Doctors Without Borders is an international humanitarian organization that provides aid, medicine, and large medical projects in countries burdened by war and endemic disease. The organization has over 36,482 employees, doctors, and volunteers in over 70 countries. Doctors without Borders is incredibly successful in what they do, making dramatic changes in the lives of thousands of individuals and communities. Many grassroot organizations are similar to Doctors without Borders in that they are committed to making a difference, and being as efficient as possible in their projects. However, running a non-profit organization is not an easy task, and it’s not uncommon for many well-meaning organizations to go under simply because of a lack of organization. Organizations big or small require an effective platform for communication, collaboration, and oversight of its volunteers. Here are three ways in which the iQ platform revolutionizes communication for the modern grassroots organization: Communicate with Volunteers Effective and meaningful contact with volunteers is probably the most important aspect of the non-profit framework. Communication keeps the wheels of the organization turning, and keeps productivity forward-moving. NGO presidents must oversee all employee and volunteer work, placement, and the latest project advancements. With iQ technologies, organizations can now: Use instant […]
Where does online learning fall short? Why don’t discussion boards alone help cut it for online communication? What “piece” is missing in online education that could remove distance from distance learning? Something “Unnatural” about forced discussion boards What most educators have come to know is that student-to-student communication is vital to learning. Teachers know that proper discussion, reflection, and sharing of ideas between a class of students is necessary for a full understanding of material. But what happens when students are no longer between the same walls of a classroom? What happens when the miracle of technology has allowed students who ordinarily cannot obtain higher education, can now receive education through an online institution? The answer for many online courses is asynchronous communication. The majority of online courses require some sort of discussion board as the only requirement for peer-to-peer communication. The prompt typically goes as follows, “What are you thoughts on _____? Comment and respond to at least three other posts.” There’s something unnatural about forced commentary on another person’s view, especially when there’s no back-and-forth dialogue. US News Education talks about the experience that most have with online discussion boards, “each of us had to write one researched […]
A recent article by the Boston Consulting Group found that social and emotional skills can be fostered by the use of online education platforms. Although many may find this hard to believe at first, the study found that the customization of online school and the many online social outlets make it easier for students to form student-to-student relationships, and therefore increasing their social skills. The research goes on to say that the technology revolution has allowed those with no access to traditional universities with not only a quality education, but social skills that may bring them a long way. BCG describes, “Education technology can personalize learning, engage the disengaged, complement what happens in the classroom, extend education outside the classroom, and provide access to learning to students who otherwise might not have sufficient educational opportunities.” This specific type of social learning is given a name, Social and Emotional Learning, or SEL. As described in the research, SEL has ordinarily not been taken seriously as a motivating factor in traditional education. However, recent studies suggest that the implementation of SEL has lasting effects for it’s students. “Social and emotional skills can strengthen the labor force, boost academic performance, and produce long-term […]
The resistance to change for many educators has been strong, and understandably so. For centuries, the education system has remained in the traditional classroom, mostly absent from most modern technology. For the K-12 classrooms, only the most simplified technology, such as laptops and computers have made it into the lives of young students. Why? Research has shown over and over again that communication between students and teachers will consistently improve learning for students. Quality collaboration for students allows them to more deeply understand the material as well as teach the material to others. This traditional way of education has remained the same for a reason. However, with tuition on the rise and a broader population with lack of access to higher education, traditional classrooms are no longer a plausible option. In fact, the rapidly paced advancements in technology, there are many pressures from the world that simply demand the education system to “get with the times”. With the ever-increasing progressions in technology, there are solutions for unaffordable college tuition, and the populations who cannot reach education institutions. The world is now pressuring education systems to meet the demands of the world, including technological advancements and more globalized students. It’s time […]
As the technological revolution ensues, more and more college students rely on technology to thrive in school. In fact, nearly 75% of college students (from a sample of 500, research carried out by Pew Research Institute) say that they rely on technology to complete school work. These numbers are just from students enrolled in traditional classrooms, and where we find even more technology centered students are on e-learning campuses. As of currently, over 12 million students take one or more online classes, and in 2014, nearly 3.5 million students took entirely online classes. With the vast amount of millennials taking a shift towards technology education, we have to ask ourselves, what about technology is appealing for students? The answer is simple. Technology brings upon an entirely new set of tools that students are now able to utilize. Technology creates an incredible convenience for students as well as gaining them access to an entire world of information at their fingertips. Students are now able to excel in school more than ever before, now contributing to new discoveries and research, instead of just reading about it in textbooks. One popular technology source is the mobile application for smartphones. Mobile applications allow for […]
