National Geographic Education

cultural awareness training

2009-01-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

You will find that lots of corporations these days have offices overseas and at some point, your current position may require communication with your foreign counterparts. Even if they speak your language, by having an insight into their own culture, you will understand why certain things are said and why they go about business in a particular way - things that may be frustrating by someone uneducated in that area. International business need to train their employes to learn about different cultures so that they can communicate with overseas colleagues. A Cultural Awareness Training is needed to help the smooth functioning of the overseas offices with their home counterparts

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AN EVENTFUL CAREER

2009-01-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

It includes organising everything from kiddie parties to wedding extravaganzas, but event management is no child’s play. LIGHTS, camera, action...waves of applause are heard as the curtains of any function rise. But not many see the effort put in to organise a fantastic show. The pains belong solely to the event manager - a profession that’s gaining much importance right now. India being the third biggest event country owing to numerous festival celebrations explains the growing need for event managers across the nation.
Event management in itself is a very broad idea and covers a wide range of functions. The field is broad enough to include various components as its bifurcations. These functions range from getting clients, marketing events, organising events/ functions, seminars, etc, to handling the technical aspects of the function like lights, special effects, etc. Events organised by managers can be broadly classified into five different categories of events, which are as follows

HALLMARK EVENTS:
These are the bigger events held on a larger scale, hence requiring greater efforts to be put in. Some of the examples that aptly describe this category of events are the World Cup matches.

EDUCATIONAL EVENTS:
These are events that can be described to be of educational interest or for the exchange of knowledge. Various types of trade fairs, corporate events, seminars, etc fall under this category of events.

MARKETING EVENTS:
These events aim at creating an awareness about a product or creating a market for a new product. Events held for the marketing of products, product launches, etc fall into the category of these events.
CELEBRATION EVENTS:
These events are the single biggest events in the market. They may be award functions or festival events etc. Femina Miss India functions, Filmfare awards functions or the Navratri functions etc. describe this category of events.

MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS:
Some events cannot be categorised into any of the types named above and hence these are slotted in the last category of miscellaneous events. Some of the examples are hospitality events, marriages, parties, tourism events, etc.
FUNCTIONS:
An event manager is like a circus leader who has to perform many different functions. The various functions handled by event managers are organizing seminars, exhibitions, concerts, cricket matches, road shows, functions, events, etc.
An event manager has to, in the initial stages; fetch clients for the organisation.The next stage delves into the conceptualization of the whole show around the theme as required by the client.
The major functions remaining relate to executing the event by creating publicity hype and also marketing the show, guaranteeing awareness among the public about the show to ensure its success. The hype can be created through the print media, TV, etc. The venue has to be booked and properly organized for the show. Other outsourcing aspects like lighting, food, stage, stalls, electric equipment, ticketing etc are to be taken care of. Performers have to be booked in case of marriages or parties according to requirements.

COURSES:
Event management courses offered by various institutes are generally either diploma courses or postgraduate diploma courses. Diploma postgraduate diploma courses for event management can be pursued by undergraduates & graduates on a part-time basis for a period of one year. Institutes that offer event management courses in india at Ahmedabad, jaipur, baroda, surat, Rajkot, Nagpur, indore and patna is National Academy of Event Management & Development Website : www.naemd.com e-mail – info@naemd.com

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA :
The general eligibility criteria for a career in event management is HSC or a graduate to pursue a diploma course in event management and PG Diploma Course in Event Management respectively. The student should have good communication skills, inherent marketing skills, be ambitious, bold and outspoken and further hone his skills on a regular basis. An event manager has to put in loads of hard work.In other words, it spells being content with four hours of sleep after working 10 days at a stretch.

SCOPE:

The positions depend upon the company that the individual joins. One can initially start as a junior event executive then progress as the senior event executive, event coordinator, assistant event manager and event manager which is the general structure in a normal company. The salary structures offered in the industry could range from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 and would increase depending upon the performance of the individual in the company.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
In an environment where marketing companies concentrate/ spend more on seminars etc than on events in the print and radio, the career offers great scope for creativity. In this field, one gets the fabulous opportunity to do many things at one time - in other words, juggling many tasks at one go as it breaks free from the shackles of being a monotonous nine to five job. Anyone can, if desirous, also pursue the career on a freelance basis which is an added advantage. It is a performance oriented field where non-performers get eliminated very fast. So do you intend to master the field categorised as the one-man-show tribe?
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Television And Education

2008-12-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

As the amount of time that children spend watching television (televisores) increases, so does the concern for how it affects their academic ability. Children are watching on average four hours of television a day, and extensive research is being made into the effects. However, there is currently no evidence suggesting that television (televisores) watching affects children`s performance in school in a negative manner. In fact, modern research has found that there is a positive correlation between television viewing of 10 hours per week and sustained academic results.

Television (televisores) can be a very useful academic tool, and has been used in the classroom for academic purposes since the 1970`s. The television programmes are used to assist children in various subject areas, and are used alongside other teaching materials, to give a well rounded approach to learning materials. This has proved successful as children prefer learning visually at a young age. In the past, few programmes were designed for this purpose. However, with the extent of research that has gone into children`s television (televisores) and the input of governing bodies such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, this attitude has changed.

Research into the effects of television (televisores) on children`s behaviour and performance has been in place since the 1950`s. However, with the formation of the Action for Children`s Television society in 1970, the research has been extensive and covering a variety of areas. The importance of the content of children`s television has created governing bodies on each television network to make sure they are fulfilling their public responsibility. The research is weighted against product demand, current issues and education, and aims to make sure that all characters are good role models. This includes removing stereotyping and encouraging social tolerance.

As a result, regular television (televisores) now consistently shows programmes of an educational nature. These programmes can easily be found on channels such as national geographic, discovery, and the learning channel, as well as on general stations worldwide. It was the well known children`s television programme Sesame Street that was first broadcast in 1969 that changed the face of educational TV for children. It showed that children do not only learn through informative documentary style programmes but that they learn skills by modelling positive behaviours on television.

Research has found that repetition is central to a child`s education, and this applies to educational television viewing also. It states that reruns are useful as they create recognisable characters and situations which help children to learn about cause and effect, sequencing and also improve their understanding of people and the world around them. Children`s television programmes are repeated up to four times a year to maximise the potential, though of course, this also assists with costs.

Another useful feature of television is that it tackles difficult questions in the areas of morality and ethics. Through the medium of television (televisores), children are exposed to ideas and made aware of cultures that they can not necessarily experience for themselves. Television also assists with topics that are tricky to approach such as bereavement and bullying. As the subject is raised outside of the child`s environment, then it can be easier for them to discuss and deliberate over these subjects, particularly if they are relevant to their own experiences. Television is a popular medium of choice for conveying such ideas in classrooms around the world.

A final point to consider is that television (televisores) is a visually stimulating medium and is of interest to children. Therefore, it can be used to assist reluctant learners by creating interest and removing pressure that can accompany traditional learning techniques.

