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Ten years ago, only large recruitment firms and big-budgeted corporations could afford to use resume screening software as part of their talent acquisition process. Job seekers who were applying to small-to-mid-sized companies were immune from the vagaries of these tools.

With the proliferation of the ‘software as service’ delivery model, this no longer holds true. Even fairly small companies can afford to adopt some kind of resume extraction, screening and management software, either directly or through a full-service hiring solutions firm such as Staffback Inc. This means that job seekers have to be much more savvy about the technology if they want to ensure that their resume gets noticed.

How Resume Screening Software Works

First of all, lets get the ‘Optical Character Recognition’ issues off the table. There are only a few companies who still scan paper versions of resumes, so if you are holding on to concerns about using italics, underlining, bolding and colour in your resume, you can let them go.

Today’s resume management tools are substantially more sophisticated than the OCR versions of old, and have the capacity to neatly handle a wide range of text-based formats and content. They typically include a module that extracts data from resumes, and an HR or talent management system that uses the extracted data to evaluate and rank qualified candidates.

The resume extraction tool uses advanced algorithms to scan your resume, identify text information, and categorize it using the rules of standard resume formatting. Data such as your name, address, telephone number, education, professional experience, years with each job, and keywords will be extracted and fed into an HR database such as Oracle, PeopleSoft, or SAP, or into a candidate tracking system such as Hire Desk.

The talent management database is the foundation tool for the candidate evaluation and qualification process, not your actual resume. Based on the criteria identified by the recruiter or hiring manager, each candidate that makes it into the talent management database is ranked in terms of how closely they match the parameters of the job. Factors that will go into this ranking include where the candidate lives, their years of experience, and most importantly, the appearance of specific keywords – the more keywords, the better the ranking.

In older versions of extraction and talent management tools, the keyword match had to be exact, and many candidates were inadvertently screened out because of spelling variations (AS400 versus AS/400, for example). Moreover, the software was fairly simplistic in its parsing capabilities – the keyword was either present or not present, there was no ability to judge the context in which the word was used. This meant that unqualified candidates were able to trick the system by loading their resume with keywords. Today’s advanced tools, such as Talent Technology’s Resume Mirror and HireDesk, have the capacity to parse and interpret meaning from entire sentences and phrases, which allows hiring manages to conduct contextual and parametric candidate searches.

Soon after the job is posted and applications begin to roll in, the hiring manager will generate a report with a list of applicants who meet a minimum ranking – the more applicants there are for a job, the more restrictive the hiring manager can be in setting the threshold for qualification. The report may contain small excerpts such as the summary from your original resume, but your actual resume may not get looked at in its entirety unless it makes it to the top of the ranking pool.

The Resumator, a new software suite launched early in 2009, cuts across the grain in this regard. Designed to meet the hiring needs of small to mid-sized companies, Resumator’s built-in logic mimics the way that resumes are read in real life, and the software has the ability to display the resume in its entirety. But it still uses data parsing and keyword recognition logic to identify qualified candidates.

What Job Seekers Can Do to Maximize Their Success with Resume Screening Software

Before I start this section, I want to state for the record that I am not an advocate of trying to beat the system. If you are applying for positions for which you are patently unqualified, I believe that you are doing a disservice both to your own job search strategy and to the people who are managing the hiring process. In fact it is largely because unqualified candidates keep applying in great numbers that companies of all sizes have been forced to resort to resume screening software.

Now, that being said, there are specific measures that qualified candidates should take to ensure that their resume gets scanned properly and makes it to the top of the candidate pool.

How to Make It Past the Resume Extraction Process

1. Submit your resume in a text format. A surprising number of candidates use graphics-based pdf files, which are viewed by the scanning software as nothing more than pretty pictures. Ken Winters, CEO of Staffback Inc., goes one step further. He recommends that you stick to MS Word, because its very universality means that it is least likely to cause reading and parsing problems for resume extraction software.
2. Don’t use graphics at all on resumes that are being electronically submitted. Extraction tools work on the basis of text recognition, so graphics are white noise that not only don’t get scanned, but can actually mess up the parsing process for the surrounding text.
3. Don’t forget your address. Some candidates think that by excluding their address they won’t be geographically limited, but in fact the opposite is true. One of the first screening parameters that hiring managers use is often the postal code or zip code, and if it isn’t present on your resume, you fall to the bottom of the candidate pool.
4. Don’t use Word’s header or footer options for key data such as contact information. These are outside of the scanned areas, and won’t get parsed.
5. Use conventional formatting for things like your telephone number, no spaces between the numbers, no fancy characters as separators.
6. Stick to standard layouts. While resume extraction software has greatly improved over the years in terms of the ability to recognize and parse a variety of formatting conventions, if you are too creative, the software may not parse your resume properly. Unless the response to the advertised job has been low, the recruiter or hiring manager is probably not going to take the time to fix the errors, and you will be dismissed as a P.I.T.A. candidate.
7. Use reverse chronological formatting rather than functional – it tends to parse with fewer extraction errors.

How to Stand Out in the Candidate Ranking Process

1. Tailor each resume to the specific job – one size most certainly does not fit all in today’s job market. Read the job posting carefully, and look for the keywords that are used to describe the job and the qualifications. These are an indication of the company’s thinking and will most likely be used to rank candidates. In fact some candidate-ranking tools will do a direct comparison of the entire job ad against the candidate’s resume.
2. Learn how to read the qualifications section. Many companies that are currently in recruitment mode are looking for candidates who can cover multiple skill sets, almost to be point of being unrealistic in their expectations. When faced with a long list of qualifications, know that some of them are must haves, and many of them are nice to haves. The higher up in the list of qualifications a keyword occurs, the stronger it is weighted in importance in candidate rankings, and the more likely it is to be a must have.
3. Incorporate keywords directly into the body of your resume, so that a context is provided for the word. Keywords that cannot easily be used this way can be listed in a separate table. Be aware however, that some recruiters frown on the use of a lengthy keyword table, and regard it as an attempt by unqualified candidates to trick the system. Keep your keyword list short (10 to 12 items), relevant to the job, and accurate in terms of being a key strength you have to offer.
4. Understand the principle of resume fatigue. Keep your resume easy to scan visually when it finally does get seen by a recruiter or hiring manager, and avoid look-alike formatting that you get from off-the-shelf and online resume templates. As one recruiter I spoke to noted, “I’ve had virtually identical resumes come in from multiple applicants for a single job. Not a good way to stand out, and shows a distinct lack of initiative.
5. Get your resume in early. In fact the earlier you are in the submission process (provided that you are qualified), the more likely you are to become the gold standard by which the qualification threshold is set for all subsequent applicants.

