Londonlearning news update
Febuary 2010
NAIS Annual Conference USA, a first for Londonlearning
Londonlearning is pleased to be making new friends and exhibiting for the first time at the USA’s National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference, in San Francisco.
With over thirty years experience of managing change in education around the world, Londonlearning’s Managing Director Gerry Barnard is looking forward to meeting many school heads, board chairs/trustees, admission directors, business directors, diversity directors, division heads and department chairs, associate heads, development directors, and teacher-leaders, against the climate of today's enormous and sometimes unsettling change.
“In San Francisco we hope to share our experience of working with the United Kingdom’s leading independent schools to tackle the similar challenges faced by our American friends. I know that teachers are often called upon to do what sometimes seems impossible, but I am confident that with our Institute of Administrative Management backing, we have much to offer that can help our USA colleagues to triumph and, therefore, all young people to succeed and grow”.
At the 2010 Annual Conference, NAIS intends to model the power of divergent thinking by profiling unique success stories and by bringing together thought-leaders who are known for their resilience, adaptability, and achievement. In addition to the Exhibitors in the Main Conference Hall there will be more than 125 one-hour workshops and speakers for delegates to attend. Thousands of conference participants will come from across the USA and over 150 international visitors have registered.
San Francisco offers a symbolically rich home for the NAIS conference, where independent school leaders will gather to change, adapt, and build new muscle for the continued challenges that lay ahead. 
January 2010
Teaching Assistants train with Londonlearning
It is not only young people that are learning online with Londonlearning. Primary school teaching assistants are now being trained at St Mary Magdalene Academy in Islington to develop their own ICT skills, using Londonlearning’s e-learning course.
Annah Sigola, Head of ICT at the award winning City Academy has enrolled the adult teaching assistants so that they can soon help very young learners in the neighbouring primary school.
Earlier last year Annah enrolled a number of secondary school teaching assistants so that they too could be competent and confident in ICT at Level 2.
Teaching assistants support learners in classrooms across the curriculum at the City Academy. As pupils can access the Londonlearning tutorials and assessments anywhere at school, having a qualified teaching assistant at hand to mentor their progress is an excellent development.
 December 2009
A new office in Guernsey
Londonlearning wishes all its customers and learners a happy, peaceful and successful 2010.
For the New Year we have moved to a new office in the centre of Guernsey.
Avenue House
St Julian’s Avenue
St Peter Port
Guernsey
GY1 1WA
November 2009
Confronting cyberbullies.
Londonlearning launches new online staff development programme in e-Safety
For many young people, the online world offers unprecedented opportunities to communicate, create, discover, learn and be entertained in a virtual environment.
However, we know that some people have used the internet for grooming children and young people with the ultimate aim of exploiting them sexually. We also know that ICT offers new weapons for cyberbullies, who may torment their victims via websites or text messages. We know that children and young people have been exposed to inappropriate content when online, which has sometimes led to their involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour.
Schools today must therefore be concerned with e-safety. The Londonlearning staff development programme in e-safety poses key questions for schools and teachers, the answers to which will help them to formulate effective policies, as well as to review and keep those policies up to date with today’s rapidly changing online environment.
The e-Safety staff development programme
Aim
To ensure greater understanding of e-safety issues in organisations working with children
To develop effective solutions that contribute to safe practices and safer systems for children
The programme includes:
- flexible staff development programme for in-house delivery
- e-safety policy and procedure templates
- facilitator guidance notes
- individual and group exercises
- monitoring and reporting facility for senior managers
- online resources for continuing study
- support for teachers that is tailored to their existing levels of expertise
The Londonlearning resources have been developed by expert schoolteachers, and take account of the increased capabilities and wider uses of new technologies.
To find out more about this essential online staff development programme, please contact: info@London-learning.com
October 2009
October 2009 Update
Once again, Londonlearning was pleased to support the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Annual Conference, this year held in Liverpool.
HMC Annual Conference is a key event for Londonlearning, providing an opportunity to exhibit and meet with Heads of leading independent schools from the UK, and around the world, in a relaxed, professional environment.
“As well as meeting up with some of our important customers in Liverpool, we were delighted this year to meet leaders from as far away as Bangalore and South Africa” said Gerry Barnard, Managing Director, Londonlearning.
This year the Annual Conference was opened by a head teacher, the Right Worshipful Cllr. Mike Storey CBE, Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
During the three days of seminars and presentations, delegates heard a wide variety of speakers including, Brian Barwick, Simon Singh, General Sir Mike Jackson GCB, CBE, DSO, Roger McGough CBE, and Phil Thompson, former Liverpool FC Captain.
Londonlearning, ready to meet HMC delegates, Liverpool 2009
September 2009
Breaking down the barriers to learning from home
Londonlearning’s Course Management System (CMS) now helps more and more students to study from home.
Learners are able to study for a nationally recognised qualification in ICT, thanks to improvements in Internet access for so many homes in the UK now.
“Online learning does not mean just passively sitting in front of a computer screen”, says Terry Clark at Londonlearning, “learners at home have to interact with the programmes and mark their exercises online too”.
New features in the Londonlearning CMS now enable learners to upload their assessment evidence from home, as well as allowing tutors to set different reviewers to comment on a learner’s assignment.
Terry reports that both learners who are taught at home, as well as school pupils who are doing homework, benefit from using the CMS. “We believe this is a good way for schools to reach out into the community and help break down the barriers to learning that sometimes exist.” Further information on the CMS is available by e-mailing info@London-learning.com
April 2009
Advanced ICT qualification now available in short course format
The Institute of Administrative Management will now offer unit accreditation for Londonlearning’s advanced ICT online course.
The IAM Certificate in ICT will now be available to candidates in 30 hour, short course modules, as well as the full qualification mode. Candidates not able to undertake the full 180 hour, Level 3 Certificate qualification can now study for individual Level 3 unit certification from the Awarding Body instead.
Advanced online short course modules available include:
- Programming
- Data handling
- Web design
- Internet research
- Word processing
“IAM’s decision should be very popular with our centres,” said Gerry Barnard, Managing Director, Londonlearning. “Sixth formers and FE students will find it easier to fit an online short course into their curriculum programme and pick up specialist skills for example in web design. It should also prove a popular extension opportunity for Level 2 students who complete their studies in good time”.
Further information is available by e-mailing info@London-learning.com
March 2009
New assessment technology upgrade
Londonlearning is pleased to announce an assessment technology upgrade.
ICT centres and individual online learners can now download the latest Marking Engine Upgrades from the Londonlearning CMS, for Windows 2000-2003, XP and Vista users.
Customers are advised to download and install the new release before deleting their current version of the software.
February 2009
Important information for all our customers
Londonlearning increases Server capacity to meet demand
More customers, and more products, mean Londonlearning has had to review its server capacity to make sure there is enough capacity for increased user traffic.
Consequently, we have moved to a new server farm and all ICT customers will need to know our new online address from 1st March. Existing customers will see a click through link to the new site until the end of the month.
Londonlearning’s new address is:
http://74.50.120.150/ll-cms/ for online ICT learners
All My-iPortfolio customers will use the same address stem
http://74.50.120.150/ followed by their centre logins.
January 2009
New demo discs for learners
Londonlearning has made available three new demo discs to help new customers and online learners.
The first demo aims particularly at international customers and shows how the Londonlearning ICT courses work in Britain’s finest schools and colleges.
The second short demo shows online students how to use the course Marking Engine to assess their ICT skills….
And thirdly, another demo is available for teachers now, showing how SARA, the course online reporting system works.
All three demos can be downloaded from the Londonlearning website.
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