Tencent Partners with Age of Learning to Launch ABCmouse Immersive English Learning Program for Children in China
Partnership Leverages Age of Learning's Expertise in Digital Curriculum and Content with Tencent's Strength in Product and Marketing for China
SHENZEN, China & LOS ANGELES, April 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Tencent and Age of Learning, Inc., announced the launch of a new ABCmouseTM English learning program in China, an expert-designed immersive language learning product that provides Chinese children with an essential foundation for English conversational fluency and literacy.
The new ABCmouse program was developed through an innovative partnership between the leading digital children's education company in the U.S. and one of largest Internet companies in the world. Age of Learning's team of child development and language learning experts created the ABCmouse English learning curriculum, currently comprised of more than 5,000 engaging learning activities organized into hundreds of lessons and a structured learning path, based on extensive research on second-language acquisition. Tencent has expertly integrated this curriculum into a new ABCmouse mobile application and website, and is responsible for product development, marketing, sales, and customer support.
Closely collaborating with Age of Learning, Tencent localized the ABCmouse program for China, including integration of ABCmouse with QQ, China's leading instant messaging platform serving 783 million monthly active users, and with WeChat / Weixin, China's leading social network and content platform serving more than 1 billion monthly active users. This integration makes it easy for parents and other family members to follow and participate in their child's English language learning. As part of the extensive localization effort, ABC Mouse, the animated mouse who guides children through the English learning program, was redesigned specifically for the China market.
"Online education is very important for Tencent," said Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and President of Tencent's Social Network Group. "Age of Learning is the market leader in the United States and an ideal partner, with deep expertise and a ten-year track record of success creating effective learning experiences for millions of children."
The ABCmouse English learning curriculum is designed for children between the ages of 3 and 8, teaching English as a second language in the same natural sequence as their native language: listening and understanding, speaking, phonics and reading, and then writing. Lessons include engaging instructional animations featuring an English teacher and six children in an international school setting, along with more than 5,000 interactive English learning activities including games, songs, puzzles, art activities, and books. Speech recognition technology has also been incorporated into the newly designed product, prompting children to record their voices as they become confident and proficient in speaking English words, phrases and sentences. The immediate feedback provided by the system helps children develop excellent English pronunciation and supports comprehensive vocabulary acquisition.
"Our goal at Age of Learning is to help children build a strong foundation for success in school and in life. For children in many countries, English fluency is an essential part of that foundation," said Doug Dohring, Founder and CEO of Age of Learning. "We're extremely pleased to partner with Tencent to bring our unique ABCmouse English learning curriculum to China."
The new ABCmouse English learning program is available on all major platforms, including iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and computers. It can be accessed at abcmouse.qq.com and from all major app stores in China.
About Age of Learning, Inc.
Age of Learning (www.AgeofLearning.com) is a leading education technology innovator, creating engaging and effective learning resources to help children build a strong foundation for academic success. Founded in 2007 and based in Los Angeles, the company blends educational expertise, innovative technology, and insightful creativity to bring learning to life. Age of Learning's flagship product in the U.S., ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy, is a research-validated, comprehensive curriculum for preschool through 2nd grade, available on all major digital platforms and used by millions of children in their homes, more than 100,000 classrooms, and thousands of public libraries.
About Tencent Holdings Limited
Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Our social products Weixin and QQ link our users to a rich digital content catalogue including games, video, music, and books. Our proprietary targeting technology helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Our infrastructure services including payment, security, cloud, and artificial intelligence create differentiated offerings and support our partners' business growth. Tencent invests heavily in people and innovation, enabling us to evolve with the Internet. Tencent was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998. Shares of Tencent (00700.hk) are traded on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.
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SOURCE Age of Learning, Inc.
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