Archives for September, 2008
Sep 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
You’ll Be Expected to Have a Computer and Printer, or Access to Them
The first thing students should know about using computers at college is that their professors will expect them to have computers and printers, or at least access to them. While we realize that not everyone can afford a computer and printer, we do expect your work to be typed and handed in when we ask that of you. Most schools have several computer labs. If you don’t have a computer or printer, you are going to have to make it your business to use them. If you have a written assignment due, do yourself a favor and make sure you can hand it in. Having no printer or low toner is not an acceptable excuse, and if you try to use one of these conditions to excuse not having your work, it could affect your grade.
Turn off Internet Explorer and Log Off Myspace
When you are using computer for school work, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to log off the Internet. Instant messages and e-mails are much more fun than homework, but if you succumb to their temptations the night before a paper is due, you will be kicking yourself at 4:00 in the morning when the paper’s still not done and your e-friends are all in bed.
Google.com is No Substitute for the Library
If, while you were reading the above section, you found yourself screaming: “But what if I have to do research?” you are probably not alone. You will probably have a library tutorial in at least one of your classes that will go in-depth with what I’m about to say: the computer is a wonderful, powerful tool, and so is the Internet, but when your professors assign research projects, they do not expect to see a works cited page full of web links. Therefore, in response to your earlier question about research, I’ll say that before you sit down to write your paper, most of your research should have been done. At the library. If you need to look up one quick thing on-line, do so, then log off and get back to your Word document.
Buy a Travel Drive and Use It
While computers are wonderful and powerful tools, they are also unreliable. More than one of my students has experienced hard drive failure over the course of my teaching career. I do my best to be accommodating and understanding — the same thing happened to me in grad school, after all — but even with understanding professors, coming back from a loss of everything you’ve done over the course of the semester is hard if not impossible. Invest in a flash drive, and back up your computer with regularity.
Take a look at more industry related articles by Elizabeth Saas at
Sep 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
This is one of those cards that gets so terribly misinterpreted. The Hermit is not what it appears to be and when people find out the real meaning of this mysterious card, they’re quite surprised. Well, maybe you’ll be surprised after reading this article. Whether you are or not, you WILL learn EXACTLY what the Hermit means in both its normal and reversed keys. I am sure you will find what you are about to learn quite fascinating.
Most people when they think of the card The Hermit, think that it refers to a person who is, in fact, a hermit; somebody who cuts himself off from the rest of the world. That is after all the normal definition of a hermit. Well, in this case, they are not exactly right. The normal key meaning of the card The Hermit doesn’t mean this at all. In its normal position, The Hermit represents a situation where the solution to the problem is in front of you. All you have to do is look up and find it. It also means that it’s okay to experiment with things to find a solution but care is required to avoid making costly mistakes.
However, the most important meaning of this card is to inform the subject that the ultimate responsibility is his. Yes, he can get guidance and assistance from outside sources, but in the final analysis, he has to be the one to take action.
Now, in reverse meaning, yes, The Hermit does stand for somebody who is trying to cut himself off from the rest of the world. The subject is engaged in activities that are harmful to his present situation. He feels isolated and alone. He feels like nobody cares. This really comes down to having a change of attitude as all of these “imagined” problems are just that.
In many cases, this card shows a person who is letting foolish pride get in the way. He is too stubborn to admit that he is wrong and won’t let anybody help him because to him, that means admitting that he’s weak and that he couldn’t solve his problems without the help of those around him. Foolish pride can be a very destructive thing to all of us.
Whenever I see this card coming up in a spread, especially in the seventh position, it makes me want to shake the subject in order to knock some sense into him. Negativity on this scale is one of the most destructive forces in our world. No man is an island. I was told that many times in my life and it is very true. There is nothing wrong with admitting that we need help, and cutting ourselves off from the ones who can help us is just foolish.
The Hermit is what I call the “wake up” card.
Sometimes it’s later than we think, and then it’s too late to do anything about our situation.
To YOUR Divination Success,
Steven Wagenheim
Please visit my Squidoo Lens on the World Of The Occult located at squidoo.com/the-world-of-the-occult/ squidoo.com/the-world-of-the-occult/ where you can learn a little bit about me and pick up some tips on just about every form of divination that there is.
