Monday, January 10, 2011

Vital Information About Boarding Schools

It has become a dream of parents for their children to gain admission into entering a boarding school but as delight as you may be, disguise is what you should beware. Try to learn, understand and research about the schools before jumping to conclusion. Some of the schools have massive emphasis on certain subjects, perhaps performing arts or sports. From there you should be clear of your child's interests to avoid putting them into the wrong room. Should there be misjudgments or you simply compel them into mastering things not of their personal enthusiasm, you are only wasting their time and genuine talent.
No doubt, most students who enter boarding schools often graduate successfully but the minorities who fail are usually camouflaged. To ensure that your child has the opportunity to craft talent and establish their skills, you will have to prepare well. Gather prior both the education and extracurricular activities information as a selling point to the school's authority. More often than not, these schools are keen into recruiting students who are active in academic and something beyond the classroom education. It is similar to preparing a resume for a job interview.
Also be aware that entering a boarding school simply implies heavier financial burdens. Comparatively, the fees would be much higher than that of ordinary schools hence parents should be prepared to allocate more funds for their children's education. But of course, there are financial aids such as loans or scholarships for talented students. Usually if your child has great achievements in academic or extracurricular areas they have potential to attain the financial assistance.
But if you find the preparation too much a hassle, you can employ an educational agent to run all the procedures for you. Because they have comprehensive understanding on the enrollment into boarding schools, they can provide better insights on what to do or how to handle the interview. The agent can highlight the imperative issues to emphasize on during the interview, including both the physical appearance and attitude. Especially prestigious ones, it takes much effort to successfully pass the admission test.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Advantages and Disadvantages of Home Schooling

Education is an important matter for the existence of a human being. He should know about his fellows, nature, Culture of nations and lifestyle and health related matters. All of these can be achieved only through education. So it's one of the important matters to be considered with. There are many ways for gaining knowledge. You can get knowledge from reading books, from their own experience and many more ways. You can approach a teacher so that you can get the answers of all the questions you have in your mind. For this you will have to go to school. However, many of us do not prefer to send their children to schools. They prefer to give home schooling with the help of a tuition master.
Home schooling is not easy as you believe. So in order to make it easier they do it with the help of some schooling groups. When the entire schooling groups meet together they get better schooling with the children and make parents satisfied. Therefore homeschooling groups should do some public relations for developing their community relations.
So if you are in place where there are no schools nearby then you will have to develop your own schooling details for schooling curriculum. You can gain knowledge from lots of books and resources available. You can get these from a local library and from online shops. Once you have selected a curriculum pattern, then you will have to decide the leeway you require for following that curriculum. Home schooling has some advantage in which one of them is to make your child interested in some topics and help them to increase their curiosity to know.
Besides conventional methods, you can make use of homeschooling by online programs. Many of the schools are offering these facilities. This has some advantage because the school will check the benefits your child is getting from the scheme. There will be a monitoring in every single path of your child. They also provide the correct study materials for gaining knowledge. Your children can learn things in which they have the interest. Furthermore, they can grow their own skills and abilities.
Parents will have to think about the disadvantages of a program while considering about the benefits. There are some factors of social relationships and behavioral patterns that should be taught to children. How this could be possible if the children do not interact with friends. Hence, sometimes parents make their child dummies ignoring the fact that they will have to learn more with the interaction with the world.

Tips To Keep a Home Schooling Home Orderly

Keeping an orderly home is not easy for anyone with a job or with children, and even more difficult for the home schooling family. The entire family, with the exception of the father, is home all day. While the mother tries to teach the older children, the preschoolers and toddlers are creating all kinds of messes in all parts of the house. The mother could clean the house all day long, every single day, and never feel like she can keep up with the mess. The house can look like a tornado went through it ten times a day, unless the mother has routines in place to keep most of it from happening.
Keep the House Orderly By Dividing the Day Up Into Small Parts and Creating a Routine For Each Part
The first thing a mother can do top help keep her home and family orderly is to divide the school day up into several small parts. These parts of the day may be called Before School, Morning School Time, Afternoon School Time, Evening, and Before Bed. Each part of the day may be roughly three hours long. In every segment, there may be a regular pattern, such as get dressed, meal chores, or school work, meal, chores. Mentally go through everything that needs to happen during that time period, and write it down.
For instance, if the school day starts at 8:00 A.M., it might start with a 30 minute Bible study while the mother feeds the baby, if there is one. At 8:30, the older children get started on their assignments while the mother turns her attention to the preschooler and toddler. When they are settled, the mother can teach a math concept or give a spelling test. The morning session can go for two hours, until 10 A.M. Then at 10:00, the family can break for a snack and straighten up the house.
Establishing Mini-Routines May Help Homeschooling Mothers Stay On Top of Things
At 11:00, the routine would repeat. The mother would feed the baby again, this time while reading to the children out loud or listening to the children give oral summaries of books they have read, as a suggestion. Once the baby is happy, the mother assigns more seat work for the older children, and attends to the younger children. When they are entertained, she again works with the older students. At 1:00 the family breaks for lunch, then does chores. At 2 PM, the afternoon schedule would start.
If homeschooling mothers can establish small mini-routines, and repeat them throughout the day, they may be able to stay on top of the housework and keep their homes orderly.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Rhythms, Rhymes and Your Homeschool Math Curriculum

