Take Control of Your Future

With five million adults in the UK without any qualifications (Leitch Review – Skills in the UK 2006) the government are starting to take action to ensure that there are more opportunities for education. They have launched a campaign to provide the necessary information for both companies and individuals to start looking towards skills development.

There is more emphasis being put onto specific skills training as opposed to sheer academic studying to try and reach more people. It has been noted that 143, 000 jobs are left unfilled due to lack of correct skills (LCS’s National Employer Skills Survey 2005). Alongside this is the fact that two out of three jobs in the near future will require better qualifications. This highlights the problem and the ‘Learning and Skills Council’ is trying to address this before it spirals out of control.

With the Olympics around the corner and a further mass of jobs being created, there is an even greater incentive for people to be thinking about personal development. There are many possibilities online with E-learning now and there is an opportunity for everyone. Hopefully more people will be inspired by the new jobs that will be available and will start using their computers to their full potential; gaining themselves more qualifications and making them more employable all at once.

If you would like to learn more about Learning and Skills Council visit : http://inourhands.lsc.gov.uk/index.html

The Digital Divide: 'Adults' vs 'Everyone Else'

It is becoming the norm to hear a pre-teen son explaining to his middle-aged father how to organise his photo albums on their personal computer or how to draft an email for a relatives’ birthday.

The way in which the youth of today has embraced the internet age is astonishing – it used to be that the only way to find information for homework projects was in Encyclopaedias, now there are so many online resources that can take the place of one hard copy book. The impact of this is that all the information needed is found in one place, at the touch of a button. Long gone are the days of traipsing off to the library to join the line with your multitudes of photocopying costing you 10p a sheet, or the overdue book fines that are inevitable when you have a big project due, this is all replaced by a tidy folder conveniently located on your desktop.

A recurring opinion of the ‘older’ generation is that nothing produced will ever beat the book and how can all of the information found be classed as credible research material? Along with any other resource used, as long as it is cited correctly, online articles are just as legitimate as any bibliography. Try telling this to your same shirt wearing, grey haired English professor! Could it be that maybe he is just a little bit scared of change?

I do have to feel for those teachers who are yet to embrace the internet age, it must be really unnerving when, walking through the corridors, they hear conversation regarding anti-exam groups or I-hate-homework sites. Could it be that kids now have a place to voice their opinions where there is no Big Brother eye looking over them?

The idea that Teachers are the enemy is nothing new; students are always trying to get one past them. The Technology section of the Guardian Online posted an article called, “The kids are alright online,” where, once again, the kid’s have found another way to get at their teachers.
"The latest thing in Surrey right now is downloading high-pitched tones that only children can hear [the 17kHz "Mosquito"] on to their mobiles, Bluetoothing them around, and then starting up a cacophony in lessons - they can hear it and double up in agony, but their teacher can't."

For any teacher or parent who wants to be able to understand the goings-on of their students/children, the answer seems simple to me, learn for yourself! It is never too late to take on a new project – get one over on them and let them marvel at your computer skills for a change!

Grades Released on the Internet: Result!

I remember the feeling of waiting for my exam results as one of the most nerve racking experiences of my life. At that point in time it seems that nothing else matters and your whole future is dependent on whether that piece of paper tells you that the last couple of years have not been a waste of time. The butterflies in your stomach, feeling sick and snapping at your friends; all as normal as the regular trip you have been making to school for the last 16 years of your life.

There is nothing that can make this emotional time any easier other than actually retrieving your results. So imagine being away for the summer holiday that normally you would be looking forward to so much. You’re getting texts from friends telling you how excited and happy they are that they have passed and can finally relax and get on with their summers. There you are at this ‘beautiful’, ‘hot’, ‘fun’ holiday resort actually wishing you were back in ‘glum’, ‘boring’ and ‘dull’ England.

Finally one of the exam boards are getting their act together and have set up a system where students can register and look up their results online. I can’t believe that it has taken this long to get this up and running. I think it’s fair to say that most households either have the internet or at least easy access to it. If this was available when I was waiting for my GCSE results I would have actually been able to enjoy the holiday I was on at the time!

The only drawback currently, is that it’s only ‘Edexcel’ that are providing this service. Therefore, the students will not be able to access all grades. At least the younger students can sit comfortably knowing that the system is being piloted, and hope that it’s all fully up and running by the time they have to worry about their exam results. All I can say is “well done Edexcel and hurry up you others!”

E-Learning Games: Fun or Functional?

One of the latest technology advances that has surfaced recently is the use of E-Learning Games. These have been put in place for the purpose of training and many companies are taking the option seriously. It seems that the times of text books and chalk boards are well and truly in the past.

I can see how these are a popular choice. People enjoy playing games and, therefore, would most likely be happy to uptake this type of training. It could also be deemed more effective because it will lessen boredom and, in turn, improve concentration. Broadening people’s minds is another positive for this kind of training as they have to think around the subject more in some cases.

