Find more than just a degree of success at california community colleges

It's a great pleasure and honor studying, working as well as teaching at some of the prestigious California community colleges. I moved in 1977 across from back east of the country with two suitcases and 300 dollars, to take advantage of the educational system in California in general and of California community colleges—for starters—in particular. Besides being unbelievably affordable at that time it was also extremely reputable as fine preparatory, or transitional, institutions of higher education. During my first semester at College of Marin, for instance, besides buying my texts, I paid only $3.00 for the whole semester. That was for the Health Fee.

California community colleges are not quite so low-priced—though they are still affordable—in recent times, but they are still brilliant first - and second-year colleges and trade/occupational training sites. Those graduating either from the neighboring high schools or returning to college after years away attend courses and programs in almost all of the major disciplines and/or take up vocational courses for example those in the Automotive Mechanics or Cosmetology divisions at almost all of the 72 regions’ California community colleges.

As the Chancellor of the California community colleges reveals in the mission statement (at cccco. edu/faq_cccco. htm#mission), basic aims of all of the California community colleges are to offer “essential and important functions” such as basic skills instruction, English as a second language (ESL, or, English for speakers of other languages, ESOL) education and practice, adult non-credit instruction, and student and community support services.

While funding is the contingency (and often the bane), some California community colleges engage in outreach, research, and other related projects and programs. They often present a small degree of health services, offer social and academic guidance and support (for honors charters, for instance) and extracurricular access (as, for example, student associations and clubs as well as sports teams).

Despite the fact that I taught and worked at and am thus partial to select California community colleges in the Bay Area (in Northern California), they are some of the best kept secrets all over the state. Below is the list with individual colleges where you can find additional information online by either typing in the name of the college and dot net, or dot cc dot ca, or dot edu:

American River College, Sacramento

Butte College, Oroville

College of San Mateo, San Mateo

Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill

East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park

Feather River College, Quincy

Grossmont College, El Cajon

Hartmon College, Salinas

Imperial Valley College, Imperial Valley

Laney College, Oakland

College of Marin, Kentfield

Ohlone College, Fremont

Palomar College, San Marcos

College of the Redwoods, Eureka

Skyline College, San Bruno

Taft College, Taft

Ventura College, Ventura

West Hills College, Coalinga

Yuba College, Marysville

What is mental math and why should we study

What is Mental Math? Lot of you out there are trying to find an answer to this question. Well, answer is quite simple, mental math is nothing but simple calculations done in your head, that is, mentally. So now you are wondering – well, what is such a big deal, I can easily calculate 10 + 5 and 95 + 100, my 10 year old child can easily calculate 80 + 20. These are some simple calculations. But often in our day to day life, neither we come across such easy calculations nor will your children in future. Rather we come across a bit tougher calculations.

Let me draw your attention to your visit to a restaurant. Have you ever wondered, jeez, how much is 15% of that or 18% of that. Have you been to a grocery store and wondered – how much tax was charged to you? These are the kind of simple calculations I am talking about and not just 95 + 100. So now you got the gist as to what to expect in this article? So before I show you some techniques, let me explain you why mental math is catching so much steam these days.

First, let me tell you some of the long term benefits of learning mental math at early child age. Learning mental math at early age can help boost your child’s confidence when it comes to mathematics, develop mental calculation abilities, provide a sense of achievement as the child's proficiency improves, lead to greater mental capacity, promote intuitive thinking, enhance problem-solving capability, enhance creativity and last but not least, improve concentration and mental endurance.

Read what past president of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has to say about mental math: “the time has come to invest in helping students build the mental math skills in their tool kits as part of their comprehensive mathematical understanding. The payoff for this investment can be tremendous both in improving students’ mathematical abilities and in giving a visible sign that we are committed to preparing students with the kind of mathematical proficiency that the public can readily appreciate.”

We all have had our share of difficulties understanding and learning math in the past. And the same difficulties face to our children. Let me tell you that yes math is difficult and boring if the numbers and the relation between these numbers are not understood well. Today, most of our public schools teach us mental math in some form or the other and I can guarantee you, more then ninty five percent of the time it will be the most adverse and boring technique of rote memorization.

