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Reverse Phone Lookup

kirakeivan — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:09:17 +0000

It is quite accepted consistently that you had the best phone in town. Awesome features, abundant computability, cool articulation clarity, massive anamnesis and the awesome system for sound but this account consists of endless features. One appropriate bare from the just mentioned account is to encompass huge bulk of contacts. Well, you got various ways to sort them as well. But what if somebody rings your new toy with an alien number? You may enquire who it is. Carefully browsing the bounded agenda is of no admonition either. So users here we introduce you to your savior – Reverse Cell Phone Lookup facility offered by Telecom companies.

Earlier there were no comfortable means to clue any details; it was unreasonable to get any admonition on a corpuscle ring identity. Any numbers like this were not at all enumerated in any bounded agenda and as a result were next to impossible to trace. Due to the great developments of technology and added assets, anyone can calmly get the abundant bare admonition with abolishment added than a phone number. The act is declared a reverse phone lookup.

Can the so-called complication be simplified so easily?

This accomplished action becomes acknowledged by procuring acceptance to the pile of information kept by companies of different adjustable operators and telecom companies. By accession of diverse supplies of data, they render users with a capability to seek through a huge source complete in terms of all numbers that includes landline numbers, non listed numbers, etc.

The complete process talked isnâ€™t a charity. A lot of replacing acts are available if you donâ€™t wish to use services for cash. Looking through the reverse phone lookup directories as pointed out aloft, or using an internet website; are a couple of examples. Conversely, if the bulk in canon is not present, your wishes will crop abrogating results, because such abstracts are not accessible with simple entree. Thus the Reverse Cell Phone Lookup ability is above all.

All the above mentioned actions are 100% legal, safe and sound. The acknowledgment is guaranteed, given that you do not cross the line drawn by the law. In picky, you canâ€™t be familiarizing yourself to crop benefit of this admonition for precise telecom companiesâ€™ calls. All this is belted as afar from the bulk that you have, the mechanism will accommodate data like the address, person’s name and the account of domiciliary elements.

This technology too is now actual abundant at your authority. So, you accept now got conceivably aggregate in the apple about archetype a caller that you accept affronted you consistently or an addition that you couldnâ€™t get a clue through the bounded supply available. No accidental active about as you now acquainted of reverse phone lookup facility.

Reverse Cell Phone Lookup
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Using Kerbside Caddies For Waste Management

kirakeivan — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:09:16 +0000

Try as one might, there is just no way to live without generating a certain amount of waste, and taking care of this in a prompt and simple fashion is a good way to keep both the house and neighborhood clean. There are many ways of taking out the trash, and one of the best is through the use of kerbside caddies. These bins can hold loose trash or entire bags of trash, and have many convenient features that take the hassle out of trash removable.

Some kerbside caddies are very large, at twenty-three litres, and can hold quite a lot of material. This saves time, as one will only have to wheel one bin out to be picked up each week, instead of two or three. Sometimes these are flat-bottomed, however and do not have wheels. These are ideal for situations in which one will not need to move the bin, but simply wants to put trash in it on a daily basis. These are less prone to falling over or breaking, cutting down both on unwanted messes and replacement costs. They often have locking lids so that animals cannot get into the trash, as some animals — take the raccoon, for example — will dig around and create a disaster in the yard or alley. These locking lids are enough to keep them out without proving hard for humans to open when trying to throw a bag of trash away in a hurry.

Other kerbside caddies do have wheels, and can be moved to wherever the pickup location happens to be each week. This is nice, as it means that one can store the trash in a place that is out of sight, moving it to the front only when necessary for pickup. These bins often have robust handles and tough construction so that they can survive being moved, even with the heaviest loads of trash, without being damaged. The handles are often on swivels, so that they can move and adjust to the height of the person moving the bin; this makes it easy for anyone to practice efficient waste management.

A third kind of bin is a short, squat little box that has no wheels or lid. These are ideal for recycling, as they have handles to pick up the bin and move it, and they take up little space. Recycling is often stored indoors, so there is no need for a lid or a handle. These bins have less room than the larger kerbside caddies, but are certainly big enough to hold a good deal of compacted recycling.

