Fedena

Advantages of Student Management System

July 28, 2017August 9, 2017

We as humans have evolved from being wild cavemen to the well-sophisticated populace, which is largely because of our curiosity and our eagerness to learn. Therefore, through the ages, the education system has constantly been evolving to accord us with knowledge essential to not only remain as the dominant species but also make the world a better place. Therefore, to keep up with new modes of information and new channels of education we need to evolve our education system by automating the traditional ways and bringing more structure to the curriculum. Managing an educational system requires careful planning and time management on everybody’s part, and therefore the automated management system has become not only a norm but a necessity in today’s world. These smart technologies improve the efficiency of teachers to educate their pupils in most unique ways bringing out the true creativity in them.

With an enormous amount of information available on various channels and such little time to grasp it, time management becomes much more crucial. The same goes for an educational organization trying to manage a crowd of students, with efficiency and effectiveness only a system can provide. With such requirements, it comes important to include a managing tool to save everybody’s precious time. A student management system brings in various features like admission, attendance, fee collection library, examination, timetable, transport tracking, student performance report etc. All these are low complexity tasks which require high accountability and accuracy, therefore these tasks can easily be delegated to our lesser counterparts; the machines (or software’s). Student management system has become an essential part of school management, offering efficacy where it matters.

These systems provide a 360-degree view over the students, to manage their various needs and tracking their educational performance. A single platform can offer an access to all these elements and aid in tracking the data on the fly. Fedena with such extensive features is a web based software which can be accessed from anywhere and at any time.

Some significant advantages of the Student Management System:

Smart management of student’s data
Students fees, examination, transports, library facility can be accessed directly using a unique identification number per student. This can be used by a student or the management for tracking their schedules/dues.

Avid student performance
Every child can now focus on their education, rather than running over to the management/administration to access their records. This gives them ample time to work on their weaker areas, achieving more than ever before.

Streamline and simplify everyday tasks
Dashboard helps in reminding which activities an individual needs to perform and which of them are already done. It gives a unified view collecting all the useful data in a single screen, making sure everything important is highlighted. This results in a better productivity and growth with minimum effort.

Improves communication
Not every student is as open in the classroom as some of their classmates, this could be either because of limited time or because of their hesitation while asking a query. With a discussion panel built into the software, they can ask away all the queries their heart desires. Having an alumni tab lets the students stay connected to their seniors who have already gone past the educational heights, and can further be useful while seeking assistance when they are out in the open world.

Universal access with ease
It is not only available for students, but also for teachers, parents, and other institution employees. Where teachers can manage their classes, students attendance, assignments, and other tasks, while the parents can keep a hawk-eyed view over their young ones using a single unified platform. This gives them better control to not only keep their tasks organised, but also reminds them who needs more attention.

Building Better Schools with School ERP Software

July 24, 2017August 9, 2017

School ERP Software can bring about institutional change

Discipline and organisation are the two tenets that form the backbone of any smoothly functioning institution. Nowhere does this hold more true than the controlled chaos that a school is. From managing the cesspool of adolescent emotions of their high school wards to ensuring that not a single ball is dropped on the administrative front, an organised school is a functional one.

It is no small responsibility – student success is dependant on the seamless running of the systems that nurture them. It is not an easy responsibility, either – the number of stakeholders to be managed, and the many small spanners that get thrown in the works, are countless.

Administrators are one of the key stakeholders and often at the forefront of the battle to manage systemic issues or problems that crop that affect the day to day functioning of the school. From the repetitive tasks that can get monotonous to the unexpected issues that crop up, the machinations of an administrative professional’s task in an educational institution are often invisible. Only when things fall apart are they given any notice and by then it is not to thank them for how hassle free things have been so far.

Institutions that want to make the lives of their administrators a little easier would do well to invest in school ERP software. Not only is this piece of education technology a financially sound investment, it institutionalises processes, reduces labour costs and allows for things to be more universally accessible by moving away from the pen and paper days of yore.

Fragmentation of information can be the downfall of any institution, and school ERP software helps eliminate this loss of valuable know how. Knowledge transfer becomes less person independent and thus less prone to errors.

