January 14, 2009 

HunterStone announces the availability of two new Microsoft Office SharePoint 2007 Web parts for educators

London, UK —  (PR.com)-- From the BETT Show in London, HunterStone announced it has developed; in collaboration with Microsoft Corporation’s Partners in Learning initiative and the Microsoft K12 CIO Advisory Council; two web parts to help enable teachers in their everyday work.  The Innovative Teachers Network (ITN) web part enables teachers to access the resources and communities on this rich online community from their local SharePoint portal and utilize the ITN’s content and services while still within the local authority network.  The Teacher/Student Resources Web Part enables users to find via search relevant material currently within the internal network by any meta data, by the Curriculum standards, and apply Star Ratings and reviews to this material.  Both of these Web Parts are available at the HunterStone booth at V10 during BETT.  “Our schools and educators are challenged with information overload and the ability to find, use and connect information to learning standards is a core need identified by our K12 Advisory Council.  With their guidance and in collaboration with Hunterstone, the web parts help educators get access to appropriate learning objects, leverage existing materials created to save them value time, and have the opportunity to provide feedback to their peers.” Said Anthony Salcito, General Manager of Microsoft US Education 

Previously, the company released its leading SCORM Management, Conversion and Authoring product suite THESIS for general use by teachers, instructional designers, subject matter experts, and trainers throughout the world.  Additionally, Microsoft's Education Product Group licensed a portion of THESIS technology for use in its Learning Essentials Program and provides Microsoft Academic Customers the ability to author SCORM content with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.   “We excited by the added functionality and enhancements these two web parts bring to the already strong Microsoft solution within SharePoint and Office and the HunterStone solutions” Said Neil Richards, President & CEO of HunterStone

THESIS is a suite of eLearning tools which adheres to the SCORM specifications and integrates with Microsoft Office. This enables a user to author eLearning resources and objects straight from familiar Microsoft Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio and Producer. The THESIS "Learning Object Manager" allows a user to author complete SCORM courses and quizzes for online instruction, using multiple learning objects from different sources. THESIS Librarian "SCORM enables" Microsoft SharePoint to create Learning Object Repositories where subject matter experts can collaborate on course development and also use the tool as a meta-data manager.

About HunterStone
HunterStone is an innovative provider of eLearning and IT tools for Microsoft environments. The company designs, implements and maintains business applications that help organizations increase productivity and decrease operating costs. In addition to its THESIS eLearning software, HunterStone develops knowledge management systems and services for collaboration, migration and conversion within email environments. HunterStone is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with competencies in ISV, Business Process and Integration, Data Management and Security proficiencies.  Headquartered in Irmo, South Carolina, privately held HunterStone has offices in the United Kingdom, Tasmania, and international resellers in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, and Mexico.  For additional information about HunterStone and its products, please visit www.HunterStone.com or www.GetTHESIS

About Unlimited Potential
Microsoft, through its Unlimited Potential vision, is committed to making technology more affordable, relevant and accessible for the 5 billion people around the world who do not yet enjoy its benefits. The company aims to do so by helping to transform education and foster a culture of innovation, and through these means enable better jobs and opportunities. By working with governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and industry partners, Microsoft hopes to reach its first major milestone — to reach the next 1 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology — by 2015. More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/unlimitedpotential/default.mspx.

About the Microsoft K12 CIO Advisory Council

The Microsoft K12 CIO Advisory Council was formed in April 2007 to provide innovative CIOs in education a direct connection inside of Microsoft.  The members of the K12 CIO Advisory Council are comprised of approximately 30 CIOs from some the largest and smallest school districts across the United States.  Members of the Advisory Council are provided a forward looking view into Microsoft and have the opportunity to meet with the decision makers that are forming Microsoft’s education strategy.  ”This has been an exciting opportunity for a group of representative customers to work directly with Microsoft, and its solution partners, to resolve critical real world barriers to the easy, effective and standard aligned access of digital assets by our teachers and students.” (Patrick Plant, Anoka-Hennepin ISD , Anoka, MN and Jim Fry, Novi Community School District, Novi, MI).  For more information on the K12 CIO Advisory Council please contact Jason Cockrum at jcockrum@microsoft.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.