Back in 2014, I was asked by the then ministers for schools – Michael Gove, for universities – David Willetts and for Industry – Matthew Hancock, to look forward at technology in learning by 2025 and to offer them some policy recommendations that would enable innovation, whilst deepening and accelerating learning. They also insisted that this should all be “fun”.

With a wonderful team in our Educational Technology Action Group, we were able to fairly clearly define that world of Future Learning. Today in 2018 it is apparent just how accurate were with our predictions and it is interesting to consider the implication of these future directions today.

Firstly, we suggested that even by 2020 we would know a lot more about the little details of better learning. Taking a cue perhaps from Olympic and elite sports, it is the aggregation of those little marginal gains that build remarkable progress. In Education, this means attention to every detail from behaviour protocols to the temperature, light, CO2 and sound levels in our learning environments. For example, small mobile devices have enabled children to monitor their own noise levels. In a London school, this means an old tablet running a decibel meter app on a stand with two children watching it and successfully nagging their peers to keep volumes down. In a Sydney school, it means BYOP (Bring Your Own Plant) as children bring their own plants in to boost oxygen and minimise CO2 levels. Just as with health, as we know more about how to improve things, it is the children who take action to make their learning better. In a world of cloud data and the internet of things, they are increasingly well armed to do precisely this.

Secondly, we could see that learning was going global. With great video linking tools like Skype and some powerful real-time translation technologies doing the hard world in global activity, the challenge is now helping children to understand the difference between doing project work with other students on the same line of longitude (and with school day times that are roughly aligned) or with other students on the same line on latitude (who can carry on working whilst our student sleep). The only way to do this is through online collaboration and the opportunities for that have never been better with online platforms and tools like our own LP+365.

Finally, it was already clear in 2014 that emerging technologies are becoming ever more personal, with phones and watches offering remarkable power already and folk watching bespoke TV channels or contributing their own.

These three trends put children themselves (and indeed all learners) very much at the heart of future learning’s progress. If learning going more personal is not to become a solitary lonely world, then schools and others need to work hard at collaboration and collegiality. Doing things together matters. As the PISA tests so beloved by politicians evolve it is no surprise today to see collaborative problem-solving at the heart of the new capabilities that PIS seeks to use to rank nations.

So, future learning is already very much with us. We know more about better learning and need to apply it, learning is going global and needs strategies, whilst our learners need voice and vote in making their own learning better. This all sounds like to most exciting future for us all as of course, the pace of change is remarkable. 2025 will be here, as we promised in ETAG, by 2020!

LP+365 on ewis Devices

The LP+365 LMS App on E-W Information Systems (EWIS) devices will aid classroom collaborations, enabling educators and students to create and share in entirely new ways for immersive and inclusive learning experiences.

Colombo Sri Lanka 23 February 2017 – Learning Possibilities, a Microsoft Global Alliance Partner and E W Information Systems Ltd (EWIS), celebrating 30 years in the IT industry, have announced an agreement to roll out the fully featured LP+365 – Learning Management System (LMS), utilizing Microsoft Office 365, on EWIS devices. The roll-out was announced at a media conference attended by Hon. Sagala Ratnayaka – Minister of Law and Order and the Hon. Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Sanjeewa Wickramanayake – Chairman EWIS, Mehool Sanghrajka – CEO Learning Possibilities, Ms. Rani Burchmore – Education Partner Director Asia-Pacific Region Microsoft, and Brian Kealey – Microsoft Country Director Sri Lanka.

The LP+365 App, which is hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud, provides an intuitive user interface and personalized dashboard– leveraging the Office 365 cloud solution to aid classroom collaborations and assessments, engaging users to ensure a deeper learning.
With LP+365, teachers can add announcements, load resources and set assignments at a click of a button, while students can see their daily calendar, assigned homework, previous submissions, their particular class/subject site and curriculum material – all neatly organized and easily accessible. This includes instant access to favorite Office 365 Apps like Word, Class Notebook, PowerPoint, etc. LP+365 will enable educators and students to create and share in entirely new ways for a more immersive and inclusive learning experience.

EWIS has been a Microsoft Partner since 1997 and a Microsoft Education Partner since 2013, authorizing them to provide education solutions based on their cutting edge technology.

Sanjeewa Wickramanayake, Chairman EWIS said:

“In keeping with our Government’s vision to create a digitally inclusive next generation, we believe that this partnership will be of great value to students and educators, alike. Technology in education is so important now that we hope this platform will support and drive our next generation into digitalization.”

Mehool Sanghrajka, CEO Learning Possibilities, further added that:

“The LP+365 LMS for Office 365 is built on our award-winning technology. Our global partnership with Microsoft will mean that schools in various Asia Pacific markets will be able to use LP+365 to enhance the teaching and learning experience and drive employability skills.”

Ms. Rani Burchmore, Education Partner Director Asia-Pacific Region, Microsoft commented:

“The partnership with Learning Possibilities and E W Information Systems brings proven software and technology with local support to drive educational impact on Office 365 and replicate best practice and results that we have already seen.”

As a local company, one of the key features of E W Information Systems Ltd is education and empowerment of students through technology, knowledge and equipment. For the past three decades, E W Information Systems Ltd has been in the IT Industry and in 2013 opened Sri Lanka’s first Computer manufacturing plant which manufactures computers, desktops and tablet notebooks of international standards.

“With the Government’s vision for a digital transformation in classroom education, this agreement will enable users of our products to avail themselves to subjects such as Maths, Science and English through an easy-to-use app on their own devices,” added Wickramanayake.

About Learning Possibilities
Learning Possibilities are a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner implementing e-learning solutions with expertise in cloud computing for education and government customers. The Learning Possibilities’ LP+ platform built on Microsoft technologies is currently available to over 1 million users across the UK. In 2015 the company’s contract to supply the All Wales National learning platform (based on the award-winning LP+4 learning platform) to the Welsh Government was extended to 2018. An independent research done by Lancaster University in 2009 shows that the LP+ learning platform drives educational outcomes. Learning Possibilities has also published the LP+ Adopt e-maturity framework for schools, selected by Becta (UK Department of Education) as the National Learning Platform Adoption Model for England. See more on www.learningpossibilities.com

About E W Information Systems
E W Information Systems (EWIS) has 25 years of experience in the education sector, and is committed to offering client-oriented services focused on facilitating efficiency, innovation, and creativity through the field of Information Technology (IT). EWIS is a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner.

Press Contacts:
Learning Possibilities | +44 (0) 20 8236 1018 | bansri.mehta@lpplus.com
E W Information Systems | +94 77 7349620 | nirmal@ewisl.net

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