EDUCARE manages distance learning

Schools in our area will be open this week but many of their students will still be at home. While some grade schools, high schools and colleges will open their buildings to teachers and students, many others are requiring instruction delivered online using computers or tablets

The coronavirus pandemic has sent schools around the world scrambling to establish electronic learning systems, often building them from scratch. It's a situation that also opens the door for digital developers and entrepreneurs to build new ways to manage the challenges of online education.

One of them is Michael Villena, a software developer in the Philippines who has created an online education platform called EDUCARE. The program is a virtual classroom students log in to get their daily lessons, homework assignments, tests and grades.

EDUCARE is positioned as an all-in-one solution for schools that don't currently have a learning management system in place. Using EDUCARE might be especially attractive to schools in the Philippines where having the software developer nearby could provide a higher level of comfort.

The program may also be an appealing alternative to the widely-known Google Classroom, which some users have challenging to set up and use and more of a supplemental option for schools that already have a management system.    

With EDUCARE, teachers and students have access to dashboards to check upcoming classes, discussions and project submissions, and to exchange information about coursework or ask and answer questions. The system also records when a student enters the online portal so it can be used to track class attendance.

The learning management system is designed primarily for K-12 students but can also be used by colleges and universities for distance learning.

EDUCARE is available in different packages including a one purchased by the school and another priced based on the number of students using it. There is also package designed for tutors.

For more details and a demonstration, visit the EDUCARE website.

By: Ric Manning On 8/09/2020

Continue Reading

San Diego children are learning STEM skills at StartonEDU

In an era when technology and innovation is powering the global economy, educators, students and their parents are increasingly focused on science, technology, engineering and math - subjects collectively known and STEM.

And while schools are adding and expanding STEM offerings, the private sector is also contributing with additional learning opportunities.

In San Diego, for example, a company called StartonEDU has developed a rich curriculum that covers robotics, artificial intelligence, computer programming, graphic design, and video editing.

Programs at StartonEDU includes spring and summer robotics camps for student groups ranging from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. The company will also bring its classes to schools with on-site robotics programs during after school hours.

Other classes include digital painting using Wacom design tools and classes on programming, design and presentation skills that will lead to merit badges in scouting programs for boys or girls.

For more details on classes and topics, visit the StartonEDU website.

By: Ric Manning On 5/27/2019

Continue Reading

ProTech's kit jumpstarts electronics hobbyists

Earlier this month I wrote about Charles Platt's book Easy Electronics, which contains a instructions for building super-simple electronics projects. I also mentioned ProTech Trader, an online store that sells sets of components that are needed for Pratt's projects. 

Pratt's book is aimed at younger hobbyists and other novices who are just starting to explore the world of electronics.

But Pratt has another book called Make: Electronics 2nd Edition for folks who want to tackle something a bit more challenging. For example, it will explain how to program microcontrollers to work with things like home automation devices and even robots.

And ProTech Trader has a kit for that book as well.

The Make: Electronics 2nd Edition Component Pack is a double-sided carrying case that is crammed with items such as a solder less breadboard for prototyping circuits, bipolar transistors, low-current LEDS, battery connectors, potentiometers and other testing devices.

The kits come in a variety of configurations with prices starting at about $75. You can order them from ProTech's page on Amazon or through the ProTech Trader website.

By: Ric Manning On 9/02/2018

Continue Reading

New training course shows coders how to create a meal kit delivery web app

So, it's 4 o'clock and we don't have any plans for tonight's dinner. That's apparently not the case at our neighbor's house down the street where I saw a box from one of those meal kit services sitting on their front porch.

I'm pretty sure they won't be eating canned soup and toast tonight.

Those to-your-door meal services seem to be growing in popularity and now there's a way for new businesses to get in the game. It's a new training course on Plantoost called “Build a Meal Kit Delivery Web App: Ruby on Rails + Stripe”.

The course is taught by Shawn Ng, a software engineer who built the online education
marketplace. The meal kit course is designed as a cost-effective alternative to hiring freelancers to build a sophisticated website.

Students go through the process of learning how to set up a customer database, a complex recipe
system, and get payment processing working for their minimum viable product.

The finished product includes user authentication with a Facebook option, email notification, and an admin dashboard. Students get lifetime access to a library of high-definition videos, downloadable assets and a year of mentoring.

There is one flat rate for the course and no monthly fee. For more details, visit the Plantoost website.

By: Ric Manning On 2/13/2018

Continue Reading

Kit and book offers electronics for beginners

When my son was much younger, he expressed an interest in learning about electronics and I thought I had a great solution. I ordered one of the DIY kits advertised in the back of a magazine that promised a project that would be fun and easy.

It turned out to be neither and we both quickly lost our enthusiasm.

