One of the challenges of elearning is the perceived lack of engagement with the student.
People sometimes misunderstand this new method of teaching; they think it's boring and dull.
It certainly can be boring; but then again, don't students get bored in the classroom, as well?
If the teacher, professor or trainer has the personality of a robot, you can expect the class to start snoring within the first 5 minutes.
A teacher with a vibrant personality on the other hand, can engage the students and hold their attention for a longer time.
Engaging the class or student does not necessarily depend on the pedagogical approach; rather, it depends on creative delivery of the lesson content.
There are existing online learning software and learning management system software in the market especially the early ones where the interface is mediocre and the content is mainly text-based. The end user is merely required to read and answer quizzes at the end of each chapter. It's not surprising that online learners quit after just a few chapters and they rarely finish the course.
Current trends in electronic learning now include the integration of multimedia.
Multimedia used to mean simple audio, video and graphics.
Now it includes interactive animations, hypermedia, speech narration, motion graphics, etc.
With the improvement of technologies like 3D graphics and video, developers and designers of technologically-enhanced learning are seeking various ways of applying these new innovations to further enhance their software products.
Advantages of Multimedia
Accessibility.
Interactive interface is an important part of the learning content.
The disabled members of society is now benefiting from distance learning so innovations in multimedia like Text to Speech, Video Conferencing, Touch Screen Interface, etc are helping make online learning more accessible.
Navigation throughout the course is easier for the learner when there are clear graphics to follow, like buttons, links, site maps, navigation tree, etc.
Easy Recall and Retention.
In past studies, it was found it's easier for people to recall information if it is delivered with music.
Using audio as well as visual delivery, students are more likely to remember the lesson than just by reading plain text.
Easy Comprehension.
A concept can be easier understood if there's a video demonstration or animation that explains it. The student would also have a deeper understanding of the lesson because more parts of the brain are stimulated.
Engaging.
Active participation promotes learning more effectively than passively reading chapters.
Interactive quizzes and games make the course more engaging and students will be less likely to get bored.
With all the advantages stated, it would be easy to conclude that multimedia should be a vital part of every electronic learning software or learning management system software; but the truth is, there are concerns when implementing too much multimedia.
It is better to have a simple text based course than to have a course with multiple and confusing media.
The developers and designers should edit the content of the course so that the interface is uniform and coherent.
Adding media adds complexity to what the student see on the screen.
The software should be tested multiple times to ensure that learners know where they are and know how they are progressing in the curriculum. Customizing the media is also necessary for people with disabilities and unique needs.
Multimedia is a great tool to use for electronic learning but the developers have to make sure that the right media is used for the right user.
Each element should serve the course progressively and be appropriate for the course in general.
Monday, 29 December 2014
Sing Songs and Eat S'mores Around a Friendly Campfire
As parents, one of the hardest things for us to do is let our children go off into the world outside of our supervision. This could include going to the nearby downtown area, taking public transportation to the beach, or heading into a city.
For parents who cannot bear the thought of letting their children from their site, the idea of sending them to a sleep away camp for weeks at a time can be frightening.
However, it shouldn't be.
Kids who have gone to sleep away camps have been shown to adapt to new situations more easily, like when they later go to college, and are more comfortable in unfamiliar situations, such as job interviews.
Having said this, it's important to know what it is that kids do at camp. A Mix of Planned and Free Activities When kids go to camp, it can be equated to a pre-collegiate experience, at least in the social sense.
They will embark on a combination of planned activities while also being given some free time to choose what they'd like to do.
Having these choices a young person can gain confidence in making simple decisions.
Meet Kids Their Own Age There is a special bond that is made during the summer camp experience where young people create friendships with those they never would have met otherwise.
This happens because the experience is unique to any other, and the memories cannot usually be made anywhere else.
In spite of the fact that the duration of a camp may only last a few weeks, many kids stay in touch, hoping to see each other the following year, or meeting up sooner. In some cases, the parents also become good friends, finding that the friendly summer camp they sent their children to enriched everyone. This is especially true for the children as they get to experience new things. Experience New Things Whether a child grows up in the city, suburbs, or the country, there are so many new experiences that they can find at camp, including the people.
Some are not always as parents would like, such as one camper who returned home quoting Chuck Norris "facts" for weeks, one of which was "When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he'd already missed 3 calls from Chuck Norris." It was funny the first time, but less so as the weeks went on.
On this, though, there are instances where children who were not readers have actually come home to surprise their parents with a new love for books.
Among some of the more popular ones is theCelebrity Team 6 series, which is a collection of stories about A-list celebrities like Selena Gomez and Brad Pitt who use their superpowers to save children in Africa.
It's a far cry fromThe Grapes of Wrath, but a step in the right direction.
Overall, summer camp is all about having fun and allowing children to go to a safe place to explore their independence.
The experience is one that is fun, educational, and enriching.
Children who get to have the camp experience love it.
For parents who cannot bear the thought of letting their children from their site, the idea of sending them to a sleep away camp for weeks at a time can be frightening.
However, it shouldn't be.
Kids who have gone to sleep away camps have been shown to adapt to new situations more easily, like when they later go to college, and are more comfortable in unfamiliar situations, such as job interviews.
Having said this, it's important to know what it is that kids do at camp. A Mix of Planned and Free Activities When kids go to camp, it can be equated to a pre-collegiate experience, at least in the social sense.
They will embark on a combination of planned activities while also being given some free time to choose what they'd like to do.
Having these choices a young person can gain confidence in making simple decisions.
Meet Kids Their Own Age There is a special bond that is made during the summer camp experience where young people create friendships with those they never would have met otherwise.
This happens because the experience is unique to any other, and the memories cannot usually be made anywhere else.
In spite of the fact that the duration of a camp may only last a few weeks, many kids stay in touch, hoping to see each other the following year, or meeting up sooner. In some cases, the parents also become good friends, finding that the friendly summer camp they sent their children to enriched everyone. This is especially true for the children as they get to experience new things. Experience New Things Whether a child grows up in the city, suburbs, or the country, there are so many new experiences that they can find at camp, including the people.
Some are not always as parents would like, such as one camper who returned home quoting Chuck Norris "facts" for weeks, one of which was "When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he'd already missed 3 calls from Chuck Norris." It was funny the first time, but less so as the weeks went on.
On this, though, there are instances where children who were not readers have actually come home to surprise their parents with a new love for books.
Among some of the more popular ones is theCelebrity Team 6 series, which is a collection of stories about A-list celebrities like Selena Gomez and Brad Pitt who use their superpowers to save children in Africa.
It's a far cry fromThe Grapes of Wrath, but a step in the right direction.
Overall, summer camp is all about having fun and allowing children to go to a safe place to explore their independence.
The experience is one that is fun, educational, and enriching.
Children who get to have the camp experience love it.
Does Every Yahoo Email Header Trace To Sunnyvale California?
Many times a potential client will approach me with a question about tracing a Yahoo.com email address back to the sender.
It's usually about identifying the person behind an email in a cyber stalking investigation.
What usually happens is they took the header from a Yahoo email address and then submitted to some software program or automatic form that is supposed to trace the email back to the sender.
If only life were simple.
Unfortunately there is simply no automatic or automated way to analyze an email header and trace it back to the senders. As in the case with the attempted Yahoo email trace this automated method mistakenly traced the email back to Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale California.
This information is not at all helpful in locating or identifying a cyber stalker in any way shape or form.
In order to actually trace an email you need to have a professional investigator with both training and experience in examining headers to correctly determine which IP address in the header is from the sender.
About fifty percent of the times I have a client tell me they attempted to trace a header or analyze a header I will ultimately find that they traced their own IP address. The recipients of the email in stead of the sender. This is also a very common rookie mistake.
When a client tells me they have obtained an IP on their stalker I take it with a grain of salt and leave that information to the side until I can confirm it myself. But tracing an email with a reverse email search is a very hot topic on the Internet. Everyday millions people are searching the web to find out simple steps to locate and identify a person through a reverse email search.
So unscrupulous get rich quick artists have taken advantage of that interest by steering the searchers away from professional investigators that are trained and experienced in email tracing.
Instead they lure these desperate victims into web sites that offer instant data base searches and automated header tracing services that provide inaccurate results.
So if you found this article because you tried to trace a Yahoo email header and you wound up in Sunnyvale California it's best that you consult with an actual email tracing expert that knows what he's doing. A professional will not just examine the headers but there are many steps to actually trace an email back to the sender.
It's far more that a simple header trace.
A professional will also be able to document his findings in AA report that can be submitted as an exhibit in court and an actual expert can testify under oath to his findings.
Copyright (c) 2011 Opperman Investigations Inc
It's usually about identifying the person behind an email in a cyber stalking investigation.
What usually happens is they took the header from a Yahoo email address and then submitted to some software program or automatic form that is supposed to trace the email back to the sender.
If only life were simple.
Unfortunately there is simply no automatic or automated way to analyze an email header and trace it back to the senders. As in the case with the attempted Yahoo email trace this automated method mistakenly traced the email back to Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale California.
This information is not at all helpful in locating or identifying a cyber stalker in any way shape or form.
In order to actually trace an email you need to have a professional investigator with both training and experience in examining headers to correctly determine which IP address in the header is from the sender.
About fifty percent of the times I have a client tell me they attempted to trace a header or analyze a header I will ultimately find that they traced their own IP address. The recipients of the email in stead of the sender. This is also a very common rookie mistake.
When a client tells me they have obtained an IP on their stalker I take it with a grain of salt and leave that information to the side until I can confirm it myself. But tracing an email with a reverse email search is a very hot topic on the Internet. Everyday millions people are searching the web to find out simple steps to locate and identify a person through a reverse email search.
So unscrupulous get rich quick artists have taken advantage of that interest by steering the searchers away from professional investigators that are trained and experienced in email tracing.
Instead they lure these desperate victims into web sites that offer instant data base searches and automated header tracing services that provide inaccurate results.
So if you found this article because you tried to trace a Yahoo email header and you wound up in Sunnyvale California it's best that you consult with an actual email tracing expert that knows what he's doing. A professional will not just examine the headers but there are many steps to actually trace an email back to the sender.
It's far more that a simple header trace.
A professional will also be able to document his findings in AA report that can be submitted as an exhibit in court and an actual expert can testify under oath to his findings.
Copyright (c) 2011 Opperman Investigations Inc
Sunday, 28 December 2014
Radiate As Your Beautiful Self With Three Practices
Have you been in love before?
I am referring to the type of love that takes your breath away.
People can bring this feeling to you and so can activities. Some people call it "the zone.
" Have you been there before? Can you bring yourself back to that place and time right now? This is when you radiate.
The glow of your skin and the shine in your eyes can be found when you feel love and when you get into the zone. This is when you are the most beautiful.
Do you want to get there again? Check out these three beautiful tips to help you radiate on command.
The First Practice to Radiate Radiating is when you are shining your light into the world. We can absolutely control this; it is at our command.
One great way to radiate right away is to notice when someone else is radiating.
Babies constantly radiate as they have yet to learn how to dim their own light.
Watch a baby with a silent mind and you will naturally begin to radiate.
When you notice someone who is radiating, compliment their beauty and this will magnify right back to you.
The Second Practice to Radiate Your diet and exercise affect how you radiate. Eating raw foods, salads and grains, will increase your light.
Engaging in a regular exercise program will get your blood flowing and increase the brightness of your light.
It takes a commitment to instill new habits with regards to diet, and having someone who will commit with you can help tremendously.
The Third Practice to Radiate Engage in what you love.
This can be a hobby or your work.
When you lose track of time, you are in the right activity.
Your goal is to find the flow and enjoy the moment. When you are in this moment, you radiate a pure light and glow.
The people who you find attractive are radiating a brighter light than you. This is why they are so attractive. When we increase the light we radiate, we will find that our work becomes easier and more people arrive to help us when we need it.
It allows us to build amazing relationships when we love life and let our light shine.
Changes may need to be made in your life and, quite honestly, you may have to develop great amounts of courage to get yourself into something new.
You may find yourself in a job right now and constantly be saying "Well, I am lucky to have one." And this is true for you.
You are lucky and yet, what are you missing? What is it that you would rather be doing, which would really allow you to feel great? This is what we must be doing right now if we ever want to tackle the life's challenges.
We must find what we can engage in, which will allow us to radiate so bright that other people are attracted to and affected by us.
When we radiate brightly, someone else radiates more brightly too. Take back your radiating self and engage full heartedly in life.
Remember this acronym for R.
A.
D.I.A.
T.
E.
Real Action Decides I Am True Energy
People can bring this feeling to you and so can activities. Some people call it "the zone.
" Have you been there before? Can you bring yourself back to that place and time right now? This is when you radiate.
The glow of your skin and the shine in your eyes can be found when you feel love and when you get into the zone. This is when you are the most beautiful.
Do you want to get there again? Check out these three beautiful tips to help you radiate on command.
The First Practice to Radiate Radiating is when you are shining your light into the world. We can absolutely control this; it is at our command.
One great way to radiate right away is to notice when someone else is radiating.
Babies constantly radiate as they have yet to learn how to dim their own light.
Watch a baby with a silent mind and you will naturally begin to radiate.
When you notice someone who is radiating, compliment their beauty and this will magnify right back to you.
The Second Practice to Radiate Your diet and exercise affect how you radiate. Eating raw foods, salads and grains, will increase your light.
Engaging in a regular exercise program will get your blood flowing and increase the brightness of your light.
It takes a commitment to instill new habits with regards to diet, and having someone who will commit with you can help tremendously.
The Third Practice to Radiate Engage in what you love.
This can be a hobby or your work.
When you lose track of time, you are in the right activity.
Your goal is to find the flow and enjoy the moment. When you are in this moment, you radiate a pure light and glow.
The people who you find attractive are radiating a brighter light than you. This is why they are so attractive. When we increase the light we radiate, we will find that our work becomes easier and more people arrive to help us when we need it.
It allows us to build amazing relationships when we love life and let our light shine.
Changes may need to be made in your life and, quite honestly, you may have to develop great amounts of courage to get yourself into something new.
You may find yourself in a job right now and constantly be saying "Well, I am lucky to have one." And this is true for you.
You are lucky and yet, what are you missing? What is it that you would rather be doing, which would really allow you to feel great? This is what we must be doing right now if we ever want to tackle the life's challenges.
We must find what we can engage in, which will allow us to radiate so bright that other people are attracted to and affected by us.
When we radiate brightly, someone else radiates more brightly too. Take back your radiating self and engage full heartedly in life.
Remember this acronym for R.
A.
D.I.A.
T.
E.
Real Action Decides I Am True Energy
Timeless Value for Antique Cast Iron Toys
In this generation where gaming is defined with electronic stuff like Wii, PSP, or iPad antique cast iron toys helps us look back what it's like back then. These collectors' items are tested through time.
Items that are considered antiques are those that are manufactured during World War II or at least 50 years back.
Curiosity is one of the reasons why numerous people are collecting stuff from the past. Sometimes it's the way the antique cast iron collections look like.
Most of them look like the way transportation look like in the past or furniture that they used. Many are also curios of the story the toy could tell.
The collectors' items tell a story of the life they lived. Since most antique collectors' items are collected from different parts of the world each one also brings a story of the way of life they have in that region for a certain period of time.
Since this is from 50-100 years these antique toys are mostly transportations of war and high ranking officials.
When collecting you should consider the age, where it come from, and should be tested whether it's genuinely from the past.
Antique cast iron toys could also be faked. You don't want to pay enormous amount for something that's not real. Experts could identify which one is an authentic product. Antique cast iron toys are also educational. Since these toys tell of a story of life in the past having this as an illustration on how life is during the war makes it more alive. How people from different regions transport products or how cars and other means transportation look like is usually how these toys would look like. Great for illustrating historical life in places we have not been to. The market for antique toys is increasing in its popularity. Both in the private sectors and auctions sales it is a growing industry. Even private collectors are also selling antique items in exchange of higher value cast iron toys.
Several online stores are even selling antique items.
With the raising popularity of this business, collectors would also be extra careful especially with the fake ones. Greatest value for antique cast iron toys comes in few forms.
Mostly the value of the toys in terms of price comes with the quality of the item. Since this has passed quiet an amount of time this means wear and tear of your item should be taken note.
Best value comes from automotive stuff.
This is maybe because of the few animated stuff that comes with it.
Some antique toys comes with parts that could be move on certain direction.
For cars and horse carriage you will find best value when wheels still turns or the door could still open.
This only means that the piece is still in good condition. Horse-drawn and irons automotive are the few things collectors have an eye on.
Antique cast iron toys' value is not only determined through time but its usefulness in this generation, where we tend to forget the past because of the convenience and sophistication brought by the future.
On the other hand, antique cast iron toys bring us back to where we have been and how our fathers enjoyed them before.
Items that are considered antiques are those that are manufactured during World War II or at least 50 years back.
Curiosity is one of the reasons why numerous people are collecting stuff from the past. Sometimes it's the way the antique cast iron collections look like.
Most of them look like the way transportation look like in the past or furniture that they used. Many are also curios of the story the toy could tell.