Cross-curricular integration is valuable with all subjects, but is especially important with math and language arts. Rhythmic recitation will enhance your homeschool math curriculum in many ways. Most importantly, the rhythmic element, essential to success in math, is strengthened by daily recitation. Classic poetry, songs, limericks. and especially jump rope and clapping verses are a great combination with math facts memorization.
In the early grades, as skip counting is used for learning beginning times tables, you will find that a number of well-known songs and rhymes can be used as a perfect match. Holiday songs are a great example. Take for example, skip counting 2s to "Jingle Bells."
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
O, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.
Jin gle bells, jin gle bells, jin gle all the way,
2 4 6 8 10 and 2 times 6 is 12
O, what fun it is to ride in a one horse o pen sleigh.
14 16 18 20 22 24
It's a good idea to accompany both the singing and the skip counting with movement, such as clapping or stepping in rhythm. Match the numbers to the words carefully, using their respective number of syllables correctly so they synch perfectly. Many familiar songs and verses can be used as helpful teaching aids that will greatly enhance your homeschool math curriculum!
As the higher tables are learned, clapping verses can be used as a fun lead in. A variety of clapping patterns (find some online or at the library) can be used with the verses and then as an accompaniment to skip counting the higher times tables. For example, Miss Mary Mack can be a lead in to the 6s.
Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With tiny buttons, buttons, buttons,
All down her back, back back.
The rhythm of the numbers will find its own way of blending with the clapping rhythm. For example, with this simple pattern: clap hands together, clap partner's hands, together, partner's, etc., a very natural rhythm can be found to coordinate with the 6s (or any of the higher tables).
6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72
Daily recitation and/or singing, limericks, tongue twisters, etc. can help with many areas other than math. Memorization and recitation greatly improve speaking and writing skills, while they also provide self-confidence, better articulation, and a love of both the written and spoken word.
Make space in your homeschool day for recitation and singing, using the NCTE (the National Standards for English) or your state's language arts standards to document, assess, and apply the standards to these forms of literature as they correlate to math. Start the day with a math review that includes songs and poetry, and interweave rhythmic verses with all your homeschool math lessons. Many simple pleasures like these have been lost due to our hurried, modern lifestyles.
Your homeschool curriculum can provide the perfect antidote to this as you find and use lots of lively material while having some good, old-fashioned fun with it! You and your children can build stronger family and community ties while improving skills in many areas and on multiple levels. Add these tongue twisters and limericks to your homeschool curriculum, just for the fun of it. Find many more online or at your library!
Three free throws.
A box of biscuits, a box of mixed biscuits.
Six thick thistle sticks, six thick thistles stick.
Tim, the thin twin tinsmith.
Lovely lemon linament.
Flee from fog to fight flu fast.
A mouse in her room woke Miss Dowd.
She was frightened, it must be allowed,
Soon a happy thought hit her
To scare off the critter
She sat up in bed and meowed.
A funny young fellow named Perkins
Was terribly fond of small gherkins.
One day after tea,
He ate ninety-three
And pickled his internal workings.
First and foremost, please have fun with your homeschool math curriculum! It will pay many dividends, not the least of which is a love of math and a lifelong love of learning. Remember too, that happy students make better math students.
Marin holds a Masters Degree in Waldorf Education, and a California teaching credential in art. She's had years of experience as a Waldorf class teacher in the early grades, has taught hands-on science and math to homeschoolers in grades 1-6.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Preparing Your Homeschooler For College - Three Things That Make The Difference

As a homeschool parent, it's time to start sweating! If your student is wrapping up their last year of high school there are a million reasons to stress out. Have you saved up enough money for college? How far away will they be going? Will the college of their choice accept them?
If you haven't saved up enough for college, you are not alone! This isn't the problem is used to be, however. Many programs exist for parents to help fund their child's education that just weren't available to our parents. I'm constantly amazed how people find the funds for college in an environment where college prices keep skyrocketing.
I sympathize with you on the worry about how far from home they will be going, but you know what? You homeschooled them! They have had more of an opportunity than their peers to have your values handed down to them. They are going to be okay even if you aren't close by to keep an eye on them.
Now how about the worry of whether they can be accepted by the college of their choice? This one is a bit trickier, but don't worry too much, I'm here to help you with that. You have obviously prepared them educationally, and their character is second to none. Now how do you let the university admissions people know this? Easy, have well prepared high school transcripts.
By following a simple set of rules and giving them the attention they deserve, you can send off transcripts that will show admissions exactly who your child is and why they need them in their school.
I don't expect that you know how to craft a transcript that will impress college admissions naturally, but with the right guidance and some serious effort on your part, you can be crafting amazing transcripts that show how much your child has to offer their community.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Homeschool High School Transcript: Do I Absolutely Need One?

As a homeschooling family, I am sure this question has entered your mind. The idea of putting together a homeschool high school transcript can be daunting.
Many more questions are circling around in your head as your child(ren) get closer to high school, or perhaps they are already in high school. Some questions you might have are:
  • When should I begin putting a high school transcript together?
  • What should I include in it?
  • How should I format it?
  • How long should it be?
  • What about grades? I haven't been keeping grades. (most homeschoolers don't)
And the questions can go on and on. I am sure you have plenty more.
Fortunately for you, there is a 'go to' person who has done all the hard work. She has put her knowledge and experience together and can help you put together your homeschool transcript. All your questions can be finally answered.
There is no need for you to feel overwhelmed, weary or extremely frustrated. Creating your child(ren)'s school transcript can be simple and easy, like it should be.
Once you know how, you can relax and feel confident about your child(ren)'s college preparation. Colleges will love the transcript you deliver to them.
Another big concern you might have is accreditation. Does your transcript have to be accredited by some agency or school? The welcomed answer is, no, it does not. You can sigh a sigh of relief now. That in itself is a big weight lifted from your shoulders.
You can go on homeschooling as usual and the course will teach you how to neatly include everything in your transcript.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Home Schooling - What I Wish I Knew About Our Family Zoo

Home schooling was a natural choice. I love books, I love to learn and I'm not happy until I have shared my discoveries with someone else. However, my home school experience was not as positive as I hoped it would be and by the end of my children's educational journey, I did not feel I had been successful.
So what happened?
Initially our oldest child was in the public school system. As a male, born in November - delaying entrance into the educational system would not have harmed him; he was almost a year younger than many in his class and had not reached the appropriate level of maturity. If you've seen the movie, Uncle Buck, and his visit to the Principal's office, you have a good idea of what we faced. Hank's teacher told me he was digging himself a hole he would not easily get out of (what could that possibly mean for a five year old?) He could barely read a word. We transferred him to a private faith-based school in September where he was taught to read phonetically and received the Highest Grade Average award by the end of that year.
We followed suit with the other four children and enrolled them in a private school as well. Living in a small town, the schools were small and sometimes appeared and disappeared on one person's decision. We consequently changed schools three times although used the same curriculum. We eventually lost confidence in the system (or lack of) and decided to home school. A pattern of inconsistency and change had emerged and became the norm.
It was also fueled by my behavioral style - solving problems aggressively; and although in some circumstances that is exactly what is called for, more reflection upon the impact of the decision beforehand would have been helpful. Some children are able to adapt to change quite readily and even find it stimulating and invigorating. Others manage change differently; they do not want to change things unless the reason for change makes sense to them. It takes them longer to adjust. The trauma of change could have been minimized by remaining with the same curriculum throughout their educational experience - it would have provided much needed continuity and stability for all of us.
Being dazzled by bright shiny things - new and different curricula falling into that category most likely caused confusion and disorientation for some of my children.
Hindsight is always 20/20 and as mother used to say, "You can't put an old head on young shoulders," meaning that youth is inexperienced by nature. Because homeschooling was in its infancy back in the '70's, (they were threatening truancy and arrest in British Columbia for parents who home schooled) there was no one who went before us who could serve as a mentor. How things have changed! There are many successful homeschooling parents who have much wisdom to offer those embarking on this rewarding and challenging journey. Finding a mentor to help you stay the course and make wise choices in the midst of family crises will pay great dividends and prevent knee-jerk decisions that you may regret.
Besides finding a mentor and being more reflective in decision- making, what else would I do differently? I would become students of my behavior as well as my children's and find out the answers to the following four areas of conflict that we all face daily:
1. How do they solve problems - aggressive or reflective?
2. How do they process new information - optimistic or realistic?
3. How do they manage change - dynamic or stable?
4. How do they assess risk - pioneering or structured?
Knowing this about us would have helped. Sage advice of a successful homeschooling mentor would have helped create and maintain a stable atmosphere so where learning was a joy.
So you ask, how did it all turn out? Four out of five graduated from high school, two went on to higher education and one has become a heavy-duty mechanic. Recently, our oldest son said, "I know you'll laugh, Mum, but I'm thinking of homeschooling Katie!" As you can imagine, that did my heart good!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Friday, January 7, 2011

