Try an experiment. Turn off your smart phone, your tablet, e-book readers, and any entertainment devices you might have too. Put them all in a drawer and leave them untouched for, oh, a day. Think you can do it? Twenty-four hours of peace and quiet, with no interruptions? If you’re questioning whether you can actually achieve this feat, you’re not alone. We’ve become so dependent on our devices - but even more so on the connectedness we feel - that it’s actually much harder than it should be to put them down. As learning professionals however, this connectedness and full-time access to information offers a key advantage. It is now easier than ever to deliver information and provide resources and training to an on-the-go workforce. Mobile learning is quickly becoming the preferred way for many of today’s workers to access the information they need to perform their jobs. The benefits of m-Learning are clear - it’s flexible, available, portable and personal. M-Learning can be used to refresh skills, update instructions, and even support or enhance traditional training. Another big advantage is that m-Learning takes place on devices that learners are already comfortable using. It’s these obvious benefits that make m-Learning such an appealing prospect for training designers and corporate L&D professionals. M-Learning and social collaboration When we think about it, smart phones are primarily social devices. We use them to call, text, email and conduct social interactions of all types. This makes them especially suited for social collaboration in a training setting. M-Learning thus has the potential to leverage the power of social interaction and social learning by creating communities of learning on our smart devices. As training designers, we need to make the most of this opportunity for connection and collaboration. One way to promote and encourage social learning within the workforce is to develop courses that use feedback mechanisms and social networking tools. We can also develop specialized forums that allow for the open exchange of ideas, sharing of lessons learned, and recognition of experts in the field of study. Challenges and opportunities in m-Learning In spite of the obvious benefit of social learning using mobile devices, implementation of this strategy can be a challenge. Let’s face it, the design of training for mobile consumption is in its infancy. And while there is little doubt that m-Learning has massive potential, the development of training that takes full advantage can be difficult. Some of the specific challenges to implementing an m-Learning program include: Relatively small screen size, requiring special design considerations Multiple platforms, operating systems and application viewers to support Mobile authoring tools not as robust as those for conventional e-Learning Interactivity can be limited with mobile devices, and can be hard to standardize Exact ROI measurements can be difficult to obtain with m-Learning Distractions and interruptions can occur more frequently with m-Learning Security of proprietary information can be more challenging Of course all of these challenges are capable of being overcome. Many of the same hurdles were faced in the initial development and deployment of e-Learning programs more than a decade ago. As with any new technology or method, time and further research will play a key role. Areas where m-Learning holds the most promise Not all training is conducive to m-Learning delivery. For example, a highly complex operational task may be better presented as simulation-based e-Learning presented on a large screen. A training course that requires direct and immediate feedback may be more suited to instructor-led classroom training. Areas that m-Learning can be most effective are in those types of training that can be broken up into small learning modules, or where self-paced learning is desired. Examples of training that meets these criteria include: On-going performance support Blended learning settings Micro-learning programs Simple installations or maintenance training Soft skills training Here at Designing Digitally, our e-Learning and m-Learning developers can help your corporate L&D efforts by designing custom training for your workforce. Today’s learners are extremely adept at mobile communication and social interactions. Allow us to create training that meets them where they are. If you have questions about the latest m-Learning techniques, designs and developments, contact us. We can quickly bring you up to speed on just what m-Learning can do for your workforce.

So your latest e-Learning course has been released to the organization amid much anticipation and excitement. All of the time and energy that went into developing this new training will now finally begin to pay dividends. However, the hoped-for participation and interest on the part of the workforce just never materialized. What went wrong? Is the course too long? Is it too difficult? Maybe our research into the type of training the employees want was off. Whatever the explanation, this is often the fate of new e-Learning initiatives. But it doesn’t have to be. Designing e-Learning for the modern workforce is both an art and a science. There are techniques and strategies you can incorporate that will help to make your corporate e-Learning efforts more successful, and to encourage more participation from employees. Incorporating these strategies into your next e-Learning project could make all the difference when it comes to whether your audience buys in or opts out. Here are 7 tips you can use to help improve e-Learning participation rates among your workforce audience. Use simulations.  The most engaging training is that which allows learners to be immersed in the lesson being delivered. Simulations are a great way to incorporate real-life situations and to create interest and engagement within your training audience. Examples of how simulations can be used in e-Learning include customer service training, where the responses to a situation lead to differing levels of escalation or appeasement. An employee can then see within a simulated environment the results of certain customer service tools or techniques. This type of training design can be used to meet a variety of situations and needs, including 3D training simulations and virtual world creation. Gamify your e-Learning.  The use of game elements and mechanics in a non-game setting such as corporate training can be a very effective way of encouraging participation. Using techniques like points and rewards, team competition, and the recognition of top performers can stimulate and motivate employees to participate in your e-Learning lesson. Gamification has been shown to create more active engagement in learners, and results in better retention of the information being delivered. Make your e-Learning social.  For some employees, any type of computer-based learning can be uninteresting and dull. That’s because it lacks the social aspect that these individuals thrive on. To appeal to this growing portion of your training audience, incorporate social tools into your training. These can be interactive bulletin boards, virtual communities, interaction with experts on the subject, or any number of other methods for social interaction. Divide your e-Learning into chunks.  