With all the excitement of BETT 2012 I almost forgot to post the updated Moodle 2.2 Administration Map. Click on the image below to download an A4 copy of the map.
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The map was first created to accompany our Moodle 2 Admin Training so if you want a ‘guided tour’ of the destinations on the Moodle 2.2 route (sorry – couldn’t help myself) email joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com for more information on our Training options.
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Much as I hate to use clichés I have to say – it’s that time of the year again! Everyone in the office is busy putting together the final arrangements and making sure everything is in place for THE WORLD’S BIGGEST EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SHOW OF THE YEAR!
There are a few points of interest at this year’s event:
BETT is always an amazing event packed full of new and cutting edge products, brilliant speakers and presentations – it’s a great way to kick start the year and get excited about the possibilities that come with it.
As always we are anticipating a frenzied interest in Moodle and Mahara and we’re prepared for five hectic, fun-filled days. We relish the opportunity to talk to the ever-passionate Moodle Community as well as the chance to convert newbies to the software.
If you haven’t added BETT to your calendar I strongly suggest you do so. If you are planning on attending please call by and say hello!
Don’t forget – Stand N26.
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It came and it went in a blaze of glory. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but it has been a good 2011 so it’s time to have a look back over the past 365 days (I should probably say the garish banner above is no reflection on the ability of our designers, I threw it together myself and may well get in trouble!).
Holywood
This was a big year for the team – the year we moved to Holywood! After many months of office hunting and many more months of carpet swatches, paint samples and furniture shopping we upped sticks and moved lock and stock to County Down. And we haven’t looked back once, we are very happy in our new home (call by and say hello sometime!)
Events
The BETT show was the first of many events we attended in 2011, Scotland also being high up in the agenda for the first part of the year and the ICT for Education conference circuit becoming a regular feature in the latter. We always love getting out and about to talk to new and existing clients and want to say a big thanks to all those who stopped by for a chat over the course of the year!
New People
The team has grown. Again. We have some familiar faces that have joined us on a permanent basis (hello Andrew Davidson) and some brand new brainpower in the incarnation of Alison Selby-Bettle, Davo Smith, Peter Potter, Dorel Manolescu and Adam Moran. You will hear more from each of them in the future when I finally browbeat them in posting on the blog!
Totara
Twenty Eleven is the year we welcomed Totara into the world. Like a beacon of light to the business world it is already strutting with a confidence that befits a software of such stature. The carefully considered additions tick all the boxes of our corporate clients and I have no doubt as word spreads its popularity will increase in 2012 (click here for more info)
Travel
This one is for you Jonny McAlister. With more air miles than an Arctic Tern you have jetted from city to city and back to that first city more times than I care to remember. And hasn’t it paid off nicely with the Synergy Learning flag being flown with more vigour than ever before in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (North and South!)
The World!
With Alex having taken Synergy Learning back to his native Germany we are also pleased to be spreading the good word of Moodle, Mahara and Totara throughout Europe with lots of new contacts in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden and Norway. News of our wares has also spread further afield with new business coming from South Africa and the US.
Moodle 2 Point x
Aw Moodle. Our first love. Moodle 2 may have taken its time but the upgrades have been prompt and noteworthy. MyMobile is now part of the core code, you can restore your 1.9 back-ups, multi-tenancy is on its way and the list goes on. If you’re not there it’s time to give it some serious thought. Our Route to Moodle 2 options should help you on your way 
Mahara
This year saw the release of Mahara 1.4, called by some “a coming of age”. The ePortfolio is slowly but steadily increasing in popularity and offers the perfect compliment to Moodle. Built primarily for reflective learning it also boasts social networking capability and numerous integration possibilities (click here for more info on our Mahara services)
Awards
Everyone was delighted when the Scottish Social Services Council was shortlisted in the Skills Development section of the Guardian Public Services Awards in 2011. We were ecstatic when they actually won! We are proud to host the award winning SSSC Workforce Solutions Portal, which puts Moodle to good use throughout Scotland, more information on which you can read by visiting http://workforcesolutions.sssc.uk.com/
New Projects
In China 2012 is the year of the Dragon. In Synergy Learning it is the year of the Case Study. We have so many new projects under our belt that we want to share with you I hardly know where to start but keep posted to the blog as we will be rolling out case study after case study detailing what we have been up to over the past year. Here’s one to sink you teeth into in the meantime.
