Educational Resources!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
New Web Site for Teachers: Software, Classroom Management, and Learning Resources for Educators
The launch of a new educational resource web site, http://www.TechForEducators.com, offers teachers an exclusive line of software, learning aids, classroom management, and technology to make the task of teaching easier, and more enjoyable for students and teachers alike.
The site features software to simplify test making and grading, as well as learning many subjects from elementary to the high school level. There are also many inexpensive software programs designed for individual use by children at school or at home covering subjects like art, math, language arts, and music.
Teachers love the high-tech classroom management tools offered on the site. These include such things as the “Attention Getter,” a unique stop watch, the “Yacker Tracker” that signals when sound levels in a classroom get to loud, and other exciting and innovative devices that help teachers manage their classrooms.
The site also offers a variety of unique calculators and microscopes that use technology to simplify the learning process and make learning fun for students of all ages. The company carries quality products at competitive prices, all with a money-back guarantee.
“TechForEducators.com provides many tools which can improve the performance of educators. But what sets us apart is that we'll be making significant investments in solving a major problem for K-12 education: impoverished students who come to class without access to basic school supplies,” explained the site founder Matt Spergel.
TechForEducators.com is donating a portion of all sales to the Kids In Need Foundation. Through their partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation, TechForEducators.com is able to assist less fortunate children who need help to obtain a higher quality education. For every $1 a customer spends at TechForEducators.com, the Kids in Need Foundation is able to turn that into $1.25 worth of free school supplies which they provide to students in need.
“Kids In Need is very appreciative that TechForEducators.com is partnering with us in our mission to provide school supplies for children most in need. With this agreement, TechForEducators.com is telling their customers that helping children experience success in the classroom is important to them,” said David Smith, executive director of the Kids In Need Foundation.
Press Contact
Matt Spergel
408-667-9777
Press release services provided by http://www.ThatPRGuy.com
The launch of a new educational resource web site, http://www.TechForEducators.com, offers teachers an exclusive line of software, learning aids, classroom management, and technology to make the task of teaching easier, and more enjoyable for students and teachers alike.
The site features software to simplify test making and grading, as well as learning many subjects from elementary to the high school level. There are also many inexpensive software programs designed for individual use by children at school or at home covering subjects like art, math, language arts, and music.
Teachers love the high-tech classroom management tools offered on the site. These include such things as the “Attention Getter,” a unique stop watch, the “Yacker Tracker” that signals when sound levels in a classroom get to loud, and other exciting and innovative devices that help teachers manage their classrooms.
The site also offers a variety of unique calculators and microscopes that use technology to simplify the learning process and make learning fun for students of all ages. The company carries quality products at competitive prices, all with a money-back guarantee.
“TechForEducators.com provides many tools which can improve the performance of educators. But what sets us apart is that we'll be making significant investments in solving a major problem for K-12 education: impoverished students who come to class without access to basic school supplies,” explained the site founder Matt Spergel.
TechForEducators.com is donating a portion of all sales to the Kids In Need Foundation. Through their partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation, TechForEducators.com is able to assist less fortunate children who need help to obtain a higher quality education. For every $1 a customer spends at TechForEducators.com, the Kids in Need Foundation is able to turn that into $1.25 worth of free school supplies which they provide to students in need.
“Kids In Need is very appreciative that TechForEducators.com is partnering with us in our mission to provide school supplies for children most in need. With this agreement, TechForEducators.com is telling their customers that helping children experience success in the classroom is important to them,” said David Smith, executive director of the Kids In Need Foundation.
Press Contact
Matt Spergel
408-667-9777
Press release services provided by http://www.ThatPRGuy.com
Friday, February 06, 2009
Lightspeed Systems' Network Security Software Enables Educators to Use Approved YouTube Videos in the Classroom
The Educational Video Library feature in the new version of Total Traffic Control, Lightspeed Systems' network security and management software for schools, allows teachers to easily search and use YouTube videos in classroom while protecting students from inappropriate content. One of the most frequent requests that technology directors receive from teachers is for access to YouTube videos with educationally rich content.
Schools strive to use Web 2.0 sites such as YouTube to provide students with 21st century education; however, these sites pose potential safety and security risks. To help schools overcome this challenge, Lightspeed Systems introduces the Educational Video Library as part of a long-term effort to help schools adopt Web 2.0 tools in education safely and effectively.
Many districts block teacher and student access to online social networking sites and other Web sites with Web 2.0 capabilities, because these popular Internet destinations can pose a risk to network security and student safety. To help schools ensure a safe educational environment while maximizing Web 2.0 learning opportunities, Lightspeed Systems Inc., a leader in network security and management software for schools, has added the Educational Video Library feature to its latest version of Total Traffic Control.
