Castalia releases "goocus pro", a smartphone-based mobile learning platform for corporations and organizations
Replaces all intellectual trainings / learning experiences
Serves as a solution for weak points in corporate seminars and personnel/on-the-job training sessions
Provides opportunities to make learning a routine
Castalia Co., Ltd. (registered main office: Nagano, Japan / headquarters: Tokyo, Japan / CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki) is pleased to announce the release of "goocus pro" (http://gooc.us/en/pro/), a smartphone-based mobile learning platform for corporations and organizations.
[goocus pro: Features]
1. Design / screen layout / amount of information optimized for smartphones
"goocus pro" was developed with an user interface (in terms of design, screen layout, amount of information, and movements) specialized in smartphones, in order to maximize its portability and 'always-on' nature. It generates a learning experience that cannot be achieved by miniature version of PC-based e-learning systems. As smartphones are something to always carry around, the application enables you to make use of your time and view the educational contents anytime and anywhere you wish.
In addition, its push notice function, unique to smartphones, notifies you what you have learned before at an efficient timing based on the one-of-a-kind forgetting curve. The repetition of learning enhances the effect of the experience.
2. Implementation of social learning from knowledge and discoveries
Social learning refers to the act of trying to achieve a high learning effect by sharing and learning together the knowledge, related information, and discoveries acquired from the individual users' learning experiences, just like the sharing of everyday events with friends across the social networking services. "goocus pro" is designed to generate the "connection between people (sociality)" within its learners' group.
The "Learned" and the comment annotation function, which mark the learned segments and answered questions, are not only saved as the user's learning history, but also be automatically shared with the fellow users within the group. By sharing hints, related information, and inquiries to the question, those who have already learned can become the teachers and those who have not can become the students, which result in the spontaneous construction of a socially learning environment.
3. Utilization of gaming elements in learning experiences - to compete and to cooperate
"goocus pro" incorporates gaming elements so that a learning experience is not just something to be forced but also spontaneous, gives a sense of accomplishment, and evokes the desire to learn more. Each user's knowledge achievement level is shown within the group for members to see who is studying hard, as well as to communicate with the fellow members by encouraging them. By cooperating with one another to accomplish missions like games, the members will receive a common reward, i.e, a high learning effect.
4. Rich administrative functions: enabling the low-cost, effective use of existing intracompany contents, streamlining the creation of learning materials, and the analysis and monitoring of learning data
"goocus pro" aims to reduce physical and financial burdens compared to the conventional and actual training sessions and workshops and e-learning systems. You can create the contents easily on the administrative screen. The application not only allows you to utilize the existing internal training materials (i.e., text, video, audio contents, photos, images, etc.) but also lowers the technical barriers of the administrator. In addition, the administrator can check the individual user's achievement rank within the group, the level of his/her achievement in the particular learning, his/her strong and weak fields, and his/her aptitude to become an opinion leader, etc. and figure out his/her specialty in terms of human resources.
5. A tool to implement "informal learning" based on the organization and the individuals, which is not achievable with formal learning processes
"Learning experiences" of grownups are called "informal learning," and something that cannot be achieved through formal learning processes. According to the research by UK's GoodPractice about corporate management staffs entitled "Informal Learning: Learning and its effect of corporate managers", conversations with the fellow workers, as well as web searches are the most and second most efficient learning methods. Also, in the joint presentation by the Center for Creative Leadership (U.S.A.), Robert Eichinger and Michel Lombardo, they say that 90% of the learning experiences of an adult are "informal" learning generated from personal experiences and through communications with people, and the troubles caused at the office cannot be learned over a textbook.
"goocus pro" enables you to widely share experiences and knowledge laying on organizations, such as corporations, and individuals.
[goocus pro: Overview]
■Name: "goocus pro", a mobile learning platform
for corporations / organizations http://gooc.us/en/pro/
■Application details (Version 1.0):
[iPhone version]
Size: 5.3MB
Compatible with: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + 4G / Requires iOS 5.0 or higher / Works on X2 mode on iPads.
[Android version]
Size: 1.9MB
Compatible with: Android OS 2.3 or higher
[Web version] *Release scheduled in July 2013
Recommended OS: Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, MacOS X 10.5 or higher, iOS 5.0 or higher, Android 3.1 or higher
(Please contact us for information of recommended devices.)
■Price:
Please contact us for the price. You will need to register to use this service.
■About Castalia Co., Ltd.
Castalia Co., Ltd. (Registered Main Office: Nagano, Japan / Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan / CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki) produces educational digital content solutions and operates web media for learning, under the concept of "Mobile & Social". Castalia offers a new and educational communication channel between content-providing corporations/educational institutes and individuals, contributing to the further enhancement of their significance.
【For more information, please contact】
Castalia Co., Ltd.
info [at] castalia.co.jp
Phone: (81)-3-3401-4191
http://www.castalia.co.jp/en/
Serves as a solution for weak points in corporate seminars and personnel/on-the-job training sessions
Provides opportunities to make learning a routine
Castalia Co., Ltd. (registered main office: Nagano, Japan / headquarters: Tokyo, Japan / CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki) is pleased to announce the release of "goocus pro" (http://gooc.us/en/pro/), a smartphone-based mobile learning platform for corporations and organizations.