The Team
It wouldn’t be right to round up the year without mentioning our brilliant team who are always a pleasure to work with and make coming to work not feel like coming to work at all. The supporters who Support, the theme machines who Theme, the developers who cynically pick the world to pieces every day (and do a bit of Developing), the trainers who Train and the directors who… pay us. Thanks one and all.
And finally…
I’d like to thank all our clients and partners for their continued support and want to wish everyone an enjoyable and prosperous 2012. Hurrah!
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Just to introduce myself, I am Kenny McCormack, Operations Manager at Synergy Learning and I look after the development and design teams. As I have just passed my first year in the company, I thought I would write a blog on one project that I have some personal interest in, it involves my old grammar school in Derry city, St. Columb’s College.
The project is called the Foyle Cloud and the project team is aspiring to be a model for adoption of Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) for schools and colleges in Northern Ireland, which is by no means an easy task. In addition the aims and objectives for the 3 year programme and beyond are to:
As you can imagine with such ambitions there are many challenges that must be overcome by the team to successfully deliver the project, this blog will try and cover some of these and where Synergy Learning services has helped.
The technology solution bit
To help achieve the aims and objectives of the programme the customer needed to select a solution that would be easy to use, robust, scalable, would allow schools to have their own VLE, but still provide a means for students and teachers from different schools to collaborate.
The Foyle Cloud selected Moodle as their VLE platform of choice. Moodle is the world’s leading open source Learning Management System with a global user community and is recognized for its many benefits.
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Features |
Moodle Benefits |
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Anytime |
Support |
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Rapid |
Upload |
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Knowledge |
Stimulate |
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Assignments + Quizzes |
Test |
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Feedback + Choice course activities |
Quickly |
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Tracking |
Learners |
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Communication |
In |
One other important reason why the Foyle Cloud selected Moodle, was its ability to link any number of Moodle environments together using its proprietary MNET protocol. Once the system is configured correctly, each school has their own VLE and a central hub VLE is established to provide the inter-school collaboration platform.
Learners from different schools are able to roam from their own school VLE to the central hub to participate in shared curriculum courses reducing the need to travel to the school in person.
Teachers can manage their own courses on their school VLE, share information and collaborate with other tutors from other schools in the network on the central hub.
The diagram below illustrates the Foyle Cloud Moodle network setup and the main user type responsibilities:
Foyle Cloud Moodle Network Model
In addition to providing the ability to network different Moodles together the MNET protocol also allows another open source system, Mahara, to be linked to any of these VLE environments. Mahara provides the missing technology bit that Moodle does not have; e-portfolio services.
Once linked to the Moodle network, the Mahara site provides a system for all learners of the VLE to store and share documents within a collaborative and reflective platform.
Users of the system can demonstrate their life-long learning, skills and development over time to selected audiences.
So where does Synergy Learning come in you may ask? The Foyle Cloud contracted us to provide the solid hosting platform required to cope with the large number of concurrent learners and teachers that would be using the system on a daily basis. We also provide the expertise and support to maintain the systems and ensure their optimum use.
Communication + programme structure
With the number of schools in the Foyle area who have already come on board and also those planned for year three, it is clear that a good organisation structure is essential.
Synergy Learning’s experience again has helped the Foyle Cloud management group develop a comprehensive communication structure with clear roles and responsibilities for those involved.
The agreed organisation structure is illustrated below:
Organisational structure
This model could be adopted by other similar organisations attempting to gain the benefits of working together as a network of schools or colleges.
Part of the implementation of this organisation structure was to agree a standardized protocol for managing the different VLE’s. This operations protocol includes agreeing one single process for:
In addition to standardizing how the system is used, the Foyle Cloud also availed of Synergy Learning’s theme design services to create a consistent look and feel for all of the Moodle sites whilst still allowing each school to be branded separately.
The story so far!
Since implementation of the technology components of the system earlier in the year the Foyle Cloud ran a pilot course on the central hub site called ‘Building Bridges’, which was launched in tandem with the opening of the new Peace bridge in the city. This course content was created through the collaboration of pupils from a range of different schools and backgrounds in the city.
Since the kick off the project 7 schools have come on board to the Moodle network:
The plan is to have 18 or more at the end of the 3 year programme.
