FUNDAMENTALS OF ALGEBRA MADE EASY

Algebra can be taught in a number of ways,and it is undoubtedly easy to score as well. One great website that teaches you the Fundamentals of Algebra is the link above that requires Macromedia Flash for lessons, and Adobe Acrobat Reader for downloading PDF format support materials. Grades 7 through 10 will find this particularly useful.
Recomended Reading: Math Tool
How To Master Complex Numbers
Math Help For All
Teach Math Using PowerPoint

CHEMISTRY DIAGRAMS ONLINE

Chemistry is a subject where diagrams are essentially accompanied by a lecture from the teacher. Students often need a second explanation and when teaching online or in the classroom it is necessary to have good,clear diagrams that are neatly labelled at hand. One website particularly useful with more than 400 diagrams and animations to be used for chemistry is the one above I found on Twitter.
Recommended Reading: Periodic Table Made Easy
How To Balance A Chemical Equation

TWITTER IN THE CLASSROOM?

Social networking online is a rage among all today,particularly students.Yes,even those in high school. So, should they be banned from using Facebook,Twitter,etc.? Jessica Gross recently wrote in The Huffington Post about teachers and Professors who have put Twitter to good use in the classroom in order to encourage social networking among their students.The idea being - they already use social media whether the parents and teachers like it or not,it can be used effectively to encourage communication and networking which is what the present and future are all about. They can be taught to use them right so as to enable students to engage meaningfully beyond the four walls of the classroom and also interact with their teachers.
Students learn from their peers and so, incorporating social media into their classrooms is certainly the way for educators worldwide. Using such useful tools enhances productivity and teachers are able to better connect with their students. Teachers have to learn to update themselves constantly. After all, teachers are learners first,right?
Once I entered the world of facebook and twitter,I have begun interacting with educators and students like never before.You are welcome to share any stories you may have on how you find twitter useful in the classroom.

LEARN KANNADA CONVERSATION

Kannada is a South Indian language that students take up while studying in schools and colleges. Most people migrating to Karnataka also find themselves looking for a tutor to teach them Kannada. Conversational Kannada is easy to study by oneself if you can listen to audio snippets while reading the same thing in English.I have endeavored to create a blog dedicated entirely to learning Kannada Conversation. People of all ages can use this blog to be able to confidently speak the language. People I have taught also discussed the need to get more fluent in the language while speaking to a native speaker. All these issues are addressed and I hope many around the world seeking to learn from a Kannada tutor will find this blog useful.
Recommended Reading: Learn Kannada

TEACHERS MUST BE TRAINED!

Students of all ages are far more interested in the use of the internet for learning and sharing knowledge.Learning experiences online are more fascinating as is being able to connect with others via social network sites. Teachers are still not fully aware of the potential of the internet.They must be trained to be able to integrate technology in the classroom. Even students of lower grades are becoming increasingly aware and adept at using computers and the internet.

FREE ONLINE POWERPOINT COURSES

PowerPoint presentations are a good audio-visual aid for anyone doing a presentation. Be it a business meeting, a sales presentation, a seminar or a classroom a speaker who uses a well made presentation will find that he builds up an instant and longer lasting rapport with his audience.
Creating a presentation that is effective and at once engaging is easy if you learn to use PowerPoint. An educator will find his students retain more knowledge when he has been part of a presentation for the said topic. And for longer time too. He will understand the basic concepts of difficult subject topics as well.
Many teachers as already discussed in previous posts do not take a keen interest in creating engaging presentations due to apathy or a lack of time. Some teachers have not bothered to learn to use these. There are several online courses that teach you the basics of PowerPoint. Anyone keen on learning will find the systematic approach to creating PowerPoint presentations by Wendy Russell,a guide with about.com fun and interesting. You can subscribe and have the lessons emailed to you regularly.
Suggested Reading: How To Make Engaging Presentations
PowerPoint In The Classroom
Free Computer Tutorials Online

HOW TO RESIZE AND EMBED YOUTUBE VIDEOS IN YOUR BLOG

Youtube videos when embedded into a blog post add value to what you are writing about. A picture is worth a thousand words,but a video,...can put you in the hot seat literally. I was just seeing some pictures on a photo blog taken by my nephew as he piloted his plane,and then some videos taken from within the cockpit. So, guess which was more effective in giving me the true essence of the moment?
So also with a blog post or any website, it is more engaging when a video is embedded into it. So,how do we do it? Simple, really!
If you are using Blogger as your blogging platform follow the directions given. Go to the "layout" and click on the Add a gadget button on the top right. Look for the "Add a video" from youtube. Click on this and select the channel you want, or use the keyword option to get what you need, "preview" and click the "Save" button at the bottom right corner.
If you find the need to resize the video you just embedded,go back to the video on the youtube page and adjust the player.There is a small button at the end of the embed which says "Customize" when you mouse over it.Click on this and options are shown to resize the player and to choose the colour according to the blog skin of your blog/website. Make your choice and get the code for embed above it. Copy the code and embed as before. The ideal height and width ratio should be maintained. For Blogger, resize the player by editing the object width="425" and height="350" fields at both the beginning and end of the embedded player code.

