Redborne Upper School has deployed Paragon, an online Continuous Professional Development (CPD) tool, to enhance the ongoing teacher training and performance management process for the school’s staff and their assessors.

Developed by CPD and performance management specialists Vantage Technologies, Paragon supports teachers’ development and training requirements by allowing them to record evidence of their training in an easy-to-access e-portfolio, and their mentors to access and monitor the evidence to provide feedback on their progress.

A key benefit of Paragon is its accessibility. With all CPD information stored in a single location and securely accessible over the Internet at any time by both mentors and staff, performance and development is easier to monitor and manage. Subsequently, the appraisal process is continuous and more effective, and the overall standards of teaching and learning are boosted.

Paragon enables schools to follow recently revised professional standards for performance management more closely. Staff can log evidence of their performance and ongoing training in support of meeting the standards. Being able to rate themselves against the standards means teachers are more aware of their professional development needs, they can then create an action plan based on these needs, making training more focused. Furthermore Paragon’s unique Idea’s Generator feature allows them to access its library of resources to assist them in creating their action plans.

Nigel Croft, head teacher at Redborne Upper school, said: “Paragon helps individuals to understand their strengths and weaknesses and make more informed decisions about their training needs. It also gives mentors and the school a clearer picture of trainees’ progress, enabling us to offer more targeted in-house training by matching their skills to a training need.

“Reports can also be generated in Paragon to see how the department, or school, is progressing, and head teachers can use the this evidence to demonstrate achievements during inspections. This system will really support school improvement and it’s something I would strongly recommend to all schools.”

Traditional performance management meetings are held annually and only allow an hour to discuss the teacher’s previous and the following years’ targets. John Gunn, director of Redborne Training School, explains: “This traditional system is fraught with problems; for some it’s the only time they talk to their manager about their targets and achievements and as it’s paper based there is no transparency or easy way for senior managers to understand CPD needs or targets across the school.

“Paragon helps people at all levels see performance management as a continuous process so discussions at meetings between teacher and reviewer are much more focussed as both parties understand where the member of staff is in relation to their targets.”

Successful initial trials of Paragon mean it has gone live to around 100 Redborne teaching staff; it will be rolled out to the remainder of school staff including, teaching assistants, laboratory assistants and admin assistants later in the year.

Source: PublicTechnology.Net

Becta, the education technology agency, is urging schools to improve the way they use technology to support learning, as evidence continues to build around the positive impact on GCSE results and grades.

Research reveals that schools that embrace technology see a significant improvement in GCSE results compared with those that do not. Key findings from six years of research by Becta include:

* school ‘e-maturity’ – where technology is integrated across the curriculum and wider school life – is statistically linked to lower absence rates and higher points and percentage A*-C grades at GCSE

* in GCSE science, the average gain from ICT use is 0.56 of a grade (in 2002, 52,484 pupils moved from grade D to C as a result of using technology in their learning)

* schools making good use of broadband and connectivity demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the percentage of pupils gaining 5+ A-Cs at GCSE in the year after broadband introduction

* a study of young people’s ICT use in the home showed a significant positive association between pupils’ home use of ICT for educational purposes and improved attainment in national tests for maths and English GCSE

* the introduction of interactive whiteboards results in pupils’ performance in national tests in English (particularly for low-achieving pupils and for writing), maths and science, improving more than that of pupils in schools without interactive whiteboards.

Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive of Becta said:
“The evidence is clear; when schools use technology effectively, it can have a direct impact on pupil attainment and results. As pupils across the country find out their GCSE results, schools need to think about whether grades could be improved even further by better use of technology. We know that currently only 20 per cent of schools are using technology effectively right across the curriculum, which means there is real potential out there to improve results and raise grades if schools take full advantage of the benefits technology can bring.

“Schools should make the most of the Internet, mobile phones, interactive whiteboards, school radio stations, blogs, podcasts and video conferencing, helping to create a stimulating and engaging environment for their students.”

It’s not just pupils that see the benefits of better use of technology. The majority of teachers feel that technology in the classroom has a positive impact on the engagement, motivation and achievement of their learners. Technology also has the potential to provide parents with more timely information about their children’s work and progress, for example via secure on-line access, so they can in turn support their children.