The collectors' items tell a story of the life they lived. Since most antique collectors' items are collected from different parts of the world each one also brings a story of the way of life they have in that region for a certain period of time.
Since this is from 50-100 years these antique toys are mostly transportations of war and high ranking officials.
When collecting you should consider the age, where it come from, and should be tested whether it's genuinely from the past.
Antique cast iron toys could also be faked. You don't want to pay enormous amount for something that's not real. Experts could identify which one is an authentic product. Antique cast iron toys are also educational. Since these toys tell of a story of life in the past having this as an illustration on how life is during the war makes it more alive. How people from different regions transport products or how cars and other means transportation look like is usually how these toys would look like. Great for illustrating historical life in places we have not been to. The market for antique toys is increasing in its popularity. Both in the private sectors and auctions sales it is a growing industry. Even private collectors are also selling antique items in exchange of higher value cast iron toys.
Several online stores are even selling antique items.
With the raising popularity of this business, collectors would also be extra careful especially with the fake ones. Greatest value for antique cast iron toys comes in few forms.
Mostly the value of the toys in terms of price comes with the quality of the item. Since this has passed quiet an amount of time this means wear and tear of your item should be taken note.
Best value comes from automotive stuff.
This is maybe because of the few animated stuff that comes with it.
Some antique toys comes with parts that could be move on certain direction.
For cars and horse carriage you will find best value when wheels still turns or the door could still open.
This only means that the piece is still in good condition. Horse-drawn and irons automotive are the few things collectors have an eye on.
Antique cast iron toys' value is not only determined through time but its usefulness in this generation, where we tend to forget the past because of the convenience and sophistication brought by the future.
On the other hand, antique cast iron toys bring us back to where we have been and how our fathers enjoyed them before.
How Can You Benefit From Online Courses?
After the advent of the Internet, thousands of websites have started online courses on a wide range of subjects that cover not only the educational field but every aspect of human activity.
You could now have online lessons as to how you should operate your microwave oven and cook great recipes. However, most online courses still mainly focus on the realm of education.
There are advantages and disadvantages in taking online classes.
Hence, you should weigh the pros and cons of online lessons before deciding whether they are suitable to you or whether you should attend regular courses.
Benefits of Online Classes There are several benefits to online classes and learning. The major advantages are • Classes through the Internet offer high flexibility to the learners in terms of time of learning.
They are particularly suitable to full-time or part-time workers, who can devote their free time in attending to these courses and learn their subjects without putting extra effort or straining themselves.
• Online courses provide easy access to faculty members and asking questions online to clear doubts, solve problems, or get answers to difficult questions become that much easy.
• It is easy to select from a wide range of subjects available from various colleges, universities or other institutions, which interest the students or the learners. • Most of the online courses provide accelerated completion of courses, so that you could finish the courses earlier than the normal course schedules and earn extra credits faster. • For persons planning to enhance their career through advanced knowledge, online lessons on the subjects related to their field of work helps them in getting acknowledgement from the management and even early promotions.
• Finding the exact courses that you wish to take up is quite easy with a search in Google providing you hundreds of colleges and universities or other specialty institutions offering courses that are suitable to you.
Disadvantages of Online Classes In spite of the above advantages, there are a few disadvantages to online courses, such as • You might not be able to reach the specific faculty member when you are online and clear your doubts due to time differences across the globe but most courses usually have alternate arrangements for such eventualities.
• Since you are on your own in learning, the greatest danger is lethargy and procrastination in meeting deadlines.
You would tend to postpone the learning and only a strong motivation could keep you on course in your online learning process. • Online courses could be costlier than regular courses.
You could now have online lessons as to how you should operate your microwave oven and cook great recipes. However, most online courses still mainly focus on the realm of education.
There are advantages and disadvantages in taking online classes.
Hence, you should weigh the pros and cons of online lessons before deciding whether they are suitable to you or whether you should attend regular courses.
Benefits of Online Classes There are several benefits to online classes and learning. The major advantages are • Classes through the Internet offer high flexibility to the learners in terms of time of learning.
They are particularly suitable to full-time or part-time workers, who can devote their free time in attending to these courses and learn their subjects without putting extra effort or straining themselves.
• Online courses provide easy access to faculty members and asking questions online to clear doubts, solve problems, or get answers to difficult questions become that much easy.
• It is easy to select from a wide range of subjects available from various colleges, universities or other institutions, which interest the students or the learners. • Most of the online courses provide accelerated completion of courses, so that you could finish the courses earlier than the normal course schedules and earn extra credits faster. • For persons planning to enhance their career through advanced knowledge, online lessons on the subjects related to their field of work helps them in getting acknowledgement from the management and even early promotions.
• Finding the exact courses that you wish to take up is quite easy with a search in Google providing you hundreds of colleges and universities or other specialty institutions offering courses that are suitable to you.
Disadvantages of Online Classes In spite of the above advantages, there are a few disadvantages to online courses, such as • You might not be able to reach the specific faculty member when you are online and clear your doubts due to time differences across the globe but most courses usually have alternate arrangements for such eventualities.
• Since you are on your own in learning, the greatest danger is lethargy and procrastination in meeting deadlines.
You would tend to postpone the learning and only a strong motivation could keep you on course in your online learning process. • Online courses could be costlier than regular courses.
Amazing Free Online Forensic Courses
Students interested in forensic science careers ought to take advantage of free online forensic courses. The criminal justice field is expanding with hundreds of job opportunities for persons specializing in forensic science.
Forensic science is an exciting field where qualified applicants earn great salaries and are instrumental in crime scene investigations.
In the past years, many schools nationwide have developed collegiate level courses in forensics to meet the demand of state and federal law enforcement.
Online forensic science courses Degrees in criminal justice are available from dozens accredited online schools.
Specializing in Crime Scene Investigation, students are able to access limited free online forensic courses in photography, computers, and principles of forensics such as DNA. Additional free online forensic courses can be accessed in areas of psychology, fraud, evidence and legal topics.
Studying to become a crime scene investigator To be a successful CSI, it is important to thoroughly grasp all the concepts involved within forensic science and law enforcement.
Qualified applicants will demonstrate proficiency in evidence gathering, evidence analysis, ballistics and firearms, chemicals, and bodily tissue.
To enhance your investigative techniques, applicants are required to have training in criminal psychology, laws and regulations, terrorism and national security, and DNA forensics.
Upon completion of required fields of study, students are free to apply for a job position of may pursue graduate level educational credits. A day in the life of a crime scene investigator Also available with free online forensic courses are details on the daily lives and income potentials of CSI's and forensic scientists. Typical starting salaries for CSI are in the low $30k range, with forensic scientists averaging slightly more. While popular television programs have glorified the daily lives of CSI personnel, the reality of the position requires the ability to handle stressful situations and communicate with strong professionalism. Crime scenes, by nature, are often unpleasant with a significant amount of gore and violence.
Despite a common human desire to rush in these situations, a forensic investigator must be diligent and collect as much evidence as possible.
It is of utmost importance that a crime scene is investigated thoroughly. The remainder of a forensic scientist's job takes place inside the lab where they separate, evaluate, and analyze pieces of evidence.
From this evidence they are to draw conclusions, interpret findings, and recreate the crime scene if possible. On the Stand Starting with the free online forensic courses, students in no time will take the stand as a witness.
Once you've realized your interested in the world of forensics, there are a wide variety of Free Online Forensic Courses to further your education and interest.
Forensic science is an exciting field where qualified applicants earn great salaries and are instrumental in crime scene investigations.
In the past years, many schools nationwide have developed collegiate level courses in forensics to meet the demand of state and federal law enforcement.
Online forensic science courses Degrees in criminal justice are available from dozens accredited online schools.
Specializing in Crime Scene Investigation, students are able to access limited free online forensic courses in photography, computers, and principles of forensics such as DNA. Additional free online forensic courses can be accessed in areas of psychology, fraud, evidence and legal topics.
Studying to become a crime scene investigator To be a successful CSI, it is important to thoroughly grasp all the concepts involved within forensic science and law enforcement.
Qualified applicants will demonstrate proficiency in evidence gathering, evidence analysis, ballistics and firearms, chemicals, and bodily tissue.
To enhance your investigative techniques, applicants are required to have training in criminal psychology, laws and regulations, terrorism and national security, and DNA forensics.
Upon completion of required fields of study, students are free to apply for a job position of may pursue graduate level educational credits. A day in the life of a crime scene investigator Also available with free online forensic courses are details on the daily lives and income potentials of CSI's and forensic scientists. Typical starting salaries for CSI are in the low $30k range, with forensic scientists averaging slightly more. While popular television programs have glorified the daily lives of CSI personnel, the reality of the position requires the ability to handle stressful situations and communicate with strong professionalism. Crime scenes, by nature, are often unpleasant with a significant amount of gore and violence.
Despite a common human desire to rush in these situations, a forensic investigator must be diligent and collect as much evidence as possible.
It is of utmost importance that a crime scene is investigated thoroughly. The remainder of a forensic scientist's job takes place inside the lab where they separate, evaluate, and analyze pieces of evidence.
From this evidence they are to draw conclusions, interpret findings, and recreate the crime scene if possible. On the Stand Starting with the free online forensic courses, students in no time will take the stand as a witness.
Once you've realized your interested in the world of forensics, there are a wide variety of Free Online Forensic Courses to further your education and interest.
Saturday, 27 December 2014
Five Questions to Ask When Choosing an Online Insurance Continuing Education Provider
Making sure that you comply with your state's insurance licensing regulations is one of the most important issues you have to deal with as an insurance professional. Your career depends on it.
Getting the required insurance continuing education (or "CE") is a big part of that, and thanks to current technology, you have more insurance CE options than ever.
A recent study from Agent Media indicated that 67 percent of respondents now get at least some of their insurance CE credits online. It really is the most efficient option, saving the travel costs and time away from the office associated with classroom training. Because of its increasing popularity, there are a lot of web-based businesses now offering online insurance continuing education.
How do you narrow down all these options to find best insurance CE provider for you? Before you sign up for your next course, consider these questions: Does the provider offer high quality, compelling course material? Online insurance CE courses should take advantage of the multimedia (audio, video, animation) capacity of the web to maximize the effectiveness of the learning experience.
The courses should be written by recognized industry experts, should follow the required format, and should be approved in all 50 states.
Ask for a no-charge sample course to make sure the provider meets these requirements.
Also, review the provider's course catalog to make sure they offer a wide enough variety of courses so that you can get all the training you need from one source. Does the provider track and report training results for you and your employees? For you to remain compliant, the results of your insurance continuing education courses must get into the right hands in a timely manner.
Look for an insurance CE provider who will handle that for you without additional paperwork on your part. The whole idea of getting your required credits online is to make the process faster and more efficient, so make sure your provider will track all your courses automatically, inform you of the courses you still need to take, and report your results to state within two to three business days (as allowed by your state's licensing board).
You should also immediately receive a Certificate of Completion when you pass a course, so you'll have proof in-hand when needed. These services should be available to you at no additional charge. Are the courses flexible enough to fit your schedule? Online learning has made it possible to take your insurance CE courses anywhere and anytime you have a web connection, but sometimes it's still difficult to find the time to sit down and complete a course in one sitting. Look for an online insurance CE provider that allows you to save your sessions and pick up where you left off, so you can truly work at your own pace. Can you re-take courses without additional charges? Once you have paid for a course, you should be able to review it as many times as you want without being charged again.
You should also be allowed to re-take the exams as often as you need to pass the course and earn the credits.
If you are going to be away from your computer, can you take the course material with you? Just because you are taking a web-based course, you need not be tied to the computer the entire time.
Look for a provider that will allow you to print out pages from the course material for later review.
Also, your provider should allow you to download the audio from multimedia courses.
These audio downloads can be saved like a podcast to your MP3 player for even more flexibility.
You can review the information while on the road, exercising, doing housework -- anywhere you can use you iPod.
The point of insurance continuing education is to make sure you stay up-to-date on all the latest developments in insurance services and regulations. When you receive the best possible training, both you and your clients will reap the rewards.
Finding a high quality, accredited online continuing education partner is the first step in maximizing the benefit to your business, and it's worth the effort to do your homework.
Getting the required insurance continuing education (or "CE") is a big part of that, and thanks to current technology, you have more insurance CE options than ever.
A recent study from Agent Media indicated that 67 percent of respondents now get at least some of their insurance CE credits online. It really is the most efficient option, saving the travel costs and time away from the office associated with classroom training. Because of its increasing popularity, there are a lot of web-based businesses now offering online insurance continuing education.
How do you narrow down all these options to find best insurance CE provider for you? Before you sign up for your next course, consider these questions: Does the provider offer high quality, compelling course material? Online insurance CE courses should take advantage of the multimedia (audio, video, animation) capacity of the web to maximize the effectiveness of the learning experience.
The courses should be written by recognized industry experts, should follow the required format, and should be approved in all 50 states.
Ask for a no-charge sample course to make sure the provider meets these requirements.
Also, review the provider's course catalog to make sure they offer a wide enough variety of courses so that you can get all the training you need from one source. Does the provider track and report training results for you and your employees? For you to remain compliant, the results of your insurance continuing education courses must get into the right hands in a timely manner.
Look for an insurance CE provider who will handle that for you without additional paperwork on your part. The whole idea of getting your required credits online is to make the process faster and more efficient, so make sure your provider will track all your courses automatically, inform you of the courses you still need to take, and report your results to state within two to three business days (as allowed by your state's licensing board).
You should also immediately receive a Certificate of Completion when you pass a course, so you'll have proof in-hand when needed. These services should be available to you at no additional charge. Are the courses flexible enough to fit your schedule? Online learning has made it possible to take your insurance CE courses anywhere and anytime you have a web connection, but sometimes it's still difficult to find the time to sit down and complete a course in one sitting. Look for an online insurance CE provider that allows you to save your sessions and pick up where you left off, so you can truly work at your own pace. Can you re-take courses without additional charges? Once you have paid for a course, you should be able to review it as many times as you want without being charged again.
You should also be allowed to re-take the exams as often as you need to pass the course and earn the credits.
If you are going to be away from your computer, can you take the course material with you? Just because you are taking a web-based course, you need not be tied to the computer the entire time.
Look for a provider that will allow you to print out pages from the course material for later review.
Also, your provider should allow you to download the audio from multimedia courses.
These audio downloads can be saved like a podcast to your MP3 player for even more flexibility.
You can review the information while on the road, exercising, doing housework -- anywhere you can use you iPod.
The point of insurance continuing education is to make sure you stay up-to-date on all the latest developments in insurance services and regulations. When you receive the best possible training, both you and your clients will reap the rewards.
Finding a high quality, accredited online continuing education partner is the first step in maximizing the benefit to your business, and it's worth the effort to do your homework.
The New Era of Backup and Recovery Solutions
New challenges are constantly being issued at the address of information security, which is why the need for more efficient backup and recovery solutions is on the rise.
Companies need to make sure that their information is stored securely, and using remote locations for storing backups is just one of the solutions that are currently implemented as a necessity.
Incremental backups A solution in use for recovering entire systems in case of virtual or real disasters is to create incremental backups.
This basically means that backups are created on a regular basis, to make sure that the system has been saved in its most recent form. This method ensures that the system can be recovered even when there is no bit of information left, as the result of a natural disaster or cyber attack. Consolidating backup structures One of the most important goals for companies right now is to consolidate the backup structures in use, in order to ensure that sensible data can be retrieved whenever the need arises.
An interesting trend is that companies are also looking at deepening the visibility of these backup structures for individuals that are directly involved in their activity.
Special teams are created, to be in charge of storing backups, creating applications for the recovery of information, and for virtualization.
While this may seem like a dissemination of control, it actually involves more IT professionals in protecting data, and enhances responsibility throughout the company.
The link between backup technologies and business acceleration The companies capable of moving forward at the greatest speed are those that have great control over their backup technologies.
Business continuity is of the utmost importance, and having access to reliable backup and recovery solutions ensures that businesses are not brought to a halt, when a large scale recovery is needed. New backup solutions have to be faster What is required in terms of software innovation when it comes to backup and recovery solutions is for these technologies to be faster.
While security of backup structures is still of utmost importance, speed comes as a close second.
In a rapidly changing world, business continuity cannot be ensured unless the technologies used are not fast and reliable enough to restore a system, when the need arises. Data protection intelligence Making backups in the old traditional way can still be used, but it has to converge with data protection intelligence.
This now comes built in with various applications and servers, but compatibility is still required.
IT departments in charge of security, the backup teams, and those in charge of storage and virtualization have to be well aware of such necessities, so they can use the systems placed at their disposal at their maximum capacity.
Increased visibility and control for backup teams, as well as for managers of application and virtualization teams, is very important, because it allows specialists to act quickly based on the information provided by actions taken against a system.
Backup solutions work hand in hand with data security, which means that more knowledgeable expertise will be required from these specialists during the following years.
Copyright (c) 2013 AlleyFish.
com
Companies need to make sure that their information is stored securely, and using remote locations for storing backups is just one of the solutions that are currently implemented as a necessity.
