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Hope you're all settled back into the new term! It's been a busy one for us here at the Tutor Network with an office move, staff changes and another packed issue of the Tutor Network to get out.

This week we ask why the take up on virtual learning environments has been so slow given that they have transformed the learning and teaching experience for millions in recent years. We also look at some great educational websites that couple fun with learning - perfect for putting adult minds at rest. And we focus on a series of workshops that highlight why technology can never replace good writing skills.

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Got a view about technology you'd like industry experts to note? 

Well for the first time ever at the next annual BETT event educators will have the opportunity to do so in their very own live forum.

BETT returns to London Olympia in January 2010 (registrations open this week) with a new feature that will offer educators the opportunity to join the debate with key sector stakeholders.

Visitors are invited to air their views during BESA’s keynote seminar led by renowned education journalist Merlin John who, together with professors Stephen Heppell and Angela McFarlane, and award-winning teacher Tim Rylands, will kick off discussions around pertinent sector issues. It’s expected to be lively, controversial but ultimately constructive.

'There are few opportunities for educators to openly express their views and voice their opinions to key sector stakeholders with the knowledge that it will be fed back to the industry,’ says Richard Joslin, exhibitions director at Emap Connect, organisers of BETT.

‘As the largest and most successful ICT in education event in the world, BETT is the ideal place to bring teachers and the industry together. We are very excited about this new feature of BETT.'

Everyone is welcome to be a part of this spirited session. Visitors can now register for their free pass and to attend seminars on the day.

BETT is the world’s largest technology in education show that runs from Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 January at Olympia, London. Find out more online at www.bettshow.com

A business club for left-handers

They are said to be creative problem solvers, adaptable and to possess particular gifts in music and art due their dominant right-brain thinking processes – but do left-handers do things differently when it comes to running a business?

Well, we will soon be able to see if plans to set up a left-handers business club gets underway.

Keith Milsom, owner of the online resource centre Anything Lefthanded (ALH), and best-selling business author Robert Ashton (also left-handed) have come up with the idea of setting up a Left-handed Business Club to provide networking, support, training and resources to left-handers. It will also be a general sounding board for ideas and a place to get feedback and help from fellow lefties around the world.

Keith says: ‘We have found over the years that left-handers in business do think differently and tackle problems in different ways. Our own surveys and the results of various research projects do seem to indicate that there are more successful left-handed entrepreneurs and business people than the percentage of left-handers in the population would suggest.’

Read the full story here

Technology is no substitute for good writing skills

 
If you want to get into blogging, online journalism or to set up a website you may be interested in a series of workshops on article writing and developing content for online audiences.

Run by editorial consultancy and publishers Loud Voice, they are aimed at both those who are new to online journalism and want to learn how to do it more effectively, and those who are new to journalistic writing in general.

‘Anyone with a serious interest in communicating with others already has some kind of online presence,’ says Loud Voice director Denise Roberts. ‘The low entry cost of setting up a basic website means that it is now possible for anyone to do so.

‘The downside is that this has lead to massive competition, user over-choice and a lower standard of editorial quality on the internet in general. People need to know how to get visitors to their websites and to avoid turning them off with poor quality content once they arrive.’

She says that technology may have turned us all into producers and publishers but it cannot replace good writing skills.

‘Besides, we all need to sharpen our skills in working with online content and technology if we are to remain competitive and employable. That is the way the jobs market is developing.’

Creating quality online content

The Editorial and Online Content series of workshops includes titles to suit different needs and levels. They are

• Multi media publishing: Creating different types of online content
• Writing for the web: Essential skills
• Finding the journalist in you: The key skills
• Structures, tones and approaches to editorial: 10 different approaches to articles
• Subbing, editing and proofing: The difference between each of these and when to use them
• Editorial planning and housekeeping
• PR for your website: Effective ways to create online awareness
• Building your own website: A complete course to plan, create and publish your own website

Find out more about these workshops on the Loud Voice website. 

