How to Deal with College or University Rejection

It is a competitive world and as far as college admissions are concerned, a candidate has to compete in this rat race. Most students these days are concerned about the brand image and wish to get into the top universities and colleges. This has made the competition even more fierce. Students do work hard and put in all their effort to get into their college of choice. But on some occasions, no matter how much effort the student puts, destiny has its own plans. Many students who get rejected from colleges or universities find it difficult to cope with the situation and these rejections have often led to a negative outlook in students. I agree that dealing with college rejection is difficult, but it is not impossible. This Buzzle article will help you think positively about the state of affairs and help you address college rejection.

Dealing with College or University Rejection

Manage the Negative Thoughts...
It doesn't matter how strong a person is mentally, the feeling of rejection can make anyone sad and wary about the world. You should not let apprehensions kill you and instead share them with your close ones. Sharing what you have in mind will make you feel good. Don't let negative thoughts take control over you. Convince yourself that there's more to life and education than that particular college which rejected you. One should always learn from the mistakes, and use the rejection letter as a tool to improve yourself for the upcoming challenges in life. When things don't work your way, it is best to think that something better awaits in life.

Think and Plan for the Future...
Being rejected by a college means something went wrong and did not work in your stride. You thus have to stop sulking and start thinking about the future course of action. Your future steps can be reapplying to the same college or university or you can take admission to some other college. It will be helpful to take the advice of your teachers in deciding your future actions. But as a first step you should contact the college or university officials and inquire about the rejection letter. You can ask the officials the reason you were rejected and then work on that. If you think you have it in you to study and work hard, and also if you are ready to put in effort, reapplication should make a better option.

Don't Let Your Confidence Down...
Don't let the rejection hamper your confidence and self esteem. In a situation like this, think about your past achievements, be them in any field. You are a worthy person and with some effort have the ability to do better. Believe in yourself and don't let the rejection affect your frame of mind to any extent. Some thoughtless people might demotivate you and say that you did not prepare well or did not study hard, etc, etc. But more than anything else you should listen to your self belief and keep yourself motivated.

It is difficult to live with the feeling of being rejected from the college you had dreamed of studying in. But it is wrong if you let the situation hamper your self esteem and confidence. Also I would like to mention that more than the college you are studying, it is your mindset that counts for success in life. So don't take the college rejection as the end of world and maintain a positive frame of mind, strong belief in your abilities and hard work. With these qualities no one can deny you success in life. All the best and stay positive...

The List of Top Most Expensive Colleges

You grew up dreaming of studying at one of the best colleges that there has ever been, because ever since you can remember, that's all you've ever really wanted. Here's a question though... Has it ever occurred to you that some of the best colleges in the world could also be some of the most expensive colleges ever. Ok, seems reasonable, but, why the fuss? What do these colleges offer that many others don't? Here's what... Apart from some of the best education that you could ever receive, most of these colleges also offer you some of the best facilities that you could ever want when possibly living away from home. Very often, it is these additional perks that really add to to making them so expensive, thus making them part of the top most expensive colleges list. Surely you are curious by now with regards to colleges that are in fact part of this list, so how about taking a look at them now...

List of the Top Most Expensive Colleges

What follows, is a list (in random order) of the top most expensive college that there are in the United States. Take a look at which ones make it here...

(Note: The fees mentioned below are all approximate figures)

Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY)
Fees: $58,000

One of the more popular colleges for liberal arts in the US, Sarah Lawrence is also the most expensive school that one could opt to go to. It first started out as a college for women only, when it was established in 1926, but turned coeducational in 1968. Known for high academic standards as well as a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, this is almost as good as it gets when looking for the best school for independent studies.

George Washington University (Washington, DC)
Fees: $56,000

Next in the list of most expensive colleges is the George Washington University. A private, co-ed school, this one was established in 1821. Best known for its programs in political science, law, medicine, international affairs, and a lot else, there isn't a better university than this when it comes to working with hands-on experience.

Georgetown University (Washington, DC)
Fees: $57,000

The Georgetown University was founded in 1789 and is a private Jesuit university. Offering a large number of academic programs, along with an equally large number of majors as well, this university is well known for a cosmopolitan crowd that hails from countries beyond the United States.

Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
Fees: $56,000

Established in 1873 in Nashville, Tennessee, is the Vanderbilt University. This university is perfect for anyone that is interested in anything, right from liberal arts to education and human development. Since this school offers both, graduate, as well as professional degrees, this university is perfect for almost anybody who can afford the high fees that the place charges.

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Fees: $56,000

A private research university in Chicago, this university was established in 1890, thanks to a huge donation from John D. Rockafeller, but it wasn't until two years later that the first class was held. Even though this university is known as a good one in several disciplines, it is the field of economics that it truly rules in. A pioneer in its own right, the University of Chicago is yet another one of the most expensive colleges that you will come across in the U.S.A.

New York University (Manhattan, NY)
Fees: $55,000

Who doesn't know of NYU! Established in 1831, the New York University is also yet another one of those private universities. This university is not only a non profit establishment, but also one of the largest private universities in the United States. Apart from the U.S.A., the New York University goes as far as providing study abroad facilities in places like Paris, Madrid, London, and a lot else too.

Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
Fees: $55,000

Carnegie Mellon is a private university in Pennsylvania that was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie. With a student-faculty ration of 10:1, CMU has always been known as one of the better universities when it comes to ones that are top ranking universities. With a motto that says, My heart is in the work, this university truly lives up to what it believes in. With 7 schools and colleges that offer everything from fine arts to business, or even technology, CMU is perfect for anyone that's driven in life.

Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
Fees: $57,000

Founded in January, 1876, Baltimore, Maryland, here you have the option of Johns Hopkins University. A popular university for both, teaching and research, JHU is one of the more prominent private universities, as also being one of the best for what they do. Think that's hard to believe? It shouldn't be, given that it is one of the only universities that has very successfully been receiving funding for research and development for 31 years, consecutively.

Boston University (Boston, MA)
Fees: $55,000

Established in 1839, the Boston University is said to be one of the largest private universities in the United States. Apart from that, what BU can also boast about is extremely impressive alumni. Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and a lot more is what makes for part of this university. What this university also offers besides campus programs is study abroad programs which range over 20 countries.

Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY)
Fees: $55,000

Moving on, we come to Bard College in New York. Founded in 1860 as St. Stephen's College, this college is essentially a liberal arts college. With as many as 500 courses offered every semester, this college has a great student-faculty ratio too. Known as one of the best colleges for liberal arts, although this is an expensive college, you can be sure that it is worth the money.

Other Expensive Colleges

That was a list of just ten colleges, but other colleges that make it to the list of the most expensive colleges in America are...

    * Barnard College (New York, NY)
    * Scripps College (Claremont, CA)
    * Tufts University (Medford, MA)
    * Bates College (Lewiston, ME)
    * Columbia University (Manhattan, NY)
    * Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)
    * Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)
    * Parsons the New School for Design (New York City, NY)
    * University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
    * Haverford College (Haverford, PA)
    * Washington University (St. Louis, MO)
    * Trinity College (Hartford, CT)
    * Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA)
    * St. John's College (Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM)
    * Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)

Believe it or not, even this isn't the end of it. Apart from the ten that you just read about, what you see in the list above is only 15, amongst many others. Either way, you now know a little something about these colleges. So, the next time you're in doubt regarding the most expensive colleges, just take a look at the top most expensive colleges list given here, and it should make things easier for you.

Educational Publishing Companies

Education is every child's birth right. And it should not be denied to him to her. We live in an ultra modern age, where unfortunately, people are looked down upon, if they cannot meet the so-called standards of civilized society. And education is the only way of being able to meet these standards. Education is that tool that a person uses, to live his or her life comfortably. And what brings this education to the people is the various educational publishing companies. These companies are the ones that are in the business of publishing educational books, for schools, colleges, universities, and even for self study. Read ahead for some of the best ones in the field today.

Top Educational Publishing Companies

Here is some information about some leading educational publishing companies. By educational publishing, it means almost all domains in the field of education including different subjects and different manners of teaching. They provide expert study material, online and even in hard copies. The area of e-books and online education flourishes because of most of these publishing houses. Let us see some of these companies in brief.

Scholastic
Scholastic is one of the best and leading supplier of books for all age groups. They have books in stores all over the world, and even have an online Book Club, using which, parents, teachers, and students can check online for the books that they require, and order them online, which gives them a discounted rate as they ship the books by UPS.

Saxon
Saxon is another leading publisher. It focuses mainly on educational publications for school level children. It has catalogs online for books on Math, Science, etc. It also has a very useful Teacher Resources section, which helps and guides the teachers in their day to day teaching activities.