Incremental backups A solution in use for recovering entire systems in case of virtual or real disasters is to create incremental backups.
This basically means that backups are created on a regular basis, to make sure that the system has been saved in its most recent form. This method ensures that the system can be recovered even when there is no bit of information left, as the result of a natural disaster or cyber attack. Consolidating backup structures One of the most important goals for companies right now is to consolidate the backup structures in use, in order to ensure that sensible data can be retrieved whenever the need arises.
An interesting trend is that companies are also looking at deepening the visibility of these backup structures for individuals that are directly involved in their activity.
Special teams are created, to be in charge of storing backups, creating applications for the recovery of information, and for virtualization.
While this may seem like a dissemination of control, it actually involves more IT professionals in protecting data, and enhances responsibility throughout the company.
The link between backup technologies and business acceleration The companies capable of moving forward at the greatest speed are those that have great control over their backup technologies.
Business continuity is of the utmost importance, and having access to reliable backup and recovery solutions ensures that businesses are not brought to a halt, when a large scale recovery is needed. New backup solutions have to be faster What is required in terms of software innovation when it comes to backup and recovery solutions is for these technologies to be faster.
While security of backup structures is still of utmost importance, speed comes as a close second.
In a rapidly changing world, business continuity cannot be ensured unless the technologies used are not fast and reliable enough to restore a system, when the need arises. Data protection intelligence Making backups in the old traditional way can still be used, but it has to converge with data protection intelligence.
This now comes built in with various applications and servers, but compatibility is still required.
IT departments in charge of security, the backup teams, and those in charge of storage and virtualization have to be well aware of such necessities, so they can use the systems placed at their disposal at their maximum capacity.
Increased visibility and control for backup teams, as well as for managers of application and virtualization teams, is very important, because it allows specialists to act quickly based on the information provided by actions taken against a system.
Backup solutions work hand in hand with data security, which means that more knowledgeable expertise will be required from these specialists during the following years.
Copyright (c) 2013 AlleyFish.
com
ICSE - How to Frame an Argumentative Essay
Writing an essay is no mean task. And if it is an argumentative essay, the task becomes all the more uphill. An argumentative essay demands that you should be able to portray your point of view very clearly. Thus there is no place for vague generalizations in an argumentative essay.
This is the basic that you should bear in mind before starting out on an argumentative essay.
Having said that, let us look into the argumentative essay in some more detail.
The Introduction: The best way to start the argumentative essay is by taking the subject head-on.
Your stance should be clear from the very beginning. The Body: Every paragraph in the essay should be geared towards establishing your stance.
To do so, you may take the help of personal examples, well known historical events, facts and statistics, quotations and the like. But do not use these just for the sake of it.
That would fill your easy with fluff.
Rather, you should concentrate on those points that really strengthen your argument.
Each statement is a double headed Janus.
It is the first rule of studying law.
There are always multiple ways of dealing with an issue.
Arrange the arguments in order of strength.
Validate each argument with substantial evidence supporting or rejecting it.
Balancing the arguments is the name of the game.
Remember, leaving an impact on the reader is your prime focus.
Attend debates or listen to news debates and see how each speaker fights it out for what he believes to be right. Convince the reader you are the most logical and you have his vote.
It is what politicians do all the time.
"No fence-sitting". You must take a stand while writing an ICSE essay. So make sure the counter arguments you put forth do not water down your essential argument.
Use facts to strengthen your viewpoint. Nothing replaces the bare effectiveness of real statistics and facts.
Define key terms where necessary and outline any assumptions you may have made while reaching to a conclusion. The final word. Like a hangman's axe, the final sentence of your essay must say it all in a single stroke.
A nice quote, a witty detail or an interesting anecdote will finish the job.
This is the basic that you should bear in mind before starting out on an argumentative essay.
Having said that, let us look into the argumentative essay in some more detail.
The Introduction: The best way to start the argumentative essay is by taking the subject head-on.
Your stance should be clear from the very beginning. The Body: Every paragraph in the essay should be geared towards establishing your stance.
To do so, you may take the help of personal examples, well known historical events, facts and statistics, quotations and the like. But do not use these just for the sake of it.
That would fill your easy with fluff.
Rather, you should concentrate on those points that really strengthen your argument.
Each statement is a double headed Janus.
It is the first rule of studying law.
There are always multiple ways of dealing with an issue.
Arrange the arguments in order of strength.
Validate each argument with substantial evidence supporting or rejecting it.
Balancing the arguments is the name of the game.
Remember, leaving an impact on the reader is your prime focus.
Attend debates or listen to news debates and see how each speaker fights it out for what he believes to be right. Convince the reader you are the most logical and you have his vote.
It is what politicians do all the time.
"No fence-sitting". You must take a stand while writing an ICSE essay. So make sure the counter arguments you put forth do not water down your essential argument.
Use facts to strengthen your viewpoint. Nothing replaces the bare effectiveness of real statistics and facts.
Define key terms where necessary and outline any assumptions you may have made while reaching to a conclusion. The final word. Like a hangman's axe, the final sentence of your essay must say it all in a single stroke.
A nice quote, a witty detail or an interesting anecdote will finish the job.
Friday, 26 December 2014
Arcade Games And Those Who Started The Craze
It was in 1971 that Nolan Bushnell changed the world, when he and Ted Dabney created the first ever commercially sold arcade game, Computer Space. It may not have been a great success, but a year later arcade games would change forever when Bushnell and Dabney added two words to our language, Atari, and Pong.
Pong was the first real success story, a simple game where you would control a paddle and and hit a ball from left to right until somebody missed it.
Now these may not have been the first ever computer games, for that we need to go all the way back to 1952, when A.
S.
Douglas made a graphical version of Tic-Tac-Toe on a EDSAC vacuum-tube computer. But it was games like William Higinbotham's Tennis For Two, made in 1958 in a US nuclear research lab on a Brookhaven National Laboratory oscilloscope, and 1962's SpaceWar, using a MIT PDP-1 mainframe computer that influenced the first ever arcade games. It was in the Seventies that arcade game business began to grow.
30 games came out between 1971 and 1973, between 1974 and 1975 there were 57, and then suddenly in 1976 there were 53 releases.
During this time, a certain college drop out got a job at the newly formed Atari.
The young Steve Jobs lasted just one semester at Reed College, before becoming employee number 40 at the Atari Los Gatos facility.
Soon he was sneaking his friend Steve Wozniak into the place so they could play the arcade machines late at night.
The two were instrumental in the hardware for another variation of the pong game, the very successful, Breakout.
Jobs and Wozniak would of course go on to form the Apple Computer Company, which is a whole other story.
Up until 1974 most video games used simple block graphics, but then Atari introduced ROM chips to store graphical data and the first game to use this was called Tank.
In 1975 Midway would be the first to use microprocessors, as they released the Western game, Gunfight. Many of Midway's games were developed by Taito in Japan, a growing force in the industry. These game were mainly found in bars and arcades until Space Invaders, licensed by Midway from Taito. In 1978, the invasion was also into new spaces.
This game was popular that suddenly every shop wanted it, and little corner stores began to carry the games. Atari's answer to Space Invaders was Asteroids.
It would go onto become the biggest selling game of all time. 1979 would introduce color for the first time and then in 1980 Toru Iwatani would design a game based on a Japanese folk-tale that would change everything.
It would have TV show spin-offs, clothing and even breakfast cereals, and live on until today.
That game of course was Pac Man.
The following year Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, most recently acclaimed for designing the Wii, gave us Donkey Kong and the one character that could rival Pac Man's popularity, Mario.
In 1981 Atari introduced Centipede to the world, and this was the first game to be co-designed by a woman, Dona Bailey.
Interestingly it was also the first game to have a big female player base.
In 1982 Midway made a game based on the movie, Tron, which has just had its sequel released in 2011! This game would end up producing more profit than the movie. These were the early days that led to the revolution of the Eighties that would see the games evolve with computer technology.
Today, arcade games are as popular as ever, fighting, racing and interactive dancing games that these early creators could not even imagine.
But without their work, none of it would have been possible.
Pong was the first real success story, a simple game where you would control a paddle and and hit a ball from left to right until somebody missed it.
Now these may not have been the first ever computer games, for that we need to go all the way back to 1952, when A.
S.
Douglas made a graphical version of Tic-Tac-Toe on a EDSAC vacuum-tube computer. But it was games like William Higinbotham's Tennis For Two, made in 1958 in a US nuclear research lab on a Brookhaven National Laboratory oscilloscope, and 1962's SpaceWar, using a MIT PDP-1 mainframe computer that influenced the first ever arcade games. It was in the Seventies that arcade game business began to grow.
30 games came out between 1971 and 1973, between 1974 and 1975 there were 57, and then suddenly in 1976 there were 53 releases.
During this time, a certain college drop out got a job at the newly formed Atari.
The young Steve Jobs lasted just one semester at Reed College, before becoming employee number 40 at the Atari Los Gatos facility.
Soon he was sneaking his friend Steve Wozniak into the place so they could play the arcade machines late at night.
The two were instrumental in the hardware for another variation of the pong game, the very successful, Breakout.
Jobs and Wozniak would of course go on to form the Apple Computer Company, which is a whole other story.
Up until 1974 most video games used simple block graphics, but then Atari introduced ROM chips to store graphical data and the first game to use this was called Tank.
In 1975 Midway would be the first to use microprocessors, as they released the Western game, Gunfight. Many of Midway's games were developed by Taito in Japan, a growing force in the industry. These game were mainly found in bars and arcades until Space Invaders, licensed by Midway from Taito. In 1978, the invasion was also into new spaces.
This game was popular that suddenly every shop wanted it, and little corner stores began to carry the games. Atari's answer to Space Invaders was Asteroids.
It would go onto become the biggest selling game of all time. 1979 would introduce color for the first time and then in 1980 Toru Iwatani would design a game based on a Japanese folk-tale that would change everything.
It would have TV show spin-offs, clothing and even breakfast cereals, and live on until today.
That game of course was Pac Man.
The following year Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, most recently acclaimed for designing the Wii, gave us Donkey Kong and the one character that could rival Pac Man's popularity, Mario.
In 1981 Atari introduced Centipede to the world, and this was the first game to be co-designed by a woman, Dona Bailey.
Interestingly it was also the first game to have a big female player base.
In 1982 Midway made a game based on the movie, Tron, which has just had its sequel released in 2011! This game would end up producing more profit than the movie. These were the early days that led to the revolution of the Eighties that would see the games evolve with computer technology.
Today, arcade games are as popular as ever, fighting, racing and interactive dancing games that these early creators could not even imagine.
But without their work, none of it would have been possible.
How to Select the Best Online Math Tutor
Finding an online math tutor can be a challenge for most parents, especially if you do not know the Internet all that well.
However, for Internet savvy parents, they know that there are almost an unlimited number of things that you can pick up while online.
That is why most parents take advantage of online services, such as online math tutorials, to make their lives a lot easier and to save on cost.
Mathematics is a very hard subject to master. Students from all over the globe share the sentiment that Mathematics is perhaps the hardest thing they ever had to go through studying.
It isn't because Mathematics is a hard to comprehend, it is mainly because the discipline required to really grasp it is different from most subjects.
History is all about understanding events and memorizing specific facts.
English is all about your awareness to syntax and vocabulary.
Mathematics needs a certain level of understanding that a students needs to learn for his or herself.
The advantage of having Math tutors over learning alone is very big.
Learning Mathematics alone can be a stressful endeavor, especially if the process thinking in arriving to a solution is hard to understand.
Mathematics is all about learning the theories and applying it in ways that is most convenient to you.
And if you can't translate the information you get from the book and incorporate it to how you solve problems, then it is almost impossible for you to reach your goals to get straight A's in school.
Online Math tutorials are great simply because you get to be taught in a place and time that you are most comfortable. Being in a classroom can be very stressful at times, especially if you have classmates who are bullies.
Being in a one on one session with your online math tutor can give you a level of focus that you can't get in a classroom.
All you really need to focus on is how you understand the subject and what you can do to improve your problem solving skills.
What is also great about online Math tutorials is the fact that you are given ample time to finish a chapter.
Your tutor will not allow you to move forward unless you have fully understood the topics discussed. And since you have an open communication with your teacher, you can ask him or her direct questions to what really confuses you, what terms you do not understand, and/or finding solutions to wrong answers you had on a basic math test you took in the past.
Online tutoring is all about convenience, but it is never without a certain level of commitment and excellence.
If you do decide to enroll in an online course, you should be open and committed to learning Mathematics.
If you have that down, then you're ready for success.
However, for Internet savvy parents, they know that there are almost an unlimited number of things that you can pick up while online.
That is why most parents take advantage of online services, such as online math tutorials, to make their lives a lot easier and to save on cost.
Mathematics is a very hard subject to master. Students from all over the globe share the sentiment that Mathematics is perhaps the hardest thing they ever had to go through studying.
It isn't because Mathematics is a hard to comprehend, it is mainly because the discipline required to really grasp it is different from most subjects.
History is all about understanding events and memorizing specific facts.
English is all about your awareness to syntax and vocabulary.
Mathematics needs a certain level of understanding that a students needs to learn for his or herself.
The advantage of having Math tutors over learning alone is very big.
Learning Mathematics alone can be a stressful endeavor, especially if the process thinking in arriving to a solution is hard to understand.
Mathematics is all about learning the theories and applying it in ways that is most convenient to you.
And if you can't translate the information you get from the book and incorporate it to how you solve problems, then it is almost impossible for you to reach your goals to get straight A's in school.
Online Math tutorials are great simply because you get to be taught in a place and time that you are most comfortable. Being in a classroom can be very stressful at times, especially if you have classmates who are bullies.
Being in a one on one session with your online math tutor can give you a level of focus that you can't get in a classroom.
All you really need to focus on is how you understand the subject and what you can do to improve your problem solving skills.
What is also great about online Math tutorials is the fact that you are given ample time to finish a chapter.
Your tutor will not allow you to move forward unless you have fully understood the topics discussed. And since you have an open communication with your teacher, you can ask him or her direct questions to what really confuses you, what terms you do not understand, and/or finding solutions to wrong answers you had on a basic math test you took in the past.
Online tutoring is all about convenience, but it is never without a certain level of commitment and excellence.
If you do decide to enroll in an online course, you should be open and committed to learning Mathematics.
If you have that down, then you're ready for success.
Tools for Effectively Raising Teens (Part 1)
Have you ever wanted to tear out your hair concerning the teenagers residing in your home? Do they act like extraterrestrials from another dimension? Do you wonder why they can't see that you and your spouse or partner are overwhelmed with work, getting them clothed, fed, to school, to the doctor, to choir practice and sports functions, paying the bills, handling household chores, and planning for your and their futures?
Do you marvel some days what prompted you to be a parent? Do you wrack your brain to figure out how you can steal a moment for yourself and slow things down just a little? Or do you think that other parents are doing much better?
These seem like a lot of questions that at first blush don't appear to have clear answers, but, in fact, they do. There some things you can do to improve your situation besides reading a number of books from specialists on the subject.
But, frankly, who actually has the time to read anything more than "byte" size? First and foremost, you need to be ready to dig in your heels and curb your natural instincts to keep the peace. It does take time for individuals (adults and youth) to adjust to new behaviors.
Your kids may not believe that you will follow through with either discipline or incentives, if you haven't been in the habit of doing so previously.
It'll take time to see change but the effort will be worth the results you will achieve.
Your overarching philosophy has to include communicating with your children that you love them.
In addition, a parent's job entails setting limits and ensuring that your children have increasing responsibilities; making them capable of tackling the world when they leave the nest.
1.
Before you begin this endeavor understand if you desire changes in behavior, you will have to memorize the following rule:"If you can't measure it, you can't change it.
" This pertains to behavior you want to see changed, the means you utilize to effect change, setting up consequences and incentives and evaluating when this change has occurred. 2.
Having a private discussion with your spouse or partner (or any other additional primary caregiver) whether or not they reside in the same household ensures that you are on the same frequency about the children. Engaging teachers in this venture because they see your child behave differently in school is also helpful.
Otherwise, your children will easily split your influence, authority and affections.
Children are much smarter, focused, and scheming than parents imagine.
3. You have to have an idea on what behavior you would like to see in your child or children. Initially, limiting this desire for two to three behavior changes (or even one) increases chances of success.
4.
You need to have a plan you can live with. In other words, don't make threats or even promises you can't keep because all you will achieve is a loss of credibility. You will need to set limits with realistic, natural consequences.
The punishment has to fit the crime. If a youngster is sexting; take away his/her cell phone long enough so there is an effect.
If a child is misusing his/her computer, remove the computer privileges for a specified time and then stay true to that course of action.
(This last step is very important because children are superb "hostage negotiators.
") Finally, if you give a reward, let it be commensurate with the changed behavior.
Such as improved or good grades result in special privileges and occasionally spending money.
Teenagers want your positive attention and support more than anything else.
Let me give you an example how to employ some of these steps.
Billy is a 13-year old only child and has been the apple of his parent's eye.
They have been available to his every beck and call.
This has resulted in a very insecure Billy who is doing poorly in school, has no ability to self-soothe or play by himself and needs constant reassurance.