All kerbside caddies can help with waste management, and, should one get one and put it into use, the other people in the house and neighborhood will be very thankful. The bins are easy to use and tough enough to last for a long time. With kerbside caddies, practicing good waste management has never been easier

Waste management, Kerbside boxes

Choosing An Online Program

terryrussell — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:13 +0000

Online learning has seen an explosion in popularity in recent years. According to an annual report published by the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C), nearly 3.5 million students were taking at least one online course in 2006. They also reported that one in five higher education students were taking an online course in the fall of 2006. The growth rate reported for online learning was nearly 10%.
To meet the demand, as of 2000 over half of the degree granting institutions in the U.S. offered some type of distance education. By 2002 the number was expected to rise to 84% .
Access is the reason most often cited for the increase in both interest and the number of online offerings. Online course offerings and programs provide greater access to education for potential students. This is especially true for working adults who are looking for ways to further or change careers. Access is also the number 1 reason cited by educational institutions for the increase in their online offerings, followed by attracting students from beyond their traditional service area, and growing continuing or professional education .
There are also studies by groups such as the Distance Learning and Education Council and Eduventures that indicate growing acceptance of online education programs. An Eduventures study indicated that more than 60% of managers or human resource professionals view online degrees favorably. Studies including Sloan-C’s indicate increasing levels of acceptance of online learning among professional educators as well.
Popular Online Universities
Here’s are a few of the larger universities that have a focus on online programs (see a longer list in the left column):
AIU Online provides degree and non-degree programs in business, education and other career-centric areas
Capella University is an entirely online university that maintains a focus on graduate programs
University of Phoenix Online is a very large and established online educator with a strong breadth of programs and degrees.
There are, however, still prejudices against online programs and degrees within both the academic community and the hiring community. A study conducted by Jonathan Adams (Director of Interactive and New Communication Technologies at Florida State University) and Margaret H. DeFleur (Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Louisiana State University), indicates a much lower degree of acceptance of online education and degrees on the part of hiring managers and educational institutions .
Given the increasing popularity and proliferation of online learning and courses, as well as varying degrees of acceptance, it is important for individuals to have a framework with which to evaluate online learning offerings. Prospective students need to evaluate programs to maximize their potential for getting a good, sound, education that will be looked upon favorably by the academic and hiring communities. This paper will highlight the top factors that individuals should take into consideration when evaluating online learning.
Sloan-C defines an online course as one in which at least 80% of course content is delivered online. Courses with less online content are considered to by blended or hybrid (30-79% online content) or “web facilitated” (< 30% online content).
Top Considerations When Evaluation Online Learning
Is On-line Training Right for You?
Probably the best place to start is with a little introspection and self examination. Questions that you should ask yourself include:
Why do you want to take an online course versus a more traditional instructor delivered course?
Is online learning compatible with your needs and the way that you learn?
How comfortable are you with a computer and technology?
Many people look into online learning because they think it will be faster or easier. Both are common misconceptions. A quality online course or program should be every bit as demanding as its classroom counterpart. Also, because many online courses are self-paced, they may actually take longer for a student to complete, especially for working adults who are juggling other life commitments.
Online learning is a fairly solitary and self-directed undertaking. This is especially true of online courses that progress at a student's own pace as opposed to those on a schedule with specific deadlines. Online learning also requires some facility with a computer. If you are an individual who needs structure or direction, or who thinks that the social aspects of an education (live interaction with other students and faculty, campus events, etc.) are appealing or important, than online learning may not be the right vehicle for you.
Expectation issues may be the reason that so many students (15% at post secondary and degree granting post secondary institutions) actually never start their distance education course (2007 Distance Education Survey, DETC). Once over the initial hurdles, however, course completion rates (75% or better) and graduation (65% or better) are fairly high for distance education (2007 Distance Education Survey, DETC).
What is the quality of the institution offering the online course/program?
One of the main indicators of the quality of an educational institution is accreditation. Accreditation is a process of peer-review of educational institutions and programs against established quality criteria by an independent, non-governmental, private educational association known as an accrediting agency. At a minimum, a prospective student should consider programs that are nationally accredited by an agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Even better is to consider the programs of an institution that is accredited by one of the 6 regional accrediting agencies, and their 8 commissions. The regional accrediting agencies are generally believed to be the highest form of accreditation in the United States. For more on accreditation see: Understanding Accreditation of Online Education Programs.

