Take Advantage of Online Learning

Online learning has become a popular norm these days, practiced from kids in preschool up to adults looking for a second courser. In a study conducted among K-12 students in 2009, it was discovered that online learning is better than the conventional classroom set up. The reason for this was that learning online provides a more tailor fit approach for students.

Kids learn at their own pace and at their own way. They are given activities that they can solve on their own, without feeling the pressure to respond to it like other kids around them do. Also, online courses are much easier to adjust to fit the actual academic capacity of kids.

With this in place, it was also predicted that learning online would take on bigger transformations as the years progress. This is also based on the notion that information technology would continue to improve and provide more ways for people to learn as much as they want through the internet.

Available Resources Online

One of the advantages of learning online is media diversity. When you study in a classroom setup, you often have to make do with the verbal lessons and notes on the blackboard. If you are lucky, you can sometimes come into the class with your teacher preparing some videos as well as slides that can make the lessons more stimulating. For people who are visual learners, such treats will always be available through online learning.

Online courses often send their lessons through modules. This means that they are plotted per chapter in modules that can be downloaded online. While they mostly come in PDF files, these modules may also contain lots of photos and videos which you can watch. Either that or you would be directed to a link where most of the content can be had through online downloading.

Most of these online courses also offer exclusive access to an online library that allows you to have different types of data. You will be given a username and password so you can easily pull out online media from the said library. Some would even have an exclusive forum setup for all its students wherein you can interact with your instructor as well as fellow online classmates. You can say that you use pretty much a lot of state-of-the art technology when it comes to online learning.

Types of Programs Available

Learning from the internet is not limited to just short courses. You can actually finish your incomplete degree here or even earn higher degrees such as a Master’s Degree through online means. You just need to know what your purpose is, because just like typical learning, online learning is also an investment. Though it is often cheaper than the usual classroom setup you still have to invest time and effort into finishing the entire course.

The skills you can learn online are so diverse—you can get basic business skills, learn about information technology, find out the professional strategies in cooking, among many other things. You are ultimately left with the choice to decide which to take. When choosing from the different programs, consider the length of time it will take to finish the entire thing. This will help give you the assurance that you can really fulfill the needed hours.

How to Make the Most Out of Your Online Education

Learning these days have been made much easier through online education. But just like anything else, your success with this endeavor is something that you earn through hard work. You need to prepare for it, commit to it, and find ways to plot how you will be able to use your online degree as a means to attain your future goals.

Preparing for Online Education

Before you get into a degree, you should also consider what system requirements your computer needs to have. Remember that with online education, most of your lessons would have to be downloaded as modules. They would require a minimum requirement for your computer so that you can store them properly. Depending on the course you wish to take, other technical requirements might be needed for your computer so you can use it with ease when studying online.

You should also choose a schedule which you can give full commitment. One of the benefits of online education is that you can be the one to define what your class schedule would be like. But once you identify what it would be, you need to be able to commit to it because you log in a specific number of hours. Check your current schedule, especially if you are working, and choose the best time wherein you are sure you can already be at home and studying.

To help you work much better on your lessons, you should also consider getting a study room at home. This way you can prevent having so many distractions and also have a place where all your study materials can be stored and easily found when you need them.

Study Tips for Studying Online

To help you distinguish your projects and home work, it would be best to keep a calendar in your study room. You might also need to keep a planner where you can plot out when deadlines would be and what you need to accomplish for school daily.

As you start to learn, you should also observe the best methods that allow you to absorb classes fully. Each person has his own studying style. Some may be visual while others may thrive on reading lengthy textbooks. There are those who learn better when they have verbal exchanges with their instructors while there are those that are more adept with written communication. Another important thing to observe is if you work better when you procrastinate or when you work ahead of time—this can be a tricky thing so you need to know which one works real best for you.

When there is an opportunity to gather with your classmates, find time to talk to them. Some of them might have study groups which also enable them to meet each other. It’s a good idea to join this so you can also know the other people taking the same course as you do.

Preparing for the Future

Always think that your online education is not merely a way to get a diploma but a valuable investment for your future. Even when studying, make sure you have a support system whom you can turn to for personal, educational, and even financial help.

Make sure too that you are bound to use the degree you are currently earning online. This can become a very powerful motivation for you to continue doing your best with your studies.

The Different Types of Online Degree

There are different types of online degree that you can avail of online. It is important to know how they differ from each other because some people tend to undervalue the degree they earn without really knowing how far it could take them.  Regardless of where you took your degree, these days it doesn’t really make so much difference if you graduated online or if you took it from a local school.

When studying online, there are three important things that you need to know. First is the school where you are going to get your online degree. The second is what specific course you wish to take. Then the third is what type of degree you are going for. To help you make that decision, here are the different types of online degree which you can obtain online.

Associate’s Degree – You may have heard of this from community colleges. Some people tend to think that an associate’s degree is incomplete but that is not so. This type of degree is for courses which only take a couple of years of completion. Some examples may be in the field of health care or computer troubleshooting. This type of degree is perfect if you are operating on minimal budget and you want to immediately get the chance to work.

These days, there are many companies which already hire an associate’s degree. This are mostly for vocational jobs. Also, this degree might only be applicable for entry-level jobs though at least you already get a head start when it comes to working. You can easily upgrade this type of degree as you proceed with pursuing further studies in the future.

Bachelor’s Degree – Most people are probably familiar with a bachelor’s degree which either comes as a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. This often takes around four years of completion, or more, to earn a diploma. A bachelor’s degree is perfect for those who wanted a career job in the business industry and other relevant job preferences. This is the leveled up or upgraded version of an associate’s degree—you would only need to have your subjects and grades credited to be able to get this diploma.

There are plenty of online choices for a bachelor’s degree. You can get one under the sciences, the arts, business, and even information technology.

Masters Degree – While the first two degrees only require a high school education, you cannot get a Masters Degree without finishing college. This is why most of the people who enter into a master’s degree already have a job or have been practicing their BA degree for some years.

People who get their MA are often looking for a way to boost their career or have a significant pay increase. When you decide to pursue a Masters degree it means you are already set about the career path you chose and you would want to have a specialization in your chosen field. This is what you get when you are also thinking about grabbing a managerial and supervisorial position wherein you would now start to mentor some subordinates.

Getting an online degree is now made easier through the vast innovations of the internet. Now that you understand what the different types of degrees are, you can plan your educational investment much better and use the internet to your advantage.

3 Steps to Choosing the Right Online Courses

With so many online courses to choose from these days, how can you be sure that you are getting the best option? Taking on a new education program takes careful planning. You should look at it as an investment and not just something you have to take for leisure or as your career tells you to. After all, you will also be spending some good money over this new course you are about to take. So to help you make the best choice when it comes to online courses, here are some simple steps you can follow.

Step 1 – Know what your goals are

You should take on a new course with a definite goal in mind. What degree would you like to pursue? Is it going to be academic or would you simply want to enroll into a short course? Where would you be using this particular course? If you already graduated from college, this can be a supplementary course you can take to help boost your career. But if you are currently an undergraduate, this might be your chance to finish your degree.

Short courses are also available for hobbyists. So if you want to learn how to cook or if you want to really learn about the theories of photography, you can take short courses to help you learn about these. Taking a short course can also be your step towards shifting into a new career.

Step 2 – Know if you have enough time and money for the course

Time is essential for learning. Although the good thing about online courses is that they are often available through flexible schedules. This way it would be easier for you to figure out if you can take the said course. There are schedules offered during daytime, the evening, weekdays, and even weekends. It’s entirely up to you to decide which schedules to consider.

The only thing you need to consider is that these courses, as flexible as they may be, need to be fulfilled within a certain number of hours. Once you start to enroll, the classes would end as indicated and if you fail to complete the required number of hours you would not be eligible to get a certificate of completion. So that would mean you have to repeat the entire thing again.

In terms of budget, most courses online are relatively cheaper. Some even include the references already with the tuition you have to pay. Nevertheless, you should still take some time to look through your different options so you can avail of the best deal that you can possibly get out there.

Step 3 – Evaluate the school and the programs

Aside from looking at the time and the tuition fee, you should also consider the school where you will be getting the said course. Make sure it is duly recognized by the government especially if you are thinking of finally completing your college degree. The last thing you want is finishing a program which cannot be credited as formal education. This is very important especially since you are probably going to apply for a job in the corporate world.

