The Best Way to Get a Permanent School Fund

It's vital for educational institutions to use a permanent school fund. It is through extra-curricular pursuits like theater, football, and glee club that students can expand their horizon. With no secure funding program, on the other hand, schools cannot afford to teach students for games or take them to play a part in renowned academic competitive events. Board members turn to closing creative departments caused by school funding issues.

If you are a concerned parent, you may cease this from taking place. Persuade other parents in the community to sign up in preserving resources flowing. There are many ways to evading school funding issues and generating revenue.

Listed below are some good tips that might be handy:

-Market something Good and Useful

Selling goods, whether or not they are food or attire, remains to be the most common and efficient way of increasing school funds. One well-liked idea amongst mothers is a bake sale. Both students and parents work together to create cupcakes, cookies or any other light pastries. Profits should go to the school. Others consider having garage sales. They offer used but functional items which may be of use with other people.

One way of exercising artistic and business skills is actually by selling artwork or hand-made trinkets like earrings, bracelets and necklaces. It's also possible to sell home-made crafts including candles, soap, and perfume. Nonetheless, try and get help from a specialist in making them. You can also learn some useful do-it-yourself articles on the net.

Study your target market first. This is to make sure you know which items are much more profitable. You must generate more profit in comparison to the money you have invested.

-Offer Services that are in-demand

Another way of having permanent school fund aside from fundraising is by offering services. By way of example, talk to students the possibility of having a car wash. This is common with students.

You may also offer other solutions for instance house cleaning, lawn mowing, and baby-sitting tasks for a particular cost. Another special gimmick is having an auction. These are generally typical for college fundraising activities. This requires fraternity and sorority houses auctioning off their members for a friendly date with the highest bidder.

-Concerts and also other Performances

One enjoyable way to raise school funds is actually by setting up a show. It may be a talent show, a musical or even a play. This allows students to show off their talents and offer great entertainment. School funding issues will not be a problem since you can generate finances through ticket sales. You can even host a telethon where donors can call in their pledges while enjoying a variety show.

Make certain everyone knows about your event. Seek information and come up with inventive ways of advertising. You can also put posters and ask local papers, radio programs, and TV stations to mention your event. You can even find sites providing distinctive solutions to have a permanent school fund. Try posting a classified ad and make use of social network sites.

Without investors and donations, tuition will grow which causes several departments to dissolve. Stop this by doing your part to keep extra-curricular activities alive. Think of interesting fundraising events you may hold that could guarantee a good outcome.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7010504

Training to Be a Counsellor - Get a Job That Adds Value To Other Lives

Are you looking for a job that helps you make a substantial difference to the lives of others? If you do not wish to do any job just in order to earn a living then you ought to think of getting training to be a counsellor. There is so much stress in people's lives these days that it is no surprise that they are unable to cope with the pressure. This results in a variety of mental and physical problems that can only be cured with the help of counselling.

Training to be a counsellor is not as difficult a process as some people would believe. Many reputed institutions offer courses that enable you to be a counsellor in a reasonably short period. As a matter of fact, the mushrooming demand for counseling and help has been matched by a corresponding increase in the numbers of the places offering these courses.

There will be no shortage of people you could help once you finish training to be a counsellor. You need to specialize in one of the many fields that counselling is generally available in. You could then offer counselling to abused children, battered women or people suffering from depression, just to give a few examples.

Human beings have always been in need of counselling because they tend to find it difficult to deal with troubles on their own. There was a time when this service was offered by a priest or a trusted community elder. In fact, priests still have an advantage over other people when it comes to offering counselling because spirituality tends to help people overcome many emotional problems. If you are training to be a counsellor then you ought to consider an educational program that does not discount spirituality whilst offering you instruction in the latest techniques of helping people deal with their fears and pain in a structured manner.

You do not have to give up on your dream of being a counsellor simply because you do not have formal qualifications. You could just get your training to be a counsellor from a course that is designed for people like you. In addition, you could also select a course that permits you to gain exemption based upon any prior learning that you might have done. Once the course is done you will be able to bring about a lot of change in the lives of people who need your assistance.

