Educational Resources!

2011-02-22T20:19:00.001-08:00

2010-11-24T20:04:00.001-08:00

Tanzania Uses Wall Murals For Sex Education

Little is considered taboo in the colorful new ads, which depict everything from general condom use and masturbation to more severe topics like teen pregnancy and female genital mutilation. While the murals may often be done in a tongue-in-cheek manner, Tanzania's statistics are considerably less so. The current HIV rate hovers at about 6 percent, while 40 percent of 18-year-old girls are already mothers or currently pregnant.

Officials say the occasionally racy murals are already proving effective, and many local schools are opting to follow suit with their own sex ed walls. "If you use a photograph, people don't identify with the person," said Alex Ngaiza, HIV program manager at the health communication organization PSI. "But with a mural, everyone can relate."

2010-11-22T10:24:00.001-08:00

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

2009-04-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

2009-02-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

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.

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2009-01-05T07:55:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-13T13:51:00.001-08:00

Empowering Women and Saving Lives!

Click To Buy The Book!

2008-12-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

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."

2008-10-28T22:02:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

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.”

2008-10-02T14:28:00.001-07:00

2008-09-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Educational software firm now calls Blaine home

Infinite Campus, the largest American-owned company that manages K-12 student data, has moved into its new $20 million, 110,000 square-foot national headquarters in Blaine. The 25-acre corporate campus is located off 109th Avenue N.E. near Lochness Lake. Infinite Campus will celebrate its grand opening with a special community event Saturday, Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The afternoon will feature family-friendly activities, carnival games, food and building tours. (Photos Courtesy of Infinite Campus)

Chief Executive Officer Charlie Kratsch had three primary goals when developing a $20million corporate headquarters in Blaine. The koi pond and climbing wall weren’t extras in his overall building plan.

Employees have a nickname for the futuristic 110,000 square-foot building located off 109th Avenue N.E and Lexington Avenue. They call it the mothership.

The description is apt, since the stunning facility is home to Infinite Campus, the largest American-owned company that manages K-12 student data.

Kratsch said his company needed a place to grow and retain productive employees. Its former business site in Arden Hills had become too small.

“We’ve got the space we need here, and the interior environment fosters creativity,” Kratsch said. “You are not in a cubicle or office. Here, it’s wide open.”

Secondly, as Infinite Campus continues to grow, the company needs to be able to attract quality employees in a highly competitive industry, he said.

“This facility is a phenomenal recruiting tool,” Kratsch said. “We’ve seen that during the three weeks that we’ve been here.” The building opened Aug. 4.

Computer software design candidates have been impressed with the Infinite Campus facility as well as the company’s corporate culture, Kratsch said.

“They might be Medtronic, 3M or Microsoft interviewees. They all say this is a place they want to work,” he said.

Finally, Infinite Campus’ new headquarters complements the company’s branding, high-quality and creative approach to business, according to Kratsch.

“We are not the low-cost vendor on the market,” Kratsch said. “Our customers and prospects see that when they come here. The building reflects our brand.”

The building design reflects the Infinite Campus corporate culture. Visitors and employees enter through a large rotunda that’s illuminated with natural light.

A chef prepares meals for employees, who dine for free in a cafeteria that overlooks Lochness Lake. Bike and walking trails lead into the park next door.

Extending from the rotunda is a pair of two-story wings. Each section is just shy of the length and width of a regulation football field and is theme-decorated.

The west wing features eastern Asia plants and the aforementioned fish pond while the east wing has a western, mountain theme and the climbing wall.

Building columns serve as giant light figures, similar to the engineering deck of the USS Enterprise, the fictional ship from the television series “Star Trek.”

Kratsch said Infinite Campus currently employs 230 at its Blaine headquarters. That total will increase to more than 300 employees by Christmas, he said.

Rough concepts for a second building on the 25-acre site are already in design, Kratsch said. That’s because the company continues its fast-paced growth.

“This building is designed for slightly more than 400 people,” he said. “A year-and-a-half from now, we will have to have that second building up.”

One unseen yet highly critical feature in the new building is the Infinite Campus data center, which is located in a secure bunker-like room, Kratsch said.

“There is more student data stored there than anywhere in the country,” he said. “It was the first thing built. If a tornado hits, that’s where I want to be.”

And because the company handles large amounts of highly confidential data, the new corporate campus had to include plenty of security, Kratsch said.

“There are cameras everywhere,” he said. “Part of the design challenge with this building was making it open but secure. We accomplished that.”

Infinite Campus plans to work closely with the Centennial School District to bring in classes to use the climbing wall and campus grounds, Kratsch said.

“We want to integrate with the city and the school district,” Kratsch said. “We never want our employees to forget who is on the other end of our software.”

Infinite Campus will celebrate its national headquarters grand opening with a special community event Saturday, Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The public is invited to join Kratsch and company employees for an afternoon of family-friendly activities, carnival games, food and building tours.

“We were very fortunate to be able to purchase land that not only meets our needs, but complements the city park,” Kratsch said. “This site is phenomenal.”

2008-08-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

WildFireWeb Offers Free School Websites to All 130,000 Public and Private K-12 Schools Nationwide

WebSchoolPro Poised to Save Schools Millions in Website Creation and Maintenance

WildFireWeb(R), Inc., a Northern California company founded by education technology professionals, is now offering free WebSchoolPro(TM) websites to all 130,000 public and private K-12 schools in the United States. Piloted in 15 California school districts from 2006 through 2008, WebSchoolPro is now available nationwide, enabling any school or district to quickly create and easily maintain their own website at no cost.

"In an era when schools have limited time, budgets and resources, WebSchoolPro websites empower educators with simple tools that encourage and improve communication, participation, and fundraising efforts," said Blaine Transue, co-founder and CEO of WildFireWeb. "To succeed, our schools, teachers, and students need and deserve the same technological advantages and opportunities as businesses."
WebSchoolPro's free school websites, based on patent-pending technology, liberate schools and districts from the high cost of website creation and maintenance by providing simple tools that enable total control over web content from any computer with a browser and internet connection.

Any K-12 school in the US can create their new free website in less than five minutes using WebSchoolPro's automated signup. Schools outside of the US can sign up for their free school website by using a simple request form online.
Authorized users can edit their secure website as easily as working with word processing or e-mail software, from within any standard web browser. No special hardware or software is required, and there is no limit to the number of pages or amount of content a site can contain.

With a WebSchoolPro free school website, teachers can create virtual classrooms with expandable space for updates, notes, assignments, files, resources, image galleries, calendars and blogs as well as tap into professional resources and networks. Parents can stay in touch through online forums and a built-in alert system. Educators and staff can revise announcements, schedules and other mission critical information as often as necessary.

Advertising on school property can be controversial, but, according to Transue, "It can be done responsibly so that all parties win. There are many appropriate sponsors interested in supporting our education institutions. We work closely with schools and advertisers to ensure success for everyone involved."

Two standard options are available. Under the free model, school websites are fully supported by approved, conscientious sponsors and advertisers. Schools interested in a non-advertising based solution can pay a fixed annual fee that covers all costs or their website. District and volume pricing programs are also available.

California's Sonoma Valley Unified School District was the first to sign up and convert all of their schools. "WebSchoolPro enables us to immediately share vital information within our district and community," said former Superintendent Barbara Young. "Our departments, schools, teachers and staff now maintain their own websites and pages quickly and easily at no cost."

To sign up for or learn more about WebSchoolPro, visit http://www.webschoolpro.com. Principals or district administrators can call 707-789-0769 or email info@webschoolpro.com to request an activation code.

About WildFireWeb
WildFireWeb, Inc., provides innovative web-based technology solutions for business, education, and nonprofit organizations. Headquartered in Petaluma, Calif., the company was founded in 2005 by Blaine Transue and Steve Sweet, who have assisted education communities with technology services and support for more than 20 years. For more information, visit http://www.wildfireweb.com or call 707-789-0769.

Information Contact:
Blaine Transue, CEO
WildFireWeb, Inc.
707-789-0769
btransue@wildfireweb.com
http://www.wildfireweb.com
http://webschoolpro.com

SOURCE WildFireWeb, Inc.
http://www.wildfireweb.com

2008-08-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

Book examines four new teachers' experience at Watts' Locke High School

Donna Foote spent a year at troubled Locke High School in Watts observing and documenting the workaday struggles of four new teachers.

In her recently published book, "Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches With Teach For America," Foote delves into the lives of the teachers she met and reveals much about the high school.

Locke is in transition: The Los Angeles Unified School District turned it over last month to Green Dot Public Schools, a charter operator that plans to break Locke up into eight smaller campuses to boost student performance.

The teachers Foote chronicled during the 2005-06 school year were hired through Teach For America, a national group that places recent college graduates in urban schools and requires them to teach for at least two years. In the L.A. region, Locke had more teachers from the group than any other school. The teachers Foote followed -- Phillip Gedeon, Hrag Hamalian, Taylor Rifkin and Rachelle Snyder -- have remained in education; only one, Gedeon, had expected teaching to be his career.

Here is an interview with Foote, a former correspondent for Newsweek who lives in Manhattan Beach, on the eve of Locke's transformation.

You say that resources weren't a problem at Locke; rather, the school has "no culture of achievement." What did you mean by that?

For the last 20 years, the school has been flat-lining. . . . It's a very large school situated in a very bad neighborhood. Unstable gang and crime problems. Unstable families, a large immigrant population, many of whom are not conversant in English. A whole culture of poverty that leads to a lack of a culture of achievement.

How can that be reversed?

There are models out there in schools in equally bad neighborhoods that can exploit the natural gifts these kids have. The Green Dot model is one. I think smaller is better, but for my money the most important ingredient is the quality of teaching. A disproportionate number of lower-achieving teachers tend to end up at places like Locke. Having said that, you and I know there are a lot of great, dedicated teachers there. There's just not enough of them. . . . I absolutely did not meet a single kid who didn't want to learn.

How about parents? Did you sense they are too busy with their own working lives to get involved?

The school really hasn't made an effort to reach out to them. It didn't happen. I found this really interesting: Whenever some of the teachers had real problems and called a parent, inevitably the parent would say this was the first time they'd ever heard from a teacher and things would turn around. . . . What I saw is that if you really reach out to them, of course they want their kids to achieve.

You had such great access to the teachers and students. You wrote about their lives, personally and professionally. Did you even attend the field trips that you wrote about?

Yes, I went on the trip to Catalina. What really sticks with me is this: There were four or five adults and 20 kids. There was no bus, so the adults drove the kids home and to the boat. I had four boys in my car Friday afternoon. They asked if we could stop at a McDonald's. We get in the drive-through lane and I say it's too long. I said, "Let's park and go inside." They said: "We can't." They looked a little sheepish. They had on blue. It was Bloods [gang] territory. It kind of broke my heart. Their lives are so circumscribed: They can't go to McDonald's without fearing for their lives.

What's happening to the four teachers that you followed? Are they staying in education?

Yes, they are all still in education. . . . I have to say one of the things I took from my experience is what an amazing generation this is, so smart, so driven. . . . I feel very lucky to have met them and shared this journey.

How did you decide to write about Teach For America?

I had been watching Teach For America since the beginning. I began keeping clips, but I never thought I had a good peg. My niece had done it. In the spring of 2005, I saw a little press release that said 12% of the graduating class at Yale had applied for TFA and 11% at Harvard and Princeton. . . . It struck me how interesting to see how we educate our most impoverished through the eyes of our most privileged.

Here are some excerpts from the book:

But what really got [Gedeon] that week was the realization that, at Locke, he really was considered one of the best teachers. That was crazy! If I'm one of the best, what does that say about everyone else? He knew his kids were learning and achieving. But he was a first-year teacher; he had so much more to learn. He was only doing what should be the norm for every teacher: setting high expectations, holding his kids accountable, and working his butt off. There was nothing amazing about it. It should have been standard operating procedure.

[Taylor Rifkin] felt so good about what she was doing that she would have taught at Locke High School without pay. This is the biggest accomplishment I've ever had -- maybe the biggest I ever will have.

These kids had so much anger. Their short fuses freaked Taylor out. Even the girls were explosive -- even the ones you didn't think had it in them sometimes erupted. Through her tears, Taylor made some decisions. The next unit she taught would be about race.

Several kids were primary school readers. The rest were not much farther ahead. The kids had biology textbooks, but they were stacked along the walls; no one could read them.

There were no systems in place at Locke. Teachers hoarded supplies, and books that had been ordered and paid for were never distributed . . . and the school counselors didn't have functioning computers. There was a budget, estimated to be around 20 million dollars, but nobody ever saw it. . . . The adults at Locke were failing the kids.

2008-07-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Reston Company Unveils a New Name in Online Learning Resources

A Washington-area nonprofit has changed its name to align with its greatly expanded mission. Network for Instructional TV, Inc. (NITV) one of the country's most respected companies supporting education with technology, is now The Source for Learning, Inc. ( http://www.sourceforlearning.org).

NITV was created in 1979 to advance the effective use of instructional video, especially in underserved schools. Since then, the organization has earned acclaim for its expertise in the productive use of technology in K-12 and early learning settings -- not only video but the newest technologies that can make teaching and learning more effective.

The company has created innovative nonprofit web-based learning resources that are used in every state and more than 50 countries. TeachersFirst.com supports K-12 classroom teachers with technology tips and extensive online content; PreschoolFirst.com is valued by early learning professionals in preschools, Head Start centers, and Pre-K programs; and TeachersAndFamilies.com offers a wealth of resources developed by teachers for students and their parents. The name change to Source for Learning reflects the depth and breadth of these offerings.

Source for Learning's services -- many provided at no charge -- are supported by a novel funding mix. All administrative costs are covered by royalties derived from excess capacity on the company's licensed educational broadband channels. Donations from generous individuals and organizations help to expand the educational offerings and create new services. It is a unique and mutually beneficial public-private partnership.

Steven J. Gorski, President and CEO of Source for Learning, said, "We're proud of the benefits we provide to thousands of teachers and families. Building on the vision and talents of our Board and staff, we'll soon be announcing a new service that will make Source for Learning an even more significant force in online learning resources."
The Source for Learning's services can be found on the web: www.teachersfirst.com, www.preschoolfirst.com, and www.teachersandfmilies.com.

2008-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Software brings promise of a makeover for music

By Tom Spalding

After another long workday last week, Ken Lemons opened a book that plays recorded bird songs and let the throaty call of the tufted puffin take flight on the office's speaker system.

The sound launched chuckles among the 18 employees in the Downtown office of Musical DNA Software. But it's the startup's computer interpretation of such sounds that they hope will be taken seriously in fields ranging from music education to high-tech science and medicine, and even voice-powered security systems.
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Musical DNA is just four to six weeks away from the launch of its first product, a software program that imports sounds from a piano or other musical instrument and turns them into a color-coded rainbow that precisely plots each note on a circular grid on a user's computer screen.

"It's essentially a visual translation of the language of music," said Lemons, 34, who founded the company in 2006.

The hope is that the software will launch a new way of teaching and learning music. Instead of playing notes from sheet music, students could learn -- or even compose music -- by visualizing the notes on Musical DNA's colorful grid.

The approach is winning the confidence of music enthusiasts, investors and the Indiana Economic Development Corp.

After raising more than $1 million from angel investors, Musical DNA last month landed up to $1.1 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $48,500 in training grants from the state in exchange for its plans to add 100 people to its staff at the Stutz Business Center by 2015.

Musical DNA will start by selling the software on its Web site, but it hopes to use the technology for other projects. It is developing three prototype concept toys and is in discussions with computer and game companies to manufacture other products.

The toys include:

A projector that attaches to a child's crib, projecting color-coded animated geometry of music of whatever source the parent desires.

A 12-note Simon Says game of musical geometry that teaches basic shapes of sound in a game format, including connect-the-dots.

A child's guitar, with four buttons: happy, sad, spooky, dreamy -- the four basic triangles of musical sound.

Trained musicians see huge potential for the software.

"It can be explosively profitable," said G. David Peters, director at Indiana University School of Music in Indianapolis, who says a new way of looking at tunes has market potential in the MP3 age.

Nearly a third of the 4,000 undergraduates in the music school on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus take online classes and would be comfortable with this learning method, he says.

"We use every visual combined multimedia trick you can imagine . . . but we (now) have this linear, two-dimensional view of music. It's not a stretch of the imagination that Ken is thinking of this in three and four dimensions."

And not just with music, but with all sorts of sounds.

Musical DNA has applied for more than 40 patents and has at least eight trademarks filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The company has been gaining attention by appearing at toy and licensing expos across the country.

The patents would apply to uses such as music visualization, voice and sound identification, instrument tuning, speech therapy and interpretation of sounds such as heartbeats for medical applications.

Steve Campbell, former Indianapolis deputy mayor, recently joined the company in a legal and marketing role. He also plays bass. He said musicians and music teachers grasp Lemons' concepts "right off the bat."

For people without a musical background, the software requires more explanation. But, Campbell adds, "Literally every time I tell somebody about it they say 'you can use it for X, Y and Z.' "

The multiple uses reflect Lemons' varied interests. As a college student, he attended five universities and had eight majors over 13 years. His areas of study included engineering, anthropology, oil painting, sociology, theater and sound design. Ultimately, he earned a bachelor's degree in piano performance from the University of Nebraska and a master's degree in music from Butler University.

One thing he has settled on is his music software.

Lemons likes the fact that his invention is hitting the market at a time when computer users have grown accustomed to games like Guitar Hero that also use musical color-coding, albeit in a much more simplistic way.

The game uses a guitar-shaped controller to simulate the playing of music, represented on-screen by colored notes that correspond to colored fret buttons on the controller. And it has legions of loyal fans across the globe.

Could Musical DNA be the next big hit?

"I can think of no better time than this," Lemons said. Call Star reporter Tom Spalding at (317) 444-6202.

2008-06-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Smart Maintains Education Priority

Smart Technologies demonstrated the features of its new Meeting Pro software for interactive whiteboards during a luncheon Wednesday afternoon at InfoComm 08. Other topics on the menu included several non-whiteboard technologies that emphasize the company's focus on education, plus solutions for corporate environments.

CEO Nancy Knowlton began the presentation by announcing that Smart's millionth whiteboard would be shipped by August and boasting the company's significant growth over the past five years, all while emphasizing her points using the Smart electronic red pen on a Smart Sympodium.

The first of many products announced was the interactive display frame, which ships in August. Adjusting to fit most display sizes from 42 inches to 65 inches, the frame turns any off-the-shelf plasma screen into a touch system.

Stating that the senior-level management of companies spend more than 75 percent of its time in meetings, Knowlton then introduced a series of corporate solutions, including the Meeting Pro software, which connects one or more displays located in the same room or around the world. A short demonstration showed how one person in the room could make changes to a displayed document at the same time as a remotely located person.

Likewise, the Smart Hub SE collaboration appliance provides basic whiteboard conferencing without a PC, enabling participants to write over any application—including video—and save their notes. The Hub PE offers the same function, except it has the Meeting Pro software pre-installed. Additional features include handwriting recognition, which converts written words to typeface; text manipulation, allowing users to rotate words on the screen; the ability to take a picture of and save the edited file; and use multiple displays simultaneously to showcase more than one file.

Emphasizing that Smart Technologies is not just a whiteboard company, but also a solutions company, Knowlton introduced products that address other aspects of education. First citing the Senteo Interactive Response System and how it integrates with Smart's Notebook software, she went on to describe Smart Audio for the K-12 market. Quoting a study that found students only hear 70 percent of what a teacher says, Knowlton stated that an amplification system like Smart Audio is an important solution that "may reduce the misdiagnosis of child learning disabilities."

The system is designed to improve the audibility of teacher and student voices in the classroom and includes an IR receiver, teacher microphone, student microphone, two mic chargers, a ceiling IR sensor, and four ceiling- or wall-mounted loudspeakers.

2008-06-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Software makes teaching, learning languages easier

Moodle is well known in language classes at Bob Jones High School, as is Audacity. Moodle and Audacity aren't students with bizarre names but two software tools that apply technology in classroom study to enhance impromptu speaking skills.

Language students in Advanced Placement French with Angela Mooney and AP Spanish with Jeidi Nez, a National Board Certified Teacher, are using the software.

Audacity is a free program for download from the Internet. "It works like a compact disc player but allows you to record your voice" by headset microphone, Nez said. Students practice speaking and listening with Audacity in laptop labs.

Mooney and Nez can grade work after students download their MP3 files to Moodle software, which Nez describes as a safe, educational version of Facebook or MySpace.

Moodle is accessible only for AP students with accounts at Bob Jones. Mooney and Nez can grade students' work at home, while students can work at their own pace, similar to an online class.

Moodle allows the teacher to test and prepare worksheets, journals and blogs. "It's an amazing tool," Nez said.

For foreign language, the software allows teachers to give more immediate and individual feedback on speaking and writing skills. "We don't feel as bogged down by the limitations of paper and pen."

State and national standards are reducing the importance of paper evaluations alone. Foreign language education has a much larger emphasis on every element of communication now, she said.

If a student is absent or checks out, he or she still (can) do the work without falling behind, Nez said.

Previously, language classes used tapes and recorders. "That was madness. Students would have to rewind, fast forward, find a plug. Grading was so much slower," Nez said.

Moreover, tapes and recorders don't simulate real conversation. "With Moodle, they put in the CD, hear the question and immediately respond and record," she said. "Real-life communication is the key."

Blending software and hardware creates a virtual-type language lab, no longer a separate room with static equipment. A teacher no longer reserves a classroom for computers and no one lugs equipment. "The laptop lab comes to us. All programs are already there."

Huijia Wu, a senior, believes Audacity is more efficient than traditional tape recorders. "It has a very user-friendly interface and creates MP3 files that allow teachers to evaluate speaking exercises electronically."

Like her classmates, Huijia has a Moodle account that allows enrollment in different classes. "As long as I obtain the access code from the respective teachers," she said. Then, she can upload files directly from any computer to the class Web page and the teacher can download the files for grading.

Prerequisites for AP study are level 1-4 classes, a teacher recommendation and solid writing skills. "Native speakers are given special consideration but still must take a rigorous test before skipping levels," Nez said.

Currently, AP Spanish and French courses are offered. Bob Jones plans to add AP Spanish literature, French literature and Latin next year.

2008-05-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Web charities help teachers equip classrooms

Teachers accustomed to paying for supplies out of their own pockets are now looking online for benefactors Elana Militzok started the school year at Oakland Park Elementary with a bare kindergarten classroom -- and a secret weapon to fill it.

By spring, the room was teeming with brightly colored educational toys, art supplies, markers, puzzles, writing journals, recess equipment and books. The supplies, worth thousands of dollars, came from strangers who saw Militzok's pleas for funding on a website called DonorsChoose.org.

''You can be a great teacher, but unless you have the materials to teach with, it's hard,'' Militzok said.

On the site, educators write detailed proposals about items they need and explain how they will be used. Online philanthropists can fund a portion or all of the project, and the charity buys the supplies and ships them to the school. All donors get an e-card from the teacher, and those who give more than $100 or who give the last amount to fulfill the need get photos and handwritten thank-you cards from students and the teacher.