Of course, you should also take your time looking through the entire course outline. Make sure it covers all the important points that you need for the job you are planning to apply for.

The Benefits of Taking an Online Course

Taking an online course has so many distinct advantages. The next time you see an online course offering, you might want to think twice about disregarding it. If you are looking for a way to boost your career, this might be the perfect opportunity for you to do so. Jobs these days also take into consideration your educational units apart from the work experience that you have. This is usually true for corporate jobs.

Online courses are cheaper – Compared to degree counterparts that are being run inside a typical classroom setup, getting an online degree is cheaper. Some people think online courses are cheaper because of the lower quality education. But that is not true. The reason why it’s not that costly is because these courses do not require laboratory fees, textbook fees, and other miscellaneous stuff you often have to cover when you pay for typical courses.

Most of the resources that are offered through these courses can be downloaded online. Some are also included with the tuition fee.

Flexible study time – You don’t have to abide by classroom time because you will be given the freedom to choose your preferred time. This means you still have an opportunity to do other things such as tend to your family or work for a sideline while studying. This is also why people who currently have a full time job choose to enroll in an online course. They know that they could find a way to juggle between work and school if they choose to do so.

At this rate you also get to study on your own terms. You can learn the lessons at your own pace. You just need to make sure you get the deadlines covered so you don’t miss any important submission date.

No bad weather conditions – Hurricanes, typhoons, and the probability of being stuck in an earthquake, will not affect your schedule. If you decide to learn online you would not experience class disruptions just because of a natural phenomenon. At least you can be sure that you are always safe when you start and end your classes because you do it at the comfort of your own home.

Transferrable credits – Online courses work pretty much like normal classroom setups. This is the best advantage that people who would want to finally finish their degree can draw out from online classes. If you want to still end up experiencing a live class, you can actually format your degree course scheduling in such a way that you will have some online courses for a specific period of time and complete the rest in school.

Just make sure that the university or school where you have earned your online degree is the same as the school where you would finish it in person. It would even be much better if you would have your online class from the college or university where you previously enrolled and just have to drop out from for personal reasons. This would make it easier for you to have your previous subjects credited.

Making Correspondence Courses a Successful Endeavor

Correspondence courses make learning possible, regardless of your location. Through this method of learning, more and more people are now being given the chance to finally finish their degree or learn a new skill without worrying about time and place. What's even better is that correspondence courses are often more affordable than traditional courses because you no longer have to use the facilities of the institution. Most of the time, you will be working on modules sent to you through online means.

For those who are used to studying in a structured setup, it might take some adjustments to get used to correspondence courses. Here are some tips that would help you take on the challenge of distance education.

Learn about the internet and some computer software applications - As mentioned, most of your lessons would be sent to you through modules. This being said, modules are often referred to as downloadable files online. You might already learn about the technical stuff you are likely to face when you start looking at your course outline. Soon as you see the necessary software that you have to use, tinker with them and try learning them especially those that make use of documentation. You would need to use these especially when going through your lessons and also creating paper works.

Since you are mostly going to learn using the internet, now's the time to upgrade your connection. Make sure you have either a broadband or DSL line. Even a wireless internet connection would do, just make sure that it can load websites and email pages fast because you might run the risk of using up too much time downloading web pages and files instead of actually getting down to work on them.

Practice what you learn - That's the beauty of distance learning-you have more control of your time. So when you are not learning or you are not trying to fulfill your other duties at home spend time to apply what you learn. This is especially true for technical courses such as accounting, computer science, or graphics design. Use your extra time to hone your skills so that you can also clarify some glitches experienced with your instructor the next time you go online to begin your sessions.

By practicing what you learn, you also unconsciously review your lessons. This way you can spend less time preparing for examinations because you are actively putting those theories you learned into good use.

Create your own private space - Learning at home can be a double-edged sword. While you may have time on your hands, it would also mean more distractions. This is why it's important to have at least a small room dedicated to you so you can freely start your lessons there without worrying about getting distracted with noise and other things happening inside the house. Having your own private space would also allow you an area where you can keep all of your study-related documents.

You should also designate a specific time when you will be starting your correspondence courses and let this be known to people who live at home with you. This way they can take an active part in making sure that you get your space and the silence you need to concentrate for school stuff.

You can also schedule your classes during the time when the kids are not at home so that you have lesser chances of getting disturbed while doing your work. You can also look into the possibility of hiring a baby sitter for them during your school hours so you can freely study in the comfort of your own room.

Practical Career Development Tips

Career development is something that you work on throughout your lifetime. So long as you are still employed or have a business of your own, you need to understand that developing a career is something that you need to do over a long period of time. You have to be conscientious and consistent in your ways.

To help you out, here are some tips you can use when you are working towards career development:

1. Have a Plan and Track Your Progress

Most people enter into a job without any agenda in mind. For most new employed people, their only goal is to be out of the unemployment percentage and finally earn a regular paycheck. While this may be acceptable, the first 6 months should serve as your personal evaluation period.

Notice how most companies implement the 6-month probationary period? This is the time they will give you to adjust and also to cope with the changes happening in your work. After the 6-month period, that's the only time you will know if you will be a regular employee or not.

You can also use this probationary period to assess your fit for the position. Do you enjoy it? Do you see yourself still doing the same thing more than a year from now? Would you want to hold a managerial position in the same company? Are you satisfied with your job and the employer so far? The good thing about having your first ever job is that you still have plenty of years to spare to try other things-that is if you are also a fresh graduate.

2. Work With Your Mentors

The workplace is filled with all types of people-those who can either make you or break you. Yet mentors are always a constant part of the population but you just have to be smart enough to figure out who your mentors will be. Mentors are those who are interested in your personal and professional well-being.

Finding a mentor is a matter of instinct. You will immediately feel a certain inclination towards the person but make sure that this was based on his professional demeanor. A mentor may or may not be your direct supervisor, but he should be someone who inspires you to work hard and achieve what he probably has achieved as well. Overall, it's your mentor's hard work and work ethic that should inspire you to look up to him.

You would know that you have found a mentor if he constantly gives you advice how to make things better. Ultimately, this person is someone you can trust and would tell you upfront what you need to know without the need to sugarcoat things.

3. Organize Your Workspace

Most people take for granted what their side of the cubicle looks like. It's also not uncommon to find people scrambling to clean up their cubicle when audit season is just around the corner. But you should really strive to have your files organized so you can avoid losing important documents as well as losing track of your deadlines. Your workspace also becomes a reflection of who you are. You definitely wouldn't want to be judged by strewn papers and a table that looks so gray from dirt.

Continuing Education for a Growing Business

One of the best perks you can give your employees is continuing education. In business, investments do not only come in material form. You can also find them in people. Continuing education works more than just empowering your business but it also allows you to have a worthwhile contribution in the business. There are plenty of good trickle-down effects that this kind of business investment brings.

Knowing the Benefits of Continuing Education

Whether your business is small-scale or already an enterprise, learning is as much an integral part of any organization as change is. Individual employees would be empowered professionally and personally. When you give them trainings, they become skilled in more ways than one and that can also cause them to be personally confident in getting the job done. Their values and attitudes towards their work can also be positively affected.

When you have a group of individuals all working towards the same goal and knowledgeable enough to know what the job demands, you in turn develop a productive community. With this team in place you can have innovative new solutions for existing problems and even new product or service offerings for your target market.

Finally, you become a main contributor to a growing economy. You strengthen business by showing the world that the industry you are in is promising and you can carve a niche for your company in the process. It then becomes a full cycle of profits starting from investing on people who are essentially the lifeblood of your organization.

Direct Effect of Continuing Education on Employees

You can feel the positive effects of offering continuing education as early as the recruitment period while hiring your people. People who see that you offer a chance for them to ramp up their knowledge will definitely take it as a good sign for joining your company. It also helps give a positive image to your company as an entity that knows how to take care of its employees and knows that they have a direct contribution to the overall success of the business.

When employees know that you take care of their personal growth they are also less likely to find another company to join. This can help prevent high attrition rates which actually affect the business image not to mention your day to day operations. It can be troublesome to keep on training people to handle a specific task especially if it involves meeting clients.

Also, management changes may happen in your business at one point or another. You should also know that change often happens inside the company and the best way you can introduce this is by upgrading the skill-set of your employees. By providing people with the right training ground you also prepare them to face perhaps an upgrade on technologies, on the new products you are offering, or as a means of personally preparing them to handle bigger responsibilities in the company.