I suspect that things would have been much different if Charles Platt would have been around. Platt writes books for electronics hobbyists that are aimed at the complete novice. Platt's latest book is Easy Electronics, a book that includes projects so simple that Platt says you don't even need a screwdriver.

Of course, readers will need a few component items to create the experiments in Platt's book. A company called ProTech Trader has put together a collection of items specifically to match Platt's projects. And, it offers the kit bundled with Platt's book on Amazon.

The book and kit bundle costs $49.99 or you can buy just the component pack for $41.99. For more details, check out the ProTech Trader website.

By: Ric Manning On 12/06/2017

Continue Reading

MindMajix can has 300+ tech training courses

My son recently landed a new job with a tech startup company in California. He’s not a programmer or an engineer, but he made himself attractive to tech companies by taking online courses on topics such as project management and agile software development.

Companies like Mindmajix Technologies are helping employees and job-seekers broaden their skill sets through training courses delivered over the Internet.

The company offers more than 300 courses that are led by live instructors. The course catalog includes training on high-demand software such as Oracle and SAP and hot topics such as Big Data, cloud computing and mobile app development.

Each course description includes the time commitment required, an extensive description of the curriculum and details on certification options. The listings also include ratings and comments posted by students.

Details on all of the courses are available on the MindMajix website. The site offers free demo sessions and a query form where visitors can submit questions about any of the courses.

By: Ric Manning On 12/08/2016

Continue Reading

Shape it app guides clay-making projects

When our grandchildren come to visit, they head straight for the box of colored clay. Soon our kitchen table becomes a zany zoo of creatures that were shaped and squished and molded by tiny hands and fingers.

The clay critters that the kids make aren’t often easy to identify. The snakes are easy to spot, but is that one a fish or a turtle? As they get older, they want their creations to look more like a animal or monster and less like a rock.

The next time they visit, we’re going to use the Shape it app from Clay Fingers to guide their work.   The app offers a large collection of designs for clay modeling at all skill levels. The app is loaded with images that illustrate eyeballs and eyebrows, where to add fins, horns or hair, and how little balls can become stubby.

Shape it covers a variety of designs from monsters (a favorite at our house) to barnyard animals, holiday designs and even buildings and other items to build a clay town. There’s an instructional video built into the app and projects are sorted into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced skill levels.

The Shape it app is available in the Google Play Store as a free download for Android devices. Check the video below to see some of the Shape it designs come to life.

By: Ric Manning On 10/27/2016

Continue Reading

MindMajix offers data modeling training

Businesses, marketers and government agencies are building huge collections of information about people and their habits, preferences and relationships. Analysts use a technique called data modeling to extract usable information out of those millions of data points.

MindMajix, which offers data modeling training, defines data modeling this way:

Data modeling is the analysis of data objects that are used in a business or other context and the identification of the relationships among these data objects. It is a first step in doing object-oriented programming.

The service offers a a 30-hour online course, led by an instructor, that teaches the basic elements and approaches fort data modeling. The curriculum includes the basic concepts of a data warehouse, the elements of multi-dimensional modeling and an introduction to different data modeling tools.

For a closer look at the course and to get a free demo, visit the Data Modeling page on the MindMajix website.

By: Ric Manning On 7/14/2016

Continue Reading

Robot kit encourages STEM education

How do you get school-age children more interested in studying science, technology, engineering and math? How about letting them build and program their own personal robot?

That’s the idea behind IronBot, an inexpensive educational robot kit for kids age 8 and older. IronBot has mechanical legs and arms, but its brain is a smartphone and its eye (or eye) is the phone’s camera.

The kit includes parts to make three different designs: a humanoid robot, a biped robot or a robotic arm like those used on industrial assembly lines. In addition to structural metal pieces, the kits also include a battery module, digital servos and an electronic controller. The robot is programmed by linking different modules using free mobile app.

IronBot was created by a team robot fans as part of a hackathon competition that included young makers from the US and China. The team hopes to raise $30,000 through a campaign at Indiegogo in order to put the robot kit into production.

As part of the campaign, early supporters can get a standard IronBot kit when they contribute $89. Delivery is estimated for September.

For a closer look at IronBot, watch the video below and check out the funding page on Indiegogo.

By: Ric Manning On 5/26/2016

Continue Reading

Rainbow Drops game appeals to all ages

Willy Moonberg is the creator of almost a dozen different Android puzzle games and educational apps, including two math trainers and a cool maze game that will remind older players of Pac-Man.

Willy’s latest offering is Rainbow Drops, a fast-moving puzzle game that will appeal to all ages.

The challenge is to move a player piece into its matching color home. To be successful, players have to change the color of the moving piece by pushing it into a colored raindrop while staying clear of fires and lasers.

