Bridging the UK Digital Skills Gap in the Public Sector | @HolyroodDaily

As the 2016 Summer games got into full swing, it was easy to get caught up in bit of national pride. Watching gold-medal favourites such as Mo Farah and Andy Murray, or surprise newcomers such as gymnast Matt Whitlock and golfer Justin Rose, just about any of us watching had an extra spring in our step. But if we step outside of the world of sports, how does the UK stack up in the digital skills arena?

Unfortunately, not so well. According to a recent Ofcom report examining internet use among E5 countries, the UK is leading the way in terms of mobile broadband connectivity and ordering good or services online. But when it comes to citizens interacting with public authorities online, the UK ranks second to last. In other words: we’re connected, we’ve got the know-how to interact online, but when it comes to public sector digital services the UK isn’t quite measuring up.

Source: Bridging the UK Digital Skills Gap in the Public Sector | Holyrood Magazine

UK edtech industry ready for take-off with Jisc’s startups competition | @Jisc

Entries are now being accepted for the startups category of Jisc’s edtech competition, which supports startups and student ideas for education. With the UK’s first Edtech UK Global Summit having taken place in London earlier this month, it certainly seems that the UK edtech sector is tipped for take-off, and Jisc’s startups competition could give edtech startups the boost that they need. Winners will provide real solutions for education sector issues, and stand to bag funding of up to £20,000 and business

Source: UK edtech industry ready for take-off with Jisc’s startups competition | Jisc

Imagine Academy: Certification – Microsoft Education

English: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
English: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Microsoft Imagine Academy program prepares educators and students for industry-recognized certifications. Technology is everywhere. There is a need to provide appropriate business software and technology skills necessary in everyday life, whether it is basic computer skills or advanced technical skills. Almost every job today requires some form of technology skills.

Source: Imagine Academy: Certification – Microsoft Education

50 Blogging tools to help you work smarter, write faster and become irresistible to your readers

Smarter Planet logo
Smarter Planet logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I started writing, I didn’t use any tools. All I had were my laptop, notes, and head. I thought that was all you need to publish something great, which is true. That is all you need. But the time and work you invest into one post isn’t enough to become an influential writer — it actually takes many exceptional posts to build a fan base who can’t wait to read your next piece. And the best way to pump more “wow” into your post is to use the right blogging tools.

Source: 50 Blogging tools to help you work smarter, write faster and become irresistible to your readers

11 Note-Taking Tips For The Digital Classroom – Edudemic

English: Empty Waldorf classroom.
English: Empty Waldorf classroom. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With less books, paper, and pencils and more laptops, smartphones, and tablets gracing our classrooms these days, it would be logical to say that the nature of note-taking in class has changed, too. Especially with digital tools such as Evernote, writing things down on paper seems less likely to be the #1 way of taking notes.

That said, does taking notes really help? Does the physical act of writing something down help you to remember it? What is the most effective way to take notes? How does all of this play into a more digitally based classroom? The handy infographic below takes a look at these questions and more – keep reading to find out some of the answers!

via 11 Note-Taking Tips For The Digital Classroom – Edudemic.

What’s next for edtech? | University Business

 

Deutsch: Logo University of the West of Scotland
Deutsch: Logo University of the West of Scotland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the request of Microsoft I wrote a small piece for University Business on the future of educational technology. You can read it by following the link.

UK HE is placing a higher priority on attracting international students than ever before. Indeed, my own institution, the University of the West of Scotland, has recently been rated as amongst the top 5% of universities worldwide. While this is an exciting development it also comes with its own challenges including tailoring teaching, research and the university’s procedures to ensure a fulfilling experience. Enabling all of this is the underpinning technical infrastructure.

Source: What’s next for edtech? | University Business

Google and Bertelsmann launch mobile digital skills initiatives with Udacity – 10,000 Android scholarships available for EU developers

Google and Udacity have launched a free, learn to program scholarship, exlusively for Europeans.

The great thing about the web is that it enables anyone – from anywhere, of any age, and any skillset – to start a new business, grow an existing one, become an entrepreneur, a developer or a content creator or hone a new skill. From Berlin to Birmingham we’ve met people across Europe who are doing just that – developing the digital know-how needed to achieve their dreams.

Like Evrard in France, who works for GreenRiver, a small company providing private cruises along the river Seine and the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. He joined our training programme Google pour Les Pros, where he was trained by a Google AdWords advisor over three months. He learned how to launch digital marketing campaigns and discovered other tools that helped increase their online visibility. He told us, “After Google pour Les Pros training our business grew by 30% and sales grew by 60% in one year”. Green River is now using Evrard’s learning as a stepping stone to further success.

Evrard is just one of the nearly 2 million people we’ve trained over the last 2 years as part of our Growth Engine programme to help close the digital skills gap among Europeans. And yet there’s still more work to be done. On current projections, the growing gap between skills required and the training that workers receive, has lead the EU to predict that almost a million ICT jobs would remain unfilled by 2020.

That’s why today Google, Bertelsmann (the global media, services and education company) and e-learning provider Udacity are coming together with a goal of closing the mobile digital skills gap in Europe and preparing the new European workforce with the mobile development skills needed to help them get a job or start their own business.

Source: Google and Bertelsmann launch mobile digital skills initiatives with Udacity – 10,000 Android scholarships available for EU developers