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Saturday, January 28, 2006

Tips For Successful Online Instruction

Online education is all the rage now. I've taken a few online courses, at the International Webmaster's Association, and found them to be really great. A sample tour of their courses can be seen here. The freedom online courses is wonderful but must be tempered with serious dedication, or you are just spinning your wheels bound for nowhere.

Student satisfation with a class is mainly dependent upon the structure of the online environment, materials used and the skill and approach of the instructor (student commitment is an obvious given.) If you teach online, or are thinking of doing it, you should take a look at this free ebook,
834 Tips For Successful Online Instruction, sponsored by WebEx. (WebEx creates solutions for organizations worldwide to meet their goals for marketing, sales, training, and support.)

I personally do not believe that online education is the end-all for everyone. There is an intangible element to a "live" class that is not possible online. The spontaneity, the human mental chemistry so to speak, of discussion in a literal classroom is not possible online. However, for those who are a bit timid in face to face classroom discussion, online courses provide the opportunity to think out your comments carefully, before responding. In some environments lurking is easy, and students are left to their own devices to participate at length or not.

There is a large dependency on self direction involved in online education. Students must have the self discipline to make sure they comply in all areas to ensure maximum success. I have seen many folks treat online courses very laxly. There is the "no one is really watching me" attitude that less dedicated students which causes them to skim over basic ground work necessary for higher learning. Establishing a firm committment to the course(s) is critical. The benefits reaped from active participation is a collaborative experience that will serve students well into their professional careers in today's high tech society.

Whether or not you like the idea of online education, it is here to stay. See this article:
Online College Courses Increasingly Popular, by Andrea Moore. Lifestyles are becoming too harried and the cost of living keeps going up. Some people hold two or more jobs, are busy raising children (or caring for elderly parents,) and have little time to travel to school to advance their careers. Fortunately for them, they can work from home or anywhere they can get online and take the courses they need for their path to greater success. You need to make sure you are not forking out your hard earned money to an uncredited institution, or at the worst a useless, fraudulent diploma mill. So do your due diligence and find a legitimate online school at which to teach or study.

Virtual classes that are set up for everyone to be online at the same time, as on a physical campus, with whiteboard simulations and real-time chat make participation more engaging. Today, most college courses require students to email assignments and questions to professors, so it is not too big a jump for the students of the millennium. For less computer savvy folks, it takes a bit of a learning curve, but worth the effort.

The online environment also offers the obvious benefit of collaborating with a vast network of global students, which otherwise would never be possible. As an educator it offers a wonderful feeling of professional satisfaction, to be able to empart your knowledge and insight to such a geographically diverse student population. As a student, you get to share ideas with peers who bring greatly varied backgrounds to to the discussions. Online study groups are fascinating!

For professionals interested in making online education a professional discipline you may want to look in on an organization called WAOE. I've belonged to this international association,
WAOE (World Association for Online Education) for many years and have found it to be a wonderful consortium of educators from around the world, who collaborate on discussion and research in best practices, on wide range of global online education projects. Due to time constraints lately, I mostly lurk and absorb knowledge from the discussion list, but I highly recommend this wonderful virtual community. There are quite a few well known educators in WAOE, but the membership roster is only available to members, so no name dropping, sorry.

FYI:
WAOE is an international nonprofit public benefit corporation (NPO), a virtual association of educators working to turn online education into a professional discipline." WAOE is definitely worth checking out!

I downloaded the ebook,
834 Tips For Successful Online Instruction, and it is nice little ebook (71 pages in .PDF format) for instructors of online courses. Adobe Reader is necessary. To download a free copy click here: Adobe Reader Download - All versions. The price of the eBook and the Adobe Reader program can't be beat- FREE!


Source:
eLearning Guild:


"FREE E-Book "834 Tips For Successful Online ":: Distance-Educator.com's Daily News :: Technology, Teaching, News, Research

Published on Thursday, January 12,
2006 - 10:05 PM PST

The eLearning Guild announced the publication of a free e-Book titled "834 Tips for Successful Online Instruction." The tips were compiled from a survey the Guild conducted in 2005 resulted in the submission from 336 e-Learning professionals."I was amazed by the degree to which comments from hundreds of contributors converged into a set of coherent professional knowledge," said Bill Brandon, Senior Editor. "For example, contributors identified four instructor skills as critical to success; as far as I am aware,
no individual writer or consultant has previously highlighted just these four
skills. In the same way, the responses illuminated four selection factors that every manager of e-Learning must consider before assigning an instructor to a virtual classroom. This is an amazing accomplishment by our contributors.""As organizations offer an increasing number of classes online, many traditional classroom instructors face the challenge of adapting their skills and techniques for the virtual classroom. '834 Tips for Successful Online Instruction' offers an extensive set of best practices that will prove invaluable for e-instructors," said Jack Chawla, Director, WebEx Training Center. "Loaded with practical advice from experienced e-Learning practitioners, this e-book will be an indispensable addition to any training professional's toolkit."