The game includes switches elevators, teleports and new paths. It moves through several levels and Willy promises more levels with future upgrades.

Rainbow Drops works on most newer Android phones and tablets. It can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store.

By: Ric Manning On 11/04/2015

Continue Reading

Math Burger makes learning a game

Like most adults, I “learned my sums” in grade school by pounding through long lists of practice calculations. It wasn’t fun.

Today’s youngsters can mix learning and fun with educational games like Math Burger, a new mobile game from the educational game developer Waphoo.

Math Burger challenges players quickly create tasty hamburger sandwiches by stacking the ingredients that customers want. Starting with a plain bun, cheese, meat and pickles, players have to solve math equations to unlock more items such as lettuce, tomato and ketchup.

As players produce more complicated burgers, they collect more coins from their customers. The coins unlock new items that they can use to make ever better burgers.

Math Burger is a free download for Android devices that’s available now in the Google Play Store. Waphoo says an iOS version will be released soon.

By: Ric Manning On 10/20/2015

Continue Reading

Coders sharpen their skills at appendTo

There was a time when a business or organization that needed an online presence could recruit a college or high school student to knock out a website in a weekend.

But those days are long gone. Today’s website have to be more responsive and functional than a simple digital brochure and anyone planning to tackle the job should be fluent in modern tool like JQuery, CSS3, HTML5 and AngularJS.

An online service called appendTo offers training classes that focus on those topics and more. The classes are design for a range of skill levels, from beginners to experts. For example, there’s an HTML5 Quick Start course for beginners and Advanced jQuery Techniques for advanced students.

Profiles and details for all courses are available on the appendTo website. If the lineup doesn’t hit your topic target, the company also offers custom-designed courses.

By: Ric Manning On 10/14/2015

Continue Reading

Slide turns math into a multiplayer game

Math was never my strong point in school, but I know I would have performed much better if Slide was around to help. Slide is a new math-based puzzle game that trains your brain to make quick calculations.

The game has a series of boards, each displaying numbers and operations - multiplication, addition and subtraction. To score points, players drag the numbers to match a specified target. For example, if the target result is 17, you would slide number buttons into line to make 5 x 3 + 2.

To add a little more pressure, Slide is played as an online multiplayer competition that rewards both speed and accuracy.

The game tracks your progress and your ranking with detailed statistics. It works for younger players who can benefit from math drills and older folks who just want to sharpen their analytic skills.

The game is a free download for Android devices in the Google Play Store. A paid version eliminates ads and lets you play offline. Fractal Games, the developers, say an iOS version is in the works.

By: Ric Manning On 10/11/2015

Continue Reading

TeachBack app delivers instant feedback

Like restaurant chefs, Uber drivers and just about everyone else in the service business, teachers should expect to be rated and evaluated by their customers - in this case, their students.

That process typically involves a printed form that someone must collect, tally and collate. But TeachBack offers a new option that makes evaluations easier and more convenient for both instructors and students.

TeachBack is a mobile app available that contains polling forms, either pre-written or custom made, that will gather student feedback about engagement, coursework, instruction, or any other element that the instructor wants to include. The students submit their answers while remaining anonymous and the instructor gets the results in real time, along with exportable graphs, charts and other analytics.

TeachBack was created by a college professor to use in an educational setting, but it will also work for corporate training sessions and other events such a gymnastics competition or music contest — anything that includes scoring and feedback from a panel of judges or a large group.

The TeachBack app is available for free in the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store.

By: Ric Manning On 9/08/2015

Continue Reading

Capti Narrator offers special deal for schools and students

I’m one of those people who like to like to read what I can’t actually read, so I keep my mobile phone stocked with audio books and podcasts. I can also content from websites, blogs, ebooks and other text sources read to me thanks to Capti Narrator, a technology that converts text into audio files.

I discovered Capti Narrator two years ago at International CES where I met Yevgin Borodin, the president of Charmtech Labs. Capri Narrator lets users create an audio playlist using a browser extension and an iOS app.

This month Charmtech Labs announced the launch of Capti Narrator for Education, a version of the software that delivers expanded user management tools and wholesale pricing for its premium features. Charmtech expects the new version will be useful to students learning English, students with reading difficulties and students who, like me, will welcome narrated reading material.

The Capti Narrator software and browser extension is free for individuals. Additional features such as high quality voices and a premium subscription plan are available for purchase starting at $1.99 per month.

Capti Narrator for Education enables schools to create organizational accounts, invite students to use Capti, and then grant students access to premium features.

For more information and details, watch the video below and check out the Capti website.