A Final Word on Job Search Strategy – Advice from Industry Insiders

While knowledge of resume extraction and candidate management software can give you a leg up, motivated job seekers should not rely exclusively on electronic submission of their resume to land their next great job. The laws of the hidden job market still apply, and candidates should be using a multi-pronged job search plan that includes direct applications, networking, cold calling, and relationship building.

Ken Winters advises candidates to make use of resources such as LinkedIn to create a network of contacts and referrals. Use your network to solicit recommendations where appropriate, it’s a great way of establishing credibility and letting people know that you are available for new opportunities.

Don Charlton, Founder & CEO of The Resumator describes a great job search strategy as one that uses best practices in relationship building and solution selling. A good salesman knows that there is a fine balance between being pushy and annoying, and creating positive connections. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to seek out the person who you will be making the final hiring decision. But be respectful of their time. You are offering a solution. Look, sound and most of all act like somebody who is solution-minded.

Karen Siwak, a Certified Resume Strategist, is a passionate believer in Resume Authenticity – if the words on the paper don’t feel comfortable coming out of your mouth, we’ve missed the point of the exercise.

She uses a highly interactive partnership with her clients to create job search documents that are true to her client’s voice, and has craft top caliber career transition packages for lawyers, medical professionals, corporate executives, scientists, law enforcement specialists, accountants, engineers, project managers, and administrative & operations personnel at all organizational levels.

Information about her company and her services can be found at http://www.resumeconfidential.ca

When you’re looking to expand your family and bring new light into your house, few options are as efficient as the introduction of a pet in to your home. With a new pet you introduce a new sparkle into your home whose faithfulness and affection is never ending. This aids to improve the wellness of a person as they become a lot more active and focused on the well being of a life which depends totally upon them. Before picking up your new pet nevertheless it is important to ensure that you have the best supplies obtainable to aid reduce your new friend’s transition into their new home environment.

One of the best pet supplies a owner can spend in is discovered with the pet bed. The pet supplies of beds help to form an atmosphere specifically for your pet to take pleasure in as they are transforming. For the dog the supplies of a dog bed would aid to designate a particular area for your pet which they could instantly become trained to use. Many dog owners delay the supplies purchase of a bed, permitting their new pet to sleep with them at first but this then turns into a hassle when you have to train your pet not to sleep on your bed. For cats the purchase of the supplies of a bed could assist in creating their own territory where they could rest in comfort while you’re out and about completing the day to day errands you are required to participate in.

These beds are just one example of pet supplies which are a must for the owner to aid in the fitness of their animal friend. Another important kind of supplies is discovered with the necessity of pet collars. Several pet owners view pet collars as a superficial feature for pets but there are pet collars that perform a real purpose for your animal. For dogs the utilization of pet collars is an essential tool to help your pet find their way home if they ever become loose from your house.

Even they are necessary harnesses to aid control your pet when you are walking or jogging them. For cats it may be recommended to utilize flea pet collars to help keep your cat safe from flea connected diseases and keep your house flea free.

The requirement of pet beds and pet collars are merely a few of the pet supplies a pet owner might need with bringing in a new animal to their home. Pet supplies function as a form of comfort for your pet and the limited selection many stores offer do not always represent your pet’s best interest.

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Having a collection of striking fish in your living room that are normally only found in the ocean provides serenity and is a great attraction for family and friends visiting your home. Although it may seem difficult to maintain or expensive to setup, having saltwater fish differs little from a normal tank.

One of the first steps in having a saltwater fish tank in your home is a review of your finances to determine that you have enough money to start and maintain your tank. Approximate start-up costs for a saltwater fish tank are around $500 (USD), which doesn’t include the cost of fish or the upkeep.

The next step is to determine where your tank is going to be located and what type and size of tank you are going to purchase. Some tanks are small enough to sit on a table, while others come with their own stands. Particularly large tanks may require structural support so that the floor can bear the additional weight. When choosing the location for your tank, keep in mind its accessibility in regards to cleaning and maintenance. You must also select whether to have a glass or acrylic tank. Glass is easier to clean, but you can drill holes in acrylic tanks that allow filtration to occur out of sight underneath the tank.

After purchasing your tank you must buy other needed equipment such as a filter, air pump, and heater. You also need to choose a bed for the tank and a saltwater mixture which will create the best conditions for your fish.

Once you have purchased all your items except your fish, assemble your tank and test it out to make sure it runs properly. Once you’re certain it works okay, continue to let cycle, making adjustments to get the tank to its optimal level for the fish you are going to purchase. Once this is done, it’s time to take a trip to select your fish. The ocean, where saltwater fish live, is the largest of all the water bodies. It’s home to millions of species – playful, colourful, savage and awe inspiring, and many of these varieties are appropriate and available for saltwater tanks. When you bring your fish home, keep the fish in the bag and place it in the tank. This will allow the fish to adjust to the temperature in your tank. After a few hours, add one-fourth cup of tank water to the bag to let the fish adjust slowly to the water, and within an hour, repeat this step four times. After that you can put the fish directly into the tank or hold it in a quarantine tank for a few days or weeks until you certain it is healthy and able to thrive in your tank water. This is highly recommended if you are adding this fish to a tank already housing other fish, as one sick fish can kill all the others in your tank.

