Education

There are many strong proponents of the value of gaming for productivity–particularly in the education realm. A quick look at this survey shows that 15 percent of gamers surveyed reported they have played online games in a school setting. With technology becoming easier to use and more integrated into our everyday life, online games now have a place in education. They are being used more and more in classrooms where teachers are gleaning opportunities to learn and grow by allowing the students to play online games as a part of the lesson.

Terry Heick, a writer for the education blog TeachThought.com shares, “Even if you’re soundly convinced about their merit and place in learning, how can you consistently integrate them in the classroom? The 21st century classroom is about diversity–infinite possible pathways between content and students, resulting in self-directed learning as much as data-driven ‘teaching.’ Online games can be a significant part of that.”

Research for Inspiration

For educators looking for specific ways to incorporate online games into their classrooms and lessons there are many resources available. Some teachers have found benefit using Wikis to find the most popular games. These allow you to collaborate and share ideas on how to teach and integrate these games into the classroom, whether you want to focus on World of Warcraft, Minecraft, or any other games that may come to mind.

Dr. David Childs, Ph.D., Northern Kentucky University shares many resources to help social study teachers incorporate online games into their lesson plans on Democracy and Me.org. “Using online games for educational purposes is nothing new, many people of a certain generation remember Oregon Trail and early math video games of the late twentieth century. However, many teachers do not realize the incredible role online games can play in the classroom today, especially in the area of social studies,” he explains.

Real Life Examples

This 2014 blog post on using technology to teach history in the classroom goes a little deeper, “Current video games, and even some older ones, contain huge amounts of historical, geographical, and economic data that we need to find ways to use…an AP US history teacher using the game Medal of Honor helped his students understand the events surrounding D-Day and the impact they had on post-war relationships.” This particular teacher connected the game to real life and tapped into students emotions by having veterans come in and share their stories — but only after the kids had played the game and learned the language used and a bit of the geography of that time period. It had a profound effect on his students.

The National Education Association is taking notice. They recently wrote about the uptick in game-based classrooms, focusing on Gaming and Instructional Technology Specialist, Lucas Gillespie, who has a blog devoted to showing teachers how they can incorporate gaming into the classroom. “I like to use the games that my students play at home because I find they have more fun and I’m better at creating lessons through those types of games,” says Gillespie. “With that, it is important to acknowledge that there is an equity issue around getting those types of online games in the classroom. I need to have a PC, often with some decent power, to play games like Minecraft: Education Edition, Cities: Skylines, and Offworld Trading Company.”

A Different Approach

But, what if you don’t have that kind of access in your school system? Gillespie explains, “I allowed students to bring their own devices to school. Students would team up to complete the tasks together in the game using the same devices they used at home. If none of that is possible, you can still use game-based learning in the classroom by having students create their own games. Whether digitally, on free programs like Scratch, or with low/no-tech board games, having students make their own games is an awesome experience and one of my favorite assessments.”

Online gaming will surely continue to grow and evolve with technology, as will its use in the classroom. Allowing students do something immersive and interactive, such as playing online games, can provide numerous benefits in the classroom and beyond.

 

Source: Pexels

In 2011, almost 300,000 people died in more than 300 disasters, and millions of people suffered and were affected because of it. The estimated cost of disasters during the last two decades exceeded 2 billion dollars. Earthquakes and disasters made 2011 the most expensive year in history in terms of recovery cost.

However, many countries are still not investing enough to avoid such disasters and are not taking certain actions for protecting their land. Many development representatives are still not providing proper aid to poor countries.

Disaster risk reduction should be considered to build a more sustainable and maintainable future. This requires an investment in prevention of climate-related catastrophes.

There are 5 priorities that have been identified for such actions:

• Ensure that danger reduction becomes a local and national priority
• Identify, estimate and monitor disaster risks and upgrade Red-Alert systems
• Use awareness, innovation, knowledge and education to develop a culture of security at all levels
• Reduce the basic risk factors
• Strengthen the preparation for an operative quick response and recovery, from local levels to the national levels.

Disaster management organizations aren’t the only ones responsible for such harsh climate-related events, but citizens and political leaders are also responsible for these disasters. All of them can reduce the risk just by getting empowered to make decisions.

What is Emergency Planning? What is Disaster Preparedness and how does Risk Reduction Management work?

Emergency planning can be explained as the process of preparing methodically for future eventualities, including major disasters and incidents. The preservation of public security, limitation of injury and proficiency of life-saving assets are some of the important aims of reducing risks. Emergency planning is more like a procedure than a result — especially as the planning method itself needs to be modernized time-to-time as situations change.

