COLUMBIA BOOK BARON: Goes social media with new education service

COLUMBIA, 8/25/10  (Beat Byte) -- Former Columbia Mayor Bob Pugh (below) -- a sometime guest of the Heart Beat's Readers Write section -- is doing some Xplana. 

 

Pugh is taking his Columbia-based academic book giant MBS Books into the social media age

with Xplana, "a new student learning platform that bridges social networking and the traditional elements of education to transform the way students manage their academic lives," according to a company press release.

 

Also based in Columbia, Xplana "begins the student experience with a focus on the individual and his or her personal study needs."   The platform also makes liberal use of resources "outside the book," explained Xplana Chief Executive Officer Dennis Flanagan.

 

As a social networking site, Xplana "enables students to create and participate in their own study groups, strengthening their interaction with other learners and helping focus their studies around a course, textbook, or assignment."  Mobile applications for the iPhone and Android devices are also in the works.