Creating smaller and more easily consumed chunks within your lessons can also be a way to create more participation among your audience. This serves a number of benefits to learners. First, it makes the lesson seem more manageable and easy to accomplish. Second, it allows them to take parts of the training during short periods of down time rather than trying to find 2 or 3 hours in their busy schedules. It also makes it easier to find and review certain portions they may need extra time with. Finally, it allows for very targeted assessments and knowledge checks of the individual concepts being taught, and to deliver immediate feedback on their answers. Make it scenario-based.  The use of real-world scenarios can bring even a dull topic to life. Try to imagine some type of e-Learning compliance training that doesn’t put your audience to sleep after 5 minutes. But incorporating scenarios where the learners can not only relate to the lesson but see the real purpose behind it, this creates engagement. You can also incorporate examples, case studies and real-world results that emphasize the importance of compliance. Oh, and a little drama never hurt anything either. Design for mobile.  By making your e-Learning lessons mobile-friendly, you actually encourage participation during off-hours. If a learner has the ability to participate in training on his or her mobile device whenever the opportunity presents itself, you’ve just removed one more learning obstacle. Make your e-Learning relevant.  Last but certainly not least, your e-Learning lessons must be relevant to the job performance of your learners. Training for the sake of training alone will not encourage participation. If your learning audience can see a benefit to them in taking this training, then your battle is half-won. Ways to make your training relevant include the tips presented above, and also by always keeping your audience in mind when designing your e-Learning lessons. Here at Designing Digitally, Inc. we’re experts at helping design e-Learning courses that encourage the maximum level of participation among your learning audience. Let us know how we can help you to get the most from your e-Learning initiatives, and help to grow your e-Learning participation rates. We design custom e-Learning courses that engage, entertain and enlighten learners.

Serious Games have gotten a lot of attention recently as an effective way of providing training to our modern and tech-savvy workforce. Perhaps that’s  because game-based training is an engaging, flexible and entertaining method of delivering the information workers need in order to perform their jobs. Serious Games allow participants to practice decision-making skills, learn new techniques, understand the results of an action, and to receive immediate feedback on their performance. But there’s another type of individualized learning that’s also gaining in popularity. Simulations are related to Serious Games in that they both offer learners the opportunity to participate actively in their training. However, the two also have some fundamental differences. Simulations and Serious Games can be differentiated by how they are implemented, the type of interactions they require, and what situations they’re best suited for.   What is a Serious Game? A Serious Game is one that is designed for purposes other than pure entertainment. They can be used in marketing and brand-building, product awareness, and of course training. In the context of workforce training, Serious Games are intended as learning tools. They’re meant to teach participants new skills or to impart information using a medium that is appealing and enjoyable. In doing so, they take advantage of one of the most important parts of human behavior - we like to have fun. Some attributes of Serious Games include: Often  take place in third-person narrative with the learner actively participating Typically set in fantasy or non-realistic setting Play is controlled by the participant in an environment with clearly defined rules Progress through the game offers increasing challenges and rewards Goals are typically high scores, fast completion time, obtaining rewards What is a Simulation? A training Simulation is intended to represent real-world settings, situations and scenarios. They are interactive and realistic, placing participants inside the Simulation to learn and practice actual tasks they may encounter in real life. An advantage of Simulations is the ability to practice potentially dangerous skills and techniques in a highly realistic yet entirely safe environment. For this reason, safety training is particularly well suited to Simulation-based training. Attributes of Simulations include: Participant is immersed in the game, seeing and experiencing in first-person Takes place in a realistic setting with graphics as close to real-life as possible Participant chooses an action and the Simulation responds in branching-type scenarios Progress is based on learning the proper techniques or decisions and performing them well The goal is successful completion of a task or activity, usually in a series of coordinated steps When to use Serious Games, when to use Simulations Many corporations look at Serious Games and Simulations as a single solution to their workforce training initiatives. As we’ve shown, however, there is a clear distinction between each method. Depending on the skill, behavior or action that you want to influence, one or the other technique is likely to be more appropriate. Serious Games and Simulations are best suited for the following kinds of learning objectives:   Serious Games Simulations Remember and recall information Demonstrate complex decision-making skills Discover communication or soft skills Practice intricate skills in a safe environment, devoid of actual hazards Practice a concept that is more important than a technique Observe and interpret information in order to determine a course of action Grasp business processes Train in a contextually-accurate environment Memorize technical data Follow exact steps in the proper order Understand regulatory requirements Exhibit physical precision to execute a task   When considering whether to opt for a Serious Game or Simulation as the best form of training for your workforce, it pays to consult with the experts. Here at Designing Digitally, our team of training designers can help you to choose the best method for developing training based on your requirements. We’ll create a customized training solution that best fits the needs of your employees, and offers them the most effective way to learn. Whether you need a 3D training Simulation, a competitive Serious Game, a random outcome Simulation or a custom scenario, we can design it for you. To learn more about how we can help advance your employee training initiatives, call or contact us with your needs. We look forward to serving you.