McGraw Hill Education
McGraw Hill is a leading company in finance, media, etc., that has branched into the education arena, and is doing very well too. They have teaching and learning materials and advanced tools for all ages, right from school education, higher education, and finally, even career education. It co-publishes books with other leaders in book publishing like MacMillan, Wright, CTB, etc.

Evan-Moor
Evan-Moor has been in the publishing business since 1999. They specialize in educational resources for students from pre-kindergarten to the 8th grade. All major subjects like Math, Science, Arts, Social Science, etc. are covered by them. They also have special resources on teaching methods in education for teachers to use.

Independence Educational Publishers
This publishing company focuses on supplying material related to social issues to educational institutions. Their book categories include crime & injustice, drug abuse, family, relationships, media, citizens' rights and participation, etc.

Shell Education
Shell Education provides books and online activities for school children, on subjects like Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, etc. They also have resources for professionals in the fields of Statistics, Social Studies, Science, etc. You can view catalogs online, and place orders from their site. After placing the order, you can also check the status of delivery of the material (books, CDs, DVDs, etc.).

Benchmark Education Company
Benchmark is another major publishing company. They publish books for preschool students, specialized professionals, and also for special education. They have foreign language training books, as well as beginners' books in English. They also organize workshops on different topics. Online shopping for these books can avail you of discounts.

List of Educational Publishing Companies

Given below is an educational publishers list of some other major publishers in the field of education.

    * Prentice Hall
    * Pearson
    * Curriculum Associates
    * Free Spirit Publishing
    * Highlights For Children Inc.
    * Peoples Education
    * Texas Instruments
    * Woodburn Press
    * Triumph Learning
    * Topics Education Group LLC
    * Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    * Nelson Education
    * Zaner-Bloster Inc.
    * MacMillan
    * Linworth Publishing,Inc.
    * Merriam-Webster,Inc.
    * Rosen Publishing Group
    * Red Wings Learning
    * Primary Concepts
    * Saddleback Educational Publishing
    * StudentPublishing.com
    * Stone Arch Books
    * Wright Group

Those were the names of some of the leading educational publishing companies. Hope you found what you were looking for. You can visit their official websites for more information, free catalogs, and to avail the different offers and discounts that they offer.

Ethical Issues in Education

Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. ~ G. K. Chesterton

Indeed, education is an ongoing process. We are always receiving and passing it on, adding something in the process, sometimes even taking certain things, impertinent from time to time, away from it while passing it on further. However, the industry of education is a serious one, requiring well defined ethics and values, well bound in visible legal outlines to regulate its exchange and distribution. Let us take a brief look at some of the most common ethical issues in education.

List of Ethical Issues in Education

Following are some of the most common moral, legal and ethical issues in education that are most often faced by the givers and receivers of education, along with the education institutes, management thereof and, sometimes, parents and guardians of students.

Educational Resources With Respect to Special Education: The passing of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 by the Federal Government marked the first milestone in special education of children with disabilities. Prior to this act, handicapped children had no other recourse but to attend general public schools and curriculum which were not appropriate given their special requirements. Post this act, funds were given to states for the development of educational curricula for children with disabilities and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, 1975, made available to all handicapped children between 3 years and 21 years of age the right to a Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

Choice of Teacher: The eternal contention between a principal and the parents regarding which teacher the child in question should be assigned to the following year is one of the major moral and ethical issues in education. There are two, very predictable outcomes to this debate - either the principal uneasily resigns to parental logic or the former evade the latter’s request by making a blanket statement saying it is not in school policy to honor parents’ opinion as far as choice of teaching faculty goes.

School Uniforms - Should They be Made Compulsory?: As is generic to every controversy, this one also has two sides to it - a "for" side and an "against" side. Arguments in favor of imposing uniforms observe what the lack of a uniform dress code has done to school campuses nationwide - immodest piercings, provocative or too casual attire, outrageous hair colors and styles, etc. etc. Advocates against imposing school uniform argue that clothing has no effect, whatsoever, on education and what one wears to school has no bearing on what is taught at school. Also, state the latter, it is not necessary that all students are able to afford a uniform - would they be denied education for want of a uniform? A happy mid path between these two school uniform debates could be to enlist a strict dress code, enumerating what NOT to wear at school, failing to follow which would invite fine or suspension. This is better than either imposing a complete compulsion of school uniforms in public schools or holding a way too liberal stance on what to wear at school.

Discipline Issues: To put it in short, it is the age old zero tolerance policy vs. give-em-another chance policy. Both policies should work side-by-side in all educational or other institutes. Zero tolerance policies should be imposed upon aggressive and anti-social and behavioral in-disciplinary actions such as bullying and carrying firearms to institutes. Second-chance policies may be used to encourage better academic performance and instill the habit to try harder the next time. The opportunities, however, should not be kept unlimited for the same default by the same individual. Giving second chances does not translate into spare-the-rod-and-spoil-the-child attitude!

Addressing Diversity: With students from socially and ethnically diverse backgrounds seeking admissions in schools today, the issue of whether or not to address diversity poses a serious question. Racial inequality and ethnic differences have been an issue in public schools since the time public schools were founded. The foremost step towards addressing diversity in schools should come from the curriculum itself. Involving different ethnic sports and multicultural festivals at schools would mark the beginning of an attempt to combine students from diverse backgrounds into a bond of institutional unity. Moreover, including prominent historical annals derived from different ethnicity as part of a collective study of world history would encourage students to get familiar with each others’ racial, cultural and ethnic differences. Rather than letting diversity come in the way of education, the importance of diversity should be upheld.

Besides the above mentioned ethical issues in education, there are other noteworthy issues - teacher evaluation, sex education, value education, tracking and random drug tests in campuses - that prevail surrounded by controversy. Each of these issues require fine scrutiny and deep understanding but even then, there would always be that "depends upon the situation" factor that would decide which way the verdict rests.

Standardized Testing Pros and Cons

Not only in America but throughout the world, standardized tests have become an integral part of the educational system. It has been more than 50 years, that the US education system has made standardized test as an ideal benchmark to judge student's academic performance. The American College Testing (ACT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), California Achievement Tests (CAT) and Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) are just some of the many standardized tests conducted in the US to assess candidates on a common platform, apparently. Every year millions of students take standardized tests and they have to answer various questions asked by darkening bubbles in OMR sheets. Students are no more strangers to standardized tests, as it is an integral part of college life, though with some sad memories. Standardized testing pros and cons have been discussed for decades and it is one of the most controversial testing techniques. Some light has been shed on standardized testing debate in this article.

List of Standardized Testing Pros and Cons

Before we begin to know more about pros and cons of standardized testing, let us know about the origin of standardized testing. Earliest account of standardized testing comes from China where Chinese government asked candidates to fill a form regarding their knowledge of Confucian philosophy and poetry. Based on the Greek and Socratic methods, essays were the main source of testing students in western world. As industrial revolution changed the world, students and kids were not much introduced to farming and agriculture. Gradually, they were put behind desks and there emerged standardized testing in a more modified form, as it was easier and faster method to judge large number of students. By the world war II, IBM came with up with a computer processor that could read darkened pencil marks on answer sheets. Henceforth, standardized testings have evolved as a major tool to assess students. There are lots of pros and cons of standardized testing in schools and certainly, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of them. Moreover, understanding pros and cons of standardized testing requires an in depth study of the impact of this type of educational testing system on students, which in itself is a daunting task.

Pros of Standardized Testing

    * It is easier to assess a large number of students using standardized tests, as the use of computers makes it easy to check answer sheets.
    * It is more accountable and accurate, as the computers check the OMR sheets. There is hardly any scope for error. Hence, testing system becomes extremely transparent.
    * It results in faster and timely results. There is no waste of time, as student's can get their results even on the spot, or very soon after exams have been conducted.
    * Everyone is assessed on same platform irrespective of different courses, teachers, schools and any other criteria.

Cons of Standardized Testing

    * Learning is not objective and it is not just about memorizing facts and figures. Scholars have judged standardized testing to be a very mechanical way to test students.
    * One can answer maths questions by logic in standardized testing, but when it comes to history and arts, how can Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) provide a total understanding of the student's ability?
    * To prepare students for standardized tests, there is a common syllabus in many schools and many students become mechanical in their approach to study. They'll memorize the day American Civil War broke out, but they won't know why and how did it broke out. This hinders their ability to understand American culture and history, from a closer perspective.
    * Students who don't have very good school facilities in the form of excellent teachers or good resources, may feel disadvantaged in these tests.
    * Since syllabuses vary for every State, it is difficult to combine and provide a common syllabus for Standardized testing.
    * Schools are graded on their performance and that depends on number of students passing standardized tests. Hence, in a race to be ahead, instead of in depth teaching, schools just focus on standardized test preparation.
    * Creativity and critical thinking skills can't be judged based on standardized tests.