Download a copy of the eBook here


So if you haven't taken any online courses, now is as good a time as any to jump onboard the Information Super Highway and get up to speed. In previous posts I discussed a number of sources of free online classes. You can get your feet wet there and then move on to bigger and greater endeavors!

If you are currently teaching onine courses please share your expertise!
Whether you are a teacher or student, fasten your seat belt and hit the pedal to the metal. You're on your way!



~JRY

The Educational Voyage Portal Search Engine
Technorati Tags:


Monday, January 16, 2006

Math Tutorials for the Numerically Challenged that are Fun and Free!

I have often had to come to grips with the fact that my math skills are not quite up to par. Perhaps it is the result of shrinking gray matter that comes with age. However, I prefer to regard it as temporary memory loss that comes with too busy a schedule to take the time to work things out on paper, thus relying too heavily on the calculator on my iPaq for long calculations.

In my quest to brush up a bit, I found that there are quite a few really helpful math web sites in cyberspace. Admittedly, some are way over my head now, but are going to be helpful to many of you and/or your children/students.

So exercise your gray matter and add on!

Abstract Algebra OnLine: A text on abstract algebra.

Algebra Help Here is a nice site with lots of resources for Algebra. They have lessons, calculators and worksheets.

Basic Math Concepts and Fundamentals: This site covers scientific notation, metric system, significant digits, graphing, algebra, logs and antilogs, etc.

Basic Math Tutorials : On this page you will find links to math tutorials on basic math topics authored by students to help others having difficulty with mathematics.

BMCC Math Tutorials: These tutorials are designed to serve as a quick reference and general review source for basic mathematics skills and knowledge. The topics covered within these pages include basic concepts which need to be mastered before further training in mathematics can be undertaken. From this page you can select a link to a general topic, or you can go to the detailed index if you are looking for a specific sub-topic.

CollegeAlgebraTutorial: A simple frame based site with examples and sol8utions for basic algebra.

Cut the Knot!: This site contains solutions to quite a few challenging problems including the 12 coins (or bags of gold) problem.

Dave's Math tables: Dave has an extensive collection of math theorems, tables, identities, proofs, and graphs.

Dave's Short Trig Course: A short course in trigonometry.

Dr. Howard Ufigure's Math Tutorials Algebraic Thinking Probability: Dr. Howard Ufigure's Math Tutorials, Data Analysis, Geometry. Try Dr. Ufigure's Simple Statistics Tutorial, or How to find range, mean, median and mode!

Dr. Math Another free help site and like MathNerds won't just work your homework for you!

The Dr. Math FAQ answers a lot of the frequently asked questions in math.

Equation Grapher This is a nice (and free) program for graphing basic graphs. They also have a program that can do regression analysis.

Free Math Help This is a forum in which you can get help in Algebra, Geometry and Calculus. You need to register, but the registration is free.

Geometric Formulas Here are a variety of geometric formulas from Dr. Math.

Geometry: Here there are extensive links to many math subjects such as algebra, geometry, topos, math online books, etc.

Graphing Calculator: This is a really nice graphing program. It is capable of graphing in 2 or 3 dimensions and it capable of dealing with all the standard coordinate systems that you're liable to run across in a calculus course. The only drawback is that it does cost, but it's much cheaper than other programs with it's graphing capabilities.

Homeworkhelp.com: This site has both help services as well as software.

How do I Compute my Grade? A really nice page showing you how to basic grade computations. In particular they answer the age old question of "What do I need on the final to get a grade of X?".

How will this help me in "real" life?: That question is the bane of all teachers. Go to this site to get a jump start in answering this question.

Karl's Calculus Tutor: This is an online calculus text.

Math.com: A site dedicated to providing revolutionary ways for students, parents, teachers, and everyone to learn math. Combining educationally sound principles with proprietary technology, Math.com offers a unique experience that quickly guides the user to the solutions they need and the products they want. These solutions include assessment, on-demand modular courses that target key math concepts, 24/7 live online tutoring, and expert answers to math questions. In addition to solutions, Math.com offers exploratory and recreational introductions to the world of math that will lead to deeper understanding and enjoyment. The range of services, products and solutions offered makes Math.com the single source for all math needs. Math.com is a division of Leap of Faith Financial Services Inc.