Television (televisores) is a useful educational tool if used correctly and in moderation. Television can assist with academic learning and also their social and emotional development. Although more research is needed, it is the attitude towards television and its uses that creates a successful environment in which children can learn.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

Tips to Help Balance Career and Family

2008-12-22T04:56:00.000-08:00

Whether you are male or female, a mom or a dad, balancing career and family can be really difficult. When you're a woman, though, the choices you have to make seem especially difficult and the responsibilities all the more great. For some reason, women are guilt-ridden with their career decisions and the choices they make about working while trying to raise their children, providing nutritious meals for their family, keeping a respectable house and keeping their husbands happy. Last on the list, of course, is finding some time for themselves. So how does a woman find time to actually feel happy with her daily activities while keeping up with all of the responsibility?

First, take time to smell the roses! Literally, you can take time to smell the roses but you can actually do this with no flowers in sight. Every day, try to look around and appreciate what you have, taking in the sounds of your child's laughter, the wag of your dog's tail, the special glance of your husband as you tell a funny joke. Sometimes, the knowledge of what you have on your plate for the day will feel overwhelming, but a little perspective goes a long way. It may be a cliché and a very tired phrase, but it truly does work. People tend to get lost in the mundane, day-to-day "functioning" instead of really living their lives. For example, next time you are worried about fitting in your exercise with your child's play date at Little Gym, forego the Little Gym and head out with your son or daughter for a run. Strap the little one in the jog stroller or if he or she is old enough, ask them to put on the running shoes with Mommy and head outside! Once outside, you can literally stop to smell the roses. Just a few minutes of gratitude a day will work wonders for your soul and automatically make your life feel more balanced.

Along these same lines, try and give yourself some "me" time once a week. Once a week may not seem like much, but if you really allow yourself to soak it in and enjoy the time spent, it will make the stress of all of the rest of the hectic days melt away. Take a good block of time on a Saturday or Sunday - 2 hours, maybe - and mark this time in your calendar in pen, not pencil. Keep a standing appointment with yourself, and honor it as you would any other. Think you are too busy on a weekend to do this? You will feel much more productive the rest of the weekend allowing yourself this little ‘refresher', rather than trying to cram some time in on a random Tuesday or other weeknight. For this special time, you can book a massage or a facial at your favorite spa. Take a couple of hours to go window shopping at your favorites stores, by yourself or with a friend. Take in a matinee with a couple of girlfriends. If your husband is willing to fly solo on a Saturday night, you can even book a girls' night out once in a while and truly let loose! Even if your budget doesn't allow for these activities once a week, you can lock yourself in the bathroom with a good book, a bubble bath and a nice glass of wine and feel good about your time alone - you deserve some!

Probably the most obvious way to balance career and family is to incorporate your family into what would otherwise be "work time". If you have a short commute to work, for example, perhaps you can drive your kids to school each morning instead of having them take the bus. In the alternative, you could have your morning cup of coffee at the bus stop with them and spend a few minutes chatting about their day and what they plan to learn in school as you sip your cup of Joe and breathe in the morning air to mentally prepare for your own day ahead. If you normally exercise in the morning and leave the house very early, switch your workout time to lunch and leave the office to go to the gym, eating at your desk when you get back. You will have more time with your family each day and get a healthy break from your pile of papers to boot.

You may need to get a little creative with your schedule, but there are definitely ways to help balance career and family. Sometimes an extra few minutes each day or a once-weekly good block of time can go a long way in helping restore your peace of mind and help you feel less harried.

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Scientific Jobs Are Not For Scientists Alone

2008-12-18T12:53:00.000-08:00

Scientific jobs usually involve some research. The jobholder would have specialized training and experience in a field, and the ability to draw on it to conduct field or laboratory research. For example, a clinical research assistant working for a clinical research organization can be required to go out into the field and record the findings of clinical trials for medical devices or medication.

In such cases, in addition to knowledge in the field of science, the job holder will also have to be familiar with research methodology to ensure adherence to quality research practices, so that the research findings will be acceptable to practitioners in the relevant field.

Furthermore, the jobholder might also be required to keep track of the costs of the research, which require some administrative experience. Scientific jobs could thus involve much more than doing theoretical research in a laboratory.

Roles of Career Scientists

We saw in the previous section that even when research is involved, scientific jobs could involve administrative and quality control roles. Many scientific jobs might not involve research as such. Instead, it might involve applying the jobholder's knowledge to do practical work. For example, physicians apply their knowledge of healing science primarily to cure sick patients rather do research with medication.

Another example is the clinical psychologist engaged in providing clinical and forensic psychology service to patients, and advice and consultation to non-psychologist colleagues in the medical profession.

A forensic toxicology expert might be primarily involved in providing testimony in courts about the effect of alcohol on human body and driving skills, and explaining the significance of the results of a defendant's breath and blood tests. Such a function requires the application of professional knowledge and experience in the relevant scientific field.

Environmental health practitioners might have to be community workers and change agents in addition to their roles of identifying and preventing environmental health problems. Possessing knowledge alone might not help them provide valuable services in their field. They will have to work with an environmental health team to create awareness about environmental health issues among the community, and show how the locality can be made a better place to live and work.

Scientific jobs can also involve working in areas other than the primary scientific field of the jobholder. For example, a healthcare specialist with Information Technology experience might be employed to develop clinical information models. They might have to do requirements studies to develop the kind of clinical information models that clinicians need. The requirements study in this case is more IT work than clinical work.

Another example is a specialist who works in the sales and marketing department helping the department explain product benefits and other technical aspects to prospective clients, or for creating product literature. Many specialists might be attracted by commercial work, and can use their specialist know-how, say in wound care, in marketing wound care products effectively.

Then there is the science teacher who is engaged in developing the scientists of tomorrow. The teacher must be able to create an enthusiasm for the field among students in addition to teaching them science.

Scientific jobs thus involve being more than just scientists. In fact few scientific jobs require you to be a scientist these days.

What happens when a Parent cannot find premium Learn-Chinese textbooks?

2008-12-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

Have you been looking for suitable Learn-Chinese textbooks for your child but found that the content does not match your child's capability?

How many books and materials have you bought that "don't make the grade"?

Wendy Lin, like all well-meaning parents who want their children to be bi-lingual, looked for educational materials to help her children learn Chinese easily. She found that the available materials were not up to par.

Being a certified Chinese language teacher, she wrote the lessons for her 3 children herself.

She knew a lot of parents also had the same dilemma, and she wanted to help provide suitable books. She completed her children's lessons and came up with a textbook series about learning to speak Chinese as a second language.

Wendy Lin's Practical Chinese books – The Effective Way of Learning Reading, Writing and Speaking Chinese is specially designed to teach Chinese as a second language. Lessons focus on daily conversation and verb use. This differs from the Traditional Chinese language learning style that teaches through writing.

Practical Chinese has 10 levels of books. These are available in both Simplified and Traditional characters. Parents and teachers will be able to find a text and exercises suited for pre-K to college level. The curriculum of Practical Chinese book series is aligned with the ACTFL (Association of Chinese Teachers Foreign Language)

Practical Chinese exercises are gradually advanced as the student progresses:

• Learn writing characters in the correct stroke order
• Translate words into Chinese
• Ask and answer questions as in real life situations
• Translate sentences, and
• Perform oral presentations.