Billy's parents are exhausted from his constant need for attention, Billy doesn't seem very happy, and there is excessive whining being reported by the parents and the teachers. What can be done? Little Billy really believes he is incapable because his parents come to his rescue to solve all his problems for him.
.
Now that he is in middle school there are expectations that he will be able to do things for himself. And he is baffled on where to begin.
Billy needs responsibilities.
He needs to be able to care for himself and personal possessions such as folding his clothes, making his bed and contributing to the family by walking the dog and/or taking out the trash. Mom and Dad need to show him exactly what the expectations are and monitor these carefully.
Billy also needs to learn that making a mistake is the best way to learn. (Incidentally, Mom and Dad also need to understand this!) Further, Billy needs to track his assignments at school and request his parents assistance with homework a limited number of times. Privileges are removed if he exceeds this amount. Only the most urgent requests are met. Billy has to sort out his educational questions primarily by listening in class and talking to his teacher/s.
In this way he will be taking responsibility for his learning.
Mom and Dad can monitor his progress by his results and by teacher conferences as needed. Only as a result of accomplishing his responsibilities in school and at home does Billy receive additional attention from Mom and Dad which should include some family time. The next article on raising teens will focus more specifically on chores and responsibilities, facilitating open discussion, rewarding positive behavior (and ignoring negative), and engaging in negotiation. Also addressed will be the underlying secret to what children want from their parents.
But, frankly, who actually has the time to read anything more than "byte" size? First and foremost, you need to be ready to dig in your heels and curb your natural instincts to keep the peace. It does take time for individuals (adults and youth) to adjust to new behaviors.
Your kids may not believe that you will follow through with either discipline or incentives, if you haven't been in the habit of doing so previously.
It'll take time to see change but the effort will be worth the results you will achieve.
Your overarching philosophy has to include communicating with your children that you love them.
In addition, a parent's job entails setting limits and ensuring that your children have increasing responsibilities; making them capable of tackling the world when they leave the nest.
1.
Before you begin this endeavor understand if you desire changes in behavior, you will have to memorize the following rule:"If you can't measure it, you can't change it.
" This pertains to behavior you want to see changed, the means you utilize to effect change, setting up consequences and incentives and evaluating when this change has occurred. 2.
Having a private discussion with your spouse or partner (or any other additional primary caregiver) whether or not they reside in the same household ensures that you are on the same frequency about the children. Engaging teachers in this venture because they see your child behave differently in school is also helpful.
Otherwise, your children will easily split your influence, authority and affections.
Children are much smarter, focused, and scheming than parents imagine.
3. You have to have an idea on what behavior you would like to see in your child or children. Initially, limiting this desire for two to three behavior changes (or even one) increases chances of success.
4.
You need to have a plan you can live with. In other words, don't make threats or even promises you can't keep because all you will achieve is a loss of credibility. You will need to set limits with realistic, natural consequences.
The punishment has to fit the crime. If a youngster is sexting; take away his/her cell phone long enough so there is an effect.
If a child is misusing his/her computer, remove the computer privileges for a specified time and then stay true to that course of action.
(This last step is very important because children are superb "hostage negotiators.
") Finally, if you give a reward, let it be commensurate with the changed behavior.
Such as improved or good grades result in special privileges and occasionally spending money.
Teenagers want your positive attention and support more than anything else.
Let me give you an example how to employ some of these steps.
Billy is a 13-year old only child and has been the apple of his parent's eye.
They have been available to his every beck and call.
This has resulted in a very insecure Billy who is doing poorly in school, has no ability to self-soothe or play by himself and needs constant reassurance.
Billy's parents are exhausted from his constant need for attention, Billy doesn't seem very happy, and there is excessive whining being reported by the parents and the teachers. What can be done? Little Billy really believes he is incapable because his parents come to his rescue to solve all his problems for him.
.
Now that he is in middle school there are expectations that he will be able to do things for himself. And he is baffled on where to begin.
Billy needs responsibilities.
He needs to be able to care for himself and personal possessions such as folding his clothes, making his bed and contributing to the family by walking the dog and/or taking out the trash. Mom and Dad need to show him exactly what the expectations are and monitor these carefully.
Billy also needs to learn that making a mistake is the best way to learn. (Incidentally, Mom and Dad also need to understand this!) Further, Billy needs to track his assignments at school and request his parents assistance with homework a limited number of times. Privileges are removed if he exceeds this amount. Only the most urgent requests are met. Billy has to sort out his educational questions primarily by listening in class and talking to his teacher/s.
In this way he will be taking responsibility for his learning.
Mom and Dad can monitor his progress by his results and by teacher conferences as needed. Only as a result of accomplishing his responsibilities in school and at home does Billy receive additional attention from Mom and Dad which should include some family time. The next article on raising teens will focus more specifically on chores and responsibilities, facilitating open discussion, rewarding positive behavior (and ignoring negative), and engaging in negotiation. Also addressed will be the underlying secret to what children want from their parents.
Why Online Elementary Teaching Degrees Are More Popular Than Ever
There is a wide variety of reasons why online elementary teaching degrees are so popular today.
For one thing, you'll be able to pursue a career that is going to be personally satisfying and intrinsically rewarding.
You'll have a direct hand in shaping the minds of our youth, which is an important task. A teaching career also provides a great schedule, with lots of time off and very manageable hours. One reason why people are pursuing online elementary teaching degrees is that the online route costs much less money than the traditional route. There has never been a more important time to conserve costs and keep an eye out on spending.
So with an online education in teaching you get the same quality and same end result, and you do it at a fraction of the cost. You can choose to take advantage of an accelerated program. Accelerated programs are setup for working adults looking to finish degrees quickly so they can advance their careers. If you take courses year round you can finish your studies in less than two years.
This is significantly shorter than most available programs you could find in an in person program.
Of course if you want to pursue an online education in elementary teaching it's likely that your goal is to be an elementary school teacher.
When you're teaching kids that young, in most instances you will have a wide array of courses to teach rather than a specialization.
However, in some schools you may take on a more focused role. This is especially true if you want to teach something in the arts, such as music, or if you are fluent in other languages. But you can pursue more careers other than being an elementary school teacher by getting an online elementary teaching degree.
One such option is to be a school counselor that works with young children.
Another option is to try to be a school principal or administrator, or even a district supervisor.
More options include working with the state or county to develop standards and basic coursework and curriculum requirements.
When you take an online elementary teaching degree program you will be studying many different things.
Examples include how to teach kids and how to interact with them.
You will learn how to develop your own class plans and you will learn how to grade and evaluate your students. Different programs offer different objectives. In some you may be able to take a focused view on teaching just one or a few subjects.
In others you will get a broad look at teaching all of the common subjects. Have you always wanted to be a teacher for your whole life? Do you like working with children in any capacity? Do you enjoy lots of time off and easy to handle hours? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then online elementary teaching degrees will be the perfect pursuit for you.
For one thing, you'll be able to pursue a career that is going to be personally satisfying and intrinsically rewarding.
You'll have a direct hand in shaping the minds of our youth, which is an important task. A teaching career also provides a great schedule, with lots of time off and very manageable hours. One reason why people are pursuing online elementary teaching degrees is that the online route costs much less money than the traditional route. There has never been a more important time to conserve costs and keep an eye out on spending.
So with an online education in teaching you get the same quality and same end result, and you do it at a fraction of the cost. You can choose to take advantage of an accelerated program. Accelerated programs are setup for working adults looking to finish degrees quickly so they can advance their careers. If you take courses year round you can finish your studies in less than two years.
This is significantly shorter than most available programs you could find in an in person program.
Of course if you want to pursue an online education in elementary teaching it's likely that your goal is to be an elementary school teacher.
When you're teaching kids that young, in most instances you will have a wide array of courses to teach rather than a specialization.
However, in some schools you may take on a more focused role. This is especially true if you want to teach something in the arts, such as music, or if you are fluent in other languages. But you can pursue more careers other than being an elementary school teacher by getting an online elementary teaching degree.
One such option is to be a school counselor that works with young children.
Another option is to try to be a school principal or administrator, or even a district supervisor.
More options include working with the state or county to develop standards and basic coursework and curriculum requirements.
When you take an online elementary teaching degree program you will be studying many different things.
Examples include how to teach kids and how to interact with them.
You will learn how to develop your own class plans and you will learn how to grade and evaluate your students. Different programs offer different objectives. In some you may be able to take a focused view on teaching just one or a few subjects.
In others you will get a broad look at teaching all of the common subjects. Have you always wanted to be a teacher for your whole life? Do you like working with children in any capacity? Do you enjoy lots of time off and easy to handle hours? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then online elementary teaching degrees will be the perfect pursuit for you.
Crime Scene Technician - Becoming a Civilian Crime Scene Technician
The Scientific Investigation of the Scenes of Crimes
Over the past few years many law enforcement agencies find themselves in a severe budget crunch. This has led them to enact changes in their daily operations. One such change is to hire and train civilians to serve as crime scene technicians.
This method of filling open crime scene technician (CST) slots produces immediate savings in that those who land these jobs do not have to be "sworn" police officers.
The benefits are fewer and of course salaries are lower too. Some agencies, however, consider this as an "entry level" position and may, based upon the effectiveness of the individual, pick up the cost of sending a technician to Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) when funds are available.
In many agencies a crime scene technician or a crime scene investigator are virtually the same.
In some cases the technician is a pay and training level grade below an investigator, But most agencies merely use either term to describe those individuals tasked with the responsibility of locating, evaluating and collecting physical evidence from crime scenes. To get an idea as to the salary ranges being offered to crime scene technicians I suggest you perform an Internet search using the keywords "crime scene technician jobs," or something to that effect.
.
Educational requirements will vary based on the needs of the local area.
Most certainly a high school education is a must, but most agencies are seeking a minimum of an Associate Degree in any of the following disciplines: Forensic Science, Criminalistics, Criminal Justice, Chemistry, Biology, or related field from an accredited community or junior college or technical institute.
Definitions related to the work of the crime scene technician.These evidence procedures and the order in which they are completed may vary from one agency to another-based upon established protocols. The following procedure is offered as a generalized approach to investigating a crime scene.
Physical Evidence: Criminal investigation involves people and/or physical objects--things.
Crimes are committed by people, but they use certain physical objects to commit these crimes.
It is these things used or touched by criminals that constitute what is referred to as physical or forensic evidence.
Scene Security: The specific duty of the first official to arrive at the scene of a crime is to protect and preserve life and property (offer aid and assistance to those present, apply first aid and summon the necessary medical help); and then ensure the security of the crime scene by erecting barriers (crime scene tape) and posting sentries at all possible entrances and exits. Conduct a Visual Survey of the Scene: The initial walk-through will include a visual survey of the scene, making note of any potential physical evidence.
Preliminary photographs and/or video are taken at this time.
Conduct a Thorough Scene Search: Depending upon the complexity of the scene, more than one technician will be required for the search.
Potential physical evidence is located and marked with flags, signs or evidence tents for later close up photos and collection.
Maintain a Written Log: As the search progresses a written log of all findings is kept.
Prepare a Crime Scene Sketch: A rough sketch is begun for both indoor and outdoor crime scenes.
The sketch will mark the locations of visible evidence and accurate measurements are taken to detail the exact location of each "thing" noted. Process the Scene for Latent Fingerprints: Using either latent print powders or chemicals, as the type of evidence requires, any physical object that may have been touched by the perpetrator will be processed.
Perform Preliminary, Presumptive Tests for Physiological Fluids, Narcotics and Drugs: While confirmatory lab testing will also be required, physiological fluids and drugs should be subjected to presumptive, non-destructive field testing methods. Collect and Package All Physical Evidence.
This is one of the most critical functions of the CST.
Court cases do not take place after a week or so following the investigation. It may take years before a criminal trial occurs.
Evidence must be collected, marked and preserved with this thought in mind.
For example: DNA and physiological evidence may degrade and become useless over time if steps are not taken to preserve it.
Blood and semen samples can lose their value if packaged in plastic containers-especially if they are collected while still in a liquid state.
As you may plainly see-crime scene investigation is a complex task that must be completed using scientific principles and guidelines.
Many criminal cases have been lost in court because forensic evidence was either mishandled, misinterpreted or was completely absent. The CST is a vital link in the chain-of-evidence, and it is a position that requires sincere devotion to the tasks at hand. The purpose and the integrity of the crime scene technician-as is the evidence he/she collects-are both on trial.
The benefits are fewer and of course salaries are lower too. Some agencies, however, consider this as an "entry level" position and may, based upon the effectiveness of the individual, pick up the cost of sending a technician to Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) when funds are available.
In many agencies a crime scene technician or a crime scene investigator are virtually the same.
In some cases the technician is a pay and training level grade below an investigator, But most agencies merely use either term to describe those individuals tasked with the responsibility of locating, evaluating and collecting physical evidence from crime scenes. To get an idea as to the salary ranges being offered to crime scene technicians I suggest you perform an Internet search using the keywords "crime scene technician jobs," or something to that effect.
.
Educational requirements will vary based on the needs of the local area.
Most certainly a high school education is a must, but most agencies are seeking a minimum of an Associate Degree in any of the following disciplines: Forensic Science, Criminalistics, Criminal Justice, Chemistry, Biology, or related field from an accredited community or junior college or technical institute.
Definitions related to the work of the crime scene technician.These evidence procedures and the order in which they are completed may vary from one agency to another-based upon established protocols. The following procedure is offered as a generalized approach to investigating a crime scene.
Physical Evidence: Criminal investigation involves people and/or physical objects--things.
Crimes are committed by people, but they use certain physical objects to commit these crimes.
It is these things used or touched by criminals that constitute what is referred to as physical or forensic evidence.
Scene Security: The specific duty of the first official to arrive at the scene of a crime is to protect and preserve life and property (offer aid and assistance to those present, apply first aid and summon the necessary medical help); and then ensure the security of the crime scene by erecting barriers (crime scene tape) and posting sentries at all possible entrances and exits. Conduct a Visual Survey of the Scene: The initial walk-through will include a visual survey of the scene, making note of any potential physical evidence.
Preliminary photographs and/or video are taken at this time.
Conduct a Thorough Scene Search: Depending upon the complexity of the scene, more than one technician will be required for the search.
Potential physical evidence is located and marked with flags, signs or evidence tents for later close up photos and collection.
Maintain a Written Log: As the search progresses a written log of all findings is kept.
Prepare a Crime Scene Sketch: A rough sketch is begun for both indoor and outdoor crime scenes.
The sketch will mark the locations of visible evidence and accurate measurements are taken to detail the exact location of each "thing" noted. Process the Scene for Latent Fingerprints: Using either latent print powders or chemicals, as the type of evidence requires, any physical object that may have been touched by the perpetrator will be processed.
Perform Preliminary, Presumptive Tests for Physiological Fluids, Narcotics and Drugs: While confirmatory lab testing will also be required, physiological fluids and drugs should be subjected to presumptive, non-destructive field testing methods. Collect and Package All Physical Evidence.
This is one of the most critical functions of the CST.
Court cases do not take place after a week or so following the investigation. It may take years before a criminal trial occurs.
Evidence must be collected, marked and preserved with this thought in mind.
For example: DNA and physiological evidence may degrade and become useless over time if steps are not taken to preserve it.
Blood and semen samples can lose their value if packaged in plastic containers-especially if they are collected while still in a liquid state.
As you may plainly see-crime scene investigation is a complex task that must be completed using scientific principles and guidelines.
Many criminal cases have been lost in court because forensic evidence was either mishandled, misinterpreted or was completely absent. The CST is a vital link in the chain-of-evidence, and it is a position that requires sincere devotion to the tasks at hand. The purpose and the integrity of the crime scene technician-as is the evidence he/she collects-are both on trial.
Thursday, 25 December 2014
Upgrading Your ATM
Of all the great inventions of planet earth, the ATM is probably one of the ones that has impacted our everyday lives the most - after the car, the phone and the computer.
Before we had them, the only way we could access our own money was by going into a bank and completing a transaction with the help of a bank teller.
This took up a lot of time, and so ATMs have helped us access our own cash quickly, with minimum fuss and without the need for any awkward small talk.
But, even the latest technology needs replacing at some point, so when and how do you upgrade an ATM? How Old Is Your ATM? If you're a business owner with an ATM on your premises, you'll probably have some idea of how old your ATM is. Obviously, just because an ATM is old doesn't mean that it's time to upgrade it - but keep an eye on it, keep a logbook of any problems, such as technical issues and have a repair number handy, so you know who to call if the worst happens.
How Reliable is Your ATM? The best ATMs are the ones that work - funnily enough. Some older models of ATM can be a little slower than others, but on the whole does your ATM work properly? If it has a habit of freezing, not giving out money, chewing up cards and generally being a bit of a hazard, contact the company that made it and find out if they can give you some sort of upgrade.
Remember, words spread about unreliable machines, so if your ATM is badly behaved, people will stop using it.
How Damaged is Your ATM? If your ATM gets a lot of customers, then it's best to keep up regular repairs and report any issues with the company that manufactured it. However, being popular doesn't mean an ATM will break down, just that you need to pay close attention to any faults that may arise.