Sep 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
For those interested in computer animation, there are numerous online computer animation schools that can give you the training to help you reach your goals. You can choose to study game art and design, graphic design, digital design, multimedia and web design, and much more; and the best part about online schools is you can study on your own schedule in the comfort of your own home.
Computer animation schools can jump start your career by developing entry-level and advanced skills in audio and video animation. Courses include everything you need to get ahead in the field of computer animation. You can find programs to study software, hardware, and technologies to develop specialized techniques for creating extremely realistic animated visual and sound effects. You can develop skills for creating background and lighting effects and unique storylines, characters, textures. Animation training will teach you to articulate characters and visual effects, and develop layering techniques that are applied to animated video and film.
Additional courses in online computer animation schools will perfect your techniques of drawing, applications of color theory, and various methods of computer design. You will learn techniques for developing backgrounds and scenic layouts, scripts for character animation, and for perfecting various forms of audio and video production.
Courses are available in foundations of design, media design, animation design, digital film and video design, two- and three-dimensional design, illustration, cartooning, digital audio design, graphic design and more. Advanced training sometimes requires three-dimensional model building, video editing, and audio animation production, which will provide depth in understanding concepts of animation.
Online animation schools can help you reach your goals, so apply to the school of your choice, and get started on a new career path today!
If you are interested in learning more about schoolsgalore.com/categories/4/computer_animation_online_schools.html Online Computer Animation Schools and other programs of study, please search our site for more information and resources.
DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.
Copyright 2007 - All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.
Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.
Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. Find schoolsgalore.com/categories/2/computer_animation_schools.html Computer Animation Schools as well as schoolsgalore.com/categories/4/online_schools.html Online Schools Colleges, Universities, Natural Healing Schools, and Trade Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your educational resource to locate schools.
Sep 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
Are you REALLY ready for another school year?
This is an exciting time of year…summer is coming to an end and a new school year is about to begin.
As teachers we are excited, anxious, and nervous…
What will our new class look like…what will my schedule look like…what will this new school year have in store for me?
Teachers around the country are gearing up for another year…getting their rooms set up…designing their lessons for the first weeks of school, making copies, getting in touch with parents etc…and all done with a great deal of excitement, energy, and enthusiasm!
Unfortunately, like every year, that energy starts to fade as the reality of teaching 130 students over 5 or 6 classes a day, every day starts to sink in…or, if you are an elementary teacher, the reality of having the same group of kids all day, every day, for 180 days.
Before you know it you are exhausted and so are your students…the honeymoon period of the first two weeks is over and students start to test the limits of your classroom.
Students start acting out, passing notes, talking when they’re not supposed to, even getting into fights…
At this point many teachers start to search out various reward & punishment systems…(putting students names on the board who misbehave, putting check marks next to their names if they continue to misbehave, threats of referrals and detentions, placing marbles in jar when students are good, giving out raffle tickets etc.)
These are mistakes…
These elaborate reward/punishment systems will yield only temporary solutions to ongoing problems. Teachers should be more interested in long-term results rather than short-term results. Worst of all, those who are receiving the rewards are now working for the reward only and those receiving punishment start to resent school. Furthermore, punishment often leads to students seeking revenge, lowering of self esteem, and may even lead to students giving up on school. Often times we’ll start to hear students say, “I hate school”
That’s the last thing teachers want students to say!
Fortunately it doesn’t have to be like this…
Instead of RE-acting to every disturbance teachers should be PRO-active and try to stop classroom disturbances BEFORE they start.
Teachers need to use strategies that increase student motivation, increase class participation, limit student confusion, and stop student procrastination. Basically teachers need to keep ALL of their students actively involved in ALL of their lessons.
This may sound like a difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be…not if you use the proactive approach to classroom management.
When teachers use simple teaching strategies to keep their students involved in the lesson they will see an immediate and definite decrease in classroom management problems.
Best of all, these classroom management issues will decrease naturally. Remember, classroom management is not about creating an elaborate system of rewards and punishments. Classroom management is about keeping your students actively involved in every one of your lessons.