Also great for self-study

Practical Chinese series has an introduction to Pinyin. It is included in the level one book. English and Pinyin are used to help students learn even in a non-Chinese environment. Lessons are connected; current lessons are built from previous lessons. Workbook and CD/Cassettes are available for each level of Practical Chinese.

So how did other parents find this parent-written book?

YF from Valley Stream, New York found Practical Chinese a good starter book. This parent thinks the repetition in the book is good for YF's 8 year old child. YF also recommends using the accompanying CD "because you can just play it in the background anytime so your child is exposed to and becomes familiar with the sounds."

Linda from Holland, Michigan says her daughter "has learned so much more since starting with this textbook," while Shirley of Washington said "I am using this program with my children. It's great for character recognition and conversation. It's a spiral program so old words are constantly reviewed and expanded with new words. My children are liking it and making good progress. The price is also very reasonable."

About the Author

Ms. Wendy Lin is a certified Chinese language instructor. She has an accomplished educational and working background on the Chinese language, including writing the Chinese curriculum for the Marlboro School district. She is currently tutoring non-Chinese and adoptive families, and writes related articles for media.

Practical Chinese series is widely used by schools and those doing individual Chinese language study. Practical Chinese has been used in the US and Canada, Australia, Guam, Hong Kong, China, Israel and other countries. Join the parents who are satisfied with their children's progress in learning Chinese after they order Practical Chinese books.

How past experiences affect your life

2008-12-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

Sociologist Herbert Mead developed a theory known as social behaviorism, which helped explained why past social experiences help form an individuals’ personality. Mead did not believe that personality was developed by drives or biologically, but more on terms socially. He stated that the self only developed when people interact with one another. Without the interaction of other people an individual can’t develop a personality. An example of this is if a child is left in total isolation for a long period of time then they don’t mature both physically or mentally.

Next, social experience is crucial, and this includes the exchange of symbols. Only people attach meanings to words and symbols. If you tell a dog to sit and it obeys then you may give it a snack. However, this doesn’t mean it knows why to sit down, but it does so to get food. You can tell a dog to sit for numerous of reasons such as wanting to impress your friends, or to calm it down because it is running all over the place. Also, Mead noted that understanding individual intentions is critical. This will help us to analyze how an individual will respond even before we act. For example, when we’re driving we all anticipate what others may do because of experience. If an individual behinds you is speeding up rather quickly, then you can assume that they are about to switch lanes, or you can assume that they are in a rush and need to get somewhere quickly. Mead refers to this as taking another individual’s role.

Another important theory that is related to social behaviorism is the looking-glass self. This is basically like mirroring what we think others think of us. If we think others view you as being “good looking,” then you will see yourself as being good looking, or if you think people think that you are fat then you will have that image of yourself. People take the roles of other people during development. Infants have very little knowledge so they tend to mimic others. Children often have creative minds and take on roles of other significant others or people such as parents that have a special importance in their social development. For example, children will play house in which someone will take the role of a mother while another take that of a father. As they age children will learn to take various roles and adjust to their surroundings. As we continue to age we will continue to see changes in our social life. There are a lot of critics of Mead’s theories and some claim that he focus too much on the society in developing an individual’s behavior. Another sociologist Erik H. Erikson stated that unlike Freud who believed that personality was pretty much set in stone in the first couple of years of an individual’s life, that personality changes in stages and occurs all the way up to death. His theory is not all that accurate as well, because people experience changes in different orders and time.

Through all of the disagreements, sociologists generally agree on this main idea, and that is that the family has the greatest impact on an individual’s socialization abilities. When an individual is an infant they have no control and usually rely on their parents and family members to help nurture them. Through family they learn several of communication techniques such as trust, culture, and beliefs. Don’t get me wrong, not all learning comes solely from family; they can come from the environment as well because in a lot of cultures they use the environment to help raise a child. I guess the saying is true in which it takes a “village to raise a child.” It may not be surprising to you that different social classes tend to raise their children differently. An interesting survey that happened in the United States compared what a lower class family would want in a child compared to that of an upper class family. A lower class family would usually favor obedience and conformity while an upper class family would tend to favor creativity and good judgment (NORS, 2003).

Have you ever wondered why? Well the reason is lower class workers tend to have jobs that they must be very obedient in and are highly supervised. Subconsciously they are gearing their children towards that route and will even use physical punishment to achieve it. In upper class workers they tend to have jobs that inspire individuality and creativity which is very similar to the traits they would like to have in their children. School also has a large effect on an individual’s personalities. If you think about it you spend a huge chunk of time each day at school. It’s also interesting to note that children tend to play with people as the same race and gender, and that boys are more physical and aggressive while girls are more well behaved. Boys also tend to find abstract activities more interesting like video games and girls tend to be more artistic.

The same thing follows when they get to college because boys tend to major in physical sciences, and computing while girls usually major in humanities and arts. In school is where children discover peer groups or individual that has similar interest as themselves. People tend o indemnify more with their peer groups and can have conversations about things they understand like clothes, music, and style. Peer groups are a way for individuals to escape adult supervision, and people are usually more out spoken in peer groups. During the adolescent years people tend to identify more with their peer groups because they identify themselves as an adult and that is also a time in which parents are concerned about who their children hang around because they know that who they hang around influence their behavior deeply. During these years the mass media heavily affects individuals as well. Studies have showed that television have made people more passive and lesson their creativity. In the United States we spend he most time watching television and own the most T.V sets per household.

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5 Common College Planning Mistakes

2008-12-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

When paying for college, parents often make common mistakes that end up costing them financially. Listed below are five tips parents should read to avoid making these common mistakes.

1. Assuming 529 Plan distributions are always tax free

529 plan earnings withdrawals may be taxable. Distributions of earnings from the 529 plan will be subject to income tax if the amount withdrawn from the 529 plan exceeds the qualified education expenses. Therefore, it is very important to be sure the amount withdrawn from the 529 plan does not exceed the qualified education expenses if you do not wish to pay tax on the earnings. Keep in mind that any expenses used in determining the Lifetime Learning or Hope credit will reduce the total qualified expenses used in calculating the tax exclusion for distributions from a 529 plan. For example, if you claim the Lifetime Learning credit based on qualified expenses of $10,000, the qualified expense is reduced by $10,000.
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2. Assuming private schools always cost more than public schools

A student who attends an expensive private school may qualify for more financial aid than a student attending a lower-cost public school. The difference in the true cost may actually be less than you might expect because the student may receive gift aid from the private school.

3. Not reading the Award Letter carefully

Often times the colleges are awarding you debt! There are two types of financial aid: gift-aid and self-help aid. Gift aid includes grants based on your financial need, and scholarships usually based on academic performance. Self-help aid includes loans, which must be repaid, and government work-study programs. Most of the financial award at public institutions is self-help aid, however most financial aid at private schools is gift aid.

4. Not filling out the FAFSA because you think your income is too high to qualify for financial aid

Even if you do not qualify based on financial need, many schools will not consider you for non-need based aid if you do not apply for need-based aid. So regardless of what you think your eligibility status might be, it is important to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid). Federal student loan applications (Unsubsidized Stafford and Plus) also require the completion of the FAFSA. It is important to check with each school for its requirements.

