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.”

Galway, Ireland – 28th August 2008 – Learn Skills, a web-based skills and compliance training company is pleased to announce that from September they will be offering InfoSource Learning’s “How To Master” online content training libraries to corporate, academic and government clients.

With this new partnership, Learn Skills’ corporate and government clients will now have access to content training libraries covering areas such as the Microsoft Suite; including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Access, 2000 up to 2007. These libraries feature a unique, content-rich environment of interactive, self-paced learning and testing.  Learners will gain experience, retain information, and increase productivity by training in these simulated software environments.

“This partnership will address many of the key concerns that our clients have concerning Digital Literacy by providing them with high quality, up-to-date online courses increases skills levels in this area, said Sean Griffin, Co-Founder of Learn Skills.  “With InfoSource Learning as our partner, our online training library will make it incredibly easy for our customers to start training and address key areas for improving ICT skills and performance.”

These courses can be purchased on an individual basis or as part of an overall bundle of courses for larger numbers of employees through the Learn Skills LMS delivery model.  Some of the key courses that can be purchased through the Learn Skills platform include:

• Internet & Computing Core Certification (IC3)
• Microsoft Office 2007
• Microsoft Office 2003
• Microsoft Office 2002 (XP)
• Windows Operating Systems & Internet

Tom Dalton, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at InfoSource Learning stated, “We firmly believe in the value of our unique training and are very excited to have the opportunity to partner with an excellent company such as Learn Skills.”

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.