If virtual learning platforms are so great, why is take up so poor?

Virtual learning platforms, like much of the emerging technology over the last 10 to 15 years, has proven to enhance both the experience and outcome of learning for people of all ages. It has also improved the teaching and delivery experience for the teacher and tutor – so why have we been so slow in implementing its use more widely?

According to their latest report on the topic, Ofsted says we could be benefitting more from the use of technology in the classroom if implementation of virtual learning environments (VLEs) was improved.

Tutors can, and have, made use of virtual learning technology by offering tutoring services online, usually by using a web cam and voice technology to teach students. In addition to this, whether online tutoring is offered or not, a tutor can provide an environment in which a student can submit work, find extra guidance and help or ask questions all over the internet (for more on this see our Guide to Online Tutoring and Virtual Learning Environments for tutors).

The Tutor Network would like to hear more about how tutors are making use of VLEs and what recommendations they would make concerning its wider use in the private tutor market. Perhaps you are a tutor who is making great use of VLEs – how has it changed teaching and learning for you and your student? Why did you decide to make the leap? 

Read the full article here 

Great educational sites to support fun learning

It is a common complaint from teachers, tutors and parents alike that children spend too much time glued to a screen playing mind-numbing computer games.

Children are drawn to computer games because they appeal to their natural sense of curiosity as well as their love of bright colours and narrative accounts.

Coupling online activity with constructive pursuit can obviously help to solve the problem. There are now a number of excellent education based resources available on the internet which offer a range of interactive games to appeal to children as a way of getting them interested and involved in learning.

Some of these sites can be used to supplement extra tuition in subjects such as maths, English, history and science and are a creative way to approach parts of the curriculum that individual learners may either struggle with or find ‘boring’.

Check out these educational websites here

Updates from Tutors Directory

Thinking of joining a tutor agency?

Tutor agencies can remove a lot of the stress and work involved with providing a tutor service. Some tutors choose to register with one as a main or secondary way of finding more tutoring work.

If you are considering an agency Tutor Magnet are currently waiving their usual sign-up fees of £25 for registering with the service. They are in need of new tutors to meet the growing demand for extra tuition from parents and students, so if you are a personal tutor and would like to register, or to find out more about the services they offer, send them an email us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Remember to mention that you found them on Tutors Directory!

Have you claimed your free subscription to the Workshop Directory yet?

Tutors subscribed to Tutors Directory can claim a free subscription membership to the Workshop Directory, which launches later this month to promote learning that is short, practical and fun. The Workshop Directory is aimed at tutors, teachers and other professionals who run practical courses, seminars, conferences and other types of learning in a group setting. As a workshop leader or organiser it offers you the platform to promote your course or interest to a wider audience of potential participants.

Here's how to claim your free membership

The site will operate an annual membership for those who wish to promote their workshops, but tutors currently subscribed to Tutors Directory can claim a free one-year membership subscription and start promoting details of their workshops for free.

THIS IS A LIMITED PERIOD OFFER WHICH MAY BE WITHDRAWN AT ANYTIME.

Click here to claim your free subscription.

The one thing that would make the biggest difference to me is...

What is the one thing that would make the biggest difference to your tutoring life? We're gathering views to map the different challenges tutors face, and to help you find solutions, so would like to know what you think would help and improve your experience of tutoring. You never know what difference the outcome really could make to your tutoring life, so how would you answer the question posed above?

What would make the difference for you? 

Got a question about the Tutor Network or Tutors Directory?

Check out the new Frequently Asked Questions section on the site. We've covered many of the most frequently asked questions received from tutors in an effort to help you understand how the site works and how you can get the most from it. Find out more by clicking here.

Thanks for reading the latest edition of Tutor Network. Make sure you keep checking back with the site for the latest news as well as our host of articles and guides on helping you make the most of the coming academic term. And if you have any suggestions don't keep them to yourself, let us know!

Happy Tutoring!

The TD Team