Learnanywhere Conference | Webanywhere Blog

Published: February 24, 2011

Now that Learnanywhere is up and running in a lot of Primary Schools we felt that it would be a good time to offer some hands on training for users to show them how to get the most out of the platform. To facilitate this we’ve organised our first Learnanywhere conference which will be at the Mint Hotel, Leeds, on Friday 8th April.

Delegates at this conference will be given some practical guidance on making use of Learnanywhere’s features, get an opportunity to see how content from a range of providers, including Espresso, I am Learning and the Global Grid for Learning can be incorporated into Learnanywhere to produce engaging and varied multimedia driven lessons. The latest features of Learnanywhere will also be demonstrated for the first time, allowing delegates to see how easily SIMS can be integrated into their Learnanywhere website and working through the ways in which this can help to streamline administrative and reporting tasks in school.

The Conference also features the highly acclaimed speaker James Knight of IMA Strategies who will be talking about different communication types and the way they interact online, along with Resource exhibitions, networking opportunities and a chance to share ideas about any aspect of teaching, learning or ICT use in schools.

Click here to read more about the Learnanywhere conference, or e-mail marketing@webanywhere.co.uk to ask any questions you have about the conference.

The 5 Principles that Drive an LMS

Category: Open Source,VLEs

Published: November 8, 2010

Webanywhere customers that are LMS users may be interested to read that the core functionality of the world’s most popular open source LMS is built around five principles that have guided development since the earliest days.  These beliefs can be clearly seen in the design (the forums, glossary, wiki, etc) which all provide ample opportunities for students to create materials in a safe/secure online environment which can instantly be seen and reviewed by peers.


The five principles are:

  1. Students can be teachers and teachers can be students.  Everyone can be a learner.
  2. We learn well by creating and expressing for others.
  3. We learn a lot by watching others.
  4. Understanding others transforms us.
  5. We learn well when the learning environment is flexible and adaptable to suit our needs.

Interesting thinking, I’m sure you’d agree!

Teachers Pick Technology over Text Books

Category: Open Source,VLEs

Published:

A recent survey by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) has revealed that just 2% of primary school teachers believed that investing in new libraries was more important than investing in ICT for the classroom. This would seem to suggest that, as schools see their funding squeeze, many feel under pressure to spend what they have on new technology rather than traditional learning materials.
Ray Barker, director, BESA commented:  “Due to the increase in the provision and use of interactive whiteboards, pupil computers and supporting digital content, the importance of traditional library facilities is of concern, especially where banks of computers have been provided in the space that may have previously held storage for books. The growing use of eBooks and of the internet for research, is putting pressure on schools to justify expenditure on traditional books.”


Barker added: “We are now naturally experiencing a reduction in estimated ICT allocations from school budgets.  However, despite schools being faced with many financial pressures, the survey indicates schools are managing the cuts sensibly and with optimism.”
At Webanywhere we’re helping schools to stretch their ICT budgets by developing digital learning platforms that use open source technologies and creating innovative product pricing ‘bundles’ that lower the unit cost of provision.

Create Amazing Primary School Learning Experiences

Category: Learnanywhere,VLEs

Published: November 5, 2010

Learnanywhere integrates Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) digital resources
In September this year we launched Learnanywhere, the new easy to use VLE designed specifically for Primary Schools.  And to be frank, since that time we’ve been amazed by the excitement and enthusiasm around the new product!
Now, we’re pleased to announce that we’re making it even better.
New! eLearning Content from GGfL
Learnanywhere already provides the ability to incorporate publicly available web content and we’ve now gone one step further. We’re excited to announce that we’ve integrated the Cambridge University Press Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) digital learning library with Learnanywhere, extending the capability of the VLE to incorporate exclusive GGfL multimedia resources including interactive learning objects, video clips, audio files, images, animations, documents and ebooks.


With GGfL integration, Learnanywhere users can:-

  • Access 1 million digital learning resources sourced from over 40 global content providers including most leading brands in educational publishing.
  • Create even more fantastic e-learning course and lesson content.
  • Motivate and inspire learners by delivering a unique learning experience, using resources that are not in the public domain.

To find out more, call us on 0800 862 0131 – and start creating even more amazing learning experiences for your students 🙂

5 Tips to Achieve Virtual Classroom Distance Learning

Published: October 21, 2010

A virtual classroom environment – available to anyone with a PC and an Internet connection – makes learning more interesting and accessible, yet still familiar to students, especially when the teacher uses recognisable classroom elements.
What You’ll Need:
  • Jotter or notepad
  • Lesson plan
  • PC
  • Webcam
  • Printer
  • Scanner

  1. Design your virtual classroom interface
  2. Create the website learning environment, equipped to enable students to log in and interact in real time using multimedia e.g. webcams, blogs and messaging. You can, of course, use a ready-made VLE or our own Primary Learning Platform – Learnanywhere!
  3. Provide a lesson plan to guide the home learning over the Internet. The plan should include the reading resources required to undertake the lesson or hyperlinks to online resources. Include to do lists and milestones to structure the classroom projects and homework assignments. If teaching is delivered online, provide the necessary links.
  4. Allocate projects to students and use multimedia to provide the teaching, discuss assignments and communicate with lessons. Projects can be completed individually or in teams, just like a physical classroom environment.
  5. Invest in a learning platform or application that enables quizzes and tests to be provided (unless your VLE provides this already). Many VLEs provide self-marking multiple choice quizzes that save time and money. Alternatively, contact Webanywhere, and let us explain the solutions we can provide!