Donors have fulfilled 11 projects for Militzok's class this year.

At a time when school budgets are tight, educators say the website -- which received the highest rating from Charity Navigator -- provides an opportunity to give students resources that schools, parent groups and the teachers themselves couldn't afford. All donations to DonorsChoose.org are tax deductible.

Founder Charles Best, a former teacher in the Bronx, was frustrated by the meager resources available when he and colleagues came up with the idea more than seven years ago.

''Most of us would spend our own money on basic copy paper and pencils,'' said Best, 32. ``For the most part, we saw our students going without the materials they needed for a good education.''

The site was first available only to New York City public school teachers, then spread to a handful of states. It expanded to the rest of the country in the fall; so far, Florida teachers have received about $165,000 in goods from donors in 38 states.

By early May, 95 proposals had been funded in Miami-Dade for almost $36,000. In Broward, 27 had been funded for more than $8,300.

''There are so many things that we have to buy as teachers,'' said Melody Gutierrez, a Miami Park Elementary teacher who also uses the site. ``It's allowed me to do a lot more fun things and be more creative with my kids during lessons. It makes the classroom a nicer place.''

Thanks to the charity, Gutierrez has outfitted her second-grade classroom with a giant carpet that bears a map of the United States, seat covers that hold kids' books, a listening center so students can practice reading aloud, a Dr. Seuss library, miniature whiteboards for kids to write on and even pencils and crayons.

`LOT OF NEW STUFF'

''The first day of school, we didn't have any good stuff,'' said 9-year-old Taurrian Stafford. But, he said, after Gutierrez went online and asked for supplies, ``we got a lot and a lot of new stuff and our room got good.''

The website has given Gutierrez, who like Militzok found out about the website while teaching in New York, the chance to talk to her students about giving.

Other sites, including iLoveSchools.com and Miami-based www.adoptaclassroom.org, offer services similar to DonorsChoose.org. Experts say these organizations are examples of how online social interaction is connecting people with needs to those who want to help.

''It's another magical solution to some of the nation's persistent problems with inequity,'' said Claire Gaudiani, a professor of philanthropy and fundraising at the Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University. ``It's driven by the young generation, and that's a very good sign for America.''

She said the kids who receive the donated supplies ``are learning the power of generosity.''

Donors say they like being able to choose specific projects to fund, and getting feedback after students have received the supplies.

Wendy Cole, office manager at MBR Construction in Fort Lauderdale, said the family business has funded two proposals, including buying safety goggles for students to use in science class at Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary in Miami. The thank-you notes from the students were ''one of the greatest things about it,'' she said.

''They were so sweet and honest,'' Cole said. ``Truly, we all had tears in our eyes when we were reading the letters.''

SOMEBODY CARES

Andrew Navratil is the Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary teacher who wrote the proposal for the safety goggles, which his students have used many times.

''It makes you feel like somebody really cares about my school and my students because they chose our project,'' he said.

Militzok and Gutierrez, both former teachers in New York who moved to South Florida this school year -- have spread the word to their colleagues about the website, and several other teachers have since gotten supplies.

''Nobody really understood how incredible it was and how worth it it was until they saw me every day walking out of the office with huge boxes,'' Militzok said.

The children who learn the lesson of philanthropy aren't only recipients.

Matthew Nadel, a third-grader at Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, is allowed by his parents to pick a charity every month for a $100 donation.

Recently, he split the money between a few projects on DonorsChoose.org and got pictures and thank-you letters back.

''It made me feel like I was proud of myself that they really appreciated it,'' said Matthew, 9.

''It really brought home the message to my son that you're making a difference,'' said his father, Phil Nadel. ``You don't get that feedback with very many charities.''

Join the discussion
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2008-05-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Useful Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers and Students

In this issue's column, 1 am introducing several useful Web 2.0 tools to those of you who are just beginning to use the read/write Web in your school library program. These tools enable many types of student and teacher collaboration.

ONLINE COLLABORATION AND DOCUMENT STORAGE
Google Docs, available from the "More" button on the main Google page, is a free online work-sharing tool that has many potential uses for students and teachers. It enables users to create or import existing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that they can edit and upload to Google storage space. The documents, spreadsheets, and presentations are stored online and can then be accessed and edited from any computer by using a web browser.

Users can invite others to collaboratively read and edit uploaded material. There is even a mechanism to enable multiple individuals to view and make changes at the same time using an onscreen chat window. Presentations can be viewed by groups of people in various places simultaneously or separately. Documents can be organized into folders and can be viewed in various versions. Students can use Google docs to take research notes, upload them, and then write and edit research essays and presentations, inviting their teachers and other students to view and comment on various drafts. Teachers can create access for groups of students to work collaborattvery on group research assignments, with the ability to monitor and comment on their progress online. Google Docs is on its way to becoming a "ubiquitous" application in many high schools and colleges, one that is in such wide use that it is assumed that most know how to use it. Is it ubiquitous in your school?

SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Del.icio.us, available at http://del.icio.us, is being used by millions of people to store and organize their bookmarks online rather than on their browser. This, of course, allows them to access them from any computer and add to and edit them from any computer. As well, because these bookmarks can be shared publicly, users can search the resources others have tagged using similar keywords.

Del.icio.us can be used in schools in many ways. Students doing research assignments can use Del.icio.us to keep track of materials they find online and can look up similarly tagged bookmarks. Pathfinders for student projects can be created, and teachers can organize "reading lists" of online material (including podcasts) they want students to read and listen to. Because it is a collaborative tool, Del.icio.us can be used by groups of students (using a shared user name) to collect and organize relevant bookmarks for use in group project work.

PHOTO SHARING AND SLIDESHOW CREATION AND SHARING
Flickr, available at www.flickr.com, is one of the earliest read/ write web tools and has grown to gigantic proportions. Providing online management of photographs, Flickr enables users to upload and share photos publicly or privately and allows them to organize photos collaborativety in sets by allowing users to give others permission to add comments, notes, and tags to posted photos.

Because all photo files are tagged, they are easily searchable. Currently, Flickr allows registered users to upload 100 MB per month free and offers unlimited uploading for $25 a year. Many schools now use Flickr as a way to mount slideshow presentations, as a way of highlighting student work, recording special school events, and marketing services and programs. You can highlight your school's library program by uploading photo sets to Flickr and by creating a slideshow and posting it online.

Slide, available at www.slide.com, offers a simple sequential way to create slideshows and then post them on web sites, blogs, and wikis.

Another simple to use online tool, Bookr, available at www.pirnpampum .net/bookr, also enables users to create and share their own captioned slideshows.

One True Media, available at www .onetruernedia.com/otm_site/ public_hom e, provides an easy way to create slideshows with added text, music, and images.

Show Beyond, available at www .showbeyond.com/show /home, enables users to create and share multimedia stories as "slidecasts" incorporating images, sound, and text.

2008-04-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

TeachStreet Closes Series A Round of $2.25 Million

Madrona Venture Group and Bezos Expeditions lead first round of funding for new company dedicated to connecting teachers and students online.

TeachStreet, a new company dedicated to helping students find great local teachers, today announced that it has closed a $2.25 million Series A round of venture financing. The round was led by Madrona Venture Group, with participation by Bezos Expeditions and several strategic Seattle angel investors, including current and former Amazon.com executives Jeff Blackburn, Michael George, Jason Kilar (currently CEO at Hulu.com), Kim Rachmeler, and Joel Spiegel; former CEO of Expedia, Erik Blachford; founder of ProgrammableWeb, John Musser; and former RealNetworks' executive and current co-founder of Athena IQ, Dave Richards.

TeachStreet was founded by Dave Schappell, a former Director of Product Development at Amazon.com who most recently served as Vice President of Marketing at JibJab, the viral digital media studio. Proceeds from this first round of funding will be used to launch the company's service in new markets, enhance product development, support sales and marketing initiatives, and attract new talent. Unveiled today in the Seattle market, TeachStreet features a comprehensive guide to more than 25,000 Seattle-based teachers, classes, instructors, and schools to provide both teachers and students with a better way to find one another.

Bezos Expeditions is particularly interested in investing in marketplace-oriented communities that bring together distinct audiences in a fun and engaging manner
"TeachStreet has quickly evolved from an idea on a white board to a company and a product that delivers great value to teachers and students," said Scott Jacobson, a Principal with Madrona Venture Group, a leading investor in early-stage technology companies in the Pacific Northwest. "This is a testament to Dave, his vision for the company, and the strength of the team he has assembled. While the demand for local learning is vast and growing rapidly, the marketplace is highly fragmented, and students often lack the information they need to find the teachers and courses that best meet their needs. TeachStreet solves this problem for students and teachers, and we look forward to helping the company continue to execute against its vision."

In conjunction with closing its first round of funding, TeachStreet added two high technology business veterans to its Board of Directors, including Scott Jacobson and Dave McClure, a Silicon Valley investor and strategic advisor to numerous start-ups. To further assist the company's growth, TeachStreet has also formed a Board of Advisors, including Amazon.com executive Jeff Blackburn, and Gregg Spiridellis, co-founder and CEO-Guy of JibJab. The rest of the TeachStreet team includes product development veterans with deep experience in community development, Web 2.0 technologies, affiliate marketing, and search engine optimization from such companies as Amazon.com, Getty Images, JibJab, Jobster, and Zillow.

"Bezos Expeditions is particularly interested in investing in marketplace-oriented communities that bring together distinct audiences in a fun and engaging manner," said Melinda Lewison, a Senior Investment Associate with Bezos Expeditions, a personal investment company of Jeff Bezos. "This is a hugely underserved market at present, and we think the application of Web 2.0 technologies to a hypertargeted audience of teachers and local experts, who have traditionally relied on coffeehouse posters and Craigslist postings, presents a significant opportunity to build a high-growth online-to-offline community-based business model."

"TeachStreet was created to address the huge gap that currently exists in the market for students and teachers to not only find one another but also increase the likelihood that they're a perfect fit," said Dave Schappell, founder and CEO of TeachStreet. "We believe that having such a strong group of investors from the very start significantly improves our chances of realizing our goals."

About Madrona Venture Group
Madrona has been investing in early-stage technology companies in the Pacific Northwest since 1995 and has been privileged to play a role in some of the region's most successful technology ventures. The firm invests predominately in seed and Series A rounds across the information technology spectrum including consumer Internet, commercial software and services, digital media and advertising, networking and infrastructure, and wireless. Madrona currently manages over $425 million and was an early investor in companies such as AdReady, Classmates.com, Farecast, Redfin, and ShareBuilder. To learn more, visit www.madrona.com.

About TeachStreet
Founded in June 2007, TeachStreet is dedicated to helping students find great local teachers, and empowering teachers with robust online tools to manage their teaching business. The free site provides the information that students need to make a good decision about their learning experiences, including student reviews and teacher recommendations, pricing information, location, teacher background and training, and more. TeachStreet is headquartered in Seattle, WA and backed by Madrona Venture Group. For more information, visit www.TeachStreet.com.

2008-03-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

US credit crunch hits education as banks abandon student loans

One of America’s leading banking associations has given warning that the United States faces a growing educational apartheid as some lenders withdraw from student loans amid new evidence that the credit crisis has spread across all types of borrowing.

In the past fortnight, some banks, including HSBC, have pulled out of the $85 billion (£42 billion) a year US student loans market, fuelling anxiety that the turmoil that hit debt markets on Wall Street last summer is spilling over into the wider economy and making credit more difficult to secure for ordinary American households.

In the US, many undergraduates take out a federal guaranteed loan and top up their financial needs with a private loan from lenders such as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Citi-group. In the academic year 2005-06, $17 billion in private student loans was used to finance higher education.

Banks have become reluctant to offer private student loans because worsening credit conditions have meant that they cannot package up the loans and sell them on.

Although the brightest students who win places at America’s rich Ivy League universities will be affected less because of generous bursaries - which do not have to be repaid – less able students applying to other institutions are expected to face difficulty in securing private loans to fund their study. At one end of the field is Harvard University, with $34 billion of endowments, and at the other are many community colleges and low-tier universities with limited resources.

Joe Belew, president of the Consumer Bankers’ Association, said: “Some of the banks are getting out. Part of the reason is that Congress has cut the fees they could charge, making some loans pretty much unprofitable. But part of the reason is that they can’t securitise the debt. The problems they have had with mortgage-backed debt – it’s the same thing at play in student lending.

“We have talked to some of the banks about this. It’s a painful decision to pull out because of the nature of the clientele – everyone wants to be in the business of helping people get ahead, but at the end of the day you still have to deliver value to shareholders. At the moment, it’s a fine line between hanging in there and pulling out. It’s a murky situation.

“If the overall market is contracting, then those students with poor credit scores or without the rich uncle co-signers [loan guarantor] may have real problems funding themselves.”

Last week, Iowa Student Loan said that it would soon stop offering private loans altogether. The group, which made 29,000 student loans last year, said: “This is really a reaction to the economy’s recent situation, the sub-prime market in particular.”

Within the past fortnight, Montana Higher Education Student Assistance Corp said that a lack of appetite for buying debt such as student loans had led to its interest costs to finance such borrowing rising by a tenth, or $3.4 million, since the beginning of February.

Several members of Congress have urged the Bush Administration to stabilise the market after the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities gave warning that student loans have become far harder and costlier to obtain since the credit crisis.

Last October, as the credit crisis on Wall Street was gathering pace, Washington introduced legislation limiting the returns that banks could extract from student loans.

Concern over funding for students is also spreading to Ivy League institutions. The University of Pennsylvania’s head of financial aid, William Schilling, has just written to banks demanding assurances they will continue to offer student loans.

Speaking to The Times, Dr Schilling said: “We want the banks to tell us whether they will continue to offer [federal] loans and private loans for the next academic year. The key thing is not just whether they will lend at all, but what the terms will be.”

Dr Schilling said that although some of the loans are guaranteed by Washington and are therefore “very low risk”, the market for them “has just gone away”.

2008-03-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

Kids with knack for computers help classmates, teachers

The Edison Middle School students in the computer lab after school are making "sprites," images they'll use to play a computer game. They'll learn how to program the images to move them around in a virtual room they build.

It's not homework. The members of an after-school computer club are learning to use Game Maker software because it's fun. But it also builds their computer skills and knowledge, says Laurie Jacob, the instructional technology specialist at Edison.
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A few students are helping the others learn. The students are not only teaching each other. They're teaching the teachers how to use software programs. They're helping in computer lab classes. They're troubleshooting problems with equipment.

They are an important part of the school's technology program, Jacob says.

Several years ago, the money for an aide who did computer maintenance and troubleshooting at Edison was cut from the school's budget. Jacob noticed that a number of students liked to hang around the computer lab. So she began training some of them.

"I would watch for students who had some knowledge ... or just really wanted to help others," she said. "If you were teaching something, they'd hop up and go help somebody who was a little bit behind."

The Edison Tech Squad was born. The students meet during their lunch period and learn how to use the school's software programs, how to identify common computer problems and how to maintain the wireless laptops.

The students also help with Tech Tuesdays – districtwide computer training sessions for teachers – and they teach other students during the after-school computer club, as well as in the computer labs. They taught an animation program to students in an art class.

They've put together presentations with photos and video for the monthly student convocations at the school and taken field trips to Parkland College and Volition.

"Some people think it's all boring and stuff," said eighth-grader Kayce Paine. "(But) sometimes we get to do animation and games. It's not all manuals and boring stuff."

Eighth-grader Samone Thompson likes using a lab management program that lets a teacher and students see each other's screens, to better demonstrate something and monitor who is having difficulty or not doing the work.

"I like that, being able to keep people from doing what they're not supposed to do," Samone said.

"If a student is having trouble, they can watch what you're doing and understand it more so they can do it by themselves next time," Kayce added.

Clark Chen and Jody Hankel, both seventh-graders, used computers a lot before they got to middle school. Clark has done some programming, and both boys wanted to learn more. Mariam Saadah, a sixth-grade student, likes to know how technology works and how it does different things. Seventh-grader Adrian Rochelle likes helping with Tech Tuesdays and working with the Smart Board, an interactive white board.

Kayce said the tech squad gets to know other students in the school by helping in computer labs.

The students are sometimes allowed to leave class to help in the computer lab or with a piece of equipment. But Jacob said they need the permission of their teachers to do so, and they must be keeping up with their homework to participate. Jacob keeps copies of their schedules and they don't leave any core class periods.

Jacob's favorite part of her job is working with students.

She needs to be able to trust the students, because they have access to codes and keys for the equipment not available to other students. Along with the trust comes the respect of their classmates, Jacob said, when they see the tech squad members given the responsibility of moving and maintaining the equipment.

It also gives them a boost to provide help to other students and to teachers.

"It's interesting for them to see, wow, teachers struggle with things too," Jacob said.

"They're giving help rather than always feeling like they need help. I definitely think it helps their self-esteem," she continued. "It's fun be around other people who enjoy the same thing. They make friends across the grade levels. It gives them confidence, where you get it and can pass your knowledge on to somebody else."

Plus, she said, "We just have a lot of fun."

2008-02-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

Education students can now earn dual degrees

The Neag School of Education has introduced a new dual degree program, in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, that gives students an opportunity to earn a teaching degree and, simultaneously, a degree in a specific discipline.

The dual degree program, offered through the school’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s (IB/M) teacher education program, was created through the Teachers for a New Era Project.

Teachers for a New Era is a program designed to improve the quality of teaching in the United States.

UConn is one of only 11 universities in the nation selected by the Carnegie Corp. of New York for inclusion in the project.

Teachers for a New Era committee members developed the proposal to enable the dual degree, which was approved by the University Senate in December.

Nationally, educators and legislators have increasingly called for teachers to have degrees in the subjects they teach in middle and high school, rather than being thrown into classrooms to teach subjects in which they may have little or no expertise.

UConn’s Early College Experience program, which certifies high school instructors interested in teaching UConn courses in their schools, requires the teachers to have a degree in the subject area they wish to teach.

And more recently, the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates that local districts employ “highly qualified” teachers, lists having a course-specific degree as one measure of meeting that standard.

“This is another way for us to help the children of Connecticut,” says Scott Brown, a professor of educational psychology and director of the Teachers for a New Era program.

“It’s a big win for our teachers.”

Mark Boyer, a professor of political science and curriculum director for Teachers for a New Era, says, “With this dual degree opportunity we are increasing the content knowledge of these future teachers, which will directly impact what goes on in Connecticut’s classrooms.

The excellence No Child Left Behind officials want when they refer to ‘highly qualified’ will be achieved through this program.”

Boyer and Brown have been working to develop the program for several years.

A stumbling block was that, although IB/M students already meet the general education requirements and earn extra credits in their specialty, they fall short of UConn requirements for earning two degrees in two schools.

These requirements mandate that students must earn at least 30 credits more than the highest minimum requirement of either of the degrees.
For students in the teacher education program, who spend at least six semesters as student teachers or working in a school district in clinical practice, meeting that requirement would almost guarantee they would have to return for a sixth year.

Not only would an additional year be costly, it really wasn’t necessary, says Brown.

“As it is, our students develop strong content knowledge in their specialties, and many of them already are earning close to the required number of credits,” says Brown.

“In math education, for example, they’re within two courses of meeting the requirement for a math degree. So we wanted to give them an opportunity to take more courses, but not make them take another 30 credits.”

Dual degrees also are within reach for students in music education, agricultural education, and a range of programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Ultimately the Senate agreed to add a paragraph to the existing regulation that waives the 30 additional credits for students who complete the requirements of both a teacher preparation degree in the Neag school and a bachelor’s degree in another school or college.

Alison Laturnau is a fifth year IB/M student who will earn a master’s degree in secondary English education in May. Upon hearing of the amendment’s passage, she immediately enrolled in a winter intersession course, and she’s taking two additional English courses this semester to complete a bachelor’s degree in English.

As a master’s degree student, that’s no small feat: besides the additional classes, Laturnau’s days include a 20-hour internship at the Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy in East Hartford on Mondays and Wednesdays, classes and a graduate assistantship for Teachers for a New Era on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and additional classes on Fridays.

“I came to UConn because of the Neag School of Education, as well as the opportunities and resources for other majors available to students through ACES,” she says.

“At 18, I was unwilling to commit myself to a school that only had a great education program. I was concerned I would change my mind.”

Laturnau says the dual degree program is valuable because it opens the door for students to return to school to complete a master’s degree in their core subject.

Brown says students who haven’t yet reached their junior year will benefit most from the new rules. Within three years, he expects half of the students enrolled in the IB/M program will take advantage of the opportunity.

Brown is now scheduling training sessions for faculty and academic advisors to learn what’s needed to earn the dual degree.

He also is arranging a colloquium so that ACES advisors will be prepared to talk to pre-education majors about the program.

2007-12-19T20:54:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

2007-09-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

MegaMeeting.com Video Conferencing Allows More Students to Access College Without Attending!

In the “olden” days, in order to attend college, you had to physically go to a campus and take courses. Wellington College is using MegaMeeting.com’s browser based video and web conferencing software to dramatically change the way students access college and college courses.

According to Randy Ellingson, President of Wellington College, “we have MegaMeeting setup in our classroom. Students away from college can participate as if in person”. Ellingson goes on to say that he is hopeful that by using web and video conferencing services, Wellington will be able extend the College’s reach and allow more people to attend its courses.

In addition to allowing students to “virtually” attend classes, Wellington currently uses MegaMeeting to perform seminars, conduct internal meetings and train employees.

Some of the benefits Wellington receives from MegaMeeting’s web and video conferencing software, include saving money and of course giving the College access to more students that can’t physically attend the College.

The specific features of MegaMeeting that Wellington implements most often are the video conferencing capabilities that allow meeting attendees to see each other, the built-in audio (VoIP), PowerPoint presentations and the Screen Sharing feature that allows a host in a MegaMeeting to present and share his or her computer screen with all attendees in the meeting.

About MegaMeeting.com Click Here!

MegaMeeting.com is a leading provider of 100% browser based video & web conferencing solutions, complete with real time audio and video capabilities. Being browser based and working on all major operating systems – Windows, Mac & Linux; MegaMeeting.com provides universal access without the need to download, install or configure software.

MegaMeeting.com web conferencing products and services include powerful collaboration tools that accommodate robust video & web conferences, including advanced features such as desktop/application sharing, i.e. Word and Excel documents and PowerPoint presentations without the need to upload any files. MegaMeeting is ideal for multi-location web based meetings, virtual classrooms, employee trainings, product demonstrations, company orientation, customer support, product launches and much more.

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2007-07-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

Allen Consulting CEO, Sylvia Allen, Supports School In Uganda!

--why Sylvia's Children?

… because children are so vulnerable and many do not deserve the conditions under which they live. The motto of Sylvia’s Children is “Saving children, one child at a time”.

In May of 2003 I had the unique experience of being invited to Africa and visit two countries … Tanzania and Uganda. And, because I was invited as part of a humanitarian aid program, I got to see a part of Africa that is not visible to tourists. We went into villages that had no running water, no electricity, homes with dirt floors and thatched roofs, homes where a single parent, grandparents or NO parents were the heads of household, many numbering up to 16 people. And, in Uganda, we saw the ravages of HIV AIDS.