New Educational Video Library feature in Total Traffic Control version 7.02 enables teachers to use approved YouTube videos in the classroom to facilitate learning while protecting students from inappropriate content. Technology directors tell us that one of the most frequent requests they receive from teachers is for access to YouTube videos with educationally rich content.
Total Traffic Control is a sophisticated, easy-to-use network security application, providing a full range of network protection features. These include content filtering, spam management, bandwidth management, antivirus protection, extensive reporting capabilities, email archiving, and mobile filtering. For the new release, Total Traffic Control 7.02, Lightspeed Systems has enhanced this feature set in several ways, most notably with the addition of the Educational Video Library.
The Educational Video Library enables teachers and students to play approved YouTube videos through a portal on the local network. All of YouTube's video functions operate normally, but the other community information and links that are usually displayed on the YouTube Web site with a video, such as promoted videos and user comments, are removed. Network administrators designate teachers and staff who may submit and/or approve videos for sharing.
As part of the submission process, videos are placed in a subject category such as math or science and tags may be added for more specific searches. Teachers can search by category, tags, and titles from the library of previously approved videos. Video approval can be widely delegated to teachers and curricular leaders or limited to a single administrator. In its current form, the Educational Video Library is limited to users within a district, but Lightspeed Systems is planning a future version that will allow content to be shared among Total Traffic Control users around the world if desired.
"Technology directors tell us that one of the most frequent requests they receive from teachers is for access to YouTube videos with educationally rich content," said Scott Garrison, president of Lightspeed Systems. "Sites like YouTube are part of a shift in education toward more collaborative technologies and digital media as schools strive to provide a 21st century education. However, administrators are challenged with the security and safety risks that come with Web 2.0 technologies. Schools must comply with state and federal regulations such as Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The Educational Video Library is our first step in a concerted, long-term effort to help schools adopt Web 2.0 tools in a safe and effective manner."
The 2007 study by Grunwald Associates LLC and the National School Boards Association, "Creating and Connecting," examined student use and attitudes toward social networking. It found that 96 percent of students with online access use social networking technologies such as blogs and online communities, and that almost 60 percent of these networked students discuss education topics online. The report suggests that schools must find a balance between ensuring student safety and allowing students the freedom to engage in responsible online communication and activities. With online social networking so deeply embedded in students' lifestyles, educators have the opportunity to harness it for educational purposes with the aid of tools like the Educational Video Library.
For more information and pricing, contact Lightspeed Systems at 661-716-7600, or visit www.lightspeedsystems.com.
About Lightspeed Systems
Lightspeed Systems Inc., founded in 2000, develops comprehensive network security and management solutions for the K-12 education market. Lightspeed is committed to helping schools operate their networks effectively and efficiently, so educators can provide a safe online teaching and learning environment. The company's flagship product integrates content filtering, spam management, bandwidth management, antivirus protection, extensive reporting capabilities, email archiving, and mobile filtering into a single application.
Lightspeed Systems software is used in more than 1,500 school districts in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia to protect more than 5 million students. For the past two years, Lightspeed Systems has been recognized on the Inc. 5,000 list as one of fastest-growing private companies. For more information, call 661-716-7600, or visit www.lightspeedsystems.com.
# # #
The Educational Video Library feature in the new version of Total Traffic Control, Lightspeed Systems' network security and management software for schools, allows teachers to easily search and use YouTube videos in classroom while protecting students from inappropriate content. One of the most frequent requests that technology directors receive from teachers is for access to YouTube videos with educationally rich content.
Schools strive to use Web 2.0 sites such as YouTube to provide students with 21st century education; however, these sites pose potential safety and security risks. To help schools overcome this challenge, Lightspeed Systems introduces the Educational Video Library as part of a long-term effort to help schools adopt Web 2.0 tools in education safely and effectively.
Many districts block teacher and student access to online social networking sites and other Web sites with Web 2.0 capabilities, because these popular Internet destinations can pose a risk to network security and student safety. To help schools ensure a safe educational environment while maximizing Web 2.0 learning opportunities, Lightspeed Systems Inc., a leader in network security and management software for schools, has added the Educational Video Library feature to its latest version of Total Traffic Control.
New Educational Video Library feature in Total Traffic Control version 7.02 enables teachers to use approved YouTube videos in the classroom to facilitate learning while protecting students from inappropriate content. Technology directors tell us that one of the most frequent requests they receive from teachers is for access to YouTube videos with educationally rich content.
Total Traffic Control is a sophisticated, easy-to-use network security application, providing a full range of network protection features. These include content filtering, spam management, bandwidth management, antivirus protection, extensive reporting capabilities, email archiving, and mobile filtering. For the new release, Total Traffic Control 7.02, Lightspeed Systems has enhanced this feature set in several ways, most notably with the addition of the Educational Video Library.
