Paris, France, February 7, 2012: English Attack! has been named official pedagogical partner and content supplier to English By Yourself (www.englishbyyourself.fr), the national online portal for English language learning developed by the French Education Ministry and launched today at a press event in Paris by French Education Minister Luc Chatel.

The portal has been created and will be operated by the Centre National d’Enseignement a Distance (Cned), the French Education Ministry’s distance-learning unit. Like English Attack!, the Cned is active in the promotion of informal, lifelong education and autonomous learning for a wide audience.

Every day, English By Yourself will feature feature freshly updated content from English Attack!, specifically:

• The Video Booster of the Day – an interactive language exercise based on a clip from a current movie, TV series episode, or music video and designed to develop listening, comprehension, reading, vocabulary and grammar skills. A new Video Booster will be promoted on the home page of the Ministry’s portal every 24 hours.
• The Verb Dash learning game, developed to help learners to master the various forms of irregular verbs in English. The game will be a permanent feature of the English By Yourself portal
• The Photo Vocab of the Day – a themed visual dictionary on a wide range of topics. Each Photo Vocab contains 15 to 20 lexical items related to the theme, including vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and cultural references like commonly used acronyms.

English Attack! has been created in consultation with linguists and Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, and implements a novel pedagogical approach to language learning based on cognitive neuroscience. It is accessible to learners of any level, and incorporates the following pedagogical principles:

• Proficiency is driven by regular exposure to current, authentic English. This frequency of exposure is arrived at by motivating learners to use the service often, via enjoyable content units based on topics of widespread general interest – for example a movie currently playing in local cinemas, or a visual dictionary providing vocabulary on a major event in the news.
• Learning effectiveness is enhanced by lessons that are always situated in a specific meaningful context, are of short duration, and illustrated via a video clip or a selection of photos.
• Storage of newly aquired language in long-term memory can only be acheived by sufficient repetition of the learned content at appropriate intervals. English Attack! encourages varied repetition of learned items via its range of five learning games, which are dynamically driven by the site’s video-based and photo-based content.
• Errors are not to be penalized, but rather – as in videogames – they must be seen as a natural consequence of attempting a task, getting something wrong, and trying again integrating the learning arrived at via the error. This principle is reinforced by a supportive reward ecosystem consisting of constant positive feedback, points scored for every activity, and badges awarded for completing specific learning tasks.
• The practice of communicative skills is best encouraged by meaningful interaction with others. In the case of English Attack! this is achieved by learner participation in (and communication within) the site’s international social network of learners of English.

About the Cned:
The Centre National d’Enseignement a Distance (Cned) is a national public sector organization appointed by the French Ministries of Education and Higher Learning, and is tasked with the promotion and enabling of distance learning, in particular via information and communication techologies.

Chicago, January 9th, 2012: Entertainment Learning, the pioneering education-via-entertainment company, announced its partnership with Kinney & Associates today for the launch, marketing and business development of its flagship language learning service, English Attack!, (www.english-attack.com) in the United States.

English Attack! allows learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) in the United States – an audience some estimate to be as large as 50 million individuals – to improve their English contextually with video clips from blockbuster movies, hit TV series, music videos and television news reports ; online games ; and thematic visual dictionaries. English Attack engages participatants and allows them to  practice their developing English language skills with a global social network of learners of English. Users have a choice between an English-language interface and a version with navigation, help texts, tutorials, a dictionary, and other resources in 19 other languages. These include Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Hindi, Russian, Romanian, Polish and Korean, allowing easier access to the site’s unique pedagogical approach.

Said Paul Maglione, Co-founder of Entertainment Learning : “The US is of course a special market for English language learning, due to the tens of millions of immigrants or first-generation citizens that need to improve their English to maximize their academic, professional and social potential in their country of adoption. We needed to find a partner who had not just an excellent reputation in the national education industry but also one who also shared our vision of a language-learning experience transformed by web 2.0 functionalities. We finally found what we were looking for in Kinney & Associates and are confident that they will help us make this vision a reality here in the United States.

