Archive for the ‘Guest Posts’ Category

Eat Smart, Be Smart: How Diet Can Improve Mental Capacity by Madoline Hatter

• When we eat, the vitamins and nutrients in the food we consume are processed by our bodies. If you eat a lot of “junk food,” there is a good chance that you will feel like junk. Foods that are more beneficial to your body can make you feel the exact opposite. Healthy foods can also impact your mental capacities and provide the means to maintain a healthy weight,




• A large proportion of people initially go on a diet in order to lose weight. This is the major topic of the first few pages of a Google search on the term “diet.” Although more people are understanding the other ramifications of healthy eating, many are still in the dark about just how profound an impact eating healthier can make on their daily lives. Every aspect of your existence is impacted by the various vitamins, minerals, and macro nutrients that are needed for optimum bodily function. If you are deficient in any of these components, your body won’t be as efficient as it could be.

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Education and the Future of Video Games by Amanda Winstead

looks at how video games have impacted education and what the future may hold. It’s an article that all parents and educators should read. Thanks, Amanda.

• It’s been highly accepted that video games can help children learn. The educational benefits of gaming have been found to increase everything from learning skills to social interactions. Unfortunately, even though there are an estimated 51.1 million kids under the age of 18 who consider themselves “gamers,” there are still a lot of negative stereotypes surrounding video games that need to be squashed.
• That’s especially true when it comes to their impact on learning. When video games are accepted and embraced for their full academic potential, they can reach kids and adults both in new and innovative ways, educating them in ways that more “traditional” methods can’t. So, how should games be utilized by parents and teachers, and what should we expect from the future of video games as it pertains to education?

An Outlet for Visual Learners

• One of the biggest benefits video games can have is that they’re often accessible to everyone. Most games are easy for people to pick up and understand right away, and that includes educational games. When kids, especially, are playing a game, they don’t necessarily realize they might be learning something at the same time. For visual and sensory learners, games can make a huge difference in how they absorb and apply things.
• Video games tend to appeal to visual learners because they:
• Organize information in a way that’s easier to understand
  Visualize complex ideas
  Improve attention
  Increase information retention

• Some games and apps are specifically designed for educational purposes, like Duolingo or Math Snacks. But, there are some games your kids/students might already play for fun that can be used to educate them in different areas, too. Some of the best “hidden” educational games include:
• Minecraft – Encourages problem-solving skills, reading, and math
  Oregon Trail – Teaches about historical events while requiring critical thinking skills
  Portal – Focuses on using math, science, logic, and physics
  Eloh – Teaches basic trigonometry skills

• Take an interest in which games your kids or students are already playing. Chances are, you might be able to find some educational purpose in it, so you can work with your kids to highlight those things while they’re enjoying their gameplay. Whether you’re trying to work with a visual learner or someone who needs a more hands-on, immersive approach, meeting them with a game they already enjoy or introducing something you think they’ll like is a great way to further their educational growth.

Learning Life Skills

• Video games don’t usually focus on one subject unless they’re games specifically designed for an educational setting. But, many of today’s games can teach long-lasting life skills. Some of the real-world skills both kids and adults can pick up on by regularly playing include:
• Learning how to take and manage risks
  Patience
  Perseverance
  Problem-solving
  Leadership
  Critical thinking
  Communication

• Those are skills that can translate into countless careers, including multiple positions in the business industry. People have used games like Monopoly to learn different strategies and problem-solving skills for years. The right video games, when applied in a certain direction, can do the same things.
• Many gamers end up going into careers as graphic designers, computer programmers, audio engineers, or even writing. Growing up loving every aspect of gaming can quickly become an inspiration. Those are all careers that require a lot of skill, time, and education. Most importantly, though, they require experience and passion. Not only does gaming teach valuable life skills, but it can inspire people from a young age to step up to educational challenges and take on difficult career paths so they can contribute something back to the gaming world.