The goal of disaster preparedness is to reduce the effects of a disaster on population and to plot a synchronized strategy that decreases the waste of time, resources and efforts. Disaster preparedness has the potential of saving the maximum number of lives and properties during a disaster — it aims to bring back the harmed population back to normal routine as quickly as possible. On the one hand, in order to sustain development activities, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) program must reduce disaster risk. Unreliable development policies will increase losses and risks of disasters. Therefore, DRR includes every part of society, government, professional and private sector.

Disaster managers and volunteers cooperate with emergency managers, local governments and other charitable organizations to provide aid and save lives. The chaotic and deadly result of Hurricane Katrina reminds people about the importance of collaboration and coordination.

Disaster Risk Reduction is a wide term that includes everything we do to minimize or prevent the damage caused by natural climate-related hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, droughts and storms. Raising funds for disaster risk reduction save lives, not just after the disaster happens, but even during a calamity. Homeland security degree supports a wide range of disaster risk reduction activities, such as:

• Early Alert/Warning systems alert people before a volcano breaks out or tsunami hits, giving them time to escape the red-zone
• Analysis of hazards can help the communities to plan where to build and how to build
• Formation and construction of buildings in a way to survive damage
• Skilled responders can instantly rescue injured and trapped people

The United States Presidential Policy Directive outlines emergency preparedness and organization efforts using 5 dependent mission zones, i.e. Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and Recovery.

Prevention

Prevention means the abilities required to evade, daunt or stop an impending crime or endangered catastrophic incident. Prevention is an act that prevents an expected or an actual incident from occurring.

Protection

Protection is the capability to protect something from getting harmed by an artificial or natural disaster. It focuses on current activities that protect lives and properties. Few example are:

• Storm shelters
• Security valuations/safety checks
• Physical security
• Security recruitment

Mitigation

Mitigation is considered as a necessary ability to remove or minimize the loss of property and life injury by decreasing the impact of an incident or emergency. We can define mitigation as reducing the probability of threats and hazards that can happen. Few examples are:

• Teamwork
• Emergency tactics
• Site plotting
• Training

Response

Response is also required to calm an incident once it has already occurred or is about to happen inevitably. It establishes a harmless and secure environment; saves lives, resources and property; and enable the conversion to recovery. Example Response Strategies:

• Campus/Site safety teams
• Responsive team
• Technology

Recovery

Recovery means the important abilities to contribute in restoring the usual operations after an emergency or incident. A few examples of recovery strategies are:

• Mental health strategies
• Family reunion plans
• Continuation of Business

Emergency management or planning is the process that summaries the actions that are important to achieve the 5 inter-dependent missions of preparedness. Emergency strategies demonstrate an organization’s commitment to preparedness and safety. Emergencies can’t always be avoided, and all-natural disasters emergency plans offer the finest opportunities to prevent damage, protect property and people, reduce the number of injuries, respond effectively and recover from an incident.

Emergency management or risk reduction management is a key to reduce loss of lives, injuries and damage from natural disasters. People must be aware and prepared of what hazards they can face in their own societies. They must know in advance what exact preparations to make before an incident, what to do during a storm, flood, earthquake, fire or other disasters, and what actions to take after its consequences. We must learn and share the safety precautions to avoid losses from such disasters.

Writing an essay is a task that we all might be expected to do at work, school, or even at home. Chances are you remember something about how to write an essay, but you might have forgotten some of the essentials that will make your essays great. Top essay writers know that the structure of the essay is crucial. Here’s how you structure a basic essay.

Introduction

All essays must start with an introduction! It’s your job to let your reader know what your essay will be about and your introduction is the right place to do so. Depending on the type of essay you are writing, your introduction will most likely include background information on the topic, your point of view on the topic, and a brief explanation of what will be included in your essay. A proper introduction helps the reader understand what they are about to read, which is extremely important when you are writing a report for work or filing a case against your landlord, for example. For some writers, the introduction can be the hardest part, so it might be best to skip it when you sit down to write and come back to it after you’ve drafted the rest of your essay.

Body paragraphs

After your introduction, you will enter the bulk of your essay. Your body paragraphs will need to clearly and explicitly state the points you are trying to make. If you are writing an argumentative essay, your body paragraphs will explain your points of view and the evidence you have for those points. You might also include a rebuttal section, in which you point out the other side’s argument and use evidence to rebut that argument. It might seem strange to devote time to the opposition, but acknowledging the other side’s point of view is an excellent way to tip readers to your side, because they will better understand how solid your argument is.