It has never been easier to learn the proactive approach to classroom management! Adam Waxler, a full-time social studies teacher and adjunct education professor, has developed a FREE 5-part classroom management e-course. Learn simple classroom management strategies that will result in an immediate decrease in classroom management problems. To sign up for this FREE course visit:
Sep 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
Luckily in retirement I have found a pretty fun job, running an Online Think Tank and you would be surprised the wide range of topics. Everyday it is something new to think about, so many issues to consider and all very important, you just never know what will come up next.
Recently a relocated school teacher who had received top honors for her work asked to join our online think tank. A super star in our own right and someone who is working so hard to help the minds of our next generation grow to insure the on-going vitality of our society and civilization. Imagine our surprise when she told us she left the school because the teacher was told by Administration that; You Teach the Kids Too Much! That is unbelievable! How can you teach children too much? Totally outrageous indeed.
She then said she did however very much enjoy working after that and teaching in a Private School. The Online Think Tank understands her frustration and laughed at her comments and then we almost broke down in tears. How could this be, a teacher chastised for teaching her students too much and too well? Indeed she indicated that she survived teaching in Florida and Georgia. I for one can see that being as an issue considering that comment from prior administrators.
Well I bet she has some great suggestions to fix the school system? I believe it was not adequate when I went to school out on the West Coast. It seems we are not using our potential and this will hurt our nation in the future as we slip from the top tier nation.
Perhaps you too have considered how an upgrade into education might work, perhaps using the Internet, social networking or outside the school systems to achieve this? I think the world needs a fresh perspective? I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.
“Lance Winslow” - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; WorldThinkTank.net/ WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for ourspokanemagazine.com/ Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington
Sep 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
In March 2006, there was renewed concern about the patent system, manifested not only in discussion of the NTP v. RIM (BlackBerry) case, which settled for $612.5 million but also on the fate of the use of injunctions in patent infringement cases, to be reviewed by the Supreme Court in eBay v. MercExchange. The Wall Street Journal wrote that U.S. patent law is “deterring research and penalizing innovation,” and that the patent system is “fast becoming a detriment to U.S. competitiveness, not to mention basic fairness.” The idea that patents are not central to innovation can also be found in the philosophy of some venture capitalists, who will directly tell you “patents are not why we are investing.”
Although some people, such as Adam B. Jaffe, and Josh Lerner, suggest the patent problems are of recent origin, with changes in the last 20 years which have led to a decline in patent quality but a strengthening in patent rights, the empirical evidence for this is thin. Many of the issues we see now have been around for a long time.
In the following, aspects in the history of the light bulb are discussed. Consistent with the viewpoint of the VCs, J.P. Morgan invested in Edison, the man, before Edison’s key patent
issued. To attract attention of the influential, Edison set up the first commercial electric power plant near Wall Street, much as RIM (BlackBerry) has attained impact through the opulence of
its customers. After a commercial beachhead was established, the patent wars began. Edison’s final success in the patent wars was established both offensively and defensively, and was greatly
assisted by his high profile. It is suggested that certain legal issues that confronted Thomas Edison in the 19th century will soon appear before stem cell workers in the 21st century. [Of various suggestions that Edison was troll-like in his behavior in not making product, one observes that Edison himself obtained the funds from investors to set up the first electric power plant, and then created the power plant. He made product. Whether he was actually the inventor of the light bulb is a different story.]
DID EDISON INVENT THE LIGHT BULB?
Although not widely discussed, the application for Edison’s famous US Patent No. No. 223,898, granted January 27, 1880, was involved in an interference with competing inventors Sawyer and
Man and Edison lost on the contested point.
Following up, the successors to Sawyer and Man challenged Edison’s patent. The basic claim of Edison read: An electric lamp for giving light by incandescence, consisting of a filament of carbon of high resistance, made as described, and secured to metallic wires, as set forth. The trial court noted that Edison “was the first to make a carbon of materials and by a process which was especially designed to impart high specific resistance to it; the first to make a carbon in the special form for the special purpose of imparting to it high total resistance; and the first to combine such a burner with the necessary adjuncts of lamp construction to prevent its disintegration and give it sufficiently long life.” The trial court also noted, somewhat
cryptically, “There are many adjudicated cases in which it appears that the inventor builded better than he knew; where a patent has been sustained for an invention the full significance of which was not appreciated by the inventor when it was made. In the case of the Bell telephone patent there was great room for doubt whether the speaking telephone had been thought of by Mr. Bell when he filed his application for a patent, but the court said: ‘It describes apparatus which was an articulating telephone, whether Bell knew it or not.’” Edison’s patent survived. A problem with the court’s analysis is that the distinctly long life of Edison’s filaments arose from the use of
bamboo, which was not disclosed in Edison’s patent.