Said David Kinney of Kinney & Associates: “ English Attack offers an engaging and powerful resource for schools, community organizations, companies and colleges. It is unique and fulfills the need to deliver innovative solutions for today’s digital generation. The school platform will allow instructors to easily track usage on data to insure accountability and success. Entertainment Learning has created a program that can have a major impact and create learning communities connecting English language learners around the world.“

About Kinney & Associates:

Kinney & Associates was established in 1994 by David Kinney, a former special education teacher, administrator and test consultant. His background in assessment and technology lead to developing one of the leading consulting and professional development companies utilizing a “data driven” model of school improvement. Kinney and Associates strives to offer the very latest programs and services that are both affordable and effective in helping to increase student achievement.  As distributor for English Attack!, the company will deploy an array of marketing and consulting services, including grant writing, to deliver the product to schools, community organizations and agencies throughout the United States. Go to www.kinneyandassociates.com for more information.

Contact :
David Kinney, principal, Kinney & Associates
david@english-attack.com

For the second year in a row, English Attack! has been named a Finalist in the Education category of the prestigious Tech Crunch Europas awards competition.

The annual competition gathers the best startup companies across Europe in various product and service categories, as determined by a panel of journalists, tech entrepreneurs and venture capital executives. Winning the Europas is then determined by popular vote. You can help us win by voting for us via the link below (just scroll down to the Education category, and you’ll find us). Thanks everyone!

http://theeuropas.com/vote/

Paris, September 1st, 2011: Launched at the end of June 2011, English Attack! has attracted its 100,000^th registered user and has opened its 12^th regional sales and marketing office.

Thanks to an innovative pedagogical approach combining elements of online entertainment, online social networks, and “gamification,” English Attack! (www.english-attack.com) is attracting an ever-increasing number of the “digital native” learners of English aged 13 to 35 for which is was designed.

“We are seeing excellent word-of-mouth among the target audience, which is contributing to our rapid user growth, both of registered users and of those hundreds of thousands of non-registered users who use the free version of the site,” said English Attack! co-founder Frederic Tibout. “We expect to see this growth accelerate further in the back-to-school season these next few weeks across Europe and parts of Asia.”

English Attack! is a global site created to help learners around the world improve their English, and is already available with a user interface in 13 languages. It recently announced the opening of its 12^th regional sales and marketing office, in Mexico City, Mexico.

The site attracts learners from all over the world, with users in France, Brasil, Taiwan, Spain, Italy and China taking the top six slots in the site’s user statistics. The site’s heterogeneous mix of user nationalities contributes to its appeal as a community of learners for whom the only common language is the one they are trying to improve, English.

Sao Paulo, Juli 13, 2011: The Entertainment Learning company today launches the official version of the English Attack! online language learning service in Brazil. The site is already available with a user interface in Brazilian Portuguese (http://br.english-attack.com), providing the option for users in Brazil of seeing the site navigation, user information, help texts, and interstitial content in their local language.

Brazil was one of the lead countries in the site’s 12-month Beta testing period, which attracted 25,000 users, and today, now that the 2.0 version of site has launched, Brazilian learners of English are often the number one source of traffic to the site on a daily basis.

Said Augusto Rocha, CEO of Sao Paulo-based Outliers, which is the officially appointed Marketing Partner for English Attack! in Brazil,  “Language learning has been waiting for a new, fresh and entertaining digital approach for some time. Brazil was the number two country in the world for English Attack! during its Beta test, and we are seeing accelerated growth in site visitors now that we have added the option of a site interface in Brazilian Portuguese.” Outliers will be presenting the service to hundreds of English teachers later this month at the 9^th Southern Cone English teaching convention in Curitiba. English Attack! was first presented to teachers of English in Brazil by site co-founder Paul Maglione at the 2010 BRAZ-Tesol Annual Conference in Sao Paulo in July of that year.

English Attack! revolutionizes the look and feel of language learning via a combination of video clips, thematic visual dictionaries, and games; a motivational approach to progression inspired by the world of videogames; and an international community of learners of English.

About Outliers
Established by experienced executives in Consumer Goods and Services Industries, Outliers is dedicated to innovation in language learning and launched the concept of Language Boutique in Brazil via the Outliers Professional Language School, which offers premium quality English courses focused in areas such as Finance, Marketing & Sales and Engineering. Outliers co-founders Augusto Rocha and Ho Mien Mien are passionate about education and languages, having worked and travelled to more than 30 countries in 5 continents, inspiring them to approach the teaching of languages in new ways, including, now, the English Attack! online service.

English Attack! Web Site :

Brazilian Portuguese: www.english-attack.com

Contact : augusto@english-attack.com

Bucharest, 11 July, 2011: Innovative English language learning online service English Attack! launched today in Romania. The site is available to learners in Romania with the option of a user interface in Romanian, making it the only global site for English language learning with navigation, user information, help texts, and interstitial content available that country’s language.