The Educational Video Library enables teachers and students to play approved YouTube videos through a portal on the local network. All of YouTube's video functions operate normally, but the other community information and links that are usually displayed on the YouTube Web site with a video, such as promoted videos and user comments, are removed. Network administrators designate teachers and staff who may submit and/or approve videos for sharing.
As part of the submission process, videos are placed in a subject category such as math or science and tags may be added for more specific searches. Teachers can search by category, tags, and titles from the library of previously approved videos. Video approval can be widely delegated to teachers and curricular leaders or limited to a single administrator. In its current form, the Educational Video Library is limited to users within a district, but Lightspeed Systems is planning a future version that will allow content to be shared among Total Traffic Control users around the world if desired.
"Technology directors tell us that one of the most frequent requests they receive from teachers is for access to YouTube videos with educationally rich content," said Scott Garrison, president of Lightspeed Systems. "Sites like YouTube are part of a shift in education toward more collaborative technologies and digital media as schools strive to provide a 21st century education. However, administrators are challenged with the security and safety risks that come with Web 2.0 technologies. Schools must comply with state and federal regulations such as Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The Educational Video Library is our first step in a concerted, long-term effort to help schools adopt Web 2.0 tools in a safe and effective manner."
The 2007 study by Grunwald Associates LLC and the National School Boards Association, "Creating and Connecting," examined student use and attitudes toward social networking. It found that 96 percent of students with online access use social networking technologies such as blogs and online communities, and that almost 60 percent of these networked students discuss education topics online. The report suggests that schools must find a balance between ensuring student safety and allowing students the freedom to engage in responsible online communication and activities. With online social networking so deeply embedded in students' lifestyles, educators have the opportunity to harness it for educational purposes with the aid of tools like the Educational Video Library.
For more information and pricing, contact Lightspeed Systems at 661-716-7600, or visit www.lightspeedsystems.com.
About Lightspeed Systems
Lightspeed Systems Inc., founded in 2000, develops comprehensive network security and management solutions for the K-12 education market. Lightspeed is committed to helping schools operate their networks effectively and efficiently, so educators can provide a safe online teaching and learning environment. The company's flagship product integrates content filtering, spam management, bandwidth management, antivirus protection, extensive reporting capabilities, email archiving, and mobile filtering into a single application.
Lightspeed Systems software is used in more than 1,500 school districts in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia to protect more than 5 million students. For the past two years, Lightspeed Systems has been recognized on the Inc. 5,000 list as one of fastest-growing private companies. For more information, call 661-716-7600, or visit www.lightspeedsystems.com.
# # #
Monday, January 05, 2009
Yearbooks Come Alive With Innovative Online Publishing Tool
EffectiveUI and Herff Jones Launch Groundbreaking Web-to-Print Technology That Revolutionizes Yearbook Publishing for Students, Teachers and Printing Enterprise
EffectiveUI, an award-winning user interface design and development firm, and Herff Jones, a leading producer of scholastic products, today announced the launch of eDesign(TM), a breakthrough multi-user web-to-print system for collaboratively publishing school yearbooks. eDesign enables students to work on their yearbook pages outside the confines of the classroom, is easy and fun to use, and requires no software purchase.
"eDesign signals the most significant technological advance in the yearbook industry since the advent of desktop publishing. eDesign is a sea-changing piece of innovation that gives students control of pages, reduces the margin of error when they submit yearbook pages to us, and ensures smooth production of a top quality printed product," said Tom Tanton, senior vice president for Herff Jones Imaging and Education Group.
Now in its first season of implementation, eDesign is helping Herff Jones grow its market share in a highly competitive marketplace by providing customers with the best yearbook experience possible. Nearly 75 percent of the firm's new customers have opted into the new online page prep and submission solution.
According to Tanton, EffectiveUI was selected to create the eDesign application because of the firm's focus on the user experience, the design team's proven successes in delivering intuitive interfaces and for the developer's award-winning results integrating cutting-edge Adobe Flex and Adobe AIR technology. "The EffectiveUI team understood what we wanted to achieve and delivered a high quality and innovative product," said Tanton. "Their work process is nimble, responsive and professional -- which allowed us to create a robust solution."
Anthony Franco, president of EffectiveUI, attributes the success of eDesign in large part to user testing. "We are fanatical about making users happy. On this project, we needed to get inside the heads of extremely savvy teenagers who were weaned on technology. User input made a huge impact on how we came to understand what eDesign should do. What sets this product apart is that it is focused entirely on customer needs," said Franco.