We went into homes where both parents were dying of AIDS; homes where 70-year-old grandparents were left with the care of young children because both parents had died of AIDS; or homes where the head of household was a 17-year-old boy who had assumed that role since he was 11. Or, children living on the streets … orphans with no families and no homes.

The most devastating aspect of these conditions was that children were not being provided for … parents unable to afford education, children having to support themselves, children going hungry, children having nowhere to live.

I genuinely believe that education is the key to providing someone with the ability to pull themselves out of poverty. During this trip, the Mbiriizi Primary School near Masaka, Uganda, Africa appointed me their “grandmother”.

Out of this was born Sylvia’s Children (with the IRS designation of 501(c)3). Our goal is to educate as many children as possible. Currently the school has 805 students, of which 205 are orphans.

A group of us returned to Africa in June 2007 and went to the school to determine, first, the growth of the school based on our help and, second, to see what more could be done. We dedicated a new dorm that could house 80 boys which was made possible through our efforts; the school was able to buy two more acres to allow for expansion; the school was able to purchase a computer; and they now have Internet access so we have instant communication.

Of course, there is so much more to be done. The classrooms have 84 to 100 students per room and they sit on crowded benches; the teachers are dedicated but grossly underpaid; of the 205 orphans we have succeeded in getting 80 of them sponsored annually … but there are still 125 that need sponsors. (And, sponsorship is so easy … only $1.00 a day will feed, clothe, house and educate a child in Uganda!).

Other plans include: a well, a library and books, a medical clinic, improved food for the children, updated school books for the teachers, school books for each child, self-sufficiency through farming (small garden, chickens and eggs, etc.), computers for the children and improved sanitary facilities.

Education is the key to teaching people how to get out of poverty and how to be a part of the world. Knowledge = understanding. And, whether we educate 30, 300 or 3,000 we have contributed to a better understanding of the world and improved each individual’s quality of life. They don’t have to be poor; they don’t have to be hungry; they can have personal pride and dignity.

Sylvia’s Children can do this with your help. Can we count on you to make a contribution? (It is 100% tax deductible and ALL revenues go directly to the school … administrative and management fees are paid by Sylvia Allen.)

2007-06-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

231 years ago...on July 4th, 1776
This great nation, the United States of America,
In a struggle for what was right and free,
Was proudly born...
May we celebrate that precious freedom
For which our forbears fought so bravely...
The freedom that is inherent
In the Stars and Stripes, our revered flag...
Celebrate Freedom
This Fourth of July!

2007-06-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Teachers get valuable resources at program

As the teachers and administrators began to leave following the conclusion of "Summer Institute," all shared the reaction of Aiken Middle School teacher Rose Layton.

"This has been an eye-opening and wonderful experience," she said Friday. "There was the absolute number of resources I never knew about before."

Hosted by Public Education Partners, an education advocacy group, Summer Institute is an annual five-day workshop that focuses on two issues. Teachers learn how to look beyond behavior issues of their children to see if their home environment or other factors are creating problems. They also are introduced to more than two dozen health and human service agencies as resources.

"I didn't realize I could do so much more with these resources," said Amber Adams, a Warrenville Elementary School teacher. "Even in kindergarten, several children get sent to guidance for disciplinary reasons. Now I know I haven't been doing nearly enough and that I can do better."

Throughout the week, the teachers heard directly from representatives of health and human service agencies. On Friday, groups of teachers were given scenarios regarding children with issues. They had a chance to consult with staffers of several agencies to determine the best approaches for the children.

The workshop closed Friday with an appearance by Kathy Carlyle, a retired South Aiken High School teacher who directed the peer mediation program for several years.

She described her own difficult and emotionally stressful childhood and how that affected her as a teacher and as a person, allowing her to relate and be more responsive to children in need. She strongly supports peer mediation. Students who have received training provide mediation with other students in conflict to help them resolve their differences without resorting to verbal sparring and fighting.

"Peer mediation needs to be in every school," Carlyle said. "Children really need to know how to communicate. Some kids fight because they don't have any other way of dealing with conflict. They can end up on suspension or in alternative school and perhaps the prison system."

Gayle Lofgren, the school district's therapeutic counselor, has worked with Summer Institute the past six years.

"I love doing this and getting to know the teachers," she said, "Some may have been aware of the resources but weren't comfortable enough to make a referral. We can help them make those connections. We had a few teachers who said they had kids who were driving them crazy. Now they wonder what was really going on with those kids."

2007-05-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

Lest We Forget........

2007-05-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

2007-05-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

'e-Learning Software Gets an A+'

Atrixware, LLC was recently awarded a Dr. File Finder Favorite designation at TUCOWS for its eLearning software title Test Pro Developer.

Mr. Michael E. Callahan, the Manager of Editorial Content on Tucows, known around the world by the trademarked name Dr. File Finder, is regarded as the world's leading expert on shareware.

“We are extremely honored to have received this prestigious designation by one of the world’s foremost reviewers of software,” said Anthony Dunleavy, founder and developer of Atrixware Test Pro Developer eLearning software.

Test Pro Developer 8.0 is a Microsoft Windows application which enables students and teachers in K-12 to create eLearning courseware, tests, quizzes, presentations, and surveys.

Mr. Dunleavy explained, “Our eLearning software tools facilitate rapid e-learning to meet the needs of students, teachers, and Homeschool parents. As well as other certifying entities that validate individuals for licensing or certification from real estate license testing to machinery operator certification.”

Test Pro Developer Academic enables teachers to focus on teaching not homework because it takes the drudgery out of repetitive test preparation and grading. It boasts a number of unique features like…

• Randomly generate a test from a topic
• Deterring cheating by randomly altering the positions of the possible answers, & the questions
• Automatic self-grading of tests informs you what you got wrong & why
• Printed tests & quizzes with answer keys
• Email & HTML tests without a server
• Proctored & “high risk” testing
• Custom Surveys

There is even a flashcard player so students can teach and test themselves and have fun learning.

“Applying technology tools that kids today embrace in their everyday life is a big part of how eLearning fits the lifestyle of our society today. Available 24/7 with any home computer even with or without an Internet connection we are making learning available on demand when the kids want to learn and making it fun,” said Dunleavy.

Atrixware offers the added flexibility of creating and delivering online courses and tests over the Internet with its WEBLEARNING System. A subscription based service that lets users begin creating their first test in about an hour according to the company.

Besides the educational market, Test Pro Developer is available in two additional core editions, each designed for a specific type of user; users in a corporate/network setting, and users developing eLearning content for profit.

Professional Edition – Corporate Training, Commercial Training Centers, Government Agencies, and K-12 School environments from single room to facility wide, includes proctored or “high risk” testing capabilities too.

Enterprise Edition – Perfect for someone looking to create "eLearning Software", typically for profit. This version adds a royalty-free distribution license, and offers three piracy-protection technologies that can be encoded into eLearning software you create for distribution via a CD-Rom or the Internet.

Finally, Atrixware offers free trials of both its Test Pro Developer software and online WEBLEARNING System before a purchase is required.

In reviewing Test Pro Developer Dr. File Finder commented, “This product, and other products by the company, have the ability to help educate and teach people of all ages…So, if you're in business or education, if you're a teacher or a CEO, if you're someone who just needs to teach something or learn something, this is a product you need to try. I recommend it highly!”

About DR. File Finder
Michael E. Callahan, known around the world by the trademarked name Dr. File Finder, is regarded as the world's leading expert on shareware. Dr. File Finder works with software programs and developers full-time, and in the average year he evaluates 10,000 programs. Since 1982 he has evaluated over 230,000 software and hardware products. He is an active member of the shareware community and a co-founder of the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation. Mr. Callahan is an honorary member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP), the President of the Educational Software Cooperative and the chairman of the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation. Dr. File Finder is also a recipient of the 1993 Shareware Industry Award for lifetime achievement and has been inducted into the ASP Hall of Fame. Mr. Callahan began evaluating software online in 1982 and no one has been at it longer. He currently works doing online PR and marketing for software companies, and is the Manager of Editorial Content on Tucows.

About Atrixware, LLC
Founded in 1997, Atrixware (atrixware.com) provides a comprehensive eLearning platform, Learning Management System (LMS) software and services for Assessment (testing) Authoring (development) and Delivery (desktop/CD/LANWAN/Internet/Intranet). We are dedicated to producing exceptional quality, easy to use, and affordable eLearning products and services for the education, corporate and government training, and publishing markets. Our flagship product Test Pro Developer is the preferred Learning Management System among independent content publishers.

2007-02-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

Program helps military spouses become teachers

The Defense Department’s “Spouses to Teachers” program was expanded to the Pacific region earlier this month, providing more opportunities for military spouses stationed in the Pacific to pursue a career in public education, according to program officials.

The program provides counseling and guidance on state-specific certification requirements, certification options, scholarships available and state employment resources. Up to $600 is also available through a voucher process to reimburse the costs of testing fees associated with teacher certification and licensure.

On the mainland, the program is offered in 14 states. It began in October 2004, and since then, 475 spouses have been hired in teaching positions with the assistance they have received, according to a Spouses to Teachers news release.

The program expanded to Europe in October 2006.

Eligible participants include spouses of active-duty personnel, Selected Reserve and National Guard, and Individual Ready Reserve recalled to active duty.

Spouses to Teachers is managed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES).

Visit the Spouses to Teachers Web site at www.SpousestoTeachers.com or e-mail the program at stt@voled.doded.mil. for more information.

2007-01-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

You -- Yes, You
Are TIME's Person of the Year!!

Click For The Full Story!!

Congrats! You are Time magazine's 'Person of the Year'! The annual honor for 2006 went to each and every one of us, as Time cited the shift from institutions to individuals -- citizens of the new digital democracy, as the magazine put it. The cover shows a white keyboard with a mirror for a computer screen where buyers can see their reflection.

The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web.

2006-12-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

What this is
Instantly show your computer screen to anyone online. Everything you see, your guests can also see – in true color quality.

Give professional presentations and online product demos
Show your computer screen online to up to 20 guests. You can easily show any presentation or document and demo any software application.

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Switch presenter rights to see the computer screen of your customer. Request remote keyboard and mouse control and solve problems fast and easily.

Organize secure online meetings
Collaborate online, jointly edit documents, coordinate teams remotely, save on travel costs and time.

Conduct online training and webinars
Train coworkers and customers over the Internet. Reduce training costs and distribute knowledge faster throughout the company and with customers.

Our program is incredibly fast, unbelievably easy, and completely secure. Boost your productivity, save time and money. You can use it much as you want for one low flat fee.

Check it out!

2006-11-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Share This Start Of The Holiday Season With Your Class!

Click To See How The Kirov Ballet Does It!

2006-11-15T04:32:00.000-08:00

Introducing Club Z! Tutoring Services

Club Z! Tutoring Services is the world's largest one-on-one tutoring program. Our tutors have helped over 100,000 students improve their grades, raise their test scores, learn productive study skills, build their academic self-confidence, and reach their full potential.

The Club Z! tutoring program is successful because it provides highly individualized, one-on-one instruction in the comfort and security of home, free from distractions. Tutoring sessions may also be scheduled at schools, after school facilities, libraries, or community centers. Club Z! tutors are experienced degreed professionals and state certified instructors with impeccable credentials and a heartfelt enthusiasm for teaching.

We serve all ages, pre-kindergarten through adult. Tutoring is available in all core subjects - reading, mathematics, science, history - as well as study skills, foreign languages, standardized test prep, assessment testing such as ACT and SAT, music lessons, and much more.

Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services is one of the most affordable tutoring programs available. We have more than 300 franchised locations worldwide. Please click on our "Locations" page to find a branch near you.

2006-11-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

Award-winning Mission: Madagascar and Mission: Costa Rica make great green and educational gifts for the Holiday season.

Following the success of fellow Puget Sound-based trading card companies Wizards of the Coast and Pokémon, Seattle-based Matter Group LLC will show off the first two collections of its new award-winning trading card game Xeko (pronounced Zee-ko -- www.xekogame.com), Mission Madagascar and Mission Costa Rica, at the Green Festival San Francisco.

The game works because kids are more likely to pay attention to the fates of places and animals they've heard about, and a collectible card game was a natural choice for introducing wild creatures and their habitats in a compelling and memorable way
Green Festival is one of the nation's largest environmental expos. Some 35,000 people visit the expo, where attendees can learn about more than 200 businesses and hear top environmental speakers at San Francisco's Concourse Convention Center.

The Xeko trading card game launched earlier this year, and has since landed national awards and recognition, including The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval and a Parents Choice Award™. Creative Child Magazine also gave Xeko a 2006 Toy of the Year Award.

Xeko entertains kids while teaching them about animals. The game introduces them to biodiversity principles and takes them on an adventure to some of the most remarkable places on the planet.

Xeko involves collecting and trading cards to create a custom library and using the cards to match wits and hidden strengths against opponents. Xeko casts animal species as the heroes on vibrant, beautiful cards and bases game play on ecosystem relationships. Energy points dictate an animal's strength, and combined with the special powers contained in Boost cards, determine the winner in turf wars.

"The game works because kids are more likely to pay attention to the fates of places and animals they've heard about, and a collectible card game was a natural choice for introducing wild creatures and their habitats in a compelling and memorable way," said Amy Tucker, Xeko's creator.

Tucker was inspired to create the game after she learned about Conservation International's work on behalf of the global environment.

Matter Group (as in "the earth matters to us") has pledged four percent of net game sales to Conservation International, and helps take care of the environment by printing its cards with soy-based ink on 100 percent recycled paper.

Xeko is available in specialty stores, catalogs, and websites. Visit www.xekogame.com/stores to find a retailer or to purchase online. The Xeko Mission: Madagascar Starter Set, which includes two card decks for two players, an oversized game mat, and play guides, retails for $19.95; the Xeko Mission: Costa Rica Starter Set, which comes in a collectible storage box, retails for $29.99 and includes a CD with screen saver and other extras. Xeko Booster Packs of nine cards are $3.99. While younger kids can play and enjoy the game, Xeko is targeted at ages 8 and up.

For more information on how to play or where to buy Xeko, visit www.xekogame.com.

2006-10-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

Private conversation is aim of new blog software

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The next big blog trend is about what you and your friends see and others don't.

The online medium built for loudmouths is taking an inward turn to focus on private conversations among friends and family, instead of requiring bloggers to write for a public stage as most current publishing tools do.

On Thursday, Six Apart Ltd., a supplier of the software used to publish blogs, unveiled a widely anticipated blog-writing tool called Vox (http://www.vox.com).

The free service, which has been in test mode with 50,000 users for several months, encourages new categories of bloggers to publish personal text, photos, audio or videos to share with known acquaintances.

While Vox blogs may look like other blogs, they are distinguished by five levels of privacy settings that can be placed on each item a user publishes. Who comments and who reads comments are also under the publisher's control.

"Not everything has to be published for public consumption," said Mena Trott, who with her husband Ben co-founded Six Apart in 2002.

"Everyone has their own assumptions about blogs. We think it is about publishing the stuff you care about to the people you care about," she said in an interview.

Vox, aimed at adults over 25, hopes to expand the appeal of blogs to audiences missed or ignored by the phenomenon. At the same time, it appeals to burned-out bloggers looking for a private place to publish.

Vox, Latin for voice, is an outgrowth of Trott's campaign to find a more secure way for people to express themselves.

In its private aspects, Vox serves some of the same purposes that e-mail or instant messaging do by allowing friends to hold secure conversations away from prying eyes.
Many features are designed for parents who want to stay connected with friends but do not have the patience or time to maintain a public blog, Six Apart officials said.

Vox is not alone in seeking to carve out private spaces on the Web. Social sites like MySpace, owned by News Corp., and Facebook rely on creating a clubby, members-only feeling, although actual blog writing is secondary to finding new people to meet.

Other social network sites like Piczo or iMeem have made privacy features core to their design, but they largely appeal to younger groups.

"Clubbing every night gets old. You may want to blog, but you may not want to blog in public," Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li said of the appeal of new sites like Vox.

Vox offers hundreds of pre-designed templates, replacing the "blank page" problem of many blogs. A conversational "question of the day" appears on Vox blogs each day to encourage users to get in the habit of writing.

Users can pull in links to other popular sites like Amazon.com, Google's YouTube and Yahoo's Flickr. Mobile phone users can also publish to Vox.

Vox initially is available in the United States, Japan and France, with new markets due to be added early next year.

2006-10-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

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2006-10-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

Program prods average students toward college

College. College. College. That's the mantra hammered into students' minds by AVID teachers in 2,300 middle and high schools across the county.

AVID teachers are trained to make the mediocre student excel. They take on the sometimes forgotten middle achievers -- those sandwiched between the gifted and special-education students -- and boost them into honors courses and toward college.

"They started talking about college the first day in sixth grade," said Teryndi Bellinger, an eighth-grader in Englewood's Janis E. Dismus Middle School. "Every year we go on at least two or three field trips to a college."

Englewood, Montclair and Hoboken are among the 15 New Jersey districts using AVID. The program focuses on kids who otherwise might not attend college and promotes the philosophy that they can, and will, go on to higher education. Through AVID, many low-income, minority and other children have been among the first in their families to attend college.

"These kids are not particularly discipline problems, and they're not the brightest kids in the class," said AVID's executive director, Jim Nelson. "They make the B's and C's and D's and just float through school. Often, the [teachers] don't know who they are."

According to AVID, that's not the fault of the teacher, it's the responsibility of the student. The students are taught to sit up front, nod when the teacher makes eye contact, chat with teachers after class and rattle off their exact GPA when asked. They learn the behaviors and habits that the best students know instinctively.

In middle school, the students give up art and music in order to take the daily "AVID elective." There, they learn study skills like two-column note-taking and Socratic debate exercises. As early as sixth grade, they learn how to keep a daily planner, cultivate "study buddies" and budget for college.

The boot-camp-like atmosphere can be rough at first, but students said they soon embrace the discipline.

At the weekly "binder check" ritual, students swap binders and gleefully add and subtract points as they check how schoolwork is organized and if their classmates have the required pens, dictionary and ruler. AVID starts with basics, one of which is a student cannot succeed if they don't have the required supplies and know exactly where every piece of paper is.

On a recent school day, Englewood sixth-grader Robert Fisher looked increasingly solemn as AVID teacher Charissa Richardson combed through his binder with the hawk-like intensity of a detective.

A broken pen spilled ink inside, and Robert's work sheets were not three-hole punched or arranged by subject. He had not listed any "study buddies"; and where were his pocket dictionary and ruler?

Fisher scrambled to pull them from his backpack.

Richardson said she will call Robert's mother over the weekend.

Robert looked distressed, but his teacher wouldn't accept passivity.

"Don't be sad," she said. "You can do what?"

"Fix it?" Robert piped softly.

"Yes, you can fix it," Richardson said. "This is practice. Next week it counts."

AVID teachers continually push their students to take responsibility for their progress and identify their resources.

"I ask students that they keep a record of all their test scores," said Carol Moore, the middle school's AVID supervisor. "There are no surprises. It's not the teacher who 'gave' me this grade at the end, I earned this grade."

Sixth-grader Nicole Tobon sidled up to Richardson and asked if she had any reinforcement tabs. Richardson turned the questioning around. "Am I your mother?" she asked the curly haired girl.

"No," Nicole said.

"Who are my children?" Richardson continued.

"Um, I forgot their names."

"Zoe and Jeffrey," Richardson said. "So, who do you need to ask?"

"My mom," Nicole said, and returned to her seat.

Before students can enter AVID, they must sign a contract promising to do their homework and prepare for college. Parents must also sign, promising a place at home to do homework and to speak about college with their children.

After the binder check, Richardson asked her students: "At the end of high school, where are you going?" she asked.

In unison, the students sang out: "College!"

AVID teachers don't just talk ceaselessly about college, but spend year after year discussing SATs, Advanced Placement courses, financial aid and other requirements for making college a reality.

"Many of the students, their parents have never gone to college," said Englewood's high school AVID supervisor, Maria Iglesias. "They do not have the dinner conversations of what college was like."

Nathalie Martinez's parents did not attend college, but she said she got focused after starting AVID in ninth grade.

"Freshman year, it's tempting to cut classes and stuff, but when I got into AVID I started doing better," the sophomore said. "I don't just want to have any job, I want to have a future."

E-mail: feibel@northjersey.com

* * *

What is AVID?

• Advancement Via Individual Determination started in San Diego in 1980 after a court-ordered integration of the city's schools.

• AVID is an academic support program for Grades 5-12. The goal is to place academically average students in advanced classes and prepare them for college.

• AVID provides a daily elective during the school day to teach average students the study skills and organization they need to succeed in Advanced Placement, honors and college-prep courses. AVID is a non-profit educational program offered to 2,300 schools nationwide.

• For more information, visit avidonline.org

2006-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Special Back-to-School Price on "Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame"

Special Back-to-School Price on "Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame." New Lower Price on American History Book That Excites Kids, Provides Tools for Teachers.

New lower price on American history book that excites kids provides tools for teachers.

Author and photographer Michael S. Class has used advanced digital photography to place his twelve year-old son, Anthony, in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong, in the laboratories of Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk, and on Normandy beach on D-Day. The result: It looks like Anthony really did meet Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, Charles Lindbergh, and Audie Murphy. The Web site, www.MagicPictureFrame.com, displays some of the book’s amazing photographs.

"I wanted to capture the interest of today's kids," says Class, "by turning American history into a grand time travel adventure." The book, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, is recommended for young adults, grade 6 to grade 12.

As a "Back-to-School" special, the book's price has been lowered to $26.50, a savings of $8.50.

The book is fun for kids, but Class designed the book to help homeschool parents and schoolteachers, too. Years of meticulous research went into the book: Class spoke with relatives of famous scientists and inventors, Holocaust survivors, award-winning biographers, and others to ensure that the facts of the book were both accurate and vivid. Historical accuracy rules every page: even Anthony’s conversations with the people of the past are based on things they really said, all properly footnoted. Class also included built-in curriculum aids: recommendations for hundreds of books, movies, songs, and places to visit - all keyed to the subjects of each chapter. The author’s Web site includes a fun final exam.

Homeschool expert Annette Hall (www.reliableanswers.com) applauds the inclusion of the lists: "The author has provided a tremendous resource of books, videos, historical places and more, to encourage a deeper understanding of the subjects being studied. This is a terrific aid for the teacher or homeschooling parent committed to presenting an accurate view of history that will entertain and educate the student, without putting them to sleep, something most children will appreciate."

One homeschool mom is already taking advantage of the book's built-in curriculum aids. At www.homeschoolreviews.com, she writes: "I am using this book as a spine for a homeschool history course targeted for high schoolers. For each chapter, they read the story and discuss the photographs and then they each get to pick some additional resources from the recommended materials to extend the study. I printed the final exam from the author's website and the students have used the test to see how much they have learned."

The editors at Homefires, The Journal of Homeschooling Online (www.homefires.com), say: "Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame is a terrific new book that makes history fascinating for kids. Homefires highly recommends it for homeschoolers." The book also made the "Best of Hoagies Shopping Guide" at www.hoagiesgifted.org, a Web site devoted to providing educational resources to parents and teachers of gifted children.

