UK – 5th September, 2008 -  Teachers are split over the merits of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, according to research conducted for ntl:Telewest Business. Half of teachers questioned believe that Web 2.0 applications, such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Wikipedia are valuable educational tools, yet the rest felt they are a distraction with no real academic benefit.

Tech-savvy parents are the biggest advocates of Web 2.0 in schools and colleges.

This confusion over the advantages of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom can be linked to teachers being in the dark when it comes to next generation applications. A fifth of all teachers polled felt that when it came to Web 2.0 tools, they lacked the knowledge or training to integrate them into their lessons. Another key barrier to their adoption in the classroom proved to be security concerns. Almost a quarter of teachers worry about the amount of personal information that students disclose online and their behaviour when using social networking sites.

Tech-savvy parents are the biggest advocates of Web 2.0 technologies, with two thirds of parents feeling that the tools were useful for engaging and teaching children as they encouraged creativity and helped students to develop their communications skills.

Dave Alderson, Public Sector Specialist, ntl:Telewest Business, said: “Web 2.0 has really crept up on the school system as social networking sites,blogs and YouTube have become a global phenomenon in a relatively short space of time. Many of today’s pupils live and breathe this technology, using applications such as instant messaging, Facebook, MySpace and Wikipedia every day to create content, communicate and collaborate with people worldwide. Whilst security is a valid concern, there are measures that can be put in place to address this.”

“Schools and colleges need to ask themselves if they are living up to the expectations of the digital generation. The interactive and collaborative nature of Web 2.0 tools is ideal for engaging children in the classroom and nurtures the skills and enthusiasm they have developed at home.”

According to the study, next generation applications are now an integral part of children’s personal lives:
- 54 per cent of 13 to 18 year-olds use YouTube in their spare time
- Half use social networking sites
- 47 per cent use Wikipedia

When children were asked what Web 2.0 tools would be useful at school:
- 44 per cent stated Wikipedia
- 35 per cent chose instant messaging
- 34 per cent said YouTube

However, less than a fifth of teachers used Wikipedia as a resource in classrooms and only five per cent used YouTube. Even general internet information sites only scored 14 per cent of teachers’ votes, despite the fact that almost a third felt the internet had added the most value to education.

Mr Alderson added: “Our study reveals that there is a Web 2.0 chasm between the tools that children would like to see in the classroom and what teachers are actually using. The key to using these tools effectively though, is having the right infrastructure to deliver them. Schools and colleges need to have a robust Next Generation Network (NGN) in place that can provide sufficient bandwidth and resilience to support media-rich applications and offer the necessary foundation for a collaborative, digital environment.

“Some schools and colleges are in the early stages of adoption and it is only a matter of time before Web 2.0 takes on a more extensive role in the classroom. Whether using YouTube to view the latest videos from around the world in geography, or visiting Facebook sites to collaborate with other students, schools need a provider that can help them plan, design, and implement the technology required to deliver to the digital generation, the interactive education they demand.”

LM Research interviewed 1,500 teachers, parents and students nationwide. The teachers were based at secondary schools, sixth form colleges and Further Education colleges. The parents questioned had children aged 13 to 18 years old and the children surveyed were aged 13 to 18 years old.

Source PublicTechnology.Net, for all you need to know concerning UK Public Sector ICT & e-Government news.

“These results would highlight a need for teachers to expand their understanding of ICT, outside of the standard ECDL Certificate to web-based tools that are freely available today”, said Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills, web-based skills and compliance training company,  “and teachers should set aside some hours of CPD to address this teacher training issue.”

Studies by Stanford Research Institute and the Carnegie Mellon Foundation among Fortune 500 CEOs found that 75% of long term job success depended on people skills and only 25% on technical skills.

This is true at other levels as well. For effective performance in the workplace, companies need their employees to have not only domain knowledge, technical and analytical skills, but also the skills to deal with the external world of clients, customers, vendors, the government and public; and to work in a collaborative manner with their colleagues.

The annual rankings of MBA colleges often place communication and interpersonal skills as the most critical skills needed for success in the corporate world.

Noted academic Prof. Henry Mintzberg while speaking on the importance of soft skills for MBAs, refers to the crucial “soft” skills – leadership, teamwork, communication, and the ability to think “outside the box” of a discipline – that separate the best from the rest in the management world.”

Companies are finding that they have to promote people faster than ever before to meet their growth needs.  At the same time, they are finding that the candidates do not have the necessary skills to make the transition from a technical or functional specialist to a team leader, supervisor or manager.  Companies in the IT, BPO, KPO, Biotech, and Pharmaceuticals industries have found that their people need soft skills to work effectively in cross-functional or project teams, local teams or global teams.