What are some top level administrative tasks that the right school ERP software could take over today? Here are three that Fedena excels at:

Easy Fee Collection

The generation of fee invoices and fee receipts is a time and labour intensive process, especially when one takes into account that different students are in different bands. When one adds in additional fees, scholarships or awards, and waivers or other considerations granted on an individual basis, it can get a little more than complicated. School ERP software like Fedena can help your school’s administrator’s set up rules that are personalised to each student or student group. Fee invoices and receipts are generated automatically, and parents have the ability to pay their child’s fee any time and from anywhere, even on the go through their mobile phones.

Easy Report Cards

Report cards are the first tenable communication between a parent and teacher about their charge’s school performance. Being able to track student progress over different time periods, for different courses, or for different competencies gives everyone a comprehensive view of how they are doing. School ERP software like Fedena allows students and parents to not only keep continuous track of their coursework and grades but allows rules to be set for how report cards appear to allow teachers to best convey how a student is performing that year.

Easy Student Records

From classnotes, coursework, assignments to disciplinary records – a student file can start to get quite cumbersome as he progresses through his education. School ERP software allows administrators to maintain vast swathes of information on every student in their school, allowing parents and teachers to keep track of the growth of a child in their school. It ensures that every student received the personalised attention they deserve, but easily – at a click of a button – instead of being yet another bright mind slipping through the cracks.

Importance of discipline module in school management software

July 21, 2017

Discipline is the key to bring a standardised structure within an institution/organisation. It is not used to refer to just a limited set of people (students, employees etc), but for the institution as a whole. It is a necessary practice to be followed within every organisation to not only bring a structure to their daily working on but also to organise the thoughts and pave the way for the continued growth.

“Discipline must come through liberty … We do not consider an individual disciplined only when he has been rendered as artificially silent as a mute and as immovable as a paralytic. He is an individual annihilated, not disciplined.”

Maria Montessori

As we have talked about the concept of discipline is so important for an organisation, implementing it is a completely different story. The school discipline addresses school-wide, classroom-wide, and individual needs through broad prevention, targeted intervention, and development of self-discipline. In Fedena, there is an enhanced discipline module specifically designed to file disciplinary complaints. This plugin lets the students discuss their problems with their teachers, along with providing the feature for filing a complaint against either a teacher or a student. Schools often respond to disruptive individuals with exclusionary and punitive approaches that have limited value; therefore using this plugin, actions like necessary counselling can also be taken against certain users.

As observed in various educational institutions, the teachers were held responsible for not handling student’s behaviour and discipline. But since the institutions were not well equipped to handle such sensitive cases of disciplinary complaints, teachers had a hard time doing their job properly. After analysing these situations, it was found necessary to include a module targeted specifically to undertake disciplinary actions.

Sometimes there are situations where there is a misuse of power. As we have observed these individuals can misuse the system to harass students. Therefore we decided, the disciplinary actions must not be restricted only to the students but needed to be extended to other individuals as well. The enhanced discipline module helps the users file a complaint against student and lecturers as well.

“Discipline may be considered as a force that prompts individuals or groups to observe the rules, regulations and procedures which are deemed to be necessary for the effective functioning of an organisation”

Richard D. Calhoon

Creating a disciplinary issue:

Open the discipline module under ‘Academics’.
To enter a new complaint, start with a title for the complaint.
The description of the incident reported can then be filled in.
Decide on a suitable date for the trial and select it in the date box.
Search for the student/employee who has registered or wants to register the complaint.
Assign it to the guilty student/employee.
A choice for Jury is also available as different incidents have different processes, some might be big enough for a full discussion.
In this step, you can assign the employees and students who will be responsible for solving the issue.
As a proof/evidence other attachments, like photos, documents etc can also be attached.
Once it has been submitted, the issue will show up on the dashboards of all the people involved, automatically notifying them of the incident and time for trial.