As learning and development professionals, we know it isn’t enough to design a slick training course and deliver it to our workforce.  Training needs to translate into behavior change in order for it to be truly effective. Whether we’re talking about creating a safer work environment, increasing sales, improving customer service, or any number of other positive influences - behavior change is the real purpose behind any training effort. And if changing behavior is the goal, then eLearning is our most effective tool in accomplishing it. No other form of training has as much potential to influence behavior change as eLearning does. There are many reasons for this, but perhaps the most powerful is the control that learners have over their training with eLearning. Because of the individualized nature of eLearning - self-paced, interactive and available - there is more opportunity for a learner to truly understand what is being taught.   Steps toward behavior change Understanding that most behavior is simply habit, researchers in the 1970s developed what they called the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change. This model identified five distinct stages of behavior change, in an effort to influence an alteration in habits and effect positive behavioral outcomes. These five stages are: Pre-contemplation (no intention of making a change) Contemplation (initial thoughts of making a change in the future) Preparation (getting ready to make a change) Action (taking steps toward making a change) Maintenance (behavior has changed - monitoring old habits) If we use these five stages of behavior change in designing our eLearning courses, we can address the barriers that often get in the way of producing positive change. In order to do this, let’s take a look at how we can address each stage within our eLearning design. Pre-contemplation:  Use compelling evidence and reasoning to influence a desire to change Contemplation:  Show learners how that change would look, and provide behavior-modeling Preparation:  Give them tools, set attainable goals, allow opportunities for success Action:  Allow for practice of skills, offer rewards and feedback, assess progress Maintenance:  Offer on-going support, give access to references, provide an "expert" path Understand that change is a process, not an event The key to designing training courses that influence a change in behavior is to remember that change doesn’t come easily. At every stage of behavior change, the natural human tendency is to revert to old habits. Because of this, we need to keep in mind some important points about human nature. People learn better through experience. Give learners an opportunity to experience by designing scenarios, simulations, and performance challenges into your eLearning. Positive feedback and rewards can have a great impact.  Using gamification and game-based motivators in eLearning can entice learners to maximize their training experience. Repetition and reinforcement allows more opportunity for success.  The adage that practice makes perfect is never truer than when trying to influence behavior change. People are motivated by self-interest.  Building relevance and specific job benefits into your eLearning courses will offer learners a clear benefit to themselves. Old habits are hard to break.  Another old adage, but one that should be remembered when we design eLearning courses. We must keep in mind that we are hoping to replace an old behavior with a new and preferred behavior. Considerations for behavior change in eLearning When trying to change a behavior with eLearning, it’s important to identify any barriers to the desired change. Ask why this behavior isn’t currently taking place. Is it due to lack of knowledge, or is it simply a lack of awareness? This will help you to determine the type of training you need in order to influence the change you want. Here at Designing Digitally, we’re experts at creating eLearning courses that influence behavior and lead to lasting change. We use techniques that are designed to engage learners, and meet them where they are. We also incorporate a variety of tools into our eLearning including gamification, simulations, and group-based learning. All of these elements serve to provide your workforce with the best opportunity to learn new behaviors. The result is more effective eLearning and a better functioning workforce. Call us or request a quote today.

While I was looking for an inspiration for toggle/switch button challenge, I came across an intriguing science fact. Do you guys know that when you're awake your brain generates some amount of energy as is needed to light a bulb? Not every bulb of course. I thought this is interesting enough to use it for project which I started building in my mind (what a great connection between brain, energy, toggle and a bulb!).   I didn't want it to be as easy as: click the right toggle to light a bulb. I

Before and after visual comparison is one of the ways to show the changes, no matter if it's geographical change, historical or human physical appearance - what another great e-learning challenge!   I found inspiration for my project in a simple yet powerful word "magic". And this magic word was by David Anderson encouraging me for participating in this challenge. It's so entertaining to watch illusion and magic tricks - I transferred this idea to my demo: just insert old, dirty, ugly, messy

If your professional world is e-learning design you probably know...Atsumi - industry's most iconic character. During DevLearn 2015 Atsumi attracted plenty of visitors to Articulate's booth. No wonder the next e-learning challenge was about to create Atsumi related demo. When I first read what the challenge was I knew I'll go for one of the most classic games/interaction: spot the difference. Idea was simple, entertaining and easy to create. All I had to do was to modify a picture of Atsumi and

There are around 283 million results for a "badge" according to Google, but I'm going to focus on digital badges which are kind of confirmation of skills, progression, accomplishment or quality that can be earned online. No wonder we often use badges in e-learning courses as visual reward of user's activity.   I've analysed hundreds of badges for creating this PowerPoint freebie (zip format) and noticed a typical badge consists of 4 elements:   - plate (mostly it's a circle, modified rectangle

  All around the globe we are witnessing a transition towards collaborative learning. Our idea of collaborative learning arises from problem-based, case-based learning, team work, discussions, and other ways in which student is an active part in the learning process. Communities, also known as the wave of the future, are one of the top three most important components of e-Learning portals.  This post will tell you about the ten tips for using collaboration tools in e-Learning. The benefits of collaborative learning are immense. It lets the learners gain from the experience of their peers and help them acquire and retain information in a more involved and engaged way. Therefore collaboration tools deserve special attention as an e-learning professional. But how do you use them? The first requirement is to put focus on usability and accessibility when making the choice of collaboration tools for your eLearning course. In addition, you should also consider how the collaboration tool will serve your learning goals. In ideal conditions, your collaboration tool should be user friendly and can be accessed from a number of smart devices, which includes mobile phones and tablets. In order to motivate learners for using collaboration tools, the learners must always be made aware of the benefits associated with them. Without this awareness they won’t see any real value in using collaboration tools. If there are any current activities in your eLearning course that can go through some improvisation using the collaboration tools then do so. Whenever you perform any collaborative activity, it is necessary to understand that smooth working depends on the clarity of instructions and objectives.  