As with any part of your essay, it’s important that your body paragraphs make sense and work together. You don’t want to jump from one point to the next without any transition, and you need to make sure your evidence clearly links back to the point you are trying to make. It can sometimes be helpful to create an outline of your essay, which includes all the points you would like to make and the evidence to support those points. You can then look at your outline and decide the order of your body paragraphs. If at any time you’re struggling to connect your points back to your main idea, throw out those points and think of new ones. If they don’t fit, you can’t make them!

Conclusion

Once you have written all your body paragraphs and clearly made your point, you will wrap up your essay with a conclusion. Your conclusion should always include a summary of your essay and a restatement of your main argument with fresh authority. A compelling conclusion should leave readers thinking about the great points you’ve made. You can do this by asking your readers a question or pulling in a new piece of evidence that perfectly supports your argument. Your conclusion should not be just a summary of your essay, but should also include new information, such as solutions, recommendations or concepts to further research, that will leave your readers thinking.

Almost a third of current college students in America have never needed to write an essay longer than ten pages, so maybe you haven’t been asked to do so yet. But knowing how to write a basic essay, whether ten pages or more, will help you get done what needs to get done without feeling overwhelmed or confused. And structuring your essay correctly will help your readers clearly see your points.

For more learning and education tips from Tutor Circle, check these out!

 

So you’ve realized that your exam is coming up in just a few days and you’re nowhere near ready to take it on. Between your daily life responsibilities and schoolwork, there’s so much to do — and you barely have time to recover from the panic, let alone make sure you’re prepared! The following tips are just a few things you can do to help improve your grade, even when you feel that all is lost.

1. Stay Calm. We know the last thing you want to hear right now is “just stay calm” when you’re in a panic. But it’s important to try to eliminate the negative thoughts that hold you captive in this moment. Take a moment to take a deep breath and set your mind straight. There is nothing you can about the situation in the present moment, and agonizing about the problem will only serve to keep stuck.

2. Go to Sleep. It can be very tempting to attempt to “binge” study everything you need to know the night before an exam. But depriving yourself of sleep will do more harm than good and may severely affect your ability to concentrate on anything, therefore rendering all of your efforts totally obsolete. Be satisfied with where you’re at so far. It’s far much better to know some of the answers than to stay up all night and remember none of them the next day.

3. Prioritize. So, how do you learn everything you need to know without compromising on your sleep? The best way is to prioritize the topics that are likely to appear on the test. Most instructors will at the very least hint at the various topics you can expect on the exam. Put more effort into these topics and you at least have a chance at a passing grade.

4. Be Consistent. The worst thing you can do while trying to study last minute is to change up your studying style. For example, don’t attempt to read a full book in one sitting when you’ve never done it before. Changing your studying habits, no matter how much your roommate swears by them, will always derail your efforts to learn. Keep it practical: if you use flashcards, don’t skip the crucial step of making them. You are far more likely to learn something when you are comfortable.

5. Get Some Help. If there is a certain subject of topic that you simply find too difficult to understand, there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Get a study buddy from your class to help you with the difficult areas and also help you remain on task. If you are taking an online course, a great place to find the kind of support you need is discussion boards where you can find a study partner in your time zone.

When you’re in the midst of exam panic, you may think to yourself, “I wish I could pay someone to do my homework!” While that’s an option for some, you can definitely implement the above tips that will help you improve your grades during crunch time. With these ideas, studying will be far more productive and even possible to get those target grades, even if you’ve forgotten an exam and have to study last minute. Happy studying!

To read more on topics like this, check out the education category.

The transport industry in the US is huge, to say the least. From commercial truck drivers to couriers and delivery drivers, the country is reliant on the people who are tasked with getting things from A to B. As such, employment opportunities are far-reaching and wages are generally ample, making a career in driving a very lucrative choice indeed.

One such career path that is becoming ever more popular is that of the humble school bus driver. Unlike many driving jobs, school bus driving comes with sociable and predictable hours, while still paying quite well. As of 2016, 687,200 were employed to drive school buses and this is predicted to rise by 6% over the next 7 years.

So, how do you make the leap into this much sought-after line of work? Here, we break down the five steps you need to take in order to become a school bus driver.

Step One: Understand the Licensing Laws in Your State

Before you can start applying for positions with schools, you first need to obtain proper certification.  This certification will most likely come in the form of a Commercial Drivers License (CDL). But, when it comes to obtaining your CDL, different states have different regulations and expectations, so it’s vital you do some research into what that means for you.

