Discover new educational opportunities at reduced cost

We provide safe-and-secure on-line services such as WIKI and videoconferencing for children to engage in local and global communication and collaboration.

This allows us to INCREASE EDUCATIONAL IMPACT OVER TIME and GEOGRAPHY yet SAVE ON THE COST of physical events and travel.

Cost is from £1.5K per annum including WIKI and Videoconferencing, of which this site is an example. Shared service revenue can reduce cost greatly or even produce a positive revenue stream.

Underneath the Bonnet

To get a glimpse of the power of the software, you have to be a registered user. The importance of the WIKI (the same principle as Wikipedia) is that registered users can easily write their own articles themselves. These are monitored and approved by the project (typically a teacher) or community leaders. Similarly, the videoconferencing is only available to registered users who are monitored and approved by the same person as above. A visitor to the site (such as yourself) does not see any of this. Here are a WIKI editor and videoconference screenshots:

BUT WHY BOTHER?!

Why do we need this software? After all, they already have Facebook, Bebo,  Google, Skype, MSN - why bother? Below we will see ten functional and non-functional requirements for this type of software. But the key is that it is safe-and-secure: actual and perceived. This is what both educationalists and our young users say! (Click on the videos!)

10 Key Functional and Non Functional Features

We have distilled our experience into five functional and five non-functional requirements.  All vitally important, however we draw attention to two that deserve wider consideration. First, the eShop - there is HUGE untapped potential to obtain revenue which can be in turn put back into the activity. Second, no training - there should be NO need for training or documentation!

1.       Content Communication and Collaboration: Part or all of VLE+ capability made available inter schools and/or community and globally (BECTA compliant)

2.        Expert & User Generated Content:

a.        Multi-project multi-media WIKI,

b.        Individual project set-up for inter student and/or school, local and global community collaboration

c.        Import and export content in standard format, SCORM compliant, Flash conversion,

d.        ‘Switch-on switch-off’ required modules only: Photo gallery, calendar, questionnaires

e.        Self Assessment using multi-media evidence and printable single page with links*

3.        Integrated Safe-and-Secure Communications:

a.        Videoconferencing – Killer App!

b.        ‘Switch-on switch-off’ required modules only (VideoTV, forums, messaging, email, blogs, RSS feeds) to avoid overload

4.        Integration with School’s Existing MIS (notably SIMS)

5.       eShop: To buy physical items and also on-line services (free or revenue generating) eg videoconferencing, email, surveys, educational or technical support

6.       User Friendly: Non technical, for all students, teachers, community users; pioneer user engagement via 'proof of concept' requirements capture activity

7.       Safe and Secure: Paramount consideration, 4-step human and technology security process, audit trail, individual userid controlled multi-level and project access, right-to-publish

8.       Minimal Support & Training Requirement: Typically, users require NO training, help or documentation

9.       Opensource: Most obviously ‘free’ but more importantly a strong self-help community

10.    Yours and/or Ours: Both modules and support arrangements can be a mix of yours  or ours

* Here is an example of the output from the self assessment: a downloadable or printable one page summary containing links to multi-media evidence. NB The form is not rocket science (!) On the contrary, it is  as simple and quick to produce as possible - what it DOES contain however, is EVIDENCE. The self assessment criteria and form content can be easily modified to suit a given set of skills, limit itself to a Self Review...and so on.