So what is the alternative? Alternative is what asian students have been learning for decades now. There are two different systems in Asia that can help you conquer and master math. You and/or your child can calculate 1478 + 3456 + 98 – 29 in less then 5 seconds and that too without any help external modern day electronic gadgets such as calculator. One system is the Abacus mental math method which has it’s origins in east Asia and another system is the Vedic mental math method which has it’s origins in south Asia.

Free online classes

When it comes to taking online classes over the Internet, especially free online classes you want to make absolutely sure that they are legitimate. That you aren’t just fooling around with something you aren’t going to get out of, but the wasting of your time and efforts. Not all of the free online classes offered on the internet are like this, however most of the free online classes deal with different issues other than major instructional courses.

In another words the free online classes could mean getting your GED, or learning another language perhaps, something of that nature. However, it really does depend on which web site you are looking at and referring to before you actually know. And in some situations there are free online classes for a period of time, and after you are so far into the course you have chosen, there will be fees, some expensive and others less costly.

You might want to be sure to read all the print according to the free online classes you take as well, when they say free and you have to pay out all amounts of money on additional materials they say you will need such as software and other items, this is where they could get you as well.

They might very well be offering free online classes however you’ll pay for quite a bit of software or other things to get through and complete the classes.

Believe me when I say I did a search on free online classes and got over twenty thousand search results so you might want to be specific on what you are looking for as far as free online classes.

Its amazing all the colleges that are on the Internet that offer these free online classes however there is always usually something you need to purchase. Oh, don’t get me wrong not all of the web sites are like this, however those with degrees or a PHD these will not be free online classes or courses.

Some people like the idea of not having to actually be in a classroom and being able to obtain some king of skill or learning and it is in fact free online classes that can provide this for them, while others are accredited colleges however like stated above, they will offer so many free online classes if you continue with a course for a longer period of time.

For example, its like getting three months of cable free when you sign up for a years service from the cable provider. This is how some of the colleges work on the Internet, they will offer free online classes when you go through a course where you do in fact pay a certain amount in order to actually finish the classes or courses you have chosen to take on the Internet.

There are also databases that can assist you when searching for free online classes however, here too you need to be specific on what type of free online classes you are looking for or you are going to get hundreds of results, and remember it is always best to look at more than just one, do that comparison on the classes and see which one will benefit you or help you as far as being free online classes and what goes with them, such as software or additional items.

The art of video game design

Beginning in 1979, video games slowly started to invade homes and occupy young children and adults alike. The first video game was created in Japan and it has evolved greatly over the years. Video games have not only become a hobby for young children, but they have become an obsession for young adults. Individuals are constantly in competition with one another to have the latest and greatest video game. They also race one another to conquer all the levels of the most challenging games. With individuals constantly looking for new challenges, the area of video game design has increased in popularity.

Children are becoming fascinated with video games at a younger age. To prevent them from becoming zombies in front of the television, video game design companies are incorporation education, as well as physical activity to most of their video games. Games such as V-tech and Leap Frog use colors, numbers and words to educate young children on how to read and count. One recent game that has revolutionized the video game industry is Nintendo’s Wii. This game console uses video games to incorporate physical activity. Game users are required to use their physical skills to complete tasks such as fishing, bowling and tennis. While these games aim to educate and increase physical activity among youth, there are still traditional games on the market that simply aim to entertain.

What once started as a recreational activity, video gaming has now become a sport to some people. There are actually tournaments around the world where individuals compete against one another in the latest video games. Individuals also create teams to compete against individuals from all different countries. While most people think individuals play these games for fun, it is actually a very competitive sport. Individuals train for months, even years to master the skills need to conquer a game. They study each video game design and try to learn all the tricks and special features of each game. Individuals are not competing for bragging rights. Some tournaments offer prizes in excess of $500,000, proving that these games are not to be taken lightly.

