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home > Media services > News > Xplora releases new portal, new Knoppix DVD Xplora releases new portal, new Knoppix DVD European Schoolnet has launched at the end of September a new and improved Xplora portal as well as a new version of its Xplora DVD Knoppix, providing further and improved tools to the science teaching community. The new portal includes enhanced usability and accessibility, clearer navigation and cleaner user interface while the DVD, now in its 1.2 version, provides updated science education material and software useful for science teachers. The DVD will be presented on 27-29 September 2006 at the Interactive Computer-Aided Learning Conference (ICL 2006) in Villach, Austria. The first version of the DVD has been distributed for free and it is currently available for free downloading on the Xplora portal. The new release, which will soon be available for download on the Xplora portal, features many new science teaching materials such as a Cell Biology and a Trigonometry Wikibooks, a video about “Eratosthenes Today”, a crop circle reconstruction lesson plan in 10 languages, lessons in Electric Circuits from the Open Book Project and much more. The newly refurbished Xplora site is available in English, French and German. Two main changes have been implemented. Firstly, the access to each page has been extremely simplified. Secondly, most of the pop-up windows have been removed from the site. Regarding usability, the layout is more user-friendly, on the homepage as much as the inside pages. The homepage includes the two most recent news items and special events, along with a monthly agenda. It also provides easy access to Xplora partners and teachers as well as EU funded projects in the area of science, technology and education. The portal also offers easy access from the start page to the main portal’s sections: Library, Megalab, Practice, News and Events. The new design streamlines a special area dedicated to the Xplora community members as well as interactive option for users to subscribe to the newsletter. Additional enhancements are also planned in the future: Xplora is going to bring the community of science educators, Moodle as a Learning Management System (LMS). It will entirely fit into the new design of Xplora. An important resource for the public, science teachers and journalists, the European gateway to science education Xplora uses advanced communication technology to manage the PENCIL project, set up the exchanges between partners and enable continuous monitoring and demonstration of the projects toward the science teachers' community. Xplora Knoppix DVD
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