"My eighth graders love eDesign. They say it is so much easier and more fun to use than other yearbook applications. As a yearbook adviser, I greatly appreciate eDesign's ease of management and reduced complexity, which at the middle school level is very welcome," said Cindy Everett at Eastside Christian School in Marietta, Georgia.
When Herff Jones delivers school yearbooks in Q2 of 2009, the firm expects to measure the return on its eDesign investment. According to Tanton, Herff Jones staff will closely monitor the number of customers who stay with the solution after the first year, and whether or not the eDesign renewal rate is higher than the overall customer base. He added that customer retention is a definite advantage within the mature yearbook publishing industry, as is the opportunity to cross-sell additional scholastic products to a loyal customer base.
Herff Jones will calculate the internal efficiencies gained from the eDesign implementation. With six plants located across the U.S., eDesign is prompting a significant technological shift inside its facilities. In addition to the new online page creation and submission system, high-speed presses, total reliance on digital imagery and use of the Web for the customer proofing process enable the entire Herff Jones enterprise to better handle peaks and valleys of the seasonal business.
The designers and developers at EffectiveUI collaborated closely with Herff Jones to make the yearbook experience great for teens.
About EffectiveUI
EffectiveUI is an award-winning and recognized leader in the design and development of custom rich Internet, desktop and mobile applications, enabling companies to maximize their business results while offering exceptional interactive experiences. Leveraging emerging technologies and expertise in user experience, strategy, design and development, EffectiveUI helps today's most respected brands deepen customer engagements by creating more compelling, dynamic and useful customer interactions.
EffectiveUI has developed groundbreaking applications for organizations across multiple industries, including eBay, GE Health, NBC Universal, Viacom, Discovery Channel, Dow Jones, Adobe and Microsoft. For more information and examples of EffectiveUI's work, please visit www.effectiveui.com.
About Herff Jones
Herff Jones, Inc., an Indianapolis, Ind. based corporation in its 88th year, is a leading manufacturer and publisher of educational products, recognition awards and graduation-related items for the school market in North America. Herff Jones product lines include yearbooks, class rings, medals and awards, diplomas, graduation announcements, caps and gowns, school photography and institutional materials.
Approximately 4,000 employees manufacture its products in 22 U.S. plants. Those products are sold through a network of more than 800 sales representatives. Herff Jones is one of the nation's largest 100% employee-owned corporations.
Herff Jones Media Contact:
Stacy Hine
Direct: 317.612.3480
Email: Email Contact
EffectiveUI Media Contact
Chris Aron
Direct: 303.748.2444
Email: Email Contact
EffectiveUI and Herff Jones Launch Groundbreaking Web-to-Print Technology That Revolutionizes Yearbook Publishing for Students, Teachers and Printing Enterprise
EffectiveUI, an award-winning user interface design and development firm, and Herff Jones, a leading producer of scholastic products, today announced the launch of eDesign(TM), a breakthrough multi-user web-to-print system for collaboratively publishing school yearbooks. eDesign enables students to work on their yearbook pages outside the confines of the classroom, is easy and fun to use, and requires no software purchase.
"eDesign signals the most significant technological advance in the yearbook industry since the advent of desktop publishing. eDesign is a sea-changing piece of innovation that gives students control of pages, reduces the margin of error when they submit yearbook pages to us, and ensures smooth production of a top quality printed product," said Tom Tanton, senior vice president for Herff Jones Imaging and Education Group.
Now in its first season of implementation, eDesign is helping Herff Jones grow its market share in a highly competitive marketplace by providing customers with the best yearbook experience possible. Nearly 75 percent of the firm's new customers have opted into the new online page prep and submission solution.
According to Tanton, EffectiveUI was selected to create the eDesign application because of the firm's focus on the user experience, the design team's proven successes in delivering intuitive interfaces and for the developer's award-winning results integrating cutting-edge Adobe Flex and Adobe AIR technology. "The EffectiveUI team understood what we wanted to achieve and delivered a high quality and innovative product," said Tanton. "Their work process is nimble, responsive and professional -- which allowed us to create a robust solution."
Anthony Franco, president of EffectiveUI, attributes the success of eDesign in large part to user testing. "We are fanatical about making users happy. On this project, we needed to get inside the heads of extremely savvy teenagers who were weaned on technology. User input made a huge impact on how we came to understand what eDesign should do. What sets this product apart is that it is focused entirely on customer needs," said Franco.
"My eighth graders love eDesign. They say it is so much easier and more fun to use than other yearbook applications. As a yearbook adviser, I greatly appreciate eDesign's ease of management and reduced complexity, which at the middle school level is very welcome," said Cindy Everett at Eastside Christian School in Marietta, Georgia.
