Posted by ed on Feb 28, 2011 in
Financial Aid 
There are two types of people in this world, those that do, and those that do not. The type of person that goes back to college, gets a scholarship, and gets a degree for free is the first type of person. The person that thinks about going to school, is scared to apply for a college financial aid scholarship, and continues on with where they are now is the second type of person. Which type of person do you want to be? Here is what you need to know if you are a mother and you want to go back to school.
1. There is plenty of help
As a single mother, married mother, or older mother there are a lot of options for you when it comes to paying your tuition, fees, books, and living expenses while you get a degree. There are grants, scholarships, student loans, and even work study programs that can help you pay for all the things you need in order to complete your degree and get to a better place in your working life. The best two options for you are grants and scholarships because these are sources of free money that can help you get your degree without running up a huge amount of debt.
2. Obama has set aside $10,000 for each mother.
Now when it comes to a college financial aid scholarship this is probably your best option as a mother, but you are probably wondering what this will cover. The average cost for a credit hour at a community college is around $90. It will take about 64 credit hours for you to get an Associate’s of Arts degree. This will cost you about $6,500 in tuition, $1,800 in books, and another $500 for supplies. That is $8,800 total and the $10,000 college financial aid scholarship more than covers this amount. So how do you pay for the rest if you want a bachelors degree or cannot work to support yourself while you go to school?
3. The Pell Grant
The other option that is free money for you is the pell grant. This can give you upto another $5,500 a year, which can cover a good portion of your living expense and more. When you transfer out to a state university or college to get your Bachelor’s Degree you are going to pay about $150 per credit hour for another 64 credit hours. This is going to run you over $10,000, but if it takes you two years to do so you will have enough with your pell grant to cover tuiton and a little left towards books.
4. Student Loans for Expenses
If you cannot work or need the money to help cover living expenses you can take out student loans on top of all the free money you will get. This can help you to cover living expenses and more if you need it. Another option is to not go to school over the summers and work to save some cash for the semesters that you are in school or you can take classes that fit around a work schedule as well. Regardless of what you do you need to start with the free sources of money and go from there since they never have to be paid back.
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Posted by ed on Feb 25, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
By the mid-19th century the large American cities, particularly those along the Atlantic coast, were extremely crowded. Few had any public open spaces; and, with rare exceptions, the spaces that did exist were totally inadequate for the surrounding population. Olmsted was one of the first Americans to understand the need for urban parks, and he was responsible, above anyone else, for the creation of urban parks in America. Today he is considered the father of American landscape architecture.
His first commission as a landscape architect was Central Park in New York. Along with Calvert Vaux, he won a contest for a new design for the park. The design took advantage of the natural terrain. They sunk the four transverse roads, required by the terms of the contest, below the level of the park so that they are not seen by people in the park.
Olmsted himself had a social conscience that was evident in his advocacy of racial justice, his serving as general secretary of the US sanitary commission during the civil war, and his attitude to green space. In 1865 the governor of California appointed him to head a commission to make recommendations on the management of Yosemite, at that time in the hands of the state. His report set forth the individual’s right to enjoy public scenery and the government’s responsibility to protect that right.
Central Park was so successful as a side rest and refreshment from the urban rush that many US cities in the taken it, often with the help of Olmsted. Towards the end of his life he spent much time working on the Biltmore estate in Asheville North Carolina, today preserved as he designed it, and open to visitors daily.
Posted by ed on Feb 20, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
Success in simple terms is the absence of failure, though debated a lot, in almost all languages; social set ups, cultures and business establishments it is still undefined. Being undefined doesn’t mean you cannot figure out what actually success is but your view about success can be different to the one another individual or a group has.
The difference of the definition of success in all the concerns is due to the difference in nature of events and requirements. Definition, principles, and exposure of success differ from situation to situation and in fact time to time as well. The components of success, i.e. determination, confidence, knowledge, potential, expertise etc, are, however, same in all cases with the variation in the composition ratio.
This article aims to focus knowledge with special reference to success. And when knowledge is being discussed it’s crucial to have an overview of Education as knowledge and Education are closely related to each other. Role of Education in Success is same as the role of knowledge.