Having a saltwater fish tank not only adds beauty but is also quite easy to do. Once you have purchased all your equipment, tested it out, bought your fish and attuned it to your tank, it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ease of keeping saltwater fish in your home and what they add to it.If you are looking for more information then please feel free to visit our site at [http://www.saltwater-fishtank.com/]

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Making money because of affiliate company internet marketing, aka “affiliate marketing” can be one of the uttermost gratifying endeavors you could ever begin. What’s great about this endeavor is that men and women can join and build their way to massive profits. Affiliate company internet marketing has been known to be an inexpensive, assessable system of achieving long-term profits. In reality, you can begin even with a limited budget. And with affiliate company internet marketing, you possess the advantage of working at home and experiencing the liberty and power of working for yourself.

But there are also various people who failed in this type of business. It could be because they lack understanding and tactics. If you are a web site owner and you desire to join in an affiliate company internet marketing business, you have to understand where to find great programs.

Clickbank, The Premier Affiliate Company Internet Marketing Program

Clickbank is a model site to begin. Here, you can discover one of the largest affiliate company internet marketing programs in the world. You simply need to visit their site, CLICKBANK and obtain a Clickbank ID. From Clickbank’s home page, advance to “Earn Commissions” and scan for the products and services that completely fit your goals. These products are normally positioned according to their reputation.

Clickbank is one of the affiliate company internet marketing programs that assists as a 3rd party between the web merchants and the affiliate company internet marketing associates. It is accountable in providing the technology to deliver the vendor’s offers and campaigns. The affiliate company internet marketing manager also does the job of gathering commission fees from the vendor and giving it to the associates involved in the program.

Clickbank provides you a large and successful organization of publishers or affiliates to tap into. To be more definite, Clickbank has more than 100,000 affiliate company internet marketing associates who are experts in locating targeted clients for your associate program. The explanation for why a large number of affiliates are becoming a part of Clickbank is probably because gaining commissions in this organization is absolutely fair and clear.

Becoming a Clickbank Affiliate Company Internet Marketing Vendor

For most people, applying for an account with Clickbank is so simple. All you have to do is sign up at their site for free and they will begin to sell your products. Maintain a web site that provides your potential customers detailed information about your offered product or services. At your website, you must also maintain a comprehensive technical support pages for your product. In return, Clickbank will promote and sell your product, give customer service for your product, allow their affiliates to pass on traffic to your web site, enable you to encourage new affiliates to advertise your web site, furnish real-time sales reporting for you and the affiliates and send you and all affiliates a paycheck twice a month.

Becoming a Clickbank Affiliate Company Internet Marketing Associate

If you’re a future affiliate company internet marketing superstar, you definitely will not have a problem becoming a participant of this network. First, you will need to place their link on your website and if you don’t possess a Clickbank account, you will want to complete the extremely simple affiliate company internet marketing registration form and create your own Clickbank account. Then, after you have created your username, you are at liberty to select whatever merchandising tools you desire to use in order to bring in more clicks and create more sales. After selecting business tools, you can now get your associate link.

That’s how easy it is to join Clickbank. But becoming a Clickbank super affiliate is no minor achievement. It means you need to possess the power to sell lots of affiliate merchandise. You also want to have knowledge in search engine optimization, email marketing, ezine marketing, reciprocal linkage, link exchanges and other systems of promoting your affiliate company internet marketing program.

Becoming an Affiliate Company Internet Marketing Superstar

Amidst the secrets to become affluent in affiliate company internet marketing is to come up with great content based website and put your associate links in all your content. Your primary objective here is to present your visitors with great quality content concerning the things they are engrossed in. Set aside the job of selling. It should be done by the sales letter page you are directing them to.

Promote multiple affiliate programs in your website but don’t promote everything the planet has to sell. Just select the affiliate company internet marketing programs that fit your site and concentrate on them. Then, it is smart to automate the entire process, giving you ample time for different ventures. Yes, automation is another key to becoming a top affiliate company internet marketing associate.

Of course, you have to expend more time in reading, learning and taking up the changes in affiliate company internet marketing business. Because of this, you’ll stay on top of the trends. If you are familiar with online marketing, you’ll realize how critical it is to stay up-to-date. In this type of business, what worked and what was accepted few months ago may not work at present-day. So always see to it that you comprehend what’s new in affiliate company internet marketing day-to-day.

Affiliate Company Internet Marketing Can Be Your Financial Vehicle

Even though it can genuinely be hard work becoming a super affiliate, you shouldn’t give thought to quitting. Keep in mind that in affiliate company internet marketing business, you want to develop perseverance, self-control and knowledge. These traits will enlighten you to carry on no matter how difficult the job is. Also, check your affiliate company internet marketing statistics. This will help you find out what is working and what is not. Make important changes if required but do it one at a time and be patient.

Don’t forget that in affiliate company internet marketing, everything won’t take place immediately. And it will not occur without blood, sweat and substantial time commitment. Again, simply encompass patience, persistence and knowledge; then do above mentioned tactics. Once you know it, you will begin gaining profits. Trust me, the benefit of all your efforts here in affiliate company internet marketing shall be way too sweet.

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To learn the gourmet cooking terms seems to be a must in the field of cooking. The gourmet cooking terms are of very much importance especially if you are currently enrolled in a gourmet cooking school, of course. But then again, the importance of learning these also goes the same for people who want to know more about it. This is despite of the fact the the application is much more important than in memorizing the terms. But to perfect the method, you should be familiar enough.

Learning What you Need to Learn

Throughout the internet, you can find a lot of sources on gourmet cooking terms. You may be able to be familiar with the term related to gourmet cooking but nothing beats the familiarity that comes with the practical application of those concepts. Below are some of the things that you need to do besides learning the gourmet cooking terms:

1. Get enrolled in a culinary arts school. If you are planning to be a professional chef, it would be a must to be in right process of your career. But if you are just seeking for some additional expertise but not a degree, these schools can be of great help in providing you the training and knowledge that you need.