For instance, to obtain your CDL in Alaska you have to be at least 21 years old, while in Georgia you can apply for your CDL at 18. Alternatively, states such as Colorado, Louisiana and Minnesota require you to pass a physical examination. Other than this, it’s also important to note that almost every state has its own CDL handbook, containing state-specific information for drivers operating commercial vehicles.

You can click here to view CDL requirements state by state

Step Two: CDL Training

The road to obtaining your CDL is not exactly as straightforward as just ‘driving’ a vehicle. The skills required when operating a commercial vehicle exceed those needed when you’re driving a car. Since the path to earning your CDL is more extensive, so too is the workload.

Depending on where you live, the expected training requirements vary, with some states such

as Ohio requiring that drivers complete 160 hours of training both in the classroom and on the road. To complete your education requirements, you might want to consider completing a qualified CDL training program through a community college, private driving school or school run by a trucking company.

But, not every training program is the same, each containing different characteristics. It is probably a good idea to evaluate the pros and cons of each program before committing.

Perhaps weigh up the length of each program, as some courses can take few weeks to complete while others can take months.

Also, depending on the school you attend, the cost will vary. A program conducted through a community college is a more cost-effective option, but a program with a private school offers a quicker completion time.

Step Three: Passing Your CDL Test

Passing the test is not necessarily a walk in the park. Even with the best training program under your belt, the final CDL exam can still feel overwhelming. There is a certain combination of both determination and courage needed to successfully pass the exam. So, if you’re feeling stressed, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

The CDL test is split into two parts: a written knowledge and practical skills. Your knowledge test will take place at your local DMV office. From there, you will have 60 minutes to complete 50 multiple-choice questions. To pass this section of the test, you will need a score of 80%, so there is some room for error.

Now, the practical skills test is in a league of its own. The purpose of this test is to evaluate your execution of procedures and determine whether you can safely operate the vehicle. Expect to perform many different maneuvers throughout this exam. Some of these driving procedures could include safety checks, sharp turns, checking mirrors correctly and navigating through traffic.

Step Four: Adding Endorsements to your CDL

Once you’ve earned your CDL, you’re not home free just yet. Following federal regulations, any driver transporting 16 or more passengers, is required to earn additional endorsements to their CDL. In order to transport students from A to B, school bus drivers are required to earn a School Bus Endorsement as well as a (P) passenger endorsement and air brake endorsement, if required in your state.

While it might be easy to assume that a practical exam is all that’s needed to obtain your endorsements, this is not the case. Similar to your CDL test, an endorsement exam is separated into two parts: a written knowledge test and practical skills exam. These tests cover a range of topics, such as student management, loading and unloading procedures, approaching bus stops, post-trip and pre-trip inspection, proper use of safety devices, emergency exit and evacuation, railroad crossings; backing. Now, if you feel overwhelmed by the range of topics covered here, not to worry!

There are a number of resources available online to get you up to speed. Particularly, there’s an extensive range of practice tests you can take to give you a taste of the real deal.

Step Five: Making It Official

Once you’ve earned both your CDL and appropriate endorsements, you can start applying for work. A great place to find positions is to either search through bus driving companies or follow school district job listings

Many school districts will require you to undergo further training covering subjects like emergencies, district policies, driver and student relations, as well as first aid. This additional training is essential to ensure the school district (your employer) that you are both trustworthy and safety conscious.

As a new school bus driver, you can expect to receive a rate of between $11.00 and $16.00. That said, the more experience you gain, the more your prospective employers are willing to pay. So, if you are willing to put in the time and the work you will reap what you sow.

To read more on topics like this, check out the education category.

In the modern world, there are seemingly fixed and established paths for everything. When it comes to gaining access to the business world, the first educational route that people think about is usually a Masters of Business Administration – or MBA. However, that’s not the only way to break into the business world, and you may even find that you’re limiting yourself in the event that it focuses too much on the established routes.

There are in fact lots of other ways that you can make it in the business world and get the education you need to break through. Academic degrees in subjects other than business can offer the sort of transferable skills that are required to make a business career happen while specializing in other business skills such as administration can also help. This article will go through your options.

Traditional degrees

On the face of it, subjects like history, English and even the sciences may not seem like the most obvious options as launchpads for a business career. But when you drill down into what these subjects offer, it quickly becomes apparent that there are many transferable skills there. The sciences encourage skills like planned experiments and accurate measuring of outcomes. That is useful in the business world, as it means any expansions or other projects are likely to go more smoothly.