These are apparently some of the most widely accepted standardized testing pros and cons. Certainly, when arguments for both sides are weighed, we will find that standardized testing can't possibly test students on creativity and communication. While for sciences, it can be a great tool to asses students, making it compulsory for humanities seems a way too far. Also, we need to think if academic scores or good ACT or SAT scores are the real reflection of a student's talent? May be a student has the potential to become a great singer but caught in the rut of exams. Scholars need to rethink about the effectiveness of standardized tests in the last 50 years. Only that can present before us the true picture of standardized tests pros and cons in a more emphatic manner.

Social Issues in Education

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." - John Dewey

If there is one thing that makes or breaks an individual - it is his education. Schools, where children study, learn and prepare for life, thus need to provide the right kind of environment so that students can get an education properly.

In schools, students are taught languages, mathematics, science, history and a number of other subjects. They get to participate in sports activities, socialize with their peers and learn how to adapt themselves in different social situations. However, an impediment in the path of the child development at schools, comes by way of the various social issues that plague our education system. So, what are some social issues in education? Let's try to understand them.

Social Issues in Education

Emotional Issues
Society has changed considerably in the last few decades. Today, the divorce rate is very high in America and many school going children are brought up in single parent families. Growing up in broken homes can adversely affect the emotional health of a student and this may lower his performance at school. You may read more on single parenting. However, even when children are brought up in homes where both parents are present, it's not necessary that there emotional needs will be met, as in majority of families today, both the parents are working.

Ethnic Issues
Children belonging to certain ethnic groups such as blacks, are expected to be slower learners as compared to others. There are certain stereotypes that have been attached to specific races and, children belonging to them, suffer from low self-esteem.

Gender Issues
Another of the education social issues is differentiation on the basis of sex. Girls have lesser opportunities, compared to boys for studying, in certain sections of the society. Expectations from girls to score high in studies or study further, are less too. You may read further on gender discrimination in education.

Economic Issues
Some social issues in education arise due to the economic strata a student belongs to. Students who belong to poor families, go to public schools which are not so well equipped with technology. This automatically puts them at a disadvantage, when compared to the students who go to some good private schools. You may further refer to how important is technology in education.

Cultural Issues
Students belonging to immigrant families, may not be well versed with English language. This creates a barrier in communication between students and teachers and thus, such students are not able to receive proper education. More on cultural diversity in the classroom.

Ethical Issues
There are certain ethical issues in education which too, affect students such as - whether to allow cell phones in school or not, should school uniforms be made compulsory, etc. More on should cell phones be allowed in schools.

Impact of Social Issues in Education

According to the "Education Research Center, United States", around 7,000 high school students, drop out of school every day! The high drop out rates are propelled by social issues in education as mentioned above. These issues basically have two kinds of impact - firstly, the student's performance suffers and secondly, the teacher's expectations do not remain the same for everybody. That's why certain political issues on education have been raised to deal with these social problems.

The government is running various bilingual programs in schools, where majority of students belong to immigrant families. This helps them learn English and other subjects faster. Secondly, the government has come up with "private-school vouchers", with the help of which students of public schools can attend private schools to get a superior education.

Some current issues in education with regards to politics, that require immediate attention by policy makers are - Providing family and medical leave to all working parents so that they can spend quality time with their children, providing financial support to low-income families and single mothers, giving scholarships to teachers to study further and running training programs for them and lastly, taking steps to prevent the spread of HIV, STDs among adolescents. More on sex education.

These are some of the major social issues in education currently. The government has to make certain policies and see to it that they are implemented properly, to tackle these issues. Besides political will, a change in society's attitude is needed too, to ensure that these issues do not arise any further.

How has Technology Changed Education

This millennium stands testimony to the fact that human mind is one of the new frontiers which we are trying to conquer. Breath taking technologies are being introduced almost every year and it seems we're on the way to make our life easier and more comfortable. Education - that is a reflection of the development of a society and is the foundation stone of the bright future of a nation has undergone drastic changes in the last fifty years. How has technology changed education? This question will be critically analyzed in this article.

Positive Effects of Technology on Education

Talking in a positive sense, the impact of technology on education has been phenomenal. Using Internet and computers as en effective medium to establish communication between schools, teachers, students and parents; educational institutes have been able to handle many issues that were previously not handled with ease due to geographical limitations or lack of adequate training technologies. Here are some of the most positive aspects of technology in education, in this segment of the article on, 'how has technology changed education'.

Enhanced Teaching and Learning
Technological developments like digital cameras, projectors, mind training software, computers, PowerPoint presentations, 3D visualization tools; all these have become great sources for teachers to help students grasp a concept easily. It has to be understood that visual explanation of concepts makes learning fun and enjoyable for students. They're able to participate more in the classroom and even teachers get a chance to make their classes more interactive and interesting. The importance of technology in schools can be understood from the fact that it empowers the educational system and produces better students.

Confidence Booster
Being exposed to technological wonders like computers and the Inter net and learning to operate them from an early age, students are able to develop a sense of self esteem and confidence. There are many things that students are able to do on their computer that their parents aren't even aware of, this helps them create their own special world and this gives them a feeling of being special. This makes them believe that they stand strong in global competition.

Increased Cooperation Amongst Peers
A majority of teachers have stated a very surprising fact that introducing technologies in classroom has increased peer to peer interaction. Many kids who're comfortable in handling computers come out to lend a helping hand to students, who face problems in working on computers. Reading more on how important is technology in education will help you know more about role of technology in education. The importance of technology in the classroom goes beyond computers and Internet. They're now, just as important as notebooks and school bags.

Increased Knowledge
Teachers have reported that students who sincerely complete their research projects by referring to the plethora of information available on the Internet are able to develop good analytical and research skills. By referring to a large number of resources, a serious student utilizes his or her common sense and judgment skills to choose the best material and use it as an advantage to complete the project. By getting exposed to numerous ideas for their assignments and the creative ways to finish them, students develop excellent research abilities. Certainly, 'how has technology changed education' needn't be a question that is difficult to answer.

No Geographical Limitations
With the introduction of online degree programs there is hardly any need of being present physically in the classroom. Even several foreign universities have started industry oriented online degree courses that aspirants can join. Distance learning and online education have become an integral part of the education system now a days. Certainly, the value of off-campus education may never be equal to that of on-campus training but for diploma and other courses, when the student is thousands of mile away from the educational institute, these online courses can be of great advantage.

Negative Effects of Technology on Education

Teachers and scholars across the globe have unanimously stood for integrating technology in education. This is owing to the fact that just like students, even teachers find it easier to circulate study materials by using Internet as a communication tool. Technological developments have made life easier for teachers and students. However, there is a certain negative impact of technology that needs to be analyzed in order to understand how has technology changed education.

Poor Teacher - Student Relationship
Many teachers have a common complaint that negative habits of students are more exacerbated due to the use of technology. In countries like the US, where assignments and homeworks are required to be submitted online, students tend to forget common email etiquette like salutation and sometimes, even adding texts in the attachments! Moreover, the trend of last day submissions has now transformed into last hour, last minute submissions. Students submit their assignments even hours after the time for submission is over and their emails don't contain any explanation or a note of apology.

Moreover, questions, queries and problems regarding any topic in assignments that should reach to the teacher within 24 hours of submission of the homework, remain due for days. Not many students are even bothered to get their queries cleared. Those few who raise questions want them to be answered online which is not always possible, as teacher - student interaction is something that is vital to understand intricate topics. The trend of blackboards wherein, teachers post online notes, lectures, assignments and other information has cultivated the habit of skipping college lectures amongst students.

The belief that Google is always there, has made students disorganized and impatient. They just want to copy and paste the information, so that they can finish the assignment. Going to the college library, searching for information from books or even online library facilities seems to be a daunting task for students. Teachers have expressed concern that not many students are productively utilizing technology for their growth. Teachers are also concerned about the fact that students don't fix appointments with them to seek answers to queries or to know something more about the subject. This is one of the negative ways of how has technology changed education.

Increasing Incidents of Cheating
Technological developments like graphing calculators, high tech watches, mini cameras and similar equipments have become great sources to cheat in exams. It is easier for students to write formulas and notes on graphing calculators, with least chances of being caught. While vigilance can curb this problem, there seems know clue as how issues of plagiarism and 'cut- copy - paste' will be dealt with. Students pick up any one website and the contents in the exact manner, as given in the website.