If you get training to be a counsellor you will be able to help people who have emotional or psychological problems. Select a really good course that gives you the skills you need to build a good career out of counselling.

5 Reasons Why Using iPads for High School Is a Good Idea

Many high schools around the country have completely embraced technology. As more and more school districts seriously evaluate how they use technology to aid in education, they realize that iPads for high school is an idea that has a lot of merit. Many schools have computer labs equipped with desktop computers and specialized teachers ready to provide students with the instruction that they need. Here is why school districts and high schools should strongly consider adding iPads to their technology budget.

1. Cuts down on books and paper

High schools are responsible for providing textbooks to students. It can become pretty expensive for a school to continuously supply students with textbooks year after year. Using iPads would greatly cut down on that expense. In addition, using an iPad would allow students to learn from the most up to date information. They don't need to worry about students learning from 20-year-old text books.

Students and teachers also won't need to worry so much about paper. By using an iPad, teachers will be able to give their photocopiers a break and save on buying reams of paper.

2. Keeps teachers motivated and encouraged

The iPad allows teachers new and creative ways to engage students. Teachers can use the iPad's mirroring capabilities to display notes and other content in front of the class on a projector. The teacher can then save those notes and easily send them to all of the students.

There are also various methods of communication that allow for student/teacher interaction. When students are able to interact with teachers on a greater level, it helps develop their interest and passion for learning.

3. Extends learning outside the classroom

Thanks to the iPad, a classroom without walls is now a real possibility. Students have the ability to continue their learning outside of the classroom. The iPad's audio and video capabilities allow students to listen to lessons outside of the classroom. Students can engage educational content without the presence of a teacher.

4. Language development

High school is when many students begin to learn a foreign language. (Granted, this trend has changed slightly over the last few years.) While learning a new language is essential for being accepted to college, it can be a tough task for many students to grasp. The iPad is a great tool for language development. Language development applications can help students increase their ability to speak, read and write in a foreign language.

5. Reference

With an iPad in hand, students have the ability to quickly access any information they need. Students can easily look up terms and definitions in English and language arts courses. They can also look up formulas for math and science courses.

Using an iPad in high schools gives both teachers and students tons of freedom and opportunities. Students can be engaged and educated in ways that we have never seen before.

The Lead-Acid Battery - Its Care and Feeding for Long Life

G. Plante' began his study of electric polarization in 1859. As a result of his experiments, he devised a battery consisting of two sheets of lead rolled into the form of a spiral. The lead sheets were separated by strips of rubber and this assembly was immersed in dilute sulfuric acid. He studied the charge and discharge of this simple cell and described how to materially increase the capacity by a process called formation which is the multistep creation of a layer of sponge lead on the surface of the negative plates and a layer of lead dioxide on the positive plates. These layers are the chemically active portions of the cell. This process is different from that used for developing the pasted plate cells, but "formation" is commonly used when referring to them as well. Formation of pasted plates means the reduction or oxidation of the lead oxides or other materials that have been applied to the grids.

Plante' would charge his cell and then discharge it, or alternatively, allow it to rest. During this time local action transformed the dioxide covering on the positive plate into lead sulfate. Periodically he would reverse the polarity applied to the cell and would repeat this process to increase the capacity of the cell. As Plante' had no generator until 1873 it took many primary batteries for the formation of the plates. The oxidation of 1 kilogram of lead (Pb) to lead dioxide (PbO2) requires 514 ampere hours of current. The difference between Plante' plates and modern ones is that the material is electrochemically formed from the lead of the plate itself in a Plante' cell and modern plates have their materials applied to them.

