Posts Tagged: United States
5
Apr 11
The Value of Post-Secondary Education
There have always been sceptics about the value of higher education. The recession and the way that the information technology sector has shaped and opened up the job market have not exactly helped. The cost of tertiary study can be epic and when you add to this IT role models like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg who never completed university, things are not necessarily propelling people towards undertaking a 4 year degree.
But the message to emerge out of the current recession, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, is that if you want to keep your job, if and when it happens again, it´s better to be well-educated than well-paid. In 1973, only 28% of jobs required a post-secondary education, but in 2008 that figure was 59%. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce scholars say this number will increase to 63% within the next decade. In 2008, the median salary of a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts was $55,777 USD, compared with $33,800 for those who are only high-school educated. The figures for unemployment percentages follow suit, with almost double the number of high-school only graduates unemployed compared with college graduates.
Jobs in the IT industry increased by 4.3% in the last year, and while a select few made it without higher education, about 86% of the industry has some form of tertiary study behind them.
Bottom line: the odds are better with an education, and the IT industry is booming. Click here to view some courses you can study in the United States.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com
1
Apr 11
Corporal Punishment Still Allowed in US Schools
Image via mediadump.com
Disciplining students with a cane or “paddling” as it is commonly referred to, is still allowed in 20 of the 52 states in the US. A recent case in Wichita Falls, Texas, has brought attention to the issue, after an 11th grade student received a paddling that put him in the hospital.
According to The Center for Effective Discipline or CED, corporal punishment exists today mainly in the southern states, where it is ingrained in the customs and traditions of small communities. CED are committed to educating parents and children about the effects of corporal punishment on children and alternatives in giving discipline. Since 1998 the 30th of April has been dubbed SpankOut Day USA, to bring about an end to hitting children, and to promote their motto “Raising Responsible (Good) Kids Without Hitting”. CED highlight the fact that if students are hit at school, they think it is ok to be hit at home, and the cycle of violence continues.
The student from Wichita Falls is currently involved in a legal case which may help bring an end to the hitting of students in Texas. Recently, legislators in New Mexico voted to end the practice in their state, although it still needs the approval of the local governor before the law is passed.
Interestingly, St. Augustine High School, the only remaining catholic school in New Orleans who practiced paddling, have recently banned the practice, only to be met with protests from current students and the school community who want it reinstated. They say that being able to utilise corporal punishment has contributed to character building and higher graduation rates, and the senior students say they can tell the difference between the older students and the newer ones who have not been exposed to the same traditions.
If you are interested in finding out more about GED and what they do, check out their website here.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com and http://www.stophitting.com
23
Mar 11
A History of the E-book
Reading a book electronically instead of on paper has become more common in recent years with the help of the Kindle, and even more recently with the iPad and Google eBookstore. In 2010 Amazon reported that sales of e-books outnumbered hard copies for the first time. But despite the recent growth in the e-books area, digitised books are not a new phenomenon. Did you know that they have been around in some form or other now for 40 years? In 1971 Project Gutenberg was launched with a digitalised version of the United States Declaration of Independence. The same year, the first email was sent between two host computers. Today, Project Gutenberg is a website that offers 33,000 books that anyone can download for free.
Graph via http://ebookfriend.ly
Some key moments in the history of the e-book:
- In the year 2000, Stephen King made his novella Riding the Bullet available exclusively online, and 400,000 copies were downloaded in the first 24 hours.
- In 2002, publishing houses HarperCollins and Random House began selling digital versions of their books.
- In 2007 Amazon launched Kindle in the US, with 90,000 books available for purchase.
- The same year, Apple launched it´s first generation iPhone.
- From here, the digital book boom soars; Apple releases the iPad with the iBooks application, and Google releases the eBookstore with 3 million titles. At this moment, the global e-book market is worth $900 million.
Regardless of personal preference, e-books are continuing to grow in number and popularity and are changing the way that people learn and access information.
Source: ebookfriend.ly
7
Feb 11
How to Cultivate a Sense of Wonder
Cultivating a sense of wonder in life is essential for people of every age, but the older we get the more difficult it becomes to marvel at our day to day lives. We lose our sense of wonder as it is replaced with daily routines, college deadlines, exams, social obligations and responsibilities, and the simple pleasure of a sunrise may not be enough to amuse us in our increasingly sophisticated world.
