(1888PressRelease)
April 01, 2008 - Pupils at Maidstone Grammar School in Kent now have online access anywhere and at anytime to lessons, homework and other learning resources after introducing Studywiz – a virtual learning environment from Etech. Parents will soon be able to log on and engage in their child’s education from home. Studywiz (www.studywiz.com) provides an online space where educational content is collected, organised and managed to create an enriched learning environment and curriculum for students.
Studywiz, used in more than 20 countries world-wide, provides students with a collaborative space to engage in learning and empowers teachers with 21st century management tools. It helps make educational content more dynamic by enabling personalised learning, active communication and real-time assessment within a safe and secure environment. It also allows teachers to track the progress of pupils and deliver lessons online, with parents also able to monitor the progress of their child.
Among new features of Studywiz is the Gallery, a dynamic and engaging space that harnesses the enthusiasm and motivation of the latest social networking tools to allow students to upload multimedia material, rate resources, collaborate with fellow pupils and participate in online discussions. There’s also an ePortfolio, where learners can store a record of their achievements throughout their entire school life and beyond. Students eager to learn at home and on the move can also use the new dedicated mobile interface which allows users to access from Studywiz from an iPod, mobile phone and PDAs.
Maidstone Grammar School is also among a select group of schools that is piloting the Kent Learning Zone (KLZ), a new portal set up by Kent County Council aimed at helping schools manage their IT in a simple, secure and user-friendly centralised system. The recent launch of the KLZ and the school’s adoption of Studywiz, will help them to achieve the Government’s target of ensuring that every child has access to personalised learning by August 2008.
Kevin Young, E-Learning Manager at Maidstone Grammar School, comments: “Staff and pupils have been really impressed with Studywiz. Teachers have been surprised by how easy Studywiz is to use. It’s very intuitive and helps the school to implement the requirement for anywhere anytime learning. Parents also like the idea of class resources being available online as it helps them to engage in their child’s education. Studywiz opens up learning for everyone – teachers, pupils and parents - it is just what we have been looking for! It’s empowering students to become their own educators.”
Mr Young continued: “Studywiz is fundamental to our curriculum strategy here at Maidstone Grammar School. We’re aiming to develop independent studying and learning and we think the best way of doing that is to give pupils the opportunity to access resources outside of the classroom. Studywiz also gives the students the ability to learn when it’s most appropriate to them; learning doesn’t have to finish at 3.30pm.”
A BECTA-approved learning platform, Studywiz is now used in eight Local Authorities in the UK. Mike Damiano, UK Vice President of Etech Europe, commented: “By working closely with Kent County Council, we’ve been able to provide a world-class learning platform solution while still providing individual schools like Maidstone Grammar, the freedom of choice to meet their teaching and learning needs. We’ve been working with schools in Kent for three years now and they continue to help us push the boundaries of e-learning.”
The Etech Group is also the first company in the world to customise Studywiz for the iPhone following successful pilot projects with Studywiz and iPods in Edinburgh, Australia and the USA to evaluate the potential of iPods to engage and stimulate students in learning.
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