"goocus pro" is a mobile learning platform born out of an intensive research of learning with rapidly spreading smartphones. It takes full advantage of the portability of mobile devices, an always-on learning environment that does not require certain times or locations, emergence of ideas and competition born from the sharing of knowledge and discoveries by users connected with one another through social networking services such as Facebook, the habitual power of gaming elements, the management of users by the administrator and the utilization of the users' learning history, resulting in a new service that replaces the traditional learning systems.
[goocus pro: Features]
1. Design / screen layout / amount of information optimized for smartphones
"goocus pro" was developed with an user interface (in terms of design, screen layout, amount of information, and movements) specialized in smartphones, in order to maximize its portability and 'always-on' nature. It generates a learning experience that cannot be achieved by miniature version of PC-based e-learning systems. As smartphones are something to always carry around, the application enables you to make use of your time and view the educational contents anytime and anywhere you wish.
In addition, its push notice function, unique to smartphones, notifies you what you have learned before at an efficient timing based on the one-of-a-kind forgetting curve. The repetition of learning enhances the effect of the experience.
2. Implementation of social learning from knowledge and discoveries
Social learning refers to the act of trying to achieve a high learning effect by sharing and learning together the knowledge, related information, and discoveries acquired from the individual users' learning experiences, just like the sharing of everyday events with friends across the social networking services. "goocus pro" is designed to generate the "connection between people (sociality)" within its learners' group.
The "Learned" and the comment annotation function, which mark the learned segments and answered questions, are not only saved as the user's learning history, but also be automatically shared with the fellow users within the group. By sharing hints, related information, and inquiries to the question, those who have already learned can become the teachers and those who have not can become the students, which result in the spontaneous construction of a socially learning environment.
3. Utilization of gaming elements in learning experiences - to compete and to cooperate
"goocus pro" incorporates gaming elements so that a learning experience is not just something to be forced but also spontaneous, gives a sense of accomplishment, and evokes the desire to learn more. Each user's knowledge achievement level is shown within the group for members to see who is studying hard, as well as to communicate with the fellow members by encouraging them. By cooperating with one another to accomplish missions like games, the members will receive a common reward, i.e, a high learning effect.
4. Rich administrative functions: enabling the low-cost, effective use of existing intracompany contents, streamlining the creation of learning materials, and the analysis and monitoring of learning data
"goocus pro" aims to reduce physical and financial burdens compared to the conventional and actual training sessions and workshops and e-learning systems. You can create the contents easily on the administrative screen. The application not only allows you to utilize the existing internal training materials (i.e., text, video, audio contents, photos, images, etc.) but also lowers the technical barriers of the administrator. In addition, the administrator can check the individual user's achievement rank within the group, the level of his/her achievement in the particular learning, his/her strong and weak fields, and his/her aptitude to become an opinion leader, etc. and figure out his/her specialty in terms of human resources.
5. A tool to implement "informal learning" based on the organization and the individuals, which is not achievable with formal learning processes
"Learning experiences" of grownups are called "informal learning," and something that cannot be achieved through formal learning processes. According to the research by UK's GoodPractice about corporate management staffs entitled "Informal Learning: Learning and its effect of corporate managers", conversations with the fellow workers, as well as web searches are the most and second most efficient learning methods. Also, in the joint presentation by the Center for Creative Leadership (U.S.A.), Robert Eichinger and Michel Lombardo, they say that 90% of the learning experiences of an adult are "informal" learning generated from personal experiences and through communications with people, and the troubles caused at the office cannot be learned over a textbook.
"goocus pro" enables you to widely share experiences and knowledge laying on organizations, such as corporations, and individuals.
[goocus pro: Overview]
■Name: "goocus pro", a mobile learning platform
for corporations / organizations http://gooc.us/en/pro/
■Application details (Version 1.0):
[iPhone version]
Size: 5.3MB
Compatible with: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + 4G / Requires iOS 5.0 or higher / Works on X2 mode on iPads.
[Android version]
Size: 1.9MB
Compatible with: Android OS 2.3 or higher
[Web version] *Release scheduled in July 2013
Recommended OS: Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, MacOS X 10.5 or higher, iOS 5.0 or higher, Android 3.1 or higher
(Please contact us for information of recommended devices.)
■Price:
Please contact us for the price. You will need to register to use this service.
■About Castalia Co., Ltd.
Castalia Co., Ltd. (Registered Main Office: Nagano, Japan / Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan / CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki) produces educational digital content solutions and operates web media for learning, under the concept of "Mobile & Social". Castalia offers a new and educational communication channel between content-providing corporations/educational institutes and individuals, contributing to the further enhancement of their significance.
【For more information, please contact】
Castalia Co., Ltd.
info [at] castalia.co.jp
Phone: (81)-3-3401-4191
http://www.castalia.co.jp/en/