Pictures Curtosy of Unsplash – @unsplash

There Are No “Lazy Games”

• Beyond preparing children (and adults) for the future, video games have instant educational and developmental benefits. The cognitive benefits of video games include:
• Improved concentration
  Better hand-eye coordination
  Memory enhancement
  Improved focus
  Multitasking skills
  Faster brain function

• With that, it’s important to get rid of the stigma surrounding video games that suggests they are mind-numbing or require little to no thought. Additionally, it’s time to abolish the idea that video games make people lazy.
• Multiple studies have shown that people who play video games can be more inclined to stay physically active and take better care of themselves. That’s largely because video games can improve your mood and boost your mental well-being. Gamers are often less stressed and happier. When you’re in a good mood and have more energy, it’s easier to want to exercise and be more physical. Gaming can also help to boost your confidence in whatever physical activity you’re doing, making it more likely that you’ll stick with it.
• Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand. Your mental health state can impact your physical health, and when you’re feeling sick, tired, or fatigued, your mental health is likely to suffer. So, boosting your mental well-being through games is a great way to also make sure your physical health remains a priority. That’s especially important for the growth, development, and well-roundedness of school-aged children.

The Future of Video Games and Education

• By now, you’re probably at least more convinced about the effectiveness of video games in an educational setting than you were before you started reading. But, what does the future hold for video games? Specifically, what do the advancements in technology and gaming mean for parents and teachers who are eager to use them?
• First, it’s important to understand the popularity of different game genres, and how they might change over time.
• Role-playing games, for example, are exceedingly popular with kids and adults. Some of the most widely-known include EverQuest and Elder Scrolls. What’s great about games like these is that they allow players to experience “real-world” situations (even in fantasy settings) by problem-solving and trying different techniques to make their way through virtual worlds. In recent years, many RPGs have gone online. That has opened up even greater opportunities for boosting communication and team-building skills. The technology used to connect players around the globe will undoubtedly continue to advance and become more fluid. It’s a great way for kids to learn about other cultures while doing something they love.
• With the rise in things like AI and virtual reality, simulation games will also undoubtedly be used more frequently for educational purposes. Simulation games can improve general life skills like controlling the basic needs of fictional characters. They can also teach very specific skills using science, engineering, math, and so much more. Because of the way virtual reality is advancing, students who tend to be hands-on learners can gain a lot from playing simulation games.
• Whether you’re a parent or teacher, it’s important to consider how beneficial video games can be. They’re designed for entertainment, of course. Even educational games are meant to be fun and captivating.
• But, mainstream games can often be used to serve different educational purposes. By shifting your perspective on gaming and understanding how regular play can be educational, you can use them to your advantage as an educational tool.
• The future of education and video games together widely depends on how well video games will be accepted as learning tools. Now that you know some of the benefits (and there are more!), you can start a trend of your own in your local school, community, or even at home by using games to further your child’s development and improve their general life skills.

Amanda Winstead

• Amanda is a freelance writer out of Portland focusing on many topics including educational technology. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.

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Education as a Resource by Jenna Smith offers several examples of how education along with the discovery and use of information is necessary for the survival of civilization and for enhancing the quality of human life. While no one is an expert in all of the topics mentioned here, they may inspire students to pursue one or any other topic that peaks their interests.

Introduction

Learning is seen as a model for self-actualization, a system put in place to teach how the world works and equipping us with tools for better living. Education is a system that gives instructions meant to provide a calculated effect. Learning provides society with factual knowledge, job skills, and cultural norms. The wisdom tools help us understand complex undertakings like: How to get to Mars, How to repair a heart, Trading in the stock market, and much more.

The Stock Market

General Electric, stock symbol NYSE GE, is a tech company based in Massachusetts in the United States dealing with energy generation, management, and application solutions. The company’s average annual price target is $9.13. Data shows an upside of 32.77% with the targeted price high being $13.00 and the low price target being $5.00.

General Electric currently has seven hold ratings and eight buy ratings for the stock. With this data, the resulting consensus rating is “Buy.” This data is collected and presented by the use of technology. Machine learning has to lead to a better understanding of the stock market and, in turn, can give you better knowledge about whether to buy a stock.

Up-To-Date Information

This kind of information has to be readily available around the world for a company to continue trading in the stock exchange. The entire human civilization uses the financial sector. It needs fast learning access platforms, including the internet, with up-to-date information about relevant critical factors to its functionality and the likes of the Internet of Things. These systems require databases of information from which decisions are made. This system contains information previously tested, observed, and stored in facilities like libraries and, lately, internet servers worldwide known collectively as the cloud.

Information in these facilities is updated with every experience that humanity encounters to prevent dependence on outdated data to improve the chances of achieving the desired outcome with each trial.

Traveling to Mars?

