Safe to Learn Online?

The purpose of creating social networking websites (e.g. facebook, twitter, etc.) and online chat rooms is to link people from all around the world together and enhance communications (e.g. exchanging ideas, understanding others’ cultures, etc.). However, it seems that a lot of people have forgotten the original usefulness of online medias. Instead, the widespread use of social networking website has encouraged the phenomenon of cyber bullying.

According to the i-SAFE foundation, over 50% of teens have been bullied online and more than 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyber threats online. The alarming numbers have triggered debates on whether educators should encourage students’ participation in online learning.

Some people argue that limiting students’ access to the Internet can prevent cyber bullying. However, this is not an effective means to tackle the problem, rather we should be educating young people about the right way to use online platforms. This is because the use of information and communication technologies is inevitable in the 21^st century.

Other than educating students properly using online media, it is also crucial for educators to choose a safe online platform to engaging students in online learning. Here the some tips of choosing a safe online learning platform:

1.     Networking population: it is a must to find out which other groups of people the online platform is open to. Can adults access the whole site? Which adults?

2.     Monitoring content: the online community should moderate the content of the forums regularly, and allow teachers to moderate their own students’ content.

3.     User guidelines: the online learning platform should provide user guidelines and assistance to teachers regarding the rules for using the learning platforms

We are a protected and moderated online learning community. To find out more, follow us on twitter and join our Facebook page.

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How to Establish an Effective Charity-Business Partnership?

Last week, we raised the questions concerning the challenges for charities to set up partnerships with business:

•                Which commercial partners to choose?

•                How to protect our values and brand names?

To establish a charity-business partnership effectively, the foremost important aspect is to consider what commercial partners or business to choose. Charities should not consider a joint venture with companies whose core business is in conflict with their own because the differences in business objectives would harm the charities’ values and brand names.

Once choose a potential partner, it is substantial to ensure from the outset of an agreement and a framework of managing expectations which both charities and business agree on. This could provide charities a means to check and monitor the performance of their partners, in order to prevent companies damaging the reputation of the charities.

We do believe sharing similar values and setting out agreement and monitoring system are the key components of creating a mutually beneficial partnerships. We are therefore actively looking for potential partners to join our Tribes Project, which support the notion of youth empowerment and are willing to contribute to youth education/ e-learning.

If you are interested in what we do, please do not hesitate and contact us.


To find out more, follow us on twitter and join our Facebook page.

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Education 2.0

Web 2.0 shows us that technology has heralded a step change in what we can do online. In the early 2000s, many people see Internet as an information giving technology. With the rise of Internet users and social networking sites, the pattern of web activity shifted to the era of “web 2.0” from “web 1.0”.

Web 2.0 applications are built in forms of user-driven communication, creation and collaboration. Today, we both receive information online and actively engage in discussions and activities. The concept of web 2.0 not only encourages business and governments, but also educators to adopt new strategies in service delivery/ teaching and learning. That is why we always hear e-banking, e-government, e-learning and e-teaching.

From Generation Y onwards, web 2.0 tools are powerful resources in assisting teaching and learning, particularly online educational platforms for students to discuss and share ideas on issues. Web 2.0 facilitates learners’ experience and their sense of “globalness”, which lead us to the period of education 2.0.

Online discussion platforms support communication and collaboration. Learners are allowed to build a community outside classrooms and create their own materials (e.g. articles, photos, videos, etc.) for publication. They are also allowed to ask questions and learn from online information worldwide.

Education 2.0 is taking learning out of classrooms. It plays an important role of leading to a collaborative and knowledge sharing network in the future.


Our online educational community is inspired by the emergence of education 2.0. To find out more, follow us on twitter and join our Facebook page.

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