Out of This World - Blog Turns Supernatural or Spiritual

A Continued Commitment... TO OUR NATIONS FUTURE!

There are thousands of social service agencies, both publicly and privately funded, as well as individual caregivers. Information and access to these services is fragmented. Many providers do not even have a presence on the web. Consumers of social services need help finding available and accessible resources quickly and in one place. iNforma Nation offers verified information such as links to resource sites, articles, community events, professional and educational workshops, and more for free. Professionals and agencies alike can add free resource and event content, and consumers can use the site to request help in finding the resources or information they need.

Educastar Education Consulting Services (China)

Educastar Educational Advisor(s) China provides guidance with an international perspective on educational options throughout the college exploration, planning and application processes.

The university admissions process can be very stressful and confusing, especially for students located outside of the United States. Access to accurate information and expert guidance help families and students face the college application experience more informed, better prepared and equipped to find a perfect institution.
Educastar enables any student to make the most of their academic and extracurricular opportunities throughout their secondary school career which will help distinguish any particular strengths and talents in the admissions process.
Years of experience in higher education  consultants (China) ;recruitment and admissions combined with in depth knowledge of international educational systems and curricula uniquely positions Educastar to provide guidance and support to students and families around the world.

Our services are not meant to be a last minute “band aid” approach to a college application but instead better management of the entire process.  We ensure that students and families enter the application process with the best preparation possible and go through with a minimum amount of stress and uncertainty.  Our clients are well-informed and feel in control of their university application and selection process.
Our experience with foreign educational systems and the education consulting services (China) selection process and its institutions places the student in the best possible position to attend the best relevant college for him or her.

Discover The Pros Of Online Education


THE PROS OF ONLINE EDUCATION

Distance education has evolved a great deal during the past 100 years. Impressively, at this stage in the evolution, student learning is no longer confined to a physical space in any way. A report conducted at the No Child Left Behind Leadership Summit calls online learning “a 21 st Century education.” There are a variety of benefits both students and educators receive from participating in online courses and programs and you can learn about Walden right here! 

REDUCED TUITION

One obvious benefit of online learning is that tuition rates can be significantly less expensive than tuition rates at traditional academic institutions. According to e-Learning Frameworks for NCBL , a report presented as the No Child Left Behind Summit, many states are funding online learning through state-funded virtual school programs, which either reduce tuition or waive it completely. Additionally, if an online school is accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, then students of that school are eligible to apply for federal financial aid.

PERSONALIZED EDUCATION

Online courses allow students to engage in learning in new and unique ways, and students are presented with numerous opportunities to personalize their education. Not only can students easily request more challenging assignments from their teachers, they can also use their virtual education as a remedial tool and/or tutoring service. Students also have the opportunity to access web-based resources, which often have the advantage of interactive functions.
Online courses can motivate certain types of students to achieve higher levels of academic excellence. Students who benefit from virtual learning include those who feel more confident communicating with teachers and peers online rather than in class; students with learning differences; or those who simply have difficulties excelling in traditional classrooms.

FLEXIBILITY

One highly touted benefit of online education institutions is flexibility. Students can access their educators and course material from anywhere at any time. More and more people who have full-time jobs, or other responsibilities that prevent them from taking classes at a traditional institution, are turning to online courses. What's more, students have the option to take full-length online classes during the summer, or short one- or two- credit courses during holiday breaks. These options are also invaluable to traditional students who have to take extended leaves of absence or are dismissed from school.

ACCESSIBILITY

The use of the Internet for educational purposes has greatly increased the potential for reaching new learners. Walden University's online degree programs are available to students who either choose not to or cannot attend school in traditional settings. In online classrooms, educators can instruct a greater number of pupils, therefore online courses are able to easily accommodate a large number of students, unlike traditional courses.
Additionally, the advent of online learning is increasing educational options for atypical students, such as incarcerated youths, drop-outs, hospitalized or homebound students, home-schooled students, and those who have been suspended. Online learning can also benefit K-12 students and schools. By providing access to online courses, large schools can reduce overcrowding, and rural schools or schools without much funding can include new course offerings in their curriculum. Additionally, online classes can serve as an alternative to substitute teachers when small schools cannot fill teacher vacancies.

ENHANCED TECHNOLOGY

WaldenU.edu offers educational resources in multiple media formats. They support the use of both asynchronous communication (e.g. email, threaded discussion boards, and newsgroups) and real time communication (e.g. chat rooms, webcasting, and audio/video technology) among teachers and students. Asynchronous discourse is thought to inspire self-reflection among learners, which online educators hope will help their students engage in deeper learning.
According to Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions , a report conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2000-01 academic year, two-thirds of two- and four-year degree-granting postsecondary schools offered online or other distance courses. The reasons for doing so, according to these institutions, included the desire to increase student enrollment, offer a greater number of courses, meet student demand for flexibility, and provide access to education to those who would otherwise not have it.
Finally, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, students who enrolled in online classes actually performed better than those who took the same courses in a classroom setting. Students who receive a combination of online and face-to-face instruction performed the best. Combining these findings with all of the above stated benefits, online education has a persuasive argument for being an effective educational method for a variety of students.

