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Partners in Learning Adds Features To Improve Collaboration

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 01/12/12

Microsoft has launched a new version of its Partners in Learning Network with features designed to improve and encourage collaboration.

Partners in Learning is a free social network for educators and other professionals. It includes more than 40 downloadable tools such as lesson plans, learning activities, and tutorials.

Features of the revamped network, which began beta testing in November, include:

• Microsoft Translator integration, which makes the site available in 36 languages and creates a "truly global community," according to information released by the company;
• Achievement badges designed to help identify mentors, trainers, and experts;
• A tagging infrastructure designed to make community resources easier to find; and
• Integration with other services such as Windows Live ID, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and Yahoo, which allows users to log-in to the network through those sites and promote and link to their other profiles.

"For me, it’s truly about good teaching practices, expanding teacher and student's educational toolkit and sharing our educational technology/information technology journeys with each other," said Nicole Lakusta, educational technology facilitator at Canada's Parkland School Division in a blog post. "It's also about sharing this knowledge and supporting teachers and students in utilizing the tools effectively."

For more information, or to join Partners in Learning, visit pil-network.com.