2. Engage in culinary arts training and workshops. Training materials and workshops would really make a great help in the learning process. The terms and skills are all incorporated in training materials that you can get from gourmet cooking trainings and workshops. In addition, there are a lot of programs which could help you in acquiring the skills that you need. These programs can be learned right at your home. This is interesting since you do not have to leave your home to learn something.

3. Invest in your television. Aside from enrolling in schools and attending workshops on gourmet cooking, Interestingly, a lot of cooking terms can be learned right in your own television. A number of cooking shows often provide cooking terms that would also be helpful for you. Aside from the cooking terms, cooking shows also provide the procedures of gourmet cooking and some tips on handling the needed utensils and how to get the desired results in cooking your product. This, in a way, gives you a learning avenue at the comfort of your home.

With no doubt, the gourmet cooking terms can be searched easily using the internet. You can also find some useful tutorial on gourmet cooking over the internet. But then again, the fact remains that learning the terms of gourmet cooking is not enough. It is always the application that matters.

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Offering hand crafted children’s furniture online for sale is a terrific niche market. If you drill down a bit more you will find that you can offer items like tables and chairs sets, small bookcases and wall decorations. People love anything that is handcrafted and do not seem to mind spending money to make their kids rooms look great. Add the fact the children’s demographic is continuous, and you have a terrific market opportunity. Demand is strong for this market if you approach it with a good plan and a sensible mind.

Pros and Cons

Cons

First of all, anything that is hand crafted involves significant time. If you plan on making the items yourself, it can involve an amazing amount of time. I started out in this business out of the passion of creating something special. I quickly learned that the time to make each unit actually ate away at my bottom line because of the time it took to make the units. If your items are painted you have to contend with sanding, priming, painting at least two coats, artwork and sealing the project. Any shortcuts you can make will help cut down on your assembly time. If I were to coach someone through this process today, I would recommend having someone cut your parts or even supply everything you need. Anything you can do in this capacity will save you time which means you save money.

Pros

Just about everything today is made overseas. Finding good quality craftsmanship with a personal flair is getting harder and harder. You can build up a great following if you can offer special made items. Younger children’s items like tables and chairs do especially well. Targeting the right crowd of buyers also helps you sell for a better price. The “walmart” price conscious buyer is not who you are really after. Goods on the very high end also do well offering a higher margin but less frequency of sales. Of course this all is a matter of research. We made the habit of using commercial artists that were just starting out and willing to work for reasonable items. We would offer to name a line of products using their name and that had some good selling appeal. Who would not like having their own furniture line? (it reminds me of giving a person a title instead of a raise, but it does work)

Another technique that works well is outsourcing your parts after you develop a good feel for what is selling. There is nothing wrong with importing chairs or blank parts to help cut down your production time. Submit your own designs and many importers will build to your exact specifications. Finishing the product yourself using this technique can still be labeled with the handmade label. This is a powerful technique but you have to order parts in larger quantities to make it work best.

If you are thinking about setting out to specialize in this field, it can be very rewarding. Knowing the obstacles before you get into is, can make the difference between staying in the market or moving on to something else.

Ken Schulte is a contributing editor to http://www.routertabledepot.com as well as a coach for small business specializing in manufacturing.

Thinking of what education might look like in the next decade, one quickly realizes that the trends in technology are leaving a large number of our students behind. We no longer live in an age of visible movement when it comes to progress and innovation. Today is an age of exponential change. New and ever-improving technologies are popping up every day and in every corner of society.

Educating the best and the brightest in this brave new world will take a new and improved educational paradigm. Allowing our educational tools to age in the corner of the classroom will be the mistake that may cost us our future. Throwing away masses of children to inequitable access will ensure that we languish at the bottom of the global pool of employable workers for decades to come.

The New Toolbox

I was at an auction a few years ago and noticed a few old woodworking tools that I thought I could use. For a few bucks, I was able to snag an assortment of hand tools that may have been in someone’s toolbox for a generation or more. As the next decade passed, I used these tools in my shop for a wide variety of projects until my projects outgrew these old, dull tools. My woodworking creations continued to improve as did my skills and artistry. I quickly discovered that using improved tools would translate into improved craftsmanship. As any woodworker will tell you, new tools require new skills.

Woodworking is a great metaphor for shaping and molding students. There is simply no good substitute for a sharp tool. If you want to build the best projects possible, you need to use the best tools possible. Thinking in terms of the next decade for our country, we will be sorely disappointed in our projects if we fail to improve our tools.

Within this article, I will try to paint a picture of how technology will shape the way we educate students in the next decade. I will attempt to show the amazing possibilities that lay before us if we will simply walk through the doorway of opportunity that is open to us. My focus will be this idea: Transforming the student from being a passenger to becoming a “user.” You may be wondering what I mean by this. Let me explain.

Ask yourself what it means to be a “user.” A user is not simply a person who uses. For the student, being a user should involve using the latest technology in a free and autonomous manner. This new-found freedom will allow the student to become an active participant in his/her education instead of a passive passenger. No other time in history have we been so able to make this a reality.

In our current technological society, being a user also means being tracked. Tracking has become a major part of our daily lives and is precisely the engine that should drive our educational process for the foreseeable future. Tracking a student means having the ability to target education toward weaknesses and strengths. The ability to accurately customize curriculum to the individual has been the holy grail of educational philosophy for many years. This golden age of technological development may soon enable this dream to become a reality.

Current educational curriculum and individual assessment is arbitrary at best. Being able to accurately asses a student can only be achieved by using modern tracking and database technologies. The means by which we can make this a reality is readily available and only needs to be taken off the shelf to be used. If Congress is looking for a shovel-ready project, this may be the one.

Imagine a world where every child has a tablet computer with ready access to the App of virtual photographic memory (internet). Further, imagine that every student can access all the knowledge of humankind freely at any moment in time. Continue to imagine a world where a misspelled word brings up a spelling challenge application instead of an auto correction. Try to contemplate what it would mean for a teacher to have a database of every misspelled word, every misunderstood concept or every missed equation for each of their students. Try to envision a teacher with the ability to customize the experience of the individual “user” with minimal effort. Imagine the curriculum being automatically targeted to the user through an intuitive educational platform that knows every strength and each unique weakness. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

The company that makes this standard available to the educational community will be the company that shapes the future of humankind. Will it be Google, Apple, Microsoft, or some other yet unknown pioneer?