5. Borrowing too much from Life Insurance to pay for college

Some parents use life insurance loans as a source of college funding. You should beware of taking out a life insurance loan. What typically happens when you take out a life insurance loan for a long period of time is that the loan balance increases because you do not pay the interest. Therefore, as the loan value increases, your family gets very little, if any death benefit. Also, the loan balance can eat up all the cash value, and there is not cash value left in the policy to sustain it. The policy will terminate unless you can pay back the loan.

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Big Mistakes Job Seekers Commit

2008-11-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

Mistakes happen, and even the best person has made faux-pas. After all, humans learn by experience, so a few errors helps us be better people in the end. One moment in your life that you don't want to be in a learning curve is when you're out looking for a job - a mistake during an interview or on your resume can cost you the chance of applying for a position you really want.

Never assume that simply applying for a job is enough. Because of mass communication and Internet resources, employers receive a record number of applications for every job. Sadly, employers even have to sort through many false applications sent in only to fulfill welfare programs. So it's important to let them know your application is a genuine application and that you want the job.

Employers have to carry out a lengthy screening process whenever they fill a position, so it is important to show your interest in the job by making contact with the employer through telephone, email, or, best of all, a personal meeting. Personal contact shows your genuine interest in the job available.

One major mistake many people make is lying about a past job if you left on bad terms. Potential employers seem to have a sixth sense about experiences that you glossed over or were dishonest about, so it's best to try and put a positive spin on resume blemishes. Show that you've learned something from the experience or play up important parts of the past job rather than trying to cover up a bitter relationship.

It is best to find a traditional way of phrasing your strengths, as buzzwords can be confusing. Another thing to avoid is the use of words that are too logistic and lack spark, which is the opposite of using too many overly hip or trendy words. You should keep these same rules in mind when writing cover letters also.

Strive to achieve a balance of professionalism and ease of reading when you write. Try to balance friendliness with professionalism when writing your resume or cover letter. Avoid using slang or buzzwords and focus on using appropriate tone, because the right tone will get results.

There are many more mistakes people tend to make when searching for a job or attending an interview meeting. Some of the worst errors are eating during an interview or making crude jokes about someone's race or gender. Of course, there are many small, subtle mistakes people make when job seeking as well, and those are often unconscious. So if you want an extensive list of what not to do when trying to land a job, look up the information on the internet.

Marine Biologist Career Information

2008-11-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

The scientific study of living organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water is called a Marine Biology. Marine biology differs from marine ecology as marine ecology is focused on how organisms interact with each other and environment and biology is the study of the animal it self. Marine life is a vast resource, providing food, medicine, and raw materials, in addition to helping to support recreation and tourism all over the world. At a fundamental level, marine life helps determine the very nature of our planet. Marine organisms contribute significantly to the oxygen cycle, and are involved in the regulation of the earth's climate.

The importance of the work that marine biologists contribute to the word include the supply of food and medicine, as well as researching on its effects on the nature of our planet. Their contributions impact the research we do on medicine and health, and determine certain information regarding our planet as a whole. The oceans of the Earth take up 71% of the entire face of the planet, and a huge amount of life exists in it. From all of the plants and animals living beneath us, the task of learning more about the living organisms of the seas is taken on by marine biologists. As a branch of oceanography, marine biology tackles and covers areas of ecology, marine conservation, and fisheries science. Marine biologists are the people who handle and study everything that they cover.

Employment in the field of marine biology means being in a multidisciplinary field of study, one that merges both biology and ecology, as well as many other fields of environmental science. Taking up a job within the marine biology circuit usually requires a pretty wide background and other requirements. It is also an opportunity to be immersed in the fields of biology, chemistry, conservation biology, statistics, ecology, and biology, As a marine biologist also gives one the opportunity to travel and and interact with lots of interesting people. It may also lead to other careers like being an oceanographer or environmental manager.

FOUR WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD GET GOOD GRADES

2008-11-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

Every student will study the subject of science. Many branches, including chemistry, biology and astronomy, will confuse and challenge them. I was once a student, so I understand the troubles they go through as they study science.

There are, however, things that schooling in general, and science in particular, help to promote in us. Studying science and math help to stretch the mind. When I was younger, I couldn't understand this concept. When would I ever use algebra, astronomy, or biology? Not much, probably; but the stretching of my brain helps me think clearly and logically now. If it hadn't been for those long hours working at school, you wouldn't be reading this article today.

Schooling can also help us in our everyday lives. Taking a course about managing business financial records can put you in a position to become a bookkeeper. It can also aim you toward accounting or some other high-level position in a company.

There are many jobs that require some knowledge of science. If you want to become a nurse, doctor or any other type of medical worker, you will need to know lots and lots of biology. Engineers also must understand mathematics and chemistry to do their work.

When moms started working outside the home, students' grades dropped dramatically. In those households where parents were available to help with homework and school projects, grades were better. What does this tell us? It tells us that parents should take an active role in their child's education.

There are several good ways to ensure this happens. Be there to help them with questions they may have in the course of their studies. Help them study for tests. Participate in science projects they bring home to analyze and study.

Parents can also buy helpful study products. One product that helps parents and students get the most out of science courses, is called "Twenty-four Science Projects". Parents, if your child needs to hand in results of a science project soon, and you don't have the slightest idea how to help them get together a good project to observe, this product is for you. The science projects are simple to use and professionally developed.

Students, keep working! It feels great to graduate!

Good luck in all your learning endeavors,

Andrew Bontrager

Teaching Writing to a Reluctant Writer

2008-11-09T01:39:00.000-08:00

Like many middle-school-aged boys, my son despised writing assignments when we began homeschooling. Having been forced to do voluminous writing assignments when he was still attending school, his initial reaction when I became his teacher was to protest and argue over every writing assignment I gave him. After much trial and error, I found that the best approach was to give him a lot of latitude in choosing the topics and even what days he would write, at least in the beginning. When months began to pass and his writing skills were still weaker than I thought they should be for someone his age and given his abilities in other academic areas, I decided I had to induce him to practice writing more but also had to make it fun. If I didn't, we were going to have struggles over every sentence that ever reached the paper.

One of my first successful ideas was to let him register at Amazon.com to write reviews. Since he is an avid collector of both books and action figures, he was excited about the opportunity to share his views on which ones were worth the money and which weren't. Especially on the topic of action figures, he would happily write several paragraphs on the details of the paint colors, the articulation of the limbs, etc. Our original agreement was that I would not look at the reviews until they were finished, but he would not submit them until we went over them together to check spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Initially, the spelling and punctuation left a lot to be desired, but he was a lot less resistant to learning to fix these when he knew the finished product could be viewed by anyone on-line. He was also eager to get the reviews posted, because he could then read how many other customers found his comments helpful. Every time he read a new book or bought a new action figure became an opportunity for another writing lesson. Enthusiasm is truly a great teacher because, within six months, his writing (and spelling) had improved drastically. Within another few months, I was able to let him post the reviews before I proofread them (though occasionally a spelling or punctuation slipped through).

Another successful idea, since he is more an artist than a writer, was to give him English assignments that involved drawing. One idea, for instance, after we had just returned from a vacation, was to design a brochure for his ideal vacation resort and hotel. His enthusiasm for the drawing totally overcame his reluctance about the writing, and he ended up doing a truly awesome job. In addition, we combined mathematics into the assignment by having him make one page of the brochure a price listing for various services with different combined package rates.