These days there are many companies that offer specialized continuing education. Through their programs, you might find a suitable plan that you can implement in your company. Of course, you can also think of this as an added cost to your company but as earlier mentioned, it is an investment. So when choosing the company to train your people, make sure you go for those who have already proven their world in the field of management training and business training.

Career Training Tips for You

Getting a career training is a good way for you to jumpstart your skills. This is also advisable for those who are currently mulling over a career shift. Nobody is ever too old to go back to school to retrain and acquire new skills for work.

There are just a few important tips you need to consider before you get into a training school.

Identify your purpose - For those who will be funded by their employers, this is not much of a problem. But if you are among those who are simply going to pay for your own education, you have to plan first before plunging into a career training. What do you hope to achieve? Where will you use what you will learn? These are important things to consider because your career training will be identified by your professional goals.

Location is important - If you are currently working, you might want to choose a location that's near your place especially if you plan to go to the training straight from work. But if you are simply getting there on weekends, choosing a training school near your home might be better. This way you can really work around the schedules to your current one.

Know the completion time - Most of these career training modules require a number of hours before you can get a certificate of completion. The good thing is some schools would give you the liberty to adjust your completion time according to the schedule you have. This way it will be easier for you to attend to the training sessions even if you currently have work or other commitments. It is also important to know the allowable schedules for you to choose from.

Know the cost of training - For those whose training will be paid for by their employers, it is still important to try to know how much the training will cost you. This is because some employers will subject you into a bond for the training you get and if you have plans of leaving soon, that might have some legal and financial implications for you. If you are funding your own training, this is certainly important so you can set funds for this aside from the bills and other important monthly expenses you are currently taking care of.

Evaluate the course outline - Before you even thought about taking this career training, you might have already encountered specific concepts that you know you have to learn. Check if those things are covered in the course outline of the training offered. This is also why you need to lay out your purpose and goals before getting into the training so that you would know if your purpose is going to be fulfilled by taking this training.

Know who the instructors or teachers will be - Most career training courses these days also put a prime on the person who will facilitate the sessions. The more popular the person is, the more likely the course will become costly. Besides, this would also allow you some time to research about the instructor and check out his background. This might also help you get more pumped up for the training and prepare any questions you may have for the instructor.

Career training is important to help boost your success at work. Take one now to help you find better employment opportunities or finally get the job you've always wanted.

Finding a Distant Learning Course for Hobbyists

Hobbyists can now learn a new skill or possible career move through distant learning. Whether it’s learning to use the camera, understanding how to tend a garden, or learning the basics of cooking, you can find a good course that would fit your interests. The nice thing about online courses is that they are flexible. So even if you have a full time job or currently staying at home to watch over the kids, you can work out a schedule to accommodate this new chapter in your life.

There are many different things that you should consider before taking up an online course though. Among them is time. While online courses are flexible, you will be given the opportunity to choose which schedule would work best for you. Once you choose this schedule make sure you can follow it and it would really be the best time for you to work on this new hobby. Remember that these courses would require a number of hours for you to get your certificate of completion. Regardless if you paid in full, if you are not able to clock in the required number of hours, you wouldn’t be issued with the certificate once the course ends.

You should also evaluate the courses you want. It would be best to have more than one option so you can compare their features as well as their pros and cons. You can get a mix of referrals and researches you have done on your own. It would be good to scout for courses that are held by institutions near your area. This way if you need to take care of certain requirements in person, it would be easy for you to get to the place. This is also a good opportunity for you to check out the institution where your lessons would come from. At least you have an idea that the school does exist and is a legitimate business.

When you finally have your choice of schools, it’s now time to get down to business and evaluate them individually. Of course your first concern would be the cost. This is because you also have other things to pay for at home and since this is a hobbyist distant learning course, you might want to stay within a budget. When checking out the cost of the course it is also important to note what the inclusions will be. This way you will have a better understanding of what to expect with the lessons.

You should also look at the particular inclusions of the course in terms of the lessons. Does it cover the things you are most interested to know about? Also, most hobbyist courses are created for different types of learners such as beginners, intermediate, and advanced. A course for photography, for example, has a separate course for professionals and for hobbyists. Make sure you also take note of such divisions so you would end up enrolling in one that suits you and your purpose.

Once you have made your decision about the distant learning course, the next best thing to know would be the enrollment procedures and the payment methods offered. It would be best to be able to enroll personally, but there are also institutions who allow everything to be facilitated online. In cases such as this, check what online payment facility is being used so you can be sure your payments will be made safely. If you also have an educational insurance or are interested to use some funding, ask about these payment options to the institution so you can also avail them.

The Pros and Cons of e-Learning

e-Learning has become a popular choice these days for both hobbyists and professionals alike. Even those who have long wanted to finish a degree finds hope with online courses that are easy to sign up for. But you might be wondering, what is it about learning online that people find so much of an advantage?

The Benefits of e-Learning

Stay-at-home moms, people with a full time job, working students—what could be their common denominator? It’s that they have current responsibilities that they cannot just discard. With this in mind, they cannot attend school just like most students could. But this doesn’t mean that they don’t have enough extra time for other things because they do. It’s just that their extra time might only be during evenings or  the weekends.

e-Learning generally allows you to learn at your own pace and at your own time. Classes are not simply handed out to you but you are given the choice which class schedule would work for you. What’s even better is that sometimes, the instructors would simply give a deadline and allow you to learn through your own way. Just make sure that you can submit the requirements as needed.

Most e-Learning sites are also equipped with online forums. This way, you can meet fellow learners like you who have taken the said course. This can also be a good opportunity for you to have new business networks and prospects. If you are also taking up a hobbyist course, you can instantly be part of a community where you can practice what you guys are learning online.

Some Probable Cons with e-Learning

But you should know though that e-Learning is not exactly a perfect setup for everyone. For one, you are left on your own to study most of the time. If you don’t have anything against working on your own as opposed to working in groups, then it should be fine with you. Most of these online courses also offer their own references online but there are times when you are also left on your own to find good resources for your paper work.

Also, there could be a lot of distractions when you work from home. So if you want to learn online, you may want to have a separate room once you start your classes at home. This way you can prevent being distracted by your family members or whatever else might currently be going on inside the house.

Having so much time on your hands can also become a double-edged sword. Because you are totally in control of how much your lessons go forward, it can be easy to take for granted all the free time that you get from your instructor. This is why it is important to keep tabs on your current lessons and also have a constant reminder for yourself by having a planner. In the end, your discipline would surely be tested as you try to stay on top of your lessons.

There are a lot of pros and cons with e-Learning but in the end, it’s really up to you to try to make things work despite of all these. You should also plan things before trying to take an online course because it is also an added responsibility and an investment you should maximize.

Empowering Your Skills Through Adult Education Learning

Adult education learning is something that you ought to try if you are thinking of reviving your career or climbing the career ladder and make it a step higher. For folks who have graduated from school a long time ago, you should never feel that age matters when it comes to going back to school. This is also a good opportunity for those who may not have had the chance to finish college on time.

Various factors may take its toll on someone's education at one point in time. Usually it's about the financial capacity. A medical condition might have previously prevented you too from finishing your degree. Family issues might also be a reason yet adult education does not really take these things as important anymore. It doesn't matter which career you would like to pursue so long as you are willing and resolved to finally get the diploma you've always wanted.

Preparing for Re-Skills Training

If it's been years since you last entered school, there are a few important things to keep in mind so that you can prepare yourself. First, you must clearly define your goals. What do you intend to do and how do you think entering school will help you? Being goal-oriented will also help you cope in school because you are going to go through a series of school works and examinations which would all take its toll on you.

Another important thing to have as a trait is the ability to take directions. If you have been used to having your own way, that's going to be challenged once you re-enter school. You have to follow the rules and regulations implemented by the learning institution as well as your teacher within the classroom.

Thirdly, you should also be able to take constructive criticism. Your fellow classmates and your instructor would not always agree with your ideas. Sometimes, the way you do things will be questioned. You should also learn not to be too hard on yourself and let yourself learn things while still managing to enjoy the fact that you are back in school.

Benefits of Taking Adult Education Courses

There are many good reasons why you should take some adult education courses if you can. Among the main ones is that you can finally boost your skills level. What's even better is that these courses are flexible enough to fit into your schedule so you can end up juggling work with school effectively.

