All posts by lablearning

Do Grades Still Hold Up in Higher Education?

Do Grades Still Hold Up in Higher Education?

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Do Grades Still Hold Up in Higher Education?Once upon a time, grading a student’s work seemed to achieve its intended goal. It began as an equilateral assessment tool to encourage students to learn and master given material. However, that module was also privy to subjection, systematic pressure and increasing awareness of learning differentials.

In other words, old school grades in higher education worked for some, but not enough for all. As blended learning continues to dominate the curricular landscape, the need for a fresher approach toward determining mastery of skills becomes imminent. So, how can this be done? A simple solution is changing who does the grading.

Peer grading has impressive potential for becoming an effective assessment tool for several reasons:

  • It teaches students equivocal responsibility.
  • It encourages honesty and integrity
  • It sharpens critical thinking and judgment
  • It facilitates constructive communication

Higher education is the learning realm where students began to apply what it means to be peers in an astutely professional sense. Peer grading is an excellent forum to establish a fair system for assessment and to put the aforementioned benefits into practice. There is also an inherent balance within knowing that the person you are grading will grade you, too. It is a subtle, yet proactive push toward peer consideration, development, and sensitivity. Of course, it is also a less biased way toward scoring assignments.

For more information about the current state of grades in higher education and blended learning systems, contact us at Labyrinth Learning.

Image Source: freedigitalphotos

Does Digital Content Affect Reading Comprehension?

Does Digital Content Affect Reading Comprehension?

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Does Digital Content Affect Reading Comprehension?
Source: morgueFile

Many critics of the digital revolution are quick to mention that reading from screens makes for inferior reading comprehension. There is a rising belief that any knowledge gleaned from a digital source is somehow inferior to knowledge gleaned from a traditional paper source. A study in Scientific American makes a number of statements claiming the legitimacy of these fears.

However, what these types of studies fail to note is the perpetually shifting dynamic of technology in education. For example, this specific study is really only comparing the benefits of uniform paper books over the currently ubiquitous scrolling technique popular on most computers and ebook readers.

For a number of logical reasons, the familiarity of the same passage always appearing on the same page, in addition to visually seeing how much total volume of “book” you have completed and are still working on, is a superior choice to fluctuating page locations, text sizes, and representative “books” that offer little sensory perception that currently commonplace in the digital world.

It is quite clear that digital media content does not inherently decrease reading comprehension. As technology improves, the gap between new information and traditional books will decrease, but in the meantime, there are many other aspects to focus on for the benefit of students and teachers alike.

To stay up to date on the latest wonderful advancements in utilizing technology in education, please contact Labyrinth Learning today!

How Technology is Changing the Landscape of Education

How Technology is Changing the Landscape of Education

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How Technology is Changing the Landscape of Education
Source: morgueFile

In ancient times, a centralized university or library was the sole source of education for everyone in a given society. If you wanted to hear a lecture, you had to be physically present when the teacher spoke. If you wanted to read a book, you had to do so in the library itself. If you missed something, you could only go on your own intuition and the guidance of your peers.

However, today, with multimedia recording technologies and the rapid spread of information, any lecture, book, or educational concept is only a Google search away. Brilliant teachers are quoted on Facebook, shared on YouTube, and lauded on Twitter. If someone desires to learn, there is nothing in their way other than an imperfect Wi-Fi connection.

It’s no surprise that low-cost Internet-based educational opportunities are stealing students from traditional university environments. However, the best-of-the-best longstanding universities are embracing this technology in education, including Princeton, Yale, MIT, and Stanford who all offer Massive Open Online Courses utilizing the Coursera platform. These unique classrooms offer the same information available in a standard college format, but make them readily available to the masses.

Even still, as technology in education continues to become more important, expect the university of tomorrow to look nothing like what we see today. If you plan to be a part of the ongoing technological revolution in education, please contact Labyrinth Learning today to see how we can best help you change the way you impact the world.

Important Tips Every PowerPoint User Should Know

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PowerPoint is a potent tool for use in presentations. However, a combination of skill and experience on the part of the presenter can help make a good presentation into an outstanding one.

Important Tips Every PowerPoint User Should KnowHere are important PowerPoint tips for users:

  • Being legible is the single most important consideration for PowerPoint slides. Users need to choose readable fonts, while also making sure that the backgrounds don’t engulf the text. For example, users should never choose to a light-colored text with white backgrounds.
  • Based on the same reasoning, users should reduce the number of graphics included in their presentation. The right graphic at the right time and right place can lend a nice bit of impact to a slide, but a number of them on the same page can end up creating distracting clutter. In short, cut the graphic unless it is on point.
  • Bullet points might not be the best method to organize information being presented on the slides because it can cram too much information on single slides. Instead, give each bullet point its own slide so that the audience has time to read and absorb each one of them.
  • Make sure that the PowerPoint presentation can be shown no matter the computer that is being used to show it. For example, use common fonts in case the computer does not have the same selection installed as the one used to create the presentation.
  • Use the stopwatch feature while practicing to see the time spent on each part.

