largest telecoms with listings on the Tokyo, London and New York stock exchanges. Please visit www.ntt.com/index-e.html.


About goFLUENT Group S.A.

goFLUENT is a worldwide leading provider of distance English training solutions for corporations, schools and individuals. Since 2000, goFLUENT has become one of the leading companies in the online English training industry, who focuses on the communication skills, its international presence which serves its global customers, and its comprehensive and integrated offers of distance training solutions (Live, eLearning, Audit/Test). With a team of 500 employees, goFLUENT has taken a strong lead in the English training market and is proud to serve more than 2,000 corporate clients worldwide. Please visit www.gofluent.com/web/us.


For more information about goFLUENT Group SA

Switzerland
Aurelie Monie
Tel: +41-22-594-85-25
e-mail: press@gofluent.com

Or

USA
Skye Kennedy
Tel: +1 (607) 429-0268
e-mail: press@gofluent.com
 
 
 
 
 
With Education Ministry's Support, High-Tech Classroom Brings English to French Students

Since the beginning of the school year, more than 9 classes at the Henri Mondor school in Rosny-sous-Bois have been regularly using the computer lab, the Interactive Whiteboard, and very recently a videoconference room; tools put at their disposition by the academic inspectors and the mayor.

Videoconference : another form of learning

The 7 CM1 and CM2 classes of this school, pioneers in our department, attend a videoconference in English each week thanks to a distance learning collaboration, put in place by the mayor, between French teachers and an American teacher who works for the company goFLUENT



"We are going to speak English with the American teacher, you know, it's nighttime where she lives," they whisper amongst themselves.

In a completely renovated classroom (new furniture, insulation, wiring, webcams), the tables are not arranged like in class, but all the students know the place that Mr. Tran Le, the professor, has assigned to them. On the other side of the Atlantic, Rachel also has a seating chart. She can address each CM1 student and get to know them over the course of the year. "Please stand up when you hear your name called and wait to be on the screen before you address the teacher," says Mr. Tran Le, reminding his students. With the connection established at the correct time, we find ourselves live in Malone, New York for 30 minutes.

"Good Morning, How are you? Today it's our first lesson."

The first exchange of the year begins with a series of questions and responses.

Hands go up. On the French side, their teacher leads the beginning of the session in English with ease and gives them a chance to speak. With the help of a few key phrases that they know well such as, "I don't understand. Can you repeat please?" The conversation flows naturally. Certain students are hooked from the beginning and keep their hands continuously raised!

The lesson theme of the day : "Introduce yourself." Knowing this prior to the videoconference, the students worked on phrases and vocabulary. Each of them have an hour and a half of English each week, divided into several sessions, including this 30 minute videoconference.

For her presentation, the American teacher comments on the photos come across the screen, which allows her to alternate listening and speaking activities.

The session continues and progressively the whole class is more at ease. It is with seriousness and pride that they repeat the pronunciation of words and grammatical structures.



"My name is Yoan, I'm eight years old. I'm from France" can be heard during the conversation. Certain students devote themselves entirely to the exercise with lots of happiness and ease while enriching their presentation with acquired vocabulary from prior years.

Through the game "Simon Says," some of them discover vocabulary words that they will learn in class and the next meeting time is set with Hassa, Adam, Marion, Yoan and all the others for next week! Other meetings to come: Mrs. Carole Vangéli's CM2 class is organizing a partnership with a class in London and plans a trip to meet with the English correspondents. Beforehand, exchanges will be made via e-mail and videoconference.


"This article was taken from the Créteil School District's website, who in partnership with the French Ministry of Education and goFLUENT, is one of many school districts that is working to integrate technology to improve English language classrooms for its students.