I always suggest to parents who are trying to get younger children to be more proficient in reading that they pick their child's obsession, be it dinosaurs, cars, or princesses, and check out every book in the library on that topic and nothing else until the child becomes more enthusiastic about reading. To learn to enjoy writing as well, a child needs to be writing about something he or she cares about. Find your child's passion and let literacy flow around it!

Adult Learning Disabilities

2008-11-09T01:38:00.000-08:00

You have to deal with a number of issues if you have a learning disability, even if that disability was diagnosed in the childhood. The issues will be different and many more in adulthood than they were in your childhood years. Hence you will have to find new ways to cope with these challenges and issues posed by the learning disability.

Most children plan on marrying, having children, and being a productive member of their society. If you have a learning disability, you will have to incorporate it into your life-plan. You will need to learn ways of handling the milestones in your life and still deal with your disability. You can lead a successful life with a little by taking some small steps.

Learning disabilities come in many forms, but usually affect how a person thinks, talks, hears, reads and writes. These problems impact how you process thoughts and perform tasks such as mathematics. Since we use these skills everyday, you will have to find ways of coping with daily tasks.

It can be extremely difficult to be an adult with a learning disability. Other adults expect you to have the same skill sets that they do and may become angry and frustrated when they have to repeatedly explain something to you. They don't realize that you need extra time to make sense of certain things. You may even drop out of classes you're taking because others don't understand your needs. Doing this will most likely jeopardize your career plans.

You need to find the balance between having a disability and changing your goals. You do need to know your limitations but at the same time there is no reason for you not to live a full and happy life. You should be able to enjoy relationships and being a parent, even with your learning disability.

Being a parent with learning disability can be tough and stressing. To reduce the stress of being a disability parent, you can do a number of things like take care of your time and manage it properly.

One of the many tricks that you can implement so that you don't forget important family information is to have a calendar prominently displayed in the kitchen or other room in your home. Keep track of dates and times when you and your children need to be somewhere. This way you have a constant visual reminder to refer to so that you don't miss appointments and pick up times.

Keep your home as organized as possible so that when you need to find something it will be in a permanent location inside your home. This ensures that you don't spend unnecessary time searching for something that you need since this can often lead to your frustration and anger.

Remember that it is very important to remain calm and patient even when things are not going the way you may want them to. Everyone, even those who don't have a learning disability will have moments that are frustrating and trying. Do not blame everything that goes wrong on your learning disability.

The Old Seven Wonders

2008-10-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

The Colossus of Rhodes, Greece. In contrast to the pyramids, the colossus was the shortest lived of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Completed in 282 B.C. after taking 12 years to build, the Colossus of Rhodes was felled by an earthquake that snapped the statue off at the knees a mere 56 years later.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt. The Egyptian pharaoh Khufu built the Great Pyramid in about 2560 B.C. to serve as his tomb. The pyramid is the oldest structure on the original list of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was compiled by Greek scholars about 2,200 years ago. It is also the only remaining survivor from the original list.

The Temple of Artemis, Turkey. The great marble temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis was completed around 550 B.C. at Ephesus, near the modern-day town of Selçuk in Turkey. In addition to its 120 columns, each standing 60 feet (20 meters) high, the temple was said to have held many exquisite artworks, including bronze statues of the Amazons, a mythical race of female warriors.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq. The hanging gardens are said to have stood on the banks of the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq, although there's some doubt as to whether they ever really existed. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II supposedly created the terraced gardens around 600 B.C. at his royal palace in the Mesopotamian desert. It is said the gardens were made to please the king's wife, who missed the lush greenery of her homeland in the Medes, in what is now northern Iran.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece. The massive gold statue of the king of the Greek gods was built in honor of the original Olympic games, which began in the ancient city of Olympia. The statue, completed by the classical sculptor Phidias around 432 B.C., sat on a jewel-encrusted wooden throne inside a temple overlooking the city. The 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) figure held a scepter in one hand and a small statue of the goddess of victory, Nike, in the other—both made from ivory and precious metals.

The Lighthouse of Alexandra, Egypt. The lighthouse was the only ancient wonder that had a practical use, serving as a beacon for ships in the dangerous waters off the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, now called El Iskandarîya. Constructed on the small island of Pharos between 285 and 247 B.C., the building was the world's tallest for many centuries. Its estimated height was 384 feet (117 meters)—equivalent to a modern 40-story building—though some people believe it was significantly taller.

Fastest Trains in the World

2008-10-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

UK 's EUROSTAR

Eurostar is a high-speed train service in Western Europe connecting London and Kent in the United Kingdom, with Paris and Lille in France, and Brussels in Belgium. In addition, there are limited services from London to Disneyland Resort Paris (Gare de Marne-la-Vallée - Chessy) and seasonal destinations in France. Trains cross the English Channel through the Channel Tunnel.FRANCE ' TGV
The TGV (train à grande vitesse, French for "high-speed train") is France's high-speed rail service developed by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom) and SNCF, the French national rail operator, and operated primarily by SNCF. Following the inaugural TGV service between Paris and Lyon in 1981, the TGV network, centred on Paris, has expanded to connect cities across France and in adjacent countries. It holds the record for the fastest wheeled train, having reached 574.8 km/h (357 mph) on 3 April 2007,and also holds the world's highest average speed for a regular passenger service. TGV is a registered trademark of SNCF.

China's CRH2
A list of the fastest trains in the world from China's CRH2 to France's TGV! CHINA's CRH2 is one of the high-speed train models in China. The CRH2 is a modified E2-1000 Series Shinkansen design, and represents the second Shinkansen train model to be exported, the other being the 700T series for Taiwan High Speed Rail.

TAIWAN 's THSR
The Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail network that runs along the west coast of Taiwan. It is approximately 335.50 kilometers (208 mi), and runs from Taipei City to Kaohsiung City. It began operation on January 5, 2007.

KOREA 's KTX
The Korea Train eXpress (KTX) is South Korea's high-speed rail system. It is operated by Korail. The train's technology is largely based on the French TGV system, and has a top speed of 350 km/h, limited to 300 km/h during regular service for safety. On December 16, 2004, the Korean-made HSR-350x achieved an experimental top speed of 352.4 kilometers per hour.

JAPAN 's SHINKANZEN
Japan's main island Honshu is covered by a network of high speed train lines that connect Tokyo with most of the island's major cities and Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu. Japan's high speed trains (bullet trains) are called shinkansen and are operated by Japan Railways, often abbreviated as JR.

SPAIN 's AVE
AVE, an acronym for Alta Velocidad Española (literally, "Spanish High Speed," but also a play on the word ave, meaning "bird" in Spanish), is a service of high speed trains operating at speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph) on dedicated track in Spain.

Wooden Book Covers

2008-09-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Melissa Theuriau

2008-08-30T02:29:00.000-07:00

Melissa Theuriau ( Beautiful french TV Reporter )

Associate Degree Nursing Schools -The Associate Degree Nursing Schools where you can learn regarding career opportunities for nurses, research nursing degrees and get information for nursing schools.