For more PowerPoint tips and eLearning tips, please contact us at Labyrinth Learning.

Image Source: freedigitalphotos (Ambro)

Why Your Accounting Department Should Start Using Quickbooks

Why Your Accounting Department Should Start Using Quickbooks

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People who have studied accounting understand the tedious and time-consuming effort needed to complete even a single financial statement. Not to mention the frustration of having to start over because of a single mistake, which can render an entire document useless. For businesses, using a robust and easy to use accounting software like QuickBooks is a great solution.

Why Your Accounting Department Should Start Using Quickbooks
Utilize Quickbooks to better manage the accounting in your business.

QuickBooks is the number one rated accounting software in the United States for a good reason. Here is a small selection of the reasons to start using QuickBooks:

  • QuickBooks can help accountants produce the same results in much less time compared to manual calculation. Better still, its speed means that new information can be incorporated into its financial statements as soon as it comes in, meaning that businesses will have up-to-date information for use in their decision-making processes at all times.
  • The chance of human error is reduced because QuickBooks can pull information straight from common business programs.
  • Considering the benefits of using QuickBooks, it is relatively inexpensive.
  • QuickBooks is scalable because it can continue providing businesses with the same benefits even as their operations expand and increase in number. At the same time, QuickBooks is versatile because it can be customized to meet the needs of organizations ranging from non-profits to retailers and manufacturers.
  • Given both the length of its existence and the number of its users, there can be no doubt that QuickBooks is reliable.
  • Learning to use QuickBooks is simple so as to minimize the disruption to businesses from switching over.

For more on QuickBooks, contact us at Labyrinth Learning.

Image Source: jannoon028 (freedigitalphotos)

Speed Up Microsoft Outlook with Simple Tips

Speed Up Microsoft Outlook with Simple Tips

Teaching Tips & Strategies, ,

If you are familiar with Microsoft Outlook and have been using it for quite some time, you know that Outlook can slow down. If Outlook is not looked after properly, it can be just about useless to utilize. However, do not despair, because there are certain effective ways to speed up Outlook. Use these following tips to improve your Microsoft Outlook:

Speed Up Microsoft Outlook with Simple TipsUpdate Your Windows

Most people do not realize that Microsoft Office updates are always hidden, when it comes to standard Windows updates. Nevertheless, keep in mind that besides Office updates, you should allow other updates to go through in order to speed up outlook.

Download All Complete Items

When you connect your Outlook with POP3 or IMAP, you should set the Outlook to download all complete messages, instead of only the headers. If this isn’t practiced, Outlook will not have to synchronize with the server each time you click on new items.

Archive the Inbox

To speed up outlook, always archive all emails in your inbox. If this is not done, it can cause major issues with your Outlook.

Make Use of Cached Exchange Mode

If Cached Exchange Mode is used in Outlook, you efficiently take all the data files from the PST and cache it onto the OST (local machine). This can help towards speeding up Outlook, because it does not have to scan through all the data files across a particular network.

For more tips about speeding up your outlook, contact Labyrinth Learning today.

Image Source: Stuart Miles (freedigitalphotos)

How Windows 8.1 Will Improve Office Life

How Windows 8.1 Will Improve Office Life

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How Windows 8.1 Will Improve Office Life
Source: freedigitalphotos

Although Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8.1 has its appeals for private consumers, it is also going to be powerful enough to fulfill the needs of modern businesses. No matter the exact duties and responsibilities expected of your position, Windows 8.1 in the office will help make it easier to live up to them.

Here are some of the features introduced in Windows 8.1:

  • Work Folders let you work with any device you want at any time. Even if you bring your work home on an unconnected device, your progress will be uploaded to the central server as soon as the device is connected to the Internet. In short, Work Folders give employees more freedom, without getting in the way of IT.
  • Windows 8.1 is meant to be more secure than its predecessors. One example is how Windows Defender is going to include network behavior monitoring, providing the OS with additional native protection against unauthorized intrusion. Furthermore, Microsoft has promised a decade of support for Windows 8.1, which will help keep its protections up-to-date for that period.
  • Microsoft is including native support for VPN clients, making it much easier for businesses to protect their data.
  • There are also numerous user experience improvements that will help make your office life more comfortable. For example, Windows 8.1’s search capabilities are going to be integrated with Bing, making it possible for you to search for anything from your user interface.