When Herff Jones delivers school yearbooks in Q2 of 2009, the firm expects to measure the return on its eDesign investment. According to Tanton, Herff Jones staff will closely monitor the number of customers who stay with the solution after the first year, and whether or not the eDesign renewal rate is higher than the overall customer base. He added that customer retention is a definite advantage within the mature yearbook publishing industry, as is the opportunity to cross-sell additional scholastic products to a loyal customer base.
Herff Jones will calculate the internal efficiencies gained from the eDesign implementation. With six plants located across the U.S., eDesign is prompting a significant technological shift inside its facilities. In addition to the new online page creation and submission system, high-speed presses, total reliance on digital imagery and use of the Web for the customer proofing process enable the entire Herff Jones enterprise to better handle peaks and valleys of the seasonal business.
The designers and developers at EffectiveUI collaborated closely with Herff Jones to make the yearbook experience great for teens.
About EffectiveUI
EffectiveUI is an award-winning and recognized leader in the design and development of custom rich Internet, desktop and mobile applications, enabling companies to maximize their business results while offering exceptional interactive experiences. Leveraging emerging technologies and expertise in user experience, strategy, design and development, EffectiveUI helps today's most respected brands deepen customer engagements by creating more compelling, dynamic and useful customer interactions.
EffectiveUI has developed groundbreaking applications for organizations across multiple industries, including eBay, GE Health, NBC Universal, Viacom, Discovery Channel, Dow Jones, Adobe and Microsoft. For more information and examples of EffectiveUI's work, please visit www.effectiveui.com.
About Herff Jones
Herff Jones, Inc., an Indianapolis, Ind. based corporation in its 88th year, is a leading manufacturer and publisher of educational products, recognition awards and graduation-related items for the school market in North America. Herff Jones product lines include yearbooks, class rings, medals and awards, diplomas, graduation announcements, caps and gowns, school photography and institutional materials.
Approximately 4,000 employees manufacture its products in 22 U.S. plants. Those products are sold through a network of more than 800 sales representatives. Herff Jones is one of the nation's largest 100% employee-owned corporations.
Herff Jones Media Contact:
Stacy Hine
Direct: 317.612.3480
Email: Email Contact
EffectiveUI Media Contact
Chris Aron
Direct: 303.748.2444
Email: Email Contact
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Which Jobs Are Safest In Tough Economy?
Insurance, Engineering Listed Among Safe Bets
In an uncertain economy, workers face uncertainty in their jobs. Of course, that depends on their chosen career path: Some jobs seem to be more recession-proof than others.
According to Monster.com's 2008 Hiring Outlook, the workers most in demand even in a down economy are those who excel in the logical and mathematical, including those in areas such as systems design, electronic engineering, accounting and, yes, finance.
"The demand for accounting and tax professionals is outweighing resources, across the U.S. and in China, the U.K. and Russia," said Eileen Raymond, executive director of experienced-hire recruiting at accounting firm KPMG. "We're looking for CPAs and professionals with advanced degrees, law degrees.
Based on its 2007 statistics, the job-matching Web site Jobfox.com, like Monster, sees a demand for professionals in accounting and finance.
Just as demand is rising for these services, the supply is dwindling. "There are fewer and fewer students obtaining these degrees," Hope Wilson, a vice president at Snelling Professional Services, told Monster earlier this year.
Similarly, a lack of new engineering graduates is also creating a strong market for engineers, Monster reported. Monster also points to an annual survey commissioned by staffing firm Manpower that highlights occupations that employers have a hard time filling.
Among white-collar jobs, the following positions make Manpower's 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill list: engineers, technicians, sales reps, accountants and IT staff. And on the blue-collar side, the list includes machinists and machine operators, skilled tradespeople, mechanics, laborers and production operators.
Insurance Provides Job Security
While insurance may not be the most glamorous industry in America, it does offer some things many other fields cannot: stability, challenge and growth almost no matter what else is going on in the economy.
Eric Schulting, enterprise recruiting and retention manager for State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Ill., told Monster: "There are a lot of benefits and advantages in insurance that you don't have in other industries." One of those benefits is that the insurance industry is fairly recession-proof, since Americans need insurance whether the economy is up or down and most insurance companies tend to be fiscally conservative.
But the industry is not without challenges. If gas prices rise too high, consumers may decide to own (and insure) fewer cars, and fewer home sales mean fewer homeowners' policies sold. When unemployment rises, so do theft and arson, and, therefore, hazard insurance claims.
Experts' Opinions Differ
In addition to Monster's Hiring Outlook, several other experts have offered opinions and lists that predict the most recession-proof jobs -- and they mostly differ from each other.
