Category Archives: Featured

Helping Adult Learners Overcome Stress to Achieve Goals

March 27, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiese-learning resources, teaching tipskwalker

As educators of adult learners, it is important to understand the effect stress has on their ability to achieve academic goals. The more you can help to reduce student stress and provide textbooks and learning tools that are aligned with your students’ needs, the better your students will perform. Here are ways you can help adult learners overcome academic stress.

Learn About Them. It is a good idea to spend a portion of the first day or two of classes learning about your students. Provide note cards so students can write down their academic strengths, weaknesses, fears, goals, etc. You can have them take a pre-course test – not graded – to understand their level of skills. This can help you tweak your curriculum to meet their needs and/or to communicate with them about the many resources that will be available throughout the course.
Practice Stress Reduction Techniques. Marjory Jacobs, a career adult education instructor, emphasizes the importance of teaching stress management techniques such as deep breathing and mindfulness. Taking a little time out to introduce these coping mechanisms can provide lifelong learning tools for your students.
Choose the Right Curriculum. Choosing the right learning resources can make the difference between keeping your students motivated or watching them spiral down a well of frustration. Choose solutions that are designed to meet students with various learning styles. Labyrinth Learning offers products geared specifically for adult and/or second language learners. Seek out teacher testimonials or references that provide detailed feedback on the learning tools you’re considering.

Visit Labyrinth Learning for more information on easy-to-use educational resources to reduce adult learners’ stress and enhance their learning process.

Image: CollegeScholarships

Teach the New Microsoft Office

March 25, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiescourse management software, eLab Course Management, Microsoft Office 2013kwalker

Teaching Microsoft Office 2013 is easier than ever with the right materials, instant assessment tools, and ample teaching resources. Labyrinth Learning has designed the most innovative, user-friendly, textbooks and software for Building a Foundation with Microsoft Office 2013. Here are some of the benefits of using our innovative teaching approach.

Stand-alone Features. This curriculum is set up using 25 individual lessons. Rather than being abstract or conceptual, our eLab courses are direct and to the point, providing step-by-step instructions for specific, relevant skill building exercises. We have eliminated unnecessary reading so that students can spend the majority of their time working directly with the simulated Microsoft Office environment and improving their computer literacy. Available in print and tablet formats, Building a Foundation with Microsoft Office 2013 is fully supported with free instructor and student resources.

Helpful Add-Ons. In addition to the standard package, many customers take advantage of our add-ons, which are designed to make the course even easier for both students and instructors. Teaching Microsoft Office 2013 is more effective using our eLab Course Management System. It includes additional hands-on simulations, which record students’ keystrokes so you can monitor their progress, video tutorials, pre-built assessments and tests, gradebook management options, automatically graded projects, and more.

Other add-ons include a 180-day trial of Microsoft Office. Contact Labyrinth Learning for more information about our Microsoft Office learning solutions.

How to Gauge Computer Skills

February 20, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & StrategieseLab SET, testing for computer literacy, tips for teaching computer skillskwalker

Asking a student to assess his/her own computer literacy is virtually impossible. Yet teachers need a method to assess which online computer class is appropriate for students’ skill levels, how well they are assimilating new concepts, and how far they have advanced by the end of the course. Labyrinth Learning’s new computer literacy evaluation tool provides educators and institutions with that vital information.

Use Computer Literacy Testing for Accurate Assessments

The new eLab Skills Evaluation Tool (SET) is a fast, affordable, and accurate method for assessing students’ computer skills. Plus, the system prepares students for testing methods which may be used when they are ready to enter the career force.

Comprehensive questions. The literacy testing program provides students with a wide range of questions related to general and specific computer concepts. Teachers can use pre-fabricated tests or create their own.
Flexible testing methods. Do you prefer to test students before they enter your class? Would you rather use the test as a way to assess learning growth at the end of a course? Teachers can make the test available to students from virtually any online computer at a time that works for them. Reports are generated immediately so students and teachers receive instant accurate feedback.
Proven Platform. Labyrinth Learning has created innovative, engaging, and effective online learning tools for over two decades.

eLab’s SET will help you evaluate your students in order to connect them with the course that best fits their skill level. Contact Labyrinth Learning and ask how SET can benefit your classroom.

