Archive for May, 2011

Computer Art Education

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Computers are being used in various educational fields. People consider them fine mediums to impart knowledge. Computers are successfully applied in art education. There are many art institutes related to fashion, culinary skills, design and media arts that totally depend on the use of computers. Instructors consider them to be convenient, economical and interesting mediums.

There are colleges and institutes that offer courses to introduce students to computer applications in the field of art education. They emphasize on the use of the Internet as a communication and learning tool. Internet is also considered a creative art medium and a professional resource. Computer art education helps them to explore the use of digital-imaging hardware and software for individual creative expression. There are courses that teach ways to integrate the Internet and computer technology into school art programs.

Computer art education reflects the conviction that the computer is a tool that requires creative thinking and purpose in order to use it effectively. At the completion of the course, pre-service art education students are able to use digital imaging software and hardware, to create 2-D computer art and graphics in their chosen fields.

Students learn to incorporate text and graphics in electronic documents, for creative and instructional purposes. They produce computer animation and multimedia documents with the use of application software. The software is used as a communication tool, a creative medium and a professional resource.

Students learn applications of digital technologies in the field of art and art education. The technology can also be used for aesthetic, ethical and legal issues related to the use of digital technology in the visual arts and art education. There are a variety of instructional methods including, lectures, demonstrations, mutual learning and projects. Computer art education enables students to get actively involved in the learning process.

Traditional Courses Vs Online Education

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Online education is more famous in these days. Intelligencers also find it as future form of education. There are many great advantages of online education because of its flexibility. And you can get an online education degree in all fields. And cost factor also add an advantage to increase popularity of this type of education.

Online course is more interactive that traditional distance learning courses. Because in traditional form of distance learning courses, once you enroll, and after a fix time period there will be exam, there is no more interaction between faculty and student, but you are provided only study material. In such situation you have limited option to solve your problems. For solve your problem you need to go for private coaching and its more expensive to student. Otherwise you have to connect to your seniors. In this situation student feel alone and helpless. So keeping this thing in mind the scholars present this new figure of education. online courses like online MBA and Online MS in It are most famous.

In online courses students are provided a unique ID and password for login. There will be a fix time of online classes. You feel a real class at your home in front of your system. A professor is employed for your daily class you can, you can join live class from your home, and ask your dispute continuously, in chat window. You can also take part in discussion and you can take advantage when other students ask their problems live in chat window. You can see all the question and solution in your window. And you can share your own views on other students’ doubts. But there is some drawbacks is also that mostly sharp students, active students are benefited this type of education. Because there is no one there who ask you about your response, (like got it or not). So you must be creative and active.

Online MBA programs are also less costly in comparison of tradition courses. And you get all your study material from net. So you can get your time and money both. So online education is like earning with learning because in this nature of education you need not to go to regular colleges for taking classes and nor to give up your job.

The Pros and Cons of Technical Education Systems

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Technical education has been around for many years and has been a popular form of training from the beginning. Technical education refers to learning about a particular field with hands-on experience. When one engages in technical education, they actually learn from someone who does what they teach.

Compared to the more traditional avenues of learning like college, technical education is much more specific to a certain field. College is a much broader scope and concentrates more on theory. The basic idea for this form of education is to teach you how to learn. Then you still have to learn the specific requirements for your job once you get out of college.

With technical education, you actually learn from a master in the field. This is also sometimes referred to as an apprenticeship. When you’re done with this training, you are ready to do the tasks by yourself. You can go right to work for someone without needing any additional training.

The benefits for technical education are big for prospective employers. Many companies have spent a great deal of their money training new employees. Then, many times, the people don’t like the jobs and quit. Then the companies are forced to start all over again with new employees. It is a never-ending cycle that costs the employers a lot of money and time.

In the past, technical education was looked at as a negative thing as it was associated with the lower class of the social scale. The industries that engaged in this practice were manual laborers such as welders, electricians, and blacksmiths. Many people stayed away from this type of training simply because of the reputation associated with it. However, in today’s fast changing economy, technical education is generally accepted as the norm in many new industries.

Now industries such as retail, tourism, information technology, funeral services, cosmetics, and cottage industries all rely on some form of technical education.

Many types of businesses are demanding a much more specialized workforce. With the way the economy is changing, people with generalized knowledge are becoming phased out for people with highly specialized skills.

In many cases, this results in a higher level of starting pay for new employees. The companies that are hiring feel more comfortable about giving someone a decent salary when they know they can handle the work. Another great thing about technical education is the job placement. Many trade schools offer job placement directly after you graduate. They have many relationships with employers and the employers know exactly what they’re getting in a new graduate.