However, some ATMs will be targeted by those with less than noble intentions - this could be people trying to steal money, or people that just want to take out their frustrations on something.
Remember that ATMs can be very vulnerable to the very people that they are meant to help, so if your cash machine is in a part of the building that is secluded, think about getting some CCTV cameras on it, so you can make sure everything is OK.
The cameras will also act as a deterrent to anyone who might be looking to cause some trouble. Whatever the issues you might have with your ATM, with it's age, damage or unreliability, there will come a time when you need to update it, and there are many ATM solutions that manufacturers can offer you if this happens. So remember, you won't be stuck with the same cash machine forever, but until the time you have to replace the one you have appreciate it while you still have it.
Before we had them, the only way we could access our own money was by going into a bank and completing a transaction with the help of a bank teller.
This took up a lot of time, and so ATMs have helped us access our own cash quickly, with minimum fuss and without the need for any awkward small talk.
But, even the latest technology needs replacing at some point, so when and how do you upgrade an ATM? How Old Is Your ATM? If you're a business owner with an ATM on your premises, you'll probably have some idea of how old your ATM is. Obviously, just because an ATM is old doesn't mean that it's time to upgrade it - but keep an eye on it, keep a logbook of any problems, such as technical issues and have a repair number handy, so you know who to call if the worst happens.
How Reliable is Your ATM? The best ATMs are the ones that work - funnily enough. Some older models of ATM can be a little slower than others, but on the whole does your ATM work properly? If it has a habit of freezing, not giving out money, chewing up cards and generally being a bit of a hazard, contact the company that made it and find out if they can give you some sort of upgrade.
Remember, words spread about unreliable machines, so if your ATM is badly behaved, people will stop using it.
How Damaged is Your ATM? If your ATM gets a lot of customers, then it's best to keep up regular repairs and report any issues with the company that manufactured it. However, being popular doesn't mean an ATM will break down, just that you need to pay close attention to any faults that may arise.
However, some ATMs will be targeted by those with less than noble intentions - this could be people trying to steal money, or people that just want to take out their frustrations on something.
Remember that ATMs can be very vulnerable to the very people that they are meant to help, so if your cash machine is in a part of the building that is secluded, think about getting some CCTV cameras on it, so you can make sure everything is OK.
The cameras will also act as a deterrent to anyone who might be looking to cause some trouble. Whatever the issues you might have with your ATM, with it's age, damage or unreliability, there will come a time when you need to update it, and there are many ATM solutions that manufacturers can offer you if this happens. So remember, you won't be stuck with the same cash machine forever, but until the time you have to replace the one you have appreciate it while you still have it.
Next Generation Web Browsers
It has been a growing trend with the little bookmark links, folders, and favorites tab being in the top of your web browser.
Most browsers have adopted this tool and now we see the same old and new tools landing in every single browser regardless of the company that makes them.
It's seems that web browsers are the same thing besides the name brand. The issue we have is when we switch from one computer to the next you no longer have you links accessible in your favorites or folders.
Yes, its a pain in the neck.
Hopefully the next generation of browsers will eliminate this issue of not having your links regardless of the computer your on.
Here is the plan.
..
Anytime you use a browser, you long in. Once you log in, all your links, bookmarks, and folders will reappear.
Now you have all your stuff that you had on the other computer.
This would allow you to go anywhere in the world and still be able to have your links.
But even better.
.
.
This would allow browsers to have more power than ever before.
They could even offer a "Word, Excel, etc" type service that you can save straight to your browser for on the go type of people. Not only that, they could also have your email built in your browser with this single login along with other services such as messenger or whatever else they offer.
Perhaps being able to manage your email in a side bar would be great without leaving your webpage or opening yet another tab. Overall, this would give people an on the go work center.
Some services would probably be pay subscriber services while others are free.
When you sign up, you pick a login name and password and bingo, your have your own internet access work center.
Sure, may more ideas could go into this but I think it would be a step in the right direction to solve many problems.
Students from lower grades to college grads, all the way to business owners would benefit from a browser such as this.
My question is this, who will be the first to take advantage of such an idea?
Most browsers have adopted this tool and now we see the same old and new tools landing in every single browser regardless of the company that makes them.
It's seems that web browsers are the same thing besides the name brand. The issue we have is when we switch from one computer to the next you no longer have you links accessible in your favorites or folders.
Yes, its a pain in the neck.
Hopefully the next generation of browsers will eliminate this issue of not having your links regardless of the computer your on.
Here is the plan.
..
Anytime you use a browser, you long in. Once you log in, all your links, bookmarks, and folders will reappear.
Now you have all your stuff that you had on the other computer.
This would allow you to go anywhere in the world and still be able to have your links.
But even better.
.
.
This would allow browsers to have more power than ever before.
They could even offer a "Word, Excel, etc" type service that you can save straight to your browser for on the go type of people. Not only that, they could also have your email built in your browser with this single login along with other services such as messenger or whatever else they offer.
Perhaps being able to manage your email in a side bar would be great without leaving your webpage or opening yet another tab. Overall, this would give people an on the go work center.
Some services would probably be pay subscriber services while others are free.
When you sign up, you pick a login name and password and bingo, your have your own internet access work center.
Sure, may more ideas could go into this but I think it would be a step in the right direction to solve many problems.
Students from lower grades to college grads, all the way to business owners would benefit from a browser such as this.
My question is this, who will be the first to take advantage of such an idea?
5 Simple Tips to Create a User-Friendly Class Registration Process
Today, most of the educational organizations are going for an online registration system. The system helps organizers easily create and publish registration forms, while allowing potential registrants to instantly access the forms, 24x7. However, most organizers fail to make their class registration forms user friendly, resulting in people wasting hours trying to figure out what they actually need to do in order to complete the sign up process.
When used properly, online registration can be an extremely powerful tool that makes signing up easy for class participants.
I have tried to put together a list of 5 tips to help you generate user-friendly registration forms to give your students a truly memorable registration experience. Make Registration Forms Easy to Access Organizers must ensure the class registration forms are easily accessible. In case you have put the sign up link on your organization's website, make sure it can be opened instantly with just a click of the mouse.
It will be really an annoying experience for people unable to open a form in spite of repeated attempt. Besides, if you are sending the registration website URL in printed form, make sure the address you have chosen is simple enough for the participants to easily enter it right.
Make the Registration Forms Easy to Use A well-planned and visually appealing registration form encourages more people to come and enter their names for attending your classes.
Reduce the number of sections on the form to a minimum. People often get bored filling up a lengthy form. Put only the most important sections/fields on the forms such as name, address, contact numbers, and email id to let people quickly fill up the form. Also, try to guide the participants during the filling up process by showing warnings in case individuals enter some information wrong.
Have Appropriate Payment Options Try to offer as many payment options as possible to let registrants easily and quickly send you registration fees.
In addition to allowing people pay you direct cash or through checks, you can also introduce some popular online payment methods such as credit cards, PayPal, wire transfers, and so on to let learners send you money easily and at a faster pace. Think of the Questions Participants May Ask Try to make the forms informative by including texts that you think will help the probable registrants clear doubts related to filling up the class signing up form.
You can always provide special instructions on pricing and so on. Display Your Privacy Policy Most of the people get concerned about protecting their personal information and credit card numbers while signing up and paying for a class or course. Institutes should, therefore, clearly display the privacy policy on the forms to convince individuals that their data is well-protected and absolutely secure with them.
I have tried to put together a list of 5 tips to help you generate user-friendly registration forms to give your students a truly memorable registration experience. Make Registration Forms Easy to Access Organizers must ensure the class registration forms are easily accessible. In case you have put the sign up link on your organization's website, make sure it can be opened instantly with just a click of the mouse.
It will be really an annoying experience for people unable to open a form in spite of repeated attempt. Besides, if you are sending the registration website URL in printed form, make sure the address you have chosen is simple enough for the participants to easily enter it right.
Make the Registration Forms Easy to Use A well-planned and visually appealing registration form encourages more people to come and enter their names for attending your classes.
Reduce the number of sections on the form to a minimum. People often get bored filling up a lengthy form. Put only the most important sections/fields on the forms such as name, address, contact numbers, and email id to let people quickly fill up the form. Also, try to guide the participants during the filling up process by showing warnings in case individuals enter some information wrong.
Have Appropriate Payment Options Try to offer as many payment options as possible to let registrants easily and quickly send you registration fees.
In addition to allowing people pay you direct cash or through checks, you can also introduce some popular online payment methods such as credit cards, PayPal, wire transfers, and so on to let learners send you money easily and at a faster pace. Think of the Questions Participants May Ask Try to make the forms informative by including texts that you think will help the probable registrants clear doubts related to filling up the class signing up form.
You can always provide special instructions on pricing and so on. Display Your Privacy Policy Most of the people get concerned about protecting their personal information and credit card numbers while signing up and paying for a class or course. Institutes should, therefore, clearly display the privacy policy on the forms to convince individuals that their data is well-protected and absolutely secure with them.
How to Teach Toddlers to Talk
During the first five years of a child's life, they are learning to talk and are learning the basic patterns of speech that they will be using throughout the rest of their lives.
You can help your toddler to talk by following these simple tips. Communication and language for babies starts at birth.
They first cry to express their needs.
Soon they learn how to coo and then say sounds like "ba".
Next comes their ability to say one or two words.
Children naturally learn to speak by listening and imitating others so it is important to be a good example.
As babies grow into toddlers and begin using more words, stop talking baby talk to them or using a high voice.
There is also no need to speak slowly during normal conversation.
Toddlers are going to be learning from you how to appropriately put sentences together and how to say words correctly.
Remember not to criticize them if a child pronounces a word incorrectly.
Instead, repeat the sentence properly. For instance, if your child says, "Coo coo gone," you can say, "Yes, your cookie is all gone." Also, refrain from using their "baby language" to refer to everyday objects.
If your child refers to a cookie as a "coo coo", remember not to also refer to the cookie in the same way.
Use the word cookie with your child so that they can learn its proper name.
You can also encourage speech in your child by expanding on their sentences.
Try repeating what your toddler says and adding to the phrase. For example, if your toddler says, "Pretty dog," you can say, "It is a pretty dog and he is nice, too.
" In addition, remember to really listen to your toddler.
Look at them and really focus on what they are saying. Smile and encourage them to talk more by asking them questions which will expand their speech. Teaching your toddler to talk can be fun by doing a couple of simple activities with them to encourage them to talk.
Try recording their voice and then playing it back to them. Enjoy their reaction as they hear themselves and encourage them to say different things in order to record their voices again.
You can also video tape them and allow them to watch themselves on television. Speech can also be encouraged in everyday activities. When at the grocery store for example, when you are picking out your gallon of milk, tell your toddler that milk comes from cows and ask them what cows say.
Encourage them to repeat the phrase, "Cows say, Moo." Remember that every child develops language at their own pace.
Don't compare children to try to figure out if they are on track with their speech.
In addition, every child's speech is unique. By encouraging your toddler to talk and showing interest in what they say, you will soon notice that your toddler wants to talk more and more.
You can help your toddler to talk by following these simple tips. Communication and language for babies starts at birth.
They first cry to express their needs.
Soon they learn how to coo and then say sounds like "ba".
Next comes their ability to say one or two words.
Children naturally learn to speak by listening and imitating others so it is important to be a good example.
As babies grow into toddlers and begin using more words, stop talking baby talk to them or using a high voice.
There is also no need to speak slowly during normal conversation.
Toddlers are going to be learning from you how to appropriately put sentences together and how to say words correctly.
Remember not to criticize them if a child pronounces a word incorrectly.
Instead, repeat the sentence properly. For instance, if your child says, "Coo coo gone," you can say, "Yes, your cookie is all gone." Also, refrain from using their "baby language" to refer to everyday objects.
If your child refers to a cookie as a "coo coo", remember not to also refer to the cookie in the same way.
Use the word cookie with your child so that they can learn its proper name.
You can also encourage speech in your child by expanding on their sentences.
Try repeating what your toddler says and adding to the phrase. For example, if your toddler says, "Pretty dog," you can say, "It is a pretty dog and he is nice, too.
" In addition, remember to really listen to your toddler.
Look at them and really focus on what they are saying. Smile and encourage them to talk more by asking them questions which will expand their speech. Teaching your toddler to talk can be fun by doing a couple of simple activities with them to encourage them to talk.
Try recording their voice and then playing it back to them. Enjoy their reaction as they hear themselves and encourage them to say different things in order to record their voices again.
You can also video tape them and allow them to watch themselves on television. Speech can also be encouraged in everyday activities. When at the grocery store for example, when you are picking out your gallon of milk, tell your toddler that milk comes from cows and ask them what cows say.
Encourage them to repeat the phrase, "Cows say, Moo." Remember that every child develops language at their own pace.
Don't compare children to try to figure out if they are on track with their speech.
In addition, every child's speech is unique. By encouraging your toddler to talk and showing interest in what they say, you will soon notice that your toddler wants to talk more and more.
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
University of Phoenix Accredited Online College
With convenient class locations and online courses, University of Phoenix makes quality higher education attainable. Whether you're seeking an associate's, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, Phoenix can help you achieve your degree while you work-in less time than you may think. They have helped thousands of graduates achieve the higher education they need to get better careers and succeed.
Higher Learning Founded in 1976, University of Phoenix is devoted to meeting the needs of working students.
Now the biggest private university in North America, they offer opportunely located campuses and learning centers as well as a flexible online learning system available in most countries around the world. Despite where or how you attend class, you'll receive a real-world education with genuine worth.
At this university, you can: •Earn a degree sooner than you thought possible. •Go to class at times and places that fit your demanding schedule.
•Learn from instructors with higher knowledge •Obtain comprehension and skills that are in high demand.
•Receive individual attention in small, interactive classes.
•Apply what you learn straight away to your vocation success. Caters to Your Needs Maybe you're new to college and seeking an associate's degree. Possibly you want to complete your bachelor's or advanced.
Either way, University of Phoenix is at this time to help.
They offer a wide variety of programs in campus-based and online formats, enabling them to meet the needs and benefit of today's working students, as well as today's workplace.
At University of Phoenix, you can choose a learning arrangement that fits your way of life and learning style.
Depending upon the degree program you select, you can go to classes on campus, online or through a mixture of both.
Online Learning •Flexible to your schedule •Complete assignments through electronic forums.
•Receive lectures, questions and homework from your teacher automatically.
Study them at your ease. •Login at least four days per week for University of Phoenix classes or three days per week for Axia College of University of Phoenix classes.
You decide the days and times. •Build cooperation skills by collaborating with a learning squad.
•Some campuses offer a combined campus-based and online format. At University of Phoenix, they go all-out to make higher education highly available.
Financial options, including financial aid, are obtainable for those who meet the criteria.
Financial Aid In addition to competitive rates, University of Phoenix offers many options for financing your learning. Their cash-paying plans let you pay for one course at a time rather than an whole semester or year at once.
Additionally, pre-paying tuition will promise that your rate will not increase for the period of your program.
Many low-interest financial aid options are available.
They are also part of many financial aid programs, as well as the Federal Stafford Student Loan, the Federal PLUS Loan and the Federal Pell Grant.
Military As a regionally accredited university, as well as member of Service members Opportunity Colleges (SOC), this university is accepted by all branches of the military for tuition aid and is permitted for veterans training.
Higher Learning Founded in 1976, University of Phoenix is devoted to meeting the needs of working students.
Now the biggest private university in North America, they offer opportunely located campuses and learning centers as well as a flexible online learning system available in most countries around the world. Despite where or how you attend class, you'll receive a real-world education with genuine worth.
At this university, you can: •Earn a degree sooner than you thought possible. •Go to class at times and places that fit your demanding schedule.
•Learn from instructors with higher knowledge •Obtain comprehension and skills that are in high demand.
•Receive individual attention in small, interactive classes.
•Apply what you learn straight away to your vocation success. Caters to Your Needs Maybe you're new to college and seeking an associate's degree. Possibly you want to complete your bachelor's or advanced.
Either way, University of Phoenix is at this time to help.
They offer a wide variety of programs in campus-based and online formats, enabling them to meet the needs and benefit of today's working students, as well as today's workplace.
At University of Phoenix, you can choose a learning arrangement that fits your way of life and learning style.
Depending upon the degree program you select, you can go to classes on campus, online or through a mixture of both.
Online Learning •Flexible to your schedule •Complete assignments through electronic forums.
•Receive lectures, questions and homework from your teacher automatically.
Study them at your ease. •Login at least four days per week for University of Phoenix classes or three days per week for Axia College of University of Phoenix classes.
You decide the days and times. •Build cooperation skills by collaborating with a learning squad.
•Some campuses offer a combined campus-based and online format. At University of Phoenix, they go all-out to make higher education highly available.
Financial options, including financial aid, are obtainable for those who meet the criteria.
Financial Aid In addition to competitive rates, University of Phoenix offers many options for financing your learning. Their cash-paying plans let you pay for one course at a time rather than an whole semester or year at once.
Additionally, pre-paying tuition will promise that your rate will not increase for the period of your program.
