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Foyle Cloud: Foyle Learning Community’s collaborative VLE

Posted by Kenny McCormack on 23 Nov

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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:

Improve IT skills from the ground up as part of the Digital Derry vision
Adopt and promote e-Portfolio usage for portfolio based qualifications
To provide a platform for sharing courses between schools and reduce travel between schools i.e. improve efficiency and hopefully save money along the way
Provide a platform for staff collaboration in and between schools

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.

Features	Moodle Benefits
Anytime Anywhere	Support distance education and supplement classroom-based teaching – Blended Learning
Rapid content creation	Upload existing content, other web resources can be linked to, or create and edit new content in Moodle
Knowledge sharing	Stimulate discussions outside the classroom
Assignments + Quizzes	Test and report on students’ learning, encourage students to learn and self-test, deliver exams
Feedback + Choice course activities	Quickly gather feedback from students
Tracking	Learners tracked of all actions (Views + Posts) and can be reported on
Communication + Collaboration tools	In system messaging between teachers + students, forums, wikis, interactive chat, workshop modules

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:

Adding and enrolling users
Password policy
Course labeling and layout
User profile fields
Category organization
Global VLE configuration settings

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:

St. Columb’s College
St. Mary’s College
Lisneal College
St. Joseph’s College
Immaculate Conception
St. Brigid’s College
Lumen Christi

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:

Launch the first certified shared course on the central hub in the next school year – either BTEC or A-Level Applied Engineering course
Pilot their first e-portfolio certification course – Occupational Studies
Pilot the use of Mahara in general with one of the schools on the Foyle Cloud already so that this can be adopted by all schools next year
Fully establish the staff collaboration area on the central hub for all teachers and tutors

Synergy Learning will continue to support the Foyle Cloud to ensure the success of the programme.

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Case Study – Christel House Academy

Posted by Adam Moran on 30 Sep

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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-Learning 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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ELA Conference 2011 // Technology on a Shoestring

Posted by Joel Kerr on 25 Mar

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It was my pleasure to be in Edinburgh this week for the ‘Technology on a Shoestring’ conference – a pretty apt title given the increasingly tightening strings on which companies have to balance their budgets.

Of course any chance to visit Edinburgh gets a thumbs up from me and combined with the opportunity to meet with elearning types, those in the know and those who want to know, is a double whammy.

Keynote came from Euan Semple who’s got an impressive CV that includes time at the BBC, Nokia, the World Bank and NATO. Mr. Semple covered the benefits of Social Media and the challenges faced by the Senior Management in letting the employees loose on the various channels.

There was talk of the quality of networks compared to quantity, the need to make communications human as opposed to corporate and how to engage people by asking the right questions. Conversations, conversations, conversations; that’s what’s important!

The emphasis was not on how far we had come but the possibilities that are yet to present themselves; the new businesses and products that will develop, the new businesses models that will evolve and most excitingly the freedom that working online can offer.

Other speakers included Mark Clark from JISC, Kenny Shaw of Screen Media, Pauline Randall from Florizel Media and…me. That’s right. As an exhibitor I had the opportunity to pitch the benefits of the ever popular Moodle and Mahara.

That aside, points covered were how technology can facilitate change, the need for innovation given the budget cuts, the need for positivity in the face of adversity and the importance of not hitting the bottle (actually the last point wasn’t covered, I made that up to check if you where still with me).

It is increasingly clear that through careful research and planning, structure and strategy, online services can offer the necessary savings required by companies in today’s market. And the sooner you get started the sooner you get your head around the possibilities and the sooner you start reaping the rewards!

I’d like to thank the eLearning Alliance for the invitation and the possibility to showcase Synergy Learning. I’ll leave you with one extremely naff but amusing quote from Stuart Hilles of the eLearning Alliance, “How can I soar like an eagle when I’m surrounded by pigeons?”

Take from that what you will.