Humanity, as a species, depends on commonly used resources. These resources are still abundant on our home planet, but this will change according to analytic predictions made concerning population growth and demand. (Such predictions have been wrong in the past.) This requires humans to become a multi-planetary species soon if it is to survive. That fact demands more learning experience about neighbor planets and asteroids that can be mined and colonized.

The planet Mars is a close option due to its proximity to earth, which raises a need for knowledge about space navigation settlement and survivability on a planet not meant to support human life. The level of expertise requires trained specialists that can only be fostered in an advanced learning society.

Space is a wild place, and enduring there requires us to understand human anatomy and how we react to the space environment. This revelation calls for an understanding of how individual organs work and how to repair them when they fail due to the various factors.

The Human Heart

There have been outstanding achievements in the treatment of heart failure. Technological advancements in heart treatment have reduced fatalities. An example is the artificial pacesetter placement that substitutes when the natural ones fail in order to improve a patient’s mortality. With every new technology, heart failure is becoming more manageable. As of 2018, about two million Americans suffered from severe heart failure each year. This is data collected before the development of the MitraClip, which is used to repair the mitral valve, which can significantly improve an individual’s quality of life.

Incredible Artificial Intelligence (AI)

A system of passing knowledge between individuals or generations is an essential requirement for any civilization’s survival and development. Breakthroughs in AI learning helps machines perform complex tasks like collection and analysis of data by weather satellites and robots investigating the effects of pollution on our oceans. This has led to more discoveries on how humans can coexist and interact with machines. The collection and processing of data on global pandemics like the coronavirus could not have been possible without such developments.

Learning satisfies the need for personal development. Formal learning, however, is designed to ensure universal access to education, which will not always help achieve individual fulfillment. All of us have goals we intend to achieve, which requires the opportunity for self-development. Embracing education plays a significant part in individual fulfillment as it benefits society. Thanks, Jenna. She can be reached at jennaleesmith1@gmail.com

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Eight Incredible Online Tools to Check Your Grammar by Paul Bates provides quick introductions to popular tools that can make almost anyone a better writer. From students to teachers, anyone who writes at all should check them out. Thanks, Paul.

Introduction

• The arduous days with traditional writing methodology have passed a long time ago as the technology has assisted the writing enthusiasts with many of powerful tools. The complete process of generating ideas to creatively designing and publishing books is now much simpler, faster, and cheaper. There is always a quest going on in the heads of the writers to find promising tools and gadgets that can help them write decent, eye-catchy content online. And the non-native speakers have always needed tools to help them write grammatically precise content. To dissolve all the misconceptions, here’s a list of popular grammar tools easily available online. Categorically, these can be rendered as Productivity and Organization, Editing and Proofreading, and Designing and Publishing.

1. Grammarly

• This most popular and prolific tool is available for free online. This tool proofreads your content in real time as you write and points outs grammatical, punctuation and style errors immediately. Among the highly demanding tools, Grammarly is the most reliable and user-friendly, which also comes with the contextual spelling checker and a sentence structure identifier. Its premium version offers the users superior functionality like plagiarism detection and professional proofreading. (Doug: I have been using this tool for a while and highly recommend it.)

2. Grammar Check.me

• This is a reliable and up-to-the-minute tool with the best intrusion free portal for grammar and spellchecking. It also imitates a few functionalities of Microsoft Word like indentation and numbering or bullets style. It provides a person with the ease to import documents in any format for a grammatical check up.

3. SpellChecker.net

• This is also a spelling checker that is available for free. The key quality of this tool is that it identifies minor grammatical errors providing a user with a high precision rate. Incredibly easy and quick editing functionalities make it highly demanded among the users.

4. Clean Writer Pro

• Looking for a distraction free tool to help you write like a pro? This tool can fulfill your needs in the best possible way. Furthermore, for the developers, it provides an efficient utility to convert a document to HTML so that you can post it to your blog or website immediately.

5. Ginger

• This is a sublime tool to correct punctuation and grammatical errors efficiently on the go. The mistakes in the content are carefully analyzed and are accurately replaced. It also imports articles for a detailed checkup before publishing. However, the user has to download a full version for a laptop/PC if the article is longer than the supported length allowed by the online version.

6. Online Correction.com

• Interactive design is the key to the success of an app or tool so in order to accomplish perfection Online Correction.com highlights the errors by category. The content is examined and the spelling errors are marked in red while the grammatical mistakes are highlighted in green. This helps the user to differentiate between the errors easily helping to avoid them in the future.