In his recently released "Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets," author Peter Schiff foresees the rise of industries and professions such as engineering, construction (to rebuild the American infrastructure), agriculture (to become more independent from food imports), merchant marine (to transport food to foreign markets) and commercial fishing.
While Schiff sees a growth for these industries, he predicts the decline of banking and finance, real estate, travel and health care. In contrast, other experts see the health care industry as exceptionally recession-proof: Kiplinger.com reported that the health care industry is one of the nation's fastest-growing careers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas emphasizes the importance of health care for the job market as well as career information consultant Laurence Shatkin. On his Top 10 list of the most recession-proof jobs, Shatkin includes jobs such as registered nurse, physical therapist, dental hygienist, pharmacist and medical and health services manager.
Demand Rises For Education, Computer Systems
Challenger, Gray and Christmas, as well as Shatkin and Kiplinger, see a rising importance in educational jobs. Kiplinger reported that teachers for any grade level who specialize in math, science or bilingual education should have an easier time finding and keeping a job. College instructors also should have job security as college enrollment rises.
Geography also plays a part in job security. Teachers in fast-growing states in the South and West will have more opportunity, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
A parallel among the lists of Shatkin, Schiff and Jobfox involves the area of computer systems: According to all of them, network and system administrators, computer system analysts, data system analysts and software specialists will be in demand more than ever to maintain the U.S.' leading position in computers and high technology.
Green, Government, Delivery Jobs Stay Hot
Green jobs are also on the rise. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects environmental careers to grow 25 percent over the next decade -- much higher than the average for other occupations.
Monster Worldwide data shows a steady increase in the number of environmental job postings since 2005, particularly for engineers, protection technicians and specialists.
This growth has been fueled by economic trends, with many jobs offered in the public sector, including positions at such bureaus as the Environmental Protection Agency.
Government jobs are also among the most stable around. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that firings and layoffs happen at one-fourth of the rate in the private sector because even when businesses have to downsize, the government must continue on. Only one in every 5,000 non-defense workers is fired for poor performance each year, the Cato Institute said. And even in our digital age, stuff still needs to get from here to there, whether the trip is across the warehouse floor or around the world.
That's why jobs for laborers such as freight, stock and materials handlers are projected to increase by almost 250,000 positions from 2004 to 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many of these jobs require few skills but pay $12 to $15 an hour, about double the federal minimum wage.
No Job Is 100 Percent Secure
Except on overall bad predictions for industries related to housing and to discretionary spending, the idea of which jobs are recession-proof often differs, depending on what expert one asks.
Because of that, Shatkin concludes in his book "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs": "Nobody's job is 100 percent secure, but you can take steps to reduce your chances of being laid off in the event of an economic downturn and to increase your chances of bouncing back if you are laid off anyway."
As steps to reduce the risk of loosing one's job, J.D. Roth, author of the popular blog GetRichSlowly.org, advises his readers to develop their skill-set, to contribute valuably and to keep a positive attitude.
Because his opinion, after comparing different lists of recession proof jobs, is: "The most recession-proof job is the one you already have."
Insurance, Engineering Listed Among Safe Bets
In an uncertain economy, workers face uncertainty in their jobs. Of course, that depends on their chosen career path: Some jobs seem to be more recession-proof than others.
According to Monster.com's 2008 Hiring Outlook, the workers most in demand even in a down economy are those who excel in the logical and mathematical, including those in areas such as systems design, electronic engineering, accounting and, yes, finance.
"The demand for accounting and tax professionals is outweighing resources, across the U.S. and in China, the U.K. and Russia," said Eileen Raymond, executive director of experienced-hire recruiting at accounting firm KPMG. "We're looking for CPAs and professionals with advanced degrees, law degrees.
Based on its 2007 statistics, the job-matching Web site Jobfox.com, like Monster, sees a demand for professionals in accounting and finance.
Just as demand is rising for these services, the supply is dwindling. "There are fewer and fewer students obtaining these degrees," Hope Wilson, a vice president at Snelling Professional Services, told Monster earlier this year.
Similarly, a lack of new engineering graduates is also creating a strong market for engineers, Monster reported. Monster also points to an annual survey commissioned by staffing firm Manpower that highlights occupations that employers have a hard time filling.
Among white-collar jobs, the following positions make Manpower's 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill list: engineers, technicians, sales reps, accountants and IT staff. And on the blue-collar side, the list includes machinists and machine operators, skilled tradespeople, mechanics, laborers and production operators.
Insurance Provides Job Security
While insurance may not be the most glamorous industry in America, it does offer some things many other fields cannot: stability, challenge and growth almost no matter what else is going on in the economy.