TOP 5 REASONS TO START A CLASS BLOG

Integration of technology in the classroom is not limited only to PowerPoint presentations. Teachers who encourage the setting up and maintaining of class blogs are more in favour of it once they see the results.
Blogs are vehicles of self expression. Bloggers learn to express themselves in different words,and a different perspective. It gives insight into a person and the person learns to freely blog about issues that he is passionately wanting to communicate about.
The language improves greatly as also the style of writing. Vocabulary improves and essays written offline also show improvement in Grammar,Spelling and sentence construction.Grades 6 and above can be allowed to update a class blog.Confidence levels improve and they love networking.
Having individual blogs becomes the next step and the students love positive comments and feedback,not just from family and friends,but also from students and teachers from across the world. They love leaving comments themselves on to other student blogs from around the world. Having a global audience makes them work harder and more passionately about everything.
A healthy competitive spirit surfaces to be the best blogger and the students use their time more effectively,learning to be part of the future generation that values social media and online learning.
Maintaining good blogs today is necessary. Digital literacy adds value to a person.
The recently concluded 2009 Student Blogging Challenge by Edublogger had some wonderful entries. And below is a video made by one particular class that shares their thoughts on blogging.

HOW TO CONVERT FILES FOR FREE

Assignments have a deadline and sometimes you need a file converter to help hasten your completion. Zamzar is an online file converter that can be used effectively. Audio,and videos can be downloaded and converted into the desired format.They can later be used to play on a computer not connected to the internet.Very useful for a classroom with no internet facility. File conversion is faster and is immediately emailed to your inbox. All this without having to download any software. Text to speech converter is a new feature which is extremely useful for students and teachers who can convert and use an mp3 file on their online course or blog. It is now easy to upload text and Word documents and convert them into spoken mp3 sound files for students to download to an ipod and listen to.
Recommended Reading: Listen To Your Homework

TIPS TO MAKE SUMMER HOLIDAYS MORE FUN

Summer holidays can be fun if utilized properly.Parents must guide their children according to age to engage in activities that will help their development.Besides pursuing sports and playing games outdoors and indoors,it is necessary to provide quality family time with family activities.Bonds will be strengthened and sibling rivalry diminishes. Hobbies must include something of interest to them,such as stamp collection,coin collections,making and displaying scrap books.Some love to help mother in the kitchen or dad with his hobby,maybe fishing or in the garage.Do not discourage them or keep them away,just allow them to get their hands messy as well while teaching them the safety aspects of doing things right. Girls can learn to knit or sew or make simple jewelery that they can wear. Encouragement and guidance is of utmost importance for parents here. And loads of patience. Staying hooked to the computer or television needs careful monitoring,and must be turned off at meal times and encouraged to try something new. Whatever the age,never allow children to become loaners. Social interactions are necessary that positively impact growth. Learning a musical instrument or a new game,a dance,all help in making holidays less boring and a fun experience.

X AND XII GRADE-SHOULD PARENTS LET THEIR CHILDREN SELECT THEIR ELECTIVES

Parents are a concerned lot especially when their children get to the x th and the xii th grades. They are worried about the academic performance so as to be able to secure a merit seat in a good college or university. Choosing the right electives is extremely important at this stage since the future career is based on this. Electives should be chosen according to the marks obtained in the qualifying exam and the aptitude of the student. Over indulgent parents sometimes force their children to take up subjects that they studied as well while in college,and some others prefer to force them to study what they themselves could not. Indian parents are often found justifying their actions in more ways than one.
So,what happens to the student who was forced to take up subjects or languages he never liked? My study over the years shows that some do well simply because they have to,while a significant majority begin to show poor academic performance. And still others who,after finishing their studies,change their career completely.
Examples of these include the following:
A girl forced to take up engineering by her parents began to show poor performance right from the very beginning. But,as the parents did not relent,she took to drugs. Finally,she is now doing what she originally wanted to do-fashion designing.This from a very well placed family.
One other girl I know quietly wrote an entrance exam for a Hotel Management course and then told her parents that she had made it.
Another girl was being forced to take up science and maths so as to be able to take up an engineering seat,but she failed in 2 attempts. And now,she is a lawyer.
A young man who finished engineering with a distinction,because the father was also an engineer,never pursued a career in engineering.Instead he set up a little restaurant and is doing extremely well for the past few years.
Another young man who is an electrical engineer just because his father was, made sure he gave his daughter a career choice,and guess what,she is a bank manager today-something the father had been denied.
Times change and it is imperative for parents to understand not to force their desires or aspirations on their children. Children today are much more aware because of the exposure gained through the internet and so must be gently guided along. Never nag! Do your homework well and find what choices are available as options for your children,but first take into account the temperament and the interests. The career choice should be a passion,not a drudgery.The career choice being made should not be so that the parents can strut around in society saying that their son/daughter is an engineer/doctor/MBA.