Defined as ‘the process of changing the behaviors in desired direction’, Education stands not only as a tool of success but a road towards it. Knowledge expands the vision that increases the probability of success, and education by changing the behaviors in desired directions (positive) provides a platform for that vision to get expanded, as a result of such one becomes able to outline the strategies in much better way.
Providing opportunities for minds to explore the arenas of different fields, Education brings up with the ultimate and updated knowledge that levels the ground for potentials to grow, determination to get stronger, confidence to get build and ways to get clear. And once all the components are arranged in an order the ultimate result is nothing other than success.
The important point to ponder here is that, whether ‘education’ means only and only ‘Academics [http://www.blogoxide.com/Academics/]’ in this regard? Certainly not! It can either be academic or non academic. It starts from knowing, and knowing can be about anything. Yes, knowing about the things, useful and related to day-to-day matter has close connection with success in day-to-day concerns, knowing about professional matters leads towards the success in profession, knowing about relations helps to be socially successful and so on. In a nut shell, Education itself is a ‘success’ as a whole.
So, start knowing about things rounds you, and if nothing is there read and explore, analyze and derive your unique principle of success out of your own knowledge. Make the education best companion of yours and succeed!
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Posted by ed on Feb 17, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
I learned of “the attitude” in part from observing my Spanish teacher in High School, Senor Kaska and other mentors over the years, but more specifically from a man in Phoenix, Arizona. This man was a long time sober member of alcoholics anonymous. I met him while doing volunteer work at a recovery home where alcoholics and drug addicts lived together in an attempt to get sober and rejoin society in a useful way. Many of the residents were just out of jail or had been living on the street and I helped them with resumes and basic life skills. Some of the guys could not even read English and I assisted several men to acquire basic literacy.
Anyway, this man in Phoenix was a “sponsor”. I think that meant that he was a mentor for people who were newly sober and he helped guide them through the AA recovery program. I asked him once how he dealt with failure or people who “fell off the wagon”, told him to get screwed etc. This is what he told me and it is the attitude I have adopted for teaching English in Thailand.
“You ever notice that after the mailman delivers your mail, he doesn’t stick around to see if you read it?”, he queried.
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”, I responded.
Well sports fans, that’s the attitude. It’s the attitude that has helped me survive and thrive as an English teacher in Thailand. The mailman is not emotionally invested in the response of the recipient…at all. It’s not the mailman’s job to verify that you opened your mail. The mailman does not care if you like or dislike the mail. It is none of his business actually and he knows that. The mailman’s job is simple: show up every day and the deliver the proper mail to the correct address. As a teacher who often encounters Thai students who are uninterested, rude, or disruptive, not taking things personally is critical to my emotional well being.
That’s what I do here in Thailand. I deliver the mail. If I am some Thai student’s “Mr. Inspiration”, that’s fine. If the student thinks I’m some long-winded idiot, that’s fine, too! I deliver the mail. It is NONE OF MY BUSINESS what the students think of the mail, as long as they don’t disrupt the class. I have knowledge and experience. I deliver the mail. If 90% of the class is daydreaming…cool. I have a 100% responsive audience…cool. I deliver the mail. I don’t need recognition from teenagers and I am largely immune from their criticism. I come to class prepared, with a smile, a sense of humor and lay down the law if necessary. I deliver the mail. That’s it.
Please don’t take this attitude as one of indifference. I care quite a bit about all young learners, particularly those I teach here in Thailand. The worst students can suddenly blossom and I’m always open to that possibility. My intent is to create as interesting a learning environment as possible without taking it personally as to how the students react to it.
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Posted by ed on Feb 13, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
Educational field trips to the District of Columbia can be an amazing experience for organizers, chaperons and students. All you need to do to be successful is have a well thought-out plan in place. The following is an excellent example.
1. Decide on the attractions you want to see during your Washington DC school trip. Do you want the bus to drive past the Capitol and White House? Will you make a stop at the National Museum of American History? Where will you stop for lunch? Contact all the locations you want to visit to make sure they are open on the day of the field trip. You should also ask for group rates of places that ask for admission.