Anthony's adventures in American history come with a moral lesson, another facet of the book with strong appeal for homeschool parents and teachers. The chapter about Lindbergh’s flight is really about choosing one’s destiny. The story of Lou Gehrig is one of a virtuous life. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about business and the benefits of hard work. The story of Apollo 11 is about wonder, taking risks, and courage. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk is really about dedicating one’s life to a higher purpose. Anthony’s observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it.

It's not an easy book," says Class. "The book challenges the young reader to see the modern world in light of the lessons of the past. Anthony compares the people and events of the past with the people and events of his own time. Anthony discusses the nature of good and evil, right and wrong, war and peace, what it means to be an American, honor and discipline, success and achievement, courage and destiny, marriage and family, God and purpose."

Cindy Downes, a teacher and homeschool consultant (www.oklahomahomeschool.com) finds the emphasis on the moral lessons of history especially attractive. She says: "The author wrote the book 'to encourage young people to become productive, honest, thoughtful, moral citizens - and to contribute in a positive way to American society and the world.' He has done an excellent job of fulfilling this mission. I highly recommend this book for everyone, even adults. I also like that the author chose to include references to God and Bible scripture rather than make this politically correct."

Pollywog Creek Porch (www.homeschoolblogger.com) calls the moral lessons "particularly timely, considering the events surrounding our current immigration crisis." In one chapter, Anthony meets his immigrant great-grandfather at Ellis Island: it’s really a story about what it means to be an American.

"If you only purchase one history book this year for your middle-school-aged child, make this be the one," recommends Annette Hall (www.reliableanswers.com). "With so many books written today that are morally bankrupt and leave a child looking for a strong moral foundation upon which to build, this book is a breath of fresh air."

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame (hardcover, 225 pages, $26.50) is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, by calling toll-free 1-800-247-6553, and on www.amazon.com. Reviews by homeschool teachers, school teachers, parents, newspapers, magazines, and real witnesses to history can all be found on the official Web site. There is a video, too.

Note to editors and book reviewers: Author and son are available for interviews. Photographs and review copies are available.

Contact: Michael Class, 425-890-4894

2006-09-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

MySpace.com

As MySpace.com and Internet sites like it have gone from being a passing fancy to being part of the culture, teens and young adults can't imagine life without them--though how they use them varies.

Matt Nichols sometimes spends hours a day meeting new friends and contacting old ones. The Fort Thomas teen keeps up with this busy social life sitting in front of his computer, trading messages with buddies on the immensely popular Web site MySpace.com.

Nichols, 16, counts at least 274 friends on MySpace, and said he met many of them through the site.

He's just one of more than 100 million people who socialize through the Web site that has become one of the world's most visited online destinations. After the online portal Yahoo and blockbuster search engine Google, MySpace is the busiest Web site in the nation.

It's populated largely by teen-agers like Nichols who can create free accounts that allow them to have Web space to post a picture and personal information on their own user page. The site has become so popular that it got the attention of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp. and Fox News, who bought the site this summer for $580 million.

But for teens and other users, it's all about socializing.

"You can get to know people a lot easier," Nichols said. "It skips the awkward parts of conversation because you already know what you have in common with the person."

Users can post their favorite music, movies, books, fill in an "About Me" section and post pictures. They can also post religious and political affiliations, body type, work and school details and their hometown. Based on a user's information, others can send messages to start a conversation and get to know a person further.

Nichols has been on the site for about a year and spends each morning reading messages from his friends and replying to them.

"It's kind of like a step up from e-mail," he said.

MySpace is the leader in an explosion of Web sites that allow people to socialize and network online. The sites include Blogger.com. Classmates Online, Xanga and Facebook. The top 10 sites saw traffic grow 47 percent in the last year, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings.

"I think people just want to express themselves and the Internet is a good place to do that," said Nancy Jennings, an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati who has studied children's media.

She said people who use social networking Web sites build significant ties, which are used throughout life as a means of finding jobs and connecting to new people. "You never know who you're going to meet that you help you out in life," she said.

Stephanie Leonard, 15, also of Fort Thomas, uses the site to keep up with friends who don't live around her.

"It's kind of like a little piece of your life," she said.

Once into the MySpace world, users are able to browse other profiles, create their own, invite others to join the Web site and add people as friends - users who have full access to view profiles and can leave comments.

Nichols used the site during summer vacation as a way to make plans with friends for the day or keep up with friends during the break.

His profile is public, so anyone, whether they are a MySpace user or not, can access his page.

"I like to be accessible," he said. "If someone is talking to you too much (on the site) you can choose to ignore them."

Leonard doesn't want to deal with harassing people online, so she only talks to people she knows. She wanted to keep in contact with friends she made during a church camp last year, so she created a MySpace page.

Unlike millions of others, Leonard keeps all of her profile private, meaning only her friends can see her personal information, photographs, online journal entries and friends list.

"Mainly because of the horror stories you hear about MySpace," she said.

The Web site has made national headlines as sexual assaults, identity thefts and physical attacks have been linked to people meeting there.

In Chicago, a 14-year-old girl was raped by at least three teenage boys after she agreed to meet them in person after becoming friends with them on MySpace. And in Detroit, a 35-year-old man was arrested and charged with assaulting a 31-year-old female after the two had met online and decided to go out for drinks together. Police used the networking site to locate the man and found three other women who he also allegedly assaulted.

MySpace quickly made changes to help with privacy and security. Users can set their profile to private, where only "friends" can view their pages. The site also has posted safety tips for its users, which reminds users their forums are public spaces.

"Don't post anything you wouldn't want the world to know," it states. It also tells users that people aren't always who they say they are and to be careful about adding strangers to friend lists.

The site also has tips for parents to use as guidelines for their children's use of MySpace as well as offers monitoring software information. It warns users to keep profiles private, meaning only friends can see a user's page, to avoid these situations and people stealing photos or information from users.

Murdoch's News Corp. is sponsoring a multi-million dollar Internet safety campaign including television and online advertising.

The profiles of 14- and 15-year-old users are automatically set to private - where only friends can view the profile. Once users are 16, they have the option of keeping their profile private or making it public - where anyone can view the page, regardless of MySpace membership.

Detective Kelli Cassidy, who works for a computer investigation task force set up by Cincinnati police and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, said while sexual predators often use the Internet to meet their victims, the task force has seen few criminal problems stemming from MySpace.

"It's not like a chat room where people are actually meeting and carrying on a conversion. It's just a Web site with profiles," said Cassidy.

Chat rooms are where they catch most their criminals, Cassidy said. "With all the publicity My Space has gotten over the past year, I think people are putting less sensitive information on there like home addresses."

Cassidy said the biggest thing parents could do is supervise what their children are doing on the Internet.

"A lot of parents have no clue what their kids do online," Cassidy said. "The best security is to watch your children."

Regardless of the horror stories, people still use the site to find and meet new people.

A trio of Cincinnati natives did just that last month, when they traveled throughout the United States staying with people they met on the site.

Northern Kentucky University students Melissa Elrod and Jasmine Williamson, along with NKU alumnus Jonny Nicholas traveled across the country to make a documentary on the Web site for Elrod's senior project. The documentary focuses on social networking sites, the impact they have on society and why people use them.

The trio made their way south through Tennessee then west toward Texas during their first week. They stopped in New Mexico, Las Vegas, northern California and Idaho before making their way back to Cincinnati. They stayed with MySpace users they had met online and friends of their families as well as at a few hotels.

Though Elrod and her friends stayed with people they've never met, others use the Web site to find people they used to know.

Paul D., who asked for his last name to be withheld, said social networking an easy way to meet new people, without the bar scene.

"It's safer than clubbing and more convenient to find people you already know, but haven't seen in a while," he said.

The 34-year-old Batavia resident said he's had a MySpace account for a few months and usually checks his Web page two or three times a day.

Users can search for other members of MySpace by high school, college, hometown, age group, height, interests, religion, political affiliation, zip code and more - making finding an old classmate, roommate or neighbor easy. Users can use the site to search movies, music, books, careers and as a search engine.

Each user chooses a display name, which can be changed at any time, that they will be known as on the site. Display names vary from actual names, nicknames, celebrity names and quotes.

On MySpace, a person can pose as anyone. More than 20 MySpace profiles have Britney Spears' name attached to them. Angelina Jolie, professional snowboarder Shaun White and other celebrities have several false profiles made by MySpace members.

2006-09-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Lest We Forget......

Monday, September 11, 2006, is the 5th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City. In addition, there were attacks on the Pentagon and subsequently - all over the world - including Madrid, Bali and Mumbai, to mention just a few. Here is a poem, written anonymously, to help us remember not only September 11, 2001 but all the other terrorist attacks on democracy.

Two thousand one, nine eleven
Five thousand plus arrive in heaven.
As they pass through the gate,
Thousands more appear in wait.
A bearded man with stovepipe hat
Steps forward saying, "Lets sit, lets chat."

They settle down in seats of clouds,
A man named Martin shouts out proud,
"I have a dream!" and once he did
The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."

Groups of soldiers in blue and gray
Others in khaki, and green then say
"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine"
The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain."

From a man on sticks one could hear
"The only thing we have to fear.
The Newcomer said, "We know the rest,
trust us sir, we've passed that test."

"Courage doesn't hide in caves
You can't bury freedom, in a grave,"
The Newcomers had heard this voice before
A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores.

A silence fell within the mist
Somehow the Newcomer knew that this
Meant time had come for her to say
What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day.

"Back on Earth, we wrote reports,
Watched our children play in sports
Worked our gardens, sang our songs
Went to church and clipped coupons
We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought
Unlike you, great we're not"

The tall man in the stovepipe hat
Stood and said, "Don't talk like that!
Look at your country, look and see
You died for freedom, just like me"
Then, before them all appeared a scene
Of rubbled streets and twisted beams
Death, destruction, smoke and dust
And people working just 'cause they must

Hauling ash, lifting stones,
Knee deep in hell, but not alone
"Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman
Side by side helping their fellow man!"
So said Martin, as he watched the scene
"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream."

Down below three firemen raised
The colors high into ashen haze
The soldiers above had seen it before
On Iwo Jima back in '44

The man on sticks studied everything closely
Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly
"I see pain, I see 20 tears,
I see sorrow - but I don't see fear."

"You left behind husbands and wives
Daughters and sons and so many lives
are suffering now because of this wrong
But look very closely. You're not really gone.

All of those people, even those who've never met you
All of their lives, they'll never forget you
Don't you see what has happened?
Don't you see what you've done?
You've brought them together as one."

With that the man in the stovepipe hat said
"Take my hand," and from there he led
five thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven
On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven.

2006-09-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

Let Web do popular software program tasks

Websites today do more than provide entertainment or information. They help you balance your checkbook, create a resume and stay in touch with your family. These sites are more like programs that run on the Internet.

Some computer scholars have named them Web 2.0. Most are in the testing phase, so there can be glitches.

With these sites, you only need an Internet connection. Special software is unnecessary. And the services run on both the Windows and Mac platforms. Plus, most are free.

Here are some useful Web 2.0 sites:

1. Free Office. Microsoft Office is the de facto suite. But its various renditions cost several hundred dollars.

Zoho (www.zoho.com) offers Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet and Zoho Show. These are free counterparts to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, respectively. You won't find as many features as you'd find in Office, but there are just enough to be useful.

The sites are similar to Microsoft Office, so there are no big learning curves. All files are saved online. You can start a document at work and finish it at home.

All three sites open and save files in a variety of common formats. For example, Zoho Writer will open a previously created Word document, HTML or rich text file. It will also save any file onto your computer's hard drive as a Word (.doc), portable document format (.pdf), text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf) or HTML file.

Zoho isn't the only business offering. The ubiquitous Google has an online word processor and spreadsheet. Google purchased the word processor Writely, which has been around for some time. Writely doesn't have as many features as Word, but it is certainly usable.

Google Spreadsheets (spreadsheets.google.com) is less complete than Zoho's program. It is fine for basic number crunching and the maintenance of lists. But it lacks the capability to create graphs like Zoho Sheet.

You need an invitation from a current user to sign up for the Google programs. Or, you can get an invitation online at www.webprohost.nl.

2. Online resume. Creating a good-looking, useful resume can be difficult. Emurse (www.emurse.com) helps you create resumes that can be shared online or printed.

You can either upload an existing resume or create one. Creating one from scratch takes longer. But you have more options when done, such as the ability to edit and share it online.

Once a resume is created, emurse will post it online for free. It also tracks where you've sent your resume, offering reminders to follow up.

3. Family affair. Personal websites and blogs can help keep families in the loop. But one person generally manages them. Jotspot Family Site (familysite.jot.com) lets everyone get into the act.

One person initially signs up for the free service. Invitations to other family members are sent through the website. Each family site is given its own Web address. Family members must sign in with a user name and password.

Any family member can add photographs, birthdays or important dates. There's also a section to share recipes and a blog feature.

4. Share video. Websites like YouTube are great for sharing video with the world. But you may want to keep your family trip to the beach private.

Fliqz (www.fliqz.com) allows you to share videos with as few people as you want. It offers three security levels: public, private and private with security. Videos designated as public are accessible to anyone. Private videos have unique Web addresses. Only those who know the addresses can access them.

Private with security videos also have a unique address. In addition, visitors need a password, which you set.

You can store and share an unlimited number of videos. However, each upload is limited to 100 megabytes (10 to 15 minutes of video).

Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about computers and the Internet. To get the podcast or find the station nearest you, visit: www.komando.com/listen. To subscribe to Kim's free e-mail newsletters, sign up at: www.komando.com/newsletters. Contact her at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.

2006-08-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

Ironworks Helps Discovery Education Provide Resources for Teachers

RALEIGH - Ironworks has helped Discovery Education re-launch its popular online Teacher’s Store, where teachers can purchase videos and multimedia products to engage their students. The new Teacher’s Store, at http://teacherstore.discovery.com, allows educators to search over 6,000 titles by subject, grade level or product type. Educators can also share the products they have found with fellow teachers or save them to their own wish list.

The Teacher’s Store also provides educators with access to content standards, MARC records and teachers’ guides at no extra charge. Moreover, teachers can read customer ratings and industry reviews of products and preview video clips.

“Ironworks helped us streamline our Web site to make finding resources much easier for time-conscious teachers,” said Alicia Levi, vice president of publishing for Discovery Education. “The improved Web site allows teachers to view specific course requirements for each grade level while shopping for classroom tools; and the new user-friendly search and check-out options will speed up the overall shopping process. We look forward to adding new titles each semester and playing a role in the learning process of our leaders of tomorrow.”

Ironworks provided information architecture, usability testing, interface design and development services to optimize the site content, feature layout and navigation of the Teacher’s Store.

"Ironworks is proud to work with such a well respected organization as Discovery Education and to help provide teachers with these valuable resources,” said Bhadresh Patel, a principal of Ironworks. “We know from experience that a Web site customized to meet the exact needs of its target audience – in this case teachers – will generate higher revenues for the parent company.”

About Ironworks Consulting
Ironworks is a project-based consulting firm with one mission – never fail a client. The firm specializes in the use of Web technologies to solve business problems through the combination of strategy, technology and design. Ironworks has earned a reputation for delivering on what it promises, deploying a team of experts on every engagement and completing projects on time and on budget. The firm offers expertise to clients nationwide in the practice areas of IT Strategy, Program Management, User Experience, Content Management and Portal Development, Business Intelligence, and Custom Application Development. Ironworks operates from offices in Richmond, Va. and Raleigh, N.C. www.ironworks.com

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is a division of Discovery Communications, the leading global real world and knowledge-based media company. The leader in digital video-based learning, Discovery Education produces and distributes high-quality digital video content in easy-to-use formats, in all core-curricular subject areas. Discovery Education is committed to creating scientifically proven, standards-based digital resources for teachers, students, and parents that make a positive impact on student learning. Through strategic partnerships with over 25 public television stations across the country, its public service initiatives, products, and joint business ventures, Discovery Education helps educators around the world harness the power of broadband and media to connect their students to a world of learning. www.discoveryeducation.com.

2006-08-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Get clued in to the best online resources for students

In a few short days, Summit County will be back to school, and that means the inevitable - homework. Fortunately, there are a variety of online resources to make things easier. We've done some research, and have come up with a list of some of our favorite sites.

On or near the top of virtually every homework help list, is B.J. Pinchbeck's Homework Helper at http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/.

Seventeen-year-old B.J. started compiling and posting links for homework help in 1996; today the site contains more than 700 links, which can be browsed alphabetically or by subject. The site offers a large variety of sources and reviewers say the links are extremely accurate, leading directly to useful information.

Another highly rated site is HomeworkSpot.com. The content is sourced by a team of teachers, librarians and journalists who comb the internet for the best sources in all the usual subjects. The resource links are organized into elementary, middle and high school categories making for easy navigation. We were particularly intrigued with www.kidinfo.com. The site is the product of a teacher with 36 years in the classroom, and it shows. What makes the site different is that it is organized by curriculum generally covered in typical elementary, middle and high schools. The site is cleanly organized and easy to navigate.

The University of Michigan's Internet Public Library, found at www.ipl.org, is another great source. The site is organized much like a brick and mortar library with virtual stacks of references and resources, and a librarian (IPL volunteer) ready to answer your reference questions. You'll find Kidspace for younger students and Teenspace for older kids containing help and advice on writing college essays and career advice.

We also must mention Wikipedia at www.wikipedia.org, a free encyclopedia offered in 10 languages. In addition to your more traditional encyclopedia searches, Wikipedia offers a reference desk where volunteers answer questions and a community portal with a bulletin board, projects, activities and more.

Another award-winning site is FactMonster.com, brought to you by www.infoplease.com/aboutip.html Information Please. As the site publishers explain, the site "combines the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas, and several almanacs." We found the site to be fun, intriguing and highly informative.

For those needing a little extra help in math, we recommend Math Forum at http://mathforum.org/dr.math, reportedly one of the best resources for kids needing help with the numbers. Students can search the archive for their answer or ask the "Swat Team," a group of Swarthmore College students that answer math questions.

For younger kids, KidsClick! at www.kidsclick.org is a great choice. Created by a group of librarians and maintained by the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University, the site covers more than 600 subjects, is easy to use and is intriguing for kids. Use a bit of caution, though. The site is not an internet filter so parental supervision is encouraged.

Remember, the internet contains several sites with unreliable information. Always check the source of the information, usually found under "About Us" or something similar.

2006-08-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

In Memoriam Susan Butcher

Four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, 51, has lost her battle with leukemia. She died Saturday in a Seattle hospital of complications from a recent stem-cell transplant.

In 1986, Ms. Butcher became the second woman to win the grueling dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome. She added victories in 1987, 1988 and 1990 and finished in the top four through 1993.

Ms. Butcher ran her last Iditarod in 1994 when she decided to have children. She has two daughters, Tekla and Chisana, with her husband, attorney and musher David Monson.

To leave a message for Susan's family, please click!

2006-08-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

Box UK and Promethean Launch Free Interactive Learning Website

Box UK and Promethean, the global leader in interactive learning, are delighted to announce the launch of ‘Promethean Planet’ -- a free collaborative web portal designed to help teachers, administrators and parents maximise the use of interactive learning technologies.

Promethean Planet is a fully interactive and comprehensive online source of information and resources for use in the classroom. These include creative and innovative lesson plans, organised and searchable by class age and subject. The site provides a wealth of videos and web links for use with Promethean’s award winning Activstudio and Activprimary lesson development software. Teachers can also share, discover and collaborate on best practices, which are highlighted in the monthly ‘Teacher Feature’.

According to Promethean USA President, Mark Elliot, Promethean Planet was designed with teachers firmly in mind:

“Most teachers don’t have the time to go hunting for resources to develop their lessons. Promethean recognises this. Our goal with Promethean Planet is to ensure that teachers have thousand of resources at their fingertips and can easily access the ones they need.”

Promethean Planet also features an online forum where teachers can interact and share ideas, information and lesson materials. Online technical support from Promethean staff is also readily available.

The site is powered by Box UK’s Amaxus content management system. Promethean required a system which could handle the sheer volume of diverse data that the site holds and found that Amaxus exceeded these requirements with ease. Amaxus’s accessibility is also key to the success of the site, with users and site administrators able to easily add, amend and access data when necessary.

Promethean US Web Services Manager, Andy Ryff, is full of praise for Box UK and the functionality of Amaxus:

“With meticulous attention to detail, progressive thinking, amazing foresight and outstanding communication skills, Box UK has provided unparalleled customer service and a superior web authoring tool. From start to finish, all involved in working on Promethean Planet routinely displayed professionalism, courtesy, flexibility and a sense of urgency that always made us feel like our project was top priority.

“Furthermore, Amaxus has provided us with the ultimate experience in efficiency, power and accessibility. We could not be more pleased with the service and product and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with Box UK!”

Box UK Project Manager, Teresa Butler is equally delighted with the success of the project:

“Promethean Planet was an extremely rewarding project and the feedback we have received has been fantastic. Using Amaxus, we have been able to work in collaboration with Promethean to provide a vast array of innovative learning resources, and put in place the facility for registered visitors to add their own. We hope that these resources will prove invaluable to teachers and pupils alike.”

Promethean Planet was showcased at this year’s National Educational Computing Conference in San Diego on July 5th and received a fantastic response; as evidenced by the phenomenal rate of user registrations.

The launch of Promethean Planet is currently US specific. However, the new school term in September 2006 will see the launch of a UK version, followed by a French version at the end of the year.

Registration, membership and access to Promethean Planet’s online resources and forums is free to all administrators, teachers and students. For further information, visit the site at www.prometheanplanet.com

# # #

2006-07-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

TalkShoe™ Launches Website For User-Generated Live And Recorded Voice Talk Shows And Teacher Discussion Groups

TalkShoe (www.talkshoe.com) has launched a unique website for user-generated live and recorded voice. People can host and join live voice talk shows, discussion groups, and conversations -- called Talkcasts™ -- using telephones, cell phones or Internet voice (voice-over-IP).

All Talkcasts can be recorded for later listening, downloading or podcasting. What's more, people can make money hosting Talkcasts. Example uses of TalkShoe include talk shows, sports discussion groups, political debates, small business meetings, friends and family chats, book clubs, and education and training. The possible uses are endless.

What Makes TalkShoe Different?
The main differences between TalkShoe and other Internet conferencing and chat services are: 1) both live and recorded voice, 2) use by any of hundreds of millions of telephones, cell phones, and voice-over-IP (VoIP) connections, 3) paying hosts for every talker and listener, and 4) ability to create both public and private Talkcasts. In addition, up to 1,000 people can talk and/or listen to a live Talkcast, and unlimited people can download the recorded podcasts.

Content is King
TalkShoe expects good-quality content to be created on the website. TalkShoe is continually seeking both professional and amateur hosts to create useful and topical voice content. Current TalkShoe hosts run the gamut from everyday people to two Pittsburgh Steelers players, Brett Keisel and Max Starks.

Ron Morris, a professor at Duquesne University and host of the radio talk show, The American Entrepreneur, commented, "TalkShoe's concept is groundbreaking. As a radio talk show host, I only have access to a regional audience. TalkShoe allows me to reach a worldwide audience, and gives me better interaction with live participants."

