Educational information Management made simple by BlueSkyEdu

As technology permeates both educational and vocational settings, teaching professionals are looking for ways to assist students in adapting to technology-driven environments – and capitalise on the benefits of digital sharing. BlueSkyEdu proffers an innovative solution to communication and diary management issues, which can hamper interaction between the relevant parties in a student’s learning journey. BlueSkyEdu’s completely customisable app opens the aqueducts between parent, teacher and student and provides a central location for the meeting of their interests and information.

Catholic Regional College Sydenham recently rolled out its iPad tablet initiative with a view to affording their 1000+ VCE students a more interactive learning experience. As part of the endeavour the college included the BlueSkyEdu app in each tablet’s functionality, to replace traditional paper student planners. Far more than simply presenting a timetable on screen, the app offers tailored views depending on whether a teacher, student or ‘other’ is accessing, total flexibility with scheduling and the ability to change dates, easy management of staff, student and parent information and bulletins, and no small financial reduction in outlays which used to go to printing – an estimated total of $15,000 per year.

The new Diary App allows for enhanced communication between the school and home. There has been a considerable cost saving to the College's recurrent budget by not having to print thousands of hard copy diaries each year. Engaging students in the modern world is critical; this tool encourages organisation and builds students’ skills for the world in which they will work. There is little doubt that this is the future for education. We are now seeing a shift away from students having to carry around cumbersome volumes of texts to a world where tools and information are at their fingertips. It made sense to develop such an application for our students.

Brendan Watson OAM

Principal, Catholic Regional College Sydenham

In addition to its easy integration with existing software systems at the college, students took up the new system with gusto – not least because of its various designs which represent a student’s House affiliation within the school, creating a sense of camaraderie and kinship between pupils. The introduction of home study reminders and archives, with visibility of progress for teachers and parents, has proved invaluable in relation to productivity, exam study and effective time management for students. The college anticipates further burgeoning involvement in the future as participants build on the modular BlueSkyEdu platform toward an evolution of learning and intercommunication.

The BlueSkyEdu app can be tailored to suit any school, college or university and can be deployed on iOS, Android and Windows 8 (from October 2013) devices. Data security and confidentiality are assured through Telstra’s powerful cloud technology, with firewalls and remote access portals built to high industry standards. BlueSkyEdu is simple to navigate, integrate and manage, allowing all manner of pertinent users to benefit from its totally contemporary approach to diary management, increased productivity and delivery.