Learning Platform

What is Learning Platform?

Definition: -

A Learning Platform is an integrated set of interactive online services that provides the teachers, learners, parents and others involved in education with information, tools and resources to support and enhance educational delivery and management.
A Learning Platform is a comprehensive system enabling secure, web-based training and e-learning solution that employs a simple and intuitive user interface.

How does this platform make Learning easy?

• Content Management:
  The tools that the Learning Platform uses enable the delivery of electronic learning content, whether it is written in house, or imported from other commercial packages; it enables the teachers, professors as well as trainers to create, store and repurpose resources and coursework which can be accessed online.
• Curriculum mapping and planning:
  provides tools and storage to support assessment for learning, personalisation, lesson planning etc.
• Communications:
  The various tools integrated into the Learning System facilitate communication by means of email, messaging, discussion forums, bulletin boards and blogs.
• Management:
  This includes systems and tools that support the management of the teaching and learning process by tracking the progress of the students, users, trainees with assessment tests. Besides, administration of the entire online classroom setup, that is - enabling access to pupil information, attendance, timetabling, e-portfolios and management information, all this is effectively managed through a Learning Platform.

The Learning Platform can be used in educational institutes mainly-schools, colleges and universities. Besides, corporate organizations, banks can also use this system for training purpose and easy employee assessment. The confidential data and official documents of the organization can be easily managed and organized with the help of learning platform.

Lets take into consideration the benefits of Learning Platform if integrated into educational institutes- schools, colleges, and universities
An effective learning platform that is embedded in the working practices of the educational institutes can offer a wide range of benefits to teachers, pupils, parents and at the same time support management and administration.

Practical Benefits to Teachers
An effective learning platform will enable teachers to:

• Create and share teaching materials which can be accessed online, printed out or used with an interactive whiteboard
• Put their resources online page by page, lesson plan by lesson plan, so colleagues can access them both in school and from home
• Access a wide variety of learning materials that they can customise for the exact needs of their pupils
• Access lesson plans from colleagues to support supply cover
• Assess, monitor and track individual and group progress
• Receive submissions of work from pupils in one area that is easy to manage
• Manage their timetables, diary, email and discussions within personal desktop space
• Increase their ICT competence and confidence.

Practical Benefits to Pupils
An effective learning platform will enable pupils to:

• Access learning materials created by their teachers and others, outside lesson time and from locations such as the library and home
• Store work and notes online for use in assignments, homework and revision, outside normal school hours
• Work at their own pace and with a wider choice of learning styles, through a more personalised curriculum
• Create an online portfolio, including digital photos and videos of performance as well as text
• Improve their ICT skills and online management of materials
• Submit homework and assignments for marking and assessment
• Communicate by email and participate in live discussions and forums with other students and teachers.

Practical Benefits to Parents
An effective learning platform will enable parents and guardians to:

• Play a greater part in children's learning, where they have access to the learning platform from home
• Support children in any learning which takes place outside school
• Access their child's personal home page to keep track of their work and the curriculum
• View reports, attendance data and scores in assessment activities
• Communicate effectively with teachers, school administrators and others supporting their child’s learning
• Engage with wider school issues through online communication tools
• Become active partners with the school.

Practical Benefits for Administration and Management
An effective learning platform will:

• Provide up-to-date management information on attendance and attainment
• Track the progress of individuals and groups of children
• Collate summative and formative assessments
• Reduce the administrative burden on teachers by using transferable data
• Enable communication within school and beyond, on a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many basis
• Increase communication with parents.

This video will give a close and more pragmatic look into the Learning Platform: -
http://vimeo.com/8837762

Learning Platforms have the potential to make learning easy and effective by making use of ICT systems. Collaboration and communication between the users within the region and internationally, to personalized learning spaces, meeting the needs of individual pupils, the significance of learning platform is vast. E-learning therefore is the best form of education in the technology savvy and fast paced world.