So what’s next for Foyle Cloud!
Along with continuing to bring in more schools and colleges in the area to the network, the Foyle Cloud intends to:
Synergy Learning will continue to support the Foyle Cloud to ensure the success of the programme.
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After a very rewarding and enjoyable conference in Manchester we’re looking forward to visiting Birmingham next week for the November leg of the ICT for Education conferences.
Taking place on Friday 11th November at the Copthorne Hotel in Dudley, the event is free to all delegates and runs from 7.45am to 2.15pm.
Tim Rylands was undoubtedly the highlight of the previous event and will be returning to headline the Birmingham conference with his innovative and entertaining presentations.
ICT for Educations ICT Reviews Live! will also make a return with reviews of educational products in a live environment, giving visitors the opportunity to interact with peers and experts and have a say in development plans.
So if you are from in and around the Birmingham area and these proceedings appeal to you, make your way down at any time during the day - we hope to see you there!
For more information on all upcoming events visit the ICT for Education Website
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We are delighted to share the good news of our clients, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), whose Workforce Solutions Portal has been shortlisted in the Skills Development section of the Guardian Public Services Awards 2011.
The Awards, which will take place in London next month, have set out to showcase innovation and best practice across government and are recognised widely as the gold standard of achievement by public services teams.
The Workforce Solutions Portal is built on Moodle, and hosted on Synergy Learning’s servers, which have been built and optimized specifically for Moodle software.
Keith Quinn, Senior Education and Workforce Development Adviser at the SSSC, commented:
Synergy Learning’s Hosting Services came out on top in three categories – reliability, quality and affordability. The platform was built from scratch comprising only industry leading hardware so we were confident our site would be hosted on a secure, robust infrastructure, which is paramount.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is responsible for registering people who work in social services as well as regulating their education and training. With over 198,000 people to get through, the procedures present some major challenges and the Workforce Solutions Portal plays a vital role in meeting these challenges.
To find out more about the Portal visit: http://workforcesolutions.sssc.uk.com. All of the information and tools on the site are available free of charge.
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Hi, I’m Adam Moran – a placement student at Synergy Learning. After 4 months of working here I am finally ready for my first blog post!
The post is a case study on Christel House Academy so read on for more information…
Introduction
Christel House Academy opened their first learning centre in 1998 after businesswoman and philanthropist Christel DeHaan had a series of life-changing visits to various children shelters in Mexico.
DeHaan realised that underprivileged children would need more than food and clothing to make a lasting difference in their lives and the way to do this was to give them the opportunity of an excellent education. In a bold effort, DeHaan opened charitable Christel House learning centres in Mexico, Venezuela, India, and South Africa.
In 2002, changes to state education law in Indiana allowed the Mayor of Indianapolis to authorise the first public Christel House in the United States. Located in Indianapolis, Christel House Academy is a K-12 school that uses holistic education principles, along with meaningful technology, to help children break the cycle poverty by earning a college prep diploma and gain access to further education opportunities.
After over 12 years of high expectations of student excellence and worldwide recognition, Christel House decided to come to Synergy Learning to introduce a new level of E-Learning to their operations.
Director Carey Dahncke has helped to explain the reason for this change in direction:
“We wanted to roll out a 1:1 netbook program for our students, but wanted to make sure that the netbooks would be used in meaningful ways. We also wanted the technology to be a ‘game changer’ in how we conduct teaching and learning. We looked at various options and decided that the ability of the internet to allow learning anywhere anytime was where we wanted to land.”
The Solution
Christel House need very specific functionality for their E-Learnin
g so it was concluded that the best option would be to combine the VLE Moodle with the ePortfolio Mahara (Mahoodle).
Carey has explained why an amalgamation of the two programs was important:
“We looked at a number of commercial programs and decided that something organic in nature would allow us to create a system that worked to support our curriculum and instructional practice– rather than having technology that disrupts and changes those patterns”
Results
Since introducing Mahoodle Christel House has worked hard trying to integrate the changes into how they operate on a day to day basis. Things aren’t always expected to run smoothly from the off and it is only natural to assume there will be some constraints. When asked about the potential barriers involved in introducing Mahoodle, Carey replied:
“Time and training have been our biggest challenges. We attempted to launch it on a domestic hosting site. That had issues with stability. Despite conventional wisdom pertaining to the physical location of the hosting site, having a Mahoodle site that cannot remain stable under heavy user demand, renders the entire project completely ineffective. After experimenting with hosting providers, we decided to work with Synergy Learning on the hosting too. Synergy’s experience with managing not only the design, but also hosting platforms, made all the difference for us. Synergy has been able to deliver a rock solid platform to run our site.”