Overall, technical education is a great way to get a head start on your career. You can focus on the skills you need to do the job that you want to do. If you want to be on the fast track to a great career, technical education may be the way to go. You’ll no longer have to waste years of your life learning theory. You can get started learning what you need to know in order to succeed.

The New Trend Of Online Education

Monday, May 30th, 2011

With the Internet, digital libraries and online encyclopedias, the way we learn is changing faster than ever before. Learning new things are very easy now. Even traditional schools, colleges, universities and specialty schools are now using online strategies similar to those used in corporate training.

Children with illnesses or injuries can do their schoolwork online. Home-Schooling is one program that online education offers. It best suits to those who wish to go back to school and get a degree part-time working at their pace.

Parents are also considering home education for their children as distance learning grows more popular. The future of education looks more digital than ever. More students are prepared for online education and are willing to take courses online for college.

Nowadays, online educational institutions are growing in number and enrollments. This is because they can offer the working class a chance to advance in their careers, develop a higher level of personal confidence, and fulfill life-long dreams.

Unlike in the past, working adults can’t be able to expand their careers because of time restraints. What takes away those time restraints is online education which completely offers virtual learning experience.

Online education has resulted in thousands of virtual classrooms that offer the possibility for accomplishment and advancement for all since the Internet is moving well beyond e-mails and e-commerce.

It is refreshing to know that the Internet provides learning resources which allow almost anyone to learn about almost anything in an age where everyone and everything is stretched too thin. You can now say that higher education is now available to any person with the drive, the desire and a personal computer. You can now feel confident that life and opportunity are not passing you by.

If you have the opportunity to take an online course, don’t ignore it whatever your choice is. Life is a long-term learning stadium where you are given the tools that other generations would have appreciated.

Insurance Continuing Education – The Beneficiary of an Annuity

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

To use an analogy, in a life insurance policy, the beneficiary has no “status” until the death of the named insured. In an annuity, the beneficiary has no “status” until the death of the annuitant. Similarly, the beneficiary of an annuity has no control of the policy and has no say in the management of the policy. The annuitant benefits from an annuity only when the annuitant dies.

The beneficiary can be either an individual, or a trust, corporation or partnership. There does not have to be any relationship between the beneficiary and the annuitant – indeed, they could conceivably be (but highly unlikely) total strangers. The application form used for an annuity allows the owner to state multiple beneficiaries, and to designate the percentage of each beneficiary if so desired.

Frequently, one spouse would be the owner of the contract, and the other spouse would be the beneficiary. With some companies, co-ownership is allowed, thereby allowing both spouses to be owners. They can be quite valuable in case the annuitant dies as the annuity proceeds would not go to a beneficiary as long as one of the spouses was still alive.

Generally, a single person (or widow or widower) will designate themselves as the owner of the contract and also the annuitant, naming another party as the beneficiary (such as a church, charity, etc.). By doing this, the person has complete control over the investment during their lifetime, and upon their death, the annuity proceeds will automatically pass to the intended heir.

Since the owner of the contract can change the beneficiary at any time, they do not need to notify a listed beneficiary that they have been so designated, or indeed, even tell them if they are removed as beneficiary. Regulations are rather detailed as to who can purchase an annuity and for whose benefit, keeping in mind the contract law that a contract entered into by a minor can be voided by such minor.

California regulations state that (a) a minor under age 18 may enter into a valid contract for life or disability insurance, or annuities, (b) those under age 16 can purchase life or disability insurance or annuities with the written consent of their parent or guardian. In respect to benefits, a minor under the age of 18 may give valid instructions as to any money that has accrued or payable under the terms of the contract, but only with the written consent of a parent or guardian. The regulations also state that any contract that is made by a minor under age 18 that can result in the personal liability for assessment, may only be issued with the written assumption of such liability by a parent or guardian. 12B

In actual practice, annuities are generally issued with maximum ages of 85 and annuitization at age 90 or 95, with some offering maximum annuitization age of 100. Age 85 is also often used for both purposes as that is the law in Pennsylvania. For non-qualified products the youngest issue age is usually -0-, but the minimum age usually is only mentioned for Equity Index Annuities.41,46,49

Teaching Young Children Mosaic Art

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Teaching children how to create a mosaic can be difficult but only in the sense of neatness. Kids love to see the different colors and patterns of a finished mosaic. They love the many options that they have available when creating their own work.