Math 911: This is a nice program for help in Algebra.

Math Archives: A comprehensive site for mathematics on the Internet: Teaching materials, software, WWW links organized by Mathematical Topics. Searchable database.

Math Education Web Resources: This is a HUGE directory. Learn about Math with tutorials, calculators, formulas and more.

Mathfiles: Enter the Math Files web site to learn about graphing various mathematical functions. Read about 2-D Graphing, Trigonometry, 3-D Graphing, and Calculus. Visit the 3-D Graph Gallery to view graphs that are complex and interesting to see. Learn the concepts of roots, Sigma Notation, and Pascal's Triangle.

Math for Morons like Us: I'm not thrilled with the title of this web site, but it is a good site. Have you ever been stuck on math? If it was a question on algebra, geometry, or calculus, you might want to check out this site. It's all here from pre-algebra to calculus. You'll find tutorials, sample problems, and quizzes. There's even a question submittal section, if you're still stuck. A formula database gives quick access.

Math Goodies: Free math help, interactive math lessons, homework: Features interactive math lessons, homework help, worksheets, puzzles, message boards, and newsletters.

MathNerds: A free math help site. They won't do your homework for you. They will ask you to tell them what you've already tried and what you don't understand.

Mathematics Help Central There are a variety of lecture notes on this site.

Mathematics Tutorials and Problems (with applets): An interactive site to explore topics in mathematics through free tutorials and problems with answers.

Math Planet: Math Planet is web site dedicated to the advancement of mathematics. Targeted towards high school students, there are many different categories, including Basic Algebra and Geometry, advanced Algebra and Trigonometry, SAT and ACT.

Math World: Here is an online math encyclopedia.

Mathematics WWW Virtual Library: "An Internet-wide collection of mathematics related resources, hosted and maintained by the FSU Department of Mathematics."

Online Glossary of Technical Notation: A glossary for mathematical notation.

Paul's Online Math Notes: I am particularly impressed with this site created by a teacher for his students. It is loaded with "cheat sheets" and "tables" in .pdf format. Class notes for every lesson in html and pdf format.

Peanut Software: This is a nice collection of free programs. Included are programs that will do basic statistics computations, discrete math computations, matrix computations, graph geometric figures, graph fractals, and a general function grapher.

Print Free Graph Paper: A variety of graph papers that you can print for free.

This is another source of graph paper that you can print for free. There aren't as many kinds here as the previous link, but these include headers for you to put information.

Professor Symancyk's Lessons: A great set of Algebra lessons.

Purplemath: This site is a great site with lots of resources and links relating to Algebra.

S.O.S Mathematics: Information about a large variety of topics from Algebra to more advanced math course.

S.O.S Math Forum: S.O.S Math's forum for getting help for a wide variety of classes. In order to post a question you'll need to register, but it's free.

Statistics at Square One: An online Statistics book.

The Free Information Society: This is an excellent site devoted to free information. They have lots of information and you should check it out if you get a chance.

The Mathematical Atlas: gives descriptions of math of the the various areas of modern mathematics.

The Math of Geography: This site is about how mathematics is used in geography. To study and understand geography requires a knowledge of certain mathematical skills. It has examples of situations in which math and geography are used together. There is a problem solving section. Students can solve real and creative geography problems using mathematics.

Vector Math Tutorial for 3D Computer Graphics: This is a tutorial on vector algebra and matrix algebra from the viewpoint of computer graphics. It covers most vector and matrix topics needed to read college-level computer graphics text books. Most graphics texts cover these subjects in an appendix, but it is often too short. This tutorial covers the same material at greater length, and with many examples.

Please respond with any other sites you think are useful for math!

~JRYThe Educational Voyage Portal Search Engine
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Friday, January 06, 2006

I Love to Look. You Know You Do too!

I Love to Look. You Know You Do too!

I love to look at live web cams of distant places, as well as functional/purposeful local cams like traffic cams. My first live cam was the Georgeson Shareholder Liberty Cam. This shot of the Statue of Liberty is live from the Manhattan offices of Georgeson Shareholder. I was thrilled to see a live view of boats etc. I was hooked. Now I have a massive cam list bookmarked for all of my usual traffic routes.