2. Determine how many students might come on the Washington DC school trip. You will need that number to establish the amount of chaperones you will need.
3. Submit the necessary paperwork to the school authorities. Make sure that all activities are outlined. The more details you provide, the better your chances are to get approval. Be as persuasive as you can on your request forms.
4. Once your excursion has been approved find parents to chaperone during the trip.
5. Inform all the places you intend to visit about your plans. Give them approximate arrival times. Coordinate activities and plan meals.
6. You will need transportation to go on a Washington DC school trip. Contact local tour operators and find out which charter group delivers the best possible services. You want a company experienced in field trips, because dealing with a bunch of excited students is quite different than driving a bus of seniors around the city.
7. Hand out and collect permission slips. They should be returned at least 2 days before the trip.
8. Give the students a list of items they should bring on the trip. Answer any questions that may arise.
9. Enjoy your Washington DC school trip.
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Posted by ed on Feb 10, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
The ultrasound technician is also known as sonographer. The main responsibilities of an Ultrasound Technician or a sonographer are to use the radio wave, ionizing, or radiation to diagnose many medical conditions. The most common use of sonography or ultrasonography is imaging during pregnancy, however, it can be used to diagnose the medical conditions for whole body. There is a complete setup of machinery which an ultrasound technician operates. These equipments are capable of shaping an image by reflected echoes that can be photographed or broadcasted for further explanation by a physician. They work in darkened rooms; most of them come for a short time period to the hospital, nursing homes, and to the clinics. They have contract with the employees and they travel to several hospitals.
To become a technician specialized in ultrasound there are many vocational schools, colleges and universities providing ultrasound technician training. You can also take these trainings in hospital which can be more beneficial for the students as there will be more practical work. They can do some of the profession like phlebotomist, pharmacy technicians etc. You can also learn and improve your skills more. These are more clinical base and you can interact more with the people by working in these fields. This is why most of the technicians and assistants are going for the certification.
A certification indicates the skilled area of the person that is also very helpful for the employer to select the right person. For ultrasound technician training, the prerequisites are high school diploma in science, health and in mathematics and some will accept for the training if you have experience in healthcare profession. There are two different programs for two year and four year durations that are offered by the colleges and universities. For two years, student will get an associate degree and for four years, they will be graduates. Anatomy, basic physics, medical ethics, patient care, and instrumentations will be attended by the students in both associate degrees for 2 years and bachelor’s degrees.
There is no requirement for the certification, but due to the salary purposes you may need certification and also some employers may ask or prefer the certified ultrasound technician than with just an ordinary one. A certification also reflects the person’s professional reputation in a particular field. If you want to become a certified ultrasound technician, you need to finish the proper degree and you should have the experience and for the registration you have to maintain the required study hours. Once you pass the exam as Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS), the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) will certify you.
Once you will have the certification, you can work as an instructor for Ultrasound Technician Training. This will bring the better job opportunities and also the good salary package. There will be more chances for career advancement. Although there are great job opportunities for the ultrasound technicians but the person, with the certification, will get chance to work in really big organizations. The salaries for these technicians start from $ 52,570 to $73,680.
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Posted by ed on Feb 7, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
When we talk about the nursing or healthcare profession, we cannot deny the importance of the role these professions are playing in our lives. There are 365 days in a year and through all these days the hospitals remain open regardless of the conditions. The people working in the hospitals and likewise are determined to their work and this is because the very first thing requires working in health care profession is caring and compassionate personality. Now if we talk about the nurses they are the front line life saviors. This is the reason that they are most interacting with the patients by executing different responsibilities that are assigned to them by the doctors or RN (Registered Nurse). Registered Nurses are the highest rank in nursing the main responsibility is to supervise every characteristic associated with the patient care. They are the seniors to the Licensed Practical Nursing and Certified Nursing Assistants. Registered Nurses are the largest occupiers of the health profession with 2.6 million jobs.
To becoming an RN (Registered Nurse) there are three different ways, the first one is to pass a four year nursing degree program Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing. Many universities and colleges are offering BSN degree program, it is suggested to the students to check the accreditation of the school or university. You can become RN by passing an associate degree, this is cost effective and it saves time as well, you have to get 2 to 3 years of education from community colleges and there are some prerequisites require by some colleges for entry to the associate nursing classes. There are many diploma programs administrated by the hospitals and the duration of these diplomas are 3 to 4 years.