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Four Things You Never Knew About Graduation

danamcdonald — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:13 +0000

This spring, millions of capped and gowned kids will proudly cross stages all over America in celebration of their academic achievements. But how much do you know about the origin of these traditions? Try our quiz below and find out:
1. An early version of the mortarboard, or cap worn by grads, was worn in the Middle Ages by A.) the nobility B.) the clergy C.) the military
2. Some researchers speculate that the robes of early scholars were black in order to A.) disguise ink stains B.) symbolize the death of the old self C.) mimic the dress of the nobility
3. â€œPomp and Circumstanceâ€ was not originally meant for graduation; in fact, one of its earliest performances was for A.) a wedding B.) a coronation C.) a funeral
4. Diplomas were originally made of A.) rawhide B.) moleskin C.) sheepskin
Answers: 1(B); 2(A); 3(B); 4(C)
Need a refresher course? Read on to learn about the history behind some of our most time-honored graduation traditions.
The cap
Though the mortarboard is one of the most recognizable trappings of academic achievement in modern times, even your Kindergartner’s cardstock and paste rendition of it would probably have been recognizable to medieval scholars because of its telltale shape. Though its earliest origins are somewhat murky, the close-fitting bottom part of the mortarboard probably derives from the skull caps worn by early medieval clerics to protect their tonsured heads. Later, the style was adopted by scholars at England’s Cambridge and Oxford, and the biretta became one of several insignia conferred upon academic dignitaries.
The caps were sometimes worn with tufts on top, which find their contemporary equivalent in the tassel, which we now move from right to left to signify a change in academic status. The meaning of the odd square shape is still debated by scholars; some say it represents the books (which in medieval pre-backpack times were occasionally carried upon the unfortunate scholar’s head!).
The gown
Your senior boy may balk at having to wear a “dress” for graduation, but assure him that it too is part of a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years. Medieval classrooms were cold and damp, a far cry from the modern temperature-controlled and technology-equipped buildings that students of today enjoy. To protect themselves from the elements, scholars wore long, loose robes over their clothes. As guild system grew into the medieval university, gowns evolved in color and style to represent the branches of study pursued by their wearers.
Traditionally, the gowns are black–perhaps to represent the sobriety of academic study, but many scholars speculate that the black material might have had something to do with disguising the ink stains produced by such diligent scholarship. By the late 19th century, specific colors were adopted for the various academic disciplinesâ€”most of these manifest themselves in the special hoods worn at college graduations.
The music
Most kids know it as the “graduation song,” but Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D” is actually just one part of his Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op. 39. They were all written around the turn of the 20th century, and when Elgar was honored with an honorary doctorate by Yale in 1905, the “Land of Hope and Glory” trio section of the first march was played as a recessional. The tradition stuck, and over 100 years later it is the gold standard for both graduation processionals and recessionals. Though the song was inspired by lines from Shakespeare’s Othello and played at the coronation ceremonies of King Edward VII, it will forever be associated with alphabetized rows of fresh-faced grads for most of us.
The diploma
You may have heard people talk about hanging their â€œsheepskinâ€ on their office walls. Some sort of bizarre cult ritual? Believe it or not, sheepskinâ€”far more durable than fragile paper of the timeâ€”was originally used for diplomas. Diplomas used to be written by hand, akin to the beautiful fonts and calligraphy we see today in their modern counterparts. By the beginning of the 20th century, parchment became the standard for diplomas. Some of the older, more traditional colleges still use sheepskin and painstakingly handwritten Latin on their diploma, but now most of them are simply printed on ordinary A4 size paper.
Many of these traditions are so steeped in our collective consciousness that we donâ€™t think to bat an eye when kids queue up for â€œPomp and Circumstanceâ€ or move their tassels from right to left, but understanding the long, proud history of graduation truly underscores just what a momentous occasion it is.

