Giunti Labs’ User Conference Endorses Open Platform Learning Content, Technologies And Standards

Nov. 11, 2008 - PRLog -- Following an introduction to the event, given by Fabrizio Cardinali, Giunti Labs’ CEO, Michael King, Vice President of IBM Global Education Industry, observed: “Open platform education is the engine of innovation in the 21st century – especially since, between 2010 and 2020, the USA, Europe, Japan, China and India are predicted to face a shortfall of some 32m well-educated, technically specialised professionals. Consequently, education should enable open access for all; encourage open data and business processes; promote open communities of learning and open technologies to deliver the learning.”

King outlined three trends:
•   Demand for ‘learning outcomes’ and pressures on costs are leading to an industry which is increasingly integrated student-centric.
•   Consumer information technology (IT) will drive learner expectations of technology-delivered learning.
•   Open technologies and standards will continue to drive enterprise IT innovation.

Other speakers included Mike Morris, Cisco’s Manager of Sales Business Development; Patricia Santos, eLearning Manager of Cegos, and Judy Brown, Mobile Learning Researcher at the Institute for Simulation and Training, the University of Central Florida and the founder of the Academic ADL SCORM Co-Lab.

Cardinali commented that Giunti Labs is meeting the learning challenges of these early years of the 21st century by building SOA architectures, partnerships and solutions for personalised learning. He explained: “From 1996 to 2000, we had ‘e-learning 1.0’ with traditional pedagogy, contents and models.

“Then, from 2000 to 2004, users became dissatisfied with this first generation e-learning and we saw the growth of self-generated e-learning content with little emphasis on pedagogy or instructional design but presented via ‘e-learning 2.0’ technology.

“Now, we are witnessing the blending of formal and informal learning content, being delivered on mobile and open platforms. This is ‘e-learning 3.0’ and is helping to develop personal learning communities,” he said.

Consequently, learning systems need content that works in terms of both formal and informal learning, Cardinali continued. He added: “Innovation is the key if educators are to meet society’s expectations.”

At the conference - sponsored by Giunti Labs’ partners Promethean, Cegos, Plateau, Cisco and IBM - users of the world’s leading digital content repository and marketplace solution, HarvestRoad Hive™, and of the leading online and mobile learning content management system, learn eXact™, shared their knowledge and experience of the use of rich media, mobile and virtual learning content production, management and rendering toolkits to provide open and interoperable digital repository services.

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About Giunti Labs  
Giunti Labs is a leading Online and Mobile Learning Content Management Solutions provider with global headquarters in Italy and offices in London (UK), Frankfurt (Germany), Lund (Sweden), Boston (US), as well as Sydney and Perth (Australia).
Giunti Labs provides a wide range of solutions, in response to any content, learning and knowledge management need, covering:
•   24/7 multi language learning content production
•   LCMS and Digital Repository Platforms
•   Delivery solutions for mobile & wireless
•   Consulting and professional services
Giunti Labs is part of Giunti Group, a leading educational and cultural heritage publisher with roots back to 1841. Over the years Giunti has built a catalogue of huge dimensions (over 7.000 titles) and acquired new brands in Italy and worldwide.
In 2008, Giunti Labs acquired the HarvestRoad Hive digital repository system, which manages any form of content used in online learning, corporate training and knowledge management initiatives. HarvestRoad Hive can interface with practically any ERP, Learning or Course Management System and is already integrated with several commonly used course management systems, authoring and content assembly tools.

Further information from:

Minna Leikas, Giunti Labs, +39 3474435167, m.leikas@giuntilabs.com
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405, bob.little@boblittlepr.com