Lack of Focus
SMS or text messaging has become a favorite pastime of many students. Students are seen playing with their cell phone, iPhones day and night, right from crossing a street, or driving and very often even between lectures. Being ever-connected to the online world has resulted in lack of focus and concentration in academics and to some extent, even in sports and extra curricular activities. It is certainly not possible to read a difficult subject and at the same time, chat with a friend, and remain logged in on facebook. These are very obvious distractions that have eroded the sense of mental focus, peace and concentration ability from students' life. Video gaming for instance has become the greatest distraction for students. Teenagers are easily influenced by any new gadget and technology being introduced in the market and this has also made them splurge unnecessarily.

Poor Reading and Writing Skills
Reading seems to be a lost hobby in this age. While there is a plentiful of information in the form of free ebooks available on the Internet, anybody who likes reading will agree that reading a book online and reading a printed form of book certainly has some prominent differences. Even if students were reading books online, it would have been fair but the fact is that owing to bombardment of information, the moment a teenager opens a website, he is lost elsewhere, either searching for new games or opening his or her facebook profile. Since assignments are mostly done online, hand writing skills of students have become pathetic.

It is understandable that in this age of computers, there is hardly any requirement of hand writing skills but still, a good hand writing is an integral part of learning. It improves our eye to hand coordination, makes us more focused and gives us an opportunity to express ourselves, more profoundly. Writing skills also convey deeper aspects about our personality like our organizational abilities and ability to express our ideas in a refined manner. Certainly, typing on a keyboard doesn't impair creativity in writing (in fact they're useful, as using a backspace, one can easily change previous sentences). Nevertheless, hand writing skills are certainly an integral part of good education.

The information detailed above covered some vital points regarding how has technology changed education. Since technology has both positive and negative dimensions, we must make efforts to help students and kids realize the potential in the proper use of technology. Since kids always love freedom, respective authorities must ensure that they are not overdosing students with strict rules and regulations regarding using technologies in schools and colleges. But, certain rules are essential to avoid overuse of technology in education. That will ensure that technology is used for improving a student's life and not wasting valuable resources like time and money.

Problems With Today's Education System

Education makes a man. This is so true! The skills, knowledge and learning from school and college, carry us well into our personal and professional lives, in our later years. However, is our education system good enough to prepare the children, the future of our country, to lead their best life? What are the problems with today's education system? Let's find the answers...

List of Problems with Today's Education System

De-motivated Teachers
One of the biggest problems with education in the United States is that the entire teaching staff has the same salary structure. The education sector does not recognize or pay well teachers who make an extra effort or take an initiative to be innovative and creative in their teaching methods. This de-motivates the teachers to some extent and thus, may inculcate the tendency to not give their best, in many of them. Moreover, due to lower salaries of the teachers, intelligent and capable people do not want to enter this profession at all. This can create a dearth of quality teachers in the future in the United States.

Lesser Focus on Science and Math
The American education system does not focus on the most important subjects i.e. science, math and language. Researches have shown that America is far behind countries like Japan, in inculcating a scientific spirit amongst its students. Also, countries like Russia, Sweden, Italy and Canada, undertake awareness campaigns, from time to time to encourage literacy and reading amongst the children. Such initiatives are not given due importance in the United States. No wonder that the high school dropout rate has reached almost 50% in many of the cities.

Lack of Opportunities
It is often seen that students from poor families go to public schools. The education problems in public schools are manifold. One of the major drawbacks of public schools is that they are technologically backward. This means that children belonging to poor families, already are disadvantaged, compared to those who go to private schools as these schools are very advanced in terms of technology and teaching methods. This divide is one of the major problems with today's education system.

Only One Language
Majority of the students in America know only one language i.e. English. Compare this with students in other countries in Europe and Middle East, who know two, three or even more than that! Today, when the world has become such a small place, with people of different cultures and countries working together in multinationals, it puts the multilingual students from other countries at an advantage over the American students who can only speak English.

Racial and Economic Segregations
Researches have shown that in the schools, groups get formed amongst the students, on the basis of the race or economic strata of the society, the students belong to. It is also seen, that teachers too behave with and treat the immigrants and African-American students differently. This may cause many self-esteem issues in such students, when they grow up.

Teachers' Expectations
There is a strange phenomenon which is observed in both public and private schools, which is proving to be detrimental to the students' knowledge and learning. In schools, teacher's expectations vary according to the face and ethnicity of the students. When it comes to African-Americans, there have been certain stereotypes established i.e. they are slow learners and they will do well only in sports like basketball and football. So, most of the teachers expect the African-American students to fare poorly in intellectual pursuits and thus, this can have a detrimental effect on these students. It is not surprising to see that most of the students in science and math clubs are whites while sports bodies are full of blacks.

Some Other Problems
Besides the ones mentioned above, some of the other problems with today's education system are - widening of gap in the academic performance of boys and girls (the grades of boys are falling steadily, especially as they reach higher grades), students belonging to rich or middle class families doing well in studies while those belonging to poor families run the risk of dropping out and lastly, lack of funds with the public schools to upgrade the infrastructure, curriculum and quality of teachers.

As you can see, there are numerous problems that exist in the education system. So, it can be rightly said that it would require a hell lot of initiative, zeal and hard work, on the part of the government authorities, schools and teachers, to do away with these negatives plaguing the education system.

Scaffolding In Education

Scaffolding is a concept based on the theory proposed by Lev Vygotsky, known as, 'Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)'. It is one of the most popular teaching methods in education. In this mode of instruction a teacher helps the student initially, to learn a new concept and offers maximum assistance. Gradually, the teacher sets up newer tasks for the students to perform and apply their knowledge independently. The zone of proximal development literally means the distance between what children can do on their own and what they can do when assisted by an adult. Scaffolding in education is a strategy in which a knowledgeable person equips the student and provides him with all the information and support to acquire or learn a particular thing.

What is Scaffolding in Education?
Teachers use this strategy regularly in classrooms. A teacher demonstrates a particular skill to students and then provides them with assistance, while students attempt to master the skill. It literally is transferring the responsibility from the teacher to the student in order to teach the student to work independently. The assistance is not taken away immediately, rather it is a gradual transformation. One of the examples of scaffolding in education would be when a teacher teaches students how to solve a sum in maths using given properties. The teacher then asks students to solve the sum on their own and come up with the answer and corrects them if they have made mistakes. Teaching itself is a skill, therefore before using this strategy, a tutor has to be skilled with his teaching skills. This strategy helps students learn from their mistakes and clears all doubts about certain concepts while mastering a skill.

Characteristics of the Vygotsky Scaffolding
Jamie McKenzie, the editor of an online education journal has pointed out the eight characteristics of the scaffolding strategy that a teacher must follow in order to teach a student. They are as follows.

    * A step by step instruction procedure helps in reducing confusion over concepts of acquiring skills.
    * Explain the importance of learning or mastering a particular skill.
    * The students must be able to analyze the instructions and come up with their ways to tackle the matter.
    * Offering assessment of the work students have done helps them learn and understand what is expected of them.
    * A teacher must point out other resources where students can refer for help to learn more about the skill or information being taught to them
    * The activity must be well planned and keep students interested and should not be posed as a fear in any which way, due to which they will lose interest in understanding the concept of the task.
    * Efficient delivery of the scaffolding instruction will save time and is a quick and interesting way of educating students.
    * The basic aim of this strategy is to provide knowledge to students and help them overcome their fear of performing and making decisions.

Scaffolding in Education: Examples
Scaffolding in education involves the concept of interventionist study. The earliest application of the study was done with toddlers of ages 3,4 and 5. They were given the task of making a pyramid with a set of blocks. The tutor was asked to help the child only as much it would for him to understand what was to be done. This study was done by Wood, Ross, and Bruner in 1986. From this study they came up with 6 forms of support that a child could be provided with.
Another example was of reciprocal teaching, a study carried out by Palinscar and Brown in 1985. Here students were provided with reading strategies by a tutor. These strategies were;

    * Self-Directed Summarizing
    * Questioning
    * Clarifying
    * Predicting

The tutor helped the students with each of these strategies till they could understand the importance of each and its application.

Advantages of Scaffolding in Education
The main advantage of this strategy is that it helps the learners associate acquired knowledge with new concepts. It also helps in building a sort of self confidence in students. Scaffolding also helps reduce fear and anxiety about a certain concept which if not taken away leads to frustration. Another advantage of scaffolding is that it is tailored according to the individual requirement of the learner., which leads us to the disadvantage of scaffolding.