The skills of clear communication which are cultivated by a degree in English, meanwhile, could well make all the difference when it comes to getting a business deal over the line. And academic subjects such as math and economics offer clear and obvious overlaps with business, such as quantitative thinking and an ability to work with tools such as profit and loss sheets. So there’s no need to write off traditional subjects when it comes to a business career, in fact, they might be just the ticket.

Vocational qualifications

Business is busier than ever these days, and that means there’s more demand than ever before for support services such as administration. And in many ways, business is also more socially mobile and meritocratic than ever. Gone are the days when only men who had elite university degrees could ever hope to access the top of the business tree. Now, even if you start at the bottom rung of the ladder you can rise up if you work hard.

For those thinking of pursuing vocational qualifications including the office administration option offered by Bryant and Stratton, this combination of developments is perfect. Jobs working in administration, on reception or elsewhere in the support world can all be secured through vocational degrees, and they offer a great and accessible entry point from where you can rise further up the ranks. There’s no shame in starting in support work or another similar field, or in working in it for many years – and with office administration courses offering rigorous training in computer technology, managerial skills and more, there’s plenty to get stuck into.

School of life

While education is a good route for the vast majority of people (and offers them the added security of a qualification to fall back on), some who are successful in business simply rely on their skills and experiences outside of an academic context. By drawing on the skills you have learned through living your life, you may well be able to make a success of it in business without relying on a qualification.

Remember that entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, did not finish their degrees – and they turned out fine! Just ensure that you do your research before pulling off the educational path for good and be certain that you’ve got a plan in place and the contacts you need to ascend the business ladder without a business qualification.

Alternative education routes are designed to help you get ahead in the business world – and there’s no need to stick to the typical options, such as business degrees. Academic degrees from other fields can work just as well especially given how many transferable skills there are on offer, while there are also plenty of vocational options which can help you get to where you need to be if you’re looking to enter at the clerical or support levels. In short, there are many choices to go for – and you should never feel restricted if you’re determined to make it in this sector.

As a teacher, you may have to make videos on the various topics you covered in your classroom lessons. Video is actually a useful tool to educate the students because it allows them to refer back to the things that you have thought in the classroom. If your school don’t have a site where you can upload the video, you can just upload them to a free video sharing platform like YouTube. Before you upload, you have to first use a video compression software to compress it.

What is Video Compression?

Video compression is the process of converting it to another format like MP4 to reduce the file size. The reason is that it is hard to upload a large video with high resolution. If you compress your video, it will only take half the time to upload the video. Video compression does not improve the quality of the video. In fact, it will reduce the video quality. However, if you choose a format like MP4, the video quality will not be noticeable.

How to Convert a Video?

There are lots of ways to convert a video. People who don’t have a converter on their computer can use the online tool to convert it. The downside is that your video may be accessible to the site owner or other people when you upload it to get it converted in the online tool. You can also use a video converter browser plugin/extension to convert your video. You can load the converter by pressing the converter icon on the browser toolbar. It will then produce a download link to download the converted video to your computer.

You can also use a desktop converter to convert your video. Examples of desktop converters that you can use for converting business videos are Handbrake, and Any Video Converter, and Movavi Video Converter.

Many of these converter programs have easy to use interface so you can start using without learning how to compress a video. The software has a built-in editor that allows you to perform edits on the video. Before buying a video converter, you should always check for things like input/output files, features and user-friendliness of the interface.

Get Familiar with Video Conversion Terms

Before converting a video, you should become familiar with some terms that are used in a video converter. Frame rate refers to the frequency the frames are displayed in a video. High frame rate is required for videos with a lot of fast action scenes so that the video will look smooth with no lagging.

Aspect ratio is the width of video compared to the height. For example, a 1280×720 pixel has an aspect ratio of 16:9. When converting video, don’t save a video that is 4:3 ratio in 16:9 ratio as it will make it appear stretched. Similarly, don’t save a 16:9 video in 4:3 as the output video will become squashed.

To ensure your video is compressed correctly, you must know how to adjust the settings. Many software makes it easy for users by providing presets for different devices. For example, if you want to convert a video to MP4 for iPhone, you simply choose the MP4 preset optimized for iPhone.

Practice Video Conversion Often

You can improve your video conversion skill by making videos often and converting to another format. It is easy to press the convert button to convert the video. But, you can also practice on adjusting other settings like framerate and bitrate when converting a video.

Edit Your Video with the Build-in Converter

Finally, before uploading, make sure your video is already edited and error free. Most video converters include a built-in editor for adding different types of special effects to your video. You can also perform all the basic edits like crop, add music, animated text and watermark on the video.

To read more on topics like this, check out the education category.