When describing what a mosaic is, always reference a puzzle. Every child has put together a puzzle and can relate closely to this. Explain that a mosaic is the same as a puzzle, there are a bunch of small pieces that they put together to form a large overall picture. Kids are thrilled to know that they have created their own mosaic before. Also make sure to bring in a few finished mosaic pieces so they can get a good visual.

Choose a very simple project for young children to start out on. Creation of a coaster is perfect. Provide 4″ square ceramic tiles for the base. For children 10 years and under, it is not recommended to use any sort of glass cutter, instead use 3/8″ mini tiles. These don’t need to be cut but are small enough that the kids can still choose a variety of colors. One hundred tiny tiles will fit perfectly on a 4″ tile with 1/16″ grout joints.

If working with a large group of children, pour some Weldbond into a bowl. Provide cotton swabs for them to dip into the glue. This will make applying glue to the large tile easier. Keep in mind that they will most likely need several swabs each.

It makes it easier if you have some designs already made up. These would consist of grid paper cut to 10 squares by 10 squares. You would just color in different squares to make a pattern. Each 3/8″ tile will be used to represent a grid square so keep it simple at 4 or fewer colors. The younger kids like to try to replicate patterns while the older kids would want to create their own design. If this is the case, provide the older students with their own grids and colored pencils. If timing is an issue, have them do their coloring before they come into the class. Some ideas of popular patterns include; checks, stripes, squares within squares, hearts, etc.

To set up the grid on the 4″ tile, have the children spread glue across the top row of the large tile. They will then copy the pattern onto the large tile using the mini tiles to represent each grid square. After getting the first row on, make sure they spread the mini tiles out to have a grout joint between each one. This is difficult for the students as they want to make each tile touch instead. You will have to continually watch and remind them as the project progresses as some students will still have their tiles touching by the time they finish.

Next they will put a glob of glue down the side and replicate the pattern. Please note that they will need to use a large amount of glue. Too little and tiles will pop off like crazy when grouting. To much and the glue will squish up between the tiny tiles. They want to use enough to create a bed of glue for the tiny tile to sit in. Students are taught to conserve glue and you have to show them that they need to use a lot and continually remind them.

Now that the grid is set up onto the larger tile, the children can fill in the large tile by replicating their pattern. Remind them not to start putting tiny tiles in the center because they will not line up at the end. The first row and column they created are used as guides for where to put the next tiles so that everything lines up and looks somewhat straight.

You will find that it is easier for the group to use only 9 tiles across and down. This is fine but the end coaster looks more sporadic and messy. The design seems to get lost. This works well with 6 year olds and younger though. Another option is to have the younger students create a border around the outer edge and then just randomly fill in the center with a variety of colors and not try to keep things lined up.

After the students have finished their tiling then set their project someplace safe to dry. Allow to dry overnight. You can let older kids (10 and up) grout but it is still difficult for them. They tend to be rough on the mosaics and knock off the tiny tiles. This is very frustrating for them and you as the teacher. If you can, grout these yourself. It doesn’t take long and you can glue on any tiles that fall off as you go.

This project can take up to two hours so you may need to cut some corners. Having the designs already finished is a great way to shave off 30 minutes. You will have to constantly push some of the kids to keep working because they will get bored quickly.

If you do have plenty of time, then spend some of it talking about the history of mosaics or even the mathematics involved. Print out some pictures of ancient mosaic art to show. The kids are fascinated by the thought of using tiny pieces to create an image of a man. Turn this project into a math lesson by simply talking about symmetry. The designs you create will most likely be symmetrical so you can describe rotational, reflective, or translational symmetry by showing your designs. If you are working with a school, they will appreciate the added educational lesson that you can provide.

The main thing to remember while working with younger children is to have patience. You will have to repeat yourself constantly and will continually help every student in the class. However, it is very rewarding and with some parent volunteers, everyone will walk away happy.

Education In Gurgaon

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Thanks to the educational policies of Haryana and Central government, Gurgaon is emerging fast as an educational hub in India. Due to this, education in Gurgaon is on a high rise. The government is trying its best to find different ways to establish educational institutes in Gurgaon so that a huge crowd could move from the nearby city of Delhi.

Gurgaon has a prominent population. In order to pass this rich educational heritage to the next generation, the government is trying to provide good educational facilities to the residents of this city. The government is trying to build good infrastructure in the city so as to attract good investment especially in the field of education.