In a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, the relevant patent of Sawyer and Man, asserted against the interests of Edison, did not survive. The first claim of U.S. Patent No.
317,076 (related to patent 205,144 ) read: An incandescing conductor for an electric lamp, of carbonized fibrous or textile material and of an arch or horseshoe shape, substantially as
hereinbefore set forth. The Supreme Court noted: “It is admitted that the lamp described in the Sawyer and Man patent is no longer in use, and was never a commercial success; that it does not
embody the principle of high resistance with a small illuminating surface.” Getting to the broadness of the Sawyer/Man claim, the Supreme Court stated: “But if woods generally were not adapted to the purpose, and yet the patentee had discovered a wood ossessing certain qualities, which gave it a peculiar fitness for such purpose, it would not constitute an infringement for another to discover and use a different kind of wood, which was found to contain similar or superior qualities.” The court further noted that Sawyer/Man “made a broad claim for every fibrous or textile material, when in fact an examination of over six thousand vegetable growths showed that none of them possessed the peculiar qualities that fitted them for that purpose. Was everybody then precluded by this broad claim from making further investigation? We think not.”
The court noted that Edison “found suitable for his purpose only about three species of bamboo.” After discussing the amount of work Edison did with bamboo, the court asked: The question
really is whether the imperfectly successful experiments of Sawyer and Man, with carbonized paper and wood carbon, conceding all that is claimed for them, authorize them to put under
tribute the results of the brilliant discoveries made by others.”The court brought up the “infringement if later, anticipation if earlier” argument: “if the patent were infringed by the use of any such material, it would be anticipated by proof of the prior use of any such material.”
Although the Supreme Court did not address the issue, there were allegations by Edison at trial that Sawyer/Man had amended their application to conform to Edison’s work: “no such invention
was set forth in the original application, but was introduced for the first time more than four years after it was filed, and after the same material had been used by Edison, and claimed by
him in an application for a patent.” The trial court agreed, saying “after Edison’s inventions on this subject had been published to the world, there was an entire change of base on the part of Sawyer and Man, and that the application was amended to give it an entirely different direction and purpose from what it had in its original form …. [Testimony] shows that the idea of claiming carbons made from fibrous and textile materials was an after-thought, and was no part of the purpose of the original application.”
Of the issue of inventorship, text within the court cases manifests diffidence as to whether Edison was, or was, not the inventor of the light bulb. In 1875, Henry Woodward and Matthew
Evans patented a light bulb, the rights for which were purchased by Edison. In 1878, Joseph Wilson Swan invented a light bulb whose lifetime was about 13.5 hours. Edison’s bulbs in 1880, derived using a filament derived from bamboo, lasted 1200 hours.
The issues in the 1895 case are not unrelated to those in LizardTech v. Earth Resource Mapping, 433 F.3d 1373; 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 137; 77 U.S.P.Q.2D 1391 (CAFC 2006) and are not
unrelated to issues in the current discussion of alterations in the practice of continuing applications.
[Endnote 13, which appears here in the text, states: 71 Fed. Reg. 48 (Jan. 3, 2006). Abuses of applicants while awaiting developments in similar or parallel technology caused by amending the pending application to cover developments. If the
amendments are covered by the disclosure, this practice is allowed. PIN/NIP, 304 F.3d 1235.]
STEM CELLS
The situation faced by the courts in the 1880’s, in trying to figure out who made the step-out invention with the light bulb, will soon be faced by the courts of the 21st century, in trying to figure out who has made the step-out invention in embryonic stem cells. Although there are presently numerous patent applications on somatic cell nuclear transfer [SCNT] in various phases of generating embryonic stem cells, there are presently questions of scope of invention and of enablement, just as there were in the 19th century. Although many people are now claiming
large, with perhaps limited enablement and written description, the ultimate winner will be the person, who both identifies the insight to make the entire system happen and obtains patent
protection thereon.