With the increased popularity of video game tournaments and leisure activities, the career field of video game design is in high demand of qualified candidates. Colleges all over the country offer programs to teach students about video games and how to design them. Courses include work in graphic design, script writing and drawing. Classes are also offered in a variety of different specialties aimed to make individuals marketable in a variety of different fields. Students learn essential computer skills such as Photoshop, animation and cinematography. However, these computer skills are also important skills in different career fields, therefore opening numerous opportunities to graduates in this specific program

Upon completion of a video game design program, students can work for numerous different companies. Design companies are constantly looking for fresh thinkers and creative individuals to take their video games to new levels. Students in design programs learn how to conceptualize, design and plan animations and video games. They also learn how to produce and evolve character models and design levels in video games. Along with these important video game skills, students also learn marketing, business and entertainment law to make them a well-rounded candidate.

With a video game design degree, students can not only use their imaginations to create games, but they can also manage the production of games or be a critic with the skills they learn through this particular program. What was once thought of as simply entertainment has become an increasing popular industry.

San antonio schools address nutrition problem

Every day children show up to school tired and hungry. I’m not talking about homeless or abused children. But kids from loving homes near the San Antonio Schools whose parents don’t understand the impact of nutrition and a good night’s sleep on a student’s ability to focus and learn. Good nutrition is a necessity of life. A healthy diet enables the body to work more efficiently, improves mental health, and makes learning possible. A person who does not eat well tends to be more sedentary, depressed, and uninterested in learning. San Antonio Schools are not only providing their students with good, healthy meals, but also offer various opportunities and tips for students and parents to learn more about healthy eating.

Thousands of students enrolled in San Antonio Schools depend on free breakfast and lunch at school as their main source of nutrition. In the summer months, San Antonio Schools students can continue to enjoy these meals at no charge. As part of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s “Seamless Summer Nutrition Program”, San Antonio Schools campuses that are hosting summer school programs will offer anyone 18 years old and younger one breakfast and one lunch through Aug. 9, free of charge, regardless of ability to pay.

The “Seamless Summer Nutrition Program” is required by law in San Antonio Schools where large numbers of students receive free meals during the school year, such as those who attend San Antonio Schools. Participants are eligible regardless of whether they are enrolled in a summer program and no application is required.

How many children would have better focus if they ate a healthy breakfast, and stopped living on a sugar high? The mission of the San Antonio Schools Food and Child Nutrition Services is to enhance the learning and health of children by nourishing their bodies and minds through healthy, nutritious meals that meet or exceed the Federal requirements set forth by the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. It’s about time that districts recognize that holistic health impacts learning.

The San Antonio Schools nutrition department partners with the USDA in offering these tips for healthy eating:

1. Make half your grains whole

2. Vary your veggies

3. Focus on fruits

4. Get your calcium-rich foods

5. Go lean with protein

6. Change your oil

7. Don’t sugarcoat it

Tips offered for San Antonio Schools students who want to get active:

1 Set a good example: Be active and get your family to join you.

2 Take the President’s Challenge: As a family, track your activities at

presidentschallenge. org.

3 Establish a routine: Adults need at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week; and children should exercise 60 minutes everyday or most days.

4 Have an activity party, such as skating or bowling.

5 Set up a home gym; use canned foods for weights and the steps as a stairmaster.

6 Move it! Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and move.

7 Give activity gifts

San Antonio Schools are working hard to give their students good nutrition when they are on campus and good education about nutrition, healthy eating habits and exercise tips for when they are off campus. Go San Antonio!

Learn any language in 10 days 7 ways to quickly master a foreign language

Who cares about learning a foreign language? You should. And your brain wants you to.

"We're starting to learn just how intuitively our minds are able to analyze amazingly complex information without our even being aware of it," Elissa Newport, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University and lead author of the study.

Evolution wants you to learn a foreign language. In other words, your brain is hardwired to learn language you just have to have the motivation to do it. So how are you going to go about it? Read on for 7 ways to learn any language.

1. What to plant? Figure out what level of the language you’re at right now. If you’re at mid level you don’t need to learn basic greetings.

2. Right planting strategy. Don’t practice your ABCs. Children don’t learn to speak learning the alphabet and neither should you. The natural approach is to listen and learn.

3. Find fertile soil. The Pimsleur Approach is a great resource to start learning any language.

4. Plant the brain seed. Recap on what you learned at least every couple days to immerse yourself. Keep it up until the language becomes second nature.

5. Water the brain seed. The vocabulary and phrases will take root and begin to grow. For a language to become second nature, it will take a while. Learning phrases is step one. Next you need to let the brain absorb it all.