Also, adult courses are mostly done through distance learning modules. This way even stay-at-home folks would have no problems with education because they no longer have to leave home just to attend a class. This is also perfect for those who are always on the go. In the end, you can manage to learn at your own pace in the environment that's most suitable for you.

Despite its flexibility in schedules, most adult courses are still comparably cheaper compared with traditional classes. Some schools even offer their students the ability to adjust the number of hours that they can fill in for class. Most distance learning courses still offer some consultation days wherein the students are going to meet in a typical classroom setup.

There are many different institutions these days that offer adult education learning. In fact, almost every school within cities are capable of doing this. The only thing you need to consider is the course that you will be taking and how you are going to be able to maximize it after you have graduated from the course. Some offer special scholarship programs which you might want to get into.

What Makes Adult Learning Unique

These days, almost all schools and universities have started to implement adult learning. The main reason for this is because a lot of adults are getting more interested to enter into a refresher course or finally achieve the diploma that has eluded them in their earlier years. Even special learning institutions are now being set up to cater to adults who would want to boost their career much farther through additional skills training.

But more than the obvious reasons, could there be any other possible reason why adult learning is a successful endeavor to get into? Well, here are some characters among adults that help them cope just as great with the thought of getting back to school and facing the deal with home work, projects, and exams once more.

Autonomy and Self-Direction - Adults are more independent and have a mind of their own, so to speak. This being said, teachers no longer serve as main directors but sometimes just facilitators of lessons. They are just there to guide adult students into the lessons. More often than not, teachers even involve the adult students regarding which projects to undertake and which lessons to tackle to sustain their interests and goals in mind.

A Wealth of Experience - What also makes for more fruitful discussions between teachers and adult students is the fact that the latter already has a wealth of experience to draw from. Often times this is what makes lessons more tangible. Instructors can freely relate their theories and concepts with what actually happens at work or with what happens with their students lives. They no longer speak in tongues and they, in turn, simply foster the existing knowledge that adult students have.

Goal-oriented - Adult students enter into a course with a particular purpose in mind. This is also why setting up goals and objectives becomes imperative for adult instructors. They want to make sure that their courses are fine tuned to suit the needs of their students. As a bonus the lessons becomes funneled down and more specific. Theories and concepts are filtered to answer the expectations and to meet the demands of the students.

Through this, instructors are also given a clearer picture of what their roles as educators should be. Thus, relevance becomes very important and a must for all the lessons covered by the course. This is also the reason why you will find most adult education courses to be short yet condensed enough to cover everything important.

Cognitively interested - Adult learners come to school not with passive interest but with the need to satisfy their cognitive thirst. That being said, they know that they are there to learn something new because they have always wanted to or because they need to for career advancement. Adult learners do not simply come to school because they need to earn a degree. While that may be a reason for those who are yet to graduate from college, they also have the intention of getting a diploma under a course that they particularly like.

Adult learning is a decision that folks make for different reasons. Aside from career advancement, they might also do this because it's something that they never got the chance to do when they were still finding their way in a stable job. Some also wanted to do this to be able to expand their wealth of knowledge. But for whatever it's worth, adult learning is always focused and done because there is an end goal already in mind. It's not because parents say so or there's peer pressure. It's always because of a love for learning.

Practical Study at Home Tips

Your time spent manning the house can be better spent if you choose to study at home. These days, learning is no longer confined within the four corners of a classroom. Even if you are a stay-at-home parent or currently holding a job to augment your family’s income but would want to finish your degree, these are no longer a hindrance to learning.

Thanks to distance learning, you can now earn your degree straight from home. Distance learning makes use of lesson modules sent out to students. Usually, your communication with your instructor happens through the internet. There are some courses that also introduce a few days of classroom lessons on top of the online modules while some have classroom schedules for consultation purposes.

To succeed in this type of learning environment, there are a few things you need to prepare before you study at home.

Find a place just for you – While learning at home has the perks of being able to study at your own time and at your own pace, the flip side is that you are more likely to encounter distractions. This is especially true for moms who stay at home because the kids will always be there to give you some reason to break away from your lessons.

Your place should be big enough to have your computer, ventilation, and a table plus cabinet where your files can be stored. As much as possible, choose a room that’s farthest from the living room and somewhere the kids wouldn’t be able to go as easily.

Plot a workable schedule – Of course, studying is not the only thing that your schedule would have to consume. The beauty of distance learning is that the lessons can actually adjust to whichever schedule you would want to have. This way it would be much easier for you to consider how you can get off from work or how you’d manage your time when the kids are still in school.

Look at the number of hours that your course would have. Then look at the actual free time you have on a weekly basis. While it’s often more workable to study at home during the weekends, especially if you have a full time job, you should also consider the fact that the gap between your lessons might be too long. Also, that might mean that it would take you a longer time to complete the said course.

Consider the fees – Like your typical school, you also pay for tuition fee and other expenses when you choose to study at home. What’s good though is that there’s a chance that the fees would be cheaper because you no longer have to use the school facilities for the lessons. But since you are most likely spending for other things too, make sure you consider the payment modes being offered. There are distance learning courses that can also be paid in installment modes.

Also, check the list of fees that you would have to pay for. Make sure that you fully understand the details. After all this, is an investment.

Choose the institution wisely – As much as there are a lot of training centers offering a short course online, you can’t deny the fact that there are scammers out there as well. You might experience getting lured with lower costs but do your own research too. Make sure that the place where you plan to get your diploma course from is a reputable website. This way you can be sure that everything will be accredited, especially the diploma which you would most likely earn.

The Advantages of Diploma Courses

Diploma courses are a great thing these days because they give you a lot of advantages and fringe benefits. If you want to learn more about technical stuff, it would be best to enroll in a distance learning course instead. Most of these distance courses work through modules. These modules are often sent through online means. You would need to simply download the files so that you can see what your lessons are for that particular day.

Just make sure you choose your institution wisely. You can read up online reviews to check how credible some of these technical training institutions are. You can also check with the authorities if they are duly accredited. But of course, the best way still to choose the training center is to consider those who are affiliated or under a university or college around your area.

If you are still toying around the idea of diploma courses, here are some more benefits that you can enjoy when you enter into one:

Earn while studying – When you study from home, that means your schedule is most likely based on your availability. Unlike studying at the school itself, you would have no choice but to attend the classes as they are scheduled. Before you start with your online schedules, you would already be given the chance to choose which schedules you prefer. Sometimes classes can be held during weekends or choice days during the weekdays. So that would mean that you can still allot some time to earn on the side.

No difference in academic standards – Some people think that when you are on distance learning mode, you would not have the chance to get the same prime in education as traditional courses have. But in reality, there really isn’t much difference. The units you will get credited plus the diploma you will earn are pretty much the same. Even the university’s seal will also be affixed the same way on your distance learning diploma. This is why it is important to choose your school wisely especially if you plan to take diploma courses that are on the technical side.

Learning at your own pace – Most of the modules being sent through diploma courses are given a specific deadline. Most of the time, you are left on your own to self study and absorb the theories that you learn from the lessons. This allows you to pace your learning and understand everything according to your own pace. This way you can fully absorb the lessons without having to put too much pressure on yourself. This is also ideal if you have work or is the homemaker in your family. This would allow you to focus on other important things that are also important in your life.

You can save more – Let’s face it, there are also cost-efficient benefits that can be enjoyed through distance learning. You no longer have to spend for everyday allowance because you learn right in the comfort of your own home. There will be no need to allot something for commute or gas, or even some allowance for food. Whatever you spend for your education is something that would directly help you in your studies such as tuition fees and materials for your projects.

If you want an easy and economical way to boost your career, that’s easy to do through the help of diploma courses. There are many benefits that it could give you even if you are considering to enroll in a technical course. Just make sure that you make the right choice and that you end up choosing a school that’s accredited.

Distance Education Courses About Writing

Regardless of what job you have, writing is always part of it. It is an important skill that you don’t just end up using to fill up forms and write your name on different types of paper—you can also earn so much from writing alone. But if you are a busy person who has no extra time because you spend all your time on your work or take care of the kids at home, you can still try to learn about writing for profit via distance education. There are different types of writing courses that you can take and here are some of them:

Business Writing

Corporate employees still end up enrolling in business writing courses. With so many emails being sent and proposals being drafted, business writing is an essential tool to propel the business forward and also present yourself as a professional to both your colleagues and your clients.