Cyber Crime Through the Eyes of a Normal Internet User

Man has always strived to discover new things to make life better and more comfortable. He has been always motivated to find new vistas and try new methods and technological advancements using the intellect. One development leads to another and he never just stops and advancement and progress in never ending and is an on going project.
Nothing has changed the world more drastically as the internet. Since the wide world of web this world is no longer divided by invisible boundaries. It has become a global village and the advancement in the information technology has changed the lifestyle of the people radically. This change is obvious only since the last 15 years when the concept of personal computers came into existence. People are always connected to their electronic gadgets and almost all functions of our daily lives are dependent on the internet or the related technology.
Pros and cons of the cyber space:
As always the good and the evil are like two sides of a coin. Though the advantages outweigh the disadvantages it is high time we looked into them before they spread. Computer, internet or information technology related crimes are termed as cyber crimes. So what really is cyber crime? How seriously can these crimes affect common man or business establishments? What actions can be taken to curb such crimes and what legal action is needed to restrict the criminals who are into this? Cyber crime is growing to be a greatest threat to mankind and hence serious considerations and actions are definitely needed to check its spreading further.
We need to first understand what cyber crime is and what all activities are termed as cyber crimes. Cyber crime simply means criminal activities using the telecommunication and internet technology. Basically cyber crimes can be categorized into two types. They are,
  • Crimes which are directly targeted on vast computer networks or other related devices. For example, malware, computer viruses, attacks on denial of services etc
  • Crimes that are facilitated by the computer networks targeted not on any independent network or device. For example, identity theft, cyber stalking, phishing, email scams, hacking etc.
Cyber crimes are also considered or at least in lieu with white collar crimes, as the culprit cannot be conned very easily as the internet is open to the wide world. Although most cyber crimes are not related to any violence or serious crime still identity threat or government secrets can be virtually stolen in no time if the security measures fail. Terrorist, deviants and extremists stand higher chances of using this technology for their illegal and anti social activities.
Internet related frauds:
Almost 163 million users are estimated to use the internet this year as against just 16.1 million in 1995. thus the need for a more secured network becomes imperative keeping in mind the user's overall security.
The anonymous nature of the internet is the breeding ground for criminals who engage in activities which are termed as virtual crimes or cyber crimes. Governments have introduced cyber laws to curb such activities but then no serious punishment is awarded to the criminal or individuals who are involved in cyber crimes. Proper legal infrastructure is yet to be created and powerful regulatory mechanisms formed to protect netizens.
Let us now have a look of the different types of cyber law and the amount of damage they release to the society or individual. Generally the cyber threats sources are of three types. They are,
  • hacking related threats
  • traditional criminal threats
  • ideology Threats
Hacking:
This is one of the common forms of cyber crime found in the cyber space worldwide. It has been defined as "whoever with the intent to cause or knowing that he is likely to cause wrongful loss or damage to the public or any person destroys or deletes or alters any information residing in a computer resource or diminishes its value or utility or affects it injuriously by any means commits hacking". A hacker can crack into computer system thus gaining access to all internal information. Many hackers just do it for fun or pastime. Hacking is considered less harmful than other security related crimes.
Basically the hacker's main aim is to disrupt a system or network. Whether he is a white hat hacker or black hat hacker his level of destruction is to stop or get the access to the computer systems. Repeated hacking or tampering constantly might take a hacker behind bars but many times these crimes are taken lightly.
Traditional cyber crimes
Criminals whose focus is on monetary gains only are called traditional cyber criminals. Most of them are identified as some internal source. Recent study has confirmed that almost 80% criminals of such crimes belong to the related company or firm. Industrial espionage, intellectual property crime, trademark violation, illegal fund transfers, credit card scams, etc are some of the traditional cyber crimes. Such criminals who conduct these crimes are more likely to end up behind bars if the crime is proved.
Ideology cyber threats:
Stolen data are circulated as against the intellectual property laws according to such ideology threats. These criminals consider themselves as Robin Hood and spread the data which is preserved under intellectual property rights. Many terrorist activities are also termed as ideology threats in the cyber world. They spread their own ideology or oppose government's by using the internet technology. Cyberanarchistsis how they are called and their primary aim is to spread their ideology or principles and opposing what is against their activities. Many terrorists' plans and data's are also considered as cyber threats.
Thus whatever be the nature of cyber crime strict laws must be administered to enable a secured cyber space. As more and more of our daily activities becomes connected or interlinked in cyber space the need for a complete secure technology has become the need of the hour. Be is simple email hacking or phishing, the people involved in such activities are definitely invading the privacy of individuals and business organizations. Identity thefts, money swindling and credit card scams are grave issues which can cause irreparable damage to the person concerned.
Prevention is definitely better than cure:
How can we prevent our network or computer systems against the so the cyber criminals? How can the government aid in curbing such high risk threats to the society? As individuals it is important that we use the best internet security system to protect our systems from cyber attacks. It is important to use strong password to protect the emails or other important data or document stored online. Important details like bank account user names and passwords must not be stored online or in the computer. Remember that the cyber space is an open network and has no security or safety against such important data.
Never open unidentified emails and never reply or believe in email scams saying that you have won millions of dollars in an online lottery. Credit cards must be used sparingly or wisely online. Unsecured sites and restricted sites are always high on risk and thus using your credit cards on such sites is highly unadvisable. Always keep changing passwords and install a powerful anti virus software to protect against torzons, viruses and malware.
Companies and business establishment must ask the workers to sign powerful contracts to prevent internal identity thefts. The servers and domains must be well secured for continuous cyber security for their data. Government datas and highly secretive data must be under strict scrutiny. Hackers are also used by enemy nations to fid out the internal secrets of an opponent country. So, all forms of top secret is better not stored online. Too much information exposed is always a cyber threat. Vigilance, awareness and not sharing personal information while networking can prevent most of such cyber crimes.
The government must setup cyber wings to identify such criminals and put forth strong rules or punishment for cyber criminals. Cyber laws must be very strict and newer technology must be used to easily find these criminals to curb their illegal activity. Steps to block the erring person and information updated on such criminals can help the general public from identifying the different crimes in the cyber space. After all knowledge is what can make one powerful, isn't it?
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Cyber Crime Definition

