Cyberbullying

Hi All,

If you haven't heard of the term cyberbullying, you're about to in this post.  Click here to learn about just exactly what cyberbullying is about. 

Just what exactly is cyberbulling? It is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or  perceived power imbalance. 

Click on this link to learn about some of the effects of cyberbullying (think poor grades in school, lower self-esteem and unwillingness to go to school - among others).

As a parent you might say, 'my child isn't going to be cyberbullied...its rare.  Click on this link from the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics to learn about the frequency of cyberbullying. 

So how do you stop cyberbullying when it happens?  Click on this link (Stopping Bullying on the Spot), and this link (What Happened?) , and this link (Be More Than a Bystander).

Readers also might like to visit this link (Support the Kids Involved).

Hopefully you won't need the links, but if you do, they are at the ready on this blog!

Regards,
Stu

 

Useful, Free Web Tools For Lifelong Learners

Hi All,

You've heard about it and read about it on the web and in magazines and in school and on tv...lifelong learning. Its not just a fad - its here to stay - and now with this extensive set of link (all from one page I might add) you don't have any reason for your life and your career not to soar anymore!

What is distance learning or distance education?  Click on this link from Wikipedia which discusses the comprehensive nature of the phrase. The  link also has explanations of what an open college is, what an open university is, criticisms of distance learning and benefits of distance education.

More to the point though, click on this link of 100 Useful, Free Web Tools For Lifetime Learners from  AdvangateEdu.com.

My favorites are: MIT Open Courseware, Open Courseware Consortium,  Tufts University Open Courseware, and the University of Pennsylvania Online Books Page.

Okay...one more...the Open Education Database link is very, very useful and well, educational!

Enjoy the links and the classes - and remember, the classes are free!

Regards,
Stu

Back To School - Top 10's

Hi All,

Well, I hate to say it, but it is back-to-school time again. Yes, another summer has come and gone and we are in 'back-to-school' mode once again.  So...for long time readers, that means I'm going to generate another 'Top 10' list.  This time the list is all about 'things that relate to back-to-school'.  Here it goes!  Enjoy - and have a great school year!

Click on this link for an article from Time Magazine titled, 'Top 10 Back-to-School iPhone Applications'.  With titles of apps like CourseSmart, Stanza, Evernote and Graphing Calculator, students will have more time to study and get good grades.  Thanks technology!

From Mashable comes this article on 'Top 10 Back-to-School Brain Foods'. Note that readers might want to stock on pumpkin seeds, potatoes, chili peppers, oysters and steak - among other things. 

From Yahoo! comes an article titled, 'Top 10 School Supplies - Back to School Shopping Guide'.  Seriously, this is the most basic and useful list that I've found!  With items like lunch boxes, backpacks, flashdrives/jump drvies, locks, calculators, binders, staples and glue, this is the most down to earth, practical list I've seen for back to school supplies in a long time. 

From a legal website called 'Findlaw.com', comes this article called 'Top 10 Back-to-School Traffic Safety Tips'.  The very first entry on the list is 'Don't text while driving'....duh....'nuff said.   I'm also a fan of the fifth item in the entry, 'budget extra travel time'.  And for children the warning to 'use the crosswalk' is a very, very good starting point.

And finally, the reason why school exists is, well, learning.  So the website School Family.com should be interesting from that perspective.  But.. the article 'Better Grades - 10 Ways You Can Help' is worth reading for parents and is very helpful for students and parents alike. 

Some good ideas that appear in the article include creating routines, prepare for the morning the night before, help your child get organized, provide a quite place for homework, limit distractions, encourage intellectual curiosity, allow for free time, build a relationship with teachers, focus on effort rather than grades and learn how to step back...go figure. 

This next article is very helpful for students.  Entitled 'Get Good Grades in 10 Easy Steps' the article will help get any student on his or her way to getting good grades.  For example, a few of the very helpful hints include 'believing in yourself', 'being organized', 'managing your time well', 'being successful in the classroom (don't skip class and prepare for class)', 'take good notes', 'study smart' and of course, 'get help when you need it'.

So there you go - some links on the tools, safety and how to get good grades for this school year.

Good luck and have a great school year!

Regards,
Stu