You can also learn how to write good memos. If you aspire to be at the top of your game, this is something that you should also prepare for since you are going to manage a group of people. Business writing is important because it gives you the confidence to communicate through digital means. It can also help you when training subordinates and when initiating change management in your organization.

Web Content Writing

Just because you can write doesn’t mean you can easily write content for the web. One thing you need to remember is that online audiences have short attention spans. There is the easy distraction of so many visual information coupled with the temptation to click on a new tab. Writing for the web has to be concise and clear enough to be understood. When you write web content, you don’t just write for yourself. You actually write for an audience.

Another thing worth learning when it comes to web content writing is search engine optimization. This is a bit on the technical side because you will need to make use of keywords and be aware of keyword density when creating your articles. It might take some time to get used to writing using keywords, more so when you also have to use key phrases within your articles. Search engine optimization is fast becoming a primary requirement when it comes to web content writing because it means online visibility for a website.

Proofreading and Editing

Aside from writing articles from scratch, you should also try getting a distance education course on proofreading and editing. It’s a notch more challenging than writing because you have to be knowledgeable about syntax and grammar. You should also be able to check for consistencies in the article and think about the reader rather than the writer. But in the end, your proofread and edited articles should retain its meaning. You should not edit too much such that the writing style of the original writer becomes lost.

It takes a lot of practice to learn this. It also takes a lot of theories and concepts to learn the parameters of proofreading and editing. While taking on such studies you can easily apply what you learn from your own work so it really becomes a supplemental knowledge rather than a passive one.

With so many distance education courses offered online, you just have to make sure that you choose your options wisely. You should also consider the time it will take for you to complete the entire course. Also, take note of the fees that will be collected when you start to learn online and if you will be given the chance to plot your own schedule.

Distance Learning for Business Owners

Aside from looking at sales investments for your business, why not consider the possibility of distance learning as an investment? These days, you need to be competitive in more ways than one if you want to make waves about your business. Good thing distance learning also created several types of courses fit for small business startup owners who are looking for ways to jumpstart their business and take care of their profits. Consider the following course topics when you decide to learn something new:

Marketing – Perhaps this one of the most important things you would want to learn. There are many ways of marketing these days and the word itself can also mean a lot of things when it comes to business. It’s not just about positioning yourself in the playing field nor making it known to people that you have spectacular goods and services that are currently being offered.

Marketing can also mean studying your competition. It might also mean observing the trends in the industry. More than just focusing on how to reach your customers, you should also be able to use marketing as a means of making your own niche in the industry and doing ways to protect your hold on your client base.

Internet Marketing – Gone are the days when traditional marketing is all it takes to get word out for your products and services. Most small businesses these days actually start to make a name for themselves online. These days there are so many ways for you to market your business online and these strategies range from free ones to those which for a limited investment would already give you the results you need.

These days, e-commerce has drawn so much attention mainly because most people need their goods and information fast. The nice thing about internet marketing too is that it is a platform that’s so easy to tweak yet you can reach as many target base as you can. You can immediately go global without having to consider too much logistics—except for shipping arrangements.

Entrepreneurship – Anyone can be a businessman, but not everybody is an entrepreneur. Thanks to distance learning, it has now become easy for most people who wanted to become business entrepreneurs to know the basics and the concepts that would help them achieve longevity in their chosen industry.

By enrolling in this class, you would learn how to craft business ideas that last. You would also know how to present yourself among your clients and colleagues. Aside from building a business, entrepreneurship classes can also teach you about strengthening its foundations through business strategies such as market research and product pricing.
Financing Methods – Part of every business is allocating resources to keep overhead expenses and of course, prepare the proper tax deductions. You might have an accountant to do all these computations for you but you should also be able to check the balance books yourself. This way you can double check if your people are preparing the right financial records.

Everything that involves money in your company should also be double-checked by you. At this point what you simply need is the services of an accountant who can help make sure that you are remitting all the right taxes to government and on schedule.

Distance learning is a really useful tool that busy startup owners like you can take advantage of. You just need to plan what you want to learn and also look at your choices in terms of the courses offered as well as the budget you would need to complete the entire course. Of course, remember to see if the time would fit your current schedule.

Getting a Diploma Course to Beef Up Your Resume

Getting a diploma course these days is primarily being done to get additional skills that can make your resume more appealing. With so many programs being offered today, it’s good to know which ones you really need so you can get a foot in the door of your preferred job.

General Skills

These are also known as people skills. In a resume, the general skills are often listed under the “Other Skills” section or are already described in brief under the “Objective” portion that’s found on the first page. If you have generic skills, they might not look that attractive if you only put that you have people skills or have experience working in teams. What can potentially attract attention are the training you could indicate.

These days, you can take a short diploma course to obtain skills such as effective business writing, managing people, even doing administrative tasks. Should you decide to undergo these things, you can finally include them under a separate portion of your resume—the “Trainings Attended” section. This is better because employers would consider this alongside your job fit for the position you apply for.

The good thing about general skills is that they are often available as short courses. Some can even be taken in just a whole day’s worth. This can also be an opportunity for you to increase your network and meet new people in the same profession as yours.

Technical Skills

This is mostly related to software usage and operating certain machines in the office such as fax, photocopier, and even basic telephone skills. Depending on the job you wish to apply for, you can take a diploma course of documentation and graphic imaging to help boost your resume. There are many different types of diploma course that cater to technical know-how and some of them may even be taught online.

For those who wanted to work in the professional fields of engineering and accounting, there are also plenty of diploma courses that you can choose from. For accounting, you can find an online diploma course though engineering short courses are often facilitated face to face.

When choosing your technical course, make sure that this would really help you in your career or it is something you are highly interested in. These courses can be a bit costly but it can turn out to be a really great investment for you to have.

Academic Skills

Want to have a Masters Degree but thinking you have no time to do so? Through a diploma course, this would now be possible. Though employers often look at your work experience more than they look at the educational skills, of course it is usually a prerequisite to have a diploma to be eligible for most positions in the corporate world. If you have a Masters Degree to show, that could boost your application a lot more especially if you want to get hired for a managerial position.

Most online courses are facilitated through modules and there are also those which only schedule a few days in a month to have a face to face class with the instructor. When getting an online diploma course for a Masters Degree, it’s best to get one from your previous college so that you can credit your college records easily.

Choosing Among e-Learning Courses

With so many e-learning courses to choose from these days, how would you know that you will end up with the right one? There should be some planning involved before you take on any new e-learning course because this is not just something that you do to pass the time. More than anything else, it should be viewed as an investment—a way to boost your career, or to shift into some new profession you have always wanted to try.

Qualifications – If you are thinking of making a career shift and using online courses to make that possible, the first thing you ought to look for are qualifications. What do you need to improve with your current skills that would make you suited for the new job you have in mind. For example, if you are currently a computer programmer who wants to try the world of web design, what necessary software programs would you need to learn? Based on this, you would know which e-learning course to take.

As you choose your online course, make sure that you will get a certificate of completion. It doesn’t matter if you are simply attending a short course or finishing a degree, the best e-learning courses are those that give you a certification because this is the biggest point of distance learning.

Modules and Instructors – Though most e-learning courses are taught through the internet, there are still some classes which require a weekly or monthly face-to-face meeting with your instructor. This might be best for those who wanted some technical course to complete so that you can also have the opportunity to talk to your instructor and have a one-on-one demo about the lessons you want to clarify.

It’s important to know what kind of modules would be downloaded because you have to consider its compatibility with your computer or laptop. You should also note the flow of module downloads and if there are additional online resources which will be offered within the course. Some online courses would also make use of podcasts so you might want to get yourself familiar with that.

Assessment – Just like how it is with class, even e-learning courses also come with examinations and other types of assessment methods. It would be good to know what these are so you would know the basis of how your instructors grade you. You have the right to know this as well as the amount of school work that you would have to accomplish.

Ask about the number of hours required for you to get your certification. Some schools are quite strict when it comes to this so you would need to monitor your attendances even if just means logging online during your class schedules.

Reference materials – Expect different reference sources when it comes to e-learning courses. You can experience downloading PDF files, podcasts, or even video tutorials. At least this is better than letting you out on your own to find your references. Some courses would even give you an exclusive access to their online library so you can search for study materials on your current lessons. The really good ones are those that have an online forum where fellow students can converse and discuss about current lectures.

Ornithology: The Science and Study of Birds

Ornithology as part of Environmental studies started as early as the time of the Greeks. Greeks are responsible for the term Ornithology and the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote books pertaining to birds, their habitat, migration instincts and evolution. Ornithology has played a significant role in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution as it was founded on studying birds, their habits, migration, and adaptive change due to nature.