Have you experienced something remarkable recently? We would like to share with you a few ideas on how to cultivate wonder in your life this year:
1. Learn about creativity, and how to enjoy freedom of imagination and to generate more outstanding ideas. Get yourself a book on creativity to understand what it is. You can also join a creative art workshop like Hand Painting on Silk or take up a Course in Creativity to enhance your natural abilities.
2. Take up photography to memorize beauty around you. Create a photo blog to share your photographs with others. Enrol in one of the many photography courses around to learn how to find and capture the moment and the beauty in the smallest of things. A Photography Distance Learning Course from UK Open Learning is for all ages and all ability levels. They defiene photography as an art form that allows you to appreciate who you are and what you do.
3. Study abroad to learn about other cultures, open your mind, and to think more originally. Studying abroad will also help you to increase your self-confidence and will benefit your career. Consider Latin American destinations like Argentina and Mexico if you’d like to improve your Spanish. UIC Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico offers a Spanish program aimed at foreign students interested in learning the language and Mexican culture.
4. Watch kids. Do you remember your childhood? Do you remember how every day brought new and exiting experiences? Discover the child in you. Spend time with your younger brothers and sisters or volunteer at a child care centre.
5. Learn something new every day! Fashion, modern architecture or breading dogs, what is it that has always interested you? What subjects did you enjoy at school? Find time to investigate them and dig deeper. Watch popular science tv channels, read travel magazines or visit your local museum.
Source: Psychcentral.com
4
Feb 11
WebQuests – Studying and The Internet
Studying doesn’t have to be boring! There are many ways to involve students to participate more actively in the class, such as incorporating WebQuests – web-based lessons that involve searching, browsing, and finding information on the Internet and using the information to complete a particular task. You may also think of it as a journey that a group of students make to seek the answer to a particular question. This model was developed in San Diego State University in 1995 and now has tens of thousands of enthusiasts around the world. Teachers make good use of the internet and new technology as WebQuests provide a practical way for students to acquire many skills, including participating in meaningful discussions, engaging in role play simulations, problem solving and becoming connected and involved learners.
Typically WebQuests are developed by teachers for both elementary and secondary students. The first part is the introduction: the goal and the background of the game. The second part describes what students will do, including role play, investigating the subject and finding answers to questions listed. The students are usually provided with a list of links to follow to complete the activity. Webquests have really taken off in Brazil, Spain, China, Australia and Holland, and are gaining popularity as an interactive way to learn.
Source: en.wikipedia.org and webquest.org
26
Jan 11
Samba Dance – Course of the Week
Photo: BBC News
It is carnival time again! Throughout the month of February carnival celebrations will take place in many countries, but it’s the Brazilian Carnival that remains the most famous. Carnival in Brazil includes colorful parades and all-day/night street-parties where the samba rhythm plays a huge role. Samba has been danced in Brazil since 19th century and is an important part of Brazilian culture. The largest carnival event in Rio de Janeiro, probably the biggest show on earth, consists of samba schools parading in the Sambadrome. Don’t confuse samba schools with teaching institutions where you learn how to dance samba! Despite what the name suggests, samba school is a local, social and musical organization with several thousands members. Only the most gifted perform in the big annual parade. The samba schools organise samba nights at their samba halls that are open to everyone.
If you don’t plan to visit Brazil any time soon, than try one of the samba schools in your neighborhood:
In the London School of Samba, UK samba classes focus on the vibrant and colorful spirit of Brazilian carnival and samba. The main focus of dance is samba no pe, the practice of the samba step. You can also attend their funky drumming classes and learn to play different samba styles, or you can take up a costume making course.
If you are looking for a place to learn the authentic samba then SambaLá, in Long Beach, California might be the best place in the United States to learn it. Their Brazilian instructor Valeria has over 10 years of professional experience as a dancer and choreographer.
Would you dare to give it a try?
Source: rio-carnival.net
20
Dec 10
Professional Santa Claus Training – Course of the Week
Source: NYDailyNews.com
Those who celebrate Christmas remember the joy of sitting on Santa’s knee in a shopping mall during Christmas holiday. Every year, thousands of men around the world are hired to be someone’s Santa for the season. Some veteran Santas with extensive CVs hired by shopping malls in the US can earn as much as $15,000 per season. Most Santa companies recruit Santas very carefully and will almost always ask what Christmas means to you. If you truly love giving gifts to others, spreading Christmas cheer, are good with small children and can smile for long periods of time, a Santa Claus job may be for you! Also, having a natural beard (dyed white or gray) is often a huge plus as well.