How Mobile is Transforming the Way We Do Business

July 21, 2017August 9, 2017

Using desktop computers might have been the way to go just a few short years ago, but mobile has recently usurped it as the leading way for people to consume media. In fact, in 2016, more users accessed the Internet via a mobile device as opposed to a desktop for the very first time. So, with such statistics in mind, it should come as no surprise that mobile technology is also having a large impact on how we do business. If you currently operate a company but make limited use of such technology at present, read on for why you should also be embracing mobile and benefiting from it as a result.

It allows growth for those with limited resources. When it comes to scaling (and even starting) a business, mobile technology has made this far easier and more accessible to the masses. This is partly down to cloud-based tools. Thanks to such resources, you no longer need to purchase or maintain expensive technology to grow your online presence for example. Plus, if you experience a dreaded slow patch for your business, using cloud allows you to scale back seamlessly if needed. On the flipside, it also delivers the opportunity to ramp up your needs within an instant when necessary.

Also, don’t disregard mobile payments as the main way for businesses to grow at a rapid rate. The likes of PayPal and Slack supply both convenience and ease of use.

It provides flexibility

Now, while previous topics have already touched upon the flexibility provided by mobile, this section will focus on how it can make things so much more comfortable for your employees. Think about it: if they have access to all of their files, are always on-hand to communicate when needed, and their output won’t be affected, why should an employee be mandated to stay cooped up in an office all the time? After all, research has reported that 91% of employees feel more productive when working remotely as opposed to being in-house. So thanks to mobile technology, you can make your employees happier and also more productive at the same time.

It combines all small items into one package

Although this can often be overlooked, mobiles also utilise many small features that we often take for granted in the business world. For example, with a smartphone you no longer need a physical calendar to check what is on for today’s agenda – you just simply have to input all that info onto your device. Calendars are not the only thing becoming obsolete in the office either. A calculator app means you can throw away your standard calculator and abacus, while the Rolodex’s demise also leads to it being an item of trash.

It removes the need for paperwork

In the large majority of cases, paperwork can become a thing of the past for businesses that utilise mobile technology. Just take a second to think about it: if you’re sending documents virtually over the cloud, is there any need to print those out and produce a physical form of them to employees?

The answer, by and large, is a big fat ‘no’.
That’s right; you can leave those spreadsheets and notes in their digital form. Even documents that require official authentication – such as an agreement or contract – don’t need to receive the printing treatment. That’s because you can use a mobile-based eSignature to sign off on those documents.

While not needing to use your pen to sign things anymore is a benefit, a paperless world for your business also carries plenty of other advantages. Not only is it much better for the environment, but it will also save time and money to an extent – although more on that point with the following topic.

It saves both money and time

If the aforementioned points haven’t signalled it enough for you, going mobile helps with both your budget and time. Plus considering time is money, this means positive things for your business in terms of its bank balance. It is also important to note that going mobile allows you to focus on your core business activities. Forget about spending extensive resources on side aspects such as calculating your finances and updating your tech with the latest firmware. Now you can place a greater emphasis on what you do best, and also push towards expanding and growing your company at a faster pace as a result.

It supplies new ways to market

By that, we primarily mean using your own app to promote your goods and services. At least initially, you might be thinking how this is counterintuitive to the last topic of discussion. After all, surely the creation of an app would invoke the need for a sizeable chunk of cash and time? Well, to answer that question, yes it does (for the most part). Yet, that is only looking at the short-term picture. If you craft an app that is well-designed and filled with relevant content for your intended audience, it could result in some serious traction for your business.

That’s because you shouldn’t underestimate how much various apps are used in daily life on the standard. On mobile devices, for example, their usage far outweighs that of people looking to use a web browser. You have an app, you stay better connected with the audience you already possess, and you open yourself up to a potentially larger audience – especially if the app begins ranking high on those app store charts.

Also, make a note of producing a website that is optimised for mobile. Web browsers might not be used that much on mobile on the whole, but you want to ensure you’re best prepared for people that do visit your site via their smartphones/tablets. Landing on your usual website – i.e. the one that is set-up for desktops – might discourage visitors from pursuing with their initial enquiries. Stay professional, create a mobile-optimized website, and feature a slick interface that is easy to navigate.