Today, definitions for cybercrime cross over multiple spectra. The following information is a collaboration of definitions built to answer your questions about this growing threat to individuals and organizations.
Many of the cyber crime articles available on the Internet today can appear outdated as they fall short of a uniform categorization or specific steps on methods for fighting cybercrime or even how to support cyber crime victims. These barriers also create difficulty for those attempting to report cybercrime. With today's rapid growth of technology, as well as updates to cyber law cannot stop cyber crime from growing and updating in kind. Internet fraud is certainly the area that most personal computer (PC) users are concerned about, and cyber crime study, continues to be left to amateurs or veteran criminologists. It is critical today that both users and organizations comprehend and teach what is cyber crime and how to stop it. The broad meaning of cybercrime can be narrowed down by looking at specific crimes that are most common.
Cyber Identity Theft and Computer Hacking, considered by experts as the most common forms of cybercrime, involve the theft of personal information that is attainable through computer systems and computer networks. Phishing and pharming seem to have the most success as potential victims of these crimes do not think twice when sites that veil their criminal intent, or even look identical to sites familiar to Internet users, which makes it easy for cyber criminals to collect critical online identity information:
  • Full Name
  • Phone Number
  • Address
  • Login
  • Password
  • Credit Card/Bank Account numbers
Cyberspace crime involves much more than Identity Theft, and, today, does not even require Internet use. The growth of interest in topics such as cyberbullying, commonly perpetrated through the use of cell phones, is on pace to achieve Identity Theft's level of notoriety. Current Wiki Leak and Hactivist news items have also shown the Global nature of cybercrime, while broadening the cyber crime definition. Protection from these and other cyberspace crimes are quickly becoming popular subjects.

Website Designers - Getting A Standard Agreement

As a website designer, you love working with all your clients, right? Yeah, and I have a bridge I want to sell you. The truth of the matter is you have great clients and some you wish you had never taken on. There are a few keys to keeping these clients in control, but one of the biggest is the agreement you sign with them. The key is to make sure it is yours!
I'm continually shocked how many times I hear from website designers who complain about someone who ripped them off for a site. They usually don't get the last payment or get underpaid. When asked why they didn't go after the party using their contract, they mumble that they don't have one. This is nuts!
If you are a website builder, you are asking to be ripped off if you don't have a written contract with your client. A contract sets out the terms between the two parties. If one doesn't comply, it is usually a slam dunk to get them to do so in court when it comes to design agreements. If there is no written agreement, you get into "he said", "she said" situations that become a big mess.
A contract is nice, but there is an even better approach for your overall business. A standardized design contract is what you are after. This is a contract prepared for you by a lawyer that you can use in each case. The contract is written to be fair to the client, but favor you should there be any dispute. For instance, the ownership of the site would not transfer to the client till final payment is made. Trust me, that will get them writing checks quickly!
It is easy to rush into a design project without getting your ducks in order first. This will inevitably lead to some very painful lessons. That's the last thing you want. Make sure you have a standard contract for your clients and use it.