Image: Shutterstock.com

Education Week Reports on Online Tools for Lesson Planning

February 18, 2013Featuredcreating lesson plans online, online tools for lesson plans, online tools for teacherskwalker

Creating lesson plans is a practice in diligence for any teacher. The best lesson plans in the world still need to be modified from year to year and class to class in order to meet students’ needs. Then there are the backup plans, which should be at the ready in case a substitute teacher is needed. This Education Week article mentions several online tools for lesson planning and we chose a few to highlight here.

Three Online Lesson Planning Tools for Teachers

Google. While Google Drive is helpful in multiple ways, i.e. allowing you to upload/store/share virtually any document or folder, it’s especially beneficial when it comes to substitute teaching plans. You can create lesson plans anywhere and share them with the substitute teacher instantly.

Evernote. Whenever you come across anything worthy of remembering, Evernote allows you to mark it, note it, save it, organize, it, and access it from anywhere. You can create endless notebooks to organize your ideas. Then sync Evernote across your computers and mobile devices. Even when you aren’t online, you can still peruse your notebooks.
Quizlet. Need some inspiration? Want to share your own? Quizlet allows you to do both. Search thousands of study sets prepared by teachers around the world. Or, you can post your own to help other teachers just like you.

Online lesson planning tools allow you the freedom to work from virtually anywhere to share, tweak, or add to your lesson plans with a few simple clicks. Lesson planning has never been easier. To find more educator resources, visit us online. Just head to Labyrinth Learning and register to view our catalog, instructor support, and more.

Image: shutterstock.com

Instructing ESL Students on Computer Skills

February 6, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiese-learning resources, Labyrinth Learning, teaching tips for computer instructors, tips for teaching computer skillslablearning

Instructing ESL students requires extra special attention and the right curriculum. Immersed students pick up new vocabulary and language concepts easily when these concepts are presented using a variety of visual and interactive learning mediums. That’s why Labyrinth Learning’s Welcome to Computers for ESL Students, 3rd Edition, is such a wonderful teaching tool.

Instructing ESL Students with Welcome to Computers for ESL Students

Experts in the field of second language acquisition know exactly what works for ESL students: visuals, interactive materials which reinforce new concepts, multi-media presentations, and interactive learning opportunities. By using multiple senses, ESL students are able to absorb new words and phrases with less effort. Labyrinth Learning utilizes the most forward thinking ESL instruction theory to develop multi-media based learning tools which will keep ESL students moving successfully through their coursework.

Effective ESL instruction elements include:

Step-by-step guided instruction at an intermediate CASAS reading level
Practical fill-in-the-blank exercises, opportunities for reflection, group learning activities, and more
Picture dictionaries and verb definitions
Real-life hands-on practice skill and conversation builders
Student workbook to reinforce new materials and supplement internet work
A work readiness skills website link, WebSims, online assessments and other internet-based learning resources
Instructor Support Materials both online and via DVD (registered instructors only)

Your ESL students will enjoy our courses designed especially for students to develop practical and employable computer skills. Contact Labyrinth Learning to learn more about how Welcome to Computers for ESL Students will take your ESL computer classes to the next level.

QuickBooks 2013…What’s New!

December 3, 2012FeaturedLabyrinth Learning, new features, quickbooks 2013, screenshotslablearning

By Trish Conlon, author of Labyrinth Learning’s QuickBooks solutions.

Hello QuickBooks users! Here is a quick snapshot into the changes that you will see in the 2013 version.