6. There’s no such thing as Miracle Grow for your brain. If it sounds like it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Everything gets accomplished with dedication and smart thinking. Get your mindset right and the rest will come naturally.

7. Let nature take its course. Start learning one language-learning program and expand. Pimsleur is one of the best resources for gaining a solid foundation in foreign language without having to stop and learn..

Whatever reasons you have to learn a foreign language, the key is to keep it simple and consistent. "There is a powerful correlation between what our brains are able to do and what language demands of us," explained Newport. Remember, evolution has geared your brain to continually evolve.

Shake off the caveman mentality. There is so much upside to realize from taking in an additional language. Whether business or pleasure; training your brain; expanding your vistas or making sense of that great foreign film you’ve been threatening to see (with your absolutely enthusiastic partner), learning a new language opens a whole new world.

There are plenty of methods to gaining foreign language chops. Think about how you learn best, and what kind of time you can commit.

For a great audio-only language learning foundation, check out pimsleurapproach. com for more details. It’s an immersive program that teaches you the 2500 most important words and phrases in any of 38 languages. Learn German, French, Spanish, Italian basics in less than 10 days, it’s so easy a caveman, err you can do it.

No growing pains for home schooled high schoolers

It is said that a good quality education is one of the best legacies a parent can bestow on his or her children. Now, with non - traditional methods of learning such as home schooling programs, you can assure your child or children of quality education without the debilitating costs of exorbitant sending them to good private schools.

Also, most public school educational systems does not allow for customization of teaching styles to cater to your child or children's needs as well as foster an environment for learning that is best suited for your child or children. For these reasons, non traditional home schooling education is gaining popularity and perhaps it won't be long before this non traditional method will be considered mainstream.

In the meantime though, it is in your best interest as a parent to ensure that the quality of education that you bring to your child or children through home schooling is at par or even better than traditional methods he or she can experience in a classroom setting.

For this purpose you must equip your child in proper education, taking in consideration that there are certain levels that your child must reach in terms of learning to be able to qualify for good a college or university in case your child wants to continue pursuing higher education after earning a high school degree.

To achieve this, you might want to consider incorporating a certified web based curriculum for your child or children to ensure that he or she can achieve a good result for a high school degree.

Citizen's High School is a good alternative to traditional schooling for your child or children. This web-based institution provides quality learning programs for your child to earn an actual high school diploma, not a more than a GED. Their accredited high school program will allow your child or children to earn a high school degree without losing the flexibility and freedom afforded by a home schooling system. Furthermore, they offer a cost-effective way to achieve all this.

Keystone High is more than the usual online school because Keystone has solid experience working with parents and children from a home schooling background. In fact, the backbone of Keystone is the fact that it was formed to actually supplement home schooling programs specifically aimed for better education for a parent's high schooler.

Keystone does not want to take away or take the role of the parent-teacher in the home schooling program. Instead they are there as allies to lend a professional service to ensure that your child or children get the most out of a home schooling program for high school level individuals.

New york schools institute universal assessment

The necessity to assess students is irrefutable. In fact, a lot of people believe that formal assessments are the only way to tell how a student is progressing, and teachers feel pressured to teach to the test. For many educators, part of their paycheck is based on how well students score on standardized tests. Fortunately for students and teachers alike, New York Public Schools recognize the need to not only assess them fairly and accurately, but also see the necessity of offering various kinds of tests to be used at the teachers’ discretion.

New York Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein recently announced that all schools will have access to a range of flexible periodic assessment tools to help them track students’ progress in English Language Arts and math starting in the 2007-08 school year. It’s interesting and encouraging that the Chancellor recognizes the need for these tools. Perhaps even more interesting is the motivation behind them.

“Teachers have always used assessments to monitor their students’ progress. Now they’ll be able to find out quickly exactly what [New York Schools] students are learning and where they need more help,” Chancellor Klein said. “These tools are quicker and more accurate than what … [New York Schools] have today. They’ll make it easier for our educators to tailor instruction to meet the individual needs of every student.”

The New York Schools Department of Education (DOE) has encouraged schools to use these kinds of no-stakes assessments since 2003. The 2007-2008 school year will be the first time that all New York Schools will have easy access to a menu of “differentiated assessment tools” rather than pre-packaged exams that do not necessarily match the needs of individual teachers and students.

