Friday, September 28, 2012

Digital Classroom - Brighter Tomorrow For Children Today

Education has always been an important foundational aspect for any society. It is the pillar that holds various economic, social and political factors together. With the changing times, there needs to be a change made in the traditional classroom system as well. This is where the digital classroom comes into the forefront. The students of today are very tech savvy which makes this type of a class room advantageous for them and the overall learning process.

With the Smart classroom, there will be a variety of factors that will be implemented in terms of teaching the children:

    Encouragement: Students need to be encouraged through the use of technology. No matter what they are doing, children should always be given the approval and there should be a refrain from making any sort of discouragement.

    Energy: Being an enthusiastic educator is important in the Virtual classroom. The teacher will always bring in lots of energy into what ever social cause he or she is involved in. Children too will follow suit and give all their energy.

    Fun: Since these are kids who are aware of the technological importance, teachers should not take away the element of fun. There should be a proper balance between what is right and good and what is fun and appeals to little students in the digital class room. The child learns faster when there is a lot of playfulness in the activities. A serious approach is not mandatory.

    Experimental Approach: Do not stick to conventional forms of teaching when it comes to the virtual classroom. Try new and more effective methods of teaching by making the classroom digital and more interactive. Get the student to make it as well and then do it with him or her. If there is information to be collected, do it with the students. Don't just sit and command.

    Practice What You Preach: Do not oversell the concept of a smart classroom if one does not believe it oneself. Follow and strengthen those qualities of the technological advancement and incorporate them in your everyday lives. Students are more susceptible to examples than they are to hollow teachings.

    Never Obstruct: Do not stand in the way of something that the student wishes to do of which you are unaware of. First gain information about the particular topic and then provide judgment.

    Do Research: Make sure you have done proper research of all the technologies used in the Smart classroom that the children are involved in to ensure they are properly suitable for students and do influence the civic duty within them.

    Look And Leap: Make sure that there are activities that involve both students and teachers.

The digital classroom is all about fun, interaction and learning. Hence, it is important to incorporate the traditional ways of teaching with the more radical and advanced teaching methods from these technological aspects. There needs to be a balance in order to gain the best of both worlds.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

How to Use Your Mediation Training For a Successful Career

Times are changing and new careers open up to those who are willing to learn new skills. If you are basically an honest, cool-headed, fair, good communicator, team player and interest in resolving conflicts through negotiation, then you can enroll in a Mediation Course and become a professional mediator.

What exactly is a mediator? A mediator is somebody who resolves issues of various concerns from child custody to neighbor-to-neighbor conflict to labor issues to anything that will need a third party to come up with solutions that are acceptable to parties involved. Basically, anybody can become a mediator with proper training and practice.

If you want to become one, inquire with local mediation board about the requirements they have. It will help if you enroll in a conflict resolution course so you will have an idea how the process of mediation goes. You can also decide what type of conflicts you want to mediate. If you already have training in psychology, sociology or any social sciences field, you can use that in mediation. You are dealing with people's behavior anyway and you can apply what you have learned as you go on with your practice.

You don't need to leave a current job just to get the required education. There are online courses that would suffice requirements by various companies. After finishing a short course, it is important that you practice. This will further develop the skills that you already have. Through experience you can learn a lot more and may want to study complementary courses to enhance your mediation practice.

Mediation training and education are important if you are planning to work with government, schools, universities, insurance providers or legal service providers. Some of these companies or entities require experience. There is no reason to fret if you are new in the field though because there are ways to gain experience after finishing a course.
One of the best ways to gain credentials as a mediator is to volunteer. Check community services or local courts if there are mediation sessions that are open to observers. You can offer to assist experienced mediators in whatever needs they have, even clerical or secretarial, just to get exposure and see them in action.

Becoming a mediator can open new doors to other careers like in law enforcement, counseling or therapy. There are many online courses that you can take to enhance your career options. If you want to stay as a mediator for a few more years, you can choose to get certified, if your state requires this, to have better earning and promotion opportunities.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Hearing and Deaf Perspectives

A lovely bench sits sheltered in trees within a beautiful Southern California meditation garden.

There are signs posted to "Please Respect the Quiet", the peacefulness and this special place where many come to relax and meditate. On a recent visit, I sat on this bench to enjoy some peace and quiet after a busy week.

Ahhhh... with eyes closed, I first noticed the feeling of the breeze wafting through the trees around me. I could hear the water bubbling in a nearby Koi pond. As I tried to quiet my mind, I wondered what it would be like to have complete silence in this space. No noise of any kind. And then I started noticing and creating a mental list of the sounds surrounding me. So much for turning off my thoughts! Beyond these gardens, lies a road, sidewalks and a quaint beach town. In the span of less than five minutes, this is what I heard... in this order.