The 2013 version of QuickBooks does not have many changes in regards to new features, but rather displays a huge change to the overall user interface. Users will still see the menu bar and a Home page that helps them to flow through the various tasks associated with Vendors, Customers, Employees, the Company, and Banking (see a screenshot of the new Home page below).

Quickbooks Homepage 2013 Screen Capture Thumbnail — Homepage

But, seasoned QuickBooks users,will notice that the Icon Bar looks different and is docked on the left side of the screen by default (it can also be moved to the top of the window or hidden) and the color scheme has changed.

Another big change in QuickBooks 2013 is the use of a Ribbon and tabs in the transaction windows. Below you will see the Enter Bills window displayed with the Main tab of the Ribbon displayed.

Quickbooks 2013 Enter Bills Screen Capture Thumbnail — Enter Bills

QuickBooks users will see a new way of displaying information in a centralized manner in the Customer, Vendor, and Employee Centers through the use of tabs in the lower right section of the center. The new Vendor Center window is displayed below; note the Transactions, Contacts, To Do’s, and Notes tabs that organize the information for Hitchcock Property Management.

Quickbooks 2013 Vendor Center Thumbnail — Vendor Center

One of the new features unrelated to the user interface that has been introduced in the 2013 version is the ability of QuickBooks users to collect invoice payments online through the Intuit Payment Network.

Another change to QuickBooks 2013 is that users have more flexibility when it comes to customizing customers, vendors, and employees. There are now eight contact fields that users can customize by choosing from 17 different field options, as displayed below.

Quickbooks 2013 Edit Vendor Thumbnail — Edit Vendor

In the Labyrinth QuickBooks solution you will also see two new elements:

BTS Brief: this feature will assist students in learning the accounting concepts that happen “Behind the Scenes” in QuickBooks better
Visualize!: in this feature, students who are visual learners will be provided with tools to better understand the QuickBooks concepts they are learning

So, while the upgrade to QuickBooks 2013 does not have too many changes in regards to new features, it does require users to adapt to a changed interface that more closely resembles Microsoft Office® with the addition of Ribbons and tabs.

Trisha Conlon is Director of the Mid-Willamette Education Consortium at Chemeketa Community College. She is an experienced, career technical and adult education administrator and teacher who values an environment where all students can be successful.

You can now preorder review copies of Labyrinth Learning’s QuickBooks Pro 2013 Series.

Six Tips for Teaching Computer Basics

November 20, 2012Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiese-learning resources, Labyrinth Learning, teaching tips for computer instructors, tips for teaching computer skillsvkinney

Learning to use a computer can be intimidating, especially for the student whose skills aren’t as advanced as their friends or classmates. As computers are becoming a part of our daily lives, it is important to make sure that you teach the basics in a way that is easy for all of your students to understand.

Below are six tips to keep in mind as you teach your next course.

State the goals of the class before you begin instructing so students will know exactly what is going to be covered.
Keep a slow, steady pace. The American Library Association (ALA) suggests to “Assume that you are always going too fast. Take your cues not from the agenda you’ve set for the lesson, but instead the look in the eyes of your student.” If your students’ brows are furrowed and eyes are glazed over, take a moment to see what is confusing them or where you lost them, and work on catching up from there.
Avoid using computer jargon while you teach. Find interesting ways to put jargon into laymen’s terms. Computer Shy says it is helpful to use real life parallels. For example, you can say that “web pages are really just magazine pages that you can read on a computer screen.”
Use hands-on instruction. Tell the class what they will be doing (opening a web browser, composing an email, etc.), and then do it together.
Have students practice through repetition. The ALA suggests doing everything at least three times, as repetition helps students retain what they have learned.
Assign homework. Give your students short assignments daily so that they can practice what they have learned. Computer Shy also suggest providing students with notes at the end of each class so that they can review what has been covered on their own.

Labyrinth Learning has several teaching resources available that instructors can use to effectively teach computer skills to students of all ages and abilities. Please visit our website or contact us for more information.