UPDATE TO “YOU ONLY LOOK TWICE”
In the November 2005 issue of Intellectual Property Today, I presented some data on continuing applications for FY 2004 from the PTO, and noted the USPTO is evaluating the possibility
of limiting continuations, which crystallized in the Federal Register in January 2006. Two readers from Chicago, Kevin Noonan and Paul Reinfelds, sent along data for FY 2005, and noted, with the small number of “second” continuing applications, that the PTO proposal limiting continuing applications, even if effected, would not likely solve the problem faced by the PTO.
[Endnote 18 stated of the data for FY 2005: There were 63,000 continuing applications, which included 44,500 cons/cips and 18,500 divisionals. Of these, 11,800 were second, or subsequent, applications. Separately, there were 52,000 RCEs, of which 10,000 were second, or subsequent. Thus, 21,800 applications of
384,228, were second or subsequent, which is 5.7%. As for FY2004, RCEs were the single most abundant “continuing” form, 52,000 of 384,228 [13.5%]. All “continuing” forms combined
constituted 115,000 of 384,228 [30%]. The contents of Endnote 18 were cited in comments made to the USPTO about proposed rulemaking in the area of continuing applications:
www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/comments/fpp_continuation/ebert.pdf.
The comments referred to my April 2006 article in Intellectual Property Today, which unknown to me at the time of the comments, was not actually published by Intellectual Property Today. These comments to the USPTO objected to the proposed limitations on second, and subsequent, continuing applications on the basis that, even if implemented, the proposed limitations would NOT resolve the application backlog problem AND separately would adversely impact many reasonable uses of continuing application practice.]
Of Carhart’s book, “Lost Triumph,” the publisher is Putnam, not Putman. Two other reviewers have discussed the novelty of the book, even though the theory about J.E.B. Stuart’s possible
role had been published years before Carhart’s book.
[After March 2006, the Supreme Court decided the case eBay v. MercExchange. Therein, the Supreme Court made clear that entities such as universities and individual inventors, who don’t make product, could satisfy the four-factor test and obtain permanent injunctions to bar infringement of their patents.]
Lawrence B. Ebert is a registered patent attorney located in central New Jersey. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford, a J.D. from the University of Chicago, maintains a blog at IPBiz.blogspot.com, and is the author of LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE HWANG MATTER: ANALYZING INNOVATION THE RIGHT WAY, published in the Journal of the Patent & Trademark Office Society [88 JPTOS 239 (March 2006)]. The above material is based on a submission to Intellectual Property Today [IPT] which was supposed to have been published in April 2006, but which was not published. Most endnotes of the IPT submission have not been reproduced here. The contents of Endnote 18 of the IPT submission did appear within comments to the USPTO concerning proposed rulemaking about continuing patent applications. Ezine draft submitted June 16, 2006.
Sep 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
You’ve heard so much about online interactive learning. It’s affordable, convenient and fun, but is it right for you? Here are five questions that you should ask yourself to find out if online interactive learning is the way to go.
Are you a self-starter? Online interactive learning is a great way to get your degree, but it requires a certain amount of motivation. As the courses are pretty much designed so that you can work at your own pace, you need to be a self-starter in order to get the most out of your online degree programme.
Do you want a classroom setting? If you do, many you should think about pursuing a degree through more traditional routes. Although online interactive learning offers some interaction between students, it may not be enough for students that need feedback from others or to meet with the instructor face to face.
Do you have time to commute to classes? One of the biggest advantages to online learning is the fact that you can study anywhere. You don’t have to spend time travelling to and from the campus, dodging traffic or wasting time looking for parking places. You can study from home, at almost any time of the day.
Do you have enough money to attend a traditional college or university? Online interactive learning is remarkably more affordable than traditional four-year programmes and many online schools will hope you secure the financial aid that you need to pursue your degree. You can even keep working, if you pursue your education online, because you can schedule your classes around your job and your home life, so you can keep earning while you study.