Student Management Software Improves Student Life

July 17, 2017August 9, 2017

Smoother student experiences made possible with student management software

India’s ballooning population affects the student in multiple ways, but one of the most obvious consequences can be the strain it causes on our educational institutions. The increasing demand for quality education across the board and higher levels of discernment amongst parents seeking the best education for their children have resulted in a rise in the standard of education. This means that the pressure is on from all sides. Educational institutions are expected to deliver more and deliver quickly. It is a necessity with more and more Indians competing on a global scale.

It is easy to get overwhelmed in this pressurised environment. What’s more, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters – the student – when trying to plug holes in the dam. It is vital to remember that students are not here to just be managed but must enriched. Student management software like Fedena help alleviates this strain on the system. And they are not just useful for administrative functions.

Here are four ways student management software help manage the student experience in an efficient and productive fashion:

Accessibility

Any student will tell you about their middle of the night worry about losing their notes or course material before an exam. Cumbersome file folders and reams of paper are eliminated with student management software which allows students to manage their course material and notes easily and effectively. Having a single source of truth that is accessible anytime and anywhere by the student is one less bit of tension they have to take in their already stressful lives.

Communicability

Teachers will be very familiar with the phenomena of after class queries from droves of students and having to hold revision or doubt clearing sessions before key exams. Access to this treasure trove of knowledge cannot be replaced by the best textbooks, notes or by alternative sources of advice. Student management software allows pupils to easily communicate with their teachers whether it is to clarify a point missed during class or alley last minute exam fears. In this age of 24/7 communication, schools must not fall behind.

Focus

The classic use of student management software has been to better manage administrative tasks for educational institutions. These are the periodic responsibilities of any school that help keep it functioning smoothly. Nowadays, it is what schools seem to spend the most on for the least degree of efficiency. This is not an issue limited to student-administration ties, but also present in administration interactions with parents. Student management software allows parents to easily communicate with their child’s teacher and institution, whether it is to discuss their son’s latest exam scores or to easily and quickly pay school fees from wherever they are. Being able to better manage administrative work allows institutions and teachers alike to focus on what is truly important – their students. Student management softwares alleviate, if not eliminate, a lot of issues that are currently slowing the system down.

Comprehensiveness

The impartment of knowledge is not a one-way street. Research has repeatedly shown that the student experience is enriched by the practical experience, personalisation, and class discussion. These are all, however, are difficult to implement. These are time-consuming and expensive exercises that are the first to fall to the wayside when teachers are attempting to just ensure that their students meet their syllabus requirements before yet another exam. Student management software makes life a little easier for teachers, however. Having a single window option where they can customise course materials to each student and student groups that encourage peer discussion ensures that these valuable experiences are not lost.

Education Technology is Building the Next Generation of Artists

July 14, 2017

Creativity is only enhanced by education technology

Even in 2017, creative pursuits like music and the fine arts are shrouded in myth and mystery. From painters who have famously odd relationships with their muses to writers who can’t work without a rotting apple in their desk, art is seen as largely esoteric. To the uninformed, their professions have remained stuck in time – all a musician needs is his instrument and an audience, and all a painter needs are some paper and something to scribble on it with.

But as any professional musician or artist will tell you, technology is inescapable in their fields. This does not mean the old techniques are obsolete – one has to crawl before they can run. Understanding sheet music and having a sound aesthetic sensibility is still vital to producing good art, and these can only be learned through rigorous study and practice. However, students who wish to pursue more creative careers must embrace the technology it runs on. The easels and cellos in art studios and music rooms across schools are increasingly being enhanced by the addition of educational technology that – by accident or design – is helping build the next generation of artists.

Here’s a look at a few examples of education technology that our artists in making are hopefully all familiar with:

Smart Boards
Art education is not just about learning how to draw well. Understanding the history of art, aesthetics, and learning about techniques used by the Masters is a big contributor to the development of a budding artist. This is an easy entry point for art education technology. Smart boards, for instance, make it easier for art educators to find references for artists to study, point out brushstrokes for students to emulate, and teach art history in an interactive and stimulating fashion.

