SAP unveils s.o.a.s. entrant

SAP is now the first major software company to launch an online suite of business management programs delivered as ‘software as a service.’ SAP joins Netsuite, salesforce.com and Google in delivering software over the web in an integrated package. While Google Docs is a simple package of applications focused on collaborative usage, SAP is focusing more on powerful business applications. The continuing development of the ‘software as a service’ model encourages me that there is great potential (and growing impetus) for bundling a integrated package of applications tailored specifically to the educator that has limited technical barriers to entry, advanced privacy, intuitive adoption, advanced educational foundations, scalability and is empowering to both educator and student.

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Comment by Alan Dawson on September 21, 2007 at 4:50am: Hello Dan

In the UK we are currently adopting what is called a Learning Platform which is supposed to do exactly what you say should be possible.

LP's are widely used in secondary educations i.e. with 11 to 18 year olds. It is just starting to appear for primary schools although it isn't as well developed yet.

I anticipate that the Web 2:0 tools will be built into our local authority's LP.

A learning platform is a website totally owned and controlled by the individual school. They have complete control over who has username password access and to what. The staff can access planning and assessment inside and outside school. Children have accounts and their own learning space. Parents can access some aspects which are for parental matters.

The children will have access to software, they can receive and post homework to and from the school.

Whilst in school the schools can make contact with each other and children can work collaboratively with one other.

This as I say is about to happen in our schools and may take quite some time and training to make happen.

A Learning platform is supposed to provide a secure learning environment with total privacy.

Sound good? I am hopeful, but there is a lot of work ahead getting teachers to use this technology to its fullest potential!

Comment by dan stuart on September 27, 2007 at 11:34am: Thanks, Alan. That's very interesting for me to hear.

I would intrested to know who is developing this LP. Ideally, it would contain an amalgamation of leading technoogies...but that is easier said than done.

In a perfect world you could develop and share lesson/curriculum planning like Atlas Rubicon, google docs-type collaborative office software, grading software, turn-it-in software, etc. Is it too much to think that a collective of software providers could come together on such a thing?

If common formatting (common files formats) then integration would become easier.

Comment by Alan Dawson on September 27, 2007 at 3:06pm: Hello Dan

There are a number of companies in the UK who are developing Learning Platforms, they include companies such as Fronter, Netmedia, RM, Uniservity. They all have different specs and as I say they are still developing different tools into their sites. My colleague is more involved in this than I am and no doubt in the next few months I will get to see clearly what the LP we have chosen for our area looks like.

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