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Community Colleges A Bargain Compared With Four Year Institutions

conniewatson — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:13 +0000

People attend community colleges for many reasons. One of them is saving money–both in terms of reduced tuition and not accumulating academically related debt.
Community colleges have been seeing a boom in enrollment, due at least in part to the weak economy and the skyrocketing costs of private and public universities.
Matt Braswell, director of counseling and advising, career transfer, and disability services at Harrisburg Area Community College, reported that the Pennsylvania school saw a 13 percent increase in enrollment last year.
“That’s a huge increase,” Braswell said. “We’ve noticed classes filling up much earlier and needing to add more sections, beginning in July. Usually that happens in late-August”.
Students who spend two years at a community college, then transfer to a four-year school, get the same diploma as someone who attends the four-year college all along–with a lot less debt. A year at a community college might cost about $5,000 in tuition, as compared with $12,000 to $20,000 or more for even a relatively inexpensive four-year institution.
Students at community colleges are also eligible to apply for federal financial aid programs, such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA form indicates how how much students might be able to obtain in loans as well as in grants from their specific schools.
Price has always been a selling point of two-year colleges, according to George R. Boggs, president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Community Colleges.
“With their lower tuition costs, community colleges give students a way to save money while learning in a supportive environment,” Boggs said. “They also allow students to access training for associate-degree or non-degree careers, and they offer continuing education and personal development classes for the broad spectrum of adult learners.”
Moreover, community colleges can offer the boon of easy-to-transfer credits. Most of these schools have articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities, ensuring that credits earned at the community college will count toward the four-year-degree program once the student has transferred.
HACC, which has more than 600 articulation agreements, has seen an increase in transfer students to four-year colleges, as opposed to those stopping at an associate’s degree.
“Finances are a big part of it,” Braswell said. “Students are very cost-conscious. A percentage of our students didn’t meet the criteria at the four-year-college [they were interested in], but well over half are here because it’s cheaper”.
Students at four-year colleges can save money by heading home for the summer and taking low-cost credits at a local community college. Every credit earned there rather than at the four-year institution can cut hundreds in tuition. .
Moreover, many community colleges offer courses to high-school juniors and seniors. If courses are dual-enrollment, students can earn both high-school and college credits simultaneously.
“Community colleges are an underfunded community asset and an invaluable resource for first-generation college students, low-skilled adult workers and immigrants aspiring to enter college, and downsized workers and mid-career changers transitioning to ar recession-proof career,” according to Phil Ciciora, education editor of of illinois.edu.
Since first-generation college students and adults with a high-school diploma often have little knowledge of what higher education is about or what their career goals are, “Community colleges can be a gateway to an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree, at a fraction of the cost of entering a public four-year college and just about any private institution”, said Debra Bragg, a professor of higher education and the director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education at the University of Illinois.
Moreover, she added, aside from community colleges, there aren’t many affordable alternatives with a successful track record at preparing students and adult learners.

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Special Ed Teacher Tips To Try At Home