Do you live near a campus that provides the course that you are looking for? Distance education was initially established to meet the needs of those students who lived too far away from schools or colleges, so that they could continue to earn their diplomas. If you live in a rural area- or the colleges near you don’t offer the programmes that you want- then getting your degree through interactive online learning will allow you to pursue your professional dreams.
Matt Norman is the founder of easy-degrees-online.com Easy Distance Learning a website providing information on learning online.
Sep 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
Are you thinking of home schooling your child or children in Florida? Wondering what the requirements are and how to get started? It’s really not as scary as you may think. Florida is actually a pretty easy state to begin home schooling in.
Home education, as defined by Florida law, is “sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent or guardian in order to satisfy the requirements of Statute 1003.21 and 1002.41.” Florida’s home schooling law is broad giving parents almost unending freedom in educating their children.
Basically there are six requirements that must be met to Florida home school.
1. Notify the District School Superintendent in your county of your intention to home school. The notice of intent must be filed with the superintendent’s office within 30 days of beginning your home school program.
Currently there is no “official form” that is used to supply notice but your written (or typed) letter of intent should include at the bare minimum the following information; Name of child (or children), Birthday of each child named, Address and a Parent’s Signature. It is recommended that you send your letter of intent via certified or priority mail and file the receipt as proof in your child’s portfolio.
2. Maintain a portfolio of records. While there is no proper or “official” way to record your child’s home schooling progress you must maintain a portfolio of records. The portfolio must consist of two main parts; Documented Records and Sample Materials. Documented Records is defined as “A log of educational activities which is made contemporaneously (the documentation should occur at the same time as the instruction) with the instruction and which designates by title any reading materials used.”
Florida home schooling law does not require lessons to be planned or approved in advance. Sample Materials is defined as “Samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials used or developed by the student.” Showcasing your child’s “sample materials” can be accomplished in various ways. Keep in mind that whichever method you adopt to showcase your sample materials they need to be organized in chronological order for ease in showing educational progress. More elaboration on this topic in the future… hopefully.
3. Keep your portfolio organized and available. Florida home schooling law requires you to make your portfolio “available for inspection by the superintendent or the superintendent’s agent, upon 15 days’ written notice.” The last thing you will want to do is be scrambling around trying to remember what you did when for the last 3 months and what was the name of those books you read again…. The inspection is only to make sure that the portfolio is legal; the superintendent cannot evaluate its contents.
4. Submit your Annual Evaluation. The law requires an annual education evaluation by a Florida-certified teacher of your choosing. You are required to have your child or children tested annually and submit the evaluation to the superintendent’s office no later than one year from your letter of intent date.
Alternatives to having an evaluation performed include; any nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher, a state student assessment test, a psychological evaluation or any other method mutually agreed upon by the parent and the superintendent.
5. Hang on to those Portfolios, your going to need them. Florida home schooling law dictates that “The portfolio shall be preserved by the parent for two years.” Enough said.
6. Submit your Notice of Termination. If you decide to no longer home educate under 1002.41, move from the county, enroll your child in a public or private institution or if your child graduates or completes the Florida home school program you must file a letter of termination with the superintendent. The notice of termination should include the same information as the letter of intent and should be filed within 30 days of the date or termination.
7. Relax. Okay I know we said there were only six requirements but this one is worth mentioning. As long as there have been parents and children, “home schooling” has been happening. Today an estimated 1.6–2.0 million children are being taught at home by their parents. By grade 8, the average home school student performs four grade levels above the national average.
Research has found that most homeschooled students are involved in a wide variety of outside activities, interact with a broad spectrum of people, and make positive contributions to their communities. Experience has shown that homeschoolers are well socialized and able to make lasting friendships across age and cultural divides.
Painless right? We promised it wasn’t that bad and now that you have all of your legal bases covered you can concentrate on enjoying the home schooling experience and enriching the lives of your children through learning. Now all that’s left is to decide on a curriculum… Decisions… Decisions…
Tanya Stesen specializes in web design and development for small to medium sized businesses. You can learn more about her company, her and her services by visiting dezignsbyt.com dezignsbyt.com
Sep 28, 2008 | Uncategorized
For sometime now, I have written about the problems within the St. Louis schools. They have been “provisionally accredited” for several years now and are facing being unaccredited in less than three years.