A typical lead-acid cell consists of:

A lead anode (negative plate)

A lead dioxide cathode (positive plate)

Grid structure plates made of various alloys

An electrolyte (sulfuric acid)

Microporous rubber separators between the plates

A container that is impervious to the electrolyte

The electrical capacity of the cell is proportional to the surface area of the plates, primarily the number of positive plates. In normal construction the outside plates are negative so they are the number of positive plates plus 1. Present types of lead-acid batteries are lead-antimony, lead-calcium and gelled electrolyte. Typical energy densities are 12 watt-hours per pound and 1 watt-hour per cubic inch. High capacity, long life batteries may be 25% larger than this. The capacity is expressed in ampere-hours since the cell voltage is known. The state of charge, the discharge current, the temperature of the battery and the cutoff or end voltage determines the capacity. Your battery should have sufficient ampere-hour capacity to carry momentary loads plus continuous or basic loads for a specified length of time before reaching its final or cutoff voltage, commonly referenced at 1.75 volts per cell.

Ampere hour capacities are typically specified at 20 hour rate for gelled electrolyte. Deep discharge utility cells are at 8 hour rate.

Due to electrochemical differences between cells it is not recommended practice to connect cells in parallel. If you need more capacity use a cell with more or larger plates rather than connecting two cells in parallel.

On daily or frequent charges it is common practice to charge slightly short of a fully charged condition. A complete charge must be made every 1 to 3 months (except gel cells). This complete charge is commonly referred to as an "equalizing charge" and is intended to be sufficient to equalize any minor differences among the cells. It should be continued until each cell of the battery reaches maximum voltage and specific gravity.

The commonest battery is the automotive starting battery. It is not designed for deep discharge and will quickly fail if placed in deep discharge service. It is constructed of many thin plates of lead sponge which provides a large surface area for chemical reaction enabling it to provide large currents while maintaining voltage level. This design is for short duration high currents followed by immediate recharge.

In deep discharge service the thin spongy plates will disintegrate from the chemical changes produced by charge and discharge. At 50% discharge they will often reach full failure by 200 cycles. In automotive service these batteries last 3 to 5 years. In deep discharge service they cost more than the expensive deep discharge cells due to their early failure.

The true deep discharge cell is designed for long life. They are large and heavy. The plates are more than 4 times thicker than standard batteries and the compartments are large with abundant electrolyte. They are rarely assembled into batteries of over 3 cells and are often individual cells because of their weight.

Human Mind - The Last Frontier

It is a perceiver of reality and creator of myths, it is a sanctuary of faith and formulator of laws, it is a twilight zone where the good and evils are locked, and it is the last Frontier where the seeker is sought.

From oceans depth to the acme of the universe unchartered horizons greets each one of us every now and then. No one knows how many frontiers are still to be proclaimed.

What seem to be surprising are the human minds phenomenal strength and depth. Human mind makes each one of us unique.

Many of the world's renowned scientists, scholars, philosophers, professors from the past to the present acknowledge the huge leap of the human intellect that enable humans to secede from others.

Many people are not knowingly aware that the entire formation of our society in addition to technology is all a consequence of human mind. Basically human intelligence is continuously engaged in frequent research. Its continual thrust is adamant.

It is the human wisdom that gave Sir Isaac Newton to ponder why apple always tumble down. That simple incident made the land mark discovery that bestowed the world with the keys to quietly unravel the secrets of the Universe.

No one came so close to confine the human disposition in its widest variety as Shakespeare did. He was not an exceptional observer but he looked deeply into his own mind to find everything he needed to know. According to Charles Lamb he created the very "sphere of humanity".

Alexander Graham Bell's unique bond with deaf students proved to be a watershed event of his life and he went on inventing a transmitting speech device. His visionary of sending speech over a wire became true.

A newspaper and candy selling boy Thomas Alva Edison without schooling, without hearing went on inventing electric vote recorder to electric bulb. The key upshot of being incredible successful inventor was his unique mental stamina.

Steve Job a billionaire was an adopted child by a lower middle class couple experimented with different pursuits in the family garage. He went on revolutionizing his co produced Apple's products dictating the evolution of Human wits.

Most of the things in this universe that are known to Human Mind are still unknown. To understand the depth of human mind is the same as to understand the infinity of the Universe. Human mind is the eternity of all creative geniuses.