sandytrentor — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:13 +0000

From figuring out how to help a child with a learning disability manage their homework to dealing with public behavior outbursts on even the best of days, raising a child with a disability is challenging. Special education experts have years of expertise when it comes to handling academic and behavior situations. Use our expert tips to handle everything from homework to dinnertime.
Homework Help
Set Structure. Ellen Arnold, education consultant, suggests using a visual schedule with movable parts to help your child see whatâ€™s going to happen, and any changes in the routine. Choose a daily Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or a more general magnetic calendar depending on what your child needs (both options found at Amazon.com).
Set Structure Within Structure. When it’s homework time, Dr. George Giuliani and Dr. Roger Pierangelo, executive directors of the National Association of Special Education Teachers, suggest ranking assignments to help kids prioritize. Have your child check in with you every five problems or five minutes so you can check their progress and correct mistakes early, without pressuring them.
Use a Timer. For easier transitions, Mary Z. McGrath, PhD, former special education teacher and author, recommends using a Time Timer. This timer has a red section that shows time passing and gives kids a visual idea of how much time they have left.
Figure Out Your Childâ€™s â€œSmartsâ€. Figure out which kind of â€œsmartâ€ your child is by watching him play. What toys does he choose? Which activities is he most successful at? If he’s older, ask about a time when he was successful and how he stayed focused enough to succeed. Once you figure out how kids learn and what keeps them focused, says Arnold, you can adapt any homework assignment or project to make them more successful.
See the Big Picture. If your child gets stuck during homework time, donâ€™t worry as much about the details of the assignment as what your child is supposed to do, says Arnold. Once you know what skill your child is supposed to demonstrate, adjust the assignment so your child can meet the same learning objectives using her strengths.
Make it Multi-Sensory. â€œResearch indicates that the more sensory input children receive, the greater the chance the information will be retained,â€ says Giuliani. Find audio books, record textbook passages, or invest in a set of math manipulatives to help kids get more information into their brains.
Behavior Busters
Acknowledge the Disability. The first key to understanding your childâ€™s behavior is to understand him as a person, including his disability, and set behavior expectations he can meet. It isnâ€™t fair to expect that if your child works hard the disability will disappear, says Arnold. But, he can learn how to compensate for his disability and succeed.
Take Notes. Special education teachers use notes to track patterns of behavior and come up with ways to change them. Take notes on the behavior you want to change and answer these questions: What is the purpose of the behavior? What need does it meet? What environmental conditions might affect the behavior? What socially acceptable things could your child do to meet that need? Once you have your answers, use them to create a plan to address the behavior.
Keep Your Cool. If you do get into a behavior â€œsituationâ€ (think: public tantrum), breathe. â€œI tell teachers to breathe every time they hear the bell,â€ says McGrath. When you hear your child starting to get upset, take it as a cue to breathe. Then, give clear, calm directions and explain what will happen next. Your calm voice will tell your child that youâ€™re in control.
Use Limited Choice. Instead of open-ended questions (What do you want?) give your kids two acceptable options to choose from (Would you like to drink from a pink cup or a blue one?).
Donâ€™t Over Invest. Save energy and pick your battles by treating energy like money, advises Giuliani. Decide which behaviors are worth $2 and which are worth $200 and youâ€™ll deal with the behaviors that matter the most.
Use Punishment Effectively. Make sure that punishments arenâ€™t too harsh or too long (one minute of â€œtime outâ€ for every year of a childâ€™s age, for example). And, make sure you bring the punishment to a close with a debriefing so your child understands how to behave differently the next time.
Choose to Wait. Instead of dealing out consequences when youâ€™re fuming, Giuliani and Pierangelo recommend waiting. Use this script to buy yourself some cool off time: “I am so angry now that I don’t want to deal with this situation. Go to your room and I’ll deal with you in 15 minutes.”
Special education professionals know the tricks to keep kids like yours moving in the right direction. Use these tips, and you’ll be tapping in to a lifetime of ready solutions that will make your life easier, and your child more successful at school and at home.

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Combining On Campus And Online Education