Ornitha by Greek definition means chicken and logos meaning word or science. Yet modern society has been accustomed to refer to poultry for chickens and the study thereof and ornithology to be the study of birds in general. The study of birds includes the classification system developed by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758.  There are 174 families and 30 orders that divide the 9200 known species as defined by his classification. There are two major groups for which birds are classified into: ratites and non-ratites or birds that are not capable of flying and those that are. Flight is evident only for birds with an extended appendage or what we call wings.

Today, Ornithology is no longer taken as strictly a science for formal studies. It can also be taken up as a hobby to include bird watching to learn about birds. It is with that that Bird Watching Clubs have been organized the world over. It includes banding birds and observing them whether they are in captivity or in the wild. Learning about bird habitat and migration are important to understand birds as there are over 10,000 species around the world.

Individuals who have the passion and love for birds and their habits and life cycle have come to be known as birders. There are different types of birders depending on how much you would like to spend your time being associated with birds. Birders can be either one of the following: bird watchers, backyard birders, true birders, twitchers, citizen scientists and ornithologists.

Bird watchers enjoy the sight of birds whether they are just sitting at their backyard, in the park, at the beach, or even when they are just travelling.

Backyard birders enjoy the site of rare species of birds that are not familiar in their locale. This is the easiest birder to be as you need not have or require special equipment except using a binocular. It may be the first step for you to be a bird watcher, but definitely not the last, as one may become addictive to seeing different types of birds.

True birders delight in observing, studying, and seeing new species. Behavior, habitats and personalities are part of the birder's notes while observing and bird watching. Their knowledge is coupled with photography and travel. Their hobbies may include birding marathons.

Twitcher’s twitch when they see a new bird. These then become their favorite. Their passion is to seek more birds that they can add to the list that they have already seen. The lists they keep contain the bird type and the location.

The citizen scientists are often active in multiple bird education events. The lists of birds they have seen and accounted for are reported to organizations to ensure and promote bird conservation.

The ornithologist is the most professional birder. A person needs advanced scientific training for anatomy, behavior, bird species, and physiology. Educational advancement takes years and lots of research projects for a person to be called an ornithologist.

The birds under observation by all types of birders are never considered pets. Birders practice birding ethics and integrity to ensure and preserve the well-being of the bird they are observing. Observation means not interacting with the birds. Distance is the key. Birds, just like human beings, need personal space. Just like with anyone, it is also unhealthy for them to be stressed and stress means a disturbance in their nesting area or when they are being fed. Stress may also mean that fear would be invoked causing the birds to flee from their natural habitat and never come back.

Binoculars are coupled with zoom cameras and spotting scopes. Patience is the key to make the bird feel secure. At times, security means the birds may venture closer to the birder.  Birders should never ever attempt to touch a bird without extreme cause except in cases where the bird is injured due to falling off the nest. No matter how appealing the bird looks like, never fondle it. Even when birds are injured, handling the bird must be minimal. Recuperation must be done naturally.

Editing and Proofreading for the Office Environment

Why enroll in a course on Editing and Proofreading? Job opportunities for Editing and Proofreading include Writers, Editors and Proofreaders. Proofreaders take home around $19,080 - $51,110 annually, while Editors are paid about $49,990 - $95,490. And here’s the best part, Writer’s get paid about $53,070 - $106,630.  All opportunities are afforded for freelance work but let us not discount the fact that the office environment pays better especially when you work full time for a well established company.

Let us have a bird’s eye view of what it takes to be an editor or a proofreader. By definition and function, editing is different from proofreading. Editing is often times called revising. This entails that the sentence has a clear thought or content and the message one has to convey with the sentence and the paragraph would be understood. Sentences should be coherent and should have a continuous flow. Editing ensures that thoughts and points are interrelated and that the topics do not jump from one thought to the other. If there are several points or thoughts to stress, then there should be words, clauses and sentences showing the interrelation of such points. Else the reader would not be able to understand what is being stated or being delivered.

Proofreading on the other hand is more technical in nature. After editing and revising the essay or paragraph for thought content, proofreading would mean that the sentence, paragraph or essay does not contain grammatical errors, spelling errors and punctuation errors. The subject should agree with the verb. Should you need to use clauses commas and semi-colons should be used in accordance to what is sought for, as wrong punctuation may give a sentence a different meaning.

Both, proofreading and editing have the same aim which is to make sure that the document is free of errors and it reads better. Despite that, the difference in function may mean a difference of when both or either has to be done. Editing or revising is usually done after the document has been written to ensure that expression of the thought process and ideas convey what they are supposed to. Editing is but a continuous process needed throughout writing. This is done as words are carefully chosen and changed for sentences to be clear and concise. Proofreading is done at a later stage or more often than not at the last stage of writing. This is when all editing and revisions have been done. Proofreading is done when minor changes as to spelling and punctuation are the only thing left to do.

When it comes to the office setting, the degree of difficulty is afforded to both processes, unlike regular freelance editing where the degree of difficulty lies on the editing stage. Why is this so? It is easier to check documents for technical errors such as grammar and punctuation rather than check documents for content and thought continuity.

On the other hand, in the office setting, proofreading entails changing the words or should I say finding the right words to suit the audience intended to read the document and at the same time choose words that would not change the meaning of the content. This difference spells the difficulty of each process as defined by their function. Either way, one could not be without the other. Both processes work hand in hand to ensure that the document serves its purpose.

With new technology where computers have replaced typewriters (electronic and manual at that or even pen and paper if you wich) one does not have to re-write drafts and documents from scratch. Computers have also advanced so much that spelling, grammar and punctuation are done so with a click of a mouse.  The world of writing, editing and proofreading has only the imagination as its limitations and constraint. Should you want to learn more about such processes or even learn more about writing styles either for career advancement or for additional skill set, Editing and Proofreading courses are available both online and in schools offering formal educational courses. Remember though that in this field of expertise, reading is not only an advantage but it also is the best way for one to develop a broader knowledge of words, ideas, and thoughts. Writing, editing and proofreading is a skill enhanced by reading.

Poultry Raising

Poultry raising does not start with choosing baby chicks. It all starts with fresh grass and soil, electronet, and chicken tractors. What do you mean by this, you might ask? It's as simple as buying diapers, feeding bottles, and everything else that you need to purchase before the baby is born.

We need to learn about grass because this is the basic food that the chicks love to eat. Ensuring that they have fresh grass to munch on is productive to the chicken’s growth and healthier than feeding it with pellets. Oats and corn may be used to complement the grass intake and are healthier for the chicken than synthetic food. Food consumption should be within 10 – 15 minutes meaning, you have to give the chicks just enough for them to consume within that time frame or they would be overfed.

Tractors are movable coops which houses the chicks. This is an effective way for moving chicken to greener pasture from time to time. And it is also easier to clean than a coop as droppings may be used for soil compost thus helping the environment and the soil to naturally replenish minerals. Such a scheme leads to a better environment for grass to grow.

Electronets on the other hand are the cheapest way of containing the chicks. It confines them to a space where they can scratch, poop, and peck on small sections of land and most importantly, it acts as a security perimeter for predators. You may have healthy chickens free from any diseases but if you’re not able to prevent predators from attacking them then you’d end up losing your chickens just the same.

When you've learned about these three poultry necessities, you can now move on to choosing the right baby chick for your business. Do you know how long chicken's lifespan is? Or even how long they can keep on laying eggs if they are healthy? You might be surprised with the answer to both questions. Chickens by nature may live up to about 30 years and may lay eggs for about 18 years as long as they are happy, stress free and well taken cared off. When choosing chicks, you should also take into consideration, whether you are raising them for their meat or their eggs. If you are raising them for their meat then go for chicks that are bigger than bantams like broilers. Hardiness defines if the chick is suitable for winter or cold weather. It is the ability of the chick to sustain itself. There are chicks that have dual purpose profiles. They can be egg layers, and at the same time they can be meat birds. You can have additional reading for choosing the right chicks or you could also try enrolling in courses such as an Animal Care Course to have an in-depth knowledge of raising chickens.  Or, you could simply ask the retailers what type of chicken suits yourf needs and the locale you’re in.