Learn Skills, the web-based skills and compliance training company,  can offer a tailored soft-skills program to benefit companies and address these issues and you can contact us for further information by clicking here.

Most companies need to provide some sort of training or instruction to their employees, customers and suppliers.  This is especially true for technology-based organisations.  Typically these companies provide needed training by sending people to colleges, holding in-house training classes, or providing manuals and self-study guides.  In some situations it is advantageous for them to use e-Learning instead of the traditional training.

“Companies need to be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of e-Learning”, according to Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills, the web-based skills and compliance training company.  “e-Learning needs to be understood for employers to maximise the benefits associated with this training.”

e-Learning, has many advantages over traditional classroom training for the employees in a company, customers using a product, or students in school. These advantages include:

• Better than reading the manual – more interactive and engaging
• Cost-effective – up to 60% more cost effective than traditional training
• Practical – where employees are based countrywide or globally
• Standardized learning – more consistent delivery of training

There are some drawbacks on using eLearning:

• Need access to computer – at home or at work
• Some need access to Internet and broadband
• Must know who to use computer – user must be somewhat computer literate
• Personnel resistance – phobias concerning using computers and tecnology
• Must be well-done – else it’s like being thought by a poor teacher

Businesses make most sound decisions based on potential return-on-investment (ROI). It is assumed that the company has already determined that training their personnel and/or customers is a value-added activity.   Now, the question is whether or not e-Learning is the best route to take.

Criteria for deciding on using eLearning include:

• Cost and practicality of sending learners to class
• Availability of computers and literacy of learners
• Development cost versus number being trained

Weighing these issues, an effective and informed decision can be made.  Companies should consider using eLearning when it is cost effective and practical and when they want standardized training.  PCs must be available, students must not resist using the PCs, and the e-Learning material must be informative and engaging to provide the best results.

Reference: School of Champions website, article by Ron Curtis (revised 4 April 2004)

Galway, Ireland – 31st August, 2008 – Learn Skills the web-based skills and compliance based company has now partnered with AT&F Solutions Ltd, ‘Advanced Training & Fire Solution’, a leading compliance training company based in the UK.

AT&F Solutions Ltd have been providing low cost online training solutions for over 10 Years and has both the specialist knowledge, quality and experience that sets its online training aside from the other solutions that are currently available in the market.  By partnering with AT&F Solutions, Learn Skills can deliver quality, relevant and up-to-date compliance training that is at a reasonable price for all.

At&F have recently launched a dedicated E-Driver Safety Risk Assessment Tracker program that will allow any company the opportunity to record and track their own drivers for a complete audit trail, a must for any company employing car or van drivers.  Allied to this will be the E- Driver Safety Training module for both LGV and company care drivers

Other courses that will be available through the Learn Skills platform for individual purchase or as part of a bundle option for larger numbers of courses include:

• Driver Safety (NEW 2008)
• Driver Risk Assessment Tracker (NEW 2008)
• Fire Safety Training (industry & commerce edition)
• Fire Safety Schools (In association with the WMF Arson Task Force)
• DSE and Office Ergonomics
• DSE Pro (includes call centre workers)
• Manual Handling and Risk Assessment
• Slips Trips Falls
• HSE Induction to working safely (employers and employees)
• Corporate Manslaughter Induction to the new LAW
• Risk Manager and Tracker (complete risk management system)
• Infection Control
• Patient Moving and Handling
• Fire Safety HTM and Fire Code
• DSE Clinical Workers

“The compliance training provided though the partnership between AT&F and Learn Skills will go along way to addressing and documenting Health & Safety training for all organisation.  Quality content and course materials backed with powerful features for both user and administrator can only lend itself to a successful compliance training delivery”, said Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills.