Gurgaon city has some of the country’s top primary and secondary schools which have a vast number of students studying in them. The schools in Gurgaon have increased corresponding with the number of students, as there is a rise in demand for quality education. Gurgaon Schools are usually in the top list of schools from all over the country as they have adopted new teaching methodologies and learning aids. This helps the keep track of the latest developments in the field of education

Some of the main schools in Gurgaon

Euro International School: One of the top schools in Gurgaon, Euro International works towards creating a good batch of individuals on a daily basis. It maintains the same high quality standards set by the other educational institutes

Summer Fields school: The school was started by the DLF management in 1987. It now possesses four nicely designed buildings with a team of dedicated professionals

The city also has some excellent engineering colleges and institutes to meet the demands of high quality education. Some of the colleges in Gurgaon have crossed par excellence in delivering the quality of education that is expected from them. It includes most of the engineering colleges. Engineers play a very important role in the development of any country and Gurgaon plays an important part in it. The city nourishes them by providing high quality colleges.

Some of the important engineering colleges in Gurgaon are:

â?¢ Dronacharya college of engineering

â?¢ Gurgaon college of engineering

â?¢ Institute of Technology and Management

â?¢ Ansal institute of Technology

Apart from all these educational institutes in Gurgaon, the city also has a lot of management institutes. These institutes are counted among the top run management institutes in the country. One of the advantages of being part of these institutes is that the students are also exposed to observe the high profiled people of the corporate world during their visits. Conversely, these corporate when looking out for the best trained talent can pick a lot from these institutes.

Some of the management institutes in Gurgaon

â?¢ Management Development Institute

â?¢ Institute for International Management and Technology

â?¢ Alogol School of Technology

â?¢ Amity Business School

â?¢ Gurgaon Institute of Technology and Management

Today India is one of the leading countries that produce computer and IT professionals in large numbers. Gurgaon is one of the cities that have software and hardware professionals in huge numbers. It has many institutes offering software and hardware courses and the latest network administration technology to provide job security to the students. Most of these institutes provide on-campus placements facility for the well-being of their students.

Education for Sustainable Development for Child Education and Schools

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a rather new field of education. We can see it as an innovative kind of future education for schools linking the child’s development with the future challenges of society.

I don’t think that education for sustainable development is just another buzzword forgotten in a few years. From a global perspective as well as a local perspective we have to direct education toward what will be truly useful for each child and for each society in the future.

To have a fulfilling life should be within reach for all children whereever they are born. In too many parts of society and of the world children grow up in hazardous environments with very poor conditions for basic requirements and bleak prospects for their future.

Education for Sustainable Development is derived from the Brundtland report’s focus on Sustainable Development (SD). The Brundtland report requires fundamental changes in the society and its institutions, in politics and in our individual family life styles. Economic development cannot be separated from social development and a concern for the environment.

ESD for child development Educational research can tell us a lot of how to make use of education for sustainable development for child development.

The most important fact might be that ESD is an excellent frame for the empowerment of children. When we respect each individual child for its ideas and opinion, and at the same time bring the child into challenging learning situations we facilitate empowerment of the child.

Developing self esteem and empowerment goes hand in hand in education for sustainable development. A proper self esteem is such an important part of successful child development.

Another important fact is that ESD is a productive frame for meaningful learning. Opposite to rote learning and the acquisition of facts without much understanding meaningful learning situations help the child to engage fully in the teaching. By working with real problems the child can develop much better understanding of concepts and skills from the schools core curriculum in a meaningful context. The key to that is the opportunity to use and reflect on these ‘traditional’ ingredients of classic schooling in the meaningful contexts derived from the focus on sustainable development.

Education for sustainable development and schools Some schools have focused on the beautification of their school environment. This might help the school’s prestige in the local society but it isn’t helpful for education for sustainable development unless it happens as the students’ project.

Similarly some schools have put a lot of emphasis in making the school buildings more ‘green’ with solar power panels, recycling systems, water conservation measures and tree planting around the school. Again, such initiatives are only valuable for the learning of the students if they are planned as student projects. You cannot evaluate the quality of a school’s work with education for sustainable development from a picture of the school.

Concerning a better approach to ESD, headmaster and teachers should ask questions like: – How can we challenge students’ thinking on the future and how to make use of parts of the core curriculum in a meaningful way in combination? – How can we teachers cooperate to create stimulating activities and plan the teaching in such a way that the self-esteem of the students will benefit from it? – How can we help students to investigate local people’s concern for the future and how to make sense of such results? – How can we help students to try to make a difference according to their wishes and visions?

Education for sustainable development will gain increasing publicity as the picture of environmental degradation, energy shortage, climate change, increasing poverty mixed with increasing wealth and the overall picture of globalization becomes more evident.