7. Language Tool

• To better serve the needs of every user this tool supports twenty different languages as well as all versions of English language. It provides the user with spellchecking, punctuation and indentation functionalities.

8. After The Deadline

• Automatic Corporation, the developers of WordPress, has created this tool to add an extra dimension to the writing world. It comes with many functionalities like add-ons and extensions. It supports easy handling of grammatical and punctuation errors with priority suggestions to make the writing process better. Its online version is very coherent if you don’t feel like installing the tool on a laptop to unleash its full functionality.
• There are many other tools available online that provide similar basic functionalities but the ones mentioned here are the most widely used by people throughout the world.

Solved end-to-end Data Science projects

• Also check out this link for projects that you and your kids can solve.

Paul Bates

• Paul is a freelance writer from Dallas, TX. He’s an avid reader and during his free time writes summaries of different stories and novels. He has recently written the Chrysanthemums summary, a fascinating story by John Steinbeck.

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Embrace Learning-Based Games for Children by Craig Middleton will give parents and teachers some idea about how to use games in a developmentally appropriate manner. If you aren’t playing word and number games with your kids it may be time to start. Thanks, Craig.

Introduction

• Games are often considered as a fun tool to distract a child or something to play on a rainy day, however, games can also offer a wonderful benefit to children. Through many stages of childhood, kids can play games to enhance their development, build skills and also have a great time. While these vary by age group, there are games for almost every age, so consider these as you look to game options for your students or children.

Memory Games<

• Games that test a child’s memory and allow them to practice are a wonderful tool as their young minds grow. For young children, this can begin with recognizing, memorizing and simple matching of a few variations of shapes and colors or animals that are flipped to conceal the card. This game can provide children with the opportunity to practice their short-term memory and work to build that muscle. With memory games, it is important to utilize age-appropriate tasks. By offering a toddler a memory game involving many options and choices, you may find yourself with a frustrated, melting down child, as this is developmentally beyond their means. As children age, using the same game with increased variations and options can increase the level of difficulty and challenge them further. This may include subjects of art, locations and people to add additional obstacles to navigate.

Language and Letter Games

• Letters are introduced to children at very young ages, however, discerning their properties and understanding how letters go together will come at a much later developmental stage. Age-appropriate language games that involve the use of letters can be a fun way to embrace learning and supplement their education at home. Whether you are choosing a game that matches one letter to reflect the first letter of a corresponding picture for a young child or using letter gram games to utilize your kiddo’s vocabulary, there are limitless options. The importance of choosing games that can support the development of language, letters and words can be influential and helpful as your child gets older. Additionally, by gamifying language, you find yourself making learning fun and enjoyable while supporting their development.

Math and Number-Based Games

• Just as learning language skills can be influential in a child’s life, so can be learning numbers and math. Not everyone associates the concept of fun and enjoyment with math and numbers, as these tend to be analytically based concepts. However, by offering an entertaining outlet, we can teach them that the analytical areas can be just as fun. Many games offer children the ability to practice math skills and number-based tasks. For younger children, this may be adding simple numbers to understand the scoring system of a game and for older children, they may be able to practice logical reasoning and numbers with a game like sudoku. For all of these options, children find themselves practicing the use of numbers and reasoning, benefiting their education and building skills while playing and enjoying the landscape that is educational games.

Social Skills

• Developing social skills is a pivotal component of a child’s progression and can be essential as they grow older. Many games, including some of those listed above, can offer the practice of social skills, whether that be sharing, taking turns, offering explanations or any other variety of human interaction. By providing children with the opportunity to engage with others and learn various social skills, we can engage them in a practice that will be increasingly influential as they age. While many games focus on the sole purpose of establishing and putting social skills into practice, countless games offer these same benefits just by the nature of being a game.
• While the importance of games can often be quickly looked over, it is important to acknowledge the influential nature of games on learning. Not all games will offer children the same benefit, but there are opportunities to enhance their learning experience and enjoy some entertainment all at once.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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Five Effective Habits to Increase Your Motivation to Study by Edmond Garrett offers students of all ages key tips for organizing and getting the most out of study time. Be sure to share this sound advice with any students you know.