As an instructor, you need to explain the purpose of the activity, and other necessary instructions should be delivered in a very clear and concise manner. Instructors should perform activities which are relevant and specific to the topic. Stuffing these activities with general information will make students lose interest and get bored. Infuse life in the activities through improving engagement, and relate with real life examples will invoke a much better response from the students. Choosing the right tools for Online Collaboration Tools For ensuring the best e-learning, it’s necessary to choose the best online collaboration tools. Here are some of the best tools that enable smooth collaboration amongst learners: MindMeister This is a web based tool that makes it possible for groups to do planning or brainstorming during the early phases of collaboration. It offers mind map, various templates, SWOT analysis and project planning for collaborating during the course of a project as per the nature of their assignment. With live chat feature, it can offer direct and fast communication. You can also use MindMeister asynchronously.  ProofHub ProofHub is an online collaboration software that helps organizations improve communication and collaboration among distantly located members in learning projects. Using the features of ProofHub, one can communicate through group chat, raise issues and these get resolved without wasting much time. This rapid communication ensures that all the members are at the same page in a learning project. Sharing of files, documents and information becomes an effortless affair with ProofHub. Through Notes functionality, group members can collaborate and write some amazing content together. Sharing of ideas becomes very easy with ProofHub. The software takes care of the mobile world as it lets you connect with your projects on the go from their mobile. This way missing or delaying of tasks can be significantly reduced. SlideRocket SlideRocket deserves special mention as it lets people create attractive and engaging presentations through its web based tools and features that can be accessed from anywhere. A single document can be accessed and modified by different members in a learning group. These random URL can be generated against each document which can be be submitted to an instructor for easy viewing. All multimedia features can be embedded in a presentation. You can pull data in real time from Google Spreadsheets, Twitter live feeds and Yahoo. It also offers you analytics feature which helps measure a presentation’s effectiveness. You can find through analytics about the audience who viewed it and their actions that followed.   Google Docs Google Docs is one of the most popular and common online collaboration tools available today.  Whether you want to create documents, powerpoint presentations or spreadsheets, Google Docs offer all these facilities. Due to its always connected feature, one can write, edit, and collaborate upon these documents from any remote location at any time and from various devices. Google docs automatically save the changes being made to the documents and it also keeps the previous versions of the doc in case you want to revert back. By referring revision history of a document, its old versions can be seen and can be sorted by date. Chat and commenting options are also there. E learning is the order of the day and it’s going to grow in a bigger way in the future. The benefits are not limited to students. It’s advantages extend to a larger section of society, including the working population. Job oriented courses help you acquire new skills that make you more employable.  If you want to be a significant part of this revolution then effective online collaboration is the key to it. The article is written by: Saurabh Tyagi is a career author with niche in the upcoming technologies like Edtech, Big Data and Social Media. His article range from general career advice to expert opinion like the one above. These resources are useful for all sorts of professionals right from those searching for resume samples for freshers to experienced professionals at higher level. The post Online Collaboration in E-learning: Tips and Tools appeared first on Fedena Blog.

Teachers & Educators in the present fast-paced, ever evolving world of communication are presented with a plethora of options which might sometimes be overwhelming. To reduce the efforts of teachers in learning a new form of communication, we give you some of the most effective ways of using the most modern form of communication, Twitter. Share this Image On Your Site <p><strong>Please include attribution to http://www.fedena.com/ with this graphic.</strong></p><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><a href=’http://www.fedena.com/blog/2015/05/26-effective-ways-use-twitter-teachers-educators.html’><img src=’http://www.fedena.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Final-Optimized.png’ alt=’26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers & Educators’ width=’1000′ border=’0′ /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p> The post 26 Effective Ways to use Twitter for Teachers & Educators appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  We are excited to announce our latest release, Fedena 3.4.3.   Here’s a quick summary of some of the features coming to all our customers. Major Features Your SMS settings now come as a package   Fedena clients can now create and assign SMS packages to individual institutions. Each package will consist of two things. One, the SMS provider details such as the service provider name, message limit, package validity, etc. Two, the SMS configuration settings which includes the parameters and their appropriate values. From the account panel, Fedena clients can then easily manage and track the SMS usage by their institutions.   Track your transactions by reference number   For every fee transaction created in Fedena, you can now provide a reference number based on the payment mode. You can then use this number to track and search for transaction details.   Search and print fee receipts   The new page "Fee Receipts" in the Finance module will list all the receipts for payments made by employees, students, and guest users against fee collections. Equipped with Quick search and Advanced search functionality, you can quickly search and print fee receipts.   CCE Reports - Batch-wise Student Report   This new report will help you to generate the ‘Basic type’ CCE report in PDF format for all students of a batch at the same time. The report will include the grades obtained by the students in both scholastic areas and co-scholastic areas. Enhancements Track student fee payment details   From a student’s profile, Students, Parents, and Employees can now easily keep track of the fees the student has paid and is due to pay in the current batch as well as previous batches.   Timetable - Now even more functional and aesthetic   One of the major enhancements made to the Timetable module is the ability to assign more than one teacher to a period.   Something we think teachers are going to love is how clear and easy it is to read their timetables. And for the teachers and students who love to print their timetables, we have added a little print button.   Printable fee receipts   For every fee transaction created in Fedena, full or partial, a fee receipt is created. Now each fee receipt can be printed on a newly designed layout.   CCE reports now a little more flexible   Additional filters have been added to the Student-wise Report and Consolidated Report to give you more control.   So there it is, Fedena 3.4.3. We’re eager to hear from you! Write to us at info@fedena.com and let us know your thoughts, questions, and feedback. The post Our latest release is here, Fedena 3.4.3! appeared first on Fedena Blog.