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ICT for Education | Belfast

Posted by Joel Kerr on 01 Mar

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Synergy Learning will be at the Belfast Hilton on Friday 11th March for the Northern Ireland leg of the ICT for Education conferences. While we’re there we will be exhibiting our wares, and as always will be keen to speak to people who are interested in the benefits of Open Source Software and the implications it has on elearning.

Moodle is making a pretty big splash over here at the minute, with a number of schools and businesses choosing it over the competition. If you are attending the conference and want to find out more about Moodle and Mahara, and the services we offer please call by and say hello. If there is something specific you want to find out on the day then feel free to leave a comment or email me at joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com so we can be fully prepared!

For more information on the conference and exhibition visit the ICT for Education website.

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Emtech 2011

Posted by Joel Kerr on 25 Feb

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I’m just writing a quick blog post on my experiences at this years Emtech event at Heriot Watt University . At the minute the 2nd phase of workshops are taking place so we’re between Keynote speakers and Exhibitions and I have a few minutes to re-cap.

The strapline for the event is ‘Are you afraid of IT?’and the theme throughout has been – don’t be! Don’t be afraid to pilot new technologies, explore possibilities, experiment, let your pupils or staff experiment and allow freedom to do so.

There has been some really interesting keynote speakers who have explained through case studies and real life scenarios the benefits technology can bring to an organisation. Steph Gray explained the need to be sensible about the risks involved with social media, but not scared. I sat in on Steph’s workshop on using socmed in the work place and it was great to see so many people exploring how they can benefit from twitter and facebook and how to overcome barriers that get in the way.

Gavin Oattes had the crowd laughing from the outset, effectively demonstrating the crux of his presentation which was the power of positivity. He asked us to think about the first time we sat in front of a computer, and how far we have advanced from then. As he was talking I was tweeting and writing notes on my iPhone without even giving it a second thought, the story being with time new technology is something that becomes second nature. It is up to us to start experimenting early…without fear.

Fraser Speirs gave a really interesting presentation complete with video footage, on how his school (Cedars School of Excellence) came to the decision to introduce one to one learning via the iPad. He re-iterated the need for an open minded approach to the use of technology and the internet, and the need for freedom to explore the possibilities – for both teachers and students. There were some great examples on the positive impact this ground-breaking approach was having on art, drama, geography and across the whole learning environment. Not to mention the fact every student got their own iPad!

There is one speaker left – Mr. Stephen Downes, ‘a leading proponent of the use of online media and services in education’, so I’ll look forward to that. Nothing left to say for now except that the time and preparation that has went into this conference is evident and I feel better informed as a result.

Now I’m off to get a sandwich.

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Moodle 2.0 Integrations – Alfresco

Posted by Joel Kerr on 17 Feb

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As Moodle 2.0 becomes more established we are finding more and more clients eager to upgrade from their current version.

Not only is the software being recognised for it’s new and improved features, it also makes integrating with third party tools a whole lot easier, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for those moving to Moodle 2.0.

Over the next few blog posts I am going to look at some of these external tools to see what benefits they can bring to your operations….starting with Alfresco.

Alfresco

If you haven’t heard of Alfresco before you might find it a rather useful tool. It is a Content Management System (CMS), which basically means it can be used for managing the production of electronic content (text files, videos, graphics etc.) via a set of rules, processes and workflows.

Like Moodle and Mahara, Alfresco is Open Source and as a CMS it specializes in:

It caused a lot of interest when it was announced that Moodle 2.0 was to come complete with an Alfresco repository. File management within Moodle has long been a debate generator and integration with an external CMS solves the issue of content ownership, tracking changes, linking to external content finding content etc.

We have been working with Alfresco for some time now and our clients are finding it’s capabilities a perfect compliment to Moodle, allowing users to store and retrieve resources from within both piece of software.

The integration is quick and straightforward and the outcome can prove very beneficial. If you are interested in finding out more about our Moodle or Alfresco services email me at joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com.