Traditional classrooms are based on a synchronous learning platform, in which students all learn the same material together, all at once. Traditional education has laid its grounds on this same foundation for centuries. For the most part, this style of education has worked for our young learning generation. However, as college becomes increasingly expensive and as students from all ages become busier with work, time restraints, and even children, this traditional classroom has proven to be inadequate. Instead, more and more college students have looked towards virtual classrooms for their higher education. However, being that online education platforms are for asynchronous learning, there are many questions as to how this very different style of learning works. According to several studies by Virtual Classroom, there are several proven advantages of a non-traditional classroom, and students have proven to be satisfied. Learning when convenient for you One of the obvious advantages of asynchronous learning is that the classroom is built around a student’s schedule. Students who have busy schedules, whether it be working full-time, or having to raise a family, have the ability to learn when it is convenient for them. Time conflictions are no longer a barrier for student’s learning. In […]
America is known to be one of the primary users of education technology, yet new studies have shown that certain forms of e-learning has been on the rise on a global scale. According to “5 Top Trends in Education Technology 2015”, the GIA (Global Industry Analysis) says that the global e-learning industry will reach nearly 107 million dollars in 2015. Why the increase? According to GIA, companies seek to find education alternatives for their employees that can allow students to learn on their own time. However, these e-learning alternatives are specifically for corporate training. According to the article, many MOOCs haven’t adopted what making corporate e-learning so successful, which is student customization. E-learning tools have been designed to make the student the center of attention instead of the course. This unique customization, “allows employees in every industry and at any level to experience the power of customized training, 24/7, on any device. Unlike with classroom-based training, learners can train on their own time using customized formats. Everyone can move at their own pace, learning what they need to know and exploring their own interests.” Why, then, can’t undergraduates have access to a similar model for their college education? This e-learning […]
Hundreds of bands and solo artists across world have searched for a way to reach their fans more easily and efficiently. iQ technologies offers a platform that gives artists the capability to interact with their fan base. With more fan base interaction, the artist can gather feedback and apply that to their career. For musicians who wish to announce upcoming shows, iQ technologies offers several features to broadcast events. By creating an event, you can inform your followers of the date, time. and location of your occasion. Within seconds of posting your event, followers will instantly view the event from their live feed, allowing your post to reach the maximum amount of fans. iQ Event Management allows for these unique settings, and more: •Google Map integration •Invitation management (target specific connections & areas such as groups and networks) • Events publishing to activity streams • Share event on Facebook or Twitter • Support for recurring (repeating events) •Event custom fields management • Upcoming and past event management • RSVP management (attending, not attending, maybe, not responded) • Past event management user management (did attend, did not attend) • Event notification management • Assign other owners/admins to an event • Full […]
We are surrounded by hundreds of news feed sources, nearly all the time. What makes the press so special in today’s technology-driven world is that almost all news reports are digital. With the use of newspaper fading by the day, nearly all consumers rely on their mobile devices to catch up on the news. However, this leaves newsrooms with the reality that they have to compete with hundreds of sources for consumer attention. What can make your newsroom stand out? Real time news feed and the ability for consumers to be social. When consumers can read stories and discuss them all on the same easy-to-use mobile platform, your newsroom is the center of attention. With iQ Press, your newsroom can… • Easily evaluate data for analysis, segmentation, and targeted marketing • Review analytics to monitor user engagement from varied markets • Deploy targeted advertising and promotions based on reader interests • Introduce new products and services to your targets • Build revenue with sponsored pages and content • Enable readers to engage and connect on a deeper level • Provide a community for like-minded people Newsrooms around the world are faced with the reality that consumers today have multiple sources […]
The Rise of Social Media: Intelligent Social Learning Platforms The most relevant of mega trends today is the rise of social media, for both our younger and older generations. More than ever before, users from around the world are able to connect and collaborate through one base platform. Social platforms are utilized for social purposes, but these platforms have the potential to be even more practical. First, however, it is important to realize how much of an impact these social media sites have on our everyday lives. By learning more about these expanding platforms, we can grow in our ideas to enhance them. Here are just some of the latest findings on social media mega trends: Facebook is still dominant as a consumer social channel. Two new users join Facebook every second. The total number of worldwide social media accounts, including both consumer and enterprise accounts is projected to be $4.9B in 2016. Social networking accounts for 22 percent of all time spent online in the U.S. There is continued growth of image-powered or image-centric networks. Sharing only images (e.g., Instagram) with supported #hashtag commands for channels and filtering. Brands are quickly realizing that “words tell, but images sell.” • […]