The Real Story Behind the Mafia

We've seen a lot of movies about the Mafia. Ever since Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece, "The Godfather" a lot of people have become interested in the exiting world of the Mafia. Yes we've all been through the hype of watching a world filled with rich, powerful men playing with guns and doing drugs. But this is just one side we see in the movies.

But what is the real story behind these gun slinging men?

Do the movies do a fair portrayal of the Mafia or are their stretching the truth and adding drugs, sex and murder to make the plot more interesting?

There's so much to learn about this group of gangster.

And to answer all our questions it is best to start from the beginning.

Though, no one knows the actual story of how the Mafia began there were a lot of speculations. Some people believe that the Mafia was formed to protect the less fortunate. This sounds far from what we see in the movies, doesn't it? Though their reasons were considered noble and even heroic, their procedures were very extreme and the methods they use to "protect" are illegal.

During the early 1900's, the Mafia did very illicit crimes to help the less fortunate and their own families. However, as the years went by, the Mafia became selfish and opted to help themselves and do everything they do for their own benefits.

One more fact about the Mafia is that they have a very well organized family tree. This family tree involves everyone who has been included in the society. Everyone from the boss, who obviously are on top of the chain, and the soldiers, who are, of course, at the bottom.

If you ever consider yourself to join the Mafia you need to be sure that you are prepared for that kind of thing. People who want to be in a Mafia need to pledge an oath to the boss.

The oath states as followed:

"I *person's name* wish to be a part of this organization to protect my family and to protect my brothers. With my blood. And the blood of all the saints and all the souls of my children. I swear not to reveal this secret and with love, to obey the amerta. I enter this organization in life and will only let death be the reason for my leave.

The society of the Mafia have completely changed today. It has improved and evolved into something that the public has considered to be society. Nowadays, the Mafia is now under the authority of the Government.

Mafia in the 1900's

No matter what you call them, whether it's Gangster or La Cosa Nostra, it is no doubt that The Italian criminal societies, or more commonly known as the Mafia have been an ingredient of the social and economic recipe of Italy. And even the whole world.

One thing people know about the Mafia is that it is a very lethal and dangerous organization and we would never, ever cross with any one of its members.

Though we've heard a lot about them in movies and in books, few people actually know the true story behind the Mafia.

Its history and how it began is the question that every gangster movie fans are asking themselves.

In this article, we will get an overview of the Mafia's origin and the story of how this controversial group came to be.

First, let us start in the beginning. In order to understand the Mafia we must first understand its true purpose. Believe it or not the Mafia did not start off as an organization of betrayal and deceit, it actually had a noble purpose. According to the History, the Mafia was formed in the year 1282 and it was formed to help the less fortunate. Though the purpose was noble it didn't mean that their way of obtaining it was. The Mafia usually used terrorists like methods to gain the public's respect and their fear. As the years went by, a hundred to be exact, the Mafia grew into a very powerful organization. However in the year 1900 it was threatened to be taken apart by a man named Benito Mussolini. He tried to destroy the Mafia in Italy. With this reason, the Mafia decided to move in the United States of America. When they moved to the U.S they branched out to three different cities. These cities are New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

The Mafia grew more powerful in America. But it was threatened to fall apart once again when they were sent to jail by a dictator. With an ironic twist of fate, the US troop mistook the imprisoned Mafia as political prisoners. Not only were they set free, but they were also anointed as Mayors and Police Chiefs giving them more power and authority to do what they do.

The secret society of the Mafia may have been established in the late 1200's it grew further in the year 1900's

The year 1900 also marked the renaissance of the Mafia. This was the year where everything that we know about the history of Mafia took its course.

By knowing the history of the Mafia and finding out the real deal behind it. Our eyes have become more open and we realize just how dangerous the world can be

Howard Carter: Archaeologist or Grave Robber

In 1922 a tomb of a Pharaoh was discovered in the cemetery of the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. In the Valley of the Kings and for the very first time, a tomb that was still sealed. The world waited in awe to see what was inside. The first person to look inside was the person that had been searching for this tomb for years. Then the waiting was over and the British archaeologist Howard Carter peered into the dusty tomb. What he saw was something remarkable. He saw toys, the toys of a boy. Then he knew he had discovered the tomb of King Tut.