Long story short, I found a great web page on
Opentopia of Random live webcams from the Net:

"These webcams were found automatically through a variety of clever search techniques. Their owners might or might not have intended for them to be public. But they obviously are. Many of them are security cameras in companies or semi-public places. If you hover over the picture you'll see what location information is available. If you click on it, a window will open and you can see a live video feed, plus comments and ratings and other information. 1364 webcams are available as of last scan."
Aside from the obvious couch potato travel excursions, there is so much more to get from these cams. Application to the home classroom is multifaceted. Take a virtual look at locations being studied in class: Settings of books, geography, map and culture studies, all in real time. See daylight in the US and night in Australia. Check out the traffic before you head off to the mall. See what the weather is like before you even get on the plane for your cross country flight!

Enjoy!


~JRY: The Educational Voyage Portal Search Engine

Technorati Tags:

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Primer to Computer Slang and Monitoring Children on the Internet

Looking over my friend's child's shoulder while she chatted via Instant Messenger, I realized how out of touch I really am. I thought I was hep, cool, hip, with it, and had it together with the online stuff. After all I can whip up a web site in ten minutes flat with word pad, run a search engine, own my own business, ran a computer lab and have been coding since the Vic 20 landed. So you can imagine my surprise at finding out that I had practically no idea of what the shorthand (acronyms) she was typing in the chat box were! After a little surfing on my own, I understood that this 8 year olds chat was quite benign, but it did spark a wake up call.


How could I, the bit and byte diva, get lost in cyber translation? Well, to my defense, there were no chat clients in my school lab, and I actually chat (and rarely at that) mostly in standard English, with adults who also chat in kind. My cyber-chat acronym list consists mainly of:

BYB = Be right back
BTW = By the way
BBI5 = Be back in 5 minutes

So here's the question parents-

Do you have any idea of what your kids are talking about online?

I mentioned in a previous post about the problem of online predators and the importance of monitoring your children no matter how smart or advanced they are. Emotionally, even the most brilliant 13 year old is still emotionally just a 13 year old!

My children are grown up and I do not have grandchildren. However, there are places to go online that can help all of us un-cool folks catch up on the current chat lingo, cyber-speak for your newbies.

It is a real eye opener to read these web pages. Have you ever seen any of these? Some are obvious but some require some prior knowledge, as the educators say, to derive meanings:

AITR

=

adult in the room

- What don't they want you to know?

A/S/L

=

age, sex, location

- Sexual reference

PLOS

=

parents looking over shoulder

- What don't they want you to know?

PHAT

=

pretty hot and tempting

- Sexual reference

E or X

=

ecstasy

- Drug reference

420

=

to smoke pot

- Drug reference

HI-5

=

H.I.V

- Sexual reference

METH

=

crystal methamphetamine

- Drug reference

NINE

=

nine millimeter

- Weapons reference

8 ball

=

eight ball

- Drug reference: an eighth of an ounce


Surf over to these sites for a walk on the other site of the monitor!


* The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Campaign: HDOP: Help Stop Online Predators, and NetSmartz. Explore their Teen component. These are great resources!

* A parent's primer to computer slang

* eMail and Chat Acronyms

* Chat-O-Rama

* Welcome to the World of Acronyms


We tend to think that just because our kids speak well and have a good vocabulary that they are grown up. Wrong. As a parent it is your obligation to make good use of parental monitoring software. Some come free as included components of an Internet Access package and some as stand alone programs. Make sure you do not overlook or underestimate the value of the old fashioned keep an eye opened, and talk to your child. The last is not high tech, but is the a time tested method of parental intervention.


For the record I am definitely NOT an AOL fan, but those of you who use it should take advantage of the built in AOL Parental Controls. Check out download.com's selection of Free Parental Controls Software. Remember to check whether it is free or offered only for a trial period before purchase. Scan all new software immediately after downloading (before installing) to make sure it is virus free, and then run a spyware program immediately after installation to make sure you haven't invited in any unwelcome ad-ware or
spy programs.

Some great free antivirus programs are:
The Trend Micro program is done while you are online connected to their web site. They will ask to install a small program on your computer that will enable them to access it for scanning. Other than that it will not take up much memory. Frankly, computers today usually ship with a minimum of 40 gigs, so it shouldn't be an issue.

You can also get quality anti-spyware from the following sources:
Personally I use both anti- spyware programs! One final piece of advice. Make sure you update each program daily to make sure your programs have the latest definitions.

