How does gamification improve learning? 3 simple ways

By: Omar Abdul-Hafiz

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The 21st of April this year marked the 239th birthday of the renowned German educator and pedagogue, Friedrich Fröbel. Perhaps the most remarkable contribution made by Fröbel was the invention of the kindergarten where nowadays many of us drop off our kids on our way to work.

But what exactly do kids do at the kindergarten? Learn the alphabet? Sing? Meet new friends?

Probably a combination of those things, and more. But there’s this one main ingredient that makes the kindergarten what it is. It’s called… fun! As simple as that. According to Fröbel, “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul.”

The many handy applications of Web Portals, Part II: Education

By: Omar Abdulhafiz

In the previous part of this series, we briefly discussed what a web portal is and shed some light on what it can do for the Enterprise sector. We talked about two main types of portals, the Intranet portal and the Extranet portal, and addressed each one in some detail.

In this part, we move on to discuss how a web portal can be applied to serve the Education sector. And in fact, the web portal can be greatly beneficial for streamlining communication in Educational institutions, be they schools, universities, or other types of academic institutes.

So, without further ado, let us dive into it.

Education in the time of Corona: What lessons can we learn?

By: Omar Abdul-Hafiz

If you had the impression that the title of this article faintly resonates with that of the famous Gabriel García Márquez novel “Love in the Time of Cholera”, then you are correct. After all, the dramatic impact that the coronavirus pandemic had brought on the world in virtually all facets of life is nothing short of a drama itself.

But one particular aspect that was especially affected by the coronavirus pandemic is education. According to UNESCO estimates, as of March 2020, over 90 percent of the world’s students were already forced to stay home. And that was only two months after coronavirus had spread in China. So, what does this all mean for the future of education as we know it?

How blended learning will change our education system

By: Cesilia Faustina

Since the start of coronavirus and with a pandemic in our midst, we have constantly been becoming more aware of the presence of online learning and the use of technology to practice social distancing. As more schools are conducting online classes, educational institutions are depending on these types of methods to help them get through times of uncertainty.

Now, with people trying to adopt the new normal, many schools and other education institutes are gathering methods to ready their students for the year or semesters. There has been constant talk about adopting a blended learning style in dealing with the new normal, so will this be it? Are we forced to live in a world where blended learning is the new normal?

COVID-19: The new normal of education

By: Cesilia Faustina

Around the month of February, schools around the world started to shut down since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Most countries were in unison about the decision to stop gathering kids in a communal space, however, many were not sure about the impacts towards the education system.

As soon as the COVID-19 took place, it was obvious that closing schools was the right action, however, shutting education institutions is not something any country could afford to do on a prolonged basis. Courses eventually continued to be given through online conference calls and many education institutions are depending on the use of education software.

7 ways digital education is changing classrooms

By: Cesilia Faustina

COVID-19 or not, there’s no point in denying that digitalization is the future. We all live in a world where technology is slowly becoming our new overlords, and everyday activities tend to involve technology these days. The education sector is one great example of this.

Bureaucrats have long been criticized for not doing enough with the education system. From lack of equality to a bureaucratic system, there are tons to criticize about the way things are done. In the US, critics of public education argue that schools completely run on bureaucracy with many public education being tied to so many stakeholders, ergo, insufficiently distribute education to all students. Even one of the countries with some of the best education systems, such as Finland, is being criticised.

Digital education: a solution for education in times of crisis

By: Cesilia Faustina

In the midst of a pandemic, more institutions are turning to online education to ensure that students can still continue their education like normal. This has been a major concern ever since quarantine all over the world started taking place. Most schools are now shut down and parents are concern about their children’s future.

The situation doesn’t stop educational institutions though. Many institutions are already starting to utilize technology to support their teaching programs even before the coronavirus wave started, and now that we’re here, people are looking at digital technology as the main tool for education distribution.

The benefits of the blended learning method and how a Learning Management System (LMS) can improve it

By: Omar Abdul-Hafiz

The concept of blended learning has become a widely acclaimed trend in the global education sector over the past few years. The idea of ‘blending’ together a formula of traditional learning with a touch of modern technology has been appreciated among education professionals the world over. And one of the best things about blended learning is that it applies not only for elementary school education, but can work just as well in the higher education sector.

But in order to put together a successful Blended Learning environment, there needs to be a suitable digital platform that works as a link between the traditional classroom and the digitalized learning experience. And this is where Learning Management Systems (LMS) can be of great help.