Carter and King Tut

Until today, the tomb of the Pharaoh boy King Tut remains the richest royal collection ever found in Egypt. After years of futile searching the tomb with its rich collection of artefacts in gold caused a sensation and even today, it still gets the most attention of all the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Damaged Mummy

One would assume Carter would look after the boy once he discovered the boy was still in the tomb. Sadly this was not the case. Carter did what he wanted to do and one thing was to see what treasure was with the boy. The 3000-year-old body of Tut was damaged. The body that lay safely in the sarcophagus had a golden mask and that was worth more than the body itself for Howard Carter and his team.

Eventually the mummy lost the tug of war and ended up in 18 pieces. The neck broke off completely. Carter also removed all the amulets and jewels and recorded their position on the king's body.

The Royal Mummy Re-examined

In 1968 a team of scientists opened the mummy that Carter said he re-wrapped in 1926 and found he had lied. The royal boy was covered by a simple sheet on a tray of sand almost exactly like in the pictures seen from him taken in 1926.

The arms, both were severed from the chest at the shoulders. Also the forearms and hands had been amputated so that they could have removed his bracelets. The legs were removed or amputated at the hip, knees and even at the ankles to establish the age of the young king.

Furthermore the body trunk was completely separated from the pelvis to facilitate its removal from the mummy coffin. The boy had to give up his mask but with this also his head as this was severed from the cervical vertebrae. Tissue at the back of his head was also destroyed in the attempt to get the mask.

Cover Up of the Damage

Since Carter knew what they had done to the King boy, they used a sand tray to support the mummy while being photographed. This camouflaged the damage. Lastly new pictures in 1968 showed that in 1926 the boy still had a right ear and a penis. This was gone in 1968.

Conclusion

When Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the Pharaoh King Tut in the Valley of the Kings the world praised his efforts. Then in 1068 when the boy was opened for research the team was shocked to see the condition of the mummy. Contrary to reports by Carter and his team, the mummy was not re-wrapped and his body had been severely damaged. His legs and arms were amputated to remove bracelets and his head was broken off to remove his golden mask. In hindsight Carter seemed to have treated the discovery in the way Grave Robbers did with the other tombs. Sadly the boy did not get the proper attention, one fitting a King.

Instructional Design Training: Creating Effective E-Learning

Ask your learners what they think of e-learning and the chances are there will be one word that trips off many of their tongues - boring. Whether you are a seasoned e-learning designer or you are about to embark on creating e-learning for the first time, instructional design training can help you better understand how to develop boredom-busting e-learning first time and every time.

So why is e-learning so frequently boring? Because instructional designers usually focus too much on content. Getting the right content to your learners is, of course, hugely important; but, focusing solely on content may not be your best starting point.

Once you start down the content-driven route, you begin thinking about your e-learning rather like a book.This leads to linear thinking; and, before you know it, your piece of learning looks more like a PowerPoint presentation. Fine if you are standing up in front of a live audience and speaking to them on a specific topic. Not so good if your learners are going to be sat in front of a computer screen reading lots of text and endlessly clicking on a 'next' button.

The conventional response to this problem is to stick with the content-centric approach but to add what most e-learning developers refer to as interactions. These are activities that are placed on individual screens of content for your learners to complete. Things like answering true/false or multiple choice questions; or dragging items across the computer screen.

You will likely be using a software authoring tool to create your e-learning. Most of these authoring tools provide you with the functionality to easily create interactions.

Unfortunately, the number of interactions you can easily add to your e-learning is quite limited. So they quickly become repetitive and boring; and, they still don't deal with the problem of asking learners to read vast amounts of content on screen.

Instead of trying to pretty up a fundamentally flawed, content-centric approach, consider using a scenario-driven approach. Scenarios are a fantastically simple, but effective way to provide a realistic context for learning to happen. For example, if your learners work in an office or the customer service help point in a store, look at using those contexts as the start point for the learning.