After finishing the training the student must appear in the exam for the license to work as a registered and licensed Nurse. For license students must have graduated from a recognized nursing program, and then they can appear in license exam call NCLEX-RN. Once you will pass the exam and get the license you will be able to work as RN (Registered Nurse).
If you have a bachelor’s or higher degree as there is MSN for nursing as well if you have either of them you can do teaching, consulting and you can also go for an administrative position as well. Students who are ADN (Associate Nursing Degree) and hospital diploma holders get limited career advancement than the BSN or higher students. The 60% of the registered nurses are working in the hospitals and most of them are the ADN and the diploma holders.
Many registered nurses start working in hospitals as staff nurses and they get promotions gradually by their performance and experience. There are frequent promotion chances when you are working in hospital. If you have a degree in other field still you can become a registered nurse by having 12 to 18 months training. You can also join the Master’s nursing degree. A registered nurse earns up to $65,000 annually which is a high pay scale.
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Posted by ed on Feb 4, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
A licensed practical nurse is most commonly known as vocational nurses who usually provide services in different health care units within a specific State. There are vast opportunities of success and promotion in this field. There are a number of people around the world who want to join this field because it has a room for growth and has tremendous potential.
Employment rate for licensed nurses is expected to grow by nearly twenty percent till 2018. This tremendous increase in this field of employment is very much high if compared to other professions. Licensed practical nurses will also find jobs in a number of other health care facilities as well. Some of the jobs of licensed practical nurses involve following duties:
• Licensed practical nurses should know how to collect different samples and should also know how to run different lab tests on them.
• Apart from just coordinating with patients they also have to coordinate with family members as well in order to inform them about different healthy habits.
• During the course of their work they also have to aide different nursing assistants working side by side with them.
• A licensed nursing assistant should know how to deliver different types of injection in different types of diseases. Delivering of injection is carried out under the direction and supervision of senior nurses.
It has been surveyed that licensed nursing assistants get a handsome amount of pay and they earn a lot more as compared to other professions. For a nursing assistant the qualities of being empathetic and sympathetic should be incorporated within their nature so that they can extract fruitful results.
Licensed practical nursing is seen in doctors, physicians and other health care provider agencies. They work under the supervision and direction of registered nurses and physicians. This provides them with an opportunity to gain and learn a lot more which they can later apply in their profession as a licensed practical nurse.
Posted by ed on Feb 1, 2011 in
Reference and Education 
Today we live in a world of cars and roads to drive on, allowing us to get from place to place faster than by any other way of travel. We even have heated houses to live in. Life wasn’t always like this back around the years 500 AD. (over 1500 years ago) humans lived inside huts and used horses with carriage to move around. While living in these primitive conditions there was usually a castle nearby that they lived under the protection of. Living in these conditions was not easy sometimes it was harder to do because of the weather like in the winter, crops will not grow because of the cold so they had to save food up for these times.
They lived under the protection of the king of the castle near them. This means that if something were to happen between their king and another king of another castle like not agree with something or some threats were to be made then they might have a war. This is where the army of one castle would go to the other one and they would have a war. When this happens the peasants living outside the castle were normally forced to come inside the castle walls for safe keeping.
The King of the castle that is staying on their own turf has the advantage because they have the strength of the walls behind them and they did not have to make a journey to the other castle to wage war. So this normally leads to a victory for the King that is defending with their castle. Even if they were attacked unexpectedly they would normally win because getting through the thick castle walls was not an easy task. So when they did get through a part of the wall they would rush through to try and swarm the castle. Then be met by defenders of the castle with swords and shields and it would create a bottle cap effect.
Then after the war is won or lost the peasants that were pulled inside for their protection were allowed to go back to their homes outside the castle and start rebuilding whatever they might have lost in the battle. Normally their homes were burned because of the attacking armies trying to get to the walls to start their war. They just destroyed everything in their path they could on their way to the castle out of hatred to the king.