conniewatson — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:13 +0000

Ten years ago, the students enrolled in online education courses came from all over the country. Many of them were beginning degrees for the first time, finishing where they left off, or taking selected courses in order to enhance their career options.
In most cases, these students were “nontraditional students.” They were older than the students on campus, and they took courses online because their careers and families made it difficult for them to add regular classroom meetings and assignments to their busy schedules. Online education offered nontraditional students flexibility. They could do the work for their courses whenever and wherever they wanted.
Often the term “online education” was synonymous with “distance education.” This reflected the fact that most students taking courses from an online degree program didnâ€™t live or work in geographical proximity to the university in which they were enrolled. Online education isnâ€™t as distant anymore. In fact, it is becoming an increasingly important component of every studentâ€™s college education as more and more campus-based students enroll in online courses that are offered by their universities.
A new survey indicates that one in five college students is currently taking at least one course online, and this number is predicted to continue to rise. From ivies, to large state universities, to small liberal arts colleges, more campus-based students are taking online courses as part of their traditional college education. Many universities are now claiming that increased demand from on campus students fuels the expansion of online education programs as well as technological innovations in education.
Campus-based students are attracted to online courses for many of the same reasons that “distance students” once were: they allow greater flexibility, especially when it comes to balancing work and study. The cost of a college education continues to rise and surpass inflation, government aid, and household income.
Not surprisingly then, more students need to work while in college to help pay their tuition. Elizabeth Farrell reports that a survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute of UCLA revealed that “almost half of college freshmen — a record 47.2 percent — said there was a ‘very good chance’ that they would have to work during the academic year.” For these students, now almost half of all students, online courses free up their course schedules and make it easier to balance work and education.
Additionally, universities now find themselves with more students and less classroom space. Providing instructors and classrooms to meet the demands of more students has proven difficult. As a result, many students are frustrated over conflicts in their schedules that can slow their progress towards graduation. For example, the only open section of English 101 may conflict with the only open section of Business 101, and the student will have to choose which requirement to take now, and which to defer until next semester.
Consequently, many students would welcome having the option of taking one of those courses online. Traditional bricks and mortar universities are responding to these problems by increasing the number of courses students can take online. Some universities now require students to take online courses as part of their degree requirements because there just isnâ€™t enough classroom space to accommodate increased student enrollments.
Financial difficulties have also driven increases in online education offerings at the high school level. Michigan has recently passed legislation that requires all high school students to take at least one online course. Other states are sure to follow Michiganâ€™s lead. Many legislators recognize that online technologies allow students to have access to educational opportunities that are under-funded in their own local school districts. Additionally, educators and legislators alike are confronting the fact that online education is the way of the future. The sooner high school students can become familiar with the technologies they will encounter in their college-level courses, the better.
Universities with traditional on campus programs continue to create more opportunities for online education. Even students who meet in classrooms for traditional face-to-face instruction will find themselves engaged in online course activities. These can range from downloading lectures as podcasts, to posting responses to course material on a discussion board, to completing and submitting assignments online.
Some classes are simultaneously conducted in virtual as well as bricks and mortar classrooms. These hybrid classes allow students to choose from a set of prescheduled face to face meetings while still completing a portion of the course online. Students get the best of both worlds: face time with the instructor and other students in the class, and the convenience of online learning.
In some exceptional cases, classrooms have entirely moved to virtual reality. For example, a recent survey found that over one hundred universities have campuses in Second Life. Peter J. Ludlow at the University of Toronto recently taught a course in Second Life to real life students enrolled in a real life university. As avatars, they met in a virtual classroom on a virtual campus in a virtual world to discuss the philosophical and social aspects of online worlds. They were assigned real grades that counted towards their real degrees.
While Professor Ludlow found the educational experience in Second Life somewhat dissatisfying, he nonetheless acknowledged that studentsâ€™ personal learning preferences fuel technological advances in education. College students, referred to as “millennials,” are coming to universities “wired,” eager to use their technological skills for educational purposes.
Professors are increasingly seeing the value of a hybrid education. Many instructors find that by adding online aspects to their classroom courses, creating hybrid classrooms, and in some cases transforming their courses into entirely online courses, they create more opportunities for students to master the course material. For many, this is because students themselves extensively rely on web technologies for entertainment and education, and businesses will expect their new college graduate employees to have an unprecedented familiarity with technology.

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Psychological Climate In An Online Course

