Groupe Média TFO emerges as pre-schooler digital media star attracting more views than most competitors

Groupe Média TFO emerges as pre-schooler digital media star attracting more views than most competitors

Organization strengthens its leadership with the launch of EduLulu, a
tool to help parents and teachers navigate the educational app-mosphere


TORONTO, April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - Groupe Média TFO an Ontario based public
media enterprise that produces award-winning educational content in
French, announced it has recorded over 10 million digital views of its MiniTFO YouTube channel, a stunning 1,000 per cent increase in audience viewing
over a 15 month period.



"TFO has clearly demonstrated that when it comes to creating educational
products and services for children, their parents and educators, we are
an emerging leader," said Groupe Média TFO CEO Glenn O'Farrell. "We
have the capacity to provide more added value in developing digital
education solutions. This is where we found the inspiration for our
most recent initiative, EduLulu, a newly launched browser-based app for
parents and teachers."



TFO conceived and created EduLulu, the first independent application
that rates and ranks English and French educational apps, giving
parents and educators credible guidance regarding new entries in Google
Play and Apple's App Store. To access EduLulu, you simply enter the
url (www.edululu.org) in your favorite browser's address bar on any device (tablet or
smartphone). This is a ground-breaking, first of its kind Canadian
service in digital learning, developed in collaboration with a panel of
experts in the educational and technology spheres.



"Speaking as both a parent and a technology commentator, EduLulu is
addressing a void with this new resource for both Apple and Android
apps," said technology expert Marc Saltzman. "It will be such a relief
for parents to be able to go to one source and quickly find out if an
interactive app is suitable for their children. The fact that there
are English and French apps makes it even more useful for Canadian
families."



A recent survey by Harris-Decima revealed that 86 per cent of Canadian
households with children have at least one mobile device and a similar
number of the parents polled said that everything related to mobile
educational applications in Canada was of interest to them.



In addition to smartphones, tablets became widely adopted in just a few
years leaving parents of young children scrambling to identify quality
apps that blend engagement, education and entertainment. EduLulu was
designed to address this need; creating a destination for parents in
search of stimulating and educational resources.


The EduLulu rating system


EduLulu ranks reviewed apps on a five 'bone' rating system. The Lulu in
EduLulu is an animated dog and dogs love their bones so the more bones
the better in Lulu's world.



The rating system criteria was developed by TFO Education with the
assistance of Thierry Karsenti, the Canada Research Chair on
information and communication technologies in education at Université
de Montréal, with a panel of other education and technology experts.
Evaluation teams of educators, parents and technology experts rank
targeted apps and individual results are combined to produce a final
rating based on the five bone scale and also provide anecdotal
commentary.



EduLulu currently features 300 rated English and French apps and more
than 100 reviewed apps will be added to the service every month. There
will be more than 1,100 rated apps on EduLulu by December 2014. Parents
and educators will be able to search rated apps by ratings, subject and
children's age.


English and French apps


The people behind EduLulu are leaders in digital learning in French and
have made EduLulu available in French as well as English. English and
French educational apps are available on both the English and the
French EduLulu sites. More than 20 per cent (approximately 7 million)
of Canadians speak French as a first language and there are more than
340,000 children enrolled in French immersion programs across Canada.
EduLulu is sure to gain fans both far and wide in Canada and beyond.


Digital Views analytics


Groupe Média TFO is one of a small number of public media companies
which have a globally accessible children's YouTube web site. Only RAI,
the public Italian media company has a children's YouTube channel with
more digital views than TFO.


Groupe Média TFO


For children and their world, who want a stimulating experience, Groupe
Media TFO is a premium destination for award-winning educational and
innovative content in French. Groupe Média TFO is breaking ground in
digital learning and boasts some of the highest online engagement rates
for educational children's content in the world. It operates TFO,
MiniTFO and EduLulu, the first online service that rates and ranks
English and French educational apps.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIngav6nfuw

SOURCE Groupe Média TFO

Groupe Média TFO

CONTACT: Pascal Arseneau, Groupe Média TFO, Chief Marketing Officer
parseneau@tfo.org, 416.557.5416 Adrienne Simic, Media Profile
Adrienne.Simic@mediaprofile.com, 416 342-1800


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