Drawing Tablets
Digital art increasingly becomes standard operating procedure in the art world. Most artists – even those who are selling their original pieces at galleries – have to produce digital versions of their creations. Whether it is to draw, colour, edit or enhance, tablets are an indispensable tool in the arsenal of any young artist. Luckily for the broke art student, cheap versions of the supercharged tablet of their dreams are now within their grasp. A starter tablet is a great education technology product for anyone – from those pursuing serious artistic ambitions to the casual doodler drawing silly webcomics for the internet.

Music Notation Software
Artistic expression is not restricted to the fine arts. The popularity of electronic music is a great example of how technology has revolutionised music, but that does not mean that it is only for the Tiestos of the world. Musical education technology has been helping budding DJs and classical composers alike for a while now. A great example is the use of musical notation software for musicians who need to practice listening to and notating compositions in order to train their ears. Finale and Sibelius are popular products that are used by professionals and students alike.

Art Editing Software
Art begets art. A final product can be modified, enhanced, and recreated using art editing software to create something brand new. Whether it is a meme that is on the verge of going viral or a captivatingly dynamic version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, art editing software is now a permanent fixture in the toolbox of any artist and a piece of education technology necessary for art classes world over. Whether it is freeware like Gimp or old stalwarts like Photoshop, knowing the basics of art editing are now an expected skill anyone working in a creative field is expected to have.

Why Fedena is the best choice for your institution?

July 10, 2017

“The time-consuming and laborious process keeps you behind the competition”.

In this ever-progressing time, online technology is becoming a part of every industry to make things easier, more accurate and smoother. Similarly, the education industry is surrounded by various technologies and one such technology which has influenced the education sector is school management software.

In days before these software’s, students would wait in long queues for their fee submission and would consequently miss their classes. But, now with these new technologies, these practices have become obsolete. Taking this similarity further, we can have a look into the new revolutionised smart classrooms, which have not only made the educational system more accurate and objective but also brought fun back to learning.

To effectively manage the influence/contributions of stakeholders, systems like Fedena make sense. With Fedena you are empowered with 100+ modules to not only effectively manage the institutional hierarchy but also its operations. It has various features like managing inventory, pre-admissions, finance, human resource activities etc.

Listed below are some key reasons why Fedena would be a boon to your institutional management:

User-Friendly Interface:
Fedena gives you an extremely smooth experience by providing various user-friendly modules which are easy to plug in. It’s GUI (Graphical User Interface) has been designed while keeping in mind the variety of users like students and their parents, which makes the navigation effortless. So, all you’d ever need to know while operating Fedena is a basic hands-on on any computer.

Affordable Pricing:
With a low-price tag, Fedena is the cheapest ERP solution in the entire education industry. With the cheapest plan being a mere Rs 36000, it is a highly affordable solution for any educational institution.

Fee Management:
Manually managing and tracking fee for all students is an arduous and time-consuming process. Performing all these activities without a smart tool makes it not only tedious but also inefficient. Fedena’s robust engine helps students and parents pay the fee online without the hassle of long exhausting queues.

Individual accounts for parents and students:
Having a unique account per individual serves a user experience customised for their needs. Using these personalised dashboards, a student can view their attendance sheet, exam results, placements updates, new feeds, time table notifications and much more. On the other hand, parents get the ability to access their child’s grades, attendance, results, homework reports and much more to get a bird’s eye view about their ward’s performance in the institute.

Personalised account for teachers:
Children are our future, and therefore their education and growth is of paramount importance. Therefore, it is necessary to bring out the best in them by pushing them to their creative limit. With Fedena, the teachers can let loose their imaginative side by letting the software manage the tedious bits like managing assignment submissions, taking attendance etc. They can also keep the pupils more engaged by posting feeds and collecting feedback to better improve the whole learning experience.

Customised Graphical Reports:
After going through months of operations, sometimes we need to look back to move forward. Fedena provides features using which you can create reports to analyse the crests and troughs in the hectic educational journey. Using Fedena, you can generate various reports (likes student performance, attendance, employee leave, employee productivity, employee payslip, assignments, placements and much more) online, keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum making this an environment-friendly product.