Why Your Computer Crime Attorney Needs to Understand Computer Forensics

When you are charged with a computer crime, you want an attorney that will do everything he or she can to defend you. Staying out of prison, avoiding a criminal record and protecting your family is important to you. Then why would you hire an attorney for a computer crime if that attorney doesn't know anything about computer forensics?
As an attorney, we have to be experts in everything. That's what makes this job so fun. While we cannot be experts in everything all of the time, we need to have a basic understanding of the issues that we will face. Its the same reason why the days of the general practitioner are pretty much dead. There is just too much out there to know. Thus, I don't expect that many attorneys will become a computer forensics expert, they should have a basic understanding of what it is and how to use it to craft a defense. However, most don't because many lawyers went to law school before the modern computer became common place. Thus, many still have a fear of computers and technology in general. Even though this attorney may be great in other areas, selecting this same attorney to defend you in your computer crimes case could lead to disaster.
Computer forensics is the art and science of applying computer science to aid the legal process. It is a vast subject area that first requires a deep knowledge of computers and networks which is why many lawyers don't even bother learning it. Thus, it is impossible to even tough on the most basic concepts of computer forensics in this article. Instead, I will highlight how and why it is important for the lawyer to understand computer forensics when defending computer crime cases.
In just about every case, the State will have a computer crime expert who will discuss computer forensics. Thus, you may need an expert as well. If you have one, he or she can help you make sense out of their expert's reports and testimony. However, this person is not a lawyer. Relying solely on their input essentially turns the defense of the case over to a non-lawyer. Would you want a surgeon to operate on you based upon the advice of someone who is not a doctor? Furthermore, you may not always be fortunate enough to have a client that can afford an expert. Thus, you need to be able to understand what their expert is saying both in their reports and testimony.
This will also prevent the "deer in a headlights" look that experts often create when they "teach" the defense lawyer. As the defense lawyer, you should be doing the teaching, not the State's expert. However, I have seen defense lawyers ask open ended questions in an attempt to understand the expert's testimony. The expert winds up doing more damage that they did on direct as the expert is teaching everyone, including the jury and the defense lawyer on cross examination. This leads to sloppy, almost non-existent cross examination. Quite often, the case may be lost right then and there as the jury may wind up totally believing the expert. And after all, without anything to really impeach the expert's testimony, why wouldn't they?
Experts aren't always experts but they sure think that they are. Quite often, they have been trained on how to testify. Some almost seem to have a script. If you don't know what you are talking about, they will walk all over you. If you can talk the talk, you'll not only gain their respect, but you'll also scare them. Your cross can be much tighter and focused. More importantly, you can more easily take them off script by using their terms and by knowing their methods and policies. Your job is to know more than they do on the key issues in your case. You have the benefit of having everything you want right in front of you while they are on the witness stand with nothing. I have been able to impeach expert witnesses with their own policy manuals. I ask open ended questions where the answer cannot hurt me to test their knowledge. An "I don't know answer" is not very damaging but a wrong answer is. As soon as you get the wrong answer, you can use their own materials to impeach them. Nothing takes the wind out of the State's case faster than to show that the emperor (the witness) has no clothes.
Besides trial issues, a defense lawyer cannot make sense out of the discovery without a working knowledge of computer forensics. Again, while a defense expert can help, they should not be relied upon to interpret the entire case. In my cases, I rarely need my expert to tell me what the defenses are. Instead, I need the expert to testify as I cannot.
Just about every computer crime case involves some degree of computer forensics. If the defense attorney just assumes that police are correct, then the attorney is not properly defending the client. Computer forensics involves the collection, preservation, filtering and presentation of digital evidence. In each stage of this process, something can go seriously wrong that could make it seem like the client is guilty when they are in fact, innocent.
Collection of digital evidence is when artifacts considered to be of evidentiary value are identified and collected. They can take the forms of external disks, computers, phones, video game consoles, servers and any other device capable of recording data. The large number of storage devices and their ever decreasing size present a big problem for law enforcement. For defense attorneys, who collects this evidence and how is very important to the case especially when non-law enforcement people collect evidence.
Closely related to collection, is the preservation of digital evidence. In order for digital evidence to be reliable, the evidence needs to be complete, accurate and verifiable. Any alterations in the data can lead to a number of defense arguments. While most law enforcement labs have systems in place to prevent this from ever becoming an issue, lay people such as store employees or corporate security can completely alter the original data. Of course, only a defense attorney that understands computer forensics can pick up on this and make an issue out of it.
The filtering process is where the analysis is done. Evidentiary/suspect files are extracted and non-suspect files are filtered out. Due to the increasing size of hard drives and the lack of staff, this process can take many months. The computer crime defense lawyer must have a good grasp on exactly what the examiner is doing and why. Quite often, the examiner will rely upon automated tools to speed up the filtering process. While this allows them to "cut to the chase" pretty quickly, it may also present one side of the story. Defense lawyers cannot rely upon their own experts to know what to look for when crafting a defense. Instead, they must have a grasp of everything the examiner could have done but chose not to for whatever reason. What files were not examined? What settings were used with the automated tools? As a result, what files were ignored and why? What do those files show? What could they have shown? To be effective, the state must nail down everything. When they don't, they hand the defense a blank slate to which the defense attorney can write down and present to the jury, just about anything.
Presentation of the suspect of the evidentiary data normally starts with the examiner extracting the artifacts and organizing them onto a form of media such as a DVD. In addition to the media that the data is saved on, reports and testimony are also a part of the presentation. In just about every case, the examiner will use some type of computer forensic software which will generate a report. The defense must understand how this program works and how to read and make use of the report. As previously indicated, sometimes what is most important in a case is not just what is included in a report but what is left out. Nailing the examiner down to the reports and then exploiting the gaps in them can only be done if the defense attorney has a good understanding of the entire computer forensics process.
As you can see, there is a lot to know when it comes to computer forensics. Even if you cannot afford an expert, if your computer crimes defense attorney has a working knowledge of computer forensics and the prosecutor does not, you will have a leg up when it comes to plea negotiations, motions and trials. When the case is in court, your lawyer is either trying to each the judge, the jury or both. If your lawyer doesn't understand the material, how can he or she be expected to teach anyone anything? Instead, the State's expert will do the teaching and they will teach the jury that you are guilty and that your defense attorney is clueless.

Net Neutrality: What the FCC's Decision Means for the US

What is Net Neutrality?
Net neutrality is the philosophy that an On line service ought not to differentiate between the different websites, software programs, and services that are spread on its network. This can be privately guaranteed, by means of a written agreement between a subscriber and their Internet based Service Provider, or it may well be enforced by the government. Usually when "net neutrality" is spoken about, it refers to the idea of the government enforcing it. The agency which has taken on the objective of guaranteeing net neutrality is the Federal Communications Commission.
FCC's Recent Net Neutrality Order
On December 21, 2010, the FCC voted in favor of making Internet based Service Providers to adopt net neutrality as a policy. The press release's title was "FCC Acts to Preserve World-wide-web Freedom and Openness," as only those who oppose freedom and openness may possibly be opposed to net neutrality. The second page of this section is dedicated to discussing the substantiations of the ruling.
The most sizeable portion of the FCC's Report and Order on net neutrality was "Rule 2: No Blocking":
A person engaged in the provision of fixed broadband Word wide web access service, insofar as such person is so engaged, shall not block lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices, subject to reasonable network management.
A individual employed in the provision involving mobile broadband Online access service, insofar as such person is so engaged, shall not block consumers from accessing lawful websites, subject to reasonable network system management; nor shall such person block applications that compete with the provider's voice or video telephony services, subject to reasonable system management.
The effect of this law is to limit ISPs from determining when they may or may not restrict traffic. The phrase "reasonable computer network management" has its own definition listed in the Report and Order, but it is so broad that it will inevitably permit the FCC to crack down on ISPs whenever it feels like doing so. If they engage in the most common Administrative Law practice, they are likely to litigate against smaller ISPs who have a lesser chance of defending themselves.
Net Neutrality isn't new.. It previously attempted to regulate the network management practices of Comcast-specifically Comcast's regulation of peer-to-peer file-sharing on its system. The FCC attempted to justify its actions by stating that it had an "ancillary authority" granted by the broadly worded Communications Act of 1934, which states that the FCC is authorized to "perform any and all acts, make such rules and regulations, and issue such orders, not inconsistent with this chapter, as may be necessary in the execution of its functions" (47 U.S.C.? 154(i)). Comcast later set up a court challenge in opposition to the FCC, and in April 2010 the US Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia sided with Comcast and granted its order for review of the FCC's decision.
In granting the order for review, the Court cited another case that it had previously decided, stating that "the allowance of wide latitude in the exercise of delegated powers is not the equivalent of untrammeled freedom to regulate activities over which the statute fails to confer... Commission authority."
There are numerous economic and constitutional issues with the recent net neutrality legislation from the FCCThis has not stopped the FCC from taking action, however. Aside from the fact that an administrative agency is taking seemingly even greater liberties than those which were struck down in the Comcast case earlier this year, and extinguishing Congress' wish to debate the law, the businesses which are affected are going to suffer. By simply keeping companies from determining which visitors may possibly be limited, the FCC is going to give them two choices:
1) Deal with overburdened networks;
2) Increase the aggregate network bandwidth but distribute costs evenly so that those who may use the World wide web for only basic browsing and e-mail have to pay for the iTunes downloads of someone else.
Possibly way, it will not look good for ISPs and also their particular customers who use less bandwidth than their fellow subscribers. It's going to be interesting to watch the coming court cases over the next year or so, which ISPs and possibly affected consumers will no doubt want to launch. Our lawmakers can likely join in the fray, too.
If you would like to learn more about how the new net neutrality law affects you, or would like assistance in considering possible legal options regarding the law, please contact a qualified World wide web law attorney.