"With TalkShoe, hosts are in control," said Mark Juliano, TalkShoe's Sr. Vice President. "While voice and text chat rooms also support live conversations, uncontrolled rooms can quickly degenerate into jabberwocky."

Hosts Make Money
"One of TalkShoe's goals is to enable an entrepreneurial community, like eBay, where individuals and professionals alike can create voice content, build their own listener base, and get paid for their efforts," commented Dave Nelsen, president and CEO of TalkShoe.

Hosts can earn money for each person that listens to, downloads or podcasts their Talkcast. Money is earned from text and banner advertising (i.e. Google AdSense), audio ad insertion, and video ads. In addition, hosts can choose to charge a fee for their Talkcasts.

A Difference in Quality
TalkShoe uses the same high-quality teleconferencing technology that supports today's business conferencing services. Users can dial in via telephone, cell phone, or voice-over-IP (VoIP).

How TalkShoe Works
Hosts choose the topic and schedule their Talkcast online, and can easily invite anyone. Once the Talkcast starts, hosts have control with features such as 1) muting, 2) censoring, 3) see-who's-talking, and 4) request-to-talk queuing. The Talkcast can be recorded on the TalkShoe website where users can listen to, download or podcast the Talkcast. The Talkcast can also be listed on podcast directories including iTunes and others.

Private Talkcasts are also available for friends and family talks, internal business communications, or other closed groups.

The TalkShoe website is currently free.

About TalkShoe
TalkShoe is located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and can be reached at 724-935-TALK (8255) or by email at info@talkshoe.com. The website address is www.talkshoe.com.

2006-07-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Universities Exhibiting Aggressive Behavior In Online Marketing Practices

While for-profit institutions have been aggressively courting students for their online programs via emarketing for years, the not-for-profits have been slower on the draw. But that is changing, according to a recent report, entitled “Attracting The Next Generation of Online Learners,” from eLearners.com, the leading resource for connecting students with online education.

In a survey of colleges and universities actively marketing their degrees online, 82% of the for-profit institutions claimed they devote more than fifty percent of their budget to online marketing versus only 40% of the not-for-profits claiming expenditures of fifty percent and above. However, when asked about their anticipated spending for the coming year, 80% of the not-for-profit schools indicated they would be increasing their online marketing budget, while 82% of for-profits say they plan for their budgets to decrease or remain the same.

When asked about their student enrollment process, for-profits appeared to be a bit more aggressive with 91% saying they follow up with prospective students at least once per month after the initial contact compared to just 50% of not-for-profits indicating the same. However, the outcome tends to lean in favor of the not-for-profits, at least with respect to timing, where 70% of not-for-profit respondents saying that the average time it takes from initial contact to paid enrollment is three months or less versus only 55% of the for-profits closing the deal in that time frame.

“Obviously, the for-profits have been realizing success using online marketing channels for a longer period of time, and their budgets reflect it,” said Andrew Gansler, CEO of eLearners.com. “But, without question the not-for-profits are taking the field and want to play. At eLearners.com, we are seeing it day in and day out as more and more not-for-profits are approaching us for help. The question now is whether the not-for-profits can leverage their brand names enough to offset the tremendous marketing prowess that the for-profits have achieved.”

Overall, the participating institutions indicated that the biggest challenges facing them in online recruiting is generating qualified leads, name recognition, contact rates (ability to reach the leads) and conversion rates of leads to enrollments. A unique struggle among not-for-profits was dealing with internal bureaucracy challenges, while for-profits mentioned the challenge of ever increasing competition and costs.

eLearners.com interviewed 25% of its client base for this survey. The sample was evenly distributed, with 52% of respondents representing for-profit institutions, and 48% representing not-for-profits. The candidates were interviewed on a host of subjects, including contact response, conversion, retention, vendor relationships, budgets and program selection.

eLearners.com’s research report, “Attracting the Next Generation of Online Learners,” from which this data was drawn, is available to institutions offering online programs by emailing Howard Mandel, VP of Sales, at e-mail protected from spam bots.

About eLearners.com

Since 1999, eLearners.com® -- Where Learning Begins -- has been successfully connecting learners to education, including degree and certificate programs, specialized training, and a variety of courses. For prospective students, eLearners® provides a powerful search engine of online offerings as well as extensive educational resources, available at no cost.

For colleges and universities, eLearners® performance-based marketing services offer a low-cost, high quality method to increase enrollment and exposure to their learning programs. eLearners.com is an operating division of Halyard Education Partners, LLC. For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.elearners.com.

2006-07-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Bethany Staffer Receives National Attention for Online Project

An online educational project created by a Bethany College staff member has received national honors.

Shawndra Fauchier’s online project has been chosen by the National College of Teaching and Learning as one of ten outstanding proposals or projects that "demonstrate successful practice and research to improve higher-education learning."

From the ten, an “Award-Winning Conference Proposal” will be chosen, and its author awarded $5,000 and a paid registration to the National Educational Computing Conference July 5–7, 2006, in San Diego.

Fauchier demonstrated her project Dec. 9 through Dec. 11 in Atlantic City, N.J., and received feedback on the project. The winning project will be announced next year.

Fauchier’s project, “Creative Campus Connections,” is an online supplement to freshman orientation sent to students before they arrive on campus. Her purpose was to show that such a project can significantly increase the amount of knowledge students have on campus resources and services and reduce institutional costs.

Fauchier's online module can be sent to new students before they arrive on campus. Students complete the module and assessment online, and scores are emailed back to the college. On-campus orientation sessions then can be focused on low-score topics.

Fauchier has served as area coordinator for three residences halls at Bethany College since August. As part of Bethany College’s office of residence life, Fauchier also has responsibilities in the overall function of residence life.

This summer she completed her Masters of Education in Instructional Technology at American InterContinental University. She also is certified as an instructional designer through Southern Methodist University.

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service.

2006-06-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

Incentive Publications Creates New Web Site with Advanced eBook Features

Incentive Publications, an educational publisher specializing in middle school educational resources and teaching strategies books for grades K-12, announces the launch of its new web site at www.incentivepublications.com. The site includes eBook features rivaling any currently available in the publishing industry.

Says J. Blake Parker, President & CEO of Incentive Publications, "IP will continue to sell the bulk of our materials through educational retailers, Barnes & Noble, and many other distributors. However, because many customers are now choosing to buy traditional books and digital books online, we really needed a web site with sophisticated e-commerce capabilities. After being in the publishing business for 38 years, we have taken a huge leap and have high expectations for our online sales in 2006 and beyond."

The Incentive Publications web site is unique in its eBook capabilities that incorporate Adobe's PDF document standard. Some companies provide a sample of the book, but few allow potential readers to preview entire books online -- the title page or a few introductory pages of text. IP enables any visitor to truly evaluate a publication as they move through every page before making a "buy" decision. Preview documents are automatically generated from the large library of Incentive Publications eBooks making it easy for IP to offer eBook previews to their customers. The previewed content cannot be printed, nor is it in a format to enable effective print screen printing; hence, proprietary content is protected.

Another unique feature is that IP customers can create their own virtual IP eBook library, and eBooks in the library can be downloaded at any time. Proprietary technology allows the company to maintain the library with little infrastructure overhead and low maintenance. Currently, IP has approximately 275 eBooks online, representing approximately 105,000 pages, and the company is continuing to add eBook publications.

For IP customers, the eBook delivery system is a perfect fit. Most of IP's publications are reproducible resources for teachers or parents, including homeschoolers. IP customers make photocopies of the various lesson plans, learning activities, and skill builders contained in their IP books for use in their own classroom (or home). Teachers or parents can now instantly choose the page(s) they want to print from their eBook library and select the number of copies needed. There's no need to rip pages out of a book, run to the copy room, and wait in line.

About Incentive Publications

Incentive Publications specializes in middle school educational resources and effective teaching strategies for all grades. Privately owned and located in Nashville, TN, IP publishes books written by a wide array of top educator-authors dedicated to research and practical classroom know-how. IP publications are used by educators--both teachers and administrators--and parents (including homeschoolers) to help their students enjoy the learning process and do it more effectively.

2006-06-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Penn State IT administrator testifies before U.S. Senate on Internet neutrality issue

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee this week, a Penn State information technology administrator suggested that the federal government should back legislation that would retain network non-discrimination rules -- known as 'net neutrality.' Jeff Kuhns, senior director of Information Technology Services at Penn State, testified at the invitation of committee chair Sen. Arlen Specter on Wednesday (June 14) at the U.S. Capitol. He urged senators to support a bill that would prevent Internet service providers from blocking or altering certain Web content. The full text of his written testimony appears below.

Testimony of Jeff C. Kuhns
Senior Director, Consulting and Support Services, Information Technology Services (ITS)
The Pennsylvania State University

For the United States Senate
Committee on the Judiciary
"Reconsidering Our Communications Laws: Ensuring Competition and Innovation"
June 14, 2006

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee:

My name is Jeff Kuhns. I am the Senior Director of the Information Technology Services at the Pennsylvania State University. I am directly involved in managing the telecommunications and Internet needs of the university. I am testifying today on behalf of EDUCAUSE and the Internet2, the organizations that jointly represent the interests of higher education and universities in telecommunications policy. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

Summary. I would like to focus my remarks on the importance of keeping the Internet open to all -- the issue of “net neutrality.” Universities are extremely large producers and users of Internet content. Penn State, for instance, depends upon the Internet to provide distance learning educational services – allowing us to bring our enormous educational resources to the benefit of off-campus students throughout Pennsylvania, and even throughout the world. Furthermore, universities use the Internet to provide vital telemedicine services that provide essential medical monitoring and treatment via low-cost broadband connections. We are constantly developing new Internet-based applications and services that we hope to share with the American public.

All of these activities, however, depend upon the availability of an open Internet. The government’s decision to eliminate this policy of openness last year throws all of our valuable services and research into doubt. Our distance learning, our telemedicine applications, and our research activities could be wiped out if the owners of the broadband networks are allowed to close down the Internet, or give preferential treatment to their own services. We urge Congress to restore the net neutrality policy that governed the Internet since its inception. The future of American education, innovation and competitiveness is at stake.

Penn State. Penn State is a multi-location university with 24 campuses located throughout the Commonwealth. As a land-grant University, we also have county extension offices in each of the State's 67 counties. We have over 80,000 students, with approximately one-half at the University Park Campus in State College.

Broadband Internet services are fundamentally important to our university in many ways. While each of our resident hall rooms are wired for high-speed networking, about 80% of our students live off-campus. Increasingly the off-campus students use cable modem service or DSL to reach University resources, and increasingly the University expects that these broadband services are available to our students as we develop course materials.

Through our Penn State online program we offer more than 50 degree and certification programs on all 7 continents, including masters programs in business administration, project management, and education. We have students who have never taken a college course before, who have attended college but need credits to complete their degree, who are taking additional credits in addition to traditional classes, and who are maintaining their professional education. These on-line programs are especially valuable to persons with disabilities. Furthermore, we offer an extensive selection of online and mixed media courses to members of the military so, no matter where they are stationed, they can start or continue their studies with Penn State.

We also use networking services to interconnect our campuses and our county offices. We use networking services to allow our researchers to collaborate with colleagues across the country and world, and to allow our students to access resources, correspond with friends and experiment with new network applications. We use networking services to provide information to prospective students, to provide information to parents and alumni, and to provide information to the public at large.

In sum, the availability of low-cost, high-speed, nondiscriminatory Internet services is absolutely essential for our university to meet our educational goals in the 21st century.

EDUCAUSE and Internet2. Penn State is also an active member of both EDUCAUSE and Internet2. EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. The current membership comprises more than 2,000 colleges, universities, and educational organizations, including 200 corporations, with 15,000 active members.

Internet2 is a not-for-profit partnership of 208 universities, 70 companies, and 51 affiliated organizations, including some federal agencies and laboratories. Its mission is to advance the state of the Internet, and it does that primarily by operating for its members a very advanced, private, ultra-high-speed research and education network called Abilene that enables millions of researchers, faculty, students and staff to “live in the future” of advanced broadband. By providing very high speed pipes – 10,000 times faster than home broadband, in the backbone – it enables its members to try new uses of the network, develop new applications, and experiment with new forms of communications.

In short, the members of Internet2 are experiencing today what we hope the rest of America will be able to have and use in just a few years. Because of the ground-breaking research undertaken by laboratories at Penn State and at other universities within the Internet2 coalition, our students can take advantage of many new technologies and applications that were only dreamed of just a few years ago.

Today, our students are able to take master music classes with world-renowned musicians via DVD-quality video conferencing technology. Recently, students at Wichita State were able to play and take lessons from the New World Symphony in Miami using Internet2’s network. The fidelity of the audio and video is so fine-tuned, it is as if the teacher and the student are in the same room, able to discuss details about playing technique and musical phrasing. Famed oceanographer Bob Ballard is able to take elementary school children on undersea expeditions using Internet2’s network. They can have a 2-way video conversation with an underwater diver in real time from any connected school in the country – imagine the lasting impression this must have – especially for those who may never have experienced the ocean firsthand.

We have a very strong interest in the current telecommunications reform discussion that is unfolding here in the Congress: we have seen an Internet future that is possible for this country and we know that the rules and incentives that you are considering could have an enormous and lasting impact upon the kind of Internet we will actually achieve.

The Importance of Net Neutrality. Our experience working with advanced networks has taught us that the Internet works best if the user – not the network owner or operator – determines what information is transmitted over the network. Users should be able to decide how much bandwidth to buy from the network operators – a little or a lot. Once the user has paid for his or her bandwidth, the user should be able to go to any web page, use any lawful application, equipment or service, and send any lawful content.

Allowing the network owner to block or degrade content, equipment or applications fundamentally alters the Internet experience. Indeed, allowing a gatekeeper to monitor, screen, manipulate traffic would ruin the Internet as we know it. Instead of the open, free-wheeling, forum for discourse and commerce that we enjoy today, the Internet would become the private playground of a few network owners – which face little competition and thus have significant market power -- whose incentive will be to steer users to the products and services that they own.

The debate over net neutrality is sometimes distorted by those who oppose legislation. They maintain that everyone has a different definition of net neutrality, or that this is a solution in search of a problem. While these pithy phrases might be easy to toss around in casual conversation, they are dead wrong. This issue is not nearly as complicated as the opponents would have you believe. Let me state a few points very clearly.

First, now that the FCC has eliminated the net neutrality requirements for broadband providers, network owners can block traffic at will. A cable or phone company could block access to a Senator’s web site or an on-line journal simply because they disagree with the viewpoint being expressed. The network owner could block or degrade a competitor’s VOIP offering, simply because it competes with the telco’s own VOIP service. There is absolutely no legal requirement to maintain an open network today. At a minimum, Congress must act to prohibit blocking or intentional degradation of Internet traffic.

Second, there is one central principle that underlies the entire net neutrality debate – nondiscrimination. Network owners should not be able to give preference to their own services over those of their competitors. Network operators should truly be “neutral”; their job should be to carry traffic on a nondiscriminatory basis. To be sure, there are lots of ways of writing this principle into statutory law, but the variety of language does not mean that there are a variety of meanings to net neutrality. All the advocates of net neutrality with which EDUCAUSE and Internet2 are aligned share this common goal of ensuring an open, nondiscriminatory, neutral Internet.

Third, the telephone and cable companies maintain that legislating on net neutrality would prevent them from managing their networks, but this is a misconception. Network management is not a barrier to net neutrality. As network managers ourselves, we understand the need to be concerned with security attacks, spam, and overall congestion – but these should not be used as excuses to discriminate. In short, network management and net neutrality are not in conflict, they are perfectly consistent. In fact, telephone companies today engage in network management of their narrowband networks under a net neutrality regime without difficulty.

Fourth, giving preferential treatment to certain Internet traffic (as the telephone and cable companies desire) is not only unfair, it inherently degrades the quality of service provided to others. If a network operator starts to give preference to packets from one source (that perhaps pays the operator for preference), what happens to all of the other, ordinary packets? We know that when an ambulance or fire truck comes down a congested highway, everybody else has to pull over and stop. For emergencies, and for public safety, that is accepted, but what if UPS trucks had the same preference? Giving a preference to the packets of some will degrade the transport for everyone else.

Fifth, allowing the network operators to charge users to deliver traffic on the Internet will inherently inhibit non-profit organizations from using the Internet for social good. If economic toll booths are allowed for content and applications to access the Internet, then soon only the richest content providers will be able to make their material available. What happens to the small college or university, the little guy, the start-up, the entrepreneur? If charging content providers to carry their bits to local customers had existed ten years ago, we would never have seen universities using the Internet for distance learning and telemedicine applications that are widely available today. Universities and colleges simply could not compete with the large on-line merchants for priority access to the network.

Just to cite some examples, MIT is pioneering a move to put all of its course content – written materials, multi-media, videos of lectures and more – onto the Internet for free distribution to the world. It is an experiment, but a bold one that could have transformative impact upon those who might never be able to see the inside of a college classroom. Stanford University is making the audio from class lectures available on the Web. The Library of Congress is working on projects to make rare materials available over the Internet. Should MIT or Stanford or the Library of Congress now have to pay Verizon and AT&T, Comcast and Cox, and all of the other local network providers to allow Americans access to this material? Other nations are not putting up toll booths, why should we?

The Internet2 Experience. We are aware that some providers argue against net neutrality by saying that they must give priority to certain kinds of Internet bits, such as video, in order to assure a high quality experience for their customer. Others argue that they want to use such discrimination among bits as a basis for a business model. Let me respond to these arguments by telling you about the experience at Internet2.

When Internet2 first began to deploy its Abilene network, the engineers started with the assumption that they should find technical ways of prioritizing certain kinds of bits, such as streaming video, or video conferencing, in order to assure that they arrive without delay. For a number of years, Internet2 seriously explored various “quality of service” schemes, including having our engineers convene a Quality of Service Working Group. As it developed, though, all of the research and practical experience supported the conclusion that it was far more cost effective to simply provide more bandwidth. With enough bandwidth in the network, there is no congestion and video bits do not need preferential treatment. All of the bits arrive fast enough, even if intermingled.

Today the Internet2 Abilene network does not give preferential treatment to anyone’s bits, but its users routinely experiment with streaming HDTV, hold thousands of high quality two-way video conferences simultaneously, and transfer huge files of scientific data around the globe without loss of packets.

We would argue that, rather than introduce additional complexity into the network fabric, and additional costs to implement these prioritizing techniques, the telecom providers should focus on providing Americans with an abundance of bandwidth – and the quality problems will take care of themselves. For example, if a provider simply brought a gigabit Ethernet connection to your home, you could connect that to your home computer with only a $15 card. If the provider insists on dividing up that bandwidth into various separate pipes for telephone and video and Internet, the resulting set top box might cost as much as $150. Simple is cheaper. Complex is costly.

A simple design is not only less expensive: it enables and encourages innovation.

The design of the Internet. Universities also have a deep concern about the future of the Internet because universities helped to design the Internet from its inception. The original Internet was designed to have an agnostic, neutral “core” whose job was to pass packets back and forth – and not to discriminate or examine the packets themselves. This allowed the network to be very cost efficient and economical. It also allowed all of the “intelligence” in the network to be at the “edge,” that is, in the hands of the user.

This was very important to the evolution of the Internet. The network provider did not have control, the user did. As long as the user utilized the standardized protocols, he or she could expect to send and receive packets to anyone else on the network in a completely understandable, predictable manner. That allowed the user to experiment with new programs, new applications, slightly tweaked applications, and even new devices – and the user would know that the network would treat the packets all exactly alike. Innovation was possible and could happen very quickly at “the edge” because you did not have to re-architect or re-build the entire network in order to make a tweak or improvement in an end-user technology (such as improving a web search engine or developing a new video encoding program).

As a result of this remarkable design, sometimes called “end-to-end architecture,” an explosion of new Internet technologies emerged over the past decade, many of them on university campuses or by recent graduates. The World Wide Web, the Web browser, the search engine, instant messaging, and many other technologies were innovations by users of the network. Not one of these innovations was developed by telephone or cable companies.

The future of the Internet. The faculty and staff and students at Penn State and other Internet2 universities are experimenting with the next generation of the Internet today. We believe that Americans are going to need, and want, significant increases in broadband speeds over the next two decades (just as they have experienced increased computer processing speeds and ever-expanding computer memory). Internet2 universities routinely provide 100 megabits per second to the desktop, and many schools offer 1,000 megabits (1 gigabit) per second connections to their faculty and students. We have done so using commercially available, open-standards technology and our traffic flows on the very same fiber used by today’s Internet service providers. Today’s typical home broadband connection – which admittedly is a big step up from dial-up – is only about 1 megabit. So the goal of broadband legislation should be to encourage ever increasing bandwidth. Reinstating the net neutrality rule that was eliminated last year could unleash another wave of new uses, new applications, money-saving innovations, and economy-driving benefits. This continued drive toward improving productivity and new applications will give an added push to network providers to deploy broadband to meet this burgeoning demand.

We at Penn State and other colleges in the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 community have a vital stake in this legislative debate. The openness of the Internet has allowed universities to develop important services and applications that are benefiting students, faculty, patients and doctors, users and producers of information. Keeping broadband networks open, inexpensive, and simple is better than costly, complex, and closed. Reinstating the net neutrality rule that was in effect for decades will spawn another amazing wave of innovation and growth. We know, because we have seen part of that future.

Thank you for your consideration.

2006-05-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

First Annual AJAXWorld Conference & Expo

SYS-CON Events (www.events.sys-con.com) announced today that the first international "AJAXWorld(TM) Conference & Expo" (www.ajaxworldexpo.com), taking place on October 3-4, 2006, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, California, will offer AJAXWorld University - Developer Bootcamp program. The AJAX Developer Bootcamp will take place on Monday, October 2, 2006, one day before the conference opens.

Early bird registration for the AJAX Developer Bootcamp opened today at the AJAXWorld Conference Website: https://www3.sys-con.com/oct06/registernew.cfm

AJAXWorld University's AJAX Developer Bootcamp is an intensive, one-day, hands-on training program that will teach Web developers and designers how to build high-quality AJAX applications from beginning to end.

Available as part of or separately from the AJAXWorld Conference & Expo in Santa Clara, October 3-4, 2006, the AJAX Developer Bootcamp is an in-depth, highly practical crash course that takes students rapidly through the paces of developing AJAX using the latest techniques, libraries/frameworks, and best practices.

Held on October 2, the day before the AJAXWorld Conference & Expo begins, the AJAX Developer Bootcamp is intended to be the premier AJAX instructional program presently available anywhere. The AJAX Developer Bootcamp curriculum is carefully designed to be the most efficient way to "fit all of AJAX in your head" using a structured and well-organized approach to learning about this significant new paradigm shift in Web development.

The AJAX Developer Bootcamp will be taught by AJAXWorld University instructor, Dion Hinchcliffe, renowned AJAX architect, developer, author, and speaker, who is also the founding editor and editor-in-chief of AJAXWorld Magazine and editor of SYS-CON Book's upcoming bestseller, "Real-World AJAX: Secrets of the Masters."