Attendance/Leave management:
As we have mentioned already, maintaining attendance is a hassle which interferes with the creative experience of learning. So, by using our attendance module you can not only manage the attendance without much inconvenience, but it is also more accurate (especially without having to deal with small grids to mark attendance which is highly erroneous). All you really have to do is mark the absentees, and you are already done.

Exam Management:
You can even create your own online tests, and generate reports out of them, which makes it a whole learning tool along with just a monitoring and managing tool. This also supports various grading formats and examination schedules, to easily manage the test environments.

But, this isn’t all, Fedena has many more features which help in mitigating the work efforts and aid towards increasing your productivity for managed growth. So, go ahead and become a part of the family by embracing the power of Fedena.

Types of fees collection in Fedena

July 7, 2017

“Go paperless”

Without the funds, an institution cannot run which makes it that much important to keep focused resources while collecting fees and funds. In traditional environments, a separate set of people with matching skills are put in every crucial place, handling fee was no different. Staff specialising in finance was hired to handle these jobs increasing not only the cost to the institution but also created more management problems. With the margin of error being negligible, the tasks become that much daunting, creating panic on both creditor’s and payees’ end.

To eliminate this problem, Fedena brings in a solution which is not only easily learnt but also quite basic. Reducing the possibility of error with a flawless robust platform, Fedena also reduces the carbon footprint while keeping the trail of the transactions.

Here are some tips before you start working on the platform:

Only administrators and privileged employees can manage the fee.
To start with any collection of fees, first, there is a need to create a structure composing of a fee category under which different fee types/particulars, can be grouped.
Then create the particulars (students are required to pay after admission). [ Note: Only to be edited before scheduling a fee collection].
Create fee collection under the scheduled fee collection dates. For example, to accumulate fees for students till 12^th standard, fee can be collected quarterly, while for graduation students it may be per-semester.

Various ways in which fee collection can be assembled in Fedena:

Student Wise:

Submission of the fee by searching individual students. It is the most used collection method used by our clients. Few steps to be followed while executing student wise fees collection:

Search the student according to their admission number and batch.
Then select the fee collection
Finally, select the payment mode and give the reference number.

Batch wise:

Fees collection on batch filter.

Steps to follow while assembling the batch-wise fee collection:

First, select the batch and fee collection.
Post that, select the payment mode and fill the reference number to pay the fees.

Particular wise:

Gather the fee according to the particulars.

Steps to follow while creating the particular-wise fee collection:

Search a student by name or admission number.
Then, set the fee collection.
Lastly, select the payment mode and submit the reference number to pay the fees.

To know more about Fedena school management software, Try our free demo.

The 7 Challenges All Email Marketers Will Face

July 4, 2017

Often as a reseller or a partner, it becomes a very difficult task to reach out to the right audience in the education market. Marketers often wonder which channels would be the best way to reach out and attract their audience. One of the most effective ones being email marketing. Here are 7 challenges that will help you prepare for your email marketing campaigns.

Email marketing can be one of the most effective modes of customer communication. However, to deliver engaging messages time and again, many marketers are forced to juggle multiple tasks, while focusing on the next campaign.

For this reason, Campaign Monitor surveyed hundreds of marketers at growing businesses to identify both their email marketing goals and challenges. The results found that most marketers face 7 similar challenges when creating marketing emails, which you learn more about in the informative infographic below.

For example, 58% of marketers stated increasing engagement rates is their company’s number one goal. While 44% of participants admitted it was also their number one challenge. Any successful email marketer will know the key to increasing customer engagement is through relevant, targeted information, which can be created through segmentation and personalization (emails with personalized subject lines can increase revenue by 760%).

Different marketers will face different challenges. Many believe customer acquisition is their number one challenge (35%), while other companies may face the hurdle of retaining customers (18%), improving email personalization (36%), or boosting brand awareness (24%).

For a company to achieve or exceed their goals, they must develop a solid email marketing strategy to overcome their marketing obstacles. Although there are many challenges to overcome, 84% of marketers would say their email effectiveness is growing, with 30% considering their email marketing strategy “best-in-class”.

Check out the infographic below to identify the biggest email marketing challenges your company may face.

Fedena meets the communication system at its high!