How to Stop Internet Fraud and Email Fraud

Where Internet is serving us with lots of benefits, such as email communication, online banking, online shopping, online bill payments, paying online premiums, online movies download, online music listening, and various other such benefits, it is also making our life difficult enough with Internet frauds, Internet Scams, and Email Scams.
Now days, cases of Internet Fraud, Internet Scams, and at the top Email Scams are increasing furiously. Herein light on one of such scams called Nigerian Email Scam, which is being highlighted over almost every news channel whereas the Government has also been alerting people about this scam is pondered. Let us see what this Nigerian Email Scam is:
  • Most of the times when user login to his email account, he sees an email with luring subject saying that your email ID has won tempting amount of $ xxxxxx.
  • As he sees that much of amount, he cannot stop him from opening the email and read it to the fullest, as the email is structured in more interesting and luring way.
  • On reading the email, he comes to know that during an online email scanning or lottery, his email has won stunning prize of $ xxxxxx, which is just enough to roll his eyes and make his mouth watering.
  • At the last of the email, he is asked to send a confirmation of the email to claim the winning prize.
  • After that he is asked to deposit some processing fee.
  • Once he complete depositing the processing fees he will either get no reply of that email or asked to provide his Bank Account details so that the winning amount will be directly deposited in his account.
In case, he will not get any reply after depositing the processing amount, he can be considered little bit lucky about this email scam because he has just lost limited amount yet. However, in case, he has provided Bank Account Details, then the mastermind behind that email scam will be lucky enough because now his Bank Account may be emptied. For such masterminded persons, transferring amount from one Bank Account to their own will not be a big deal, as they are master in such activities. Therefore, while using emails never reply such emails. This type of Email scam has been increasing with viral speed because of below mentioned reasons:
  • Many of the people (more than 70%) do not report email scam (lodge complain about such scam), as they think that police ill make a joke of their greediness that is why scammers are getting more confident.
  • Another reason behind increase of this type of Email scam / Internet Fraud / Internet Scam is people are not much aware about the cyber laws.
  • Finally, every country has its own cyber laws due to which it become too difficult for cyber cell to take required action against scammer involved in Email scam. If any group of such scammers are captured then because of different cyber laws it becomes too difficult to take correct decision against them whereas the process may take significant time.
Hereby, we would like to tell that how to stop email scam/ Internet scam. Be wise while replying any email to stop email scam. Moreover, keep your greed of money at bay and never reply such emails because this will not give anything expect loss. However, cyber cells of different countries are trying their best to put such Email scams / Internet Scams / Internet Fraud at end but you can keep you away from such scams with your wise acts only. Keep enjoying email communication but do not open / reply such luring emails.

Electronic "Snooping" - Not Just Unethical

As the Internet grows by leaps and bounds, information about nearly anyone is just a few keystrokes away. While it is clearly not a crime to perform an Internet search on someone's name, ask friends and family about that person, or e-mail your acquaintances for information, it is surprisingly easy for mere curiosity to cross the line into an unethical or even illegal act.
Trying to enter someone's private e-mail account or breaking into password-protected areas on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter can actually be criminal acts. In some states, these actions can be considered violations of privacy rights or fall under the purview of anti-stalking laws. Under federal law, these acts may be considered computer fraud, computer and information theft, or cyberterrorism, violations of which can even result in felony charges.
When Does Snooping Cross the Line?
Sometimes businesses or government agencies use hacking-type actions for legitimate purposes. As long as these actions are strictly controlled, for example to gather evidence of civil torts (such as dissemination of trade secrets, libel or defamation of character), criminal actions, or as part of a clearly publicized school or workplace policy, it is legal to access private e-mails. E-mails can be particularly valuable sources of information, given the fact that people are generally less guarded with their language and more apt to share incriminating information than they might be otherwise.
Hacking, defined as breaking through a security barrier without permission to access data, is both unethical and illegal if not used for legitimate civil or law enforcement purposes. There are several different methods of accessing someone's e-mail - hackers have even posted videos on the Internet describing how to do it. Some computer software programs will run infinite combinations in attempting to obtain a user's e-mail password; more common is for an individual to try to guess the password of an acquaintance.
It is also possible to gain access to private e-mails or Web pages via interception of information routed across the Internet. This may or may not be considered a criminal act, since the public Internet is an unsecured forum. Another method of gaining access to seemingly private e-mails or Web pages visited is to open the pages or programs on a computer when the prior user did not log out. While this is inappropriate, it is probably not illegal; there is no expectation of privacy if the information was left for public access.
Most would agree that using hacking techniques to break into the e-mail or private social networking page of another person (for example a former or current romantic partner, adult child or new beau) is wrong. To some, these actions may seem innocent - you may be just trying to gather information or playing a prank by resetting a friend's password. No matter your intent, however, you may be in violation of state or federal law. It is important to remember that ignorance of the law is no defense. You can still be held liable regardless of whether or not you thought your actions were criminal.
Deleting Does Not Erase the Evidence
Even if you clear your Internet history or delete any documents you compiled, there is probably still evidence of hacking on your computer. Through the process of computer-hacking forensics investigation (commonly known as "cyberhacking"), experts can dig deep into the content of your computer and locate incriminating evidence. These types of investigations can be done in both civil cases (particularly business-related cases) and criminal cases (by law enforcement agencies, the military, and homeland-security or business-security specialists). While these investigations are expensive and time consuming, they are becoming more common.
Another method for gathering evidence of computer hacking is the process of keystroke logging. This method involves tracing and recording user keystrokes through hardware or a software program. These programs can be remotely installed and are, unfortunately, also used by scammers to discover sensitive personal and financial information.
It is important to remember that, particularly where the hacking involves social networking sites, that the person whose account was invaded often will discover the culprit. For instance, the hacker will brag to friends about the event, and someone will spill the beans and inform on the guilty party.
What Happens Next?
Not only does electronic snooping have possible civil and criminal consequences, it causes a serious headache for the person whose account was violated. While new e-mail accounts can be set up quickly, updating contact information with friends, family and businesses can be time-consuming. Furthermore, cancelling social networking accounts and establishing new ones could possibly take weeks, not to mention the time involved to try to prevent identity theft or internet fraud.
Laws governing violations of personal electronic information are constantly evolving. To learn more about current laws and potential courses of action if you have been a victim or perpetrator of hacking, you should consult an attorney who has in-depth knowledge of this emerging area of the law.