Website Updates & Redesigns | Webanywhere Blog

Published: October 20, 2010

As you will have noticed we have now completely redesigned our main Webanywhere.co.uk interface to provide clearer signposting of our main content areas. Over the next few weeks we’ll also be launching new versions of our product-specific microsites for Learnanywhere, Student Jotter, School Jotter, JotterCMS and Payschool.

We’ll be adding blog posts detailing new product functionality as when it’s available so why not bookmark this page.

Win a £400 iPad for your school with Learnanywhere

Published: October 4, 2010

To celebrate the launch of our Learnanywhere Primary Learning Platform we’re giving away a FREE Apple iPad to one lucky school.

Primary Schools now have another exciting reason to buy Learnanywhere, the innovative easiest-to-use learning platform designed specifically for primary school communities of teachers, students and parents.
As proof that Webanywhere customers benefit from educational learning platforms that are built on more cutting-edge technology, every school that orders a new Learnanywhere Primary Learning Platform before the end of October can enter into a competition to win an Apple iPad 16GB, worth more than £400.


Just think about the potential uses that your school could have for an Apple iPad. Your ICT team could use it as your school’s remote content management device, ensuring that courses, events and digital assets are uploaded to your learning platform wirelessly in near real time. It could even be used as an incentive to teachers to reward individual teaching staff.
To be entered into the prize draw for the Apple iPad, Primary Schools need to complete the simple sentence below and make sure that they sign up for Learnanywhere by October 31.
HOW TO ENTER
To enter the prize draw, simply sign up for Learnanywhere by midnight on 31st October 2010 and complete the following statement in no more than 15 words:-
“Learnanywhere is the best choice for primary schools because…
To submit your entry please visit the link below and paste your answer into the ‘message’ box.
Competition to win a £400 ipod
The winning entry will be drawn on November 5th.

New Product Launched – Learnanywhere Learning Platform For Primary Schools

Published: September 28, 2010

We are pleased to announce that Learnanywhere, our easier to use yet powerful learning platform,  is now available to Primary Schools.
Learnanywhere was developed in response to Primary Schools’ need for an easier-to-use VLE that promotes learning both within and outside the classroom without the technical complexity or higher cost of alternative systems.
With the ability to combine original and third party content, personal management tools and ‘always on’ accessibility, the new Learnanywhere Primary School platform is a unique teaching and learning tool that
• Rewards personal effort and attainment by primary age children;
• Supports time-pressured teachers (lesson content can be created, and work assessed online in minutes);
• Enables more engaging school-home links.


As well as reinforcing key curriculum learning outcomes, Learnanywhere provides students with rewarding fun, inspiring them to make regular use of their personalised learning platform. In the form of an on-screen avatar ‘buddy’, children can collect rewards for effort and attainment, contribute within their community, engage in a variety of lessons, quizzes and other activities, and chat and play games online with their friends.
Visit the website for more on our learning platform for primary schools (learnanywhere.co.uk) or call us free on 0800 862 0131.

New VLE for Primary Schools | Webanywhere Blog

Category: Learnanywhere,VLEs

Published: July 20, 2010

New VLE for Primary Schools | Webanywhere Blog | primary school website design

Come on board!!

There will be times when you should not jump on the best bandwagon that happens to be trending at the time. This is not one of those times. When you want to enhance your child’s education being a part of the Learnanywhere platform is essential.

Plus, this new platform is a great addition to primary school website design. You can make learning easier and more fun by joining this top platform and providing a great educational tool for your teachers and students.

The platform should be live right now so take the time to investigate it and see how it can enhance your school’s educational format and make education more interesting to children.

It is a perfect fit for those website designs for schools in the UK.

The Benefits Of Learnanywhere Platform

Many people hesitate whenever they see some new platform or format on a website. But there is no need to hesitate when you explore the learnanywhere platform. There are a lot of benefits that come with attaching this option to your current school web design. Here are just a few of those benefits:

  • It is so easy to use that you do not have to be technology-friendly to use it
  • The design engages the children better and it is very appealing to them
  • Learnanywhere is cloud hosted which helps cut your costs significantly
  • You get op integration with SIMS to enable and enhance parental engagement
  • A customizable home page for each individual. It is as unique as your students

All of these benefits add up to better learning and more fun for your students. Education does not have to be boring when it is learnanywhere on your primary school website design.

This platform should work for every school website design but call us to get all the details to make sure your school’s website is compatible with the platform.

How To Take Advantage Of This Platform

Getting access to this platform and integrating it into your school’s website design is not that difficult. All you have to do is contact us at learnanywhere.co.uk or use our contact page to ask your questions.

You can also call us for free by dialling this number- 0800 862 0131. We are ready and willing to answer all your questions about this innovative learning platform.

It is taking your school to the next level of education and ensuring that all your students can learn at the same pace.

School Jotter Is Enhancing Education

Learning does not have to be old-fashioned, dull, or filled with useless information. School Jotter is taking education to exciting new levels with its variety of school website design templates, features, and add-ons.

Learnanywhere is just one of the ways that School Jotter is making education more exciting for your students and easier for your teachers. Contact us today when you need to tweak or upgrade your school web design, take advantage of our special offers, or improve your website content.