Disadvantages of Scaffolding in Education
As mentioned in the advantages of scaffolding, that it is tailored for individual learners, application of this strategy in a classroom gets quite tedious. The strength of a class is often large and applying the strategy to each student may become quite time consuming.

Software Applications for Scaffolding
To overcome the disadvantage of individual attention, there are various software applications available for scaffolding which a teacher can offer students as a learning resource. This proves the importance of technology in education. There are certain software tools such as Thinker Tools, Knowledge Integration Environment and Progress Portfolio which help learners master the skills he wishes to acquire.

Thus, scaffolding in education has its own benefits, when applied strategically. Application of this instruction in classroom is not impossible, certain modifications in scaffolding would help. It is definitely advantageous for learners.

Importance of Education in Society

Education, if looked at beyond its conventional boundaries, forms the very essence of all our actions. What we do is what we know and have learned, either through instructions or through observation and assimilation. If when we are not making an effort to learn, our mind is always processing new information or trying to analyze the similarities as well as the tiny nuances within the context which makes the topic stand out or seem different. If that is the case then the mind definitely holds the potential to learn more, however, it is us who stop ourselves from expanding the horizons of our knowledge with self doubt or other social, emotional, or economic constraints.

While most feel that education is a necessity, they tend to use it as a tool for reaching a specif target or personal mark, after which there is no further need to seek greater education. Nonetheless, the importance of education in society is indispensable and cohering, which is why society and knowledge cannot be ever separated into two distinct entities. Let us find out more about the role of education in society and how it affects our lives.

Purpose of Education in Society

Education is Self Empowerment
Receiving a good education firstly helps empower you, thus making you strong enough to look after yourself in any given situation. It keeps you aware of your given surroundings as well as the rules and regulations of the society you're living in. It's only through knowledge that you can be able to question authority for its negligence or discrepancies. It is only then that you can avail your rights as a citizen and seek improvement in the structural functioning of governance and economy. It's is only when a citizen is aware about the policies of its government can he be able to support or protest the change. As a whole, people can bring about development only when they know where improvement is necessary for the greater good of mankind. Education helps you understand yourself better, it helps you realize your potential and qualities as a human being. It helps you to tap into latent talent, so that you may be able to sharpen your skills.

Financial Stability and Dignity of Life
Another importance of education is that it helps you gain sufficient academic qualification so that you may be able to get suitable employment at a later stage. A decent employment would be combined with hard earned remuneration or salary through which you can look after your personal expenses. While you earn for yourself, you gradually begin to realize the true worth of money and how hard it is to earn it. You realize the significance of saving for a rainy day and for unforeseeable contingencies. You feel empowered because there is a new sense of worth that develops within you, and you feel the need to be independent and free from any further financial support.

Advantages of Higher Learning
There also comes a phase when the amount you are earning presently will seem inadequate because your aspirations and expectations from yourself will have grown considerably. After this, you will want to change jobs so as to have a higher profile. However, here is when you need to be prepared. A promotion of this figure can occur in two given situations, which are that either you have the necessary higher academic qualification or a college degree which allows you a safe passage, or that you have amassed enough practical experience which allows you to be a suitable candidate for the employment you seek.

Which is why college education is very important after high school and must not be taken for granted. When faced with the option of choosing between a highly qualified candidate and a not so educated candidate, the employers will most probably go in for the qualified person. The reason being that a qualified candidate will not require much investment of the employer's time and money so as to teach him or her the ways of functioning and performing the tasks of the workplace. On the contrary, a novice applicant will need to be taught every thing from scratch, which many employer's are not willing to do. The same applies to people who seek higher education and get advanced diplomas while working. These people are continuously improving their profile and their knowledge base so as to go higher up on the competitive ladder.

Helps Plan Ahead
Those who have amassed enough education steer the path of development and progress for their country. It is these individuals who go ahead and become teachers, scientists, inventors, welfare activists, soldiers and politicians who work together to form the very backbone of the society. Without this pool of intellect, the economic and social framework would crumple and fall, paving its way for anarchy, degradation and violence. While this intricate balance of growth is maintained, there will be a continuous rise in progress in all quarters of life, whether that be personal growth or development of the nation as a entire entity.

This progress has a very important role to play for the coming generations, which will reap the benefits of our hard work, and develop upon it. At the same time, the negative impact of our actions shall have its collateral damage on the coming generation as well. Which is why we must be exceptionally prudent about the decisions we make and the actions we take in the present.

Education plays its continuous role in all spheres of life. The reason being that if we are aware of the drawbacks of a decision and we know about the possible contingencies and collateral damage, our consequent actions would be wiser, which would help us to keep danger at bay at all times. Hopefully this article on the importance of education in society, has been informative and useful.

Why is Education the Key to Success

Everyone of us is a bundle of unique gifts and talents. Our relative success in life depends on how much we believe in ourselves, trust our own private genius, nurture it and let it grow freely. What education does is that it provides us with the opportunity to unravel and realize our inborn talents, while providing us with the skills of thinking and solving problems on our own. Both education and success are relative concepts in the sense that there is a wide difference of opinion regarding what is real education and what is real success. In this Buzzle article, I present you with my argument about why is education the key to success, based on my own understanding of what real education and true success means.

What is Real Education?

Real education is the one which enables you to think for yourself and apply what you have learned. Purely knowing facts and being able to effectively remember and recall them isn't being educated. To be educated is being able to make your own decisions and form your own opinions about things. It is the imparting of skills that enable you to succeed in any field of human endeavor and make your original contribution. What good education requires is a one-to-one interaction between a good teacher and student.

There are two factors of education which must mold two different aspects of the human psyche - one is analytical intelligence and the other is emotional intelligence. The former deals with the ability to solve technical problems while the latter deals with the ability to empathize, communicate, connect with our fellow human beings. A wholesome education system must educate both these facets of the human psyche to mold a character with all the abilities required to live a happy and successful life.

Why is Education the Key to Success?

Man is what his thoughts make him. Education provides direction to these thoughts. Success is more than just accumulation of material wealth. I believe that success is not a destination but a never ending journey in self exploration. It is unlocking your true potential to make your life itself a work of art. Success has more than one dimensions to it. Acquiring material wealth is not the only one. To what degree have you conquered your self and achieved liberation from wanting and needing things is another indicator of success. Education plays a large role in determining our potential for achieving this success. Here are some of the prime arguments supporting the idea of education as the veritable key to success.

High Educational Qualifications Provide Better Job Opportunities
Specialized knowledge gained through higher education opens opportunities in the form of well paying jobs, with a challenging work profile. While higher education may not guarantee success, it certainly puts you in a position to work with the best in the field and gain valuable experience, which helps you in the long term pursuit of professional success. So graduation through college and working hard to get through graduate school has its benefits.

Provides the Requisite Skill Set to Succeed
Education that enables individuals to succeed is not just the formal kind. The direct education that one gains through hands-on experience and working with the masters in a field, that goes beyond purely bookish knowledge, prepares you for success. Real education begins when you start applying what you learned through formal education to solve real world problems. The discipline, perseverance and ability to apply oneself pave the path to success.

Provides Access to the Vast Store of Human Knowledge
Just being able to read and write, provides you access to the vast store of human knowledge in the form of books, which is the combined wisdom of ages. A man benefits from the path shown by the great masters of any field by accessing this knowledge store. Distilling knowledge to gain wisdom is the ultimate aim of education. Great minds like Newton have acknowledged the contributions of their predecessors which contributed to their success. Standing on the shoulders of the great giants of men who made magnanimous contributions to human knowledge, we can see further than they did.

Education Through Experience Provides the Real Edge
A college degree or any kind of formal education can provide you with the knowledge required to succeed in your field. It does not ensure success unless you learn to apply what you learned and apply it effectively to find innovative solutions. Education provides you with the means, but the application required to succeed must come from within you. The edge that winners gain over their competitors is through experience and out of the box thinking.

Ultimately Success Is All About Self Belief
No institution can provide better education than life itself. Besides conventional education, the lessons we learn through our day-to-day life, our ability to adapt and self introspect, adoption of a strong value system and most importantly, self belief are the keys to success. The importance of education lies in its ability to forge a man of character.

The real key to success is self belief, which can unlock your inner potential. Education which puts you on the path of self discovery, leading to self belief, adds meaning to your life and provides you with the means to achieve lasting success in life. As rightly put by W.B.Yeats, education lights the inner fire and provides us with the ability to think independently, making success only a matter of time.