Why are more companies choosing e-Learning for corporate training?
“e-Learning delivers more training to more people for less money. e-Learning saves time, money, resources, and it delivers measurable, tangible results”, according to Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills, the web-based skills and compliance based company.
Instant access to information is one of the driving factors in today’s Knowledge Economy. Lifelong learning is the key to a successful career. The key to this success is moving knowledge from the people who have it to the people who need it. e-Learning gives you the power to do exactly that. Virtually anyone can sharpen skills or develop new ones.
Key benefits associated with e-Learning with Learn Skills include:

• Inexpensive and Cost Savings: Without travel time or expenses, you’re putting more of your training budget into training, thus saving up to 40 to 60 percent. And students can access their courses as often as they need.
• Accessibility of Training: Deliver knowledge on-demand, with up-to-the-minute information. Learners can access training instantly, when and where they want or need it, either at the office or at home, 24/7.
• Flexibility: Students can choose from a variety of interactive self-paced courses, and they can take advantage of our extensive course listing. They have the option to complete a course in one session and split it into smaller chunks.
• Consistency: e-Learning is a more consistent delivery and not not reliant on the skills and knowledge of the trainer.
• Measurement: Learn Skills provides a selection of tools and applications to monitor learner’s progress, and produce detailed activity reports. You can easily monitor what employees have learned, when they’ve completed courses, how they performed, and their levels of improvement.
• Variety: Hundreds of in-depth courses are available instantly; covering everything from business skills and leadership to workplace safety and IT.

Learn Skills provides you with the learning environment that engages the unsupervised learner, resulting in employees who show more participation, more enthusiasm, and ultimately, greater learning success and increased productivity.

Our staff are ready to help you with any questions you may have, simply contact us.

Galway, Ireland – 3rd September, 2008 - Learn Skills the web-based skills and compliance based company has now partnered with Interaction Training, a leading innovative learning solutions provider from Australia.

Learn Skills will be able to provide a comprehensive range of high quality, interactive course direct from the Learn Skills platform, a total of 89 courses ranging for basic Digital Literacy, ICT skills to Leadership and Management Training.  “The quality of these materials will greatly enhance the learning experience and lead to a more informed and skilled workforce”, said Sean Grifffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills.

Some of the more interesting titles include:

• Word 2007 (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
• Excel 2007 (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
• Goal Centred Time Management
• Stress Management
• Leadership Approaches and Theories
• Motivation Concepts

These courses are available for individual purchase or as part of a bundle options supported by the Learn Skills LMS.

Ireland – 15th September 2003 – A recent Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) survey found Irish SME’s demonstrated a significant lack of understanding of what e-Learning is about.

“This report, “E-Learning and SMEs: awareness and usge”, was written by Mori for the CCI all the way back in 2003 and is still relevant today”, according to Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills, the web-based skills and compliance training company. The survey found that of the 681 respondents with Internet access, only 12% used eLearning on a regular basis. This is an interesting revelation, given that Ireland has won recognition on an international stage for its e-Learning materials and businesses

However the confusion is hardly surprising in the light of the low-profile that those involved in the industry keep, in terms of marketing to SMEs ; does the market know what eLearning is and how it can be applied in an SME context? Much of the vast publicity given to this topic has related either to Irish companies primarily on an international scale to multi-national/government clients e.g. Electric Paper etc.

As the owner of one Irish SME puts it “I have never been approached by an eLearning company selling their services. This is despite the fact that we are an extremely internet-friendly business and regularly send members of staff on courses.”

As any business manager of an SME will know, having key members of staff (and they’re all key in a small business!) away from the office can put a major strain on the company, yet in the case of the above SME, an e-Learning option was never put on the horizon – either by the SME or by eLearning suppliers.

The benefits are potentially huge. Some of the relevant potential benefits for an SME include;

• Reduced training costs; the cost per course should (in theory at least!), be lower than conventional training costs however the real saving may be in related expenses e.g. travel/accommodation etc.
• Reduced absence of key staff; as employees will not have to travel or leave the workplace, access at critical moments can be facilitated (although obviously this needs to be controlled closely).
• Improved training through shared learning online; as remote training can facilitate large numbers, the pooling of experiences and expertise can be beneficial.
• Standardised training across location; the training given in each location will be consistent and progress can be monitored.
• eWorking can be facilitated; eLearning can be undertaken at a different location e.g. from home, where appropriate.

The primary challenge facing eLearning companies selling into Irish SME’s is the need for clear messaging; what eLearning programmes are out there; how will they benefit the company?

This article was taken from Issue 93, 15th September 2003, e-Business Live, news provided by Enterprise Ireland.

Almost five years on and not a whole lot has changed, mainly the names and composition of Irish e-Learning companies. Learn Skills will aim to deliver e-Learning to the Irish SMEs in a format and way that can maximise results attained and provide SME employee and managers with the skills and training necessary to build a sustainable enterprise.

Five years from now when you think of e-Learning for SMEs you will only think of one Irish e-Learning company and that’s Learn Skills.

If you would like to learn more about how Learn Skills can benefit you and your company please don’t hesitate to contact us and we can tailor a training program just for you. To contact us simply click here.