Said Gheorghe David, Managing Partner of Assist Software, which is the officially appointed marketing partner for English Attack! in Romania as well as a technical partner for the site: “Language learning has been waiting for a new, fresh and entertaining digital approach for some time. The user feedback for the site in Romania has been fantastic so far, and we are seeing accelerated growth in site visitors ever since we added the option of a site interface in Romanian. We are now one of the top 10 countries in the world for English Attack!”

About Assist Software

Assist delivers and promotes innovative software solutions in emerging fields such as web-based custom business applications, e-learning, e-commerce, e-payment, e-security, e-health or enterprise & resource planning, solutions developed to continuously and effectively fulfil partners demands by constantly updating knowledge, conquering new areas of expertise, increasing the quality of consultancy and the marketing services. Focused on media design, marketing, re-design of applications, assistance and educational activities Assist has tailored long lasting relationships worldwide, both on business and education areas.

English Attack! Web Site : www.english-attack.com

Contact : romania@english-attack.com

Visuals and more information at:

http://english-attack-romania.pressdoc.com

Warsaw, July 6th, 2011: Following 12 months of Beta testing with over 25,000 users worldwide, the Entertainment Learning company today launches the official version of the English Attack! online language learning service in Poland. The site is already available with a user interface in Polish (http://pl.english-attack.com), making it the only global site for English language learning with navigation, user information, help texts, and interstitial content available in Polish, making it the only global English language learning site offering the option of navigation, help texts, and user instructions in Polish.

Said Lorenz van der Stam, Managing Director of Warsaw-based TMM Polska, which recently as appointed the official Marketing Partner for English Attack! in Poland: “Language learning has been waiting for a new, fresh and entertaining digital approach for some time. Ever since English Attack! previewed their unique approach at the IATEFL Poland conference in Bydgoszcz last year, anticipation in this country has been high. Since the launch, the user feedback for the site in Poland has been fantastic, and we are seeing accelerated growth in site visitors now that we have added the option of a site interface in Polish.”

About TMM Polska

TMM was founded in 1992 and has offices in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Hungary and Poland. Over the years TMM Polska has become a leading provider of Instore Entertainment in Poland as well as creative Publishing products. Instore Entertainment includes instore music, Disney Kids TV Kids Corners and scent marketing.

TMM’s Publishing division is a specialist in creating press collections of books, CD-books and DVD-books for leading newspaper and magazine publishers, as well as Internet Marketing concepts like for example Internet Wine Clubs for newspapers and music download websites for banks and FMCG products.

Booster with Fabio Viola, who today launched English Attack! in Italy

Pisa, July 4th, 2011: Following 12 months of Beta testing with over 25,000 users worldwide, the Entertainment Learning company today launches the official version of the English Attack! online language learning service in Italy. The site is already available with a user interface in Italian (http://it.english-attack.com), making it the only global site for English language learning with navigation, user information, help texts, and interstitial content available in Italian.

Said Fabio Viola, the Italian “gamification guru, author of Gamificaion – I Videogiochi nella Vita Quotidiana; founder of the Milan-based digital entertainment company DigitalFun and the country manager for English Attack! in Italy: “Language learning has been waiting for a new, fresh and entertaining digital approach for some time. English Attack! is a great example of how gamification – the use of a videogame-like ecosystem of challenges, rewards, points, progression and community – can transform the learning experience. The initial feedback from young people all over Italy has been 100% enthusiastic.”

PARIS, June 21st, 2011: Following 12 months of Beta testing with over 25,000 users worldwide, the Entertainment Learning company today launches the official version of its English Attack! online language learning service (www.english-attack.com).

The full impact of the internet revolution has yet to be seen in the field of education, and in particular most online language-learning sites are still based on exercises and structures typical of early 20th-century pedagogy, far removed from the interests and motivations of today’s learners.

« Where many English language learning methods still have a rather abstract and linear approach, English Attack! is focused on immersion and motivation. Our approach uses authentic content and the brain’s hunger for rewards, social connectivity and discovery » said Frederic Tibout, co-founder of Entertainment Learning.

English Attack! achieves this with a combination of video clips, thematic visual dictionaries, and games; a motivational reward-rich ecosystem; and an international community of learners of English.

Video Boosters are fun, interactive multimedia exercises based on short (one to three-minute) video clips from current movies, hit TV series, news channels and music videos.