The Importance of Comprehensive Exams in Graduate Programs

The Comprehensive Exam

In many fields, graduate students studying for Master’s, PhDs, and other advanced degrees are required to take comprehensive exams, commonly called "comps." Comps differ widely from field to field, and could involve written components, oral components, or other demonstrations of proficiency. Comps are often a major milestone in the graduate student’s course of study because they challenge the student to learn a very great deal about the field he or she is studying. Graduate programs can be viewed as requiring students to demonstrate both a breadth of knowledge in the field as a whole and a depth of knowledge about a specific area of interest. Whereas the dissertation is the demonstration of depth, the comprehensive exam is how a student shows breadth. Read more on achieving success in exams.

Comps or No Comps?

It seems logical to require comps exams for future PhDs and others studying for terminal degrees in the field of study. After all, a terminal degree ought to indicate that the individual is an expert in the field and has learned, if not all there is to know, at least a sufficient amount that further schooling would be impractical. A student who receives a PhD in history is, and ought to be, expected to know a very great deal about history. However, in the United States some academics hold the opinion that, in certain fields, comps exams should not be required.

Specialization

Increasingly, the academic world is characterized by intense specialization. Those who receive terminal degrees are often experts in a very, very small area of their field, rather than in the field as a whole. There are several complex reasons for this, and often the reasons differ from field to field. In some fields, especially in the sciences, specialization is necessary because it’s at the level of extreme specificity that the most important advances are made. In other fields, specialization is necessary to stand out from others who are competing for a very small number of job openings. Whatever the reason, some people think that specialization is important enough that graduate students should devote most of their time to it.

Do Comps Get in the Way?

Valuing specialization over a breadth of more general knowledge had led some people, especially academics, to conclude that comprehensive exams are unnecessary and even detrimental to students’ futures. For example, in the field of philosophy, there are far more new PhDs given each year than there are open academic positions. This means that getting a job at a university in a philosophy department is extremely competitive. In order to stand out from the crown, young philosophers need to publish articles in their areas of interest, attend conferences, and distinguish themselves in any other way that they possibly can. According to some, the intensive study and preparation required to take the comprehensive exams in philosophy prevent PhD students from devoting enough time to distinguishing themselves in the field.

The Value of Expertise

Although the arguments against comps are understandable, getting rid of comprehensive exams would be detrimental to the academic world. If graduate students are not required to learn as much as they can about their fields, they will be less prepared to teach others or to enter demanding jobs after they receive their degrees. Although they may excel as specialists, they will lack the flexibility, historical perspective, and big-picture view that higher education ought to impart. It might be argued that, if specializing works, then it must be a good thing. However, the value of advanced degrees can only go down if those who obtain them can no longer be considered experts. Institutions that grant terminal degrees to students who have not demonstrated, through comprehensive exams, that they are among the most knowledgeable individuals in the field, will lose their reputations as prestigious centers of learning.

Educational Malpractice

In the US, educational malpractice is not an unheard term. Students and parents have dragged educational institutions in courts on account of neglectful teaching, carelessness and inability to make the candidates competent enough to get employment. In most of the educational malpractice cases, plaintiffs have claimed that the educational institutions and its teachers or staff were unable to fulfill their duties of educating them properly, as promised at the time of admission.

Failed Educational Malpractice Lawsuits: Prominent Causes

Educational malpractice cases have always attracted debates from scholars and judicial stalwarts. It is a fact that in many cases, colleges and universities always had a stronghold in the cases due to reasons that are not very difficult to understand. There are plenty of reasons why the judiciary has discarded plaintiffs arguments in a majority of cases against educational institutions. The biggest limitation in announcing a punishment against educational institutions in malpractice cases is that courts don't have an exact definition of what all constitutes the duties to educate a child. It is yet to decide, when should a child be deemed educated? Just because the child is unable to read or write with the expected level of proficiency at the end of educational year, makes the school or college responsible for it? Similarly, the reasons behind failure of a student to come up to an expected mark, after learning was imparted to him or her can't be exactly stated. A child spends significant number of hours at home besides the school. What if the child didn't diligently pursue his or her studies at home? Or what if the parents were careless in looking after the child and helping him at his work. It is a fact that good learning atmosphere is not only important at school but also at home. Moreover, every child is capable in his or her own unique ways. Not everyone has same aptitude, emotional, social, cultural and environmental upbringing. This effects performance in the academic career. Considering public schools, colleges or universities responsible for the poor performance of a student certainly raises several questions.

Educational Malpractice Suits

A large number of legal lawsuits have been filed against institutions on several charges. While not pointing out to exact cases and their complete details, here are some common reasons as to why parents, students and colleges or universities have been in the courtrooms.

    * A school sued parents for not paying the tuition fees and in return the parents sued the school on charges of racism, poor education practices and absenteeism of the school staff.
    * A group of students battled in court against their college administration for being unable to stop cheating and using unfair means by several students in the college exams.
    * Some cases have also been filed by students who passed high school but complained of having reading and writing skills at par with seventh grade students.
    * A child is misdiagnosed with a learning disability, is sent to a normal school and is unable to learn anything for many years. Parents sue the doctor and the school, both.
    * A student joined a college after winning athletic scholarships however, after completing four years of education, he feels incompetent in the employment world. Sues the college eventually.
    * Several cases also include stances where vocational training institutions have been sued because even after the complete training, students ended up with no employment.

The above examples of educational malpractice lawsuits, though don't directly depict the exact cases, are just some incidents, where lawsuits have been filed against private and public educational institutions. It is a fact that many cases in educational malpractices have been rejected by courts due to the inability of the plaintiffs to prove in the court that the defendant was responsible for the loss occurred to plaintiffs. Nevertheless, in some cases, lawsuits have been won by plaintiffs and that has triggered hopes for many others who have been in the legal battle against institutions.

Benefits of Educational Technology

Today, everything that we come across has some technological connotation to it. Be it at home, school or workplace, technology has found a comfortable niche and has become an integral part of life. With the use of technology, several arenas are seeing changes and education is also one of them. The birth of educational technology has proved to be a boon to students the world over. Not only in the regular setting, but also in educating students with special needs have known to be benefited with the introduction of this modern invention. Let us now discuss the uses and benefits of educational technology in this modern day setting.

What is Educational Technology?
The term 'educational technology' has a broad perspective and is also referred to as instructional technology or learning technology. This method plays a vital role in enhancing the learning process of students and also assists teachers in communicating with the students in an easy way. Educational technology can be a classroom affair, or can be even taken out of the classroom. This technology has successfully transformed the stereotypical image of classrooms into a modern and more interesting one. Thanks to this modern development, classrooms are no longer a boring place and learning is actually a fun experience. With the use of computers and software programs, which provide learning materials, technology has changed education to a great extent.

Educational Technology Benefits
There are a number of benefits of introducing technology in the field of education. There has been a positive impact of technology on education. Virtual classrooms have made learning easier for the student community. With the potential use of technology, the learning speed and style have undergone a sea change and communication has become more easier. Here are some of the benefits of educational technology.

    * One of the benefits of educational technology for students is that it helps them improve their learning capabilities. Since it is one field which is constantly changing, new updates can be easily introduced to the students and class plans can be prepared with the help of the software.
    * In the earlier days, education was considered to be mostly for the elite class and people under other strata were quite ignorant of it. With the introduction of educational technology, there is no discrimination and everyone is equally accessible to get educated.
    * The information can be portrayed in various ways with the help of study materials. Knowledge has become easily accessible to students in every part of the world with the implementation of technology in the field of education. Online classrooms help students to interact with other students belonging to the same stream, but located somewhere else in the world.
    * Since the Internet is the main medium and other things like handheld tablet PCs and smart boards have entered the arena, students do not have to carry heavy backpacks loaded with books. They can walk in comfortably to the classroom where these equipments are already placed.
    * With the birth of virtual classrooms, the instructor from any part of the world can teach the learner (or learners) who may be living at the other end. The reach of this technology is quite far and students living in the remote parts can also avail it with ease.
    * In special education, the educational technology has brought about a sea change where the needs of students are catered to in a different manner. With the introduction of the software which teaches students with special needs, the appropriate study materials are designed so that learning is comfortable.

With the inclusion of technology, the concept of education is undergoing a modification, for the betterment of the students as well as the teachers. Hence, the introduction of technology is important in education. Thanks to educational technology, now learning and teaching have become an enjoyable experience.

