Latest News & Articles from Zane Education

8th

Feb 2013

New LinkedIn Policy Infuriates Loyal Followers: How to Overcome Having all your Posts Reviewed

How To Overcome & Fix the Having All Your Posts Reviewed in Discussion Groups on LinkedIn

Once again there’s proof that sometimes the largest companies make the most foolish errors of judgement …and their innocent customers pay the price!

As many LinkedIn users have recently found to their detriment and extreme annoyance, LinkedIn’s new policy that attempts to overcome Spam requires that anyone banished from one Group, has to have all their posts reviewed before they go live in all other Groups they belong to.

Well there is a way to fix this problem, but it is a complete pain – and extremely time consuming – depending on how many Groups you belong to …. and it is certainly no way to thank the many people that loyally followed LinkedIn over the last 4 years.

In fact it leaves me wondering if Social Media sites like this can afford to make such stupid mistakes, and how many mistakes like this it takes before those followers walk away, especially when it is a supposed to be a social media site for professionals and businesses. (more…)

Tags: customers, LinkedIn, new policy
Category: LinkedIn
Comments: 3 Comments

28th

Nov 2012

Online Educational Video and The Hidden Benefits of Subtitles

Using Subtitles on Video offers Teachers in the Classroom a potential Treasure Trove of Opportunity.

Sadly many believe that when Subtitles (otherwise known as Captions) are provided on educational video for use in the classroom, that they only benefit the deaf, and those with hearing impairments. Yet this could not be further from the truth.

In an educational environment, particularly the school classroom, the use of subtitles provides a range of benefits for children and students of all ages and ability, and certainly not just those with special education needs.

And the faster teachers and schools are made aware of those benefits, the sooner those benefits can be made available and passed on to their students. (more…)

Tags: online educational video, subtitled video, subtitles, video captions, video for schools, video for teachers, Visual Learning, Zane Education
Category: Subtitling On Video
Comments: 1 Comment

3rd

Nov 2012

Educating Children With Dyslexia

Are we over-complicating the teaching and education of Dyslexic Children?

We like to think of ourselves as a reasonably advanced and progressive society, but I can’t help thinking that when it comes to educating children with dyslexia maybe we are overcomplicating the problem, and making a rod for our own backs. And maybe even letting down many of those children we claim to care about.

With official reports indicating that as many as 1 in 8 children are suffering from some form of dyslexia, it’s time that we realized that there are some simple solutions available that would make the lives of teachers easier, and at the same time, help an awful lot of children.

I found myself at a dinner last night talking to a cousin – who after being in education for many years, is now responsible for purchasing many of the materials required for children and students attending a large number of schools in the area.

During the conversation I took the opportunity to ask what materials were being purchased for the students in those schools with Dyslexia. She looked at me with a mortified expression and replied “we don’t”.

When I asked why not, her first response was to explain that most teachers had not been trained to deal with dyslexia. She then proceeded to explain that it was a complex problem. It was at that stage I decided it was better not to pursue the subject for fear of causing an argument.

But this article presents the opportunity to consider a few simple home truths – and ask some difficult questions. (more…)

Tags: dyslexia, educating the dyslexic child, education, teachers, teaching children with dyslexia
Category: Dyslexia & Reading Difficulties
Comments: No Comments

26th

Oct 2012

Up to 80% of Teachers Using Video in the Classoom, But …

… Less Than 10% of Those Teachers Are Receiving The Full Benefits.

Research conducted over the last 18 months indicates that more than 80% of teachers in the US are using video in the classroom as a valued teaching resource, however a combination of lack of subtitles (closed captions), and a lack of understanding how to use those subtitles effectively, mean that the vast majority of those teachers are not getting the full benefits from that video for themselves or their students.

Subtitles have widely been regarded in the past as being essential only for those smaller numbers of children with hearing impairments. But sadly this misapprehension is robbing students of many opportunities.

A substantial amount of research over the last 30 years has demonstrated that subtitles on video, movies and television, has the potential to significantly improve students reading and literacy skills. In fact a pilot program operated by the late Dr. Alice Killackey of the Availll Institute demonstrated the ability to improve children’s Reading and Literacy skills by as much as one year, in as little as 6 weeks.

Evidence substantiating this potential comes from countries like Finland that have for many years provided TV programming with subtitles as a matter of course, and as a result they repetitively top the list of OECD countries with the highest Reading and Literacy skills amongst children.

However the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that would enable children to improve their Reading and Literacy skills at the same time as studying a range of curriculum-based topics, has remained elusive while the majority of companies providing educational video for teachers have chosen to ignore and provide the use of subtitles – either because of the added cost of providing that captioning, or lack of awareness about the full potential it provides in the educational environment.
(more…)