If you think you match the requirements but you’d like to polish your skills, there are several schools for Santa Claus’s that will provide you with appropriate training:
The Charles W. Howard (CWH) Santa Claus School in Midland, USA is a non-profit organization, established in 1937 and is the longest continuously running Santa Claus School in the world. The mission of the school is to provide students with the necessary resources that allow them to further define and improve their individual presentations of Santa Claus.
Professional Santa Claus Training provided by Santa School in Calgary, Canada will elevate your performance, sharpen your abilities and help you become the best Santa available. You will be trained in acting, voice, character development, presentation and scripting.
10
Dec 10
Cupcake Confection and Design – Course of the Week
Who loves cupcakes? Eveyone. And why not, they are delicious, mini, just-for-you, adorable little cakes that come in many flavors and colors. They are a perfect canvas for artistic creation and are relatively inexpensive to confect. Little cupcakes can be so pleasing to the eye that you almost don´t want to eat them…almost.
Over the last several years, cupcake shops have been springing up everywhere. Being a more fashionable food, they have become popular at parties, social events and have even started to replace wedding cakes. In light of this popular pastry, we decided to introduce a Cupcake Design Course of the Week.
Here are a few cupcake courses to try:
Cakes 4 Fun in London, UK offers a new course for chocolate-lovers, appropriately called Chocolate Cupcakes. You will learn how to make decorations from a variety of different chocolate mediums. It’s suitable for all skill levels.
The Original Cupcake Course is a day-long intensive course in Chelmsford, UK by The Gourmet Cupcake Company. This course includes: icing techniques, coloring and flavoring, piping perfect buttercream swirls and an introduction to sugarcraft and flower modeling.
Gourmandise Desserts in Culver City, USA offers Gourmet Cupcakes Baking Course. You will learn three simple and sweet cupcakes recipes, including instruction on fillings and the power-house smooth buttercream cupcake.
Yum!!
2
Dec 10
Does Earning More Increase Happiness?
Does earning a higher salary really make us happier? This issue is nagging many of us: how to balance the desire of having a satisfying job and a satisfying paycheck? It’s usually a dilemma that confronts every college student when pursuing a career path. How much is enough and how little is too little is a personal decision based on one´s values, priorities and spending habits. However, as a recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found, there is a magic number that links income and satisfaction.
This study indicated that $75,000 USD is the yearly salary that seems to satisfy most people in the U.S. The study suggested that earning above 75 K had little influence on the satisfaction level, but that less than 75 K decreased satisfaction levels.
When it comes to studying those whom sought out high incomes were more likely to major in fields like business, engineering and economics. And those whom high income was not a priority pursued majors in liberal arts and social sciences.
For most, choosing a major is one of the hardest decisions in young adulthood. Students should think not only about their priorities and values now but also the possibility that those priorities can change later on.
Best of luck, those are hard decisions!
Source: The Economic Times www.economictimes.indiatimes.com
18
Nov 10
China to Become the World´s Largest English-Speaking Country
Fourth-grade chinese students learn english in a primary school in Wuhan, central China November 2, 2009 Photo: China Daily
Soon China, the world’s most populous country, may become the world’s largest english-speaking country. Around 2 billion people learn english worldwide and a huge portion is made up by chinese as 200m to 350m chinese are either studying or speaking english. The english language market has nearly doubled in size over the past five years, and english education in China is continuing to spread. There are already 50,000 private english institutes throughout China with more and more opening up every month.
In the eight larges cities, 55.4 percent of the chinese have received english training, with another 21.2 percent saying that they planned to, according to the Social Survey Institute of China.
Other more affordable sources of english training are also gaining popularity. Skype-lessons with overseas teachers are becoming more available, as well as private foreign and chinese tutors.
A growing number of chinese students head to the United States to study at american universities. The total number of students who studied abroad increased from 144,000 in 2007 to 170,000 in 2008 and is expected to extend to 200,000 this year.
Educaedu plans on launching a chinese site within a few weeks. Soon, chinese students will be able to browse for educational programs in China as well as in 20 other countries around the world.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk and Chinadaily.com.cn
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