A car trunk slammed
A zipper - - probably a camera case
Cameras clicking in the gardens
A teenager talking on a cell phone on the sidewalk outside the gardens
A plane flew overhead - - military - - loud
A car engine starting
Somebody sneezed
Somebody whispered "bless you"
The beeping sound of a large truck backing up
A security guard helping an older woman with her walker
A baby cried
Squeaky car brakes
Birds in the trees overhead
Wind blowing through the leaves
Footsteps walking through gravel

For 'hearing' people, these are sounds that play in the background of our daily lives. And these sounds are heard in a place which is designed to be quiet. Venture out into the city and add in other voices and horns blowing and endless ambient sounds.

For many of us, I think the closest we get to silence is when we slip underwater. Of course, this doesn't count if one is in a community pool on the weekend. The sound changes, but it's definitely not silent.

While our tendency is often to ponder how curious the Deaf must be regarding sound, I wonder how many hearing people are curious about the experience of complete silence. Does the brain finally relax when not constantly noticing, categorizing, evaluating and processing sounds? Or is it the opposite? For the Deaf, is it possible that the brain remains on 'high alert' using the other senses... compensating for the lack of sound? I can't help but wonder.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

What Are the Advantages of Franchising?

Making a foray into an unknown territory would send the alarm bells ringing in the minds. But what if you get into an already trodden path? The risks though exist, may be few and there are people who have already tackled them. If you are seriously pondering about what are the advantages of franchising, then this is the big advantage. You are not the only one battling it out with a totally new concept or a business idea. There are already people who are into it, have tested and tried it and tasted success too. By opting for a franchise you are associating yourself with an already existing brand and business thereby trying to make a source of income out of it.

With the consolation that the main basis of the business has been a proven idea you can embark onto the new venture with a sense of confidence. Just imagine what your plight would be if you make a foray into a totally unknown territory, with no leader to lead how you could go about the business. It would all become a case of trial and error and in the mean time you may burn a big hole in your pocket. But with the franchising system of taking over business, you are assured of a safe start.

When you have to explain to someone about What are the Advantages of Franchising, you can also tell them that you would be associating yourself with a well recognized brand name as well as trade mark too. You will not have to separately fend for advertising and promoting strategies because the franchisor will take care of the entire stuff. And perhaps this will be accomplished in a highly professional way with the help of experts in the field of marketing and advertising. If you were on a business of your own it is you who will have to think about all these aspects and you will have to set aside a said amount towards ad spend. And spending beyond a certain limit would definitely mean a pinch on your budget.

There is tremendous support from the franchisor. In some cases it may be in the form of help while setting up the new business, training of how to go about selling the products, and also advice regarding how to take the business forward. There may be meetings too with the franchisor wherein you could benefit from sharing ideas and strategies and also gaining support from co-franchisee owners in the network. Finding finances for the business becomes easy if you are associated with a franchise that has good reputation.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Who Is a Franchisee? What Is a Franchise?

Have you ever wondered who is a franchisee and what is a franchise? These are very common terms for people who are a part of business and the business already has a good branding. Let us delve deeper into what is a franchise and who is a franchisee.

what is a franchise? A franchise is an authorization that is granted by a business or a company to a group of individuals or an individual to carry out the commercial activities that are carried out by this business.

There are different forms of doing business and franchising is one medium through which business can be conducted. It is hailed as a popular method and a powerful marketing tool too for huge businesses to go on an expansion mode for their business and by doing so enhance their market share considerably with rapid speed but with low costs. There are different types of franchise options that people can find out in the market but identifying the one that gives them great returns is the key to success. There are the distributorships, brand name licensing or trademark options and the business format franchises.

The franchisor offers the franchise with the license to sell the products or services and also implement similar business techniques. The franchisee pays an initial amount to get this right and from there on he pays a certain percentage of the gross sale to the franchisor. This agreement may last through the term decided upon in the contract. The franchisee gains all those privileges that the franchisor's business has and in addition to that will also receive pertinent training in the relevant field. Coupled to this training the franchise will also continue to receive ongoing support. Of course, there are a few additional responsibilities too which the franchisee has to be careful about.

The franchisee has to work towards meeting all the quality controls that have been set up by the franchisor for it is the brand reputation that may be at stake when things are not done in line with the guidelines provided by the franchisor. There may also be a few restrictions on the kind of sales and operations they can perform on the name of the company.

Franchisees definitely have clear-cut advantage over their competitors, especially the nonfranchisee ones as they have full liberty to use the already established brand names. The nonfranchisee however has to start from the scratch and there may be a lot of time that goes in as an investment too before they can actually witness profits. A franchisee however can adhere to the franchisor's business practices and provide quality goods and services to the customers.