Apart from these minor setbacks, Christel House has got off to a good start with Mahoodle and is excited to see the true capability of the software. When asked about how the experience was working with Synergy Learning, Carey added:
“Synergy Learning was able to produce a very high quality site in a relatively short time period. The finished product is simple and very attractive. Unlike a raw Moodle site, this conveys a professional finished appearance. We were very impressed.”
We are confident that in the future this VLE will be able to improve the operations at Christel House and it is clear that the feeling is mutual. We will be sure to keep you up to date with the progress at Christel House as their association with Mahoodle continues to grow!
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28th September 2011
The British Medical Association, London
As interest in the Totara software builds momentum many users and prospective users will be glad of the opportunity to network and meet the experts at next weeks Totara European Conference.
As a Platinum Totara Partner we are among those looking forward to what promises to be the first of many annual get-togethers. According to Totara HQ:
The conference aims to enable learning professionals from across a wide range of industries to discuss and share their experiences. They will also highlight strategies for maximising the value of Totara, the open source LMS for enterprises based on Moodle.
Richard Wyles, CEO of Totara Learning Solutions, commented:
We have been delighted by the demand for Totara LMS from across all sectors including major retailers, global enterprises, government and health organisations. This event will showcase European case studies from all these sectors, including formal and informal learning approaches; and demonstrate how Totara LMS is both reducing costs and delivering real value to enterprises.
For those of you who aren’t aware of Totara software you can find out more about it by visiting Totara with Synergy Learning or feel free to contact the office to speak to a member of our team directly by calling +44 (0) 28 9042 2000 or emailing info@synergy-learning.com.
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We were so enamoured by the Belfast leg of the ICT for Education event that we have decided to jump on the tour bus for the rest of the UK events.
Starting in Manchester on Friday 14th October we will be travelling the length and breadth of the country exhibiting in Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Belfast, Cardiff, Brighton and Reading.
If you are based in any of these cities, or nearby we would love you to call down and say hello. These are free events and perfect for discovering new resources, meeting experts, peer networking and from our experience a pretty good day out.
For more information visit the ICT for Education website and stay posted to the blog for details on where we are visiting next!
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We have had quite a few work experience students through our doors recently, but none have threatened to stay for the entire year… until now.
Adam Moran is taking a year out from studying Business Information Systems at Liverpool John Moores University, and he decided to spend it at Synergy Learning.
Why Synergy Learning?
Since starting my degree at University I have come to realise the importance of Open Source Software and I wanted to use my placement year to learn a bit more about it.
What have you been working on since you arrived at Synergy Learning?
My time is divided between Design, Development and Marketing. I’ve been doing quite a lot of testing for themes of various sites. I’m also learning how to write test scripts and am looking forward to bringing another angle of testing to the company.
On the Marketing side I am profiling the company so I can understand our customers, our products and services and how they compare to our competitors. I’m also writing case studies on a few new clients that we are working with which is giving me a good idea of the extent of what Synergy Learning can do.
So you’re learning a few new tricks?
Yeah, the team has been really helpful in introducing me to the idea of VLEs and the role Synergy Learning plays in bringing online learning to schools, universities and businesses.
I’m getting the chance to work with each of the different departments and a lot of really talented people so my experience is going to be very well rounded.
What’s your experience of elearning at University?
We have a VLE that handles all our emails and course information but it is not something that I use a great deal. Since joining Synergy Learning I’ve realised the potential that comes with elearning software and will go back with a better understanding of how it should be used. My Uni could do with a bit of Support from Synergy Learning…our system seems to be down quite a bit!
And that’s Adam. Some of us were hoping that he would spend his year making coffee and running errands but so far he is proving too useful and we’re having to make proper use of his talents.
Expect to hear from him on the blog very soon….
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Synergy Learning
Holywood House
1 Innis Court
Holywood BT18 9HF
T: +44 (0) 28 9028 8830
E: info@synergy-learning.com