edithporter — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:13 +0000

“We had started calling the program the “The Revolving Door,” because things had gotten so bad. Students would take a few classes, disappear, and then reappear. We never had any idea why.” Kelsen, the manager of the department’s online programs was describing the situation in the office. The tension in her voice was notable, and she twisted a piece of paper in her hands.
“It didn’t make sense. Enrollments were at an all-time high, we were getting all sorts of positive publicity, and we had been approved for an increased budget. We had money for more activities, online textbooks, faculty training. But, the students did not seem to be happy.”
Why is morale bad when online courses are getting better and better? Many institutions experiencing a boom in their online course enrollments are confronting this issue. Because of the rapid growth and rate of change that characterize most online learning programs, morale within the student body may be very low. No one knows about it until it’s too late. Vroom’s expectancy theory helps explain it, as does the concept of “psychological climate.” This article explores the theory and applies it to the online learning program.
For many years, V.H. Vroom’s 1964 classic, Work and Motivation, has been pointed to as a model for how the expectations that individuals have of their workplace, their coworkers, and their employer, can deeply influence motivation. In the second edition of Work and Motivation, Vroom writes that “the choices made by person among alternative courses of action are lawfully related to psychological events occurring contemporaneously within the behavior” (Vroom 1982: 14-15). In other words, there are psychological “laws” that govern the way a person feels and acts.
Kelsen’s experience supported what Vroom found. “It starts with students starting to email their advisors. They start by blaming the recruiter. Later, they say it’s not like the experiences they have with FaceBook MySpace, and their iPhones. The were hoping for something like the things they’re used to.”
“In the past, though, students had low expectations. They were always happy â€” perhaps because they found the courses better than they thought they would. Now, in the age of iPhones and BlackBerry, everyone thinks they should be able to access their courses any time, any place. They also expect raw, spontaneous video clips, like the ones you might find in YouTube.”
Vroom goes on to articulate his “expectancy theory”: “The force motivating a person to exert effort or to perform an act in a job situation depends on the interaction between what the individual wants from a job (valence) and the degree to which he/she believes that the company will reward effort exerted (expectancy) on that job with the things he/she wants. Individuals believe that if they behave in a certain way (instrumentality), they will receive certain job features (Vroom 1982).” This definitely helps explain why it is so important to not arouse expectations unnecessarily, and that if managed well, expectations can be huge motivators, and can connect to one’s behavior and/or performance.
Recent studies have expanded Vroom’s expectancy theory, and have pointed out that expectations have a great deal to do with how the “psychological climate” is formed in the workplace, classroom, or even virtual meeting space. The psychological climate, which can be positive or negative, is made up of various aspects which contain expectations. Lawler and Suttle (1973) developed various categories of expectations, and many researchers, such as Darden, Hampton and Howell (1989) and Sims, Szilagyi, and McKerney (1976), further connected them to leadership qualities. According to Litwin and Stringer (1966), leadership style is critical in managing expectations and one of the most important determinants of psychological climate.
In 1988, researchers Good and Sisler conducted a study of individuals in retailing to determine the components of psychological climate. Here are the resulting categories:
Note that these can also apply to online learning.
Role clarity
Role harmony
Task autonomy
Task variety and challenge
Task importance
Role assignment
When Kelsen heard the description of psychological climate, she gave a wry smile. “Yes, that’s precisely it. We have a very toxic psychological climate. I’m not proud of it, but that’s what it is. I’d like to know what to do.”
She also related to later studies. For example, Woodard, Casill, and Herr (1994) completed a study which required employees to rank the components of psychological climate and to assign relative importance to each one. The results are strikingly applicable to the management of an online program team which includes support staff, administrative personnel, faculty, and administration. Here they are, with comments that make connections between the original results and apply them to the online learning organization:
#1 â€” Role Assignment: Team members are given sufficient time, training, and resources are provided to perform an assigned task so that it is clear what outcome is expected of them.
#2 â€” Role Harmony: Student receives information about what is expected of him or her in the execution of the job, and it is compatible with job expectations; and later, when detailing the behaviors involved in the performance of the job, expected behaviors are consistent with the employee’s understanding of the job. The expectations, requirements, and desired outcomes are clearly spelled out and updated regularly. Models of successful behaviors and outcomes are provided.
#3 â€” Role Clarity: Expected role behaviors have been clearly defined to the employee, and everyone involved has the same expectation.
#4 â€” Organizational Identification: In reviewing his or her role in the organization, the student believes his/her organization performs an important function, and in doing so, offers unique opportunities for growth and reward, resulting in the fact that the employee takes pride in the organization. Risk-taking is encouraged, and if an idea does not work, team members are encouraged to explore how their expectations were different than the outcome, and how lessons learned can help salvage or repurpose the results.
#5 â€” Leader Goal Emphasis and Work Facilitation: The instructor encourages and stimulates individuals to become personally involved in meeting learning goals by stressing high performance standards, creating an atmosphere that rewards high performance, and then participating in the work himself or herself, therefore setting an example. The leaders does not co-opt or deliberately outperform the individuals.

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Bilingual ELearning: Challenges And Opportunities

annabaker — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:13 +0000

With more than 35 million Spanish speakers in the United States, it makes sense for educational providers to make courses available in Spanish as well as in English. Further, it makes sense that training could be offered in a bilingual environment to facilitate communication between people of different groups and foster an environment of mutual understanding.

It’s a great idea, but there are many challenges, as well as opportunities. Almost everyone agrees the demand exists, but identifying where and how to approach this massive issue continues to be an area of some disagreement.

Here are a few of the challenges and opportunities:

Insufficient number of courses in bilingual or multilingual format: Although some exist, it is difficult to find a full curriculum. Further, the pedagogical approach varies widely. Some courses will consist of text, a few graphics, followed by an online multiple choice test. Others will consist of streaming media. They are bilingual in the sense that the videos have subtitles. What is needed is a full curriculum using a legitimate and fairly universally acknowledged pedagogical approach, and a consistent learning platform. The support services, libraries, and other items need to be in a bilingual format as well.

Most modern language programs offer courses in a bilingual format, or, exclusively in the language of the literature in question. Many such programs are not online, though, and are certainly not available for mobile, untethered, or hybrid learning. E-books are increasingly available, however, as repositories and virtual libraries continue to be built. Classics are readily available online and are part of the public domain. However, there is a shortage of high-quality supporting material, content, and instructional activities. Courses should really provide history, background, literary criticism, and strategies for reading and writing about literature.

