This document summarizes key points about Podclass launching a new application programming interface (API) called Podclass Web Services (PWS) that enables online courses to be accessed and managed from within social networking platforms like Facebook. PWS currently integrates with the popular open-source learning management system Moodle, allowing over 40,000 educational institutions worldwide that use Moodle to offer their courses on Facebook. The CEO of Podclass believes this will help learning become less confined to single institutions and allow it to occur in social environments where students' connections already exist.

1. Republic of the Philippines Laguna State Polytechnic University Siniloan, Laguna First Periodical Examination Presented by: ROBELL V. MORA MENCHIE V. SET MOLLY N. VALSORABLE

2. Podclass Launches Web Services Technology to Bring Education into Social Networks SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Podclass, Inc. announces Podclass Web Services (PWS), an application programming interface to enable online courses to be accessed from within Facebook(R) and other social networking sites. PWS enables users of learning management systems to access and manage course content, and to collaborate and interact with classmates from within Facebook. Currently, PWS integrates with Moodle, the leading open-source learning software system used by more than 40,000 colleges, universities and companies, worldwide. It is expected to integrate with other learning management systems in the future. With the PWS interface, any institution using Moodle can now offer their students and instructors complete access to their courses from inside of Facebook. Instructors and students can access all of their content, interact with classmates, post to forums, and collaborate on assignments using the new Podclass Facebook application. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:29:53 -0700 PDT by Tabitha Berg

3. Learning management software systems such as Moodle, Blackboard, WebCT and others are designed to facilitate online teaching and learning and are used for course management. In addition to colleges and universities, companies such as Google and Intel also use learning management systems for employee, vendor and partner training. “ One of the biggest limitations of a traditional learning management system is that they typically serve a single institution (college, university or company), and therefore force students to learn in a closed or isolated environment,” Gary Gil, Founder and CEO of Podclass, Inc., says. “ Learning is not confined to a single class, college or institution. Students learn most effectively by interacting and collaborating with friends, colleagues and social connections that exist in the real world, not only with classmates and students who attend the same college. Podclass provides a solution for this by enabling students to learn in an environment where these social connections already exist, inside of Facebook,” Gil adds. Instead of students being limited to accessing online courses from a single college or institution, Gil envisions a world where education is widely distributed and accessible from wherever a student chooses to access it. Podclass is pioneering the way into a new educational frontier in which social networking is an integral part of the education process for higher education as well as industry.

4. Information Technology Services Division Releases RFP to add contractors to Master IT Contract August 10, 2007 A Request for Proposal (RFP) was released today to add new contractors to the Master Contract for IT Services, and allow existing contractors an opportunity to qualify for service categories for which they are not currently qualified. The current roster has 62 contractors qualified in 13 different service categories. In the past year, ITSD received several inquiries from other vendors asking how to qualify for the Master Contract roster. Also, contractors already qualified in some service categories have requested to be added to additional categories as they expand and make changes to their staff resources. The RFP is very similar to the 2006 RFP. Vendors are asked to submit proposals and qualifications for the existing 13 service categories. The service category descriptions and vendor qualifications remain the same. RFP responses are due September 14, 2007. ITSD expects to complete the evaluation process and sign addendum agreements with the successful offerors in early October .

5. ITSD will issue another RFP to add to the Master Contract roster again in the fall of 2008, with an effective contract date in March 2009. As a compliment to the Master Contract, ITSD is researching and developing an RFP for IT Staff Augmentation. While the Master Contract is project-focused, the new RFP and resulting contract will address agency needs for IT staff support on a short-term, temporary basis. The Staff Augmentation RFP is scheduled to be released later this fall.

6. Microsoft Wants Smaller Software Footprints Starting With Windows 7 Microsoft will use a bare-bones version of the Windows kernel, called MinWin, as the starting point for the development of future products, including Windows 7 and Windows Server By Paul McDougall InformationWeek October 19, 2007 10:52 AM Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) apparently is putting its Windows operating system on a diet. Acknowledging criticisms that the Windows operating system is "bloated," a senior company official said the software maker has adopted a new, modular approach to OS development that will yield more streamlined products beginning with Windows 7 -- a successor to Windows Vista that's expected to be available some time in 2010. "We're starting on this path," said Microsoft distinguished engineer Eric Traut, during a presentation at a college campus. "A lot of people think of Windows as this large, bloated operating system. That's maybe a fair characterization," said Traut, who was speaking last week at the University of Illinois. A video of his presentation appeared Friday on the blog IstartedSomething.com.

7. With an eye toward offering slimmer products, Microsoft will use a bare-bones version of the Windows kernel, called MinWin, as the starting point for the development of future products, including Windows 7 and Windows Server. Microsoft programmers will use MinWin as a base for development and then layer on only what's needed for particular Windows versions. "There's a really nice little core inside Windows," said Traut. In adopting a more modular approach to Windows development, Microsoft may be bowing to criticism that current, one-size-fits-all versions of the OS are overstuffed for many user requirements. To prove his point, Traut demonstrated a version of MinWin built on 25 Mbytes of data, compared to Windows Vista's 4-Gbyte footprint. "We've taken a shot at stripping out all the layers above and making sure we have a clean architectural layer," said Traut. Microsoft has no plans to "productize" MinWin, but will use it as the basis for future OS development. "We're definitely going to be using this in a lot of the products we build," said Traut.

8. Microsoft may be hoping that the Windows-on-Weight Watchers approach will help it fend off competition from Linux and Web-based software -- non-Microsoft computing alternatives that impose less demanding hardware requirements on end users. Despite the fact that Windows Vista launched earlier this year amid considerable hype, many consumers and businesses have shied away from the OS, citing cost and compatibility concerns, in addition to Vista's steep resource requirements.