Monday, January 3, 2011

11 Parenting Tips to Help Your Child Succeed At School

For most parents, sending children to school is a necessity of childrearing. The goal when parents turn their precious children over to the school, be they toddlers or teenagers, is for kids to be safe, comfortable and ready to learn. Too often, parents feel like separate entities from their child's teacher/s and school. As soon as parents hug their children goodbye in the morning, parenting is put on hold until they collect their kids at the end of the school day; and virtual strangers take over the important parenting/teaching role.
Becoming an active member of the child's teaching team is an important role for parents that not only encourages the child's learning, but alleviates some of the anxiety that parents feel as they place their children in the hands of the school. Thinking as a team allows parents to become more involved in their child's educational experience and opens up good communication between parents and teachers.
Assuming that the school is of quality and the teachers competent, what is the role of the parent in the learning process? It is important for parents to understand their role as members of the team and to respect the boundaries of the school. Parents must also feel confident to step in, on behalf of the child, when situations call for action.
Below are helpful steps for developing a good relationship with the child's school and parenting with the goal of academic success.
Establish a Set Bedtime Routine
Get kids bathed, and into bed early. It is in the hands of the parents to deliver well rested, fed, happy and bright eyed children to school every morning.
Drop Off is Not for Conferences
Drop off children promptly each morning. Leave the house on time so children are not stressed when they arrive to class. Give a big hug and kiss, give one goodbye, and leave the building. Prolonging goodbyes is upsetting to most children. Good teachers are equipped to handle upset children, and children rarely continue to cry after the parent leaves. By being strong at drop off, the parent models and supports independence.
Drop off time is not the right time for a teacher conference. Drop off is a hectic time for teachers, and parents deserve a teacher's undivided attention when discussing their children. Teachers are usually very happy to schedule time for parent/teacher conferences at times when they can devote enough time to parent's concerns. Short e-mails to teachers addressing questions and concerns are usually responded to promptly and with insight and care.
Observe a Class
Make an appointment with your child's teacher to come into the classroom and observe a part or all of your child's day. Observing the child's day allows parents to see the classroom through the child's eyes and from the perspective of the teacher. Classroom observation also tells the child that his/her parent is interested and concerned.
Get Involved
Make time to volunteer in the classroom or school. Tutoring and chaperoning are great ways to keep a finger on the pulse of the classroom. Volunteering time to the school helps out the school and more importantly demonstrates to children that education is of value.
Create and Follow a Dress Code to Keep the Focus on Learning
Follow the dress code of the school. If the school does not have a dress code, parents can create and enforce an appropriate dress code for the family. Many parents mandate that clothes exposing the upper thighs or buttocks are not appropriate for school. Tight shirts and low cut pants that expose the midriff in any way are also not appropriate for school. The goal is to place the focus on learning and studying not on personal attire. Choose clothes and shoes that children can play, do arts and crafts, run and sit on the floor.
Monitor What Children Bring To School
Toys, video games, electronics, trading cards etc. are not conducive to learning. By monitoring what children bring to school and not allowing children to bring distractions, parents help focus children on learning. It is okay for parents to check backpacks.
Intervene When Appropriate and Be a Child's Advocate
The parents' first assumption should be that having chosen a quality school with quality teachers, that their children will be handled appropriately. Situations that arise with behavior, difficulty with subject matter and social issues will in most cases be dealt with professionally and skillfully by the teacher(s).
There will be situations that come up when a parent must step in as the child's advocate. Parents should listen to both the teacher's take on the situation as well as the child's. Parents should be wary of looking for a short term gain at the expense of the long term lesson i.e.: by negotiating grades.
Create an Atmosphere that Supports Homework Completion
Find out what homework assignments have been given and when they are due. Create a comfortable, well lit, quiet location for children to sit and do homework. Be available for questions and assistance, and make sure children complete homework.
Reading to children or with children should be a part of the nightly homework assignment and bedtime ritual. Young children can be held close and read to, or parents can take turns reading to and being read to by older children. Nightly reading should be for pleasure to teach a love of reading. Reading before bedtime will encourage children to use their imaginations and give them the necessary motivation to read for themselves.
Sick Kids Need to Stay in Bed
Keep children at home if they are exhibiting any symptoms that are contagious to others. Check with school policy, but usually fevers, runny noses, vomiting, and diarrhea are all symptoms that should keep children tucked in bed for the day. If parents are vigilant the school stays healthier throughout the year.
Make sure that the school has updated telephone numbers for parents. Children feel more secure too if they memorize mom's or dad's cell phone number even if they never need it.
Pack a Healthy Lunch that Delivers High Energy Foods
Pack lunches with healthy foods. Proteins and complex carbohydrates like carrots, cheese, crackers, 100% fruit juice, turkey, sliced fruit are all tasty items for a lunch and will give children sustainable energy for the day.
Dinnertime is the Perfect Time for Discussing the Day
Sitting down to dinner as a family is a great way for parents to connect with children and discover how the day went. Parents can ask questions about school subjects, social interactions, successes and concerns. The family meal should remain upbeat, warm and loving, a haven for the family at the end of the day.
For instance, one mother discovered during dinner that her son was having difficulty understanding the oral instructions for completing reading exercises in a workbook. Knowing that her child was a visual learner, she shot off a quick email to the teacher requesting a visual demonstration of the material in addition to the oral. This simple intervention, based on a mealtime conversation, solved the problem quickly and alleviated what could have been prolonged anxiety.
Parents should not feel intimidated by teachers and administration and should be comfortable discussing their concerns with the appropriate administrative staff. It is beneficial to everyone to be compliant with school policy. By following the above steps, parents can become an important part of their child's educational experience, their child's advocate, and feel included in the learning process. In addition, parents will help make their child's educational experience a positive and non-stressful one. Parents should remember that although their child will be taught by many different teachers over the course of their educational years, parents are ultimately the child's most important teachers and role models.