Build on your chosen context by developing related challenges that would naturally occur in the context. Then create a series of activities to encourage learners to meet those challenges. After all, your learners spend every day of their working lives meeting challenges and solving problems. Why should their learning be any different? Creating challenges and activities enables your learners to experiment with different ways of dealing with a situation. This provides genuinely effective learning and goes way beyond the tell and test model of most conventional e-learning.

Based on the decisions and actions your learners take, it becomes possible to provide them with extensive, meaningful feedback on their activities. This is where real learning will take place and is how learners begin to understand the consequences of different actions and decisions.

By using the four-pronged approach of context, challenge, activity and feedback, you can create e-learning that is truly effective at improving your learners' knowledge and performance.

Cosmic Dragons: China and India

Many ancient cultures have stories about dragons at the center of their mythologies. Here we focus on those of India and China.

Long before there was a Chinese nation, tribes roamed the land, each with their own story of creation. Some of these stories have lasted to the modern day, being incorporated into different Buddhist mythologies. One of these tales is called "Pan Gu and the cosmic egg."

First was chaos. Out of it formed a cosmic egg in which yin and yang were combined. Inside, Pan Gu, the creator, grew for eighteen thousand years. When finally he awoke, he broke the cosmic egg in half. The top half, yang, floated up and became the heavens. The bottom half, yin, sunk down and became the earth.

In between was Pan Gu, a great dragon. And for the next eighteen thousand years he set about the task of forming all in existence.

Helping him were his four companions, Fen Huang, the phoenix, Lung Wang, the dragon, Qi Lin, the unicorn, and Gui Xian, the turtle. These were the Ssu-ling, and were the guardians of the four cardinal directions, the elements, and the seasons. The dragon guards the east, the phoenix the south, the unicorn the west, and the turtle north.

When Pan Gu died, his body dispersed. His two eyes became the sun and moon, his last breath became the wind, his body became the mountains and plains, rivers flowed from his bloods, his sweat became the rain, and the fleas on his fur became the creatures of existence, from the smallest flea, to the largest whale.

His four friends became of more importance with the great dragon gone. They were the protectors of nature. The phoenix flew into the sky with the winged creatures, the unicorn ran into the forest to protect the beasts, the turtle slunk into the marshes, and the dragon dove into the water, the blood of the creator.

In India there is the three-headed Vritra, a dragon who wrapped himself about the world and drank all of the waters.

Vritra was an asura, an evil creature that stood in opposition to the devas, or gods.

Indra, the king of the gods, drank massive quantities of Soma, the Indian version of ambrosia, and took a thunderbolt made by tvastar the architect of creation, to prepare to slay Vritra and free the water.

I will declare the manly deeds of Indra, the first that he achieved, the Thunder-wielder.

He slew the Dragon, then disclosed the waters, and cleft the channels of the mountain torrents.

He slew the Dragon lying on the mountain: his heavenly bolt of thunder Tvastar fashioned. (from the Rig Veda)

So, Indra returned water to mankind and the world.

It is interesting to note that, considering the time it was written, and the spread of Indian culture, it is likely this is the precursor to the European epic legends of dragons.

How To Learn To Speak French

Language enthusiasts who are impressed with France and all it has to offer may want to learn to speak French. The language, in fact, is considered to be one of romance and cultural refinement. Men and women who decide to take on the task will have a range of options open to them. Most importantly, they will want to have fun while they participate in the activity. Slogging through dry grammar lessons can lead to boredom and a general loss of motivation, so language learners should find a way to enjoy the process.

Participating in an informal class at the local library or recreational center will give fledgling students a chance to link up with others who are serious about learning the language. When working in a group environment, students can take the opportunity to practice new vocabulary with each other. Of course, a certified instructor will also come in handy. If there is a particularly tough rule of French grammar, the teacher can provide some specific insightful examples that should give people a better idea of how to master the new concept.