Attendees of the AJAX Developer Bootcamp will gain a deep understanding of the underlying principles of AJAX including DHTML, JavaScript, XMLHttpRequest, how to build AJAX-friendly Web services including JSON, AJAX application structure, and useful tips for debugging, troubleshooting, and tuning AJAX applications. Knowledge of and ability to work with HTML and CSS are a bootcamp prerequisite, as well as basic JavaScript skills.

The AJAX method of designing Web-based software has taken the industry by storm over the last year. Internet companies like Google have shown what is possible (Gmail and Google Maps), and the future of Web development now seems closely intertwined with mastery of the AJAX technique, which results in online software that is as rich and expressive as desktop software.

AJAXWorld University Certification:
Attendees successfully completing the bootcamp will get a certificate of completion from AJAXWorld University.

Who Should Attend:
Attendees with prior limited knowledge of AJAX are encouraged to attend AJAX Developer Bootcamp if they will be involved in the design or building of AJAX software.

AJAXWorld Conference & Expo:
The world-beating conference program will provide developers, IT managers, and corporate decision makers with comprehensive information and insight into the biggest paradigm shift in Website design, development, and deployment since the invention of the World Wide Web a decade ago.

The next-generation user-centric Web is hurtling toward us and it is a rich-media future in which AJAX, the most talked about of all the Rich Internet technologies, is positioned firmly at center stage.

Burton Group defines "Rich" Internet Applications as those that offer functionality beyond standard HTML frames and hyperlinks, the most famous examples of such functionality on the Web to date being the AJAX-based Google Maps and Gmail.

AJAXWorld Conference & Expo 2006 recognizes that, while on the one hand Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) as a category is wider and broader than just AJAX, on the other it is indisputably AJAX that has acted as the tipping point.

"Over the two information-packed days, delegates will receive four days' worth of education, as speaker after speaker explores AJAX and RIAs in the greater context of the overall Web 2.0 spectrum," said Jeremy Geelan, conference chair and group publisher of SYS-CON Media. "Delegates will also receive all conference sessions on SYS-CON.TV's 'very popular' Webcast DVDs, thus, not missing a single session of this ground-breaking event of the year."

AJAXWorld will feature a faculty of the world's most distinguished speakers, including Jesse James Garrett, the father of the term "AJAX" who will be delivering the opening keynote. The speakers will present more than 96 sessions, keynotes, and televised power panel discussions, in six simultaneous tracks for two days.

The call for papers for "AJAXWorld" will remain open through June 30, 2006, at www.ajaxworldexpo.com.

Sponsorship and Exhibit Opportunities:
AJAXWorld will be sponsored by eight leading AJAX and Rich Internet technology vendors. The conference will offer exhibit opportunities to other vendors in addition to the eight main event sponsors, including five charter sponsors: Adobe (www.adobe.com), Backbase (www.backbase.com), ComponentArt (www.componentart.com), Laszlo Systems (www.laszlosystems.com) and Nexaweb (www.nexaweb.com).

Additional information on sponsorship and exhibit opportunities can be obtained by e-mail at events(at)sys-con.com or by phone at 201 802-3021.

AJAXWorld Europe to Take Place on May 7-8, 2007 in Amsterdam, Netherlands

SYS-CON Events also announced today that the first international AJAXWorld(TM) Europe Conference & Expo will take place on May 7-8, 2007, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The details of AJAXWorld Europe will be made available on Monday, July 10, 2006.

About SYS-CON Media
SYS-CON Media, listed in Inc. 500 three years in a row as the fastest-growing, privately held publishing company in America, is the world's leading publisher exclusively serving i-technology markets.

SYS-CON's well-known and highly respected magazines web portals include: AJAXWorld Magazine (www.ajax.sys-con.com); Java Developer's Journal (www.JavaDevelopersJournal.com); NET Developer's Journal (www.DotNETDevelopersJournal.com); Enterprise Open Source Magazine (www.opensource.sys-con.com); Linux.SYS-CON.com (www.linux.sys-con.com); SOA Web Services Journal (www.WSJ2.com); Wireless Business & Technology (www.WBT2.com); XML-Journal (www.XML-Journal.com); WebLogic Developer's Journal (www.WeblogicDevelopersJournal.com); WebSphere Journal (www.WebSphereJournal.com); Web Developer's & Designer's Journal (www.webddj.sys-con.com); ColdFusion Developer's Journal (www.ColdFusionJournal.com); PowerBuilder Developer's Journal (www.PowerBuilderJournal.com); IT Solutions Guide (www.itsolutions.sys-con.com); Information Storage & Security Journal (www.issjournal.com); Eclipse Developer's Journal (www.eclipsedevelopersjournal.com); Symbian Developer's Journal (www.symbian.sys-con.com); Web Hosting Journal (www.webhosting.sys-con.com); and Web 2.0 Journal (www.web2.sys-con.com).

Each month SYS-CON Media reaches over two million i-technology professionals through its specialty journals, magazines, conferences, education programs (www.education.sys-con.com), SYS-CON.TV (www.SYS-CON.TV), the world's first branded blog community (www.blog-n-play.com), live and on-demand Webcasts (www.webcast.sys-con.com), and the SYS-CON interactive portal with more than 100 websites at www.sys-con.com.

About SYS-CON Events, Inc.
SYS-CON Events, Inc. (www.events.sys-con.com) is the world's leading producer of i-technology conferences, seminars and expos, including SOA Web Services Edge - International SOA Web Services Conference, Enterprise Open Source Conference, "Real-World AJAX" Seminar Series (www.ajaxseminar.com), "Real-World Flex" Seminar Series (www.events.sys-con.com), iTVcon - Internet TV Conference & Expo 2006 (www.itvcon.com) and International AJAXWorld Conference & Expo (www.ajaxworldexpo.com).

2006-05-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

MySpace.com Partners With Child Safety Network to Continue to Encourage Online Safety; Social Networking Site to Display Child Safety Network Web-Based Banners Containing Helpful, Free Online Safety Resources

MySpace.com, the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering popular culture, teams up with the Child Safety Network (CSN), one of the nation's leading child safety organizations, to educate users about staying safe online. Through this partnership, MySpace will host a series of web-based banner advertisements that contain free resources and informational tips regarding important safety issues pertaining to the MySpace community. If selected, the banners direct users to the CSN homepage (www.csn.org).

The CSN's homepage provides users with the opportunity to access CSN's in-depth resources for online safety, including printable tips and safety suggestions. Members of CSN can also enter their zip codes online to view photographs and addresses of registered sex offenders living in the local area.

"There are multiple online services available to the public these days from Yahoo! and MSN to MySpace and AOL. Internet users across the board need to learn the simple and helpful safety precautions that can eliminate potential risk and protect personal information," said Ward Leber, President of Child Safety Network. "MySpace is setting a great example for online safety education by making CSN's free resources available to its community of users, and we certainly support all efforts to protect their members."

Since the site's inception, MySpace has invested extensive resources towards the issue of online safety by developing and implementing a series of initiatives to uphold the security of its members. In addition to its partnership with CSN, MySpace will continue to provide users and parents with "Safety Tips" at the bottom of every page on the site, as well as educational information specific to online safety. Additionally, MySpace will remain persistent with enforcing a minimum age requirement of 14 for users, while providing special protections for members under the age of 16 years old. These special protections safeguard minors' personal information so that it cannot be accessed by people they do not know.

"We are committed to ensuring that our younger users are given the necessary tools to remain safe within the MySpace community," stated Shawn Gold, SVP of Marketing, MySpace. "Given CSN's dedication to educating parents, teachers and teens on the issues of online safety, this partnership demonstrates MySpace's ongoing pledge to protect the safety of its members."

About Child Safety Network

Since 1989 CSN has been making America a safer place for children to live. Our mission is to reduce the likelihood of children becoming victims of abuse, abduction, exploitation and injury. We accomplish our mission by developing and implementing educational safety programs on a global basis. CSN acts as a true "network" when it comes to implementation. We have worked with the world's largest service organizations as well as local, state and federal agencies to accomplish our mission. Over 300 U.S. representatives including the office of the President have endorsed CSN's efforts in writing.

About MySpace.com

MySpace is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering culture. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the second ranked web domain in terms of page views, MySpace.com is the most widely-used and highly-regarded site of its kind. MySpace is committed to providing the highest quality member experience and will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off.

2006-05-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Movement aims to get serious about games

Traditional console games have been hogging the spotlight for years, especially with events like the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) allowing vendors to hawk their wares in Hollywood. But there's a movement afoot that's quietly trying to do something more substantial. It's trying to merge the video game and the educational software markets.

Known as the Serious Games Movement, this genre is "about taking resources of the (video) games industry and applying them outside of entertainment," says Ben Sawyer, co-founder of Digitalmill Inc., and one of the organizers of the Serious Games Summit. This means creating games that play roles in areas such as education, health, public policy, science, government and corporate training, he says.

The Serious Games Movement got a start in 2002 when the U.S. Army released the video game America's Army as a free online download (www.americasarmy.com). That game "was the first successful and well-executed serious game that gained total public awareness" says Sawyer. More than 5 million people have become registered users. By exploring the video game, you experience what it is like to be in the Army.

As academics began to recognize the potential scope of video game technology, conferences sprang up. In 2003, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars held a "Serious Games Day."

In 2004, the first Serious Games Summit was held at the Game Developers Conference. That same year, MIT Comparative Media Studies helped to sponsor the first Education Arcade: Games in Education Conference in Los Angeles two days before the E3, the video gaming industry's yearly conference.

In October, the Federation of American Scientists held their own Summit on Educational Games in Washington. Shortly thereafter, again in the nation's capital, a second annual Serious Games Summit was held. Most recently, on March 20-21, another Serious Games Summit was held as part of the Games Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif.

As the Serious Games Movement has gained creditability, funding is starting to become available. Foundations, governmental agencies, non-profits and venture capitalists have provided money for development of serious games. Even universities are supporting development of serious games by permitting students to produce these games for academic credit.

Foundation contributions

In 2003, the Liemandt Foundation became an incubator for serious games by starting the Hidden Agenda Contest. As part of the contest, college students compete for $25,000 by creating educational games for middle schoolers.

Lauren Davis, the Liemandt's program director, requires that the games contain a "stealth education" component. "The hardest part of my contest is not building a game in six months, granted, that is challenging, but it really is coming up with that great concept that has the education baked into the game play," she says.

The contest ran for two years but took a break last year so the foundation could fund further development of two of the games produced. Polished versions of the winning games will be available for free by this summer at www.hiddenagenda.com, the website for the contest, which will resume this fall.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also has become involved in the Serious Games Movement by helping to underwrite conferences called Games for Health.

Susan Krutt, the foundation's communications officer, says, "Given the tremendous reach of video games and the powerful role they play in the lives of tens of millions of users, it's clear that this medium will only grow in its importance. We are excited about the impact that game technologies and gaming can have on health — in much the same way that television, the Internet and other media have had before it. Simulation, virtual reality, interactive games and other gaming formats offer numerous ways to transform health and health care."

The foundation also has funded a project directed by Harold Goldberg at the University of Washington. The project is looking at whether Nintendo GameCube systems and cellphones can help adolescents and young adults manage chronic diseases like diabetes.

Believe in Tomorrow National Children's Foundation partnered with BreakAway Games and researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County to produce Free Dive, a video game that helps chronically ill children cope with pain and anxiety by distracting them while they undergo painful medical treatments. Studies have shown that children are 60% more resistant to pain while playing this soothing underwater adventure.

Governmental support

The National Institutes of Health has become a funding source for serious games that focus on health. In 2003, the Health Media Lab, under a grant from the NIH, produced the video game Hungry Red Planet (www.hungryredplanet.com). The computer game teaches kids about healthy eating by placing them in charge of menu planning for a group of settlers on Mars.

The NIH has also funded Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space and Escape from Diab, two video games in production by Archimage Inc. (www.ArchimageOnline.com). Archimage, a Houston-based architectural design studio, collaborated with the Children's Nutritional Research Center of Baylor College of Medicine to make these games that help prevent childhood obesity and Type II diabetes.

"We want to get into kids' heads. Games are a channel that reaches children in a way they want to be reached," says Tom Baranowski, a professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and a consultant on the games.

In these role-playing games, "players can learn through actual experience as we deliver positive messages," says Baranowski. To successfully play the game, players must set and achieve real life diet and exercise goals.

Archimage's president, Richard Buday, recognizes that today's kids have sophisticated tastes in video games and that it is important to create a game that is "packaged correctly."

Seeking to attract the "sophisticated viewer," he used a 30-person cast and crew working with a blue screen set to create 60 minutes of video for Nanoswarm. The game is a sci-fi adventure in which the player joins four other teenagers as they pilot a miniaturized ship through the human body to defeat microscopic robots.

Humanitarian messages

The United Nations World Food Programme hit a home run when the agency funded Food Force (www.food-force.com), a free downloadable game that simulates the actions of aid workers trying to get food to poor people isolated by crisis. The humanitarian video game for children has been downloaded more than 3 million times from nearly 200 countries.

Even private investors are stepping up to fund serious educational games, such as Dimenxian, a new algebra game in development by Tabula Digita (www.tabuladigita.com). Due late this year, it will offer an immersive 3-D environment in which kids "learn math or die trying."

PeaceMaker is a game in production by a team of six graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center aimed at conflict resolution and understanding. In the video game simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you can choose to play as either the prime minister of Israel or as the Palestinian president.

The students have been working on the game to fulfill academic requirements. However, because of interest in the game and changes in the political climate that the game depicts, the students have decided to continue to work on the game after graduation by forming ImpactGames, a game development studio. For information on the game, go to www.peacemakergame.com.

As the video gaming industry continues to grow, more people from diverse backgrounds are beginning to consider how to harness the powerful draw of video gaming to do positive things rather than simply entertain.

Bill MacKenty, a teacher at Edgartown School in Martha's Vineyard, foresees a future with video games in classrooms. "We must meet our kids, and then bring them to a different place in education. I think games do this extraordinarily well."

2006-05-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Police presentation on kids and the Internet

"The Internet, Protecting Kids and Teens Online" will be presented by the Lakeville Police Department in cooperation with Netsmartz .org and the Internet Crimes against Children Task Force at 7 p.m. May 23 in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

The presentation is open to parents, and the community and will be recorded for broadcast on Channel 16. Issues covered will be risks online, characteristics of an online victim, characteristics of an online predator, online safety tips and what you can do. For more information, contact City Hall at 952-985-4400. Lakeville City Hall is at 20195 Holyoke Ave.

2006-05-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

A Practical Graduation Gift that Shows You Care

(ARA) - It won't be long before your friends, sons and daughters put on the cap and gown and march across the stage. Graduation Day, whether from high school or college is a monumentus occasion, well deserving of a gift.

The most popular gift to give on a day when that special someone is beginning a new chapter in their life is money. Electronic gadgets that will help them down the road also make a lot of sense.

If you'll be giving the graduate one of this year's most popular electronic gifts -- a cell phone, PDA, laptop, iPod or digital camera -- protect your investment by accompanying the gift with ID labels that include a lifetime link to StuffBak's recovery service. StuffBak is a loss protection service in the business of helping people get back their missing possessions.

"It's important to provide identification for portable items to facilitate a recovery if that device is lost - but most people don't want to risk disclosure of their personal information in the process," says Karen Edwards of StuffBak. "Our service combines confidential ID tags with a service to help get stuff quickly back to owners. Owner identity is never compromised and the service works across the broadest spectrum of real world situations."

Edwards goes on to point out that common sense tells you that if you have a form of identification and attach a reward to an item's recovery, you're more likely to get it back. Everyone who calls StuffBak after finding an item will receive a $20 StuffBak product reward, plus the owner's optional cash reward.

"As a society, we are increasingly dependent on our electronic tools to conduct business, keep in touch with friends and family, provide enjoyment and manage our lives. Redoing a lost report would take hours; so would reprogramming your cell phone; and if you lose those irreplaceable photos, you'd be heartbroken," says Edwards. "Replacing and reprogramming these devices if they're lost is a huge hassle. That's why services like ours are becoming so popular."

StuffBak, by the way, boasts a 75 percent recovery rate. The service is sold in electronic stores nationwide, and direct from the manufacturer. Log on to www.stuffbak.com or call (800) 800-8257 to learn more or place an order.

2006-04-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Rainforest education site goes online; resources for students, teachers, and journalists

With Earth Day fast approaching it's time to take another look at the world's most biodiverse ecosystems!

Mongabay.com, a leading environmental-science web site, announced today a revised version of a rainforest site, that has been a major resource on such forests for teachers, students, and researchers. The expanded and updated site is now available at http://rainforests.mongabay.com.

“Mongabay.com is dedicated to providing necessary communication to those interested in the fate of our rainforests,” Ira Rubinoff, director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), said. “It has a scientific base that should provide reliable information to all who share an interest in the future quality of life on this planet.”

The revised site includes environmental profiles and deforestation statistics for more than 60 countries, and features thousands of rainforest wildlife photos from around the world Additionally, the site includes a section geared towards children, with learning activities and educational resources for teachers.

“Mongabay.com aims to be an excellent educational resource for children and adults alike,” Rhett A Butler, founder of the site, said. “I believe a key part to rainforest conservation is education—both in local communities around forest areas and in industrialized countries where consumption decisions can drive deforestation. However, I also think that it is important to extend beyond rainforests, stimulating a greater appreciation of natural and wildlife in general. It’s hard to miss something if you don’t know it’s there in the first place.”

Tropical rainforests are a world like no other, Butler added, and their importance to the global ecosystem and human existence is unquestioned. Unparalleled in their biological diversity, they are a natural reservoir of genetic diversity offering a rich source of medicinal plants, high-yield foods, and a myriad of other useful forest products. They are an important habitat for migratory animals and sustain as much as 50 percent of the species on Earth, as well as a number of diverse and unique indigenous cultures. Tropical rainforests play an fundamental role in regulating global weather in addition to maintaining regular rainfall, while buffering against floods, droughts, and erosion. They store vast quantities of carbon, while producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen.

Butler noted that tropical rainforests, like so many other natural places, are increasingly scarce as we advance into the 21st century. The vast swaths of forest, swamp, desert, and savanna that carpeted Earth’s land surface a mere five generations ago have been reduced to scattered fragments; today, more than two-thirds of the world’s tropical rainforests exist as fragmented remnants. Less than 5 percent of Earth’s land is covered with these forests (about 2.41 million square miles or 625 million hectares) but this area is being diminished at a rate exceeding 80,000 acres (32,300 ha).

Contrary to what one might expect, deforestation rates have not slowed in recent years. Analysis of figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) shows that tropical deforestation rates increased 8.5 percent from 2000-2005 when compared with the 1990s, while loss of primary forests may have expanded by 25 percent over the same period. Nigeria and Vietnam’s rate of primary forest loss has doubled since the 1990s, while Peru’s rate has tripled.

Overall, the FAO estimates that 10.4 million hectares of tropical forest were permanently destroyed each year in the period from 2000 to 2005, an increase since the 1990-2000 period, when around 10.16 million hectares of forest were lost. Among primary forests, annual deforestation rose to 6.26 million hectares from 5.41 million hectares in the same period. On a broader scale, FAO data shows that primary forests are being replaced by less biodiverse plantations and secondary forests. Because of a significant increase in plantation forests, forest cover has generally been expanding in North America, Europe, and China while diminishing in the tropics. Industrial logging, conversion for agriculture (both for commercial production and the subsistence needs of rural populations), and forest fires—often purposely set by people—are responsible for the bulk of global deforestation today.

As rainforests around the world still continue to fall, it raised the question of whether it really make a difference? Why should anyone care if some plants, animals, mushrooms, and microorganisms fade away? Besides rainforests in distant, unpronounceable lands are often hot and humid, difficult to reach, insect-ridden, and have elusive wildlife.

Scientists will argue that the concern extends beyond losing a few plants and animals. By destroying the tropical forests, we risk our own quality of life, gamble with the stability of climate and local weather, threaten the existence of other species, and undermine the valuable services provided by biological diversity.

“What other single ecosystem harbors millions of species and countless indigenous human cultures, locks up billions of tons of carbon and thus slows global warming, protects delicate soils from erosion, and helps to stabilize our global climate?” asks William F. Laurance, a world authority in tropical conservation biology, who currently works with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in Brazil. “Rainforests do more than protect biodiversity; they play a truly vital role in keeping our planet liveable,” he says.

While in most areas, environmental degradation has yet to reach a crisis level where entire systems are collapsing, scientists like Laurance believe it is important to examine some of the effects of existing environmental impoverishment and to forecast some of the potential repercussions of forest loss. Continuing loss of natural systems could make human activities increasingly vulnerable to ecological surprises in the future.

The most immediate impact of deforestation occurs at the local level with the loss of ecological services provided by tropical rainforests and related ecosystems. Such habitats afford humans valuable services such as erosion prevention, flood control, water treatment, fisheries protection, and pollination—functions that are particularly important to the world’s poorest people, who rely on natural resources for their everyday survival. Forest loss also reduces the availability of renewable resources like timber, medicinal plants, nuts and fruit, and game.

Over the longer term, deforestation of tropical rainforests can have a broader impact, affecting global climate and biodiversity. These changes are more difficult to observe and forecast from local effects, since they take place over a longer time scale and can be difficult to measure.

“Rainforests and coral reefs, two of our planet’s most diverse living ecosystems, exhibit and poorly understood interactions and interdependencies,” Rubinoff of the STRI says. “Temporal fluctuations in the abundance of their component organisms have not been adequately quantified. Moreover, society treats these habitats as a commons with all of the historical management difficulties this entails. In spite of these challenges or perhaps because of them and the inherent diversity and beauty of the systems--an army of scientists, economists, politicians, conservationists, apply themselves to the task of their protection.”

While preserving rainforests for the future is not going to be an easy task, it is possible. Saving rainforests will require developing a new conservation policy built on the principle of sustainable use and development of rainforests—economic, political, and social pressures will not allow rainforests to persist if they are completely closed off from use and development. Beyond the responsible development of rainforests, efforts to rehabilitate and restore degraded forest lands along with the establishment of protected areas are key to securing rainforests for the long-term benefits they can provide mankind.

Saving the forests, oceans, wetlands, deserts, and tundra of the world may require a fundamental change in the way we humans see the world around us. Butler notes that it is our underlying philosophy, one that has been conditioned since birth, that has turned so many of Earth’s unique ecosystems into places in peril today.

As much as we may want to believe it, man is not apart from nature,” Butler added. “People are not exempt from the laws of nature nor the sole heir of all the precious resources of this planet. Our place in the universe is not to conquer Earth and cultivate the entire planet to suit our needs, while extinguishing those species that do not directly benefit us. What is imperative to our species and all other species is biological diversity. This biodiversity crisis that we are facing today transcends religions, though traditional religions, both tribal and institutional, lend support to the preservation of biodiversity.”

He observed that what makes life on Earth livable for our species is biodiversity—from tigers in Bhutan to sea cucumbers living on the coral reefs of Madagascar to the mites on your cheese. “By extinguishing hotbeds of biodiversity—rainforests, wetlands, coral reefs, and grasslands—we are destroying a part of ourselves. Biodiversity will recover after humanity is gone, but in the meantime, the continuing loss of our fellow species will make Earth an awfully crowded, but lonely, place.”

