Fun Facts

Traditional expert driven learning is soon to become a dinosaur in the 21st century. The speed of information technologies and the amount of information available with just a few clicks has made students into teachers and teachers into students. In 1989 the future was multi media. Ten years later the web was the future. Today smart mobile can take the classroom to almost anyplace in the world. No longer does the world have to go to the classroom. If in 20 years, technology has changed the way we learn and how we learn, this much, it is not hard to imagine a future where the traditional ivy covered walls become more of a social experience than that of a learning experience. Some might argue they already have. No matter what, its that time of the year again. Back to school. An opportunity for a new “life adventure”, renew friendships, network and advance your education. To that end, if the following directory of “toys” and “tools” might be near the top of your to do list, read on!

Wish List

We checked out some pretty neat stuff to help you make it through the school year, all with an element of new technology, some that embrace the web. So pick up Daddy Warbucks and lets go shopping. If you don’t know who Daddy Warbucks is, your first assignment is to Wiki him and find out.

Toshiba Portege

How about a nice new laptop with lots of bells and whistles to start your school year? This 13 inch high end/low price marvel gets rave reviews for its combination of solid performance and superior construction. $800

Alienware M11X

At a little over 11 inches screen size this notebook offers a lot of “bang for the buck” including iCore processors, good sound quality, high end graphics and long life battery. $1200

HTC Evo 4G

For a couple of hundred dollars you can pocket Sprint’s best smartphone. Feature laden with 4G capability, this Android phone is easy to use and offers good performance. A GPS keeps you from getting lost while you find your way around your new city. $199

Altec Lansing Mix iMT800

Dorm rooms are small but your music doesn’t have to be. Plug your iPod into this multimedia boombox and impress your friends as you party on. $220

Canon EOS Rebel (big camera)

The T2i is a DSLR that offers good performance and ease of use for less than $1,000. You can even shoot video and make home movies. When your cell phone camera “just wont do”, the Canon T2i is a good way to keep in touch with friends and family back home and build a photo and video album of your school days. $850

Canon PowerShot SD780IS (little camera)

This very good pocket sized, full featured point and shoot sells for $180.

Klipsch Image S4 earphones

When your roomie wants to study and you want to listen to tunes, these earphones sound a whole lot better than their price tag of $80 suggests.

Apple iPad

This tablet device is a synthesis of laptop and smartphone allowing users to view media, play games, research information with iBooks and Kindle apps, even watch movies and a whole lot more. $500-$700

Apple iMac

For the architect, art, design and visual image crowd this 27inch screen and fast processor also boasts a mini port gateway to entertainment as well as functionality. $1500+

Laptop, smartphone, music components, camera and iPad, wish list items to make your school year even more memorable as well as help you learn. Hard to believe that just a few years ago some of this technology didn’t even exist. Imagine what the near future will bring to the way we learn.

Tools

What follows is a list of top 3 no cost websites that offer helpful information, methodology and an easy to follow cyber road map for your educational journey.

Photo Sharing

For keeping in touch, photosharing has become another web based social communications tool. Check out-
Photobucket, Flicker and Webshots.

Video Sharing

Like photo sharing, video sharing allows users to upload and store video for all the world to see.
YouTube, Metacafe and Break are the top 3 video sites.

Social Networks

Like millions of other people, hang out in your choice of cyber café be it
Facebook, MySpace or Linkedin.

Auction Houses

Clean out your closet and earn extra cash with
eBay, (14 million auctions happening at any moment) UBid and Webidz

10 sites Of Interest

1. www.readplease.com

Increased access to all visual information and read any pasted text.

2. www.answers.com A Q&A information site

3. www.wordweb.com Word definitions and synonyms

4. Corp.credoreference.com An on line reference/research service

5. www.studenttools.info A compendium of useful information especially relevant for students beginning post secondary education.

6. Www.ed.gov/ “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competiveness”

7. www.bls.gov/ A government data base published by the Department of Labor. A good resource for labor related statistics and more.

8. www.sec.gov/ Financial planning, saving and investing information.