Early Review

• Make a habit of waking ten minutes early each morning during the week. Spend this time reviewing class materials you’ve already covered. This isn’t a time to catch up on reading assigned chapters or finishing homework you should have done the night before. This time is specifically for quick review of already read materials, such as reading summaries at the end of textbook chapters or reviewing key concepts and definitions.

Scheduled Study Times

• Create a weekly calendar on Sunday laying out your week. Look at the syllabus or class schedule for each of your courses to determine the tests and assignments scheduled for the week. Set aside specific times devoted to studying for each class. Your set aside times are flexible if something comes up during the week, but making a habit of setting this time aside will give you a better chance of following through on your studies.

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Five Important, Meaningful Benefits of Education by Craig Middleton will help students you know understand why education is important. While lessons from subjects like math and social studies may not relate directly to a student’s world this article explains why they nonetheless have meaningful personal value. Thanks, Craig

Though the importance of a good education is not lost on most people, there are still many who view an education, especially beyond basic academics, as a waste of time and resources. Education may appear as a requisite experience for children and young adults in order to satisfy societal requirements, parental expectations, or capitalist ideals, but schooling is a crucial part of a well-functioning society that consists of healthy, happy, and stable individuals. 

Let’s take a look at a few of the ways that education benefits the people, families, and institutions of every community across the world.

1. Increased Opportunities

• Do you want to better guarantee that you will land a high-paying job? Are you interested in developing skills and characteristics that will help you to succeed with your passions? Whether you hope to pursue a creative endeavor like photographer Ansel Adams or have your sights set on an ivy league education like Courtney Lanier Sarofim, a good education will equip you with the tools you need to make your dreams a reality.
• Regardless of the path you take in life, it’s important to gain an education that will help you to accumulate the necessary skills and knowledge that will make you a standout candidate for any jobs, positions, and roles you seek in the future.

2. Sharper Cognitive Skills

• While you may never use some of the math skills you develop in school when you reach adulthood, these practices help to develop the critical thinking and problem-solving parts of your brain that ease a variety of challenges and issues in your adult life. The stronger your critical thinking skills, the easier it is to make a sound, confident decision in the face of life’s problems.
• Boosted cognitive skills also help you to be better at advocating for yourself and others in the future, as you’re more likely to take the time to better understand complex situations, provide proper data to support your choices, and make more informed judgments.

3. Better Global Awareness

• In order to become a more compassionate, knowledgeable, and responsible citizen of the world, it’s vital to become aware of other cultures and historical events that have shaped the world to be what it is today.
• This not only makes it easier to relate to others who may be different from you, but it also encourages a broadening of the values and goals you may have in your life as you explore new ways of viewing the world through the lens of other civilizations or communities.

4. Expanded Equality

• Education functions as a uniting force for people from all walks of life. Everyone, regardless of age, sex, gender, religion, or orientation, deserves access to the same opportunities in the world.
• A good education provides everyone with the necessary skills, tools, and knowledge to achieve their goals, but educated people are more likely to maintain an open mind and remain aware of societal issues that block or drive wedges between different social classes or groups of people. Educated individuals are often more likely to take measures in their own work or personal circles to ensure that everyone has an equal chance at a healthy, happy, and fulfilled life.

5. High Self-Esteem

• School is challenging for everyone at one time or another. Overcoming challenges, even on basic levels, fuels your sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, which can help you to feel more confident and able to navigate difficult situations on your own in the future. Even in times of failure, the lessons learned in a schooling environment have real-world applications that teach people how to secure their own success and happiness on their own.
• As well, educated people rely less on others to make decisions, form opinions, provide financial support, or speak for them. Education can empower each person to find their strengths and their voice, and use them to make the world around a better place to be.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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Five Practical implementations of Internet of Things that can make your Life Easy by Vaishnavi Agrawa explains how the IoT is changing MANY aspects of our lives at work and at home. This is a guest post from Bangalore, India. If they get it there you should get it here.