The research cited in this PublicTechnology.Net press release comes from the following evaluations and research studies on the impact of ICT use in schools:

* Butt, S and Cebulla, A (2006), E-maturity and school performance – A secondary analysis of COL evaluation data. London: National Centre for Social Research

* Harrison, C et al (2002), ImpaCT2: The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Pupils Learning and Attainment. ICT in Schools Research and Evaluation Series No.7

* Somekh, B et al (2007), Evaluation of the Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project

* Underwood, J et al. (2005), The Impact of Broadband in Schools.

* Valentine, G, Marsh, J and Pattie, C (2005), Children and Young Peoples Home Use of ICT for Educational Purposes: The impact on attainment at key stages 1-4, DfES

“This research highlight the need to embrace technology in Education and also training to enhance performance and training outcomes”, said Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills, the web-based skills and compliance training company.

Galway, Ireland – 30th August, 2008 – Learn Skills, the web-based skills and compliance training company is delight to now partner with the English-based company ILX Group, a major player in the UK market with offices in the UK and USA. The ILX Group is an AIM-quoted company delivering multimedia and classroom courses in ITIL, PRINCE, MSP and APM areas.

In particular this partnership is focus on delivering to the Irish market the award winning multimedia training courses developed by ILX Group, with a particular focus on Business Basics for SME managers, which is aimed at improving managers financial awareness and understanding.

ILX Group Best Practice is an Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) and an Accredited Consulting Organisation (ACO) delivering accredited training and consultancy services in the following areas:

• Programme and Project Management (PRINCE2™, MSP™, APM, ISEB)
• IT Service Management (ITIL®)
• Risk Management (M_o_R)
• Business Finance (Finance for Non-Financial Managers)

ILX Group is the first company to present a worldwide multimedia course in ITIL version 3.0. The course can be delivered via CD-ROM, Network, Internet or Intranet, allowing the user flexibility to study at their own time and pace.  Using the interactive e-Learning method costs are significantly reduced and pass rates are increased compared to classroom training. “We’re really glad that ILX Group decided to collaborate with our company to deliver in Ireland their advanced training solutions; the quality of the ILX’s training courses is so high and extensive that the benefits of this courseware will soon be felt right across the Irish market amongst all levels of business leader”, said Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills.

These courses shall be available both on an individual basis or as part of a bundle purchase for large numbers of users and courses via the Learn Skills LMS.

Without a doubt, today’s world is knowledge-based and depends on the rapid exchange of information. Countries that are equipped with the technology and knowledge to participate in the new electronic world are major players in its socio-cultural and economic developments. Education is changing, too. With the advent of multimedia technologies and the Internet, it is now possible to reach people who would otherwise have no access to certain courses or educational opportunities.

Electronic learning, or e–Learning as it has come to be known, makes use of the Internet and digital technologies to deliver instruction synchronously or asynchronously to anyone who has access to a computer and an Internet connection.

By some estimates, between 800,000,000 and 1,500,000,000 people world-wide understand English. Approximately 350,000,000 people use English as their mother tongue (mainly in the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa). Some 400 million use English as a second language (in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, and the Philippines). At least another 150 million people use English with some degree of competence. Furthermore, it is an official language in more than 60 countries (Crystal 1992, p.121). With such a large number of people using English, it is not surprising that English has become the lingua franca of the modern world.

In the current state of affairs, the global dominance of English in commerce, science, and technology has created the need for an ever increasing number of people to learn to communicate in the English language. There is a market demand for English courses on a global scale, and the English language teaching industry is thriving.

As English is experienced across different linguistic contexts, it may be experienced primarily as a language of education, or higher education, as well as in official contexts, popular culture, and the local vernacular. It may be regarded as a language of social and economic advancement, or it may be seen as an imposition or a necessary evil. However it is seen, the English language is used across the globe in countless contexts to very different effects.

Thus, proficiency in English is seen as essential for participation in the global arena, particularly in the economic domain, in which transnational corporations conduct business and trade beyond the national borders. In addition, the global spread of the English language is further facilitated by American media products of mass communication such as videos, music, news, magazines, TV programs, and so on. The dominance of English on the Internet reinforces the flow of international information in English, and affirms the structure of global communication. English is the most widely used and taught language in the world, and it is accepted easily almost anywhere.

Second-language acquisition and intercultural learning can be greatly facilitated through e-Learning. At present, e-Learning is itself becoming an important global business not only in the commercial sector, but also in the support that national governments are giving to educational institutions to increase their export income. There is a drive for change brought on by technological innovation to which governments and institutions of higher learning are responding at a rapid pace.