Philosophy of Education Samples

Philosophy of education statement is issued by many teachers to the parents of the students, the educational institute where they are teaching, or in some cases, directly to their students. Such statements were basically issued in order to define a course of action with the help of which the teacher would conduct the lectures and enlighten the students by imparting knowledge. The tradition of issuing the statement can be traced back to the times of Plato, Aristotle and Arya Chanakya. All great teachers in the history have followed this tradition of issuing such statement. The basic objective of such a statement was very simple, the statement told the students what they were going to learn and what was expected from them as pupils. Some teachers also followed a very flexible philosophy of education. The following philosophy of education samples will help you to frame your own statement for the upcoming academic year. Know more about what makes a good teacher.

Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of education examples are countless and you can trace down conventional and unconventional philosophies that have been used by teachers and schools to dispense the wealth of knowledge to students. Philosophy of education for teachers is undoubtedly one of the most important deciding factors that helps them to deliver what they want to convey to their disciples, in a fruitful flow. The following are some ideas that you may use to put down your own philosophy and also a very pleasing statement. These philosophy of education samples will also help you to convey your good teacher qualities.

Realizing the Need of Pupils
The orbit of knowledge is the strong bond between the teachers and students. Hence the most important task of the teachers is to realize what the students need. Juan Pablo Bonet was the first person who realized the need of mute and deaf students. He developed a language based upon simple hand signs and conventions that helped teachers and deaf and mute students to communicate with each other. Though never a conventional teacher himself, Bonet was successful in realizing the the need of deaf and mute students. He published a book Reducción de las letras y arte para enseñar a hablar a los mudos which is translated as 'Reduction of letters and art to teach the mute to speak'. Similar is the case of Braille system. Realization led to the light of knowledge.

Simplicity and Delivery
Any student, old or young, is a toddler to a particular subject. Hence, simplicity is required to make the learning process more enlightening and comprehensible. In the epic movie 'Dead Poets Society', a literate teacher helps his students to appreciate the beauty of free thinking of authors and poets with the help of simple experiments. For example, standing on top of the teacher's desk, to get a different and better view of the classroom. The experiments succeed and the teacher was able to convey the love of language to his students.

Freedom, Liberty and Equity
Very few philosophies of education samples, would talk about these values. I, as a person, always believe that implication of such values makes the students good human beings. My teacher taught me these values at an early and tender age and helped us students to realize the meaning of society and civilization. Such values teach us the need and importance of loving and respecting fellow human beings.

Respect and Discipline
Conventional teachers were always viewed as disciplinarians and the modern teachers are viewed as liberals. However, the field of teaching is always stuck in a Renaissance, where revival is a task that teachers undertake every day. Hence, no teacher shall discipline the class to harassment and the boundaries of self respect would never be eroded. The same goes for respect.

Experiment and Innovate
Experiments and innovations create legends. Every teacher thus, must put an emphasis on the importance of experiments and innovations and also the risk that lies underneath it. The reason that we exist is that God wants us to experiment and innovate to give the world a better tomorrow.

The Joy of Creation and Art of Living
Mankind is intelligent and foolish. Destruction promoted by intelligence is fruitless and unwanted. The lesson of live and let live is an important one. The joy of creating and the happiness of living and letting live is something that every teacher should help their students to understand. Ruskin Bond puts this lesson before us in a short story about a boy who plants a cherry tree. The last line of the story goes '…is this what it feels to be God?…'. The disparity that the world suffers every day many not be ended by the teachers, but the process to end it will certainly be started by them.

There are countless philosophy of education samples that can be presented. You will also find several philosophy of education samples out there that you may use but one must remember one thing, the responsibilities of a teacher are very high, as they have been bestowed with the duty of shaping young minds. Men and women of tomorrow are born in the temples of learning, it is a place where minds take the first steps of thinking, engineers build their first creation, writers and poets write their first verse, doctors give their first prescription; its a place where mankind learns the difference between right and wrong; it's a place where civilization is shaped and patriots are made.

Teaching Methods in Education

To achieve the goal of teaching, the teacher must adopt effective teaching methods in education. The teacher has many options to choose from different teaching methods designed specifically for teaching and learning.

Writing lesson plans is a foremost thing that a teacher must do before executing any teaching strategy in the class. The teaching method should be adopted on the basis of certain criteria like the knowledge of the students, the environment and the set of learning goals decided in the academic curriculum.

Students respond differently to different methods of teaching. Also, the students have their unique way of demonstrating the knowledge acquired and absorbing the information that is imparted. So, to aid this process of demonstrating the knowledge, the teacher has to adopt a technique that assists the students in retaining the information and increasing their understanding. There are many teaching methods for children like questioning. modeling, demonstrating, collaborating and explaining that have been discussed here.

Teaching Methods and Strategies

We all know about the importance of higher education, so now let us learn some methods of teaching as well. Here are some of the basic teaching methods for higher education as well as for the middle education.

Questioning
Testing and questioning are always known to be effective teaching methods due to its interactive nature. The questions are asked by the teacher with an intention to know what the student has learnt from earlier discussions and what it helps in deciding what should be taught further.

This can be even vice-verse, students questioning the teachers to clarify the doubts that would enhance their understanding of the subject. The inquisitive instinct of the students evoke them to ask questions and satiate their query.

The teacher should encourage this in a positive way so that the student's critical thinking is developed. Testing differs in one aspect from questioning. Test in done in order to know about the previous knowledge and already taught things to the student.

Explaining
Explaining is one of the very important teaching methods in education. It has taken a form of lectures in teaching methods for higher education where the teacher presents the factual information in a direct and a logical way.

Sometimes the experiences can also be shared as a part of knowledge that would work as a source of inspiration for the students. While adopting this method the teacher should give an introduction and a proper summary. Make sure that the information is specific to the audience.

The explanation should be accompanied with suitable examples for the better understanding of the students. It is like a discourse on a particular subject or topic that is for the entire class or public. Explaining can be clubbed with the modeling process to be more effective and to have a long-lasting effect on the pupils.

Modeling
Modeling is a type of visual aid for teaching as well as learning. It is a known fact that human brain absorbs more and understands better when visual aid facilitates explanation. This method works on three criteria - observing, retaining and replicating. The students learn more by observing the things and acquire it by imitating it time and again.

This is also known as reinforced behavior. This type of learning has very important role to play in the learning process especially during the childhood, though it can happen in any stage of life. This helps the students to visualize the things and, then hypothesize the solution.

Demonstrating
With the help of demonstrative teaching methods in education students get an opportunity to explore the various aspects and understand the theory from a different perspective. Demonstration is a step-by-step explanation along with their reasons and significance for the better understanding of the student. It enhances the student's understanding by practically applying the knowledge and sharpen their skills and hence, they become capable of identifying and organizing the subject matter in a more efficient way. Practical experimentation is a very good method used for demonstrating the subject.

Collaborating
Teamwork is a contemporary form of collaboration. The students are taught to work in a group that makes the instructing easier for the teacher. This method of teaching promotes a sense of mutual responsibility among the students. They learn to put in more effort to research for the topic and apply effective techniques to get the result.

This inculcates patience and develops an ability to critically analyze a subject. It gives an opportunity to the students to solve the problem by a healthy discussion and co-operation. This is what we call 'group discussions' which motivates the students to perform in a team, show leadership skills and enhances the presentation capabilities as well. This is one of the best direct instructional methods.

The teaching methods for special education is a little different from the teaching methods and theories for others. The education is imparted to these students based on their strengths and weaknesses. The teachers cater to the special needs of the students like modification in the regular teaching program, use of supplementary aids that allows students to participate in the learning process. Different effective teaching strategies are adopted on the basis of the disabilities. Four kinds of provisions are adopted in special education and they are inclusion, mainstream, segregation and exclusion. Read more on: teaching children with disabilities.

Apart from these defined methods, nowadays many other teaching methods in education are being adopted to give quality education. The methods like role-play, story or games, seminars, presentations, workshops, conferences, brainstorming, case study, educational trips and modern audio-visual aids like documentary films, computers, internet, etc have been introduced in education. These new methods have increased the pace of learning and understanding. This also enhances the capability of the students to research and logically think for a given problem.

Money Saving Travel Tips

Financial Literacy for Kids

With economic meltdown in America, the country seemed to have learned many lessons and one of them was learning to save for the future. It is important for every individual from every country to exhibit smart economical behavior. It helps you to have a better future without having to worry about the days after the retirement. To enjoy the second innings of life, you need to smartly invest in the first innings. And what can be better than learning about financial issues from childhood itself? To get more insights on financial literacy for kids, pick up the money saving tips from below.