Technology & Education : Discover The Benefits Of Online Education

ONLINE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY: THE NEW FRONTIER

Online education has come a long way since the advent of the Internet. Gone are the days of completing an assignment online and then printing it off and mailing it to the professor via snail mail. Also gone are the days of communicating online with professors solely through slow email programs. Nowadays, online education is much more streamlined. From interactive video conferencing to podcasts, instructors and students have access to numerous technologies that speed up and enhance their online communication.

BLACKBOARD

Blackboard is the program used by most colleges and universities for their online courses. Once registered for Blackboard, each student will be given a personal account that they can log into. From the home page the student can access his or her courses and his or her instructor's contact information. Each online course has a dedicated page where students can access the syllabus, homework assignments, and lecture notes.
Instructor can upload links to the course's page that will connect students to helpful articles or videos. Assignments may also be submitted through Blackboard, and the program even has a built-in calendar system that helps students keep track of when assignments are due.

ONLINE FORUMS

Some online courses offer an online forum where students can discuss the course with each other or post questions to the class as a whole. Many of these forums are open for discussion 24/7 to all of the students in the course. Instructors may also schedule times similar to office hours where they will log onto the forum and answer questions directly from students.

INTERACTIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING

Webcams have given rise to new forms of online education; interactive video conferencing is one such form. With interactive video conferencing, instructors schedule times where students can log on and watch the lecture or chat with the professor with the use of a webcam. With this technology students can ask questions in real time as well as watch a lecture just as though they were sitting in the classroom.
One note: if a student plans on participating in interactive video conferencing from home, he must make sure that the computer he plans on using has a microphone—otherwise, he will not be able to communicate with the professor.

INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION

Instructional television is similar to interactive video conferencing in that students are able to watch the instructor's lecture just like they would in a classroom setting. The difference is that students cannot communicate with the instructor in real time with instructional television. These lectures are sometimes broadcast during an in-class session, so students who are watching the class online can hear the instructor's response to questions from students that are physically attending the class. Because this type of lecture is often broadcast live, distance learning students will have a set schedule similar to those of on-campus students.

POWERPOINT

PowerPoint is a tool often utilized by online instructors. A PowerPoint lecture can be posted on a program like Blackboard for students to view, or the PowerPoint lecture can be emailed to the class as a whole.

PODCASTS

One very modern tool used by some instructors is the podcast. Many times, instructors will record lectures as a podcast, that way students can download the lecture and listen to it on their iPods whenever they have time.

DVD FORMAT

Some online courses still use DVDs as a way to provide supplemental course material. These DVDs may include lectures from the instructor that are meant to coincide with assignments found online. However, because of the advances in interactive video conferencing and streaming online video, this practice is being phased out of most online education programs.

Empower Parents To Fix Their Schools

No child should be stuck in a failing school. Families priced out of private school, and unable to move to a better district need the resources to make sure their children get a good education.

Empower parents to turn around their local failing schools »

California parents fought for -- and won -- this power over their children's education. The "parent trigger" law enables parents in zones with chronically failing schools to get the legal authority to transform their school through a petition drive. If a majority of parents want it, they can bring in new leadership or a charter school operator.

All parents want the best education and opportunities for their children. When their schools aren't delivering that, families should have the ability and authority to demand better.

Support parent trigger laws nationwide and make sure that no child -- or parent -- has to lose another year of quality education »

So, I just think Ellen is great.

Guest post written by: Rolf Tate


I'm not the biggest television watcher whatsoever but when I do I love Ellen! I love that her guests seem so at ease with her and that she does the whole dancing routine. There is no better feeling than just vegging out and watching some afternoon talk shows on satellite television fromHTTP://www.satellite911.com.
I think the best part, since I'm not an avid television watcher is that I can tune in when I'd like and don't have to worry about missing an episode or two. I really enjoyed when Ellen interviewed Tiger Woods. Also, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. I like that she can get the truth out of people without putting them on the spot. She is also a very likable persona and I could see myself being her friend. She just has a very trustworthy look about her.
I do also like that the show is family friendly. My kids can watch with me and I don't have to worry about quickly flipping the channel so that they don't see something they shouldn't. I think the Ellen Show is just an all around great show for people of all ages.

Yesterday marked World Intellectual Property Day (Happy Birthday Mom!)

The annual celebration of the role intellectual property plays in shaping the world around us. The theme for this year’s celebration is Designing the Future, with a focus on “the role of design in the marketplace, in society and in shaping the innovations of the future.”