Butler concludes, “The extinction event that is presently occurring rivals the extinctions caused by natural disasters of global ice ages, planetary collisions, atmospheric poisoning, and variations in solar radiation. The difference is that this extinction was conceived by humans and subject to human decisions. We are the last, best hope for life as we prefer it on this planet.”

2006-04-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

ReallyGoodDeal Offers Fundraisers Maximum Profits While Saving Donors Money

Sales Incentives boosts the fundraising efforts of local event organizers with a new fundraising opportunity that offers a 25% recurring profit per sale to the organization while saving donors approximately $6,000 a year. For details, For details, please click here.

ReallyGoodDeal is an innovative approach to fundraising and applies to any type of program or event: local charity campaigns, events and festivals, school fundraisers, church fundraisers, walks, celebrations, etc. This online bargain shopping service makes donors more interested in supporting local events and charitable causes as they receive value in exchange for their donation.

ReallyGoodDeal saves families thousands on products and services they use every day. Members enjoy shopping bargains online and savings of up to 50% at thousands of businesses around the world. Simply by entering the zip code, name of the city, discounts appear on the computer. Members may also take advantage of the guaranteed $1,000 savings on groceries – as well as savings on big expense items like insurance, telephone, internet, and discounts on gifts, magazines and CD-ROMs and more. For example, an organization promotes ReallyGoodDeal and a donor signs up as a member.

The organization immediately receives 25% of the $59.95 per year membership fee—that’s $15.00 each time a member joins or renews their membership through the fundraising link. The donor then receives savings throughout the year. Most families save approximately $6,000 a year. They choose the exact, money saving grocery coupons their family wants and uses on a daily basis and the coupons are delivered to their doorstep through the US Mail.

The donor’s family also saves money at hundreds of businesses and services within a 25 mile radius of home or anywhere their travels take them. There are pizza coupons, restaurant savings, oil changes, discount hotel and discount airfare rates, discount movie tickets, amusement park discounts, plus plenty of free games and other free stuff for kids and adults. Over 100,000 businesses and services participate, offering some of the best deals on the internet today in an easy to use, well organized website.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

Fundraising organizations post a link on their website and in their web based advertising, promoting ReallyGoodDeal. They drive donors to the site through handouts, flyers, notices, inserts and other forms of promotion. The program comes with an extensive eMarketing assistance program providing online banners & support. Flyers are also available for reproduction and distribution. The Family Savings Network also offers participating organizations a free blog to publish their own news and updates and to help promote ReallyGoodDeal. For details, see
http//:www.familysavingsnetwork.21publish.com

RESELLER OPPORTUNITIES

Sales Incentives is looking for resellers, especially in rural areas where successful community events are important to the local economy. For details, please click here.

2006-03-24T20:21:00.000-08:00

Near-Time Launches New Hosted Service

Near-Time, Inc. has officially launched the beta version of its namesake hosted collaboration service. With Near-Time, users can quickly launch workspaces that tap into the power of Weblogs, Wikis and group scheduling, giving groups an easy and secure way to share ideas, information and files over the Web. Near-Time was recognized in a recent industry report as one of the most promising Web 2.0 applications for 2006.

Near-Time combines the non-linear, ad hoc collaboration of Wikis with the time sensitive, broadcast nature of blogs, bringing these two distinct but important types of collaboration together. It gives small and mid-size businesses an easy and low cost way to collaborate via familiar metaphors that require no IT "care and feeding" or infrastructure investment. Larger enterprises can take advantage of Near-Time's standards-driven architecture to integrate with other collaborative tools and build interdepartmental and inter-enterprise collaboration hubs in a loosely coupled, agile way.

Users of Near-Time can create a collaborative community within seconds. Members of a workspace can privately collaborate and make some or all of their content publicly available. Approachability is ensured with an intuitive interface and a standards-based architecture. Users can access Near-Time via any modern browser, making it easy for organizations to collaborate externally and internally within existing environments.

Near-Time's support for standard Web organization schemes, including hypertext links, categories, and tags, gives users an easy way to discover, reuse and remix group content. Near-Time also leverages existing technologies such as Weblog APIs, email, RSS and Atom feeds, and XML to provide interoperability with existing applications and systems. For example, in addition to an internal notification system, email notifications and RSS feeds give teams a way to stay in synch on the latest developments.

"We are believers in the power of the new Web to transcend email and give groups a better way to work together," said Near-Time CEO Reid Conrad. "Our hosted model enables us to integrate powerful Web collaboration tools like Weblogs and Wikis in an approachable way, providing a better platform for organizations to share ideas, files and information. By creating a more interactive community that integrates content and context, we are giving people the tools they need to improve and accelerate service delivery, product development, information tracking and idea generation."

Near-Time has received positive feedback from early users of the service. These users were from 40 countries, and market segments spanning business, academic, governmental and non-profit.

For example, Doug Hudiburg is a Louisville, Colo.-based marketing consultant who uses Near-Time. Doug said in a recent email to the Near-Time staff: "I wanted to take a moment to tell you how happy I am with Near-Time as a communication and collaboration tool. I started with just one project and am rapidly making Near-Time a required component of all of my projects. It allows me to efficiently manage projects and helps me keep all of the information on a specific project in one central, accessible location. Since using Near-Time I have found that my personal productivity is enhanced, but more importantly, my clients are much more responsive in doing their part of projects. I no longer have to worry about my messages, updates, and requests getting lost in their overflowing email inboxes!"

Barbara K. Iverson, a professor of journalism at Columbia College in Chicago, uses Near-Time to enhance communications with students and other teachers. "Near-time is a critical hub for several of my classes," she said recently. "I use it to post assignments, answer questions from students and give them a forum to publish their stories online. Teachers use Near-Time to create shared resources and assignments. As someone who works online all the time, I like the fact that Near-Time lets me manage a number of spaces under a single framework and easily move from one space to another. Its free trial, low price point and ease-of-use are real wins for time and cost-constrained academic environments." Iverson is a specialist and recognized authority in blogging and online publishing.

About Near-Time
Near-Time is an innovator in advanced collaboration solutions. Near-Time leverages existing and emerging standards to deliver best of class collaboration services. Near-Time is in use in over 40 nations by hundreds of businesses, academic institutions, government agencies and non-profit organizations to maximize internal and external collaboration. www.near-time.com

2006-03-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

Is An Online Degree Right for You?

(ARA) - With the ever-changing job market and increasing competition for stable, well-paying jobs, more and more adults are seeking additional education to help them in their current professions or to prepare them for a career change. For people who are working full time, online learning, sometimes referred to as distance learning, can be a great choice.

Taking courses online enables you to pursue an advanced degree without sacrificing the time you spend with your family or the momentum you have in a career track. Online programs allow learners to take courses when it's convenient for them. Without set classroom time, learners can work on assignments from home, the office, or on the road -- as long as they have access to e-mail and the Internet.

The practicality and convenience of online learning has helped it become a popular choice among busy adults. Currently, there are hundreds of thousands enrolled in online degree programs. University of Phoenix, the largest accredited university in the United States - and leading online university -- helps more than 180,000 working adults achieve their academic and career goals every year.

Online learning offers many benefits. Most programs have rolling admissions and courses begin frequently so students can get started quickly. Going to school online means no hurried commute to make it to class in time. Students can log on to their course any time of day. And online programs typically cater to adult learners, so courses focus on material that's important and practical.

Choosing the right school is key to a positive and rewarding online learning experience. Prospective students should understand the options available and investigate which programs best suit their needs.

Here are some guidelines from the experts at EarnMyDegree.com that will help you make an informed decision:

1. Is the institution accredited? An accrediting agency evaluates such things as financial stability, admissions and student services, student learning and more.

2. Does the institution have both an online and traditional brick-and-mortar presence? This gives you the option of attending some classes on campus.

3. Does the institution have adequate student support services? Can they help you with choosing the right program? If you have technical problems with the online systems, can they help you resolve them?

4. What are the qualifications of the instructors? In addition to academic credentials, instructors may also hold high-level positions within their field of expertise, enabling them to share valuable, real-world experience which can be immediately applied to your career success.

5. What is the success rate of alumni? Ask about the program's graduation rate and job placement assistance.

The cost of online programs varies widely. The good news is that students enrolled in online degree programs are often eligible for the same types of financial assistance as traditional students, including scholarships, federal loans, grants and tuition reimbursement.

Online learning programs give adults a chance to go back to school to pursue their educational and career goals. To research accredited online universities, visit www.EarnMyDegree.com.

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content

2006-02-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

Students go online for outdoor adventure

Starting this week an international team will embark on a 700-mile Alaskan Arctic journey as part of the “Go North!” adventure learning program. The program, led by University professor Aaron Doering, connects K-12 students with real-world research and exploration via photos and videos.

The program, which involves 900 Minnesota schools and 3,000 schools globally, delivers an online curriculum centered on the realities of oil exploration and the search for renewable resources while crossing academic disciplines.

University professor Aaron Doering is the program’s education director. He said that while collaborating with students and teachers live in the online learning environment, an expedition team will document its findings to help students understand patterns of climate change.

The international team of men and women will embark on a 700-mile journey across the Alaskan Arctic by dogsled while delivering to classrooms worldwide a K-12 online curriculum.

Doering said the team in Alaska will provide daily and weekly trail reports.

He said the trail reports, photos and video are synchronized with the schools’ curricula.

“The motivation for teachers and students is getting to learn from real-world experiences,” Doering said.

Doering said the team will collect data and interview Alaska residents for and against oil drilling, discuss global warming and how their lives have changed over the years as a result.

This research is conducted in collaboration with NASA and the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation and is brought into the classroom by lead teachers.

Lead teachers like Mick Hamilton support the development of the program and associated research and outreach.

They participate in educational conferences, classroom workshops and informational meetings highlighting the educational resources during their commitment.

Hamilton said adventure learning has a great place in today’s classroom.

“As our budgets get smaller and smaller, this is the next best

thing to getting out in the field,” he said. “Although nothing can replace being in the field, our students need to experience the research and exploration interactively.”

Lead teacher Sheryl Cater said engaging children to love reading, math, science and social studies can be a challenge.

“ ‘Go North!’ is one of the few free educational online learning programs that crosses all academic disciplines,” she said, “and is designed so that a first-grade child or adult will find enjoyment.”

Jeffrey Sipper, also a lead teacher, said he sees the program as a bridge connecting cultures, geography and science.

“The incredible depth of the Web site and curriculum literally gives me the chance to provide unlimited learning opportunities,” he said.

2006-02-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

A Career That Makes a Difference

(ARA) - As baby boomers start their migration to the necessary next stage of life - i.e. retirement - their well-documented lack of preparation and financial savvy puts a whole new meaning to the words "financial planning." Providing expert financial help is increasingly a task that's not just about making money, but about helping people be ready to live the rest of their lives.

This has led to some dramatic changes in the financial services industry, and the careers surrounding it have changed, with many people being drawn to work as financial planners as much to help others as to earn a good living. Gone are the days of stockbrokers racing the clock to time individual trades for clients. Instead, financial services professionals now are groomed to take a full service approach to their clients' finances - helping them in all aspects of their financial life. What that means to those considering a career in financial planning is new opportunities.

"What can be more rewarding than knowing you've helped a client have their dream retirement?" asks Tyler Teske, a financial associate for Minneapolis-based Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Ames, Iowa.

Those choosing a career as a financial services professional often enter the industry after spending 20, 30 or even 40 years doing something else. People from all walks of life, such as teachers, doctors and lawyers have started second careers as financial planners.

A number of factors, including the current economic recovery, have turned the financial services industry into a highly competitive marketplace. What's more, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that "faster-than-average" employment growth is expected in the industry through 2012. To prepare for the growth, many firms are relying on their own niche to attract candidates who fit their culture to serve their clients.

For example, many of Thrivent Financial's representatives are drawn by Thrivent Financial's multimillion dollar charitable giving and the ability to volunteer side-by-side with members from its nearly 1,400 volunteer chapters that do community service every day.

"Because we have a community orientation, people who have made volunteerism part of their life tend to be drawn to us. Fortunately, their volunteer efforts tend to support their career goals - and that's often why they stay with us. It turns out to be a win-win for them and the communities they serve," says Jackie Hintz, Thrivent Financial's director of career entry.

Those who have entered the financial services profession are happy with their choice. According to the College for Financial Planning's 2005 Survey of Trends in the Financial Planning Industry, 99 percent of respondents reported that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their profession.

To learn more about a financial services career visit the Financial Planning Association Web site at www.fpanet.org. For opportunities at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans visit www.thrivent.com/careers.

Courtesy of ARA Content

2006-01-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

New Generation of Professionals Shaping the Mind for Sport: Sport-Exercise Psychology Going the Distance

(ARA) - Growing up, gymnastics was a driving force for Jennifer Roitman. As a college student, she was even able to become a member of the University of Vermont gymnastics team. But one day, while practicing a routine move, tragedy struck: she slipped and all but destroyed her knee. She was beyond crushed. But Jennifer had no intentions of retiring. Although the rehabilitation was intense and very painful, Jennifer managed to recover to compete in her senior year.

Roitman pursued a graduate degree in sport psychology at Argosy University/Phoenix after recalling the assistance and motivation she required after her own injury. "I wanted to work with athletes overcoming obstacles, to become a catalyst through which they could both mentally and physically recover from their injuries. I know I could have used that!"

Today, she works with athletes as a Mental Toughness Trainer at the Boston offices of Head Games, a Phoenix-based practice devoted to the mental health of athletes, coaches, and parents. As an associate at Head Games, Jennifer spends her time educating athletes, coaches, teams, and parents on the value of mental toughness training. In addition to dealing with the psychological aspect of sports, Jennifer also has a passion for assisting athletes in their transition from the 'sport world' to the 'real world'. She even works an additional job as an Employment Specialist/Career Counselor with the hopes of one day working with student-athletes in the career advisement arena.

In recent years, sport has become a multi-billion dollar business, more than twice the size of the auto industry. As a result, sport became one of the 10 largest industries in the United States. The sport industry, due to its wide variety of positions, places unique demands on those involved including the ability to acquire key skills such as management, marketing, accounting, finance, economics, communications, and legal skills specific to the sport setting. For decades schools have prepared students for positions in the business community, however, very few have provided students with any sport related psychology training. Sports teams and sports-related businesses today are requiring the preparation of a new kind of sport specialist - the sport/exercise psychologist.

What is Sport Psychology? According to the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP), "the study of sport psychology involves extending theory and research into the field to educate coaches, athletes, and parents with the goals of facilitating optimal sport involvement and performance. Although there are many specific concepts within applied sport psychology (e.g., goal setting, concentration, relaxation, imagery), the general goal is to teach athletes the mental skills necessary to perform consistently in training and competition and to help them realize their potential as people and athletes."

Dr. Robert Harmison, head of the sport psychology program at Argosy University/Phoenix's Arizona School of Professional Psychology says, "The Master of Arts in Sport-Exercise Psychology (MA) program is designed to educate and train students to function as capable and ethical performance enhancement specialists. This two-year degree is intended to meet the needs of students seeking employment in a variety of settings, including private practice, athletic departments, coaching, team sports, exercise/health, and education, or those who will ultimately pursue their doctorate."

Today, Jennifer reflects upon her 15 years in competitive sports with absolutely no regrets. She has found that the lessons one needs in order to achieve excellence in sports are identical to those needed to achieve excellence in life. "Sports are a wonderful thing. I believe that what can be learned in sport can be applied to life. The experiences one finds as a result of being involved in sport directly influences who they will become. Sport psychology is a powerful tool."

Argosy University/Phoenix is one of 13 Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) campuses and four extension sites across the nation offering undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of business, education, health sciences, and psychology and behavioral sciences. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 263-0456, www.ncahlc.org).

The parent company of Argosy University, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 71 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC's education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years.

For more information about the M.A. degree program in sport/exercise psychology, visit (www.argosyu.edu/sep).

Copyright © 2005, ARA Content

2006-01-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

Staying Ahead of the Game

(ARA) - Continuing education is a life-long learning process. In its most general definition, continuing education is intended for adult learners. Students pursuing continuing education opportunities often enroll part-time in university courses for credit. They may also choose to enroll in noncredit courses, often for personal or vocational enrichment.

Continuing Education and the Employer

Continuing education helps employers retain employees and stay competitive. Training of employees is an investment in two distinct ways. First, a more educated employee tends to be more productive. Second, training can be seen as a way to attract and retain talented employees.

In many cases, employers sponsor in-house training as well as underwrite the costs of education away from the workplace. Dede Hughes, EVP, of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), says, "One of the most important benefits that an employer can give their employees is the opportunity to take continuing education classes. This is for the benefit of the employer and the employee. I feel an employer should pay for these classes (either all or in part) but just giving them time off is a great help. I encourage my employees to better educate themselves each year and I pay for classes that are applicable to their position with NAWIC."

Fifty-five percent of the companies ranked by Fortune Magazine as the "100 Best Companies to Work For" paid for 21 to 40 hours of training per employee in 2001. Another 34 percent paid for 41 to 80 hours of training, and eight percent paid for more than 80 hours of training per employee, per year. In addition to training, many companies offer tuition reimbursement, college planning assistance and paid or unpaid sabbaticals.

A variety of other benefits offered to employees can positively affect an employee's ability to pursue continuing education or training. Flex-time, reduced hour employment, telecommuting and on-site childcare all make the pursuit of higher education more easily attainable to those working full-time jobs.

Continuing Education Units

The purpose of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) is to provide a permanent record of the educational accomplishments for the individual who has completed one or more significant non-credit educational experiences.

Some companies require employees to complete a certain number of CEUs each year. These credits help employers stay ahead of the game by keeping employees' knowledge current.

Encouraging employees to go back to school to complete a degree can help continue the life-long learning process or make a career change within the organization.

Degree Programs

For anyone interested in entering the construction industry, it is facing tremendous change. Advances in materials and processes -- combined with new management practices, legal issues and environmental concerns -- require increasing attention. With the growing number of large-scale projects, the development of construction professionals and project managers is more important than ever. With online, night or weekend classes, many master's degree programs are designed for working people.

At the University of Washington in Seattle, the departments of construction management and civil and environmental engineering have jointly developed a set of online learning graduate certificate programs and master's degrees in construction engineering to meet the educational needs of working professionals in the construction industry.

Western Carolina University offers an online Master of Construction Management degree. This cohort-based program can be completed in two years. CEUs and degree programs are just two of the ways continuing education students are staying ahead. Certificates and certifications offered by construction-related associations and universities are another avenue available and may be a more practical route for students to take.

Certificates and Certifications

Denver's Colorado State University offers certificates in project management, construction management, green building, advanced estimating and more.

On the West coast, Cal State East Bay offers a comprehensive construction management certificate program.

NAWIC's Education Foundation offers three certifications: Certified Construction Associate (CCA), Construction Document Specialist (CDS) and Construction Industry Technician (CIT). Certifications like these can easily contribute to employees' efforts to stay ahead of the game by offering fast, focused skills and knowledge. Many certification programs allow students to independently study the material and then take an exam before issuing the certification. This "self-education" is a popular trend in today's fast-paced world.

Everyone Benefits

Many opportunities for continuing education are available to those wanting to further their careers and advance to the next rung on the career ladder. Pursuing advanced degree programs, CEUs, certifications and self- education solutions will help employees and employers stay ahead of the game. Improved work performance increases company productivity. Ultimately, everyone benefits from continuing education.

Courtesy of ARA Content

2006-01-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

Six Student Personas: Which One Are You?

Finding a Good College Fit Starts with Defining Yourself

(ARA) - High school juniors and seniors are at a time of their lives when they're starting to think about college; but what's the key to finding the right school?

"Think of college like a four year relationship," says Becky Morehouse, Stamats Educational Services Group vice president of research and marketing. "Finding a good match can help determine how happy the relationship will be over time."

Stamats recently conducted a study called TeensTALK to find out what qualities about a school are most important to today's college bound students. Eight hundred juniors and seniors across the country were asked to rate 31 key attributes for their college choice, and from their answers, these six distinct personas emerged:

1. God and Service First

You care much more about a school's religious affiliation than do those with other personas. In fact, you're willing to sacrifice some graduate outcomes -- such as a higher likelihood of finding a good job after graduation -- for a college with a stronger religious affiliation.

Your lifelong goals include helping to save the environment, becoming involved in national politics and your local community as well as your church, and generally creating change in society. You're a homebody, less willing to travel far from your family for college. Sixteen percent of study respondents share your views.

2. The Collegiate Experience

How nice are the college grounds? What is there to do off-campus? How friendly are the people at school? How good is campus housing? These are the questions you'll likely ask first.

Compared with other personas, you're twice as likely to be influenced by current college students in your school decision. You consult with those already at a prospective school to get the lowdown on college life. In your vision of college, a small student-teacher ratio and strong athletic or fine-arts programs aren't that important. Social aspects and amenities are high priorities. You want college to be a fun experience in a cool city or area. Fourteen percent of study respondents share your views.

3. Be More than My Parents

You're all about the outcome when it comes to college. Your prospective alma mater should be a place where graduates get good jobs or can go on to good graduate schools. It must offer honors programs because you plan to be in one.

You're twice as likely as those with other personas to major in pre-law or political science, although biology also attracts you. Your parents probably earned at least a bachelor's degree before going on to successful professional or white-collar careers. Seventeen percent of study respondents share your views.

4. Nontraditional Traditional Students

Bottom line: college is expensive. What mainly drives you to or from a prospective college is its cost. Since four-year public schools generally are cheaper than private ones, you gravitate more to them. Or, you may be considering a two-year community college. To trim expenses, you're much more likely than others to live at home and commute to school.

Campus amenities don't concern you as much as they do other personas. Neither do attractive campus grounds or strong athletic programs. You may be the first person in your working-class family to attend college. You think it's very unlikely that you'll develop lifelong friends at school. Twenty-one percent of study respondents share your views.

5. Image and Reputation Conscious

Money isn't an issue for you when it comes to college. You probably come from an affluent family with parents who have professional careers. A school's overall academic reputation and the quality of campus amenities are much more important than cost. You want the best in an education, and it doesn't matter if you have to travel farther from home - even a plane ride away - to get it.

You're more likely to major in business or engineering than are those with other personas, and you have less desire to incorporate community work, volunteering or religion into your life. Private-independent colleges are definitely among those schools you're considering. Eleven percent of study respondents share your views.

6. Personal Enrichment -- Liberal Arts

College for you means getting a well-rounded education. English, music, education or psychology - those majors hold your gaze longer than others. But that gaze tends to look right past four-year public schools. You want what a lot of four-year private colleges offer: academic excellence; a small student-faculty ratio; honors programs; and a positive reputation for graduate outcomes, where graduates find good jobs or get into good graduate schools.

Compared with other personas, you're more likely to want to live outside the United States at some point in your life. During college you plan to serve your community or join a student club. You probably draw the line, though, at pledging with a fraternity or sorority. Fifteen percent of study respondents share your views.