• The Internet of Things (IoT) is on the way to become a more diverse, well-known and pervasive international network of all. One day, IoT endpoints are probably not restrained to consumer, business, governmental and scientific makes use of but will span all areas of human pastime. Indeed, within the international economic system, the Internet of things is poised to emerge as the most important big data analytics cloud. However, although Big Data is essential to the Internet of things, it is a ways from being the only piece of the IoT fabric.
• The Internet of Things represents a general concept of the capacity of network devices to function and accumulate data from the world around us, and afterward, share that data over the Internet where it can be handled and used for different intriguing purposes. With so many emerging trends in big data and analytics, IT organizations need to design circumstances that will enable analysts and data scientists to do vital research.
• IT managers and implementers cannot use a lack of maturity as an excuse to halt experimentation. Originally, only a few people — the most experienced analysts and data scientists — need to do research. Then those high users and IT should collectively discover when to release new sources to the rest of the organization. And IT shouldn’t significantly control in analysts who want to move ahead full-throttle.

1. Smartphones

• Currently, the smartphone is practically acting as IoT, which uses GPS. Besides the guidance of WiFi or GPS, they can with no trouble track your actions and relay your know-how to a database which can be utilized to analyze your life style and fitness.

2. Connect sense

• These wireless residence sensors keep you aware of your home’s temperature, its protection, or even let you monitor for possible water and other damage.

3. Wifi Lights

• The wifi lights are web-enabled, which not only can help you reduce your electricity charges, but still can produce alarms associated with a predefined movement.

4. Smarter CRM (Customer Relation Management)

• When used in the conjunction with an accountable customer relationship management (CRM) instrument, the IoT will likely be able to do more than merely gather and arrange client data. It’s going to be able to effectually and appropriately analyze that data as well, delivering you with actionable results involving your customer base.

5. Social Media

• The IoT is already optimized to be used with social media, enabling computerized posts and shares to be on the whole generated by way of the gadgets themselves, and preparing the best way for new online communities to enhance themselves based on users of designated devices.
• Statisticians think that IoT will create the usual substantial impact on marketing in the future years. Marketers can use IoT to reach their customers. Digital promotion and marketing can become fabulous if we study the IoT as a mechanism. The entrepreneurs today have many opportunities to make their business techniques better. IoT can also make personal lifestyles anyone who comprehends how to use it.

Vaishnavi Agrawa

• Vaishnavi loves pursuing excellence through writing and have a passion for technology. She has successfully managed and run personal technology magazines and websites. She is based out of Bangalore and has an experience of 5 years in the field of content writing and blogging. She is currently works for Intellipaat. Her work has been published on various sites related to Hadoop, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, IT, SAP, Project Management and more.

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Five Reasons Why All Students Are Not Able to Pursue Higher Education is a guest post by Jessie Yarrow, a journalist and blogger from Hyderabad, India. Her’s is an interesting perspective on how traditional higher education is out of reach for many all around the world. She shares my hope that modern technology can help more people move up the learning and earning ladders.

Jessie Yarrow

• Jessie Yarrow is a passionate blogger and journalist. In her free time, she writes articles on various topics such as education, gadgets, and travel. As of now she is focusing on Univariety, which provides career guidance for the students. Her gravatar link is http://en.gravatar.com/yarrowjessie. She also tweets at @Univariety and is located in Hyderabad, India. How cool is it to collaborate with someone on the other side of the world? Thanks Jessie.

Introduction

• The 21st century is has ushered in the era of education and technology. Education has become the most powerful tool through which one can attain success in their lives. Education is divided into various phases. Higher education is the most vital phase as it enables students to hone their talents and focus them on one single career. In other words, higher education turns a person from literate into an intellectual and a professional. Although secondary education has become more widespread than ever before, even in developing countries, higher education faces a number of problems and hurdles all around the world.
• Despite the fact the there has been massive progress in both education and research in the last few decades, many problems continue to plague the educational system and a huge number of students continue to stay out of its loop. Following are some of the major reasons why students are unable to pursue higher education.

Financial Problems

• In many developing countries (and even in developed countries in some cases) higher education is an endeavour for which considerable financial resources are needed which many people do not possess. Even though there are numerous options to aid such students, many of them are not aware of them or are not confident to apply. In many instances, students have to start earning at a young age to sustain their families. This robs them off the chance of studying further.

Geographical Distances

• Due to the combined efforts of various NGO’s and governments, primary as well as secondary schools have started appearing in every locality and region. However, as far as the institutions of higher education are concerned, they are still scattered at faraway places geographically. Many times, students cannot afford to travel and live away from their home for a number of reasons and this becomes a reason why they cannot pursue higher education. Then there is also the fact that in many institutions, there are limited seats ever year. The competition for these seats is very high and many students are left behind.