9. www.softpedia.com/ An encyclopedia of free software downloads with some terrific programs for Mac and PC students at any level.

10. mashable.com/ A facebook free for all of good information.

There are thousands more information sites stored in the library called www. These few are tabled here just to pique your curiosity. After all an inquisitive mind is one of the very best educational tools available.

Guides

For those living in the golf coast these times can be troubling because of a persistent hurricane season each year. Tropical storm, hurricane, call it what you will they all bring the same thing, destruction. States that are often the target of such violent nature devastation have now become more adapt with some prevention methods.

Dangers Associated With Tropical Storms

More often than not, you have to worry about other things other than the strong wind.

-Floods, these can occur from heavy rain caused by the massive switch in the system, drainage problem or a ditch.

-Storm Surge, this occurs in larger hurricanes such as Katrina, it is what kills the most people.

These are some of the dangers associated with a hurricane. To stop these dangers from harming you, you need materials. Collecting materials such as wood and shutters to block windows is a good idea. You should get the material way before a storm is even announced. Get a generator in case the power is gone in your house while the storm. Also have an evacuation plan, have state size maps. If stuck in a storm you will know the nearest shelter etc…

Those are a few advices to prepare for a storm. Always check your state’s disaster prevention site. They will include news about storms, updates and many tips on surviving if such things occur.

Guides disaster prevention, hurricane season, hurricane tips, prepare for hurricane, tropical storm

Higher education is considered to be an extremely expensive affair worldwide. Many of us cannot afford such higher education without help of school grants. However, there are different kinds of complete or partial financial support programs offered to students who deserve. It is very important that a student is entailing detailed research about the grants offered and be aware of the eligibility criteria before applying for the grants. With the boom of the Internet technology one can easily get updated information about the different kinds of grants available online.

Important Considerations:

Since there are huge numbers of hopefuls who apply for the school grants, it is extremely essential that you are marketing yourself successfully. There is need of a strong case to be made for the candidature from the point of view of the academic credentials as well as the financial aid. A candidate needs to prepare himself or herself well for the different rounds of interview. Students need to ensure that their resume looks good so that he/she can be the one among probable candidates who can qualify for the grants. Participation in the extracurricular activities, community work, evidences of leadership skills etc.. are some of the best ways one can get him/her noticed.

The applicant needs to be aware of the fact that each and every institutions or agencies offering grants have their own objectives. It is thus necessary that an applicant carries out sufficient amount of research and look for institutions whose objectives align with their personal goals in life. The possibility of getting grants increase when a candidate is better aligned with an institution. The applicants can visit the website of the organization to be sure of the objectives set. This way one can incorporate some of the ideologies and develop a better understanding with the philosophies.

The very common type of school grants include:

Federal schools
Nursing courses
Elementary schools
Law schools
Business schools

Research about information in the community domain will reveal details about the criteria and requirements. Once the candidates understand their goals and work towards them, he/she can easily get the right kind of grant they have been looking for. Below are stated some of the grants which can help students pay for their tuition fees, room, books and board. Students are not required to pay back the amounts they receive as grants and the amounts are based on their financial condition.

Federal Pell Grant Program is meant for students who demonstrate financial assistance for getting into a college. This kind of grant is accepted in more than 5,400 higher education organizations. The grant amounts are fixed on the basis of EFC or Expected Family Contribution, total cost of attending the classes, full time or part time classes. Students can get in touch with the Department of Education in US for further details.

The TEACH Grant Program is offered to students who aspire to become a teacher. The students can apply for the grants through TEACH or the Teacher Education Assistance for College & Higher Education Grant Program. According to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act passed in 2007, the grant offers up to $4,000/ year to students who come from low income house and aspires to take up teaching as their profession.

The FSEOG or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is offered to the undergraduate students. Those who have applied for Pell grants and lowest EFC amounts are considered suitable for this grant. The FSEOG grants varies from $100 – $4,000 every year according to the school funding, financial need of the students while the application was submitted. The grants received are credited to the individual accounts of the students. For detailed information one can log into www.ed.gov.

Guides