Learning News, by Aulasneo: What is the Open edX platform & The Pomodoro Technique

'In this new edition of our newsletter, we'll share the first article from the "getting to know the world of the Open edX?platform" series ?? and a very useful technique to learn named after an italian tomato ?? .

What is Open edX? and what are the advantages of Open edX?

Starting the series of articles "getting to know the world of the Open edX? platform" today we answer the first questions:

What is Open edX?

What are the advantages of Open edX?

Open edX is an open source online learning platform orignially developed by the edX team (now know as TCRIL), a non-profit organisation founded by MIT and Harvard.

The platform offers a variety of features for the creation and delivery of online courses, including the ability to create courses with multimedia content, assessments and online discussions. It allows the incorporation of synchronous (live lectures) and asynchronous (recorded videos, lectures, forums) content, as well as the ability to schedule or restrict the publication of content according to defined requirements. It also offers integration with other educational tools, such as Zoom, H5P and data analysis such as our exclusive PANORAMA analytics engine.

This platform is used by educational institutions, academies, companies, governments and non-profit organisations to offer online courses and training programmes.

Some of the advantages of using the Open edX platform include:

• Open source: since it is open source software, users have access to the source code and can customise and adapt the platform to their specific needs.
• Great flexibility: it allows for the creation and delivery of a wide variety of courses, from traditional online courses to certification programmes and continuing education programmes.
• Integration with other tools: Open edX integrates easily with other educational tools, such as reporting systems, CRMs and data analytics, allowing for better course management and better tracking of student performance.
• Active community: it has a large community of developers and users who collaborate in the development and improvement of the platform, which guarantees constant progress and updates.
• Scalability: Open edX is scalable, which means that it can be adapted to the needs of any size of organisation, from small educational institutions to large companies.
• Accessibility: The platform is designed to be accessible for students with disabilities, complying with WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards.

Open edX is an excellent choice for organisations looking to deliver high quality distance education and measure the impact of their educational programmes.

Want to know how your organisation can use the Open edX platform to manage its online training projects?

Contact us!

The Pomodoro Technique.

By María Laura Rivas Díaz

When taking the edX Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything, based on the book "Learn like a pro" by Oakley Barbara Ph.D. and Schewe Olav. we came across this magnificent technique to study and solve tasks.

Today we want to share it with you!

We want to introduce you to the Pomodoro Technique created by Francisco Cirillo. But first, we would like to ask you if it ever happened to you that...

• altough you read for many hours a book, you can′t retain the concepts you were studying.
• you can`t understand or solve an exercise in an exam,
• or you had a lot of work to do and you don′t know where to start and therefore... you leave your assignments unfinished.

What is the goal of the technique?

The purpose of this technique according to Cirillo (2020) is: "to provide a simple tool or process to improve productivity (your own and your team's productivity)".

What are the elements of the pomodoro technique?

A different way of understanding time that no longer focuses on the concept of becoming. This relieves anxiety and improves personal effectiveness.

A better use of the mind. It allows us to achieve greater clarity of thought, a higher level of awareness and to focus attention, while facilitating learning.

The use of simple and unobtrusive tools, which reduce the complexity of applying the technique, promote continuity and allow us to concentrate our efforts on the goals we want to achieve.

The pomodoro technique is based on a process consisting of 5 stages

What do you need to apply the technique? Cyril (2020):

A pomodoro: a kitchen timer or there are websites that allow you to set the timer on your computer ?? Pomodoro Timer - Do more in less time, without stress.

A to-do list for today drawn up at the beginning of each day with the following information.

A list of tasks to complete during the day, in order of priority.

A section entitled "Unforeseen and urgent activities", which will include unexpected tasks that may arise as they do. These activities could change the plan for the day.

An inventory of activities, which will consist of the following: several lines on which you write the various activities as they arise. At the end of the day, cross out those that have been completed.

So, what is the pomodoro technique?

It is a technique to fix content. The pomodoro technique consists of fixing your attention in short periods of time of 25 minutes, but first you must have your desk or study table clean, that is to say that you cannot have objects such as your mobile phone, your computer, or a cup of coffee that make you lose your attention. Once this period is over, you should take a break of 5 minutes, it is suggested that it is a moment of relaxation, you can listen to a song that you like, close your eyes, prepare a cup of tea, or you can do something that you enjoy. It is suggested to do these intervals 4 times i.e.

1st timeslot: Fixed attention for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes.

2nd timeslot: Fixed attention for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes.

3rd timeslot: Fixed attention for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes.

4th timeslot: Fix attention for 25 minutes, rest 5 minutes.

Once I finish these 4 intervals I can take a longer break which can be 15 minutes. It is important that you do the intervals, because keeping your mind relaxed during this time will allow the transfer of information to long-term memory to work better.

We invite you to do the practice with your daily tasks or studies.

What are the benefits that the application of the technique can bring? According to Cirillo (2020):

As one reduces interruptions by applying this technique, it improves our attention and concentration.

Increases awareness when making decisions.

Helps to boost motivation and keep it constant

Strengthen determination to achieve goals

Improves work or study processes

We hope that you have liked this article. Please experiment with the Pomodoro Technique and share your feedback in the comments.

Sources:

Cirillo, Francisco (2020)?La técnica pomodoro. (M. Asensio ,Trad). Barcelona. Paidós. (Obra original publicada en 2018)

Oakley Barbara Ph.D. y Schewe Olav.. (2022). Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything. 2023, enero 3, de?edX | Free Online Courses by Harvard, MIT, & more?. Sitio web:?Course | edX