Continuing from the thoughts in my last post, I would like to elaborate on the idea of the student as a user of a new standardized educational platform. It is obvious to me that the future of education will always mirror our everyday lives in one way or another. If you examine how technology has influenced your daily life already, you begin to put together a snapshot of what it will mean to be educated in the next decade.

In the last few hundred years, most individuals would consider an education as something you receive. You often hear the question asked, “Where did you receive your education?” As we proceed through the next decade, education will slowly move away from reception and toward being custom designed for the individual user. New technology will not only allow us to receive an education, but also develop an education. The question we might ask in 10 years is, “How did you develop your education?” The question of where will still be important, but the how of the matter will be the focus that defines the individual.

To make this a reality we will need a standardized platform from which to develop a student’s unique education. This standardized platform will allow us to tailor a custom curriculum that will be matched to talents, interests and life goals. For the educator, a standardized platform will create a way to assist the student in discovering a true purpose in life through a unique educational experience. The basics of reading, writing and arithmetic will not be taught as much as they will be discovered and used. Learning will become a reciprocal experience between the teacher, the student and the machine.

Under a standardized platform, each of these three participants will have a role to play. The teacher will be the facilitator, assisting the development of the curriculum and inspiring the direction the student takes. The student will be the user, gathering resources, skills and knowledge in an efficient and measured sequence. The machine will do the work of data gathering and analysis, which will assist the teacher and student in refining the curriculum. This data gathering work of the machine will also free the teacher from the burden of record-keeping and tedious tasks that currently distract from the real job of teaching and learning.

Under a standardized system, grade level will be far less important. Achievement and progression will be measured by accomplishment and intelligence as a benchmark for success. The question of failure or success will be irrelevant and replaced with a standard and consistent measurement of potential and overall intelligence. Information will no longer be missed but continually rehearsed and monitored for retention by the machine.

In our current educational paradigm, the teacher is in charge of arbitrarily constructing curriculum. This approach to curriculum development is based on inexperience in some cases, outdated materials, inadequate funding and a shortage of time. Measuring the success of a specific curriculum is currently impossible. With a standardized system, comparisons of curricular success can be made across the entire spectrum of education and then continually reformulated and enhanced by the machine.

Sadly, teachers today are bogged down with an assortment of mind-numbing tasks that would be better suited to an off-the-shelf automated system. Tasks such as data tracking, reporting and record keeping are currently accomplished manually. These tasks could easily be delegated to an intuitive database. Developing a standard to follow would eliminate these tasks and free the teacher to do their main job of teaching students.

Education 3.0

Throughout history, man has sought to pass on knowledge to the next generation. This process started with oral tradition, storytelling and writing. With the advent of the printing press, knowledge and information slowly became available to the masses. The amount of information that could be gained by one human in a lifetime was severely limited by his access to printed materials and wealth. The majority of learning was gained through observation and imitation. We can call this Education 1.0.

Education 2.0 starts around the late eighteen hundreds with universal literacy movements throughout newly industrialized regions of the world. Improvements in education slowly transitioned from apprenticeship to formal education and training. Despite our movements toward universal education, access to knowledge and opportunity continues to be inequitable throughout the world. Even with the arrival of the computer revolution, access to the tools of learning continues to define the learner.

The next decade may mark the moment in history when all men are granted equal access to the greatest treasure a soul can possess. I use the word may in the last sentence because there is the chance that we will miss this golden opportunity. Access to Education 3.0 will only be gained through investment and universal standardization. If we continue to divert wealth toward fruitless goals and corporate greed, this opportunity will be lost or hopelessly delayed.

Education 3.0, when it arrives, will be the age of universal enlightenment. Platforms for education and learning will slowly standardize and become globally accessible and affordable. The poorest to the wealthiest will have access to the machine that runs the platform.

The thought on your mind at this point is most likely wondering what machine I keep referring to. The machine in question is the one we have been so busy teaching and training since roughly 1969. You’ve probably guessed it by now that I am referring to the internet. The great cloud of knowledge that we call the internet is precisely the mechanism that we will use to build the platform of Education 3.0. When the platform is finally in place, the decade to follow will see the greatest amount of wealth, discoveries and use of human potential that we have witnessed during our time on this earth. The only question that remains to be answered is the point at which I will leave this article.

When will we allow the user to use the machine to its potential?

Stephen McClard has been the Director of Bands at Bolivar High School since 2002. Mr. McClard graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1990. He started his teaching career in Southeast Missouri before moving to Illinois where he taught band for 8 years.

Mr. McClard’s bands have consistently received superior ratings at contest as well as many other awards and accolades. Since 2002, the band has traveled twice to Chicago, where they won 1st place class 4A and 1st place overall at the Midwest Music In the Parks Festival. The band also traveled to Cincinnati in 2006, receiving the same honors. In 2006, Mr. McClard was named by SBO Magazine as one of the 50 Directors Who Make a Difference. In 2006, 2008 and 2009, Bolivar RI School district was named one of the “Best 100 Communities for Music Education” in America by the American Music Conference. Mr. McClard was previously featured on the cover of the 2003 issue of SBO Magazine for his work with music technology.

In addition to his career in education, Mr. McClard maintains an online woodworking business and is a 3rd generation piano technician. His woodworking creations include custom bass guitars, which have sold all over the world and one-of-a-kind computer desks made from old pianos. His piano desks have been featured in magazines such as Business 2.0 and Piano Technicians Journal and in many other newspapers and television news features.

His first book, The Superior Educator, A Calm and Assertive Approach to Classroom Management and Large Group Motivation, is available on Amazon as well as other book outlets.

If you are the average person living in the United States you are probably watching about 19-20 hours of television each week. If we just turned off our televisions we could be so much more productive. Many people would find other ways to waste that same amount of time if they weren’t watching television. So the real question is: Just how bad is it if you spend too much time in front of the television?