Image from Google Images

Windows 8: What to Expect

November 9, 2012Featured, News & Eventse-learning resources, Labyrinth Learning, Windows 8vkinney

When you upgrade to Windows 8, you and your students will see a big difference from your current version. Read on for some of the biggest changes:

Start Screen. The most dramatic change is to the Start Screen, which has been redesigned to look more like a tablet or phone screen than your traditional Windows start screen interface. On the desktop, the Start button only appears when you hover your cursor in the bottom left corner of your screen, where you can return to the Start Screen or launch other desktop apps.

Charms. Charms appear when you move your mouse to the right-hand side of the screen or swipe from the right on a touchscreen device. They include buttons for accessing the Start Screen, Search, Share, Devices, and Settings functions quickly and with ease.

Touch Support. You’ll see better touch support than with Windows 7. Windows has also incorporated an intelligence system to tell it what you are attempting to do, according to TechRadar.

Multiple Monitor Support. Windows 8 is better capable of supporting multiple monitors than previous versions. If desired, you can place the Start Screen on one monitor and the desktop on another.

The Windows Store. Windows 8 has its own app store. Mashable notes that apps can be downloaded from the store and are then accessible on your home screen.

Cloud Integration. Windows 8 also includes cloud integration, just like Office 2013. You can sync your address book, photos, SkyDrive data, and even data within 3^rd party apps. You can access the data on any Windows 8 device.

Labyrinth Learning will be hosting a webinar in the coming months to demo the changes and discuss implications for the classroom. Once we’ve set the date, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, feel free to contact us with any questions.

Image from Mashable.com

Microsoft Office 2013: What’s Changed?

November 1, 2012Featurede-learning resources, Labyrinth Learning, Microsoft Office 2013, Microsoft Office 365lablearning

The latest version of Microsoft Office is coming soon, and many of you may be wondering what changes to expect. How is it different from Office 2010? And what is Office 365?

If you have those questions, read on. Here’s a brief understanding of the different options.

Microsoft Office 2010 vs. Microsoft Office 2013

Office 2013 includes all the standard Office programs and capabilities seen in previous versions of Office, as well as a variety of new features that make for a better user experience. Below is a glimpse of some of the new features of Office 2013, along with a few of the differences between Office 2013 and Office 2010:

One of the first things you’ll notice about Office 2013 is a refreshed interface. The new look falls in line with the “Modern” interface of Windows 8, featuring a minimalistic appearance that PCWorld suggests will be less of a distraction to users.
You’ll see a much more touch-friendly version, allowing you to scroll through items by swiping your finger across the screen. And you can switch to a traditional navigation when you’re using a desktop without a touchscreen monitor.
SkyDrive and SharePoint have been integrated for you to more easily access documents stored online from any location.
PDF Editing is another new feature of Office 2013. PDF files can be opened and edited in Word 2013, and then saved as either DocX files or as PDFs.
Excel 2013 has the ability to support multiple monitors, unlike Excel 2010.
While the Ribbon hasn’t changed too much in functionality, its appearance in Office 2013 has changed slightly. Information Week describes it as being flatter than the 2010 version of the Ribbon. Office 2013 also includes an option to make it more compatible with touchscreens for tablet use.

Microsoft Office 365

While Office 2010 and 2013 must be installed onto a desktop or laptop computer, Office 365 is an online service to which users must subscribe. Instead of purchasing boxed copies or online downloads, users can purchase an Office 365 subscription which provides all the core Office applications, as well as email, shared calendars, public websites for businesses, and internal sites for teams. Those with Office 2010 already installed on their computer can configure the program to work with Office 365 and have the ability to retrieve, edit and save Office documents in the Office 365 cloud. Users can also complete tasks such as co-authoring documents in real-time or begin PC-to-PC calls. Office 365 is compatible with Office 2007 and newer versions.

To learn more about what’s coming in Office 2013, register for our webinar on November 13 for a demonstration of major new features within each application. Visit our website or contact us for more information.

Image from InformationWeek.com