    Australia has always been a popular destination for tourists and students equally. Studying in Australia is surely not an inexpensive option; but when it comes to world class education, Australia is a hotspot. Below find the top cities for higher education in Australia that attracts thousands of students from all over the world.   Sydney: Sydney, known as the city of fireworks, is also the financial and economic hub of Australia. It’s equally ideal for students looking out for cities for higher education in Australia with its very good quality of living.Sydney’s famous higher institutions for education include the University of New South Wales, University of Western Sydney, University of Sydney, the University of Technology and Macquarie University. With wide variety of culture to offer, Sydney is surely a hotspot for students from around the world.   Melbourne: Melbourne boasts a very strong diverse student’s community along with being named as cultural capital of the country. Quite a number of famous universities makes the city one of the most popular cities for higher education in the world. Surely, University of Melbourne and Monash University to be mentioned. Other includes Deakin University, Victoria University, RMIT University, La Trobe University and Swinburne University of Technology. Alongside, its scenic natural landscape, exciting nightlife and good weather attracts students to the city.   Canberra: Both University of Canberra and Australian National University are counted among top 100 universities in the world. This capital city of Australia boasts a good and diverse student community and also a high level of employability among graduates, thus, making it one of the most sought after cities for higher education to not just Australians, but non-Australians as well!   Brisbane: Due to its close proximity to the Gold Coast, Brisbane is a popular tourist destination. Students, too, flock to Brisbane to study at some of the best universities like the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University. As one of the popular cities for higher education in Australia, Brisbane has a lot to offer- amazing weather, beautiful beaches, nightlife; thus, a likeable city for global students.   Adelaide: Adelaide is known for its low cost of living, as compared to other big cities of Australia. A dynamic cultural diversity to look out for, Adelaide is home to the very famous University of Adelaide. Also present are University of South Australia and Finders University for higher education.   The post Top Cities for Higher Education in Australia appeared first on Fedena Blog.

    College is the time when every student should look forward to curve out a better future. Apart from studying, the student life in college can be made more productive with a lot of other activities - things that can help you enhance your skills and add some experience for the job life that awaits you post college. These are some of the few things that can be productive for your student life:   Travel or Study Abroad: To make the most of your college student life, you can opt for studying abroad. In that way, you have a good chance to broaden your perspective and finish your studies as well. Choosing a university overseas might add those extra costs to your wallet, but it’s surely going to be one new experience of student life that you must have. If not for the entire course, you can still opt for field trips or get your tuition transferred to a school in another city, linked with your university.   Opt for an internship: Internships give you a real work experience. A student life in college is incomplete if you don’t gain real-work experience in your field of study. Hence, opting for an internship is a smart idea to increase your employability chances after college. Internship can be a full-time or part-time or even a work-from-home experience; choose the one that’ll give you maximum exposure to the job you are aiming for.   Explore research opportunities: Research opportunities bring you ways to make the most of your student life and college education. Join a research program that requires you to do surveys and interviews. In short, grab the opportunity to do get experiences in works like data collection, analysis, report generation, etc.   Learn a language: Other than your subject of study at college, make your student life at college more exciting and learn new things- a new language preferably. You never know when learning a foreign language can be of great help to you post graduation. Many companies look out for graduates who are fluent in more than one international language, a language other than English maybe.   Enjoy student fests and network! College is the time when you can actually do a lot of networking, meet and connect with new people with similar passion and interest as yours. Student life at college is less exciting if you don’t attend college fests, club meets, group activities which can also serve as the meeting spots for networking.   Getting a real idea about how your goals are shaping up is always an added advantage. And college is the best time where you can add those effort towards your goal.   The post Things to do for a Productive Student Life in College appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  We all know by now, how technology is changing the way education is imparted. In fact, not just classroom technology that has been revolutionised by education, management of institution too, is not lagging behind. Fading are those days when all administrative records were maintained in sheets by a personnel. Technology has come up with smarter and more effective ways to manage your education institution. And Fedena, for the last six years have been trying to revolutionise the way institutions are managed all over the world.   As a part of our effort to help Fedena customers to use technology in their institution to boost productivity, team Fedena had launched ‘Rewarding the Top Fedena User’ program. In this, we had invited all Fedena SaaS clients to be a part of it. The program received a good amount of response and institutions who have agreed upon their participation, have been included in the program.     Find below the list of top 10 Fedena users at the end of August 2015:     We will be coming out with the list of Top 10 Fedena users again at the end of September. Stay tuned to check out who tops the list!   The post Rewarding the Top Fedena User’: Top 10 Fedena Users as of End of August 2015! appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  The benefits of audiobooks have been quite eminent to learners who have learning disabilities, for quite sometime now. On the other hand, audiobooks can actually be a smarter alternative to reading books- something that many people have started considering old-fashioned with the advent of technology. The surge in the past few years on the popularity of audiobooks played in iPods and other listening gadgets, itself stands witness to how the benefits of audiobooks are taking the joy of reading books to the next level.   So far, use of audiobooks in education have been concentrated to helping students with impairments or students who learn any second-language. But, it can actually be of much use to all students. Let’s see what are the benefits of audiobooks:   Many audiobooks come with a narration by the authors themselves. In that case, the mood or emotion attached to each phase of the story is best expressed by the writers themselves. Definitely, an additional help for students of literature to study moods and other nuances hiding in between lines.   