Online learning has come a long way and it’s starting to get more and more demanding as the amount of content, files, collaboration is being dealt with online. The future of the student, online learning and their eventual combination is something to consider seriously. Investing into some online storage such like what we will be supplying (add your email for launch of this product) will allow automatic archiving and versioning. To a teacher, cloud storage space is your best friend. It will make saving your hard work easy with the added benefit of having multiple copies.

My biggest piece of advice is to keep your documents categorized and versioned using an online storage system dedicated to the teacher, cloud storage is by far the best and cost effective way of doing this. This is the same for the student, online learning will come from the saved documentation that would have lost on that old USB drive.

Schools using the iPad

It’s a hot topic right now, what can the Apple iPad and education do? Answer, everything. The Apple iPad and education come hand in hand, it’s a perfect mix of easy to use technology, mobility, robustness and popularity amongst educators and students.

So what is it about the iPad and education?

Apart from being the first ‘proper’ tablet it features so many friendly interactive features, the simplicity of the product allows anyone to pick it up and use the iPad. And education can benefit from this, it puts users in the drivers seat with the operating system by adding what apps are good for them.

There are many apps for the iPad and education, I was personally waiting for this hardware for years as I found laptops clunky and hard to maintain. It was always a challenge with windows machines and hooking up to the wireless, with the iPad it was automatic.

The next stage of the iPad and education is specific apps for specific subjects, all bundled together to give a fantastic experience. The best resources around are not just in apps but on websites, websites that are formatted for the iPad allow users to have an interactive experience making everything fun and adventurous with added learning.

The iPad and education have only begun their journey together, there’s much more to come.

The different flavors of learning software

There are many native and web applications which come under the learning software umbrella, native applications or PC/MAC learning software is popular with the younger groups as they are based around visuals and animations. Adobe produces fantastic a learning software suite which caters for this niche, their authoring tools enable educators/trainers to create rich media content in addition with elearning based marking tools, making it a powerful native product for elearning.

Learning software that is web based tend to work best for age groups that receive homework and projects. The main differences between native and web based applications is performance and internet connectivity, learning software that is native tends to handle large files such as images, animations, video and sound. Web based learning software is based around collaboration and the internet, however there are authoring tools which are web based.

A good combination of web based learning software and native based learning software gives users the benefit of publishing heavy rich content to learners via a fast performing web based application. Simplicity is key, supported file formats and an easy to use web based product should be an important consideration. Learning software comes in many variations so check them all out before making a final decision.

A better question would be instead of “What is elearning?” is “How can I use elearning to learn effectively“. This question puts pressure on the concept of elearning and makes it a multidimensional concept. In order to learn online effectively you will need particular tools to do so. This includes the basics such as computer and software program with testing functionality.

“What is elearning?” is not a new question but a question that will be replaced with “Online learning”.

So here’s the low down on what’s been happening:

• We’ve created the first ALPHA version of the application, it works well but there are a few bugs which of course is expected from every build.
• Our aim is to get into BETA and get it as robust as possible, we are looking at you the users to help us move it on from BETA, so please be kind on your comments
• It’s now, for certain that we are releasing 2 account types which are completely free. The lowest level account ‘Student’ will give a simple to use file area. We want to promote our file storage area as we believe it’s a fundamental tool in today’s online world.
• The second account type is the ‘Educator’ account, call it ‘Teacher’, call it ‘Lecturer’ or ‘Master’ if you like, we’ve simply narrowed it down to ‘Educator’. This will also be completely free to use.
• We have plans for Admin accounts but that will come in due course.
• And lastly we are re-branding, after some talks we decided that CloudPollen won’t be the lead name for the product, we will be launching the new brand name when the web application is ready.

So that’s the latest from the team, we will be updating as events unfold! Please follow us for more news!

Conference calling, Googleplus for education and communication

One item I believe is really going to make a big impact is the Googleplus hangout. For edcuation this is a valuable tool when taking part in group discussions.

How to use mobile phones in schools, colleges and universities

Schools, colleges and universities have in their grasp the most sought after piece of modern technology, with virtually every one of their students and staff members possessing one. Surely then, we as educators should implement this into our educational resources in schools, colleges and universities and subsequently obtain students’ full attention.