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eLearning Events // 2011

Posted by Joel Kerr on 27 Jan

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So BETT 2011 is over and Learning Technologies is about to follow suit. That doesn’t mean elearners can kick their feet up for the next year and wait for January to roll round again. Here is a list of events up and down the country to keep you entertained throughout 2011.

Are You Afraid of IT?
Friday 25^th February | Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh

This conference and exhibition is part of a programme to foster better use of technology in the social services.

Expect a mixture of keynote speakers and workshops attended by senior managers, learning and development managers, practitioners and IT managers.

Click here for more information

ICT for Education

Friday 11^th March | Belfast Hilton
Friday 1^st April | The Grand, Bristol
Friday 13^th May | Cardiff City Football Club

This series of free conferences is aimed at school teachers, technicians and decision makers who share a “common thirst’ (their words!) for e-learning and ICT in schools.

Expect keynote speakers, discussion groups and networking opportunities.

Click here for more information

JISC11 Conference
Monday 14^th – Tuesday 15^th March | BT Convention Centre, London

This conference offers advice, guidance and support via workshops, demos, plenary sessions, an exhibition and networking opportunities.

This is one for those in post 16 and higher education suitable for senior managers, ICT champions, teachers and researchers with an interest in the use of ICT.

Click here for more information

Naace Annual Strategic Conference
Tuesday 15^th – Thursday 17^th March | Wokefield Park, Reading

The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Brave New World: Changing Times in Education’ and aims to explore, debate and challenge current thinking about technology and learning.

If you are involved in education and interested in education technology this event offers networking opportunities and the chance, “to contribute and influence future initiatives, strategies & policies individually and through Naace.”

Click here for more information

The Education Show
Thursday 17^th – Saturday 19^th March | NEC, Birmingham

The Education Show is for finding educational resources and is aimed at educators from all levels and sectors. It promises exhibitions, seminars, conferences and demonstrations to assist in finding, “resources and ideas to help you to save money and make a difference in your school.”

Click here for more information

The EAUC Annual Conference
Monday 11^th – Wednesday 13^th April | University of York

This is more for sustainability in education than elearning but there is no reason why the two can’t go hand in hand.

It’s aimed at the UK’s Further and Higher Education Sector and boasts Dame Ellen MacArther, Sara Parkin and Nick Baker among the keynote speakers. There is also a conference and the opportunity for one-to-one sessions with the experts.

Click here for more information

Plymouth eLearning Conference
Wednesday 6^th – Friday 8^th April | University of Plymouth

The title of this year’s event is “Digital Futures: Learning in a Connected World” which will be delivered via paper presentations, workshops, demonstrations and networking opportunities.

They say, “The 6th Plymouth e-Learning Conference will highlight the need for innovative solutions in education and training, and will provide opportunities for delegates to discuss the tensions that exist between institutional provision and personalised learning.”

Click here for more information

Moodle Moot
Tuesday 19^th & Wednesday 20^th April | Senate House, London

A conference dedicated to UK Moodle users, developers and administrators and a great opportunity to discuss the increasingly popular Open Source Software.

If you are interested in presenting a paper, workshop or other session, visit Moot UK 11 for information.

Click here for more information

iMoot
Saturday 30^th April – Tuesday 3^rd May | Online

iMoot is an international online conference aimed at engaging the 32 million Moodle users across the globe to, “ignite the sense of community and sharing for which Open Source and in particular Moodle is famous for.”

If you are a Moodle practitioner, administrator or decision maker this one is not to be missed.

Click here for more information

IITT National Conference & Exhibition
Wednesday 7^th – Thursday 8^th September | London Marriott Hotel

This is the seventh year of the Institute of IT Training’s National Conference & Exhibition, aimed at corporate and commercial trainers, training managers, L&D managers and HR managers.

Expect talks from the experts, the opportunity to develop your skills and up-to-date information in the field of Learning & Development.