Bilingual literature courses would be a natural bridge for individuals who want to know about other cultures. They help nurture relationships and provide insight into the nature of one’s social group vis-a-vis others. In a “flat” world, as Thomas Friedman has put it, we need such literary and cultural experiences in order to be able to realistically interact with each other.

Business courses. There are numerous colleges and universities outside the United States that offer courses in business, and they often do so in multiple languages. In fact, we do not have to look far for examples. The multinational agreement, the Bologna Accord, which is transforming the way that Europeans have viewed a university experience, encourages institutions of higher learning to offer courses in multiple languages and to accept work done in other countries and languages.

One problem, however, in taking business courses from other countries, even if they are offered in a bilingual format, is that the course may not be transferable to a U.S. institution. Although there are numerous exchange programs as well as study abroad, they tend to be viewed as a separate experience, and not central to one’s core degree requirements. Even if one can transfer in a course, it may be counterproductive, particularly if one has to take a course that has certain prerequisites, which have been satisfied via transfer. If, for example, Principles of Accounting was taken in French from a French university, and the next course you take is Advanced Managerial Accounting from a U.S. institution in English, you may find that methodologies and terminologies may be different.

However, the benefits far outweigh the costs, particularly when cross-cultural understanding is a logical outcome. The best business courses for bilingual and bicultural education? Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Management, and Organizational Culture.

Training Courses. Similarly, a bilingual, bicultural training course may present the same problem, particularly where rules and regulations may vary, depending on the country or state. Nevertheless, it is a great idea to take bilingual training courses in spite of regional regulatory differences because in addition to gaining cultural insight, one also cross-trains and gains competency in different systems.

The Role of Mobile Learning. Perhaps the most important direction for bilingual courses is in the area of mobile courses where the student can watch videos, listen to audio, and obtain additional content on demand.

However, for bilingual mobile and eLearning courses to be produced and solid curriculum developed, it is important to encourage instructional designers, subject matter experts, instructional technologists, and instructors to participate in the project. Certainly there will be hurdles and challenges, but again, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

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Here Are Some Mobile Accessories

blancaabeyta — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:40:18 +0000

You perhaps already have an Mobile with you if you’re a music lover and enjoy great songs wherever you go. If you’re a music freak, you may wish to up the entertainment quotient of your music device by loading it with some cool accessories. Here we have a look at some of the most current new Mobile accessories available in the market today.

One of the coolest mobile accessories by far is the iLoad+. What if you want to transfer some content to your mobile? If the content is on the telly or the cable box, you will have to first record it on your computer. You must have to download it, if it is somewhere over the internet. Once the content is on your computer, you would like to put it in iTunes and then sync it with the mobile. You won’t have to get into any of these hassles when you are using iLoad+. This cool accessory makes it utterly simple for you to transfer content to your mobile and helps save lots of time too.

The next in line mobile accessory which is riding high on the popularity charts nowadays is mobile AV cable. If you would like to connect your mobile to the Television and would like to enjoy the advantage of watching and playing videos on your TV , this accessory is must have for you. Mobile AV wire helps you connect your Television with your mobile instantly and immediately. This accessory actually allows you to connect to the projector too. These wires offer the benefit of usage and hence can be carried easily anywhere due to its compact size.

If you want your Mobile to look as sophisticated as you, you may consider purchasing Mobile skins. While the skins do not serve any practical purpose, they can make your gadget look particularly snazzy. These Mobile accessories are available in a selection of designs and patterns. So you should find something that is a match for your style preferences fairly easily. What’s more, these superb skins will help you simply tell the difference between your friend’s and your own Mobile.

A comparatively less common but absolutely cool mobile accessory is the iSoundcap. This accessory is a hat that fixes the mobile and makes place for the headphones to the ear buds. So, you only need to wear the hat and you will have music flowing to your ears. If you don’t like wearing hats, you can also have this mobile accessory in the form of shirts. The mobile is secured to the shirt so you do not have to fret about it falling off.

So wait no more simply bring home any of the previously mentioned mobile accessories and be sure that you will jazz up its look at utility and thus will fall in love with your gadget all over again.

To know more about Mobile Phone Accessories and Cheap Mobile Accessories