Most mobile phone users have access to the internet and social networking sites. This creates an avenue to incorporate it as both a constructive and valuable resource within learning. As opposed to being ‘destructive’ and taking attention away from precious teaching time, it has the power to aid learning if implemented with a little imagination into the learner’s day.

Mobiles, tablets….it’s all getting popular in schools, colleges and universities

The iPhone and iPad are prime examples of how technology has advanced in this field. Their slim, appealing look dominates the market, however, I’m a Blackberry girl. Even at the busiest time of the year, when exam marking takes over my life, I am able to access mail from my students who need my approval on present assignments.
I especially love its qwerty keypad and it holds my mail, Facebook, music and photos all in one place! It has just automatically become part of my working life too as well as when I’m working in the schools, colleges and universities that I attend to. Further to this I read an interesting article on the Blackberry website of its use in Higher Education: http://us.blackberry.com/business/industry/education/

Resources for schools, colleges and universities: http://us.blackberry.com/business/industry/education/

Keeping it realistic in schools, colleges and universities

To be fair, the only ‘destructive’ element that mobile phones possess in schools, colleges and universities is that they attract so much of their owner’s attention. This attention needs to be channelled towards study. I, for one, am willing to give it a go! Try it, it would be interesting to see the different outcomes for the schools, colleges and universities faculties.

Cloud storage

Cloud storage has no necessity for any additional software.Using cloud storage to replace the USB will save me so muchtime; not to mention the frustration, of hunting down the mislaid USB pen that often comes adrift from my keyring!
Replacement technology is everywhere now. Itunes downloads have replaced the piles of CDs, that are pretty much just dustcollectors and space takers. DVDs are being taken over by theshorter wavelength Blue-ray discs. Gone are the days when wehad to conform to lugging around bits and pieces in order tokeep our documents safe. Instead we can simply access it all from the cloud.
In a world where we constantly access social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it is becoming more fashionable to keep all we need in one place, which is where cloud storage comes in. For teachers and students there is no better place than cloud storage, where everything is at your fingertips. So discard the unfashionable USB pen drive and take on cloud storage.You’ll never look back!!

Approaches are made on a regular basis within schools to use IT to support English learning. Integrating IT must though emphasise the ‘experience’ and ‘knowledge’ aspects of definitive English teaching. The benefits of IT is its accessibility, storage facilities and speedy collation of processing information, all of which are vital.

With CloudPollen there will be the invaluable excellent assessment and prompt feedback capabilities which will save precious time and can only encourage learners.

The consolidation of peripherals necessary to utilize IT in the classroom is without a doubt costly. Classroom internet access and projectors are a must, but to be able to justify these costs there must be an assurance that they will be utilized to their fullest extent.

One colleague, on receiving a projector for her classroom, once said to me that all it was good for was to swing from! She was computer literate yet was unwilling to merge technology to aid her teaching. The most she utilized her projector was to screen DVDs. What a terrible waste.

Many schools have interactive whiteboards which are seen, by some, to be glorified dry boards. This is again a dreadful waste of a valuable resource that can aid learning considerably.

What is the solution?

Training and professional development of teachers that are to use these resources is a must. Educational research and practice expert Robert Marzano at a CUE (Computer Using Educators) conference told of, ‘an immediate increase of 17% in scores’ that was achieved by a group of educators that had embraced technology into their teaching. This demonstrates that IT teaching strategies implemented into our everyday teaching can only create growth, if the negative attitudes are ignored. Good technology, when combined with good teaching can produce remarkable learning outcomes.

Modifying the curriculum to meet different needs can often lead to confusion. Assistive technology (often called Adaptive technology, provides easy access which enhances cognitive or sensory learning, allowing the individual to overcome difficulties in the learning process.

In the computer world there are an abundance of adaptors. Some argue that these modifications offer an unfair advantage but in reality they are giving the individual a fairer opportunity to succeed.

Inclusive education has also highlighted the need for international e-learning standards. Dasher (text input software) and the fascinating Around The World (ATW) audio based educational computer game, gives a fun element to the learning process which, for some, is a frightening and arduous task. This provides a flexibility that makes learning not only easier but more enjoyable.