Child Behaviour Problems -Understanding child behaviour problems and being parents, our liabilities.

Visualise your Goal

2008-08-11T03:34:00.000-07:00

The Catalina Island is twenty-one miles away from the coast of California, and many people have taken the challenge to swim across it.

On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold.

She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water.

After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land.

She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit.

She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land.

She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men's record by two hours.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

When you set your goal, keep pressing on even when you are tired, physically and mentally, and even though there are many challenges ahead.

Keep the vision of your goal crystal clear before you and never, never, never… give up!

See the reaching, commit to it, and you will surely see your goal realized.

SCIENCE EXAM

2008-08-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.g., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does 'varicose' mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome

Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

What is the Ideal Age to Learn English?

2008-07-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Learning English is something that you really have to do if you want to make it big in today's world. Between the type of English common in the United States and the type of English common in the United Kingdom, most of the world's population is represented in terms of people that know how to speak English. All of the major business is transacted in that language and everyone that happens to be rich, successful or otherwise powerful in the world today learned English at some point in their life.

Now that it has been established that learning English is essential, it is time to think about the different times in a person's life that learning English can be ideal. While there is no one particular ideal age at which to learn English, there are times when it can be better to do so and those times are discussed at length below.

From Birth

The absolutely most ideal age at which learning English can happen is at birth. When a baby speaks their first words, if those words are in English, then English will be the first language that they learn. This also makes it the easiest language for them to learn as many babies never end up learning another language after they have learned their initial one. Some people just have a mental block when it comes to learning languages, which is why English as their first language is absolutely the best way to go.

During Primary Schooling

If a child has not learned English as their first language, then the next best time to get them to learn it would be during the time in their life when they are thinking about doing primary schooling. Primary schooling is extremely important and allows children to expand their knowledge and grow on multiple fronts during the second group of formative years in their life (the first being their pre-school years). Because of the rapid rate at which children tend to learn at this age, English language training is definitely a good idea.

During Secondary Schooling

If a child has gone through the initial and primary school years of their life without learning English, then you will want to make sure that you start them on an English language learning course right away. While secondary school students are still learning a lot, the information that High School gives them is largely specialized information. This is quite different from the formative study they undertake in primary school which in turn means that teaching them something as basic as a new way of speaking is a lot harder to do.

During Post-Secondary Schooling

While a large argument is currently raging across academic circles at which time is better to learn English between secondary and post-secondary schooling, most people tend to believe that post-secondary schooling provides an environment that makes learning a new language a lot easier to do. People are exposed to new ideas and concepts that might completely change the way they look at and think about life in post-secondary school and that makes taking on big new challenges like learning English easier to do than it would be in secondary school.

As an Adult

It is possible for an out of school adult to learn English, but it is at the same time a lot harder to do. The thing that makes it easier for adults to learn English sometimes is the fact that adults that are out of school tend to have a far more disciplined approach to things like this and for that reason have the ability to grasp information pertinent to their life at a relatively quick pace.

Teachers Make Case for National Board

2008-07-18T09:07:00.001-07:00

Conflicting data on the extent of the impact that nationally certified teachers have on student achievement do not paint a complete picture of the benefits of the rigorous certification process on the participants, their schools, and their students, a report by a group of teachers that have earned the credential concludes.

Teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the group says, should take a more active role in policy discussions and instructional decisions, and promote a definition of teacher quality that goes beyond test results.

“If we continue to sit by and let others define effective teaching, we will always be reactors, not actors, on the school reform stage where the policies that control our daily work play out,” says the report , “Measuring What Matters: The Effects of National Board Certification on Advancing 21st Century Teaching and Learning.” It was commissioned by the national board and the Center for Teaching Quality in Hillsborough, N.C., which led the project.

After studying research on the program that spans more than a decade, the team of 10 teachers found “a great disconnect between what matters most to teaching effectiveness and what was actually being measured by researchers, both in terms of teacher efficacy and student learning.”

The certification program, which requires candidates to undergo a lengthy process of assembling a portfolio of their work and pass content-area tests, has received conflicting reviews on its value.

Last month, for example, a 17-member panel of the National Research Council found that teachers who earn advanced certification from the NBPTS are more effective than teachers without the credential. The panel, however, said there’s little evidence to show the program has transformed the teaching field in the broader ways its founders envisioned.

Moreover, it’s still unclear whether the assessment process itself leads to better-quality teaching, because too few studies have examined that issue. Beyond the classroom, the panel adds, some research suggests that schools are not yet making full use of the expertise of teachers who qualify for the credential, and that the teachers themselves, once they earn it, often move on to schools with more-advantaged student populations. ("Credential of NBPTS Has Impact", June 18, 2008.)

Other studies, however, have not found an advantage, based on test-score gains, for students taught by certified teachers.

Those who have successfully navigated the intensive certification process say the program has transformed their careers and affected their teaching beyond what test results can measure.

“The research uses limited pieces of information, such as a students’ test scores from a year or two,” said Andrew Kuemmel, a teacher in Madison, Wis., who contributed to the study. “If you’re looking at multiple measures of student achievement, I do believe national-board-certified teachers would have a much greater effect” on student learning than noncertified teachers.

Certifying Principals

The Arlington, Va.-based board, which began issuing certificates to teachers in 1995 and has since awarded nearly 64,000 credentials to the nearly 100,000 teachers who have tried for it, is working to create a similar model for recognizing outstanding principals.

The board has approved a plan to establish a certification program for school administrators of similar rigor to the one for teachers. At the request of several school-administrator organizations, the NBPTS conducted a feasibility study and found a potentially strong demand for such a program.

“Without saying the word ‘urgent,’ I think there is a strong need to get this going,” said Nancy M. Davenport, the president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. “Principals with national certification will be better able to support the teachers in the building.”

The national board is now seeking about $7 million to craft standards for administrators and certification requirements. It hopes to launch the program in about three years, according to the group’s president, Joseph A. Aguerrebere.

“It requires coming to consensus about what principals should know and be able to do ... and how to measure and assess it,” he said. The board is also working on developing standards for teacher leaders, to help certified educators continue their professional growth.

“So often, these teachers are all dressed up and have nowhere to go,” Mr. Aguerrebere said, referring to their advanced preparation and few opportunities to contribute beyond their classrooms. “This would help teachers take the next logical step” and be leaders in their schools and districts.

Geo-Informatics Education – Need Assessment

2008-07-12T07:00:00.001-07:00

Education plays a very important role in bringing the standard of the students high up. Good quality education has direct and positive relationship with the out come of the qualified students. It provides a basis for fundamental learning. The education strengthens the foundation of basic intelligence among each individual student.

Information System is a vast subject with a wide scope of specializations with in it. There have been many approaches to the field of decision making, ranging from strictly quantitative as typified by the methods of operations research – to those based on human and organizational behavior. Decision making is an essential part of management. The process by which one arrives at decision is quite complex: in fact no one process can be applied to all the decisions.

Geography influences our everyday lives. Where we live, work, and play defines 'place' for us. GIS is a comprehensive tool that inventories, analyzes, and reports geographic relationships so that communities can provide the best environment for their clients - the residents, businesses, and visitors of the community.