Eric Schulting, enterprise recruiting and retention manager for State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Ill., told Monster: "There are a lot of benefits and advantages in insurance that you don't have in other industries." One of those benefits is that the insurance industry is fairly recession-proof, since Americans need insurance whether the economy is up or down and most insurance companies tend to be fiscally conservative.
But the industry is not without challenges. If gas prices rise too high, consumers may decide to own (and insure) fewer cars, and fewer home sales mean fewer homeowners' policies sold. When unemployment rises, so do theft and arson, and, therefore, hazard insurance claims.
Experts' Opinions Differ
In addition to Monster's Hiring Outlook, several other experts have offered opinions and lists that predict the most recession-proof jobs -- and they mostly differ from each other.
In his recently released "Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets," author Peter Schiff foresees the rise of industries and professions such as engineering, construction (to rebuild the American infrastructure), agriculture (to become more independent from food imports), merchant marine (to transport food to foreign markets) and commercial fishing.
While Schiff sees a growth for these industries, he predicts the decline of banking and finance, real estate, travel and health care. In contrast, other experts see the health care industry as exceptionally recession-proof: Kiplinger.com reported that the health care industry is one of the nation's fastest-growing careers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas emphasizes the importance of health care for the job market as well as career information consultant Laurence Shatkin. On his Top 10 list of the most recession-proof jobs, Shatkin includes jobs such as registered nurse, physical therapist, dental hygienist, pharmacist and medical and health services manager.
Demand Rises For Education, Computer Systems
Challenger, Gray and Christmas, as well as Shatkin and Kiplinger, see a rising importance in educational jobs. Kiplinger reported that teachers for any grade level who specialize in math, science or bilingual education should have an easier time finding and keeping a job. College instructors also should have job security as college enrollment rises.
Geography also plays a part in job security. Teachers in fast-growing states in the South and West will have more opportunity, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
A parallel among the lists of Shatkin, Schiff and Jobfox involves the area of computer systems: According to all of them, network and system administrators, computer system analysts, data system analysts and software specialists will be in demand more than ever to maintain the U.S.' leading position in computers and high technology.
Green, Government, Delivery Jobs Stay Hot
Green jobs are also on the rise. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects environmental careers to grow 25 percent over the next decade -- much higher than the average for other occupations.
Monster Worldwide data shows a steady increase in the number of environmental job postings since 2005, particularly for engineers, protection technicians and specialists.
This growth has been fueled by economic trends, with many jobs offered in the public sector, including positions at such bureaus as the Environmental Protection Agency.
Government jobs are also among the most stable around. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that firings and layoffs happen at one-fourth of the rate in the private sector because even when businesses have to downsize, the government must continue on. Only one in every 5,000 non-defense workers is fired for poor performance each year, the Cato Institute said. And even in our digital age, stuff still needs to get from here to there, whether the trip is across the warehouse floor or around the world.
That's why jobs for laborers such as freight, stock and materials handlers are projected to increase by almost 250,000 positions from 2004 to 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many of these jobs require few skills but pay $12 to $15 an hour, about double the federal minimum wage.
No Job Is 100 Percent Secure
Except on overall bad predictions for industries related to housing and to discretionary spending, the idea of which jobs are recession-proof often differs, depending on what expert one asks.
Because of that, Shatkin concludes in his book "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs": "Nobody's job is 100 percent secure, but you can take steps to reduce your chances of being laid off in the event of an economic downturn and to increase your chances of bouncing back if you are laid off anyway."
As steps to reduce the risk of loosing one's job, J.D. Roth, author of the popular blog GetRichSlowly.org, advises his readers to develop their skill-set, to contribute valuably and to keep a positive attitude.
Because his opinion, after comparing different lists of recession proof jobs, is: "The most recession-proof job is the one you already have."
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Month2Month.com Launches the First Totally Personalized e-Cards
Senders can stamp their own personalities on free, high-quality cards at an ad-free site Month2Month.com, a young e-card Web site, announced today it is launching the first e-cards that senders can completely personalize as their own rather than using an e-card company's name. This new service offers several important innovations and features that other e-card companies do not:
-- Cards can be easily personalized with the sender's own name or
brand instead of the commercial logo of the e-card company. All of the
company's Halloween cards now have this feature, which will be
rolled out to include all of Month2Month.com's cards in the coming
weeks.
-- The site has no advertising of any kind. Month2Month.com is convinced
that many people stopped sending e-cards because they either had to pay
for them or put up with annoying, intrusive advertising, on both the
sender and the recipient ends.
-- The cards themselves bear no company or site logo to commercialize them.
Senders can feel proud to stamp their own personalities and sign their
own names on these cards.
-- Senders can choose which cards they want to personalize from a wide
variety of cards. They can even change the card sentiment from
"Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays" or "You
Are Invited" to suit their needs.