Click here for more information

The Scottish Learning Festival
Wednesday 21^st – Thursday 22^ndSeptember | SECC, Glasgow

An event all about Teaching and Learning, the Scottish Learning Festival offers the opportunity to, “enhance the education professional.”

The list of targets is a long one: headteachers, senior management, policy makers, librarians, community learning and development staff, youth workers and volunteers from local authorities and third sector organisations, college and careers staff, and teaching practitioners in early years, primary, secondary, further and special education establishments.

Click here for more information

World of Learning
Tuesday 27th – Wednesday 28th September | NEC, Birmingham

This conference and exhibition is aimed at all senior level decision makers and buyers. Expect product launches, high profile case studies from industry experts, a host of seminars and networking opportunities.

Click here for more information.

European Conference on eLearning
Thursday 10^th – Friday 11^th November | University of Brighton

This is the 10^th of the ECEL events, which each year is hosted by a different European city. According to the organisers the conferences, “are places to find the excitement of learning new things, the support and stimulation of like-minded professionals in learning and the opportunity to reflect productively on research evidence and conceptual thinking in the field.”

Click here for more information

And one from our German Office:

Online Educa Berlin
Wednesday 30^th November – Friday 2^nd December | Hotel InterContinental

Online Educa Berlin pitches itself as the; “the largest international platform for exchanging ideas and experiences on ICT-supported enhanced education and training”.

Expect conferences with big name speakers, discussions, debates, an exhibition with lots of new products and emerging trends and plenty of networking opportunities.

Click here for more information.

My list does not claim to be a comprehensive one, so if you know of other elearning events in 2011 worth noting leave a comment…

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Moodle at BETT 2011

Posted by Joel Kerr on 06 Jan

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BETT 2011
Stand N2
12-15 January 2011
Olympia, London

Synergy Learning is looking forward to next week when we get to exhibit our wares at the world’s largest education technology event. BETT brings together the leading names in innovative education technology, new elearning organisations and the global teaching and learning community from early years to universities.

This will be the 27th year of BETT which has grown to feature almost 700 exhibitors, attracting close to 30,000 visitors. According to the organisers, “BETT is an indispensable part of the annual knowledge-gathering process, coming at a time when establishments are planning and budgeting for the new school year.”

Why should you attend?

BETT is a showcase of all that is new and innovative within the industry and is an opportunity for education professionals to pick up a wealth of knowledge as well as evaluate and purchase a comprehensive range of ICT products and services.

There will be the opportunity to “touch, test and compare” resources for learners at all levels. There will be free hands-on training, technical help, over 100 seminars, product launches, networking opportunities and the chance to discuss education technology with industry experts and established suppliers

Who should attend?

BETT 2011 covers the entire education spectrum and is aimed at everyone from early learners to higher education and all that’s in between.

BETT 2011 will benefit:

Teachers
Department Heads
Subject Heads
Education Officers
Governors
Librarians
Bursars
Facilities Managers
Teachers Trainers
Inspectors
School Boards
Network Managers IT/ICT Co-ordinators
Head Teachers/Principals
School Management Teams
Parents
LEA’s
Special Needs Teachers
Technicians
Classroom Assistants
Home Educators
Student Teachers
Nursery Staff
Lecturers

Registration for BETT 2011 is now open, for more information visit the BETT show website. See you at stand N2

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Twenty Ten

Posted by Joel Kerr on 30 Dec

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It’s said so often (and I’m not afraid of a good cliché so I am going to say it as well) where did the year go? It seems like yesterday since I was walking through the doors of Synergy Learning for the first time and since I was sitting down to my first blog post.

In fact it was a year ago!

So as we get ready to see in the New Year I am going to give you ten of my highlights from 2010 – things that stood out in my mind at the time of writing (bearing in mind I am still in the grips of my Christmas recovery!).