Probably the most important reason to stop watching television or at least to cut down the number of hours that you watch is related to your health. Both adults and children that watch several hours of television each day tend to be overweight and in poorer overall health than their counterparts who are not watching. This is because television viewing is a sedentary activity that requires no physical exercise. You are also more likely to eat more while you are in front of the television. Many people are surprised to learn that they have consumed so many extra calories while sitting in front of the tube. With the emphasis on eliminating obesity in both children and adults in the United States, cutting down on your viewing is probably a wise decision. Instead of watching for an extra hour go for a walk and spend some time talking to your friends and family.

Another reason to watch less is that your relationships suffer when you are focusing your attention on the television instead of the people around you. Decide when you will turn off the television and spend time together with your family members without any distractions. Some families chose to turn off the television for a half hour before they eat dinner and not turn it on again until a half hour after everyone has finished eating and everything has been cleaned up and put away. This gives you time to talk to each other and deepen your relationships with each other. Television shows are about other people’s lives, not yours. Learn more about what your family members have been doing all day and what they think and care about in the world.

Television viewing is seen by some to be a relaxing activity but studies show that watching certain programs can be very stressful. If you are getting your news strictly from viewing it on television the graphic nature of how it is presented can be harmful to your emotional well being. This is especially true of children. They can be negatively affected by seeing crimes and fighting on television. Try to get most of your news from reading about it in the newspaper, magazines, or on the internet instead of viewing it directly.

See if you can agree with your family to only watch one hour of television each day for a week.

• Record the shows you want to see so that you can eliminate the commercials. You may find that you will not have any interest in seeing shows you have recorded after a day or so has passed.
• Make it a rule not to eat snack foods while sitting in front of the television.
• Let each family member choose one show to record and have the entire family watch that show together. Use it as a time to discuss the issues that arise during the show.
• Spend time together as a family in front of the television without turning it on. You may have become so accustomed to turning the set on that it has become almost like a friend. Wean yourself away from that behavior.
• Play cards or board games in front of the television without turning it on. This will help you get to know each other and to listen to what the other person is saying.

After a week or two of limiting your television viewing habits you may find that you don’t miss it as much as you thought you would. But remember that watching television is a habit that you can easily fall back into. Remind your family regularly about what you have all agreed to do regarding the television and help each other to remember your rules.

By making rules about watching television and strictly adhering to them, you and your family should benefit by having more time together, eating less snack food, having more to talk about to each other, and feeling more relaxed in your daily life.

Connie Ragen Green is a motivational writer, speaker, and mentor who turned off her television more than a year ago. To find out more visit her at http://greenhouse.typepad.com/law_of_attraction

If you are the designer type and take pleasure in adding exclusive expressions in your house, you are perhaps elated regarding the prospect of including interesting elements in your child’s playroom or room. In effect, if you are not expert with designing distinctive styles, you can do minor adjustments for having that enduring effect within your kids room. When it comes to personalization and customization, the choices are endless. You can put wallpapers or paint for extra patterns and color. Among all, the most essential element is adding modern kids furniture in your child’s room.

There is a wide variety of options available in modern children furniture, such as beds and nursery, tables and desks, shelves and storage, activities and toys or my pet lamps for your children room. To select the right kind of kids furniture, there are certain points to consider, such as adaptability, fun and durability.

When picking modern kids furniture, durability is of utmost importance. Children play rough and it is feasible to purchase sturdy kids furniture for both boys as well as girls. You surely want something, which will stay for a longer period of time. Even if the kids do not share a room, the bunk bed is a good option, since it provides them more room to play with friends. Bunk bed can also be a great place for storing some belongings. These beds are generally built better because they are essentially meant to hold years of hiking in plus out of them.    

In addition, adaptability is a good consideration while buying children furniture. There are various convertible cribs, which are flexible enough to be converted into kids beds, twin beds and day beds, with support braces and mattresses. Fun is essential to children. There is numerous imaginative unique kids furniture accessible like the cars shaped beds, P’kolino clothing tree and EVA MINI foam chair.

When making a themed room, consider adding modern kids furniture [http://www.themodernkid.com] in fusion with other pieces for supporting the main kids furniture, such as kids table, kids chair or kids bed. It chiefly constitutes wall décor, wallpapers, my pet lamps or art, which will make the kids room appear cohesive. For instance, you can include an angora, piggy or a nautical lamp to a room with pirate theme. 

For small girls, the princess life can take a totally novel meaning with the modern kids room furniture. A P’kolino toddler bed and matching Bebe 2 Dresser with 5 drawers or Bebe 2 Cabinet with Shelves or canopied bed with vanity could work wonders and offer great fun play time to your small princess.

 

As your child grows, certainly so will the styles of modern kid’s furniture. Luckily, the modern children furniture comes in a huge variety of styles and designs for the adult kids too.

With considerate planning, the parents must always ensure safety guidelines for any equipment or modern kids furniture to which the kid will have access. When picking child furniture for your home, make sure you remember your kids interest as well as lifestyle. Select a bed and kids room furniture, which can grow with your child over time and can also be handled to their little sister or brother.

Ruth A Ford is an experienced interior designer. With her focus being on the use of modern kids furniture [http://www.themodernkid.com].

More and more young people are choosing non-traditional education to start and advance in their careers while completing and furthering their formal education. “Typical distance learners are those who don’t have access to programs, employees who work during scheduled class hours, homebound individuals, self-motivated individuals who want to take courses for self-knowledge or advancement, or those who are unable or unwilling to attend class” (Charp, 2000, p. 10). Three key elements surround the online learner: technology, curriculum, and instructor (Bedore, Bedore, & Bedore, 1997). These elements must be keenly integrated into one smoothly and operationally functional delivery tool.