By: Ric Manning On 9/05/2015

Continue Reading

Xplor links parents with schools and educators

Check the refrigerator door at the home of any school-age children and you’re likely to find it decorated with drawings, projects and reports from their teachers. But today’s busy parents often want want more details and information about their kids’ day in class.

Xplor is a new communication platform that fits into the digital age better than any refrigerator door. The service collects and organizes photos, videos, reports and other material in a way that lets busy parents stay connected and informed on their child’s learning progress.

Educators can use the Xplor platform to keep track of class rosters and individual information on each student. And parents can use the tool to let teachers know about their child’s likes and dislikes, any special needs and medication.

Xplor keeps data in the cloud, so the platform can be used using a web browser or with apps that run on iOS or Android tablets or smart phones. For more information, check out the video below and visit the Xplor website. The apps are available in the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store and you can get more news @myxplor on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 8/16/2015

Continue Reading

New app connects you to a personal tutor

The new Tutor App from Penumbra can help students navigate all their academic rough spots. For instance, they might be working on an MBA degree and struggling with the required course on statistics.  

Tutors are not hard to find, but they're not always reliable, affordable and available on the students schedule. 

What's different about the Tutor app is it expands the network of tutors to find the right person, regardless of where they live. With the Internet, a tutor doesn't have to be in the same community or even the on the same continent for be of service.

Penumbra says the app can also assist companies looking for a reliable partner for help with short-  or long-term projects in software development, web development or design. A tutor can also be a solution if you just need consulting services.

The app lets users find an expert in a required field and select a tutor based on multiple criteria, including their GPA and previous classroom teaching experience. Penumbra is also looking for advanced students, teachers and experts is various fields who want offer their tutoring services. Tutors who use Penumbra to connect with students can set their own schedule and fees. 

Details about the Tutor iOS app, which is expected to be released soon in the iTunes App Store, are available on the Tutor App website. You can also check out the video below and follow @thetutorapp on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 7/01/2015

Continue Reading

Udemy has a discount deal on its Javascript training course

How do you get a customized web application for your company or your website? If you have a few thousand dollars, you can hire a professional coder and hope for the best. Or you can code it yourself and get exactly what you want while you keep the cash.

A good place to start is Udemy, an online service that offers a wide range of online video courses including one designed especially for building real time web apps using only Javascript. Instructor Arash Yahya delivers 34 lectures in five hours of video covering node.js, Angular.js and mongoDB.

The course is designed for students, entrepreneurs and aspiring developers who need only a limited knowledge of Javascript, HTML and CSS coding. Yahya says do a little Google research on programming concepts such as functions, objects and if/else statements and you’ll be ready to dive in.

The regular price for the course if $129 but if you register before July 15 the price is only $9. Check out the course description on the Udemy website where you can sign up for a free preview.

By: Ric Manning On 6/30/2015

Continue Reading

Scrub Wars returns with a surgery version

A couple of years ago, a partnership involving a physician and a healthcare administrator scored a hit with a mobile game called Scrub Wars. The quiz game was designed for medical students to help the learn and memorize many of the basic facts from science and medicine.

Now there’s a new version of the game just for students in the surgery segment of their training. Scrub Wars: Surgery Rotation Pimping.

The developers say that answering the game’s rapid-fire questions -- delivered through a spaceship shooter game -- helps students build confidence to answer the tough “pimping” questions they will encounter from surgeons on the wards. It can also help them review content for the the exams that are usually taken by fourth year medical students.

The full version of the game includes 1,000 questions covering topics such as Common Surgical Emergencies, Surgical Pharmacology, Anatomy, Pre- and Post-Op Care, Burns and Trauma.

A key character in the game’s story line is a character called Peyronie Attending. Think of him as a surgery drill sergeant who delights in humiliating and insulting students who fail to deliver correct answers.

A sample version of the game containing a portion of the questions is available free in the iTunes App Store. The full version, with all of the questions, costs $9.99. You can get more details on the Scrub Wars website, in the video below and by following @scrubwarsapp on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 5/27/2015

Continue Reading

Website offers video-based tech training

I’ve never met Bucky Roberts, but he seems to be a pretty smart guy. He has produced and posted a large collection of training videos that cover a multitude of technical topics. They’re all available online at The New Boston website.

Most of the training sets are geared for beginners. Novices can learn HYTML 5, Javascript, MySQL, PHP, Python and Ruby. there are also specialized courses, like Python for game development, Ajax for video and the physics of puzzle gaming. Other videos let you brush up on Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

And these aren’t quick quick hits. A PhotoShop CS6 tutorial has 12 hours of training divided into 110 videos. Although many of the videos are available for free on YouTube, they are sold in organized packages on the website with prices starting at about $30.

You can check out he full curriculum at The New Boston website and follow Bucky @bucky_roberts on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 5/26/2015

Continue Reading