It’s important for schools and teachers to decide for themselves what kinds of assessments to use. Being able to choose their tools of assessment will enable New York Schools teachers more freedom of movement within their curriculum (how and when subjects will be taught) by freeing them from a high-stress testing date that only occurs once a year for all New York Schools students.

New York Schools can choose any combination of the new periodic assessment tools as long as they are assessing students five times a year in grades 3-8 and four times a year in high school in both English Language Arts and math. This policy must be intended to ensure that New York Schools teachers are actually using the new tools. This use should also give educators the opportunity to provide feedback to the New York Schools Chancellor and his staff on what works, what doesn’t, and what they want to see more of.

Naturally, the leaders of New York Schools have the best interests of the students at heart, and want to provide the best possible education along with the means to assess the students’ achievement.

Preparing yourself for home schooling

Home schooling refers to providing educational instruction to children in the home. Home schooling supplies children with a more personalized education.

Home schooling has proven itself to be a very good method of teaching children their ABC's. The home provides a very good environment for children to learn. More children feel more adjusted and more comfortable being educated at the home. And with home education, it is more the responsibility of the parents to teach their children. And because of the time spend with each other, this approach has made parents and their kids become closer with each other.

With home schooling, parents will also be able to save a lot when it comes to expenses. They no longer have to worry about getting schooling supplies for their children as required by most traditional institutions. Home school supplies are bought according to need as opposed to requirement. Aside from required learning tools, the parents are the ones responsible for providing other home schooling supplies such as pencils, notebooks, paper and the like.

If you plan on having your own kids home schooled, you might need to be prepared. One requirement is to find time to personally teach your children. With home schooling, you do not rely on anyone else to make your kids learn. That responsibility will fall on your lap. The same goes with preparing your children's home school supplies. It won't be as extensive a list as what public schools would require, but it would be wise to have your own list ready before you do your shopping. Here is a list of important things that you should always have ready on your home for

your kids' home schooling supplies.

You should be able to have paper readily available in your home. This should include ample supply of typing and printing paper. You should also be including other paper supplies such as steno and college-ruled paper as your home-schooled children grow. Also include different writing instruments handy such as pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, chalk, markers, etc. Also include in your shopping list other items like all-purpose glue, scotch tape, rulers, erasers, staplers, paper clips, portable blackboard, and calculators.

In preparing to home school your children, you should also be able to have different learning tools available around the home. Different subjects may require various educational tools to help your children learn and understand their lessons better. For history and geography lessons, it is important to have a globe or a world map available as well as history and geography books within reach.

For science subjects, your students would require, magnifying glasses, prisms, a microscope or a telescope depending on your child's grade level. You can also include musical instruments to teach music lessons as well as other items that you think would be helpful for other subject types.

Are you considering hiring a private tutor part 1

No matter what age you are, if you have ever had academic problems in any area, whether it is in high school, college, or trade school, There are many public tutoring programs available. Many of them are available free of charge. The problem with these public tutoring programs is that they are difficult for some people to learn from. Public tutoring sessions are a lot like classes, and if classes were easy, there would be little need for a tutor, right?

A private tutor is a person who is hired to coach and assist one (maybe two) students at once on a certain given subject or multiple subjects. The idea behind private tutoring leading to success in academia is that it is like a second teacher on the particular subject that they are tutoring on.

This is great for people who need the extra help and learn better that way, as many people do. There are multiple styles of learning out there, and each person has a different style of learning. Private tutoring is a great option and an even better career/academic move when it comes to one particular style of learning, and that is those who learn best with one-on-one instruction and specialized attention. Other people do not require such close contact and have great visual memories, or can pass simply by taking good notes. There are other people who get along in their academic life without adopting any style of learning, always slipping through the cracks and taking things as they come, and that is okay.

There are a variety of benefits in private tutoring that people have yet to discover. The main reason people neglect to truly explore the benefits of hiring a private tutor is because they can get quite costly. In all reality, how can you really put a price on your education? Hiring a private tutor may be the difference between passing and failing, and the possibility of having to repeat courses is a lot more costly than it would be to hire a private tutor.