While an online method of education can be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature, self-disciplined student, it is an inappropriate learning environment for more dependent learners. Online asynchronous education gives students control over their learning experience, and allows for flexibility of study schedules for non traditional students; however, this places a greater responsibility on the student. In order to successfully participate in an online program, student must be well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course. For these reasons, online education or e-learning is not appropriate for younger students (i.e. elementary or secondary school age), and other students who are dependent learners and have difficulty

assuming responsibilities required by the online paradigm.

Millions of students use e-learning solutions in over 140 countries: corporations such as Kodak and Toyota and education providers like ExecuTrain, New Horizons, the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS), Phoenix University amongst the hundreds of schools and colleges.

Studies have shown student retention to be up to 250% better with online learning than with classroom courses. Several recent ones have helped frame the debate. The Sloan Consortium published a widely distributed report titled “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ that examined the growing prevalence of online education across U.S. institutions.

In addition, a study conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm Eduventures found that, while about half of institutions and more than 60 percent of employers generally accept the high quality of online learning, students’ perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective online students said that they perceive the quality of online education to be “as good as or better than” face-to-face education. Ironically, 36 percent of prospective students surveyed cited concern about employers’ acceptance of online education as a reason for their reluctance to enroll in online courses.

But what actually drives quality? A March 2006 report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education identifies six quality indicators: mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student and academic services, planning for sustainability and growth, and evaluation and assessment.

The debate rages on while the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today’s international students are constantly analyzed to determine if this type of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results.

The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) is one institution which uses this type of delivery system. ENOCIS enhances their learning experience by offering many other “value added”, cost reducing benefits to students. Online pupils can apply for scholarships available to students of excellence and other financial aid programs like the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), with attractive interest rates. They also provide convenient payment facilities, on line banking, Western Union Quick Collect, bank cards and a student who is granted a loan can start repaying it after two months if they have a corporate guarantor.

Pros of Online Education:

The key advantages of the online education experience are briefly explained below:

1. Cheaper: Online courses may be more affordable than those offered at colleges or trade schools. You may also save on transportation costs like gas, bus passes, and parking permits because you don’t need to commute to school and there are no housing or meals plans to worry about since you do not need to live on or near a college campus. Housing expenses and other costs associated with living expenses are usually the most expensive aspects of a college education, so by taking an online course you could save quite a bit of money.

The best part of online education is the absence of travel and immigration problems. Some students may prefer not to pursue traditional on campus education, as it involves traveling to attend lectures. With online education, an applicant does not need to travel. Courses simply require accessing the internet in order to begin the learning process.

2. More Convenient: By taking courses online, you’re able to decide when you study and for how long. You are also able to schedule your studying around your work or social schedule.

Since you’re not bound to a classroom, you may do your work wherever you have access to a computer and the internet. You’ll be able to set your own pace and decide exactly how fast you want to go over the material.

Take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. You can learn when you need it (Just-In-Time) A course is as close as a computer with an Internet connection.

3. Flexibility: with no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan. The online students can carry out their private or official work, along with the online education. As it provides the convenience of time flexibility, a student can login and logout as per his desire whereas, the traditional education do not provide such flexibility in learning.

Flexibility of online education allows the student control over their studies. They can allot more time in the topics, which they feel comparatively hard and vice versa. The speed of learning depends solely upon the students.

4. Technology: With the help of the scientific technology, students can do their online education at any place. The only mandatory pre-requisite is the availability of computer along with an internet amenity. Side benefits include the learning new technologies and technical skills

5. Availability: distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.

6. Accessibility: with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access. Your learning options are not constrained by your geographic location. The new virtual classrooms have created a myriad of learning opportunities for global learning and education center. On line education is a new era experience adapting to the needs of the world citizen.

7. Self-Directed: you set your own pace and schedule, so you control the learning environment.

8. Time Spent in Classroom: now you can take a course on just about any subject without ever having to be in, or travel to, a classroom so you have very little wasted time. Note, however, that some distance-education programs still do have an in-class component and normally to receive a fully accredited US university degree an international student must spend one or two semesters on campus.

9. High Quality Dialog: Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner is able to carefully reflect on each comment from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise loose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

10. Student Centered: Within an online discussion, the individual student responds to the course material (lectures and course books, for example) and to comments from other students. Students usually respond to those topics within the broader conversation that most clearly speak to their individual concerns and situations resulting in several smaller conversations taking place simultaneously within the group. While students are expected to read all of their classmates’ contributions, they will become actively engaged only in those parts of the dialog most relevant to their needs. In this way, students take control of their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time take away a unique mix of information directly relevant to their needs.

11. Level Playing Field: In the online environment learners retain a considerable level of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual’s ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.

On line adult education can be more effective and better for certain types of learners (shy, introverted, reflective, language challenged, those that need more time). Distance education courses are often better for people who learn through visual cues and experiential exercises.

12. Synergy: The online format allows for a high level of dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process as each individual contributes to the course discussions and comments on the work of others. The synergy that exists in the student-centred virtual classroom is one of the unique and vital traits that the online learning format posses..

13. Access to Resources: It is easy to include distinguished guest experts or students from other institutions in an online class as well as allow students to access resources and information anywhere in the world. An instructor can compile a resource section online with links to scholarly articles, institutions, and other materials relevant to the course topic for students to access for research, extension, or in depth analysis of course content material in the global classroom.

14. Creative Teaching: The literature of adult education supports the use of interactive learning environments as contributing to self-direction and critical thinking. Some educators have made great strides in applying these concepts to their on ground teaching. However, many classes still exist which are based on boring lectures and rote memorization of material. The nature of the semi-autonomous and self-directed world of the virtual classroom makes innovative and creative approaches to instruction even more important. In the online environment, the facilitator and student collaborate to create a dynamic learning experience. The occasion of a shift in technology creates the hope that those who move into the new technology will also leave behind bad habits as they adopt this new paradigm of teaching. As educators redesign their course materials to fit the online format, they must reflect on their course objectives and teaching style and find that many of the qualities that make a successful online facilitator are also tremendously effective in the traditional classroom as well.