And, once the fluffy balls arrive, make sure that they stay warm and happy. Remember, they are not pets. Over-handling the chicks may lead to premature death. Yet checking on them about 5 times a day is recommended. Be sure to allot 10 square feet per chick if this is their only space. Allocate 4 square feet per chick for their sleeping quarters and they have the freedom to move about in the morning. This will make the birds happy. The electronet is usually 42 to 48 inches high, but have to be spaced closely to prevent the chicks from escaping. Be sure to move the net often and mow the soil to ensure that the voltage does not fluctuate leaving the net ineffective.

Let’s talk about a basic necessity for a stress free chicken life that is often overlooked by poultry raisers, whether veterans or neophytes. Water is very important for chicken life, thus it is recommended to change drinking water at least twice a day especially when the weather is dry and hot. It is also recommended to elevate water containers to ensure that they would not be laden with chicken droppings as soiled water may cause unwanted problems.  Probiotic supplement may be added to the water as a precautionary measure.  Also remember that the water container should be separate from the bath water. If Oxine is available, try to put a drops into the water used for bathing. This will help kill the bacteria, if any, in the chicken bath especially when it gets soiled from chicken droppings.

Event Management: An Overview

Have you ever watched J Lo’s movie “The Wedding Planner”? If you did, the role she played as Mary Fiore would more likely give you an idea of what an Event Manager is or even what is meant by Event Management. If you haven’t seen it, hold your horses as we are about to define and give you an Overview of Event Management in layman’s terms.

Event Managers are sometimes known as Event Planners or any other term used to describe people whose work falls under the field of Event Management which is under Vocational Management Course.

Event management goes beyond planning. It requires budgeting and organizing skills. Everything has to come with a projected cost unless you want to go over budget. Honing your budgeting skills is the first factor you have to work on. Categorize your expense and work within the constraints of your budget. Categories of expenses may include: venues, Catering costs, Transportation costs, Décor expenses, Entertainment fees, Printing charges, Gifts, Other expenses and Contingency fund.

The first thing you have to think of is where you intend the event to be held, what activities are included in the event and how many are to attend the event. Planning the event requires scouting for venues and how much they cost. As venues may be costly, be sure to allot a portion of the budget on the venue alone. And when scouting for venues, be sure that the venue you find would be able to cater to the activities intended during the event. Example: it would not be wise to choose a lunch venue several miles away from a sporting venue if the afternoon activities you planned include sporting events as this would be additional expenses on transportation.

Catering costs account about 30% of the budget and includes not only food and beverage but also gratuities. Take time to consider the time of the day the event is to happen and what you intend to feed the guests and event participants. Example: Serving lunch for events that transpire in the afternoon might leave them either famished and you’d run out of food especially if you intend to have a buffet. There is also a possibility that you might end up with a whole lot of untouched food because they might have eaten prior to the event.

Transportation should be documented to show expenses for shuttles, and event transfers. The example we had on choosing the right venue discussed about minimizing transportation expenses so why should we still allot transportation expenses? These are contingency plans for unforeseen events. Example: venue change. When guests have been given short notice or have never been notified of venue changes, transportation should always be ready to transfer guests and participants to the new venue.

Décor expenses include centerpieces, tent rentals and flowers but are not limited to these items. Anything you need to buy or rent for the beautification of the event is considered under décor expense. Venue rentals at times come with the décor but the décor it comes with may not be sufficient for the event. Be sure to itemize this category when doing the actual event costing. Centerpieces can double as gifts or giveaways but be sure to announce such as for them not to be put to waste by forgetting to announce such to the guests and participants.

Entertainment fees should include equipment rentals and honorariums for guest speakers. Simple enough to understand yet giving an example would do us no harm. Example: the guests are free to sing and dance but you have to rent either the band or a karaoke. Or for sports events like basketball, tennis, badminton and the like, you may want to either rent of buy the equipment needed such as balls, and shuttlecocks.

Printing charges include program booklets, invitations, banners, signage and name badges.

When speaking of gifts, there’s a saying that goes “it’s rude to let the guests go home empty handed.” A little remembrance for the event is always something the guests and participants look forward to as they would like to reminisce the event with something tangible other than memories.

Other expenses include miscellaneous expenses that do not fall in any category.

Contingency fund is often about 20% of the projected expenses because whether you like it or not and no matter how good you are in planning and budgeting, there would always be charges that exceed the projected expenses.

The total projected expenses are what you give to your client that they may know the budget. The actual expenses is what builds your value as an events manager and planner especially if your actual expenses coincide with your projected expenses.

An Introduction to Personality Development: Connecting with People

Personal Development Courses offer so many programs when it comes to personality development: connecting with people. Connecting with people means a whole lot of things when we speak of personality development and may also mean another thing, relationships. Relationships defined as friendship, marriage, love, by choice, by birth and any other relationship that binds and connects people with other people. Relationships are bound by what makes them work out, why they go wrong, why they are precious and how to keep them. In other words, everything that defines a relationship is the same essentials that define a social network.

Social networking is founded on communication. Communication may not necessarily mean being verbal. Communication is founded on expression. Expression likewise does not necessarily mean being vocal and again, expression is founded on connection. Connection entails the ability to reach out, to understand, to accept and to have a harmonious co-existence with others, all characteristics of which is embedded in behavior.

Human behavior has a whole lot of factors that affect it. Culture, upbringing, nature, nurture, norms, religious affiliation, social orientation are but a few things to consider when behavior is accounted for. All these external factors are needed for one to understand why the person acted the way he or she did in a given instance. The bottom line is, individuals are as unique as they are and being unique their actions seldom conform to what we think should be. Harmonious relationships are founded on understanding in the broadest sense of the word regardless of whether we agree with the behavior or not.

People learn not solely from their own actions but learn also through observing the actions of other people.  This observation does not only help the person understand the other but it also gives him an idea of how he is to behave in later occasions. Such reaction and counter-reaction becomes the basis for social learning. When one offers his hand in friendship or any relationship at that, he at times does so with misgivings. If he senses a rejection, his hand is instinctively withdrawn. Social learning is dictated by such a norm: the reluctance of being open, the instinct of being rejected and the counter-action based on what we sense the other person does.

Social learning as part of Personal Development Courses has three basic concepts: 1) observation is needed for learning; 2) learning is based on mental states; and 3) change of behavior is not necessarily always due to learning.

The first concept stating that observation is needed for learning is just as we have explained earlier. It is human nature for one to observe the others’ action and counter-reaction and from there to learn. Learning does not mean following what has been done nor reacting to circumstances. Learning means being able to understand the circumstances warranted and from there learn what is the best course of action to take given the same circumstances.

The second step deals about mental states. Nurture as much as nature has a great effect on people much more on their behavior. Behavior in such cases are dependent on the environment and outside forces that lead to internal emotions such as satisfaction, accomplishment, and even pride. These emotions dictate behavior as much as these values have been inculcated into the person during their upbringing.  Behavior is dictated by how one feels about doing something. Satisfaction, pride and self-accomplishment are motivation factors too.

The third step speaks about changes in behavior as dictated by learning.  Learning can also be without any change in behavior. Confusing? Let us look at four processes that dictate human behavior namely: attention, retention, reproduction and motivation.

Attention has to be done fully without distractions else learning would not be so.

Retention is based on how many details you were able to remember when your attention has not been distracted.

Reproduction means being able to reenact or perform such behaviors that your were able to retain.

And finally, motivation, meaning the reason for you to be able to reproduce the behavior or at times the reason for which you would not like to repeat such action. This final step is the best way to explain how learning can be done regardless if we change our behavior or not, depending on the pros and cons of what the aforementioned behavior has taught us. It is with that that learning is a matter of knowing what to follow and what not to follow.

Distance Learning for Writing a Website in HTML

The internet is big and getting bigger. What makes it grow ever bigger is not the regular user who surfs the internet, nor the corporations with their big corporate websites and portals. What fuels the growth in the internet are the small guys who are putting up their own websites, blogs and internet accounts in social media sites.

Make no mistake about it, the internet is growing because of the enormous number of people who are putting up their own websites. These websites may have their own domain or they may be with accounts on major websites. Blog sites give the regular person the ability to have their own website up and running within minutes. A lot of bloggers don't even know how to create a website from scratch, but with the help of these existing sites and website software, they don't need to know how to write in HTML in order to put up a web page.

HTML or hypertext markup language is the scripting language used to write webpages. This is based on an older standard called rich-text format or RTF. Since it was first used, HTML has evolved a lot and now incorporate innovations which allow graphics and multimedia using its native format.