Syllabuses

• Many students do not have aptitudes suitable for certain type of courses. Some students come from schools where the primary education they received was not at par with what they were to be taught in degree courses. For some, the sheer amount of coursework, assignments and the readings are too much. The result, they drop out.
  In countries like India, where the primary and secondary education can be taken in local languages, English becomes a barrier when they pursue higher education and they end up failing or dropping out.

Wrong choices

• One of the biggest problems students face in higher education is the lack of career guidance. A large number of students end up choosing a degree for higher education just based on immature advice. When they start their studies and realize that they are not suitable for the particular course, it’s already too late and they end up wasting their time. Many such students get so dejected that they stop the pursuit of higher studies altogether.

Commercialisation of Education

• Despite the increasing number of educational institutions cropping up everywhere, it has become impossible to pursue higher education without incurring huge costs. Apart from the costs, there is the worrying factor that many colleges no longer give importance to anything else than grades. Students who want to explore their creativity and new ideas are forced to limit their pursuit to grades.
• Apart from these issues, there are many other problems which are proving to be the stumbling blocks for students, making higher education seem like a dream which is not possible to pursue. The advent of technology and the Internet has opened new gates for learning and education which can be used to revamp the educational world and make it easier to access for everyone from every corner of the world. Let’s hope that the quality and availability of education that can result in a successful career with continue to improve to people all over our world.

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Many students in college can benefit from some tips and tricks regarding housing, diet, and balancing coursework with extracurriculars and jobs. However, each major and minor will have different aspects that require different tips. Here are five useful tips for business students in college.

1. Choose Your Major And Classes Carefully

• Many business majors simply call themselves business majors, but the reality is that business encompasses several varied and interconnected disciplines, including business administration, marketing, and economics. You should choose your business major and the classes you take to gain your degree carefully, based on your interests, career objectives, and course requirements. For example, if you want to get involved in sales at some point in your career, look for classes that will teach you and help you build skills in both the customer-facing part of sales work, such as giving pitches and the supportive aspects of sales work, including concepts such as sales enablement.

2. Make Sure You Know How To Study Strategically

• All students need to know how to study strategically, but for business majors, this is particularly important. Other majors, such as English, foreign languages, and history will place the focus on researching and writing papers. Majors such as chemistry and mathematics tend to be straightforward in their exam questions and work. Business majors may have a combination of both types of coursework and exams, so you need to be able to prepare for research projects, presentations, practical work such as developing marketing campaigns, and written exams. Each of these will require a unique method of preparation and may overlap with any of the others, so you need to be able to balance all of them as needed.

3. Manage Your Time Wisely

• Part of studying strategically means being able to manage your time wisely. College students tend to juggle several classes and extracurricular activities with jobs, internships, study time, and their free time to spend on enjoyable activities such as spending time with friends. You shouldn’t cut any of these activities, but you also need to make sure you don’t engage in any of them to excess. Find ways to manage your time and ensure you can finish everything you need to do without overwhelming yourself. Some people find physical or app-based calendars and schedules helpful. Others may find methods such as time blocking to be helpful. Whatever method you choose should be one that helps you successfully manage your time. (Doug: Research shows that you should spread out your study of any subject rather than cramming just prior to exams or deadlines.)

4. Set Short-term And Long-term Goals

• The long-term goal of most college students is to graduate and get a job, but a business major should strive to be as specific as possible in his or her long-term goals. Think about where you want to work, the type of career you want, and how you want that career to advance or change over time. Consider the stepping stones, the short-term goals, you’ll need to achieve those long-term goals. Think about the classes you need to take and any electives that will benefit your goals. Look into extra-curricular activities, student employment opportunities, and networking opportunities too. From there, get even more granular. Base your class goals on the syllabus and what you need to achieve in your course work, for example.

5. Start Considering Internships As Early As Possible

• One thing business majors especially should do in college is start researching potential internships and networking appropriately as early as they can. Depending on your major, your career goals, and where you attend school, there may be stiff competition for internship opportunities, so you want to prepare for and seek opportunities early. Internships are vital aspects of business major curricula and are gateways to potential future employment and networking opportunities that can benefit you after graduation. Some aspects of being a business major can benefit from general college tips while others will require more specific tips. You should make yourself aware of a mix of both these types of tips so you’re better able to develop your own unique strategies and methods.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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