The St. Louis Schools is Missouri’s largest public school system with 37,000 students. For the past several and consecutive years, they have received unacceptable ratings from the state, meaning the St. Louis schools’ students have received a less than adequate education.
Peter Herschend, president of the State Board of Education, stated recently at the Missouri School Boards Association’s annual legislative conference that the primary problem is not ineffective teachers. He noted that a crisis has existed for many years in the St. Louis schools’ leadership or the lack thereof. Along with Kansas City, St. Louis is a key player in the economics of the state. Undereducated high school graduates will soon begin to affect the state’s economy and businesses.
In less than three years, Herschend and his board will be asked to determine the accreditation status for the St. Louis schools, and unaccredited looks to be the outcome. According to state law, if the St. Louis schools is unaccredited for two consecutive years, it could be taken over by the state. According to a 1998 state law, the state board could take over even sooner, without waiting for the two-year unaccredited period to pass.
Herschend told conference participants that the State Board faces three choices regarding the St. Louis schools:
• Do nothing and allow the status quo to continue, which would be unacceptable;
• Form an advisory board that would make recommendations to the existing board of the St. Louis schools; the advisory board would have no power to enforce its recommendations; or
• Form a three-member transition board, which would assume all powers over the St. Louis schools; the current elected board would operate in an advisory capacity only with powers or authority.
Also present at the conference was Maida Coleman, state Senate Minority Leader and Democrat representing the St. Louis area. She believes the St. Louis schools are being singled out, since 12 other school districts within the state also are failing. Eleven of these are performing as poorly as the St. Louis schools, according to Coleman.
Herschend answered Coleman’s allegation of unfair treatment for the St. Louis schools, stating that all districts are treated equally on the same standards — no exceptions.
Many others involved at the state and local levels cite inadequate budgets as the primary problem, with the St. Louis schools barely breaking even and an expected $20 million in the red by July 2007. No school district can last long without control of their finances, especially one as large as the St. Louis schools.
Whatever happens, it will require some real work, knowledge and skills to correct the problem. In the meantime, it is the students of the St. Louis schools who must suffer the brunt of this issue. An inadequate education can affect them for the rest of their lives.
Patricia Hawke is an expert researcher and writer on real estate topics such as economics, credit improvement tips, home selling advice and home buying preparations and education for relocating families. For more information please schoolsk-12.com/missouri/saint-louis/index.html St. Louis Schools
Sep 28, 2008 | Uncategorized
In many careers, MBA Degrees can gain you a position of greater responsibility and the ability to switch from one area of business to another-from marketing or sales to strategic planning or finance, for example. Getting an MBA is often a typical strategy for those looking to change their career altogether. Many people seek management positions after acquiring expertise in different fields with their Master of Business Administration.
Employees may aspire to a field that requires an MBA as an entry. An MBA will also let prospective employers know that you have the knowledge and skills above others to meet the demands and management skills of a high level job. Obtaining specific management training and expertise is another common reason for pursuing an MBA. The MBA is a general management degree, but most provide the opportunity to focus one’s studies in specific areas. If you are involved in a specialized field, there are also specialized master’s programs and seminars that may better suit your specific coursework needs. If you need to learn something about a few specific topics, consider an executive education program. These are usually workshops or seminars that require several hours or even days to complete.
MBA’s usually have higher salaries than other workers with like experience. Salary can vary greatly between an employee with a Bachelors degree and one with an MBA. There is a cost to having an MBA. While you’re working on your degree, you may need to leave your job and paycheck for a couple of years. You will have to devote a great deal of time and energy in to obtaining a Master of Business or an Online MBA. This can leave you with little time for your family and leisure activities. An MBA Program is an investment in yourself, and as with any investment, you need to decide whether the potential return is worth the time and money spent. Having an MBA offers no guarantees that you will get the higher paying jobs that you seek. Look at the financial costs and benefits realistically. There are also many returns beyond financial ones. Having your M.B.A. can allow more job freedom as you would have access to better job opportunities - that can lead to better job satisfaction.
Melissa Steele, EducationGuys.com/ College Degrees @ EducationGuys.com Writer.