Many low-interest financial aid options are available.
They are also part of many financial aid programs, as well as the Federal Stafford Student Loan, the Federal PLUS Loan and the Federal Pell Grant.
Military As a regionally accredited university, as well as member of Service members Opportunity Colleges (SOC), this university is accepted by all branches of the military for tuition aid and is permitted for veterans training.
Free Email Tracker To Know When Emails Are Read
We send emails or better known in full as electronic mail, as a way of fast communication.
This is because we use the internet connection to be able to send emails back and forth regardless of our geographic boundaries.
Therefore, the only way through which we can send emails is by having a reliable source of internet connection and an email address with either of the providers like Gmail, Yahoo and or Hotmail.
It does not take much to set up your very own email address if you do not have one by now. All you have to do is to register with your choice of mail provider, answer or fill in the necessary details and you will be able to send and receive emails as soon as your account is verified.
The verification process does not take hours or days as it can be done as fast as registering for your email account.
Once you have your email account and a reliable source of internet connection either on your laptop, desktop or even on your smart phone, you can start sending emails.
Whenever we send emails, we often wonder if the recipient did get them and if they have read them. This usual happens when the emails we send require urgent reply but it has been hours since you sent the email with no reply.
These are the times you wish that you had an email tracker to help you out. We can describe an email tracker as a computer Software that enables the send of the email to know if their email was successful delivered.
Most people will pay for such software but what if we told you there was a free email tracker just for you to utilize to the fullest.
With the free email tracker, you will not only be notified if the email was delivered successful but also when it was opened and read.
With this kind of an email tracker you stand to benefit more as a way of getting to know what step to take next.
But how does the free email tracker work? How Free Email Trackers Work First of all you will need to login into the website provider of the free email tracker where you will access a form which you need to fill. The importance of this form is to enable a tracking image to be created personally for you. This is to mean that every person will have a different image to use.
The next step will be to copy and paste the image into the email that you are just about to send. Once everything is in place, then you can press the send button.
When you email is delivered and opened by the receiver, you will receiver a notification that your mail has already been read. The free email tracker will also be able to let you know what time the email was read and also the current location of the receiver when they read the email. The free email tracker is not only cheap to obtain but also simply to use.
This is because we use the internet connection to be able to send emails back and forth regardless of our geographic boundaries.
Therefore, the only way through which we can send emails is by having a reliable source of internet connection and an email address with either of the providers like Gmail, Yahoo and or Hotmail.
It does not take much to set up your very own email address if you do not have one by now. All you have to do is to register with your choice of mail provider, answer or fill in the necessary details and you will be able to send and receive emails as soon as your account is verified.
The verification process does not take hours or days as it can be done as fast as registering for your email account.
Once you have your email account and a reliable source of internet connection either on your laptop, desktop or even on your smart phone, you can start sending emails.
Whenever we send emails, we often wonder if the recipient did get them and if they have read them. This usual happens when the emails we send require urgent reply but it has been hours since you sent the email with no reply.
These are the times you wish that you had an email tracker to help you out. We can describe an email tracker as a computer Software that enables the send of the email to know if their email was successful delivered.
Most people will pay for such software but what if we told you there was a free email tracker just for you to utilize to the fullest.
With the free email tracker, you will not only be notified if the email was delivered successful but also when it was opened and read.
With this kind of an email tracker you stand to benefit more as a way of getting to know what step to take next.
But how does the free email tracker work? How Free Email Trackers Work First of all you will need to login into the website provider of the free email tracker where you will access a form which you need to fill. The importance of this form is to enable a tracking image to be created personally for you. This is to mean that every person will have a different image to use.
The next step will be to copy and paste the image into the email that you are just about to send. Once everything is in place, then you can press the send button.
When you email is delivered and opened by the receiver, you will receiver a notification that your mail has already been read. The free email tracker will also be able to let you know what time the email was read and also the current location of the receiver when they read the email. The free email tracker is not only cheap to obtain but also simply to use.
Fractal Design R4 Released
The new Fractal Design R4 cases have been released! A follow up to the R3.
Like the R3, this case emphasizes sound-dampening material to block out noise from heatsinks and fans. The R4 is a huge update over the R3. The R3 had some problems regarding space and cable management due to a lack of width, but Fractal Design listened and increased the size to accommodate. While at the same time keeping all the great features of the previous case. It really is an ideal successor.
Some other key improvements are replacing the 120mm fans with 140mm fans which provides the same airflow but a lot less noisy.
In addition, the top of the case allows for exhaust fans to be placed like the R3, but if you don't want to place any, Fractal Deisgn allowed us to cover the area with sound dampening material.
A very nice touch.
There is also a fan controller inside the case to adjust for fans, which was previously missing from the R3.
It also sports 2 USB 3.
0 and 2 USB 2.
0 ports on the front of the case. It's great that they didn't opt for all USB 3.0 as a lot of products still haven't made the switch.
The design of the case is pretty much the same, it comes in the same colors, Titanium Grey, Black Pearl, and Arctic White. Although when you open the front panel, you can see that the intake fans have a nice aesthetic design to them.
It reminds me of a vortex.
A neat touch that makes the case seem like a visual airflow powerhouse.
The case features 2 external 5.
25″ drive bays, 8 internal 2.
5″/3.
5 drives bays, and 2 internal 2.
5″ drive bays.
It supports mini-ITX, micro ATX, and ATX motherboards. The front of the case has 2 spots to mount 2 120mm/140mm fans, but the case comes with a 140mm fan.
There is 1 rear 140mm fan which the case comes with.
There are 2 mounts on the top of the case to support additional 120mm/140mm exhaust fans.
There is a 140mm fan mount on the side panel.
And a bottom 120mm/140mm fan mount.
The I/O port features 2 USB 3.
0, 2 USB 2.
0, 1 Headphone, and 1 Mic.
The power supply size is a standard ATX.
The dimensions are 9.
13″ x 18.27″ x 20.59.
" It weighs 27.
12lbs. The case is priced at the same price an R3 is, which is $109. A very great and affordable price for a budget builder who wants to build a completely sound-proof case.
I highly recommend you choose this case as the other sound-dampening cases at this price range (Antec P182, NZXT H2, Corsair 550D) just can't compete with it.
Those other cases have fundamental problems with cooling, cable management, and overall longevity. So, overall, if you're building a silent PC, this is the case to choose.
Like the R3, this case emphasizes sound-dampening material to block out noise from heatsinks and fans. The R4 is a huge update over the R3. The R3 had some problems regarding space and cable management due to a lack of width, but Fractal Design listened and increased the size to accommodate. While at the same time keeping all the great features of the previous case. It really is an ideal successor.
Some other key improvements are replacing the 120mm fans with 140mm fans which provides the same airflow but a lot less noisy.
In addition, the top of the case allows for exhaust fans to be placed like the R3, but if you don't want to place any, Fractal Deisgn allowed us to cover the area with sound dampening material.
A very nice touch.
There is also a fan controller inside the case to adjust for fans, which was previously missing from the R3.
It also sports 2 USB 3.
0 and 2 USB 2.
0 ports on the front of the case. It's great that they didn't opt for all USB 3.0 as a lot of products still haven't made the switch.
The design of the case is pretty much the same, it comes in the same colors, Titanium Grey, Black Pearl, and Arctic White. Although when you open the front panel, you can see that the intake fans have a nice aesthetic design to them.
It reminds me of a vortex.
A neat touch that makes the case seem like a visual airflow powerhouse.
The case features 2 external 5.
25″ drive bays, 8 internal 2.
5″/3.
5 drives bays, and 2 internal 2.
5″ drive bays.
It supports mini-ITX, micro ATX, and ATX motherboards. The front of the case has 2 spots to mount 2 120mm/140mm fans, but the case comes with a 140mm fan.
There is 1 rear 140mm fan which the case comes with.
There are 2 mounts on the top of the case to support additional 120mm/140mm exhaust fans.
There is a 140mm fan mount on the side panel.
And a bottom 120mm/140mm fan mount.
The I/O port features 2 USB 3.
0, 2 USB 2.
0, 1 Headphone, and 1 Mic.
The power supply size is a standard ATX.
The dimensions are 9.
13″ x 18.27″ x 20.59.
" It weighs 27.
12lbs. The case is priced at the same price an R3 is, which is $109. A very great and affordable price for a budget builder who wants to build a completely sound-proof case.
I highly recommend you choose this case as the other sound-dampening cases at this price range (Antec P182, NZXT H2, Corsair 550D) just can't compete with it.
Those other cases have fundamental problems with cooling, cable management, and overall longevity. So, overall, if you're building a silent PC, this is the case to choose.
7 Tips To Effectively Talk To Kids About Not Smoking (And Other Dangerous Behaviors)
No parent wants their child to grow up to be a smoker, yet each day in our nation close to 4,000 kids under 18 years of age smoke their first cigarettee (U.
S.
FDA).
We may think we're telling our kids not to smoke, but the message is obviously not getting through. The good news is that it's never too late (or too early) to talk to your kids about the dangers of smoking.
Toddlers, teens and all ages in-between can benefit from hearing consistent, thoughtful messages from parents and other influencers-relatives, neighbors, teachers, peers, other parents-about why never to pick up that first cigarette.
While your child's age will dictate how you broach the topic of not smoking, any of the techniques below may serve as a jumping off point.
1.
Leave the Lecture Behind. While it's tempting to just lay down the law ("I better never catch you smoking.
") the reality is that kids benefit more from open discussion.
It's your job to ask good questions. "What do you think of people who smoke?" "Why do you think some kids your age try cigarettes even when they know it's bad for them?" "What do you think you would do if someone offered you a cigarette?" 2. Beat A Dead Horse. When it comes to talking about not smoking, once is not enough. Opportunities for discussions about smoking abound. For example, ask your kids what they think when you drive by a group of people huddled in an office doorway, puffing away in the rain or cold.
Movies and TV frequently show characters smoking who appear glamorous.
Engage your kids in conversation about why this glamorous image isn't reality based. 3.
Hold A Problem-Prevention Talk.
Help your teen or tween walk through exactly what they would say or do if they were at a party and someone offered them drugs, alcohol or a cigarette.
Knowing ahead of time how to handle themselves makes a huge difference in a teen's ability to say no.
It's a smart idea to hold these problem-prevention talks with your kids at an early age, around any topic. ("What would you do if your friend didn't want to share her toys with you?") That way, by the time the big talks roll around, your kids are comfortable with the process of talking through scenarios.
4. Send Consistent Messages.
They may (and will) deny it, but the fact is that kids like rules. Why? Everyone likes knowing what's expected of us.
It's up to you as a parent to consistently state and enforce the rules of your home.
If, for example, you threaten daily to take your child's video games away if they don't make their bed but never follow through, you're sending the message that you say one thing but mean another.
So when you tell your kids smoking isn't allowed, how are they going to know if you really mean it? 5. Point Out The Negatives.
Don't be shy about pointing out the ugly realities of smoking, like smelly breath, yellow teeth, skin that ages too fast and the fact that it is illegal for children and teens.
Find some online "before and after" visuals to give your message a real "yuck" effect. 6. Monitor Your Child's Friends.
A National Institute of Health study found that the smoking behavior of a teen's friends was the best predictor of whether or not a teen will start smoking.
Reach out to other parents to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to a zero tolerance for smoking.
7. Bolster Self-Esteem.
A common misconception is that peer pressure is the primary culprit behind kids smoking.
In fact, the internal pressure kids place on themselves to "fit in" is far worse. Kids can learn to withstand this internal pressure by building and practicing self-discipline and self-respect.
Engage your child in activities that build self-esteem and there's a far greater chance they'll never take up smoking.
The above techniques are great for starting any conversation about not engaging in undesirable behaviors, but don't limit yourself.
There are numerous resources that offer daily tips and advice on how to keep kids smoke free, using everything from parenting challenges to self-esteem building techniques.
And remember, the more people you can involve in sending the message to your kids that smoking is an unacceptable and undesirable behavior, the more likely your kids are to walk away.
Is talking to your kids a guarantee they'll never try a cigarette? No. But not talking to your kids about smoking is almost a guarantee they'll be more inclined to try it when the opportunity presents itself.
S.
FDA).
We may think we're telling our kids not to smoke, but the message is obviously not getting through. The good news is that it's never too late (or too early) to talk to your kids about the dangers of smoking.
Toddlers, teens and all ages in-between can benefit from hearing consistent, thoughtful messages from parents and other influencers-relatives, neighbors, teachers, peers, other parents-about why never to pick up that first cigarette.
While your child's age will dictate how you broach the topic of not smoking, any of the techniques below may serve as a jumping off point.
1.
Leave the Lecture Behind. While it's tempting to just lay down the law ("I better never catch you smoking.
") the reality is that kids benefit more from open discussion.
It's your job to ask good questions. "What do you think of people who smoke?" "Why do you think some kids your age try cigarettes even when they know it's bad for them?" "What do you think you would do if someone offered you a cigarette?" 2. Beat A Dead Horse. When it comes to talking about not smoking, once is not enough. Opportunities for discussions about smoking abound. For example, ask your kids what they think when you drive by a group of people huddled in an office doorway, puffing away in the rain or cold.
Movies and TV frequently show characters smoking who appear glamorous.
Engage your kids in conversation about why this glamorous image isn't reality based. 3.
Hold A Problem-Prevention Talk.
Help your teen or tween walk through exactly what they would say or do if they were at a party and someone offered them drugs, alcohol or a cigarette.
Knowing ahead of time how to handle themselves makes a huge difference in a teen's ability to say no.
It's a smart idea to hold these problem-prevention talks with your kids at an early age, around any topic. ("What would you do if your friend didn't want to share her toys with you?") That way, by the time the big talks roll around, your kids are comfortable with the process of talking through scenarios.
4. Send Consistent Messages.
They may (and will) deny it, but the fact is that kids like rules. Why? Everyone likes knowing what's expected of us.
It's up to you as a parent to consistently state and enforce the rules of your home.
If, for example, you threaten daily to take your child's video games away if they don't make their bed but never follow through, you're sending the message that you say one thing but mean another.
So when you tell your kids smoking isn't allowed, how are they going to know if you really mean it? 5. Point Out The Negatives.
Don't be shy about pointing out the ugly realities of smoking, like smelly breath, yellow teeth, skin that ages too fast and the fact that it is illegal for children and teens.
Find some online "before and after" visuals to give your message a real "yuck" effect. 6. Monitor Your Child's Friends.
A National Institute of Health study found that the smoking behavior of a teen's friends was the best predictor of whether or not a teen will start smoking.
Reach out to other parents to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to a zero tolerance for smoking.
7. Bolster Self-Esteem.
A common misconception is that peer pressure is the primary culprit behind kids smoking.
In fact, the internal pressure kids place on themselves to "fit in" is far worse. Kids can learn to withstand this internal pressure by building and practicing self-discipline and self-respect.
Engage your child in activities that build self-esteem and there's a far greater chance they'll never take up smoking.
The above techniques are great for starting any conversation about not engaging in undesirable behaviors, but don't limit yourself.
There are numerous resources that offer daily tips and advice on how to keep kids smoke free, using everything from parenting challenges to self-esteem building techniques.
And remember, the more people you can involve in sending the message to your kids that smoking is an unacceptable and undesirable behavior, the more likely your kids are to walk away.
Is talking to your kids a guarantee they'll never try a cigarette? No. But not talking to your kids about smoking is almost a guarantee they'll be more inclined to try it when the opportunity presents itself.
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Feng Shui and Kids - How to Create a Happy, Healthy & Smart Kid's Room
Want to help your child grow up happy, healthy, smart and balanced? Make sure they eat well, take their vitamins, and exercise. Of course you already do all of that.
But have you taken a good look at their bedroom? What you do there can help your little one grow or it can hold your child back. Here's Master Peter Reiss' Feng Shui Guide to Creating a Good Ch'i Child's Room. COLOR In Feng Shui colors have multiple uses. Each color has its life area meaning and its own energy. Intensity: Ch'i (energy) intensity varies as the color intensity changes. A baby's eyes need contrast, vivid colors and light to develop.
Strong primary colors are important to have in baby's environment.
Toys and pictures are a great way to bring them in.
What you don't want is a primary color room.
Way too jangly ch'i! Try a light off-white early on - good for contrast.
Later go to soft blues or soft greens to create a calming environment.
WHAT? NO PRETTY PRINCESS PINK? Color Choice: In Feng Shui different colors have different energy "meanings.
" Some are very appropriate for kids' rooms, some very much not. Good choices: Blue -- Knowledge Green -- New growth Yellow -- Health Not so good choices Red - Fire (very high intensity) Pink - Love & Marriage (More about this later.
) You can always add accents of red, pink or any other colors.
Use your artistic and design sensibilities.
Just avoid doing the whole room that way.
SPACE, SIZE & PLACEMENT Space Size: In Feng Shui we look not only at the physical balance of the space and its contents, but also at the balance of the space to the person living there.
Rule of thumb: Grown-ups big: big space Kids small: smaller space Try to create a protected environment.
Cozy is a good goal.
