October 2015 – Rix Inclusive Research

Rix Media has now launched the new Rix Wiki. This uses HTML5 technology so that it is more responsive across all platforms and has a number of significant enhancements.

All our current customers will have their existing Rix Wikis moved over to the new format. This means that you can benefit from the improvements and additional functionality of the new technology as soon as possible.

We have scheduled this move to take place from 10.00am on Thursday 29 October to 9.00am on Monday 2 November. Please note that you will NOT be able to access your Wiki during this time as Rix Media will be working hard behind the scenes to ensure the transition to the new Rix Wikis happens smoothly.

We know how important our customers’ Wikis are and we have kept the time needed to complete the transition as short as we can. We ask that you please bear with us while we make these exciting changes.

From 9.00am on Monday 2 November, you will be able to log in on a new website – www.rixwiki.org – using your existing log in details.

All the current content on your Rix Wiki will still be there – you won’t lose any information. But you’ll find the following improvements once you’ve logged on to your new Rix Wiki.

• The fully-flexible software gives users interactive access and seamless management of all your wiki content, wherever you are and on whatever devices you use.

• The new Rix Wiki enables you to make your wiki completely personal. The pages of content can be organised and re-organised in any order to highlight important information.

• You can use sections and sub-sections to organise your content, where multiple links such as Google maps, and multiple files in any format can be added.

• Video can be uploaded (from YouTube, Vimeo or personal film) and images can be added, cropped and rotated from any device; the software ensures any picture or clip is clearly viewable on any platform.

• All the information on Rix Wikis is private and secure and you can choose what information your share and with whom. You can be very selective, deciding to share only specific sections or even just specific information within those sections.

• It has an automated text to speech feature; this can be personalised so that viewers of the wiki can hear your voice, or the voice of someone you choose.

We’ve put together a series of videos to help you find out about the new format and ensure you can make the most of the new functions. Click this link to learn more Wiki Master Videos

If you have any questions or concerns, please call 020 8223 7561 or email rixadmin@uel.ac.uk

Charlton Park Academy, an extremely successful, oversubscribed secondary special academy within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, has fully adopted the unique multimedia advocacy approach developed by Rix Research & Media. The School uses Rix Wikis for all 240 of its pupils and this year’s Ofsted Residential Inspection Report has highlighted how the use of Wikis has enabled very effective person-centred planning.

The Ofsted report for Charlton Park Academy confirmed that:

“Residential care plans now include an explanation of how staff are to engage and ensure that they plan care to include students and that plans are as accessible as possible. The school has exceeded this suggestion in the development of safe online individual forums, called ‘wikis’, for sharing plans and achievements. These student-led and created websites have enabled grandparents living overseas to also share in the celebrations of residential students’ progress. This technology and empowering process gives control of plans to residential students and means that students can define their own identity, hopes and aspirations.”

Earlier this year, Kathryn Stowell, Head of Outreach and AAC at Charlton Park Academy, held a live webinar to share her experience of using Rix Wikis within a school environment. You can see the webinar here

Rix Wikis have now been adopted by around ten Local Authorities and over 100 schools and organisations in the UK, EU, US and Australia to embed person-centred approaches. These services and organisations are actively working with Rix Wikis to support individuals with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to live the lives that they want to lead.