"Colleges and universities can use the study's findings to help tailor their marketing messages to prospective students, but the use of persona works both ways," says Morehouse. "These places also have personas of sorts. Reputation, history, word-of-mouth assessments, location and rankings all contribute to a school's image. Once college-bound teenagers get a sense of an institution's persona they can use it to concentrate on schools that complement their own personas and eliminate those that clash."

For more information, visit these online resources: www.stamats.com; www.princetonreview.com; www.petersons.com; www.usnews.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

2006-01-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

2005-12-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Cold and Flu Alert: Create a Healthy Classroom

(ARA) - School is an amazing experience for children, but with cold and flu season fast approaching, sick days can often come between kids and their education. According to the American Institute of Health, the common cold causes children to miss 22 million school-days each year.

"We see it every year, pediatrician's waiting areas become standing-room only during cold and flu season," says Dr. Paul S. Horowitz, M.D., F.A.A.P., also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "Take measures to prepare against the cold and flu season. Sign the family up for flu shots and make sure everyone practices healthy hygiene habits during this peak season. One area to look out for is the surfaces in your children's classroom, where the germs that cause the cold and flu may thrive."

According to a new Scholastic survey of America's teachers, more than two-thirds of respondents report that their school's custodial staff does not disinfect classrooms regularly. Teachers also reported that it is common for students to come to school sick.

Dr. Horowitz offers these tips for creating a healthy classroom environment:

* Wash your hands. Teach children to use warm, soapy water and to rub their hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds (about the same time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice).

* Clean surfaces. Adults should use disinfecting wipes regularly on common surfaces to decrease the level of germs and help reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses on surfaces that can cause illness.

* Avoid touching. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. These are entry points for germs.

Education is the first step in creating a healthier environment for children. The Clorox Company is dedicated to helping parents, teachers and students control germs in the classroom. For more information on promoting a healthier classroom, teachers can sign up at www.cloroxclassrooms.com to receive a free "Clean Up the Classroom Starter Kit."

Courtesy of ARA Content

2005-11-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

Online Expo Assists In China Business Development

The Online China Business Development Expo provides an opportunity for organizations to facilitate doing business in China. The program provides free education, networking, and Online communication technology. For details, click here!

The opportunities for doing business in China – as a buyer or a seller – are significant, but it is not easy and that the obstacles are great, particularly for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The biggest challenge in starting business development in China is the amount of leadership time it takes, exploring and understanding the market, and starting to negotiate a way into the market. It is particularly important to find the right consultants, develop strategic alliances, and, most of all, to use available Internet technology.

Free Online China Expo:

The Online China Business Development Expo will be held from February 8 – 10, 2006 with free educational events available weekly until the start of the Expo. Participation is free for corporate managers, entrepreneurs, investors, etc., and registrants can attend from behind their computer, without leaving their office. The following features are open now:

1). Free Educational Online Seminars.
2). Free Online Tradeshow.
3). Free Networking Opportunities.
4). Free China CyberCafe.
5). Giveaways, Door Prizes, Specials

How to participate:

Participation is free and one only needs a computer with Internet access and speakers turned on. For details, click here!

2005-11-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

Zuma the Famous Iditarod K-9 Mushing Reporter

"Zuma's Paw Prints" contains letters to students and race fans, from K-9 reporter and journalist, Zuma. Zuma shares behind the scenes information all year long and provides race updates for readers during the race. Students can write to Zuma to find answers to their questions while practicing writing and reading skills. Read More

2005-10-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Internet Katrina Program For Educators, Students

Educators and students are encouraged to use a free turnkey program with included Internet tools and built-in fundraising options to generate contributions to the Katrina charity of their choice. The program combines generation of much-needed Katrina relief support with classroom instruction and eLearning opportunities for students. For details, click here!

Hurricane Katrina has created unprecedented loss and destruction and everyone is urged to support the victims and the affected communities.

One example of providing effective support is for Educators and students to implement a Katrina Campaign using a free, turnkey fundraising program with the following features:
-Free Promotional, Customizable Web Site
-Choice Of Effective Fundraising Options Included
-Participants Select Katrina Charity Of Their Choice
-Great Internet Learning Experience
-Combine Katrina Fundraising With Waste Reduction
-Great Class Room Team Experience

The program has been developed by www.SendMeNews.com which is donating its services to Katrina support and is not receiving compensation.

FREE TURNKEY SUPPORT PROGRAM

The program offers participating Educators and students the following:

1. A free website to promote their program with daily updates and image uploading, even from camera cell phones. Services thru www.blogger.com and www.flickr.com

2. A customizable links section to feature participating Members, nationwide housing availability, charities of their choice, Internet Tools, fundraising options, etc.

3. Opportunity to attend or arrange local meetings and recruit additional supporters thru http://hurricane.meetup.com/

For a sample, click here.

EASY IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation of the program is simple. Interested Educators and students only need to go the instruction web site and sign up with their email address.

They will then receive a free, step-by-step set-up guide and additional useful suggestions at timed intervals. For details, click here.

2005-09-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Education, Innovation, and the Internet

(ARA) - Education or experience: Many people find that their career reaches a plateau and that employers place greater value on employees with a higher level of education or one more relevant to the modern workplace. Anyone that has ever been passed over for promotion only to find a college graduate in the post will know how frustrating it can be.

An online degree offers the perfect solution. There is a wide range of degree programs available online that can be pursued at bachelor's, master's or doctoral level. Professional qualifications are also attainable via the Internet. With the advances in information technology over the past decade, there is no reason to be stuck in a rut. Whether it is nursing, education, business management or information technology, a development of an existing career, or a whole new departure, there is an online program to suit you.

Advantages of an Online Education

Few adults are able to return to college to pursue further education -- they have jobs and families to support. Even on-campus adult education programs can be unfeasible for some. Consequently, adults seeking access to continued education are increasingly turning to online programs. The freedom to study how and when they want is essential.

Professionals often work irregular hours or travel as part of their job. An online degree program allows study wherever and whenever a busy schedule allows. Even if you are living abroad, you can gain a degree online from an American university. The convenience and accessibility of an online degree makes it easier than ever to learn while you earn and enhance your career prospects.

The Value of Education

Employers are not at fault in placing such high value on a higher education. Degree programs are often vocational, providing students with broad, practical, up-to-date understanding of certain industries and equipping them with the skills and expertise that are in demand within them. Such graduates are assets for companies seeking a competitive edge in their sector.

You can develop the skills that are rewarded through an online degree program. Most students and employers agree that it is worth the investment. Even if you can't afford the fees, financial aid is available in many cases, especially for active or retired U.S. military personnel.

Online Degrees Versus Traditional Programs

Individuals that have been out of education for extended periods of time often worry that online degrees are less highly regarded than traditional, on-campus qualifications. This may once have been the case but online degree programs are now rightly perceived to be topical, challenging, and highly relevant. They are designed with the needs of working adult learners in mind and are developed in consultation with experienced professionals in industry and business to ensure that students learn concepts and methods that are immediately applicable in their work environment.

Technology has progressed so that quality and content do not need to be sacrificed to allow for flexibility and accessibility. In a technological age, the ability to complete a degree online is an asset. Employers are likewise impressed by the initiative, ambition, and self-motivation demonstrated by an employee who takes advantage of the Internet to develop their knowledge and their career. It is important to ensure that the degree you pursue is from an accredited university so that it will be treated with respect by employers. Gaining accreditation is a difficult and costly process so it is a good way to identify legitimate universities.

Enhance Your Career Prospects

Online education provides access to learning that would otherwise be inaccessible to many people. Web-based programs present a flexible, independent learning opportunity that fits the schedule of busy people and complements their experience. It is time for you to re-gain the advantage -- start today.

2005-09-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

Success Strategies for Engaging Girls and Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Please join us for this exciting virtual event! A webcast on "Success Strategies for Engaging Girls and Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)" brought to you by the NSF ITEST Learning Resource Center at Education Development Center, Inc (EDC).

This webcast will take place on Wednesday, September 21st 2005 at 2:00 pm, Eastern Time. Details on how to join both the web and accompanying phone conference are at the end of this email.

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ABOUT ITEST
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The Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)program was established by the National Science Foundation in direct response to the concern about shortages of information technology workers in the United States. The ITEST program funds projects that provide opportunities for both school-age children and teachers to build the skills and knowledge needed to advance their study and to function and contribute in a technologically rich society.

In communities across the United States, student and teacher ITEST project participants work hand in hand with scientists and engineers on extended research projects that carry them beyond the classroom, using technology to explore topics ranging from biotechnology to environmental resource management. The ITEST program also funds a National Learning Resource Center at Education Development Center, Inc., to support, synthesize and disseminate the learning from the program to a wider audience.

Currently, in the third year of the program, there are 50 ITEST projects in over 25 states. Together, these projects reach more than 39,000 students, 1,700 teachers, and 750 parents and other caregivers. Several projects focus specifically on reaching and engaging girls and this webcast will share some of their work to address the obstacles and stereotypes around the engagement and achievement of women in STEM.

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DISCUSSION THEMES
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We have assembled an expert panel of speakers from the ITEST community, private sector and research and policy communities. Together, they will discuss:

- Strategies for the recruitment and retention of girls and women in STEM
- Promising practices for effectively engaging girls in STEM activities
- Ways of fostering persistence through youth and self efficacy development

The webcast will end with questions and feedback from the audience.

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SPEAKERS
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Carroll McGillin, National Initiatives Manager, Cisco Networking Academy Program

Cisco Systems, Inc. and the Cisco Learning Institute, recognizing the current gender gap in the IT field, partnered in April 2000 and developed the Gender Initiative project. This initiative seeks ways to increase females' access to IT training and career opportunities, beginning with the Cisco Networking Academy(tm) Program which is aimed at helping narrow the gender gap and increase female participation in the Internet economy.

Marcia Kropf, Chief Operating Officer, Girls Inc. Girls Incorporated is a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. With roots dating to 1864, Girls Inc has provided vital educational programs to millions of American girls, particularly those in high-risk, underserved areas. Today, innovative programs help girls confront subtle societal messages about their value and potential, and prepare them to lead successful, independent, and fulfilling lives.

Speakers from the ITEST Community:

Claudia Morrell, Principal Investigator (PI), Enhancing Science and Technology Education and Exploration Mentoring (ESTEEM) project, Center for Women and IT.

In this project, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County's Center for Women and Information Technology, the Shriver Center, and the Chabot Space and Science Center are partnered to implement and beta test Chabot's TechBridge curriculum in six middle schools. Activities include an after-school program, weekend fieldtrips, and a four-week summer program. The ESTEEM program focuses on encouraging girls' interest and involvement in elective information technology (IT) classes and supports their pursuit of IT careers.

Randal August, PI, Robotics: Fundamentals of Information Technology and Engineering project, Northeastern University.

TechBoston and Northeastern University are working collaboratively to integrate an innovative robotics curriculum into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses in the Boston Public Schools and in other racially diverse and economically disadvantaged Massachusetts school districts. The project targets 90 STEM teachers in grades seven and eight, each of whom receive summer professional development and follow-up support in leading yearlong after-school robotics programs.

Deborah Muscella, PI, Technology at the Crossroads project, Simmons College

This project engages middle school youth (with particular emphasis on girls) in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS) and HTML programming for use in conducting environmental research in Boston. The program is comprised of a spring after-school component, three-week summer camp (held on the campus of Simmons College) and a fall after-school component.

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TO JOIN THE WEBCAST
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On Wednesday, September 21st 2005 at 2:00pm Eastern Time, click this
URL: https://premconf.webex.com/premconf/j.php?ED=85596202&UID=27482692

The password is: itest

Please plan to log in 5-10 mins early, to allow the log in and any necessary downloads to take effect.

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TO JOIN THE AUDIO CONFERENCE
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Please use the following phone numbers and passcodes for the audio conferencing part of your ReadyCast hosted meeting.

Conference toll-free phone number: 1-800-453-7412 Conference
toll/international phone number: 1-719-867-3420 Participant Passcode number: 190897

To hear a menu of audio enhancement options, press *1 at any time during your conference. Options include the following:

To mute or "un-mute" your line, PRESS *6.
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To reach a reservationist, PRESS *0.

2005-09-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Financial Tools for College

(ARA) - Do you have a son or daughter leaving home for college this fall? Along with the requisite cell phone, CD/DVD player and wardrobe, are they prepared for the money needs they will be challenged with? Do they have the financial tools in their backpacks as they head off to one of over 4,100 colleges and universities in the United States? Here are some important facts to consider when assisting your student in making good financial decisions as he or she heads off to college:

* As reported in the 2004 Almanac of The Chronicle of Higher Education, more than 13.7 million undergraduate students were enrolled in college -- that's one out of 21 people in the United States. So parents, you're not alone in making some tough financial decisions.

* During the 2004-2005 academic year, The College Board reports that the estimated average annual cost of attendance was $30,295 at a four-year private college, $14,640 at a four-year public college and $11,350 at a two-year college. As the saying goes, paying for college is like buying a car every year -- the decision is whether it's new or used.

* Student loans are critical for today's college and university students. The American Council on Education reported in its 2003/2004 Survey Findings that two-thirds of students or their family members currently depend on these loans to pay college expenses.

* Teen Research Unlimited states that teens spent $169 billion in 2004. When they leave for college, making good financial choices becomes even more important.

As noted by these statistics, paying for their education and managing spending are critical to your student's success in school.

Student Loans -- Covering the Big Costs

Student loans are some of the most commonly used financial tools. Student loans are funds borrowed from a financial institution or federal or state government. Education loans must be repaid. There are at least three types of education loans:

Federal Perkins Loan is a federal loan program administered by colleges. It's available to both undergraduate and graduate students and is based on need and the availability of government funds. The annual interest rate is five percent. Repayment begins nine months after the student leaves school or is less than a half-time student.

Federal Stafford (student) Loans and Federal PLUS (parent) Loans are available through financial institutions, such as U.S. Bank, that participate in the FFEL program or through the federal government in the direct loan program. Currently rates are 4.70 percent for Stafford loans and 6.10 percent for PLUS loans, with maximum annual interest rates of 8.25 percent and 9 percent respectively.

Financial institution (or "supplemental") loans are for students (or their parents) who attend participating colleges and graduate schools. They are not based on need. This type of loan can be used as a supplement or replacement for Federal loans. U.S. Bank offers a number of supplemental loans where students can borrow up to the entire annual cost of attendance, minus other financial aid received, at competitive interest rates.

Information on the U.S. Bank's student loans can be found on the Web at usbank.com/studentloans or by phone at (800) 242-1200. One more thing -- even if you think you won't qualify for college financial aid, try anyway. You might be pleasantly surprised and receive financial aid.

Checking Accounts -- Paying Everyday Bills

Moving in, finding the dining hall, the first week of classes. Students have enough to worry about without having to worry about their finances. That's why it's important for students to set up a checking account as soon as they arrive on campus.

A checking account, combined with a check card, is the most convenient way for a student to manage finances at school. Managing money on a daily basis is convenient and easy with a checking account. Not only can students pay bills, but also student loan payments can be deposited directly into their account and they can make everyday purchases -- like books at the campus bookstore -- with a Visa (R) Check Card. When a check card is used for purchases, the money will always come directly out of their checking account, so debt cannot be accumulated. When students learn to manage finances with a checking account, it offers a valuable education that will serve students well in college -- and beyond.

There are important features to consider when choosing a student checking account:

1. Does the bank offer a student checking account? Typically, banks that have a student
checking account offer special features that meet the unique financial needs of a student.

2. Does the checking account have no minimum balance and no monthly service fee?

3. Does the checking account provide a free check card, free internet banking, free Internet bill
pay and free online statements?

4. Does the checking account offer the student their first box of checks for free?

5. Does the checking account provide free ATM transactions at foreign ATMs (ATM machines
outside of the student's bank network) to help students while traveling abroad, home for the holidays or for spring break?

6. Does the account allow the student to earn rewards, just for using their check card?

7. Does the bank have a strong branch office network? Many students feel more comfortable with one-on-one customer service to answer questions or to talk about banking options after they graduate. Choose a bank that has branch office coverage in the state in which you live as well as the state in which the college is located.

8. Does the bank offer 24-hour customer service, 365 days a year?

For more information, visit usbank.com/studentbanking.

Plastic Cards -- Controlling Spending

College students need money for many things in their busy lives -- books, gas, clothes, travel and emergencies. A reloadable, prepaid card is the perfect tool. For example, the prepaid U.S. Bank Visa (R) Buxx Card has benefits for both students and parents. It's safer than cash, plus there's no risk of debt because students can only access the funds preloaded to the card. Also it is a great tool to help students develop positive financial skills they'll use throughout their life. Parents load the card, track purchases and balance information online and can even set up an automatic allowance schedule. Students may use the card everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, including online and at the ATM. For more information, visit usbank.com/buxx1 or any U.S. Bank branch.

Shopping for everyday needs will probably be a new experience for college students. Finding a conservative, low-cost credit card may now prove to be a necessity. Watch out for low introductory rates that often increase soon after the cards are used. Instead find cards with reasonable interest rates and low maximum balances and spending limits. Even more helpful, encourage your student to pay off their balance monthly, and incur no interest charges. Newer cards now allow students to earn rewards for all purchases. The U.S. Bank College Rewards Visa Card allows students to manage their own finances, while earning points towards free entertainment and merchandise -- as they can earn one point for every net purchase dollar charged -- with points good for CD's, media rentals, movie tickets, electronics, restaurant certificates and much more. Online access is also important in order to view account balances, and manage and redeem reward points. For more information, check out usbank.com/collegevisa.

Given students' unique needs while in college, it is critical to assist them in making good financial decisions before they set foot on campus.

Courtesy of ARA Content

2005-09-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

Learn a New Language Using Innovative Computer Technology

Rosetta Stone Software Lets You Study Wherever There's a Computer

(ARA) - Allen Stoltzfus and John Fairfield weren't CIA agents, but it was international intrigue that led them to develop Rosetta Stone, their successful language-learning program. In the 1980s, the two spent time as students in Germany where they learned German by being fully immersed in the language and culture. Little did they know at the time that their experiences as students would lead to the most successful language immersion software program ever.

After Stoltzfus and Fairfield returned home to the U.S., Stoltzfus set about studying Russian using conventional methods that included drills, rote memorization and translation. He found the task arduous and frustrating compared to his experience learning German. Stoltzfus and Fairfield both knew firsthand that learning a new language could actually be an exciting, satisfying and successful experience.

It was this belief that led them to use the immersion approach as the basis for Rosetta Stone - a language-learning program available on CD-ROM and online that replicates the way native speakers learn languages as children, by linking words and real life images together to create an association that sticks. Stoltzfus and Fairfield dubbed their method Dynamic Immersion. They believed that interactive technology had the ability to replicate and activate their immersion method powerfully for learners of any age.

Since its introduction in 1992, millions of users in more than 150 countries have used Rosetta Stone to make learning a new language faster and easier. It has been successfully used to teach personnel in the U.S. Special Operational Forces, NASA, the State Department and West Point. In addition, Rosetta Stone is used by thousands of individuals, corporations, libraries, schools and other institutions worldwide to teach 28 languages ranging from Spanish, French and German to Arabic, Chinese and Swahili.

"We live in a world where communication across cultures is more important than ever," says Eugene Stoltzfus, Allen's brother and company co-founder. "If you'd like to learn Italian or Portuguese, or something more exotic like Pashto or Hindi, Rosetta Stone can help. Today there is more interest than ever in experiencing a new language - whether learners want to use a new language to communicate at home or abroad, for self-improvement or to advance their career."

Rosetta Stone allows learners to study whenever they want, wherever they are, as long as they have access to a computer. Learners proceed at their own pace, receiving one-on-one instruction and feedback. The structure of the program enables learners to enter at any level, so it's perfect for both beginners and people who want to brush up existing language skills.

The program's Dynamic Immersion method uses native speakers and thousands of real-life color images to convey the meaning of each spoken and written phrase to teach the necessary language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. The program provides instantaneous feedback within its carefully sequenced structure to ensure learning success, and its proprietary speech recognition program helps users learn to sound like a native speaker.

"What sets Rosetta Stone apart from other language-learning programs is that it provides truly interactive, multimedia language learning," says Stoltzfus. "It unlocks the natural ability everyone has to successfully learn a new language."

Sample lessons of Rosetta Stone are available online at www.RosettaStone.com/ind/free_demo and at retail kiosks located in select malls and airports throughout the United States. A complete list of specialty retail locations is posted on the company's Web site. To obtain more information or to purchase the program, call (800) 788-0822 or visit www.RosettaStone.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

2005-09-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

College Correspondence: Keeping up with the Jones' Children

(ARA) - This fall, millions of parents will bid good-bye to their sons and daughters, sending them out of the nest and into the brave new world of college. It is a time of joy, of course, but also concern. Parents worry that they will have a hard time keeping tabs on their children's college lives or will miss out on their daily endeavors and exciting new adventures.

But here's some good news for those parents sending their kids off to school. Gone are the days of watching the mailbox in hopes of a letter home or waiting by the phone for a weekly call. Thanks to the Internet -- and the many communication tools now available online -- staying in touch with your college kids has never been easier or more instantaneous.

Even if you haven't read a blog, or created one yourself, you have probably heard of them in recent months. They are the cyber equivalent of journals where online authors share their news, thoughts and interests, and they are the perfect tool for kids to keep in touch with friends and, of course, parents. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than 32 million Americans have read blogs, and of those who blog, 48 percent are under age 30. And with the widespread availability of blogging tools, particularly the introduction of free services like AIM Journals, it's easier than ever for students to create their own blogs and chronicle their college adventures. Thanks to privacy controls, they can even create a roster of their family and friends, thus controlling who is able to read the blog and who can post messages or comments.

"Blogs provide the ideal vehicle for today's on-the-go college students to stay in touch with their parents back home or friends at other schools," says Bill Schreiner, vice president of community and AIM Programming for America Online. "Using computers, cell phones and mobile devices, they can post updates from anywhere, be it their dorm rooms, parties or even the library, where parents hope they're spending quality studying time! This real-time blogging means kids can quickly share their latest news with both family and friends all at once."

Want to see your kids and their new friends in action? The explosive growth of digital cameras -- with sales expected to exceed 30 million this year, according to IDC -- has made it easier than ever for shutterbugs to take pictures, organize them, and most importantly, share them. Students can even compile online photo albums chronicling their college happenings and can add labels so parents can match those new names to smiling faces. Or if they have created an aforementioned blog, they can even post their photos there for illustration and further sharing.

Instant Messaging is another hugely popular communication tool with kids. In fact, according to Pew, 59 percent of youths already use Instant Messaging services. While it may not manage to lower their cell phone bills, new features built into popular IM programs now allow IMers to plug in a microphone and literally talk to their IM buddies online, watch live videos of each other using Web cams, share pictures and files and much more. So put your kids on your Buddy List, and make sure you are on theirs, so you can catch them for a quick computer conversation before they run out the door to class.

Your children may be living far from home, but by harnessing the cool tools available online, they are really just a mouse click away. For more information about blogging and Instant Messaging services, log on to peopleconnection.aol.com

Courtesy of ARA Content