Cons of Online Education:

Briefly explained are some factors that could negatively affect your success with distance learning courses:

1. The Technology:

a. Equity and Accessibility to Technology: Before any online program can hope to succeed, it must have students who are able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether it be for economical or logistics reasons, will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course. This is a significant issue in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods and educating the underserved peoples of the world. Furthermore, speaking from an administrative point of view, if students cannot afford the technology the institution employs, they are lost as customers. As far as Internet accessibility is concerned, it is not universal, and in some areas of the United States and other countries, Internet access poses a significant cost to the user. Some users pay a fixed monthly rate for their Internet connection, while others are charged for the time they spend online. If the participants’ time online is limited by the amount of Internet access they can afford, then instruction and participation in the online program will not be equitable for all students in the course. This is a limitation of online programs that rely on Internet access. Equity of access to learners of all backgrounds and parts of society

b. Requires New Skills/Technologies: if you’re not computer-savvy or are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you. The online students are required to learn new skills, such as researching and reviewing the internet. For the online students, they need to learn the techniques of navigation on an online library for necessary information. Technical training and support of learners and instructors

c. Computer Literacy: Both students and facilitators must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment. For example, they must be able to use a variety of search engines and be comfortable navigating on the World Wide Web, as well as be familiar with Newsgroups, FTP procedures and email. If they do not possess these technology tools, they will not succeed in an online program; a student or faculty member who cannot function on the system will drag the entire program down.

d. Limitations of Technology: User friendly and reliable technology is critical to a successful online program. However, even the most sophisticated technology is not 100% reliable. Unfortunately, it is not a question of if the equipment used in an online program will fail, but when. When everything is running smoothly, technology is intended to be low profile and is used as a tool in the learning process. However, breakdowns can occur at any point along the system, for example, the server which hosts the program could crash and cut all participants off from the class; a participant may access the class through a networked computer which could go down; individual PCs can have numerous problems which could limit students’ access; finally, the Internet connection could fail, or the institution hosting the connection could become bogged down with users and either slow down, or fail all together. In situations like these, the technology is neither seamless nor reliable and it can detract from the learning experience.

2. The Institution: Many online education facilities are relatively new with many courses and hence, lack in modern instructors for instructing the new curriculum. Estimates show that there is still a need for an increase of more 50% of qualified instructors for online education.

b. The Administration and Faculty: Some environments are disruptive to the successful implementation of an online program. Administrators and/or faculty members who are uncomfortable with change and working with technology or feel that online programs cannot offer quality education often inhibit the process of implementation. These people represent a considerable weakness in an online program because they can hinder its success.

3. The Facilitator :Lack of Essential Online Qualities: Successful on-ground instruction does not always translate to successful online instruction. If facilitators are not properly trained in online delivery and methodologies, the success of the online program will be compromised. An instructor must be able to communicate well in writing and in the language in which the course is offered. An online program will be weakened if its facilitators are not adequately prepared to function in the virtual classroom.

4. Perceptions/Reputation: while slowly changing as more and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to distance education to the student’s interaction in the online education. Some of the students believe that, there are few opportunities with regards to face-to-face interactions and feedbacks.

5. No Instructor Face Time: If your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

6. Little Support: students are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments and exams, which is empowering for some, but daunting for others.

There is little support and limited guidelines provided in online education system. Online students are required to search as per their own imaginations for completing exams and assignments.

7. Lacking Social Interaction: while you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or off line get-togethers.

If you enjoy meeting new people and learn better while you’re interacting with other people, you may want to reconsider online education.

8. No Campus Atmosphere: part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit, but you have none of that with distance-education courses.

Since you’re not on campus or in classes, you may lack opportunities to meet other students. You will not have many opportunities to interact face-to-face with your professors, so they may not have a real sense of who you are as a person.

9. Making Time: if you are a procrastinator or one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes. On line learning requires new skills and responsibilities from learners

10. Academic honesty of online students: requires a new mindset to online assessment. Most education experts agree that rote memory testing is not the best measure of learning in any environment and new measurement and evaluation tools are evolving.

11. Types and effectiveness of assessments: The importance of outcomes in online learning cannot be over emphasized. Does the program have measurable results? Are students learning what you say they should be learning? Then there are institutional outputs: course completion rates, job placement rates (if that’s the goal of the institution), graduation rates, student success on third-party tests, and student satisfaction scores.

These factors, both the pros and cons, contribute greatly to making an informed decision about the direction of your career path and how you are going to accomplish your goals: on line, in the classroom or a combination of both.

Institutions and companies that use continuing education to meet their needs also face similar decisions. Institutions that deliver online education are confronted with a series of challenges, including the search for good faculty, use of technology, and provision of adequate student services.

The Sloan Consortium report “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ found that 64 percent of chief academic officers and faculty believe that it takes more discipline for a student to succeed in an online course than it does in a face-to-face course.

More and more major business and industry is turning to on line continuing education as a viable and cost effective resource for training its personnel. Hilton Hotel has 380 hotels worldwide and is represented in 66 countries.

When you weigh the benefits and advantages of on line adult continuing education the cost of study and flexibility of scheduling tip the scales of programs like the Enoch Olinga College, Capella and Phoenix University’s distance learning program on line adult continuing education is becoming a world wide respected form of education.

However, as with any situation, there are both pros and cons with the concept of online education and the benefits of the virtual or global classroom. You may want to evaluate both before you decide on an online education program. By examining the advantages and disadvantages, you will be able to make a more informed decision. But, at the end of the day, online learning is independent learning. A lot of structure has been put into online programs, but it still comes down to a learner sitting in front of a computer by him or herself. The knowledge you receive or the benefits it will generate either in development of self esteem or increasing earning capacity will depend sole upon you the student.

David W Morris is an international development specialist with The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) [http://www.enocis.org] and author of several publications on socio economic development. David is a regular contributor to online article sites on the topics of on line education, underserved peoples, scholarship and educational excellence, continuing education programs and on line TOEFL and language development. David W Morris is also a successful online adviser of ranking blog site http://www.enocis.blogspot.com