Designs play an increasingly important role in the technology sector. Whether it is the elegant physical design of a smartphone or the innovative user interface of a software application, good design drives market enthusiasm for technology products. And as more and more of our daily activities migrate online and to the cloud, designs will migrate from the shapes of things made in factories to the shapes of things rendered on computer screens. 

Please note... We will be making several MAJOR changes on our site! Be prepared for some awkward viewing and experience possible downtime.

Green Your Home Challenge

Enter Recyclebank’s Green Your Home Challenge for a chance to win over 100 planet-friendly including a grand prize green kitchen makeover.






How do you win? Your Green Your Home score depends on how many actions you complete and how many you get your friends to complete. So, if you really want to win, refer as many friends as you can and get them to take the Green Your Home challenge. Check back each week in April as new rooms are unlocked for you to explore, plus check your email to see who’s in the lead, as well as your score.







Tell The White House What You Are Up To

Be the leader we know you are and host a roundtable conversation with other young people in your community about the issues you care about most, and then report back to the White House! Find out how here. You'll all receive invitations to future events, web-chats, and conference calls with White House officials moving forward. (And if you check the box that requests Administration participation when you sign up, they'll do their best to send someone to participate in your roundtables!)

Get Ready For Our Epic Book Drive

We have teamed up with Better World Books to host the most Epic Book Drive in history. HOW EPIC WILL IT BE? Glad you asked: Our goal is to collect 1 million books from teens nationwide to stock libraries in the Recovery School District in New Orleans. That's because in the Big Easy's low-income neighborhoods, there's only one book for every 300 children, and you can do something to make sure every kid has access to good books.

Sign up at EpicBookDrive.com to lead your own drive and get more info. We'll pay for all of the book shipping, and the top drives will receive prizes like $5000 or E-readers for your school library and $1000 college scholarships!
We’ve teamed up with Better World Books to change that. Join the Epic Book Drive. We want you to run book drives in your schools and communities, and send them to Better World Books (free of charge). We’ll make sure they're donated or sold to raise funds for New Orleans’ Recovery School District libraries.
It's Ludacris if you don't. Actually, its Ludacris if you do. He's our campaign spokesperson. Check back for his PSA!
How you ask? Easy:
  1. Sign up (to the right). We'll send you an e-mail within 3 business days, with access info for the Better World Books portal. There, you'll be able to order book boxes and print mailing labels to ship your donated books free of charge.
  2. Post pictures and tell us why your book drive is so Epic. You can also send us your pix by text message. Text your photo to "epic@dosomething.org". Two people who submit outstanding photos via text will win a $500 college scholarship!
  3. When your drive is done, and no later than May 15th, be sure to access the Better World Books portal and coordinate a shipment of your donated books.
Collect 150 boxes or more, and we’ll make it even easier. Better World Books will pick them up from your school.
The most Epic book drive of all will win a $1000 donation to their school library, and a pizza party for the whole school!

Free Photo Book For Deployed Or Overseas Military

Send a free photo book to a military member stationed abroad (to A.P.O, F.P.O, or M.P.O. addresses only).



Sending a little taste of home to service men and women serving overseas has been a cornerstone of the USO for 70 years and that tradition continues with the USO Photo Book program, powered byRocketLife.
Friends and family can create a 20-page personal photo book and ship it to any APO, FPO or MPO address for free. These full-color, 5”x7” softcover books fit perfectly in a soldier’s cargo pant pocket, yet hold more than 60 photos. RocketLife prints the books for free and the USO pays for shipping.
Supporters simply visit http://USO.RocketLifeProduction.com, generate a coupon code and launch the RocketLife software. RocketLife’s Smart Arrangement™ technology helps anyone create a unique photo book in as little as three minutes or customize it extensively with hundreds of graphic themes, styled text, elegant blending effects and literally billions of border styles. With two clicks, people can copy their photo book layout onto any other item in the catalog, from key tags to coffee mugs. (Any additional purchases through the site benefit the work of the USO.)
Here is one testimonial from the wife of a soldier and his reaction upon receiving a USO Photo Book:
“My husband has been deployed for over 11 months. This is his first deployment since we’ve been together, and this year has been extremely hard for me and my family. I had no idea what deployments were like. A lot of bad things have happened since he’s been gone, so the majority of the time I get to talk to him it’s about business. 
“Receiving a free book from you made my husband’s day! He was so surprised and showed it to everyone in his unit. They were all jealous and wanted to know how I had made the book. For the first time in many months my husband and I laughed and were so giggly on the phone after he received the photo album. This was an excellent morale booster for both of us. He is able to carry it in his ACU pocket and take it everywhere with him. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!” 




Paper Cranes For Japan

Fold paper cranes - Help raise $200,000 to rebuild Japan!

Bezos Family Foundation will donate $2.00 per crane! Get a group of friends together and host a paper-crane party. We will even supply a pre-paid mailing label for boxes of 50 or more cranes. http://www.studentsrebuild.org
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