Bed Size: Remember as your child grows bigger in size, he or she is still a child. Bed sizes should progress from crib to youth to twin.
(More about larger beds later.
) Bed Placement: So, where should you put that single bed in that small room? In a corner with head and side against a wall.
The primal urge for safety is to retreat to the cave. Create that safe cave or den for your child. (More later about this too.) STUFF I know you were waiting for this one.
Many of today's kids live in a permanent state of overwhelm. Help them maintain a personal space (their room) that is supporting balanced focus instead of adding to the chaos. (Be realistic, though. It's a matter of degree.
Some chaos is a normal state for most pre-teens and teens.
Think back.
) Start the conversation early.
Help your kids learn the difference about what they want and what they really need and will really use.
Try the Feng Shui In-Out Yin-Yang Clutter Preventer.
Of course, accumulating "stuff" is inevitable. This creates the perfect opportunity to teach your little one how to make deposits in their Good Karma Bank Account.
Charity is one of the two most powerful ways to bring good things into your life (The other is education.
) When your son or daughter gets a new toy, help them pick out an older one that isn't used anymore and bring it to a thrift shop. Show them how good giving can make you feel. (Hint - this works for adults, too. A good example is always the best teacher.) Okay -- here's the "more later" I promised you. A pink bedroom with a double or queen bed set up to allow access from either side -- this is an adult bedroom.
It's the wrong ch'i environment for your little girl.
(Size and placement also applies to boys.) Our jobs as parents is to encourage our kids to be kids. Finally- No matter how you set up your baby's room, the most powerful Feng Shui tool you have is.
.
.you. Give them your time and your attention, your support and encouragement, and, most importantly, your unconditional love.
Now that's good ch'i!
But have you taken a good look at their bedroom? What you do there can help your little one grow or it can hold your child back. Here's Master Peter Reiss' Feng Shui Guide to Creating a Good Ch'i Child's Room. COLOR In Feng Shui colors have multiple uses. Each color has its life area meaning and its own energy. Intensity: Ch'i (energy) intensity varies as the color intensity changes. A baby's eyes need contrast, vivid colors and light to develop.
Strong primary colors are important to have in baby's environment.
Toys and pictures are a great way to bring them in.
What you don't want is a primary color room.
Way too jangly ch'i! Try a light off-white early on - good for contrast.
Later go to soft blues or soft greens to create a calming environment.
WHAT? NO PRETTY PRINCESS PINK? Color Choice: In Feng Shui different colors have different energy "meanings.
" Some are very appropriate for kids' rooms, some very much not. Good choices: Blue -- Knowledge Green -- New growth Yellow -- Health Not so good choices Red - Fire (very high intensity) Pink - Love & Marriage (More about this later.
) You can always add accents of red, pink or any other colors.
Use your artistic and design sensibilities.
Just avoid doing the whole room that way.
SPACE, SIZE & PLACEMENT Space Size: In Feng Shui we look not only at the physical balance of the space and its contents, but also at the balance of the space to the person living there.
Rule of thumb: Grown-ups big: big space Kids small: smaller space Try to create a protected environment.
Cozy is a good goal.
Bed Size: Remember as your child grows bigger in size, he or she is still a child. Bed sizes should progress from crib to youth to twin.
(More about larger beds later.
) Bed Placement: So, where should you put that single bed in that small room? In a corner with head and side against a wall.
The primal urge for safety is to retreat to the cave. Create that safe cave or den for your child. (More later about this too.) STUFF I know you were waiting for this one.
Many of today's kids live in a permanent state of overwhelm. Help them maintain a personal space (their room) that is supporting balanced focus instead of adding to the chaos. (Be realistic, though. It's a matter of degree.
Some chaos is a normal state for most pre-teens and teens.
Think back.
) Start the conversation early.
Help your kids learn the difference about what they want and what they really need and will really use.
Try the Feng Shui In-Out Yin-Yang Clutter Preventer.
Of course, accumulating "stuff" is inevitable. This creates the perfect opportunity to teach your little one how to make deposits in their Good Karma Bank Account.
Charity is one of the two most powerful ways to bring good things into your life (The other is education.
) When your son or daughter gets a new toy, help them pick out an older one that isn't used anymore and bring it to a thrift shop. Show them how good giving can make you feel. (Hint - this works for adults, too. A good example is always the best teacher.) Okay -- here's the "more later" I promised you. A pink bedroom with a double or queen bed set up to allow access from either side -- this is an adult bedroom.
It's the wrong ch'i environment for your little girl.
(Size and placement also applies to boys.) Our jobs as parents is to encourage our kids to be kids. Finally- No matter how you set up your baby's room, the most powerful Feng Shui tool you have is.
.
.you. Give them your time and your attention, your support and encouragement, and, most importantly, your unconditional love.
Now that's good ch'i!
Three Great Reasons to Sell Your Laptop
Whether you've cherished your laptop for years and it has finally decided to give up on you, or whether it's time for your scheduled upgrade, there's a few ways you can get rid of your old laptop.
You may be thinking of taking it to the skip or throwing it in the bin to be recycled.
If you are thinking along these lines, then you may want to rethink your plans, as there can be money tied up in your technological little friend.
Read on to find out more.
Even if it's broke, it's worth something This is a major mistake that most people make.
They think that their laptop is no use to anybody because it doesn't work anymore.
Now, it's true that it's not going to be worth a lot to one of your friends for actual computing tasks, but there are plenty of companies who would happily take it off your hands.
Inside your laptop, there are loads of useful parts that can be recycled and re-used.
As we are all trying to reduce our carbon footprint, many companies are given incentives for recycling old parts and using them in new machines. So even if yours doesn't turn on, you can still sell if for cash. You can help the environment It can be extremely satisfying getting money for something that was just going to make its way to the bin.
However, it can be twice as satisfying if you know you'll be doing your bit to help the environment too.
As mentioned above, laptops contain many parts that are still useful, and many companies will happily pay you to get at those parts.
If you chuck your laptop away then you're limiting the amount of parts and components that can be recycled. If we all decided to recycle our laptops instead of throwing them away then the benefits to the environment will mount up to be quite substantial.
You won't have to worry about your files Another fantastic, but often overlooked reason to sell your laptop surrounds your sensitive data. Your old files cannot just simply be wiped off your hard drive.
In fact, many people do a simple hard drive wipe without actually realising that their data is still on the computer and can still be easily retrieved.
You can buy software to erase all of your sensitive data but this costs money. It makes a lot more sense to sell your laptop instead, as you'll be getting money (instead of spending it) and your data will be erased properly by the company you sell to.
You may be thinking of taking it to the skip or throwing it in the bin to be recycled.
If you are thinking along these lines, then you may want to rethink your plans, as there can be money tied up in your technological little friend.
Read on to find out more.
Even if it's broke, it's worth something This is a major mistake that most people make.
They think that their laptop is no use to anybody because it doesn't work anymore.
Now, it's true that it's not going to be worth a lot to one of your friends for actual computing tasks, but there are plenty of companies who would happily take it off your hands.
Inside your laptop, there are loads of useful parts that can be recycled and re-used.
As we are all trying to reduce our carbon footprint, many companies are given incentives for recycling old parts and using them in new machines. So even if yours doesn't turn on, you can still sell if for cash. You can help the environment It can be extremely satisfying getting money for something that was just going to make its way to the bin.
However, it can be twice as satisfying if you know you'll be doing your bit to help the environment too.
As mentioned above, laptops contain many parts that are still useful, and many companies will happily pay you to get at those parts.
If you chuck your laptop away then you're limiting the amount of parts and components that can be recycled. If we all decided to recycle our laptops instead of throwing them away then the benefits to the environment will mount up to be quite substantial.
You won't have to worry about your files Another fantastic, but often overlooked reason to sell your laptop surrounds your sensitive data. Your old files cannot just simply be wiped off your hard drive.
In fact, many people do a simple hard drive wipe without actually realising that their data is still on the computer and can still be easily retrieved.
You can buy software to erase all of your sensitive data but this costs money. It makes a lot more sense to sell your laptop instead, as you'll be getting money (instead of spending it) and your data will be erased properly by the company you sell to.
Why a Frog Lamp Makes a Perfect Gift
The frog has hit the gift market with force and has manifested itself in many weird and wonderful contortions.
For every different type of house, object you can think of there is a product out there with a frog theme. One of these house hold objects is the Frog Lmap Miniature frog metal sculptures can commonly be found on the lamppost, and it signifies the fact that it is the unique theme of the lamp. This is the most common type of frog lamp available on the market.
And the frogs can come in different stances too.
It might be patiently sat down,it might be mid air as if in the act of jumping, or it can be preying on small insects for food. Some lamp artists design the lamps in such a way the frogs are placed on the top of the lamps, instead at the bottom.
In this case, the frog is seen as if it is bearing and directing the glow towards a certain spot.
This is especially true with spot gleam lamps.
Some frog lamp models, though, have the glow inside the big bellies of a frog or a toad. When these types of lamp are lit, the frog's stomach will illuminate giving the room a very nice look and warm feel.
Most of these frogs are ball-shaped, meaning their stomach are exceptionally big and the frog's limbs and face are just secondary parts.
The shades of color used for the lamp very greatly.
Yellow and orange gleams are conventional, but green and red are frequent as well.
The prices for these frog lamp models differ greatly on the design and the materials used.
But on the average, they never cost more than a couple of hundred dollars.
The lamps are mostly used as an addition to the furniture, and not really for extensive room illumination. So remember next time you have that sudden urge to go out and get that frog fix, consider the frog lamp as an addition to your frog based theme.
You wont be dissapointed.
For every different type of house, object you can think of there is a product out there with a frog theme. One of these house hold objects is the Frog Lmap Miniature frog metal sculptures can commonly be found on the lamppost, and it signifies the fact that it is the unique theme of the lamp. This is the most common type of frog lamp available on the market.
And the frogs can come in different stances too.
It might be patiently sat down,it might be mid air as if in the act of jumping, or it can be preying on small insects for food. Some lamp artists design the lamps in such a way the frogs are placed on the top of the lamps, instead at the bottom.
In this case, the frog is seen as if it is bearing and directing the glow towards a certain spot.
This is especially true with spot gleam lamps.
Some frog lamp models, though, have the glow inside the big bellies of a frog or a toad. When these types of lamp are lit, the frog's stomach will illuminate giving the room a very nice look and warm feel.
Most of these frogs are ball-shaped, meaning their stomach are exceptionally big and the frog's limbs and face are just secondary parts.
The shades of color used for the lamp very greatly.
Yellow and orange gleams are conventional, but green and red are frequent as well.
The prices for these frog lamp models differ greatly on the design and the materials used.
But on the average, they never cost more than a couple of hundred dollars.
The lamps are mostly used as an addition to the furniture, and not really for extensive room illumination. So remember next time you have that sudden urge to go out and get that frog fix, consider the frog lamp as an addition to your frog based theme.
You wont be dissapointed.
The All-time Favorite Stuffed Toys - How to Shop For Them
Who's not charmed with stuff toys? Boys and girls alike are considering stuffed animals and figures as their toys.
The huggable and soft features attract many groups of people including teens.
More often than not, these stuffed playtime comforters have become more collectibles than playing mates.
They are perfect decors for any room type, from children rooms to teen rooms.
What's exciting about stuffed dolls and animals is that they can make almost anyone happy with the various designs that are available and you can surely have a choice suitable for your taste.
These all-time favorites have their bad side despite the outpouring consideration.
Here is a list to consider in a stuffed figure to purchase: When shopping, look for designs that are simple. The lesser the designs are, the safer they are.
Since these kinds of toys come in various forms such as animals, the common nose feature is made up of buttons. These buttons are hazardous when loosely attached and can cause choking if ever swallowed by infants and toddlers.
More complex designs include ribbons and other embellishments which can be harmful, just like the buttons. These hard parts of the softest toy can rub off the skin of the infant while playing and can cause irritation or bruises.
The next thing to consider is the material used. Most material comes in plain and feather-like garments.
Go only for plain, because the loosened fiber of the feather-like materials can be inhaled by the infant or toddler. This is a common mistake of some parents to allow their babies play with it. Unconsciously, your intention to give joy to your baby can turn out bad in the end. Take note also of the stuffed materials used (the material inserted inside).
Fibers tend to poke out from the covering material.
They are also dangerous for the babies and toddlers when breathed in.
Stuffed animals and figures are dust's favorite hiding places.
Check on them once in a while to ensure that they are clean and safe from any health threats.
Before buying, check also the cleaning method of the stuffed animal so as to know if you can carry on with its maintenance.
If you can't find time to clean them, there are laundry shops accepting dry cleaning including disinfecting of these kind of toys.
If they are of good quality, they can even last for a long time which you can pass on to your next baby.
The huggable and soft features attract many groups of people including teens.
More often than not, these stuffed playtime comforters have become more collectibles than playing mates.
They are perfect decors for any room type, from children rooms to teen rooms.
What's exciting about stuffed dolls and animals is that they can make almost anyone happy with the various designs that are available and you can surely have a choice suitable for your taste.
These all-time favorites have their bad side despite the outpouring consideration.
Here is a list to consider in a stuffed figure to purchase: When shopping, look for designs that are simple. The lesser the designs are, the safer they are.
Since these kinds of toys come in various forms such as animals, the common nose feature is made up of buttons. These buttons are hazardous when loosely attached and can cause choking if ever swallowed by infants and toddlers.
More complex designs include ribbons and other embellishments which can be harmful, just like the buttons. These hard parts of the softest toy can rub off the skin of the infant while playing and can cause irritation or bruises.
The next thing to consider is the material used. Most material comes in plain and feather-like garments.
Go only for plain, because the loosened fiber of the feather-like materials can be inhaled by the infant or toddler. This is a common mistake of some parents to allow their babies play with it. Unconsciously, your intention to give joy to your baby can turn out bad in the end. Take note also of the stuffed materials used (the material inserted inside).
Fibers tend to poke out from the covering material.
They are also dangerous for the babies and toddlers when breathed in.
Stuffed animals and figures are dust's favorite hiding places.
Check on them once in a while to ensure that they are clean and safe from any health threats.
Before buying, check also the cleaning method of the stuffed animal so as to know if you can carry on with its maintenance.
If you can't find time to clean them, there are laundry shops accepting dry cleaning including disinfecting of these kind of toys.
If they are of good quality, they can even last for a long time which you can pass on to your next baby.
Monday, 22 December 2014
SAT Prep Options - Courses, Tutoring, Books Etc
Choosing the best option for you
SAT preparation material can be expensive. Options range from classes that cost several thousands of dollars to very affordable books and online material.
Below is an analysis comparing books, classes, private tutors, and online courses.
Seeing the advantages, disadvantages, and approximate costs of these options should help you become better informed to choose the option right for you.
One-on-One SAT Tutoring For between $30 and $200 per hour (total $1,500 to $10,000 for 50 hours), students can elect to receive on-on-one tutoring.
Positive Aspects: The main advantage of one-on-one tutoring is 100% attention on you and your needs. You can go as slow or as fast as you need and spend as much or as little time as you want on a topic.
Good tutors will be able to adapt to your needs, inspire you on a personal level, work closely with you to manage your motivation.
The tutor should have a very good grasp of your needs and progress, and be able to give parental feedback while adjusting lessons to be most effective for you.
Negative Aspects: The drawback to one-on-one tutoring is the high variance.
The quality of the tutor is varies and even trying tutors to find the right one can be expensive.
Additionally, you are limited to the one tutor's knowledge to help you, so finding a good tutor is a must, considering the price you are paying.
You can elect for cheaper one-on-one tutoring, but the teaching style, level of knowledge, and lack of teaching experience can result in far less benefit than a more expensive, experienced tutor.
To ensure quality, you can go with more experienced, but more expensive tutors.
If the tutor has an emergency or scheduling issues, there is not much you can do except reschedule.
Help from the tutor also becomes unavailable once the session ends.
Conclusions: One-on-one tutoring can be ideal if you can find a tutor who is knowledgeable, affordable, available, and compatible with you. This is not always an easy task.
The quality of the tutor is very important.
Additionally, you will most likely be using a book or online resource as study material, which is a cost that should not be ignored.
If that is the case, it may be worth asking how much additional benefit beyond what you are getting from the book are you receiving from the tutoring for the price, and adjust the number of tutoring hours accordingly.
SAT Prep Classroom Course For between $600 and $3,000, a student can attend a classroom course taught by teachers with teaching credentials and years of experience teaching and tutoring. Positive Aspects: An SAT prep classroom course will provide students with an environment that is similar to actual test taking situations, as well as classroom settings when not taking practice tests.
The course will keep the student at a steady pace of progression, although motivation is still required from the student.
Students have access to a knowledgeable and experienced instructor that they can clarify and explain things in a way that the student will understand.
Social interaction with tutors and students is helpful to some students as well.
Students can also take advantage of the perspectives and questions other students ask that they may not have thought of.
Negative Aspects: SAT prep courses are still expensive.
Classroom preparation courses are expensive.
They are not always available in most locations.
Granted, this can also potentially be a waste of time for those who already know the answer. Most institutions have a system of parental feedback.