Importance of Financial Literacy for Kids

All parents want to give a good life to their children but it does not mean that they should never understand the value of money. It is perfectly alright to fulfill their wishes but, at the same time, let them know that money does not grow on money plant, it needs to be earned. Some parents also think that they never learned about financial planning yet are leading a good life then why should their children be burdened. Well, it is important to understand the difference between the economic condition of your era and what your children are living in currently. Today, the job market and the economy is so unstable that your children must learn to use money wisely otherwise the bankruptcy cases will just keep increasing.

Children should also learn to differentiate between the needs and the wants, which is quite a challenging task in today's world of advertising gimmicks and increasing consumerism. Almost every product or service targets the kids as their potential promising buyer. And most of the times our children fall pray to the marketing strategies and hence it is important for the kids to understand the value of money so that they can take right decisions for themselves. One of the important reasons why you should give a serious thought to financial literacy for kids is that it is not taught in school. Though many schools have included financial education for kids in their curriculum, there are many schools which still haven't understood the importance of financial literacy for kids. In such a scenario, it is the responsibility of the parents to treat the world as the economic classroom and make kids financially literate.

Teaching Kids Financial Literacy

Financial literacy for kids starts from home. There are many ways you can make kids realize the worth of money. Simple things like maintaining an expense diary can teach children how much they spend. All you have to do is tell them to enter the transactions of their pocket money in the expense diary. It will also help them keep a record of their daily financial transactions. They will come to know about the unnecessary areas where they are splurging money. Another thing you could do is gift you kid a good old piggy bank. No doubt, it will teach him to save money. Allow your kids to use the piggy bank money to buy their favorite toys. This way they would get the feeling of buying something of their own hard earned money. After all, a penny saved is a penny earned!

You can let your children participate in the budgeting of the house so that they know that, from the early morning milk they drink to the night suit they wear before going to bed is being 'paid' for. But remember that teaching financial literacy for kids need not be preachy and boring. You can use various games and fun activities to get them interested in learning about money. You can visit various websites that have some great entertaining games. This participatory approach would result in better understanding.

Financial literacy for kids would certainly help your children have a better future. They will understand that money is not everything but it definitely helps you enjoy that 'everything' better.

Why is Information Technology Important

Definition of Information Technology
Information Technology or IT, also cited as Information Service (IS) or Management Information Service (MIS), can be defined as the development, design, study, implementation and management of computer related information. It can also be defined as the use of computer (hardware and software) to manage information.

What is Information Technology?
In the era of 1960s and 1970s, information technology was limited to people working in the banking sector, mathematical engineers and computer scientists. In 1980s, the arrival of personal computers made it possible to be used in many more sectors and gave rise to a surge in the field of information technology. Previously, for the purpose of business, storage tapes were created by a single network administrator to interconnect employee workstations. The information stored in this workstation was placed in a server farm, located far off from the industry. However, now people have started communicating, using e-mails instead of snail-mails. It is an industry which deals with the usage of computer hardware and software and networking. Information technology has accomplished a lot in the 21st century. IT is a combination of computer and communication technology. It is the transfer of information from one peer to another.

Why is Information Technology important?
Information technology is used for storing, protecting, processing, securing, transmitting, receiving and retrieving information. In business establishments, information technology is used for solving mathematical and logical problems. Information technology helps in project management system. Firstly, planning is done, then the data is collected, sorted and processed and finally, results are generated. It helps managers and workers to inquire about a particular problem, conceive its complexity and generate new products and services, thereby improving their productivity and output.

The primary importance of information technology in education is that various learning resources can be accessed instantly, by students as well as teachers, at their convenience. Learners can also adopt multimedia approach and collaborative learning. The information is authentic and the latest updated information is available. Multiple communication approaches like chats, forums, e-mails, etc. can be adopted by them. Students can access the on-line libraries and distance learning is also possible. Information technology has proved to be a significant employer. Many people with knowledge of computers have got jobs in the field of information technology and have successfully made it into a career. It has helped in finding cures for many diseases thereby serving mankind in more ways than one. Different kind of softwares are provided for hearing and visually impaired people which aids them in their passion for learning new things and gathering information.

Hopefully this article has given you an idea about why is information technology important today and also about its advantages. Information technology has advanced tremendously since its invention and will continue to advance in the future. In today's world, owing to its wide applications, sound knowledge of information technology is a must for having a successful career.

Computer Technology Topics

The 21st century is the age of computer technology and it has brought about a fundamental change in every facet of our life. It has largely influenced the way we communicate and the way information exchange is facilitated in today's world. An emergent phenomenon that is a byproduct of advances in computer networking technology, is the Internet. It has truly transformed the world into a global village, with every part of the world linked to its vast network. This happened out of the evolution of the field of information technology (IT), which harnesses the power provided by computer technology. In this article, I have presented computer technology topics for your perusal. The aim is to provide you with an overview of the vast field of computers and related computer hardware topics.

Topics About Computer Technology

If you are planning to pursue a career in information technology. You have a lot to learn. This is a compendium of all computer related topics that will give you an idea about the things you need to know, as you become a part of the large community of computer technologists. It involves information about the history of computers, as well as topics on new technology in computer. It's singularly impossible to cover each and every topic related to computers and information technology in one article. That's why, I have provided links to detailed articles on various trends in computer technology.

Computer History Topics
Programmable computers have been in development since the 1930s. Within seven to eight decades, computers have evolved from the early vacuum tube based four storey computers to the laptop computers and supercomputers of today. The development of computer operating systems and establishment of software development industries, combined with advances in semiconductor physics, have led to the portable PC revolution we see today. If you are researching computer history, here are some interesting topics to read.

    * When was the First Computer Made
    * History of Computers
    * Who Made the First Computer
    * Intel Microprocessor History
    * History of Microprocessor
    * When was the First Computer Invented
    * History of Macintosh Computers
    * Computer History: Full Timeline
    * Evolution of Computers
    * Internet History

Computer Hardware
Computer hardware provides the functionality needed to drive the juggernaut of information technology that is taking the world by storm. Check out articles on the latest desktop computers and laptop computers. You may also find the laptop buying guide helpful. Here are some computer hardware related topics that include information about everything ranging from computer processors to data storage devices.

Computer Processor Topics

    * Best Computer Processor
    * What are Computer Chips Made Of
    * AMD vs Intel Processors
    * Intel Core i3 Vs i5 Vs i7
    * 32 Bit vs. 64 Bit Processors
    * Intel Core i3 Vs Core 2 Duo
    * Quad Core vs Dual Core
    * What is Processor Cache
    * i3 vs Dual Core
    * Intel vs AMD Processor Comparison 2010

Computer Motherboard

    * Best Motherboard Brand
    * Computer Motherboard Types
    * Best Gaming Motherboard for the Money
    * What is a Motherboard
    * How to Install a New Motherboard

Computer Memory

    * Computer Memory Types
    * How Does Computer Memory Work
    * Computer Memory Test
    * What is Virtual Memory
    * How to Check RAM
    * How to Increase Virtual Memory
    * What is Computer RAM

Computer Hard Drives

    * Hard Drives
    * Hard Drive Types
    * External Hard Drives
    * How to Use an External Hard Drive
    * How to Check Hard Drive Space
    * Repair Bad Sectors on Hard Drive
    * How to Clean Computer Hard Drive
    * How to Format a Hard Drive
    * Hard Drive Repair

Data Storage

    * Data Storage Types
    * Types of Databases
    * RAID 5 Vs. RAID 1
    * RAID Levels Explained
    * Advantages of Relational Databases
    * Storage Area Network

Computer Repair

    * Troubleshooting Computer Problems
    * Cyclic Redundancy Error
    * PC Keeps Rebooting on Startup
    * Computer Freezes After Startup
    * Print Screen Not Working
    * System Restore Does Not Work
    * High CPU Usage Problem
    * Sound Card Problems
    * Computer Overheating
    * Boot Up Problems
    * Fix Cyclic Redundancy Check Error

Computer Networking Topics
What made Internet technology possible was the advances in computer networking technology. Based on the OSI and TCP/IP model, the working of the Internet and any computer network is made possible due to the synchronized working of various hardware devices. Here are some computer technology topics related to networking.

    * Computer Networking
    * Routers
    * Wireless Networking
    * Internet Technology
    * Internet Access
    * TCP/IP

The range of computer technology topics provided above are testimony to the complexity involved in this field. Computers are taking over most of the data processing jobs in finance field. Through the integration of advanced electronics and computing technology, robotics is emerging as a field of the future. The ultimate dream of computer technologists is developing an artificial intelligence. An artificial mind that will be able to think and figure out things on its own. While it still remains a very distant dream, smart machines and robots, with limited analytical capabilities have already been developed. It is safe to conclude that the future of computing technology is very promising!