June 30, 2017

“It is not about the technology; it’s about sharing knowledge and information, communicating efficiently, building learning communities and creating a culture of professionalism in schools. These are the key responsibilities of all educational leaders”. – Marion Ginapolis.

The effective communication system for an educational institution is to strengthen the relationship between parents, students, teachers and the management. School ERPs with an inbuilt internal messaging system are widely used in schools. They represent an effective, fast, secure, no cost, and smarter yet a very underutilized communication tool for teachers, students, and parents. Internal messaging has an incredibly high open and response rate, they have sparked a revolution across academic institutions. Whether we’re talking about deadline reminders, text blasts, or emergency alerts; ERP inbuilt messaging systems represent the quickest and the most effective way of getting information across to a large group of audience.

Owing to the overwhelming usage of internal messaging system which is rigorously used as a fast and effective way for communicating within an institution in Fedena, we have introduced a completely revamped version of Internal messaging and notification system which we think the fans of Fedena will thoroughly enjoy.

With the new update, messages will get a more personal touch and target. The UI of the page has been made efficient which is par competent with any new age instant messaging system. Broadcast message feature allows the users to be more interactive with parents and employees in an easy way. The admin control over sending and receiving messages are roles as a Firewall!

Cool benefits of internal messaging in Fedena

Share latest updates on Educational events and holidays as a notification.
Sharing of knowledge, views and information with the parents and staff.
Swift and easy interaction with teachers and school management.
Ability to connect and stay in touch with parents and other stakeholders effectively, efficiently and effortlessly.
Huge sums of money are wasted on photocopying, phone bills and paper. By implementing internal messaging solutions, schools can reduce expenses and man-hours.
The educational market is extremely competitive and active. Schools who wish to engage and retain students consistently work to provide better visibility and improved learning systems.

How the updated messaging service to Streamline Internal academic Communications of an institution.

Notify Students of deadlines & Exam dates

Broadcast message can be used to inform students about projects, deadlines on assignments, enrollment, graduation, returning books, exam dates, and other important events.

Send Emergency & School Closing Alerts

With the help of Internal messaging service, schools can instantly notify students and parents of emergencies, accidents or suspicious characters, or send school closing alerts.

Send Parents Meeting Reminders

You can instantly send reminders for Parents meetings, academic meetings or events using Fedena broadcasting messaging features. This will eliminate the need for notice/info boards.

Freedom of writing

Send Awareness articles about any topic with freedom from character limits.

Student empowerment

Two-way texting(Reply enabled) services can be used to great effect to empower students and offer much-needed support.

Relaxed

Improved internal messaging system makes internal communication incredibly easy. Up to date.With the help of two-way text messaging, schools can keep staff members up to date with relevant news at all times.

At the top

In built Internal messaging systems are quickly becoming the number one choice for schools due to their incredible open rate, low costs, reliability, deliverbility.

Move forward and grow only with Fedena!

3 Education Technology Products Built in Developing Nations

June 26, 2017June 26, 2017

Ensuring access to education technology despite economic constraints.

We have previously discussed how education technology is a vital ingredient when it comes to greater inclusion, especially for those from marginalised groups. The same principle holds true no matter what the scale. Whether it is your classroom or a nation on the verge of becoming a world player to be reckoned with technology is a resource that cannot be ignored.

But most educational technology is developed in the western world, where access to high speed internet, a constant supply of electricity, and other infrastructural support is presumed to exist in plenty. Anyone who has stepped outside their first world bubble will realise this is not the case in most developing nations. This is not to say that non-western countries are not technologically savvy or economically capable – the thriving economies of some African, Middle Eastern and Asian nations have been the subject of much analysis. The issue here often has to do with the comprehensive availability of infrastructural support across a nation and its people’s socio-economic classes and the consistency of its quality.

It is obvious, then, that educational technology built in the nations that they are made to support are the perfect fit for its people. These products are most likely to keep in mind the location specific constraints other products might not address, making them more useful to those who need them the most – their users.