Learn Skills aims to address these needs outlined above through the provision of web-based language learning in English initially, and then to expand this range.

Courtesy: In Global Peace Through The Global University System, 2003 Ed. by T. Varis, T. Utsumi, and W. R. Klem, University of Tampere, Hameenlinna, Finland

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.”

E-learning companies are changing the face of how businesses train their staff.  In this world of people using the Internet on a daily basis, e-learning companies offer a smart solution to an age-old problem of keeping employees educated and updated on the latest trends.

Companies have long battled with the high costs of training their employees, but e-learning companies are offering an affordable solution to this problem.  In the past there were limited choices for companies to keep their employees trained.  A business would either employ a large training department, which costs a great deal of money, or they would be forced to send their employees to outside training events which was also very expensive.

The only other option for business was really no option at all, that is to not give proper and up to date training to their employees.  Businesses understand that not providing their employees with continuing education results in giving their competitors and edge over them.  E-learning companies have developed an affordable way to keep employees trained and educated on the best methods that are used in various industries.

Smart companies are looking for ways to automate their training of employees and the most sensible method is to employ e-learning companies. E-learning companies provide a suite of diverse catalog courses, content management, reliable reporting, online authoring, ease of use, and scalability that can be adjusted as the company grows and changes.

E-learning allows both large and small companies the ability to give their employees the latest and greatest training available.  With the flexibility that e-learning companies provides to their customers the training programs can be adjusted to fit the needs of any company.  Whether you have a work force of fifty or five hundred, e-learning companies have the solution that you are looking for.

Another great benefit of utilizing e-learning companies is that you can control the scheduling of the training sessions much easier.  Instead of taking many employees away from work at one time to do training in a classroom setting, you can utilize the Internet and allow each individual employee to take training courses at the most efficient time possible.  Businesses can even offer training to their employees from their home if the need arises.

There are multiple e-learning companies offering services to businesses and choosing the right one is critically important. Not only must a business consider the cost of purchase, but a business must also consider the return on investment and the amount of time it takes to achieve that return on investment. With e-learning companies such as Learn Skills, you can actually have your system up and running in a matter of days, not weeks like competitors.

Cost is always a factor when choosing which of the elearning companies to go with. When you go with Learn Skills you will be getting one of the most affordable training options for your employees. You will also be receiving a great deal of empowerment since you are able to custom tailor the programs to fit the specific needs of your company.

E-learning companies give you and your business the ability to stay ahead of your competitors and to develop your employees.  E-learning companies are direction that forward thinking businesses are going for their entire employee training needs.  With the convenience and ease of use, e-learning companies are able to meet the needs of their customer in a way never before imagined.

Check out elearning companies such as Learn Skills today and get started training your employees on the latest skills that they need to help your business succeed.

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)

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.

Galway, Ireland – 2nd September, 2008 – Learn Skills, the web-based skills and compliance based company is pleased to announce its lasted partnership with TypingMaster (TypingMaster Finland, Inc.), a leading software developer for typing training and testing both for organizational customers as well as home users since 1992.

Today hundreds of schools and companies worldwide are using more than 100,000 copies of TypeMaster products designed to fulfill their special needs. Full network support, economical licensing and the internet based solutions among other things have made TypingMaster a premium choice for organizational and academic customers.  Unlike traditional typing drill programs, TypingMaster monitors your progress, identifies the areas where you need additional practice, and creates exercises designed to improve these areas. This personal approach dramatically reduces the time it takes to become a proficient touch typist.

With TypingMaster you can put your typing skills into practice after only three to five hours of training. As you learn to type more effectively, you concentrate less on finding the right keys, and concentrate more on the ideas that you need to communicate. Touch typists use their time more productively, and project a more professional image in their written communications.

“Whether you’re a business person who can increase your income by increasing your typing speed and accuracy, a student who wants to improve your grades by eliminating typos and increasing the quality of your writing, or a parent who wants a typing tutor that lets each family member receive personalized coaching, feedback, and statistics, TypingMaster has the tools that you need”, said Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills.

TypingMaster runs under Windows 95/98/Me/NT4/2000/XP/2003, and can be purchased as a single-user license through the Learn Skills platform.  TypingMaster is fully network-enabled with centralized user management. Multi-computer licenses for businesses and educational institutions are available supported by the Learn Skills LMS for monitoring and tracking user activity.