We cannot blame our children for these issues but it is our duty to educate them to be able to cope with such complex and controversial issues and to live a decent life with a belief that it is possible for everybody to make a difference to the better.

Online Education – A Brief History

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Moving back in the time zone to a couple of decades earlier, how do you see a person who has earned a bachelors degree? He or she may be in their early twenties; staying in a hostel or near the university with parents sending the term fees. All the student had to do was go to the university every morning, attend classes all day, make projects and assignments, come back to their accommodation in the evening and prepare for the next day. Even this was only possible for those who could afford to pay the University dues in time and had some one back at home to do the earning. In earlier days student who didn’t have enough financial assistance had to give up school and earn their livelihood. Going to college and acquiring a degree turned out to be a dream that never seemed to be fulfilled. Once stuck into the fulfilling the needs of shelter and food, education never got its turn. Work and education could not walk side by side.

As time sped by, expenses got higher. It has now almost become impossible to run a family with one person working. Almost every member of the family after reaching age of maturity goes out into the practical field of life. Yet education always walks alongside career. The reason behind this great turnover is the evolution of a new concept known as “Online Education”. Online education came into the scene after the victorious advent of the internet and technology age. The complicated gadget named as “Personal Computer” had gained so much popularity with time that it had became a necessity in very house. That is when online education came into the scene. Although Online Education is still in its very early stages yet it has attracted a huge number of students.

Online Education can be termed as the most precious gift, the internet as given to a common man. E-learning, began when companies started to educate their employees about the further advancements in their work. Those were the times when computer had begun to popularize and were mostly found in offices of companies and organizations. There were some problems at those times, mostly related to the time co ordination between the instructors and students. However after a few years the multimedia technology came into existence and touched the height of fame in almost an instant. Then e-learning became even more convenient with the use of PowerPoint slides, educative games, and other programs. The process on online education was still quiet slow and restricted to only a few regions.

After the advent of the new millennium, technology came with new horizons which were accessible to all. The internet was streamed with institutions offering online courses and degrees. Students had found a way to continue there studies along with there jobs. Businessmen and professionals had found a way to further polish their skills. Web servers were much faster and could easily bear the load of videos and presentations. Lectures could be recorded and viewed any time the student wished. Solving queries became much easier. Learning had become easier and is still continuing to be.

The very first type of online education can be traced back to the end of 1980s or in the beginning of 1990s. This was when, as mentioned earlier, companies used e techniques to educate their employees. By the end of 1990s it started to spread over to the college students as well but was still restricted to a few regions only. Online education got its biggest boost in the new millennium and just shot to heights of success in almost a leap.

Teaching Kids About Animals Is Fun

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Teaching kids about animals can be quite interesting, and if you add trips to the zoo for that purpose, it will be all the more helpful. They can learn there about how animals behave, their eating habits, from where they come from, and the sounds they make. Animals of various types are found in the zoo, and you might be able to show them the varieties of dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys and lots more. So if you are planning to take your kids to the zoo in order to teach them about animals, try to visit the website and show it to your kids to create interest in the animals. When they will watch those animals live, they will find it very interesting and will be excited to learn more about them.

Before visiting the zoo you can also find out if there are any events being organized in the near future so that you can take along your child to enjoy the activities of the animals in a different way. Take print out’s of pictures of animals in the zoo so that you can easily make the kid identify them. Some of the zoos also allow you to feed the animals so you can encourage your child to feed them and enjoy the fun and excitement in it. Let the child explore the zoo on their own by just keeping a watch on them and this will make chikdren take interest in the nature of different animals.

There are animals that can be tamed or can be kept at our homes, as pets. Pets need special care and before keeping pets like dogs, cats, rabbits or any other animal, you should be aware of of how to look after them. You should have a complete knowledge of their daily care, food habits and hygiene, which is very important as they are kept inside the house and children, too play with them. Keeping pets is the best way to teach kids about these animals, but it is not possible to keep so many animals as pets. However with pets children come to know about each and every detail of the behavior and the habits of the pet animals.

Taking kids to the animal show creates an interest in children for animals and they learn about varieties of dogs in a dog show or various other animals in different animal shows. Dogs, cats, rabbits etc are common pets found in many houses of which dogs are the most common. If your friends and relatives have pets you can take your child there and let him spend few days with the pet and know a bit in details about it. When the children play with them and watch them so closely they will learn very fast and with ease. This type of lessons is unforgettable and he will remember them for his lifetime. In this way you can teach them about animals and their habits especially about the dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys etc.