Since classes are also set in time and location, students do miss out on sessions due to illness or unexpected conflicts in schedule. Although certain institutions may have experience and certifications, many institutions hire college students with little teaching experience to cut costs.
For the same reason, classes may be overcrowded, nearly nullifying the advantage of being a class.
Students who really need to ask questions may not, due to fear of holding up others. Time is also charged for taking in-class tests, which is hardly cost-effective.
Conclusions: Classroom courses are good for students who have trouble sticking to a schedule through self-discipline.
The controlled pace, educational atmosphere and being around peers can be a benefit to some.
Classes are good for students who can commit to fixed schedule, and has financial resources.
Students who study well on their own tend not to see much benefit from classes. SAT Self-Study Books For between $15 and $30 a student can purchase an SAT self-study book. SAT self-study books provide practice tests and answer keys, explanations for answers, and lessons. Positive Aspects: Self-study books are relatively affordable.
Negative Aspects: Self-study books can take a lot of will power to work through. They provide no consultation if you don't quite understand a certain point.
Essays are only sometimes graded for you, depending on the institution, and the material to help you improve your essay can be limited.
There may be several approaches to solving problems that may not all be covered in the book. The quality and coverage of topics vary as well.
Feedback is limited to practice test scores which may not reflect actual performance capability if motivation and persistence is an issue.
Conclusions: Self-study books are best suited for students who are independent, academically astute, and have their own motivation if the book is the sole means of studying.
However, all students can benefit from the practice tests, as well as having a single resource that covers a lot for a low price. Because more than a couple of practice tests are required to prepare well, you may end up having to buy multiple books which raises the cost.
Online SAT Preparation Products and Courses: For between $20 and $1,000, students can purchase online preparation products and courses.
These courses are essentially books in online format but with the added benefit of various supplemental features depending on the provider. Positive Aspects: Online products and courses offer features and services that vary greatly.
But aspects that are common to all of them are flexibility in schedule, flexibility in location, and a good amount of explanations of problem solutions. Features offered vary highly by company.
Some features are common to most, while other features are offered only by specific companies. Common features include step-by-step video explanations, full practice tests, supplemental quizzes, and concise strategies and tips. Features that only few companies are offering include gamified courses, high-quality Q&A boards that students and teachers across the world can participate in, mobile adapted sites so you can study on your phone, diagnostics and performance tracking, automatic difficulty adjustment based on your performance, and more.
Negative Aspects: Choosing the features and products right for you can be overwhelming to navigate as well as decide. Currently many of the well-known services that already make books offer online courses that are little more than what is essentially an online version of the book for more than double the price of a book.
Quality and added benefits vary.
Sites with little-thought into the user experience can be frustrating and cumbersome to use.
Full-length practice tests are best taken in realistic conditions so doing them online is not ideal.
Additionally, some sites lack personal interaction, although others offer chat, forums, and video tutoring as additional services.
Some companies also take personal information and sell them to third party marketers, which may be a deal breaker to some.
Conclusions: Online services vary greatly in quality and features offered, so it can take some time to figure out which options are right for you, including the price point. Overall, online resources can be a great supplement to existing methods of study due to the "anywhere, anytime" aspect not possible through other test prep products.
Recently, there are some companies that are improving the value and experience of online courses greatly, incorporating many of the specialized features mentioned previously.
Be mindful of the advantages and disadvantages, and try all the services with free trials to see what is right for you.
Below is an analysis comparing books, classes, private tutors, and online courses.
Seeing the advantages, disadvantages, and approximate costs of these options should help you become better informed to choose the option right for you.
One-on-One SAT Tutoring For between $30 and $200 per hour (total $1,500 to $10,000 for 50 hours), students can elect to receive on-on-one tutoring.
Positive Aspects: The main advantage of one-on-one tutoring is 100% attention on you and your needs. You can go as slow or as fast as you need and spend as much or as little time as you want on a topic.
Good tutors will be able to adapt to your needs, inspire you on a personal level, work closely with you to manage your motivation.
The tutor should have a very good grasp of your needs and progress, and be able to give parental feedback while adjusting lessons to be most effective for you.
Negative Aspects: The drawback to one-on-one tutoring is the high variance.
The quality of the tutor is varies and even trying tutors to find the right one can be expensive.
Additionally, you are limited to the one tutor's knowledge to help you, so finding a good tutor is a must, considering the price you are paying.
You can elect for cheaper one-on-one tutoring, but the teaching style, level of knowledge, and lack of teaching experience can result in far less benefit than a more expensive, experienced tutor.
To ensure quality, you can go with more experienced, but more expensive tutors.
If the tutor has an emergency or scheduling issues, there is not much you can do except reschedule.
Help from the tutor also becomes unavailable once the session ends.
Conclusions: One-on-one tutoring can be ideal if you can find a tutor who is knowledgeable, affordable, available, and compatible with you. This is not always an easy task.
The quality of the tutor is very important.
Additionally, you will most likely be using a book or online resource as study material, which is a cost that should not be ignored.
If that is the case, it may be worth asking how much additional benefit beyond what you are getting from the book are you receiving from the tutoring for the price, and adjust the number of tutoring hours accordingly.
SAT Prep Classroom Course For between $600 and $3,000, a student can attend a classroom course taught by teachers with teaching credentials and years of experience teaching and tutoring. Positive Aspects: An SAT prep classroom course will provide students with an environment that is similar to actual test taking situations, as well as classroom settings when not taking practice tests.
The course will keep the student at a steady pace of progression, although motivation is still required from the student.
Students have access to a knowledgeable and experienced instructor that they can clarify and explain things in a way that the student will understand.
Social interaction with tutors and students is helpful to some students as well.
Students can also take advantage of the perspectives and questions other students ask that they may not have thought of.
Negative Aspects: SAT prep courses are still expensive.
Classroom preparation courses are expensive.
They are not always available in most locations.
Granted, this can also potentially be a waste of time for those who already know the answer. Most institutions have a system of parental feedback.
Since classes are also set in time and location, students do miss out on sessions due to illness or unexpected conflicts in schedule. Although certain institutions may have experience and certifications, many institutions hire college students with little teaching experience to cut costs.
For the same reason, classes may be overcrowded, nearly nullifying the advantage of being a class.
Students who really need to ask questions may not, due to fear of holding up others. Time is also charged for taking in-class tests, which is hardly cost-effective.
Conclusions: Classroom courses are good for students who have trouble sticking to a schedule through self-discipline.
The controlled pace, educational atmosphere and being around peers can be a benefit to some.
Classes are good for students who can commit to fixed schedule, and has financial resources.
Students who study well on their own tend not to see much benefit from classes. SAT Self-Study Books For between $15 and $30 a student can purchase an SAT self-study book. SAT self-study books provide practice tests and answer keys, explanations for answers, and lessons. Positive Aspects: Self-study books are relatively affordable.
Negative Aspects: Self-study books can take a lot of will power to work through. They provide no consultation if you don't quite understand a certain point.
Essays are only sometimes graded for you, depending on the institution, and the material to help you improve your essay can be limited.
There may be several approaches to solving problems that may not all be covered in the book. The quality and coverage of topics vary as well.
Feedback is limited to practice test scores which may not reflect actual performance capability if motivation and persistence is an issue.
Conclusions: Self-study books are best suited for students who are independent, academically astute, and have their own motivation if the book is the sole means of studying.
However, all students can benefit from the practice tests, as well as having a single resource that covers a lot for a low price. Because more than a couple of practice tests are required to prepare well, you may end up having to buy multiple books which raises the cost.
Online SAT Preparation Products and Courses: For between $20 and $1,000, students can purchase online preparation products and courses.
These courses are essentially books in online format but with the added benefit of various supplemental features depending on the provider. Positive Aspects: Online products and courses offer features and services that vary greatly.
But aspects that are common to all of them are flexibility in schedule, flexibility in location, and a good amount of explanations of problem solutions. Features offered vary highly by company.
Some features are common to most, while other features are offered only by specific companies. Common features include step-by-step video explanations, full practice tests, supplemental quizzes, and concise strategies and tips. Features that only few companies are offering include gamified courses, high-quality Q&A boards that students and teachers across the world can participate in, mobile adapted sites so you can study on your phone, diagnostics and performance tracking, automatic difficulty adjustment based on your performance, and more.
Negative Aspects: Choosing the features and products right for you can be overwhelming to navigate as well as decide. Currently many of the well-known services that already make books offer online courses that are little more than what is essentially an online version of the book for more than double the price of a book.
Quality and added benefits vary.
Sites with little-thought into the user experience can be frustrating and cumbersome to use.
Full-length practice tests are best taken in realistic conditions so doing them online is not ideal.
Additionally, some sites lack personal interaction, although others offer chat, forums, and video tutoring as additional services.
Some companies also take personal information and sell them to third party marketers, which may be a deal breaker to some.
Conclusions: Online services vary greatly in quality and features offered, so it can take some time to figure out which options are right for you, including the price point. Overall, online resources can be a great supplement to existing methods of study due to the "anywhere, anytime" aspect not possible through other test prep products.
Recently, there are some companies that are improving the value and experience of online courses greatly, incorporating many of the specialized features mentioned previously.
Be mindful of the advantages and disadvantages, and try all the services with free trials to see what is right for you.
Gaming Tools
Over the past four decades, the pen and paper role playing game industry has continued to grow.
Along with it are the tools that support that industry.
While not required to play these games, gaming tools can still certainly add enjoyment. Alea Tools makes different colored markers for use with gaming miniatures.
Each color signifies a specific condition making it easy to remember a figure's status.
Since there are several condition with a variety of games, these can be useful.
Alea also show you how to get your miniatures to stick to the markers, making them even more useful.
Usually though, I just use regular old tacky.
It works just as well, but is not a permanent solution.
Although Dark-Platypus Studios has a decent selection of tools, I like the Magna Map. With it's magnetic base, certain figures or other tools stay where they should. Some of their other tools worth mentioning are gaming tokens, dice bags with art, condition tags, jewelry, and counters. I especially like the art that they have o many of their products, as it's pretty original.
Dragon Avenue is great, and is geared for the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
They offer nice, new character sheets. some useful tracker sheets, power cards, encounter builders, etc. The best they have to offer, in my opinion, are the condition cards.
These are perfect for laying out the conditions of affected player characters and monsters, because there's no need to dig through the rule book - it's right out there on the table. Homemade 3D battle maps are an excellent way to visualize and encounter. Fat Dragon Games leads the pack in this area. You simply print their PDFs on cardstock paper, fold and glue them together, and you have an amazing set to play on. Most of their product is fantasy based, but they also have a selection of sci-fi, modern, and even western terrain maps.
RPG Tools is a simple website that provides names of fantasy towns, conjures up traits of NPCs and worlds, offers up some nice character nuances, and even rolls your dice.
Not only is it easy to use, but it's free, too. This is one of those websites that you go to when you're having a brain fart, creatively speaking.
There are many others out there like it, but this one has several tools all lumped together.
The Roleplaying Assistant offers several electronic tools for the gamemaster, to enhance gaming sessions.
It supports several games (excluding 4th Edition D&D), ans is similar to 4th Edition D&D's electronic tools (minus all the nifty visual graphics).
A nice touch is that the Roleplaying Assistant has a one-time cost of $20, and you don't have to pay that until after you've tried it out first.
So, if you're just not having as much fun with role playing games as you think you should be, try some of the gaming tools that are out there.
There are a lot of them, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Along with it are the tools that support that industry.
While not required to play these games, gaming tools can still certainly add enjoyment. Alea Tools makes different colored markers for use with gaming miniatures.
Each color signifies a specific condition making it easy to remember a figure's status.
Since there are several condition with a variety of games, these can be useful.
Alea also show you how to get your miniatures to stick to the markers, making them even more useful.
Usually though, I just use regular old tacky.
It works just as well, but is not a permanent solution.
Although Dark-Platypus Studios has a decent selection of tools, I like the Magna Map. With it's magnetic base, certain figures or other tools stay where they should. Some of their other tools worth mentioning are gaming tokens, dice bags with art, condition tags, jewelry, and counters. I especially like the art that they have o many of their products, as it's pretty original.
Dragon Avenue is great, and is geared for the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
They offer nice, new character sheets. some useful tracker sheets, power cards, encounter builders, etc. The best they have to offer, in my opinion, are the condition cards.
These are perfect for laying out the conditions of affected player characters and monsters, because there's no need to dig through the rule book - it's right out there on the table. Homemade 3D battle maps are an excellent way to visualize and encounter. Fat Dragon Games leads the pack in this area. You simply print their PDFs on cardstock paper, fold and glue them together, and you have an amazing set to play on. Most of their product is fantasy based, but they also have a selection of sci-fi, modern, and even western terrain maps.
RPG Tools is a simple website that provides names of fantasy towns, conjures up traits of NPCs and worlds, offers up some nice character nuances, and even rolls your dice.
Not only is it easy to use, but it's free, too. This is one of those websites that you go to when you're having a brain fart, creatively speaking.
There are many others out there like it, but this one has several tools all lumped together.
The Roleplaying Assistant offers several electronic tools for the gamemaster, to enhance gaming sessions.
It supports several games (excluding 4th Edition D&D), ans is similar to 4th Edition D&D's electronic tools (minus all the nifty visual graphics).
A nice touch is that the Roleplaying Assistant has a one-time cost of $20, and you don't have to pay that until after you've tried it out first.
So, if you're just not having as much fun with role playing games as you think you should be, try some of the gaming tools that are out there.
There are a lot of them, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Our Fun, Creative Session With A Play Parachute
We initially brought out our new play parachute for a session with a group of young children on the theme of the colour blue. They loved it and it kept them occupied for some time.
This is what we did: The parachute was laid out on the centre of the floor and the children stood around it's perimeter. Lifting it up by the handles we began by singing some fun songs about the sea and moved the parachute appropriately.
For example, we sang "a sailor went to sea, sea, sea" and the movements were up and down like the waves.
At the point when we sang about "fish in the deep blue sea, sea, sea" we threw some cut out fish on top and they had great fun trying to bounce them off (they later decorated them and took them home).
We made up several verses to this song and each time threw in something that represented what we were singing about that was found in the sea.
Children always love running underneath the parachute and so we sang the song "He's got the whole world in his hands.
" As before we all held the edges to begin with, walking around together in a circle for the world in the first verse. We then sang that he had the deep blue sea in his hands and placed the parachute on the floor, shimmering it gently like the sea. The next verse was the clear blue skies in his hands, at which point the parachute was lifted high above our heads and waved like a big cloud in the sky.
The next song was "When I was one I ate a bun the day I went to sea.
" Basically some hung onto the sides whilst gradually the children were invited onto the ship (underneath) and mimed what was sung: e.
g.
when I was two I buckled my shoe, three was climbed a tree etc.
until we reached five, I learned to dive, at which point we dropped the parachute and everyone underneath endeavoured to run out.
It helps if a good number of them know the songs well enough to still sing along in addition to all the fun, so it can be helpful to run through them first. Afterwards we all sat on top of the parachute for the story time, which was a story about fishing.
We all folded it up at the point in the story where the fishermen pulled in their nets, full of fish, which were those used earlier on that were given out to decorate.
The parachute was finally used at the end for the children to lie down on, whilst we played some relaxing music of sea sounds.
After all the fun, we encouraged them to relax their bodies and think about the session. All of this works equally well indoors or outdoors.
This is what we did: The parachute was laid out on the centre of the floor and the children stood around it's perimeter. Lifting it up by the handles we began by singing some fun songs about the sea and moved the parachute appropriately.
For example, we sang "a sailor went to sea, sea, sea" and the movements were up and down like the waves.
At the point when we sang about "fish in the deep blue sea, sea, sea" we threw some cut out fish on top and they had great fun trying to bounce them off (they later decorated them and took them home).
We made up several verses to this song and each time threw in something that represented what we were singing about that was found in the sea.
Children always love running underneath the parachute and so we sang the song "He's got the whole world in his hands.
" As before we all held the edges to begin with, walking around together in a circle for the world in the first verse. We then sang that he had the deep blue sea in his hands and placed the parachute on the floor, shimmering it gently like the sea. The next verse was the clear blue skies in his hands, at which point the parachute was lifted high above our heads and waved like a big cloud in the sky.
The next song was "When I was one I ate a bun the day I went to sea.
" Basically some hung onto the sides whilst gradually the children were invited onto the ship (underneath) and mimed what was sung: e.
g.
when I was two I buckled my shoe, three was climbed a tree etc.
until we reached five, I learned to dive, at which point we dropped the parachute and everyone underneath endeavoured to run out.
It helps if a good number of them know the songs well enough to still sing along in addition to all the fun, so it can be helpful to run through them first. Afterwards we all sat on top of the parachute for the story time, which was a story about fishing.
We all folded it up at the point in the story where the fishermen pulled in their nets, full of fish, which were those used earlier on that were given out to decorate.
The parachute was finally used at the end for the children to lie down on, whilst we played some relaxing music of sea sounds.
After all the fun, we encouraged them to relax their bodies and think about the session. All of this works equally well indoors or outdoors.
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