How to Become an Active Parent at School

As an active parent in your child's education, you will receive many benefits from your child, his school and his teacher. You will be establishing yourself as a parent who is truly interested in the success of their child. Your involvement in school is more important then you think.
When you get involved in your child's school it will help you stay up to date on their progress in class. The teacher will also discuss his areas of need, where you as the parent can help. But the most important is, that it shows your child how much learning means to you. How can you as the parent establish a stable relationship with the school and your child's teacher? Here some things that you can do:
When able participate in the schools PTO or PTA.
Always come to your child's parent/teacher conferences: be prepared to listen, tell your teacher something about your child, don't be afraid to share with the teacher how the year is going, don't be afraid to ask more questions.
Be sure to tell the teacher about any special needs that your child might have.
Ask the teacher what is the easiest way to stay in touch with her, communication is King when dealing with teachers.
During conference let your child know that you and his teacher are in communication.
As you can see it doesn't take a lot of time to get involved in your child's school. Most of these activities can be accomplished during your first parent/teacher conference of the year. That is why missing this conference can greatly influence how the school year will go for you and your child.
Written by a veteran teacher of 32 years who hopes to give new teachers and parents tried and true strategies that work. Come join me at http://www.squidoo.com/resourcefulteacher and look for the education fairy.

Three Challenges to Education

We hear a lot about, "the knowledge economy." But unless we live in a part of the world where countries face hundreds of thousands of people unemployed, we may not have considered what this change in the fabric of our world means for education and the economy in the developing world. I put education and economy together, because they are so closely linked that policymakers consider them jointly. It is still true that education must be the answer to the extremely poor people everywhere learning, growing, and eventually fully participating in the world. These are modern countries where some people enjoy all the same luxuries and access that people in the West enjoy, but who are challenged by large percentages of their populations living in extreme poverty at the same time. We have to remember that the school, as we know it, developed under very similar circumstances during the early days of the Industrial Revolution. It is not uncommon in the world's history for education to be looked to, and eventually become successful at, helping the poorest of the poor understand the challenges and learn the tools that make them unemployable, therefore feeding the growth of the new economy. That is what is being looked for here.
This article is the first in a series on the challenges for education on an international scope for the next decade or more. Having just returned from a conference initiated by Crown Prince H.H. Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, of the Kingdom of Bahrain, I have had the privilege of participating in discussions that make up the substance of these articles. My writing here is meant to be an overview, and to propel the interested reader to think deeper. Let's look first at three challenges that the dignitaries and policymakers agreed need to be addressed.
Challenge number one: students coming out of school are not prepared to take jobs
Employers in international settings, increasingly require what has been termed, "soft skills." These include: an ability to work in teams, communicate, speak up with challenges and new ideas, and participate fully in group design process. The school design that came out of the Industrial Revolution wanted something entirely different, the person getting a job in those days needed to sit down, passively take instruction, and do what they were told. We can see, therefore, that the student who sits, listens, and is able to repeat back the content given to them, is not well prepared to step into these new roles.
The modern well-paying job requires a higher degree of literacy and problem-solving as well. The skills that used to be relegated to academics and scientists are now required of teams of designers everywhere. Here we are talking about: an ability to search out information, write out a short synopsis of the details, use technology to disseminate it, and build an argument that is based upon facts and data, one which will stand up to debate. These are not management skills. They are what is required for entry-level positions.
Challenge number two: changing the culture to entrepreneurship
The figures in the Gulf alone are staggering. In the next 10 years 100,000 new jobs need to be created in order for the increasing population of young people to be well employed. Similar to the challenge that was experienced by the United States during the 1950s by the baby boomers, these countries need to prepare their young people to be able to create their own jobs. Her Majesty, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has made this her main mission. Moving past the initial goal that every child in the world has an opportunity to go to school, educators now focus as well on changing curricular requirements to include problem solving, critical thinking, business economics, and other requirements that encourage entrepreneurial ideas.
This is a bigger challenge though than just teaching some new skills. In much of the world the goal of education from the student's point of view has been to prepare them to be able to get a job in government. That job would ensure that they and their family were taken care of, and that prosperity would be ensured. The economics of this no longer function. Modern governments cost a lot to run today and cannot be the main source of jobs. Modern governments require a diverse tax base on which to continue to increase services. Even the oil-producing countries are looking for a strong and varied range of companies to employ this growing population of young people.
Challenge number three: preparing teachers and reorganizing education to meet these needs
The last challenge, and the one that the rest of this series of articles will center on, is that education is not prepared to shift as quickly as needed to help the world meet these needs. Any person who has been taught to do a job a certain way has more difficulty retooling themselves to work under different conditions, than someone who is taught in the new way, right from the beginning. The world has seen this as a regular story for the last 15 or 20 years, as technology has changed the face of most work environments. It's a harder challenge still when you were taught to train people, because you first have to understand the new requirements and then completely redo almost everything about your job, and finally you are ready to roll out new work to new standards. Unfortunately education asks teachers to take this on while they are still teaching. It's a train wreck, or as a more apt analogy, a train trying to transform itself into a rocket wreck.
As I mentioned at the beginning, world leaders, great thinkers, problem solvers, policymakers and governments are focused on these three issues. The world needs to address how to retool our societies, but especially those in the developing world, so that students coming out of school are prepared to take jobs in the knowledge based world, looking to join that world rather than asking the government to take care of them, and that they will have been taught in educational systems set up to meet those needs. Throughout this series of articles, I will be looking into the ideas people are discussing and implementing to take on these challenges.
Would you like to learn more about how your voice can make a difference to the future of education? If you are a student, a parent, an educator or any other type of concerned party who may want to pursue the conversation or host strategy meetings with others, join the network by registering with http://www.futureofeducationproject.net and we will keep you in touch with the group as it grows. Dr. E. Alana James, writes on and facilitates participatory action research studies where people research their own particular dilemma is an effective way to address complex issues that otherwise can cause despair. Through PAR, local adaptations can be implemented and evaluated simultaneously. This strategy allows for a world of individuals to work together through the net to re-design education.