For French vocabulary lessons, one specific tip that some people employ is to put labels on common household items and appliances. As they go about their business within the house each day, they can note the labels and reinforce some of the vocabulary. Repetition, as they say, is often the key to success, and this is especially true with picking up a second language. Students should try to pronounce each new word carefully and with the emphasis on the correct syllables. When they eventually move on and speak with a native Parisian, for example, they can be sure that they will be immaculately understood.

Students who are in formal school and who want to gain a true appreciation of the French language should consider one outstanding option. Studying abroad for a semester or two will give them a chance to stay with a host family, immerse themselves in the local culture, and excel at learning the language. In fact, being forced to speak French on a daily basis will improve a person's fluency quite rapidly. When they return to their native country, they will likely be far ahead of the rest of the students. They may even be able to instruct their peers in some of the nuances of French pronunciation and grammar.

Men and women who have taken Latin in the past will have an advantage over those who have not. In fact, Latin forms the basis of all of the Romance languages, including French, Spanish, and Italian. Once individuals have picked up a bit of French, they will also begin to recognize that many English words are rooted in French prefixes and suffixes. By understanding how languages grow and change over time, they will widen their worldview and come to appreciate the varied cultures of the world.

Ultimately, people who want to learn to speak French should dive into the language as soon as possible. If they dedicate themselves to progressing just a bit each day, they will soon note some real achievement. This should motivate them to continue on. By bringing some friends into the fold who are also interested in becoming bilingual, they will also have people to practice with. The trek toward fluency should continue unimpeded.

Contractors Need Proper Education

There are several career paths that anyone can choose to take in life. Many people make this choice when they are younger. They may decide to become a dancer, basketball player, singer, doctor or even a lawyer. The aforementioned list of duties seem to be the most popular when people are younger. They may even retain their popularity for those who are in high school. However, these are not the only jobs that can bring someone a nice comfortable living.

Contractors for instance have chosen an admirable career path. It is great choice for anyone who enjoys dealing with construction projects. It is especially good for anyone who loves things such as architecture yet they really don't have the architectural skill to pursue that profession particular. However, they still want to be involved with the creation of buildings such as home. This is what residential contractors are responsible for. So, if anyone is willing to do this type of work, there are several different avenues that you can take.

For instance, if you are already working in the construction industry and you have decided that you are interested in what residential contractors do, one of the things you can do is shadow a professional that you know. This can give you hands-on experience and allow you to see what to do and what not to do. It will allow you to see things from a real life perspective and you will be able to see what a specialist does on a day to day basis. Shadowing someone can also give you some knowledge that you may not have been able to attain in the actual classroom. That is because this person is able to tell you things from experience that may not necessarily be in a textbook.

For example, you can be shadowing someone one day and there is a disagreement between some of the workers. By seeing an actual professional handle the situation, it would give you a better idea as to what you can do if you were ever faced with such a situation. Things like this can't really be taught in the classroom.

This isn't to say that classroom learning is not important. Anyone who wants to go this route should also look into taking formal classes. In the classroom, you will be able to learn basic skills that will be the foundation of your career. You will be able to learn what type of materials to use. You will learn which material are the least and most sturdy. So, learning in a class setting will also give you invaluable experience.

There is more than one path to take in order to join the current pool of residential contractors. The most important step to becoming successful in this field, however, is to actually get your license.

Instructional Design Training: What Helps Adults Learn Effectively?

When you are designing learning (regardless of the delivery medium) key to success is an understanding of how adults actually process new information and, therefore, acquire new knowledge and skills.

This article summarises some of the basics of this knowledge transfer process. Basics you would usually cover as part of any introductory instructional design training programme.

Different instructional design experts use slightly different ways to describe the basic knowledge transfer process, but in essence it boils down to three broad stages.

Typically, at the start of this process is the presentation stage. This is when the trainer is introducing new or partially familiar knowledge and/or skills to the learners. Ideally, this is done through a familiar and meaningful context, rather than in a dry, abstract way. Once the trainer has carried out some basic checks to ensure learners have grasped the new information, the transfer process quickly moves to stage two.