In no particular order…

The BETT Show

A great start to any e-learning calendar I was lucky enough to get over to BETT for a day trip. Roy, Alex, Jonny, Ian and Andrea were the core team manning the Moodle stand at London’s Olympia from 13th – 16th January and as always the response was mighty

iMoot

2010 played host to the first iMoot where the who’s who of the Moodle glitterati presented to Moodlers around the world. Among the presenters were Synergy Learning’s Technical Director Alex Büchner and Moodle Trainer Ian Wild.

The World Cup

Vuvuzela’s weren’t the only thing that caught the attention of the Synergy Learning office. Our heated Fantasy Football League was a close one and I was delighted to come out on top and very disappointed for Jonny McAlister who spent so much time at the bottom of the table he contemplated making it his permanent address.

Moodle 2.0

Is it this month? Next month? No, tomorrow you say? Yes that’s right – with more ‘will they, won’t theys’ than a soap extra-marital affair Moodle finally released the much anticipated Moodle 2.0. The biggest Moodle release to date with more new and improved features than could be mentioned in this short post (don’t forget to visit our ‘Route to Moodle 2.0’ page to see how we can seamlessly facilitate your upgrade).

Our Fifth Birthday

Although not the fifth year of Synergy Learning, 2010 was the fifth birthday of the company under the ownership of Roy Kerley and Alex Buchner. We celebrated in style…that’s all I’m saying!

Race for Life

We were very proud of our girls who raised a non-to shabby £700 for Cancer Research by taking part in the Race for Life up at Stormont (Belfast) in May. Inspired by photos they had seen from previous years of girls stumbling over the finish line looking red, sweaty and like they were on their last legs, our girls finished the 5k with dignity and grace – and then swore never to put themselves through a similar agony again!

Award-winning Theme Design

While I am being proud I may as well mention Caroline Kennedy who won Moodle 2.0 Theme contest, hosted by New School Learning, with her ‘Splash’ Theme. Caroline won herself an iPad and Splash can now be found as part of Moodle 2.0’s core code.

iPad

It is worth mentioning that 2010 was the year the newest addition to the Apple family was released and a number of iPad‘s have found their way into the Synergy Learning offices. Received with a mixed response the tablet is sure to impact the future of elearning one way or the other.

New Hosting Platform

This was also the year our Senior Networks Engineer, Peter Hinds, built our new Hosting Platform from scratch. Optimised for Moodle and Mahara, “it is a fully resilient platform comprised of hardware manufactured by industry leading vendors.” Click here to read all about it in Pete’s blog post. Not bad Pete!

Scotland

Our Belfast office is just a stone’s throw from Scotland so everyone was delighted for our Managing Director, Roy Kerley, who was appointed to the Board of the eLearning Alliance – a member-based organisation that supports Scotland’s elearning community. We have enjoyed a lot of new business from that direction and met some great people.

And one lowlight…

We were sorry to say goodbye to Fearghal Murphy who left us for sunnier climes (Florida to be more specific). I would like to wish Fearghal all the best for the future, and given that he’s prone to sunburn I would like to wish him good luck for the present as well!

So there you have it – ten memorable moments from the last 365 days… obviously it is difficult to fit a year into one blog post but not a bad list!

Here’s to the next 365…in the meantime I would like to thank you all for reading and wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Joel

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Snow School Today

Posted by Joel Kerr on 23 Dec

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I don’t know what it is like in the rest of the world but the UK and Ireland have been heavily disrupted by the recent bad weather. As a result the majority of schools have been closed or had to close for some length of time. As always this inspires a flurry of blog posts venting anger and astonishment that in the age of the Virtual Learning Environment schools aren’t better prepared for such an eventuality.

This guy (click here) in particular has pre-empted the excuses a school might give for not continuing operations via their VLE and although it is interesting to read his responses they do seem a bit idealistic.

So what do you think? Should schools be at a stage where they can use their VLE to continue operations even when the building is closed?

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