BRCK

The biggest blocker for product developers in most developing nations, even those that are economically robust, are having to deal with a much larger set of unknowns than their counterparts in more developed nations. BRCK is a portable connectivity device that helps users cope with unreliable internet and electricity connectivity issues. These two are non-negotiable requirements for most technology products, even if it is something as simple as video conferencing in a social studies professor to teach school children in Ghana about the world around them.

Developed in Nairobi, this product has now multiple copy cats which only speaks to the very real need that existed in the market for such a device.

MobiStation

Developed in Uganda, MobiStation is billed as a classroom in a suitcase. Powered entirely by solar electricity, MobiStation enables teachers to use it in a variety of ways. It’s in built projector and audio system can be used to play educational videos, project classroom notes, or video conference with students across the world to help build bridges amongst the youth of the nation. MobiStation also has a rich library of offline content to supplement the school curriculum and teaching material being used in the classroom, that does not require internet connectivity to be used. Features like a touchpad and stylus allow students to have a more tactile learning experience resulting in higher engagement.

Ustad Literacy

Product developers in Afghanistan noticed that a lot of existing education technology on the market was relying on ubiquitous access to tablets, laptops, or high end smartphones. While access to mobile devices is expanding at breakneck speeds in developing nations, it is foolhardy to build for a more westernised future when the present need in developing nations is critical.

In order to improve literacy amongst students, developers at one of Afghanistan’s few technology firms, developed Ustad Literacy on existing eXe open source software, to allow people with low-end brick phones to be able to have access to learning tools on their devices. This non-dependence on electricity, internet connectivity, and even cellular connectivity, allows the poorest of students in the most remote areas of the world achieve literacy outcomes that keep them on par with their more privileged counterparts.

Our intent with our Learning management sytem – Uzity too is to make learning easier for everyone.

Deimos : Fedena 3.5.5

June 23, 2017June 22, 2017

Fedena 3.5.5 codenamed Deimos is a small but important update before the mobile app release. The major change is a new messaging system within Fedena to enable quick and fast communications from the institution to teachers, learners and their guardians. This release we are dedicating to a famous educator from Germany – Friedrich Fröbel

Friedrich was born in Thuringia in 1782. He started his career as an educator in Frankfurt. After taking up many roles like live-in teacher for the children of nobles to teacher in boarding schools, he published his major literary work in 1826 called Die Menschenerziehung (The Education of Man) and founded many educational institutes in Germany and Switzerland. He coined the word ‘Kindergarten’ for the play and activity institute founded in 1837. He was the first to realize the importance of activity based learning for children. Friedrich developed play materials for children known as ‘Froebel Gifts’ which were a set of toys like softballs, building blocks etc to be given at each stage of learning.

Frobel gifts image wikipedia — Image taken from wikipedia

Though the concept of kindergarten was not well accepted in his home state in the early days, his students took the concept to the United States where it got adopted. The kindergarten we know today has its origins in the work of this man.

What is New in Deimos?

All New Internal Messaging System

The new messaging system comes with an improved interface and ease of use. It is designed to be a complete communication system for the institution. Designed to work with the new upcoming Fedena mobile app, institutions can use the messaging module to send out targeted information to parents and students about school events, fee dues, teachers about upcoming PTA meetings etc. All communications sent automatically from Fedena is now part of the new module – Notifications.

Institutions can use broadcast message feature in messaging to send out messages in bulk to many users at once.

The message settings feature allows institutions to control who can send messages and who can send to whom. If the institution policy does not allow students to send direct messages to other students, this option can be turned off.

Note: The old messages created and sent for each user before the release will be archived and available for export in the profile of that user.

Notifications System

All internal notifications from Fedena like scheduling of exams, leave approvals etc will now come under the new notifications module. This allows users to keep notifications from getting mixed up with important messages. Both the new messages and notifications modules show the unread count is shown in the menu bar.

S3 Integration

S3 is a web service provided by Amazon that provides a simple, secure and scalable storage facility for files. The integration will ensure all your files in Fedena like Photos, student documents, attachments, certificates etc. are stored on Amazon’s servers across the world as per the S3 file system. This ensures that your files are always available within minimum time anywhere in the world.

What is Updated in Deimos?

Events Creation Module

And a lot more enhancements, catch the full release notes here.