-- All of the cards on the site are free, not just a limited group, and
there is no registration required or personal information gathered for
later use.
"We have focused all of our efforts to make sure that both senders and recipients of the card have the best possible experience," explained Month2Month.com CEO John Aslanian. "This includes everything from the size of the cards (ours are larger and fill more of the screen), to the design, to the Web site itself. We want to greet our site visitors with top-notch cards in one of the last few commercial spaces on the web free of annoying, intrusive advertising, which we feel takes away from the meaning and warmth of the card."
Aslanian said he created the Web site because he was appalled at the poor quality and unimaginative products he saw at other card sites, both paid and free, and thought there was a great need in the market for top-quality free cards. "One of my biggest pet peeves is being shown irrelevant ads while looking for cards, only to find they aren't worth the wait, or the best ones aren't free. Even if you pay, the quality is not great."
On any given weekday, animators manipulate images of haunted hayrides, garden scenes, or dancing cowboys in the sunny loft studio of the company's headquarters in quiet Port Chester, N.Y. Producing the cards can be laborious; each card can take up to six weeks to make, as opposed to just a few days at larger companies. And the rewards of taking such pains to create just one card are obvious: in an independently-conducted market research survey, 90% of users surveyed said the cards were better than well-known, paid, big-brand card sites.
The cards are all made in-house and never outsourced to freelancers. "This is an extremely rare practice that speaks to our conviction that the assembly line e-cards put out by large corporations have lost their spark," Aslanian said. "Our new site reflects our commitment to providing users with a better way to say 'Boo!,' 'I love you,' or 'Happy Holidays' on the Web. We want users to see our cards as good enough to deserve their own names."
To use the company's free e-cards, visit http://www.Month2Month.com .
About Month2Month.com
Founded by John Aslanian in 2006, Month2Month.com is an Internet company located in Port Chester, N.Y., 30 miles north of New York City. Its e-card Web site, http://www.Month2Month.com, provides a broad selection of creative, high-quality, full-animation greeting cards that are totally free, on a site that contains no advertising, and doesn't require anything on the part of senders except to personalize their cards with a warm message of cheer.
SOURCE Month2Month.com
http://www.Month2Month.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
Special election website just for kids - plus find out who's winning in the kids poll
KidZui.com's Zuis of Obama and McCain
There's a new website that makes it safe for children three and up to surf the web and network with their friends... plus take part in a special election poll.
KidZui.com, designed for kids age 3-12, is a free web browser and online service - like a kid version of Facebook - that offers access more than a million kid-friendly sites and more. All of the content has been approved by the company's editorial team of trained educators and parents.
There's even a fun election section just for kids! Kid Zui says "Just as adults can support candidates on Facebook, kids using KidZui can now “befriend” Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, view each candidate’s profile page, and comment on and share content with their friends."
You can see the results of who's winning in the kids poll at kidzui.com/election2008. As of the publishing of this story, Barack Obama had been friended by the most children (with 60%).
KidZui has also been awarded the first-ever WiredTrust Best Practice Seal for a children’s site.
“The Internet’s youngest users see what their teenage brothers and sisters are doing online and want to do the same,” said Dr. Parry Aftab, Internet Privacy & Security Lawyer, Managing Director of WiredTrust. “KidZui has found the right level of social networking features to give kids a sense of community while keeping them safe. KidZui deserves the first WiredTrust Best Practice Seal for building an Internet for Kids that gives them the best of the Web, while keeping parents connected with their kids.”
KidZui.com's Zuis of Obama and McCain
There's a new website that makes it safe for children three and up to surf the web and network with their friends... plus take part in a special election poll.
KidZui.com, designed for kids age 3-12, is a free web browser and online service - like a kid version of Facebook - that offers access more than a million kid-friendly sites and more. All of the content has been approved by the company's editorial team of trained educators and parents.
There's even a fun election section just for kids! Kid Zui says "Just as adults can support candidates on Facebook, kids using KidZui can now “befriend” Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, view each candidate’s profile page, and comment on and share content with their friends."
You can see the results of who's winning in the kids poll at kidzui.com/election2008. As of the publishing of this story, Barack Obama had been friended by the most children (with 60%).
KidZui has also been awarded the first-ever WiredTrust Best Practice Seal for a children’s site.
“The Internet’s youngest users see what their teenage brothers and sisters are doing online and want to do the same,” said Dr. Parry Aftab, Internet Privacy & Security Lawyer, Managing Director of WiredTrust. “KidZui has found the right level of social networking features to give kids a sense of community while keeping them safe. KidZui deserves the first WiredTrust Best Practice Seal for building an Internet for Kids that gives them the best of the Web, while keeping parents connected with their kids.”
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