English Attack! also features Photo Vocabs, which are visual dictionaries on a wide variety of subjects.

Learners using English Attack! can periodically revisit the language elements absorbed in these learning units via a range of Practice Games, in which game design favoring repetition, replayability and challenge helps the shifting of the learned material into long-term memory.

The site’s system of scoring and badges, adapted from the most successful videogame environments, creates additional motivation for learners and replaces the conventional «evaluation » system of grades and pass/fail.

Finally, the site’s social functionalities (comments, making friends, messages) encourage the learner to actually use English in a friendly, learner-tolerant social context, putting site users in touch with other learners of English from around the world and thus creating a deeper personal involvement with the learning of the language.

Near-daily exposure to a language is by now recognized as a sine qua non factor in the effective learning of it. On English Attack!, the combination of fresh, current, real-world content with easy access short-session exercises creates the ideal conditions for frequent use of the site, and thus frequent exposure to (and use of) English.

Entertainment Learning’s Innovative Business Model

Most traditional language-learning sites have adopted a subscription model, which often results in a high level of expense, in terms of both money and length of the subscription period, for the learner, especially those in the 15-25 age range. English Attack! has instead adopted the « free-to-play » model which is currently proving highly popular with users of online social games.

The user enjoys free use of the site’s functionalities, as well as free access to a selection of content refreshed daily. Access to the entire catalog of pedagogical content is available via the site’s virtual currency (Booster Coins), with which a time-limited access pass (the Booster Pass) can be purchased. The user has a choice of accumulating Booster Coins via regular use of the site; via direct purchase; or through participation in special offers put forward by the site’s commercial partners.

English Attack! has been designed for use by individual learners as a complement to other forms of instruction; but can also be adopted as a language training resource by schools, universities, language institutes and companies.

English Attack! was created in consultation with several teachers of English as a Foreign Language and is based on the latest findings of cognitive neuroscience. It is already being used both in the classroom and as a homework platform by many teachers in several different countries.

English Attack! is from today available worldwide, and will have a site interface localised in 20 languages. English, French, Italian and Spanish are already available on the site today.

Warsaw, June 7, 2011: Entertainment Learning, the pioneering education-via-entertainment company, announced its partnership with TMM Polska’s publishing division TMM Publishing today for the launch, marketing and business development of its flagship language learning service, English Attack!, in Poland.

The launch of the Polish version of English Attack!, scheduled for the end of Q2 2011, will allow English language learners in Poland to improve their English with video clips from blockbuster movies, hit TV series, music videos and television news reports; online games; thematic visual dictionaries; and a global social network of learners of English. Users will have a choice between an English-language interface and a version with navigation, help texts, tutorials, a dictionary, and other resources in Polish, allowing easier access to the site’s unique pedagogical approach.

Said Paul Maglione, Co-founder of Entertainment Learning: “We interviewed many potential partners for Poland and finally found what we were looking for in TMM Publishing. We are confident that they are well placed to create the ideal marketing and communications programs and commercial initiatives, as well as the local relationships with teachers, schools, universities, language institutes, and companies, to make English Attack! an important player in the large and dynamic English language-learning industry here in Poland.

Said Lorenz van der Stam, Managing Director of TMM Polska: “With our partnership with English Attack! we are making a firm step into the direction of becoming a major player in Internet Marketing Concepts. Through our contacts in the marketing field we will establish marketing partnerships that help our partners build their brand and grow the awareness and user base of English Attack! at the same time.”

About TMM:

TMM was founded in 1992 and has offices in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Hungary and Poland. Over the years TMM has become a leading provider of Instore Entertainment as well as creative Publishing products. Instore Entertainment includes instore music, Disney Kids TV Kids Corners and scent marketing.

TMM’s Publishing division is a specialist in creating press collections of books, CD-books and DVD-books for leading newspaper and magazine publishers, as well as Internet Marketing concepts like for example Internet Wine Clubs for newspapers and music download websites for banks and FMCG products.

About Entertainment Learning / English Attack! :

Created by specialists in the media and entertainment industries in partnership with a range of English-teaching professionals, English Attack! is an innovative online language learning platform approach based on cognitive neuroscience and the use of learning concepts derived from video games and learning games as well as from the latest English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) pedagogy. Paul Maglione is a regular speaker at English language teaching conferences around the world, including IATEFL Poland, in Bydgoszcz, in 2010.

Website (beta version) : www.english-attack.com

Blog : http://blog.english-attack.com

Contact : poland@english-attack.com