Pronunciation is surely one of the benefits of audiobooks that can’t be ignored. Reading an audiobook brings out all possibilities of pronouncing words. Students looking forward to learning proper pronunciation of words can make the most of it.   Moreover, the convenience with which one can listen to an audiobook is noteworthy. Plugging in earphones, listening to a chapter and writing down notes simultaneously sounds so much easier than reading the text and write. Storing an audiobook is equally easy with all those mobile devices; using it is simpler; anytime, anywhere.   Various studies have been carried out in different points of time that have proved that students can grasp and remember a short story when they listen rather than the time they read it.   When we say benefits of audiobooks are more prominent than that of reading a textbook, it definitely depends on the kind of book or the subject that’s transformed into an audiobook. When the topic of reading is difficult, perhaps, reading the topic through pages is more welcoming as it allows the reader to refer to surrounding text for reference. Likewise, different students have different level of understanding a text. For some, an audiobook may be too fast to learn from; while others might not be comfortable using the audio devices and prefer the easy accessibility of books.   The cost factors plays a huge role in the lack of usage of audiobooks in education institutions. Most schools still run short of budget for these kind of purchases. Hence, the availability is still in the lower numbers in school libraries. Reading through books is better or listening to an audiobook? The question varies with each individual student and their learning capacity. Still, audiobooks has a lot to offer, if the possibilities of learning are explored well. The post Benefits of Audiobooks in Education appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi-based public interest group, is conducting the Green Schools Programme (GSP). This programme has been running for past eight years and 2500+ schools across India have carried out a rigorous audit on environmental practices within their premises, following a set of guidelines outlined in CSE’s Green Schools Audit Manual.   GSP aims to kindle the spirit of environment conservation among school students. Our programme seeks to foster environmental literacy by moving beyond theories and textbooks and focus on "doing". The programme helps schools to audit the use of natural resources, provides them the methodology to assess themselves as environmental managers and plug the identified gaps.   The audit allows the students to understand what is taught in the classroom better, with emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. For example, Measuring of garbage collected (Maths); Composting Methods (Biology); Narrative report (proficiency in English); Online submission (computer application); Waste Management Campaign (Civics/ Social Studies), etc.   The audit is open for registration and you can submit your report by Oct 31. Register at http://www.greenschoolsprogramme.org/registration/ and become a Green School*. Help us spread the green message through your students so they can be adequately prepared for the future they will inherit from us.   The collected reports will set benchmarks for environmental practices in schools which can be used by your school for further improvements. You can access the performance dashboard in March, which will enable you to compare your performance, year on year.   Following the GSP audit, a Delhi school introduced solar panels resulting in 12% decrease in electricity billing. Another school (in Chhattisgarh) increased the amount of waste water they reuse from 9000 litres to 22,240 litres. These are just a few examples from a long list of benefits that the participating schools got from GSP.   *A Green School is a resource-efficient building - one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, generates less waste, catches and recycles water and provides healthier space for its occupants, as compared to a conventional building.   For any queries related to the programme, please contact Ranjita at ranjita@cseindia.org, or call at +91-9871825346     The post Participate in Green Schools Programme and Take your First step towards a Greener Future appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  Canada is often seen as a popular destination for higher education for its lower cost cost of living and education fees, particularly when compared to other countries like USA, Australia and U.K. In addition, it is one of those countries that stands out for its good quality of living; many a time voted as the ‘best place to live’ in the world and also has a reputation of offering great work culture! If you are looking forward to pack your bags and finish your studies in Canada, and somewhat confused as to which place will serve you best as a student; we bring to you five such cities for higher education in Canada to look out for! Read on.     Toronto: The largest city of Canada, Toronto is highly popular when it comes to cities for higher education for student around the globe. So what makes the city popular among students? Surely, the world ranked universities like the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, York University along with other institutions of higher education including Seneca College, Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music, George Brown College, etc. Toronto has always been a cultural hub, famous for entertainment, clubbing, restaurants and art.     Montreal: Students favour the second largest city in Canada, Montreal as one of the most favorite cities for higher education for it offers them a vibrant student life with cinemas, shopping malls, bars, plenty of theatre and music, dance and visual arts, etc. More so, because of the top class universities like McGill University that is often counted in the list of top 50 universities in the world. There is also the famous Université de Montréal, Concordia University, LaSalle College, Vanier College, HEC Montréal, etc.     Vancouver: As one of the popular cities for higher education in Canada, Vancouver has the famous University of British Columbia. Besides, there is Vancouver Island University, University of Victoria, Columbia College, Regent College, The Art Institute of Vancouver, etc. Moreover, the place offers amazing landscape, lot of cultural and other events; thus making it a popular place for tourists.     Quebec City: Quebec City offers that beautiful picture of an old, historical place, founded in the 17th century. This heritage city also boasts an equally interesting liveliness  with cultural activities, music festivals, Winter Carnival and lot more. To make it more attractive as one of cities for higher education in Canada, there is  Université du Québec, Laval University, Morrin College, etc.     