For beginners, creating a website without knowing HTML is a big help. At some point however, the website owner would need to customize their site. When he feels that it is time to revise the look and feel of the website, then that would be the time to begin studying HTML.

Learning how to write a web page is one of those things which can be done remotely. HTML was designed specifically for remote access. It is supposed to be stored on a server to be read off of a computer connected on the network. In the same logic, it just makes sense that you can study it via an e-learning module.

Of course, you can install a webserver software in your home computer, that would be a big step in testing a web page. This is not necessary in order to begin writing a website in HTML. But learning HTML as a scripting language is just the first part of studying HTML. What is more important is putting it on the internet using other tools and then testing how it performs when the page is on the internet. You should be able to test how fast it loads and what it looks like using various web browsers and computer operating systems.

There are software which can generate HTML code. Most word processors can also generate HTML code. These automated methods or HTML code generators usually have some additional code inserted which make for larger files. Additionally, when the code needs to be debugged, it is very important to be able to understand HTML. Only by looking at the HTML file can you see the errors and revise accordingly.

It is good practice to know how to write HTML code from scratch. The things you would learn include the webpage headers, meta information, as well as best practices in coding. Additionally, if you know how to code using HTML, you would make better use of HTML code generators later on.

Distance learning for HTML coding is a great way to become familiar with creating a webpage. With most tools already on the internet, you would be using the internet itself not just as a media but as a tool in making a living.

Getting Started on Digital Photography

There was a point in time not too long ago when some photography experts expressed the opinion that digital photography will never replace film photography. That was when the first few digital cameras came into the market. Although times have changed, and there is no longer any doubt that digital photography has practically replaced film, still the benchmark remains that of the quality of film as a medium.

In so many ways, digital camera manufacturers are still trying to re-create film with the latest digital camera scanning technology and software. Even as camera manufacturers are pushing for better and more advanced high-end cameras, they are also putting out more affordable point-and-shoot cameras for ordinary consumers. On top of that, cell phone, tablet and PDA makers are also incorporating digital cameras into their products.

What this comes down to is a proliferation of cameras in all shapes and sizes. All sorts of people are using digital cameras and are taking a lot more pictures than ever before. The funny thing about this is that even with all of the cameras in use, not everyone is interested in taking great pictures. For some, there is even the mistaken notion that all you need to take great pictures is an expensive digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera.

Truth is that learning how to take photographs is not that hard. As a skill, it takes proper instruction and lots of practice. Getting practice is a lot easier with digital photograph due to the immediacy of being able to view the resulting pictures. Additionally, it is a lot cheaper than film photography.

With regards learning photography theory, online instruction has shown to be at par with classroom or workshop instruction. One advantage is that there is are no time constraints. This allows the student to put more time and effort to come up with better pictures. Distance learning also gives the student the opportunity to take pictures from different diverse locations.

As mentioned, a lot of digital camera owners and photographers do not take the time to study the basics of photography. This leads to ordinary pictures where an experienced and knowledgeable photographer could probably get much better pictures. Besides learning how to properly take pictures, other digital photography topics include learning about the camera, the technology behind the digital photography, scanning, picture file formats, RAW file manipulation, special effects and introduction on computer programs for image manipulation.

These additional topics are what makes digital photography a lot different from film photography. Picture manipulation can be used to optimize the picture, as well as to create special effects. Picture clean up is also an important topic. This can range from  basic techniques like fine tuning the color, sharpness, skin tone, cropping and resizing. Advanced topics include photo manipulation, editing, and special effects.

To say that there is a world of difference between traditional film and digital photography is an understatement. There are a lot of things to learn about the art of photography and the science behind it. Being better informed and then capturing better pictures leads to better enjoyment of taking pictures. There is a criticism about photographers not being able to enjoy the moment because they spend the time waiting for and trying to capture the moment. However, knowing how to take good pictures, you can spend less time behind the camera and more time in front and immerse in the moment.

Psychology for Aged Care

Explore the complex range of emotional issues that confront the elderly – from dealing with the loss of a spouse to relationships with children and grandchildren ... and much more. This course was written by tutors highly qualified and experienced in the field of psychology and aged care.

Ageing is the process of growing old, and it is a gradual biological impairment of normal functioning. These changes have a direct impact on the ability of organs, such as the heart, kidney and lungs, and biological systems such as the reproductive and digestive systems. These all affect the organism as a whole.

What we mean by “old” has also changed over recent years. Due to medical advances, improved hygiene and sanitation, people tend to live longer. Our life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining at a given age – in other words, the average expected life span of an individual.

Our life expectancy is dependent on the country we live in, our health, and so on. For example, in countries with high infant mortality rates, the life expectancy will be different than in countries where the infant mortality rate is lower.

As people age, changes in their lives encompass everything from lifestyle to health, their capacity to do things, through to those activities they choose to pursue. This course helps you understand these changes, and the ways in which a counselor, career or anyone else might interact with and support an older person.

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE

Discuss theories of ageing and develop an understanding of the different stages of human development.

• Describe psychological impact of changes that occur as a person reaches old age.


• Understand the effect of physical health problems on older people.


• Describe the nature and scope of support services – including counselling – for the elderly.


• Describe a range of solutions that can enable an elderly person adapt to changed circumstances in order to continue performing tasks or pursuing interests that are becoming increasingly difficult.


• Explain how a variety of counselling techniques can be applied to specific grief and loss situations for counselling elderly persons.


• Develop a strategy for counselling an elderly person who has been diagnosed with a debilitating or terminal illness.


• Develop a strategy for counselling an elderly person who has lost a loved one.


• Determine when and how to intervene in the life of an elderly person.

This course aims to develop your understanding of the ageing process, and your ability to help others cope more effectively with their grief. It is designed to be useful for counselling, by other care professions or anyone involved with elderly people in any other way, formally or informally.

Ageing is the process of growing old. It is a gradual biological impairment of usual functioning. Mobility can gradually decrease, the need for medical interventions may increase and old habits may need to be modified.

There is more to ageing than just the physical changes though. Many other things happen as a person ages, which can (and does) impact on their state of mind. These changes generally require adjustments in both outlook and lifestyle. They may include a reduction in disposable income; change in residence, loss of peers (friends, colleagues) and loved ones.

1.      Understanding Ageing

Gerontology, what we mean by ageing. population ageing, the effects of the ageing population, theories of human development, Erikson’s Theory of Development, Levinson, theories of retirement, disengagement theory, activity theory, Atchley’s Model of Retirement.

2.      Lifestyle Changes

Relationships, relationships with children, relationships with partners (husband/wife), relationships with grandchildren, friendships, sexuality and older people, cognitive changes, intelligence, depression, determining type of depression, unipolar and bipolar disorder, causes of depression, risk factors for depression, men and depression, depression in older people, symptoms.

3.      Deterioration of Health

Physical changes – skin, hair, height, senses, reflexes, sex, eyes, chronic health problems, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, exercise, diet, nutrition, eating habits, pain relief, medication, stress.

4.      Support Services

Preventative services, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, complimentary practitioners, counselling professionals, other support services (e.g. Meals On Wheels, funeral services).

5. Enablement Techniques

Common risks for elderly, risk of falling, vision, hearing, nutrition, sexuality, techniques to maintain quality of life, driving a car, banking, shopping, house cleaning, gardening, socialising, pets, exercise, sport.

5.      Grief and Loss Counselling

What is grief, psychological aspects of long-term grief, family, work, financial pressures, loneliness, morality after bereavement, counsellors response and intervention, practical intervention, depression.

7. Debilitating and Terminal Illness

Dementia, kinds of dementia (Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia); strategies for counselling the demented client, communication, daily activities, sleeping difficulties, hallucinations and delusions, wandering, depression, terminal illness, patient’s response, anxiety, depression, guilt and anger, defence mechanisms, preparing for approaching death, practical preparations, emotional responses, responses of friends and family.

6.      Losing a Loved One

Importance of loss, assessment, role of the deceased, death of a child, stigmatised death, co-morbidity, counselling strategies, bibliotherapy, use of rituals, bereavement support groups, special therapeutic situations, traumatic, sudden, and stigmatised loss, ongoing support, social stigmas of suicide.

9. Ethics and Intervention

Barriers to aged care counselling, addressing the client’s needs, common legal and ethical issues in aged care, decision-making capacity, competence, informed consent, confidentiality, euthanasia, etc.