For help with the office software meant to go with Windows 8.1, please contact us at Labyrinth Learning.

What's New in Windows 8.1

What’s New in Windows 8.1

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What's New in Windows 8.1
Check out the latest updates in the Windows 8.1 operating system. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Mere days ago, Microsoft brought its newest installment to market, Windows 8.1.  From design to functionality, here are the essential differences in the new Windows operating system:

  • Return of the Start Button. Users who are fans of the iconic Windows Start button will celebrate its return. However, if you were hoping for a Windows 7-esque retreat, then apply the braes. The new Start button leads to the start screen rather than the customary program menu.
  • Improved UI interface. For the experienced Windows user, there’s a constant clash between the new Windows start screen and more traditional desktop interface. Windows 8.1 users will feature less contention between the two.
  • Enhanced functionality for mouses and keyboards. Taking into account that not everyone is using a touch screen, Windows 8.1 has adjustments to ensure that keyboards and mouses work adequately with the system.
  • New IE. With the addition of the new system comes an update to one of the most popular web browsers. Internet Explorer, now in its eleventh installment, is projected to be faster and adds new features.

Microsoft made it clear these updates are a direct-response to consumer feedback. Though experts don’t quite deem Windows 8.1 a new system, they agree it’s more than a band-aid on Windows 8’s presented deficiencies. If you are a Windows 8 user, the great news is that you can enjoy this system update free-of-charge by visiting the Microsoft Windows store.

Labyrinth Learning stays up-to-date with the latest technology developments  to ensure that learning is effective and engaging. Contact us today for more information.

How Can Technology Enhance Learning?

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Technology education enhances the classroom experience for instructors and students. In addition to keeping information organized and accessible 24/7, technology allows the learning process to be more social, which can be a more powerful learning experience for students.

Here are ways technology can enhance the learning process for both educators and their students.

Technology for the Educator

Source: Shutterstock
Source: Shutterstock

 

Paper-free organization. Online technology allows educators to keep materials organized, and allows access to video streaming and YouTube. This eliminates the need for making copies, purchasing/ storing DVDs, and minimizes time spent putting materials together for students who have missed class.

Enhances instructor-student communication. In many classrooms, the outgoing students get their questions answered, leaving introverted students at the wayside. Technology allows professors to communicate via chats and emails with students who might not have reached out otherwise. Teachers can also communicate with students outside of class regarding project updates, text/quiz reminders, etc.

Become a facilitator. As education breaks away from the top-down teaching approach, technology allows educators to be more like facilitators, using technology as a self-directed learning modality for students.

Technology for the Student

Self-paced learning. When resources, lectures, notes, etc. are available to students online, students have control over their learning process, and can work at their own pace, any time, anywhere.

Increased learning styles. Students have a wider range of visual and auditory learning materials at their disposal, increasing their engagement.

Collaboration. Technology education allows students to collaborate with one another on projects and in study groups.

Labyrinth Learning offers a variety of materials to enhance technology education.

What Makes an Effective PowerPoint Presentation?

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Learning to use PowerPoint is the first step to creating an effective presentation. However, if you succumb to common pitfalls, or don’t maximize its potential, you may find your presentations fall flat.

Here are tips to make your PowerPoint presentations as effective as possible.

Source: Labyrinth Learning
Source: Labyrinth Learning
  1. Avoid common pitfalls: Sometimes, the information in the presentation is great, but the slides are lacking because the presenter succumbs to common pitfalls such as:
    • Illegible fonts: It’s exciting to see all the different font styles available. It’s not as exciting if you choose fonts that are difficult to read, or vary them so often they become overwhelming. Choose one or two legible fonts, and stick with them.
    • Crazy colors. Just as differing fonts can confuse the eye, so can clashing colors, or too many colors. Make sure the colors you select increase legibility.
    • Cramming. Don’t cram information on your slides. Slides should highlight key points. You are better off making more slides, so each one has digestible portions of information.
  2. Know your audience. You don’t want to present to the lowest common denominator, but you don’t want to teach above the audience’s ability either. Keep your information aimed at the mid-level.
  3. Graphics and animations. Use graphics and animation features to enhance your slides, but be careful not to overdo it.
  4. Make them interactive. There are multiple features that allow your PowerPoint presentations to be interactive, and more effectively engage audience members.

Learning to use PowerPoint, or taking a refresher course, can bring your office staff up-to-date. Contact Labyrinth Learning for PowerPoint instructional materials.