Edmonton: Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta in Canada. The numerous universities and places of education like the University of Alberta, MacEwan University, NorQuest College, King’s University College, etc makes it one of the popular cities for higher education in Canada. Besides, the additional attractions like the natural beauty all around the city, live-performances, downtown art exhibitions, the largest living history museum, etc add to the beauty of the place.   The post 5 Cities for Higher Education in Canada appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  In an era where educational resources like tablets and Blackboard based courses are as common today as hard cover books and three ring binders were 20 years ago, thousands of degree-seeking students choose to participate in online learning. Take a look at the state of online education in America, plus get tips for adapting to an online learning environment.     The source: onlinebusiness.northeastern.edu   About the author:   Megan Barnes  is a freelance journalist and researcher that is passionate about education and technology. She is particularly fascinated by the way technology is reshaping the educational landscape and she enjoys sharing her research and ideas online.   The post Infographic: Adapting to Online Learning appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  Education softwares can work wonders for students of all ages; and especially for young children. How? Technology is giving a new meaning to education. Education softwares can help children get the best possible learning- with the presence of technology in every household, it’s not a mission impossible. Children as young as kindergarten goers are so fluent with iPads and other tools. So, why not make the most of this fluency with providing them educational software that’ll help to learn in the most comfortable way. Let’s delve further into how education softwares are going to do good to the little learners.   The benefits of using education softwares are as follows:   The primary benefit of using educational software in classroom is that it offers students, a wide variety of options for learning, solve academic problems, connect with classmates, have complete control of their experience.   Education softwares are more beneficial to students with disabilities. Particularly those who have visual, hearing and motor disabilities and they require own space and time to learn things. Children, nowadays, spend much of their day’s time in front of the computer. They are fascinated with technologies and softwares. Their interest and involvement in education softwares can help them learn faster and effectively. When students are encouraged to learn through educational software, they are actually motivated to gain confidence and improve self-esteem. They are sure of themselves to learn on their own without much help from parents or teachers. When students are exposed to technology and education softwares at a very young age, they develop a good attitude towards it.   The benefits of education softwares might vary from student to student and also depends on the kind of educational software chosen. Technology and computer are here to stay. It’s on the parents and teachers to provide students with the right amount of exposure to educational software to optimize learning.   The post Benefits of Education Softwares to Little Learners appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  In our last post on the Top Fedena User program, we had published the list of top Fedena users as of end of August. Today, we are here with the result for the month of September.   As a part of our constant effort to help Fedena customers use technology in their institution to boost productivity, we launched the ‘Rewarding the Top Fedena User’ program. The program included all Fedena SaaS clients; but only those institutions who have agreed upon their participation through the invitation, have been included in the program.   Below is the list of Top 10 Fedena Users as of end of September, 2015:     Stay tuned to know the winners in the first week of November!     The post ‘Rewarding the Top Fedena User’: Top 10 Fedena Users as of End of September 2015! appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  Database software is a very tricky choice for any institution to make, if you are just starting out or are an existing institution. Often institutions find themselves in situations where they either have a huge amount of data and no database management software or have heavily invested in a database software only to find they won’t have any need of it. Institutions are also often guilty of storing their data in different places rather than in one single place, for example, student information ends up getting stored in the filing cabinet along with the teachers and the managing staff information. Parent communication and contacts ends up getting stored in the email providers like Gmail or Yahoo while all the finances end up getting stored in ledgers or Tally. It’s a Herculean task to make any sense of the data being stored so widely and generating any insights. Before we discuss what their advantages are, let’s get into what exactly a database software is.   What is Database Software?   Database software is the phrase used to describe any software that is designed for creating and managing  the information stored in databases. At times referred to as database management systems (DBMS), database software tools are primarily used for storing, modifying, extracting, and searching for information within a database. Database software finds its use for a number of reasons in any industry - from keeping your bookkeeping on task, compiling client lists to running your online Web site.   Why Database Software?   A database software’s primary function is to provide an organized mechanism for storing, managing and retrieving information. A database helps you bring all the information you have stored in spreadsheets, documents and emails together in one place.   Makes it easy to collect and share information Organizes your information better than spreadsheet Manage data centrally to avoid data duplication or data loss Access real-time and accurate data, all the time   How to classify Database Software?   There are various types of database software. But primarily, the type of database management software depends on the method of storage (single or multi file), or the purpose of its use for an institution.   The basic types of database software can be distinguished from each other by the type of their storage. Databases have the following two main types :     Single file Database software(also called as flat-file). Multi file Database software(relational).   Both single and multi file database software are used for accommodating various storage needs. A Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) supports both single and multi file option, for example Fedena, whereas non-RDBMS supports only a single file for all the storage.   However, if the requirement for managing data is simple, for example you just need to manage small records of your teachers or managing staff i.e their names, addresses and telephone numbers, a non-RDBMS software like MongoDB or any standard spreadsheet program will suffice your need.   