An example of a game that is actually quite educational, despite not being made for that purpose is ‘SIMS’. This game asks the player to create a world and they have to think about all consequences of their actions as well as what to initially put in place. This could be the type of thinking required in work training games so as not to restrict tests to a multiple choice question. This would benefit a company no end as the employee would most likely apply their new broader thinking to other areas of their work.

Whilst researching these games on the internet I came across the site http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/, which has several free examples of ‘virtual learning’. I tried the ‘Virtual Supermarket’. This is basically a form of multiple questions but you have to spot the hazard first. This is a good idea as it doesn’t simply give you a scenario to fix. The person playing the game has to actually look at the situation and think about what could be a health and safety risk before rectifying it.

Although I can see the benefits of these games I can’t help but think they are possibly detrimental to the ability of study. For instance, is this not just ‘dumbing down’ to ensure that everyone is able to pass training and feel more qualified? Following that, I wonder if it would affect the ability to study in the future. It takes a certain skill and practise to learn how to sit an exam or test and surely this would affect the ability to do this further down the line.

It is obvious that these are going to be popular, and I personally think they are a good idea for basic training; a good way to introduce a new employee to a company or even old employees to new ideas. A fun and innovative way to get training on the move, but not something that I would rely on to ensure my employees knew the ‘ins and outs’ of the job.

New Press Release

MindLeadersUK are actively trying to get the word out about our products and services, so we have submitted the following press release:

http://www.pressbox.co.uk/detailed/Education/MindLeadersUK_introduces_interactive_e-Learning_Development_Programs_136531.html

Please have a read and let us know what you think!

Love at First 'Site'

You walk into a crowded bar, the potent smell of sweat, sick, and feet in the air (results of the recent non-smoking ban). A Basement Jaxx song thumps ear-bleedingly loud in the background. As the elbow of an annoying 18 year old wannabe WAG, in a dress short enough to double as a scarf, knocks your ridiculously over-priced double Bacardi and Coke out of your hand and sends it pouring down the front of your £15 Primark tunic dress, you look across the room for the nearest, pay-the-lady-who-sits-in-a-toilet-all-night-and-charges-for-the-luxury-of-soap-aided-cleanliness, bathroom and happen to catch the eye of a handsome stranger.

Realising that, in your current drowned rat condition, you’re staring at this mysterious foreigner you duck your head and make a beeline to the aforementioned ladies room, only to be stopped by a strong, yet strangely delicate, hand on your arm.

Looking up, you realise that the contradictory limb belongs to none other than the recent object of your affection. Your heart skips a beat as he leans closer, whispers a greeting in your ear, tells you that he regretfully has to leave but would love to see you again, and slips a small piece of paper in your hand before turning on his heels and walking (or was it floating?) out the front door.

What follows is a very nervous first-contact telephone call, prompted by the scribbled note that sat on your kitchen bench for 3 days while you worked up the nerve to throw caution to the wind and call him. Several dates subsequent this first interaction, with the nervous nausea diminishing each time, until one day you turn around and realise that the fetching gentleman with the laughing 3 year old on his shoulders is your beloved husband, effortlessly providing the transportation needs of your youngest child.

Now I know most love stories aren’t this fairy tale like but wouldn’t we all like to think that the copious amount of nights out with the ladies would one day end in this boy-meets-girl utopia?

But it seems with the new technologies being introduced every day, scenarios like this are a thing of the past. Internet dating sites, online social networking, and simulation programs mean you can meet, fall in love, and have a relationship with your chosen partner without ever having to set eyes (or hands) on them.

Websites such as Match.com and DatingDirect have taken the hard work and, some would say, excitement out of the dating game by allowing couples to meet and chat online. Users can send their crush a wink, a virtual rose, and can even dedicate a song to them. And who said romance was dead?!

First it was the impersonal form of text messaging, then the dating scene welcomed Instant Messenger and now it seems that the Internet is becoming the most popular method for “Picking up chicks” or “Finding a fella”.

It seems that the local café, movie theatre, or night time hot spot has been replaced by anywhere that provides an Internet connection. Dates can take place in the back seat of a bus if technology allows.

And if the “next step” for virtual daters (i.e: actually meeting the person face to face) seems too overwhelming, programs such as Second Life are the perfect solution for the yellow bellies.

With this software you can experience the long walk on the beach atmosphere while engaging in real-time conversations using voice chat. There are a number of date simulations for you and your lucky someone to get involved in.

So it’s with a begrudging sigh that I say goodbye to my knight in shining armour (or at least stud in Calvin Klein) fantasy and admit that the next time I get ready for my “big date” it may only be a case of charging up the laptop and boiling the kettle.

We shop online for our cars, our groceries, our clothes and now it seems we need to add “life partner” to that list. Oh well, let’s just hope they have what I want in stock!!