Geographical (Geospatial) Information System is recent addition to our vocabulary. It does a complex analysis of spatial data and non spatial information. The analysis is related to a geographic location. Computer cartography and GIS methodology using digitized maps is now changing the way digital spatial data are used, revised and assessed.

What We Can Do with a Geospatial Information System (GIS)? In addition to making maps and maintaining the database, GIS also makes it possible to ask questions that are typically difficult to ask in absence of a computer? Where are the properties whether the assessed value has increased or Decreased? Is their value consistent with those of similar properties in the neighborhood? What vacant properties are larger than 100,000 square feet, are zoned commercial, and are within a half-mile of the interstate interchange? What school students are eligible for bussing based on their distance from the school? What properties above a certain elevation will be affected by shutting down this water tower for maintenance? Given requirements for response time, which is a function of street distance and driving speed, what is the best location for the new fire station? Is there a spatial pattern (clustered location, time of day, how the crime was conducted) in the recent outbreak of house burglaries? And so on.

It is important to note that only trained manpower can achieve the best results. There are few academic institutes which impart training and offer degree course in Remote Sensing and GIS. In comparison to the available manpower, the professional work available in the market is very much. Thus an imbalance is observed in the supply segment. Here two questions emerge: one, how to increase the quantity of the qualified manpower? and second how to increase the quality of the qualified manpower? These questions take us further to look in to the need of a standard curriculum development.

Educate a woman and educate a family

2008-07-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

The only thing I know about Rudy Manikan, and the only reference to him that I can find on the Internet, is that he was the guy (and I'm only guessing he was a guy) who said this:

If you educate a man you educate a person, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family.

At the top of google it said: Did you mean Ruby Manikan?, and after that, only the first two links are about Rudy Manikan. All the rest of them seem to be about Rudy Someone and Someone Manikan both getting involved in the same thing, list, whatever. I found the quote in a quote book, not on the Internet at all.

But if Rudy Manikan is right, and I suspect he may well be, then maybe all the stories like this are not such terrible news after all.

By the way, a little more googling, and it turns out that someone called Lucha Corpi said something very similar also. I don't know which of these two people came first or said it first, or whether the second one got to independently or stole it without realising, or what.

Brain Fitness - More Than Just for Baby Boomers

2008-06-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

In our last post we noted the growing body of research regarding seniors and the topic of brain fitness. We noted the words of Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, a clinical professor of neurology at New York University School of Medicine and the co-founder of SharpBrains.

Dr. Goldberg has written extensively on the topic and we noted two quotes that seemed to be particularly apropos. First, “Exercising our brains systematically is as important as exercising our bodies,” states Goldberg.

Second he offers a far more meaningful viewpoint of the need for brain fitness. Goldberg has converted the longstanding statement, “Use it or lose it,” to a more modern version of the brain fitness notion, “Use it and get more of it.”

We referenced again and again a recent NY Times piece that sought to take an in depth look at the notion. The Times indicated that baby boomers are paying attention: “boomers are seizing on a mounting body of evidence that suggests that brains contain more plasticity than previously thought, and many people are taking matters into their own hands, doing brain fitness exercises with the same intensity with which they attack a treadmill.”

At the same time we noted a certain level of skepticism that emerged as writer Katie Hafner explored the topic. She noted the concerns of baby boomers regarding memory loss and the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s but then wondered aloud if an industry was developing that was “making money on that generation’s fears.”

As the issue of brain fitness garners greater interest, this new industry that is emerging should in fact have a body of research behind it. It is imperative that serious consumers have a specific application or site they can turn to that unequivocally can deliver the goods.

One New Site Receiving a Great Deal of Interest
Today we take some time to talk with the folks at Lumosity.com, one of these new web sites devoted to the issue of brain fitness. One aspect that attracted us to the site was the following mission statement, one that appears designed to focus upon the delivery of a much needed service rather than preying on the fears of a generation.

The site stipulates: “Our mission is to create innovative neuroscience-based tools that empower people to lead better lives through better brain health and performance.” With such a mission and its research-based approach, Lomosity has caught the attention of some big time investment firms garnering $3 million of equity financing from Pequot Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), and existing investors including Michael Dearing.

“Lumos Labs is at the center of a booming interest in cognitive exercise and the emerging science about the remarkable plasticity of the brain,” said Amish Jani of Pequot Ventures. “Lumosity.com has seen tremendous demand from users and partners alike by leveraging the power of the web to deliver a unique platform for brain fitness.”

Leaving no doubt as to the need to balance business potential with the need to have a service that users can count on to deliver on the brain fitness notion, Tim Chang of Norwest Venture Partners offered the following assessment.

“In our analysis, Lumosity.com stood out from its competitors because of its best-in-class combination of engaging games and scientific rigor. This unique combination has led to a strong market demand for Lumosity.com’s offerings and has created a leader in the emerging market for brain fitness.”

Michael Scanlon, the Chief Scientific Officer at Lumos Labs, clearly sees the investment as a critical step in the process of creating web based applications that seek to address the issue of brain fitness.

“We’re excited to take basic neuroscience and psychology findings out of the lab and deliver them to consumers in a way that is actually improving their lives,” notes Scanlon. “This investment will enable us to significantly expand the diversity of games we offer, while further advancing the field through creative innovations and research with our academic collaborators.”

To give our readers a sense of the topic as well as the level of scientific rigor behind a new site like Lumosity, we provide a Q&A with Michael Scanlon. The Chief Scientific Officer for Lumos Labs explains the site, a bit about the current materials available and where the research is headed.

It should be noted that one key aspect of the Lumos work centers upon the notion of brain fitness and development irrespective of age group. Though there clearly is great interest in this topic as it relates to seniors, we were impressed to see that Lumos is looking at the topic at all age levels. It is our belief at OpenEducation that games and web based applications that would help develop the intellectual capabilities of school age children is as important a field to research as that of maintaining the current brain fitness levels of aging baby boomers.

How long has the site Lumosity.com been in existence? Can you give us a sense of your level of subscribers at the beginning and where those numbers are at now? And where did the name Lumosity come from?

In 2005, Dave Drescher, Kunal Sarkar, and I quit our jobs in gaming/programming, private equity, and neuroscience, respectively to start Lumos Labs (the company that created Lumosity.com). We’ve been working on Lumosity since then - primarily in development and research – and then launched the site in 2007. We’ve been a subscription service since July 2007, and are now proud to have more online users and traffic than all other similar sites combined.

“Lumos” is Latin for light, so we liked the sound of “Lumos Labs” for a science and gaming company that aims to help people “illuminate” their thinking in a fun but research-based way. “Lumosity” is a better product name (though everyone makes the “Luminosity” mistake…)

In a couple of sentences, can you give a brief explanation of your general mission and the current target audience/age demographic for the site?

“Our mission is to create innovative neuroscience-based tools that empower people to lead better lives through better brain health and performance.”

Our advisory board helps us achieve this mission. An important piece that is not reflected in the mission statement is our desire to make the user’s experience enjoyable. If we can make treadmills and dumbbells really fun, make broccoli and fish oil taste good, then everyone would be a lot healthier.