Database management softwares are also classified based on their purpose of use and fall into the following categories:   Operational Database. External Database. End User Database Distributed Database Data Warehouse Database Analytical Database Hypermedia Database   Choosing the right Database software to manage your Institution’s data is a very critical decision and to help make that decision it’s a really good practice to first find the answer to : What are your requirements from a database management software?   The post The What, Why and How of Database Software appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  The task of scheduling resources plays an important role in the overall success of an organization. As a result, it is necessary to exert sufficient effort and resources to the whole process of scheduling. Scheduling software is becoming the preferred method of keeping an organization’s schedules and appointments organized.   A school is one of the major institutions that heavily requires the use of a scheduling software. Working in a school can prove to be very stressful: you don’t need to complicate it further. If you are still using excel or pen and paper in your scheduling, you are definitely wasting precious time that would have been otherwise channeled in another area. Make the wisest choice by using the scheduling software.   Why You Need to Choose the Scheduling Software over Other Avenues   To begin with, the scheduling software system provides a faster and easier scheduling process. Organising hourly shifts for teachers and timetables has never been made easier. With the scheduling software technique; it only takes a few minutes to come up with a teacher’s schedule together with the perfect timetable.   The scheduling software also allows you to monitor the attendance of your staff. To top it up, the software allows you to see who came in late during their shift.   From a business perspective; the scheduling software is a tool that enhances the overall efficiency of your school which further reduces your costs. How is this possible? Scheduling software is a powerful tool that eliminates irrelevant costs of double booking, full reporting and utilization monitoring.   With the scheduling software, it is now possible to access scheduling work stations anywhere and at anytime of the day. You can simply do it on your laptop, smartphone or tablet.   Human is to error but with the scheduling software it is possible to operate on a zero defect standard. If one forgets to fill in a shift or overbook, the software immediately notifies you of the error.   Last but not least, the software acts as a powerful tool that can be used in saving time. No more wasting time with manual scheduling procedures like excel or pen and paper.   Price of Scheduling Software versus Traditional Scheduling   Are you using a traditional scheduling system because you think it’s fairly cheap? What you don’t know is that the cost of traditional scheduling can prove to be very high. One needs to manage an expense of a dedicated receptionist, paper appointment book, a dedicated team for planning and organizing timetables plus the sales loss over various preventable mistakes.   After owning a scheduling software, the only expense required is that of maintenance which costs way less when compared against a traditional scheduling system. After cost evaluation what will be your preferred choice: is it going to be the traditional scheduling system or the scheduling software system?   Final Verdict   To effectively govern a school and its micro demands; there needs to be meticulous order. There needs to be an environment where nothing misses the radar. Everything should be presented in a detailed order. This can only be done with use of ascheduling software. Scheduling is an art: for a masterpiece to be produced you need to have a professional artist. The scheduling software serves as your professional artists.   The post The Benefits of Scheduling Software for Schools appeared first on Fedena Blog.

Implementing and utilising ERP systems in an educational institution can be a complex procedure, particularly if the administration is not used-to software for managing an institution. A properly manipulated and structured plan can help an effective ERP implementation and offer greater productivity in the institution.     The post Infographic: The Steps to Effective ERP Implementation appeared first on Fedena Blog.

  The face of education for the past decade has undergone many changes and most of it can be attributed towards the advent of the smart school. The jury is still out on whether or not 21st century illiterates should be learning the modern ways of communication and expression, but most schools are adapting to hire educators who are well versed with technology and can help students learn technology in the most efficient and beneficial way. If you would do a google search on "smart school", you will either find various smart school softwares or how a school is graded as a smart school based on students’ performances in public examinations.  Let’s first define what a smart school is and through that we can begin to understand its impact on education.   What is a Smart School?   A smart school could easily be defined as a school which incorporates the latest technologies to organize, accommodate and optimize the student learning process. This could involve using the latest ideas of blended learning, the flipped classroom, BYODs and other such practices. The 21st century has seen a lot of development in technology at an exponential rate, which has lead to technology being accessible very easily. A smart school need not even be physically present to be a school, one could host classrooms online using the help of various Learning management systems and haven’t have the need of owning a classroom at all. The smart school also incorporates all the softwares it can to help in the management and the learning of it’s students.   Smart School and it’s Impact on Education   Books and pens have been replaced with touch screen in this day age, be it at work or for leisure. But with the Occulus Rift coming out early next year, it would seem that Virtual reality would be the new face of education and learning. Virtual reality could be used to teach and provide a great environment for children and students of all ages taking the school from being more than just a smart school. Let’s discuss the impacts the smart school is already having on education:   Schools no longer need to maintain ledgers and cumbersome paperwork as every smart school software now helps maintain all records for the school in one place. Schools no longer need to worry about stationary as pens and notebooks are slowly being replaced by tablets and computers. Being a smart school allows the educators to reach out to students all over the world and develop thriving online learning communities. Students in a smart school are exposed to students from other parts of the world via online meetings and collaborations. Smart school softwares include functionalities of an ERP and LMS making it really simple for any school to run and maintain processes. Schools now have the option of storing all their data on the cloud and stop worrying about lost data and the time consumed to retrieve it.   The 21st century education landscape is shaping up to be a global village and most of it can be attributed to all the smart schools coming up in the world right now.   The post 6 Impacts of Smart Schools on Education appeared first on Fedena Blog.