Here, learners are given the opportunity to practice what they have just learnt in a safe, structured environment. During this phase, the learners might take part in one or several activities - depending on the level of difficulty and how much need they have for extensive practice.

Once the structured practice is complete and the learners have grasped the basics, it is time to move to the final stage - more spontaneous practice. Here, learners are encouraged to use their newly embedded skills and knowledge in a more realistic way. Ideally, this will provide a context and challenge that is both relevant and motivating to the learners.

Overall, the three stages move from a very teacher or trainer centred starting point through to a highly learner-centred one - where the trainer can take a back seat, observe the learning in action and provide feedback at the very end of the process.

One of the advantages of this broad approach is its flexibility and adaptability. You can vary the amount of structured and spontaneous practice you use based on the needs of your learners.

You can increase or decrease the amount of feedback you provide based on the results you are seeing. This feedback can be adjusted during the structured and/or spontaneous practice stages. You could even add remedial structured or spontaneous practice at the end of the entire process, if you decide this is appropriate.

Additional flexibility is available to you with the sequence of stages. For example, you could use a structured practice activity as your starting point. This would enable you to diagnose existing knowledge and possible areas of difficulty before embarking on a customized presentation and follow-on practice activities.

Alternatively, with more experienced learners, you could turn the process on its head and start with a spontaneous practice activity to see how they cope. Following on from this, you can draw out learning points, leading you to structured practice (or additional spontaneous activities) for the purposes of revision or consolidation.

Understanding the significance of this flexible 'presentation, structured practice, spontaneous practice' model enables you to create effective learning events that help your learners to quickly acquire and embed new knowledge and skills.

Dental Hygienist School Accreditation

Dental hygienist is known to be one of the fastest growing careers in the United States. It's no wonder that more and more people are considering this career due to the excellent job prospects and above-average salary. Generally, dental hygienist needs to obtain licensure from the State where they are practicing and they are also required to obtain a certificate, associate degree, bachelor's degree or master's degree from an accredited school. What is dental hygienist school accreditation? Let's take a look.

In the United States, the accreditation of all programs is administered by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The accreditation of educational program was administered by the Council on Dental Education from the early 1940's up to 1975. Then, the accreditation duties were carried out by the Commission on Accreditation on Dental and Dental Auxiliary Educational Programs. In 1979, the name of Commission on Dental Accreditation was adopted. Comprising of 30 members, the Commission on Dental Accreditation includes an American Dental Hygienists' Association representative along with members from other disciplines and public representatives.

The Accreditation Standards for Education Programs in Dental Hygiene are developed for these purposes:

1) To function as a model for the development of dental hygiene educational programs

2) To function as a model for the advancement of established educational programs

3) To protect public welfare

4) To establish the standards for the appraisal of new and established programs

A dental hygiene educational program has to meet the Accreditation Standards set by the Commission to achieve accreditation status. Dental hygiene, along with other practices, is an essential form of healthcare for the general public. By setting the Accreditation Standards, the Commission on Dental Accreditation ensures that the hygienists that graduate from accredited programs are well-trained and well-equipped to provide the highest level of care to the public. Accreditation is also instrumental in the maintenance of the quality programs in the United States.

In 1953, there were 21 accredited dental hygiene programs. Today, the number of accredited programs had grown to more than 200. The Commission on Dental Accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education and the dental profession. Here are the core responsibilities of the Commission on Dental Accreditation:

1) Appraises programs to ensure that the approved accreditation standards, institutional objectives, and programs goals are fulfilled

2) Through institutional self-evaluation, the Commission continues to appraise and enhance the programs

3) Promotes innovations in the design of programs in accordance to sound educational principles

4) Offers consultation in the early and ongoing development of programs

The Accreditation Standards cover Institutional Effectiveness, Educational Program, Administration, Faculty, and Staff, Educational Support Services, Health and Safety Provisions, and Patient Care Services. The accreditation of a dental hygienist program is thorough and comprehensive. When you enroll in an accredited program, you can be sure that you are getting the best possible education.