Our audience is broad, ages range from 9-90s, and our users tend to be healthy and educated. Lots of young professionals and students use the software to be able to perform better at their job or at school.

Can you talk about the specific games/activities available on your site? Are they unique, who developed them and what research/testing has been done to ascertain the impacts of each of these games on cognitive function and brain fitness?

All of the games on our site are unique and were developed by Lumos Labs. Most of them are based on tasks previously used in a research lab and demonstrated to enhance some cognitive ability. Since they undergo some change when going from lab to online game, we do our own randomized, controlled trials to measure their efficacy. Not too surprisingly, everybody improves at the games themselves. What’s more interesting is that their improvements transfer to other, non-trained tests of cognitive function such as working memory, visual attention, and executive function.

We’re also very involved in the academic research community, especially at Stanford where I went to grad school. Increasingly, the scientific validation is being done by un-affiliated researchers at these institutions, which is especially good because it removes any perceived conflict of interest.

There are many new applications of cognitive training that we’re just now beginning to explore. I think in the next few years we’ll see some really exciting new applications for this type of training, and we want to spearhead much of this exploration and research.

Your site appears to offer organized training sessions - essentially an almost course-like format. Can you talk a little bit about the organized programming versus the person who simply wants to stop by the site and take the lead themselves?

We figured some users would want the structure and guidance of the training program, and that others would want the flexibility to do whatever they want. So we provided both options. The default is the organized training program because this ensures a variety of training in different areas. The ‘Basic Training’ is 30 sessions long, and when it’s completed there is an option to enroll in a new course for memory or processing speed – more new courses are coming soon.

Are there specific advantages to your being an online program versus say a person purchasing a hand-held game or a piece of software for their own home computer?

Yes. First, we constantly update the program with new features and exercises, and respond to user feedback to improve the existing games. Because it’s web-based, everyone has the most up-to-date version. Second, game results and test data is all saved on our servers, allowing us to learn more about what works and optimize the games. Third, it can be used on different computers – at home, at work, etc. – just need to log in at the website. And fourth, doctors and teachers can monitor their patient’s/student’s progress (if the patient/student gives permission).

In one of our earlier communications you mentioned developing possible games/activities for children including those in middle school and high school. Can you talk a little bit about this aspect including future plans related to this age group (as well as any other developing materials in the works)?

I think that this sort of training/gaming can be a powerful complement to traditional classroom methods. There are several experiments underway with exciting preliminary results, but I can’t discuss in detail because the researchers want it confidential until they publish.

Some teachers are doing pilot testing in the classroom. One 6th grade math teacher just found that his students were significantly better at arithmetic after doing 30 sessions of Lumosity.

Conclusion
Our site readers know first hand of our interest in video games and the possibility for such games to enhance learning. At OpenEducation.net we strongly believe that properly developed and scientifically researched video games could transform teaching and learning in the near future.

In our eyes, the Lumosity site represents an intriguing mix of potential, one that seeks to address the notion of brain fitness in seniors but is also examining the idea of brain fitness for users as young as nine. Interested readers may sign up for a 7-day free trial here. At the end of the trial, users can then sign up for either a monthly subscription ($9.95/month) or for a full year of access ($79.95). by education blog

Florida Teacher Needs to be Voted Off the Island

2008-06-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

School personnel too often have an unshakable belief in their own inherent virtue and goodness; "we are here for the children after all." I run into the falsity of this belief all too often. A prominent illustration of a total lack of virtue happened recently in a Florida classroom. A teacher in Florida allowed the classroom to vote a child, who is on the autistic spectrum, to be voted out of the class. This teacher went beyond simple mean-spiritedness or bad judgment. While the police declined to press charges, this teacher is obviously not fit to continue in this profession. She should take up any occupation that she does not have to consider other people's feelings. I have not seen such cold and callous conduct in my first hand experience, I have seen, however, lesser examples of extreme hurtfulness and bad judgment. We all need to the ability to be self-critical of ourselves and our professions. Teachers are not immune from the bad parts of human nature.

Any interesting side-note to this story is that the vote was 14-2 to remove the student from the class. We could all learn something about compassion and standing up against peer pressure from the 2 children who voted to keep Alex Barton as a classmate.

PS the school apparently has re-assigned this teacher to non-teaching duties pending its investigation. If she had any decency she would just quit and go and work on a desert island.

Five Reasons Why You Should Be Saving Money - Even In College

2008-05-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

College students aren’t well known for their big bank accounts; many don’t believe they make enough to bother saving before graduation. It’s not unusual for new grads to assume that college loans, rent, living expenses, and debt will simply take care of themselves after graduation.

But not every grad gets hired just days after graduating college. For some, the job search could take weeks or even months. Add to that the weak economy and the fact that lenders don’t always allow deferment, and it’s no wonder recent grads are under so much financial pressure.

If you’re still in school, you still have time to save up. Here are five reasons why every college student should be saving while in school.

Because you don’t know how long it will take to find a good job.

The state of the economy has been in the news a lot lately—and the news isn’t good. New graduates face a tough job market, and you never know how long it will take you to find a job—or to find one that pays enough to allow you to live independently while paying off your loans. If you have some savings in the bank, you’ll be able to support yourself for a time while you look for a job that pays a wage you can live with.

Because you’ll have to start paying back those loans sometime.

Some loans—particularly federal Stafford and Perkins loans—can be deferred for up to six months after you graduate. But not all loans give you a grace period after graduation. Private loans have varying terms; some lenders will allow you to defer, while others won’t. Even some government loans, such as PLUS loans for graduate students, must be repaid the minute you graduate or stop attending school. If you have savings in the bank, you can start paying those loans immediately—even if the job offers are slow in coming.

Some loans—particularly non-subsidized government and private loans—continue to accumulate interest while you’re in college. Save money while you’re in school, and you may even be able to make payments and keep your balance down while you’re in college.

Because you’ll want to get your own place.

Even if you get a job as soon as you graduate college, you may not have the cash to get your own place right away. Renting an apartment requires a first and last month’s payment, plus a security deposit—you might need to pay thousands up front before you can move in. If you have some savings in the bank, you’ll be able to pay for your first place right away—without having to save money over weeks and months.

Because Mom and Dad won’t foot the bill forever.

Whether you need a car to make your daily commute or just a little occasional help with the rent or college loan payments, many college students find they can’t afford what they need without help—unless they’ve been saving for it. Many rely on their parents for help in those first crucial years. But between the mortgage crisis, unemployment trends, and a stagnant economy, many parents are not in the best financial position of their lives either. If you have money saved, you can get off to a strong start after graduation—without being a burden on them.

Because savings equal freedom.

Many recent grads don’t realize how much pressure they’ll be under to earn money right away after graduation—especially if they’ve got loans to pay back. If you have savings, however, you can buy yourself some time. Savings can allow you to travel, take an unpaid internship, or volunteer in an area you’re passionate about—all while paying back your loans. If you have money in the bank, the search for a job doesn’t have to be so urgent.

Most students don’t have a lot of disposable income. But if you do, it’s wise to put some in a savings account early, allowing your money some time to grow. Put a little money away for use after college, and you may find that graduation isn’t as frightening as it seems.

By Jennifer Williamson, Distance-Education.org Columnist
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