Ok parents, so you still feel uncomfortable checking up on you kids while they are online? Then perhaps you'll find comfort in the knowledge that government and private companies feel it is necessary to keep tabs on their adult employees! Ask any network administrator and they will tell you that all their company's email and chats are sent through stringent filters and are very closely monitored for inappropriate contacts and content.

Schools utilize sophisticated monitoring tools to block possibly offending web sites. While some folks will argue against such censorship, it must be understood that these protections are for all students while they are on school property. Schools have an obligation to do their best to ensure student safety I personally found it frustrating at times because I wnted to use some java heacy sites with my students, but the Department of Education filtered them out. I managed and my students were able to access them at home or in the public library. That's life. Those who work for an employer must follow the rules of the job. Teachers understand that. They also know, that no matter how hard you try, some child, somewhere, will land on an inappropriate site. After all, even though computer filters are much better these days, than when they first came out, none of them are 100% error free. Note the image below:


Mom's Row Boat

Notice that the caption does not match the picture.
Also note the the image is named for_dad.jpg

If the above picture had an offensive image on it, filters might not block it.

The image name seems safe enough, and so does the caption.
Yet, it could be a very inappropriate image for your child to view.
Lesson: No filters are 100% effective!

Children must be supervised.


So now you've got the inside scoop on where to go to make children safer online. Surf's up!


~JRY: The Educational Voyage Portal Search Engine

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Computer Slang and Monitoring Children on the Internet

A Teacher & Parent's Primer to Computer Slang and Monitoring Children on the Internet

Looking over my friend's child's shoulder while she chatted via Instant Messenger, I realized how out of touch I really am. I thought I was hep, cool, hip, with it, and had it together with the online stuff. After all I can whip up a web site in ten minutes flat with word pad, run a search engine, own my own business, ran a computer lab and have been coding since the Vic 20 landed. So you can imagine my surprise at finding out that I had practically no idea of what the shorthand (acronyms) she was typing in the chat box were! After a little surfing on my own, I understood that this 8 year olds chat was quite benign, but it did spark a wake up call.


How could I, the bit and byte diva, get lost in cyber translation? Well, to my defense, there were no chat clients in my school lab, and I actually chat (and rarely at that) mostly in standard English, with adults who also chat in kind. My cyber-chat acronym list consists mainly of:

BYB = Be right back
BTW = By the way
BBI5 = Be back in 5 minutes

So here's the question parents-

Do you have any idea of what your kids are talking about online?

I mentioned in a previous post about the problem of online predators and the importance of monitoring your children no matter how smart or advanced they are. Emotionally, even the most brilliant 13 year old is still emotionally just a 13 year old!

My children are grown up and I do not have grandchildren. However, there are places to go online that can help all of us un-cool folks catch up on the current chat lingo, cyber-speak for your newbies.

It is a real eye opener to read these web pages. Have you ever seen any of these? Some are obvious but some require some prior knowledge, as the educators say, to derive meanings:

AITR

=

adult in the room

- What don't they want you to know?

A/S/L

=

age, sex, location

- Sexual reference

PLOS

=

parents looking over shoulder

- What don't they want you to know?

PHAT

=

pretty hot and tempting

- Sexual reference

E or X

=

ecstasy

- Drug reference

420

=

to smoke pot

- Drug reference

HI-5

=

H.I.V

- Sexual reference

METH

=

crystal methamphetamine

- Drug reference

NINE

=

nine millimeter

- Weapons reference

8 ball

=

eight ball

- Drug reference: an eighth of an ounce


Surf over to these sites for a walk on the other site of the monitor!


* The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Campaign: HDOP: Help Stop Online Predators, and NetSmartz. Explore their Teen component. These are great resources!

* A parent's primer to computer slang

* eMail and Chat Acronyms

* Chat-O-Rama

* Welcome to the World of Acronyms


We tend to think that just because our kids speak well and have a good vocabulary that they are grown up. Wrong. As a parent it is your obligation to make good use of parental monitoring software. Some come free as included components of an Internet Access package and some as stand alone programs. Make sure you do not overlook or underestimate the value of the old fashioned keep an eye opened, and talk to your child. The last is not high tech, but is the a time tested method of parental intervention.


For the record I am definitely NOT an AOL fan, but those of you who use it should take advantage of the built in AOL Parental Controls. Check out download.com's selection of Free Parental Controls Software. Remember to check whether it is free or offered only for a trial period before purchase. Scan all new software immediately after downloading (before installing) to make sure it is virus free, and then run a spyware program immediately after installation to make sure you haven't invited in any unwelcome ad-ware or
spy programs.

Some great free antivirus programs are:
The Trend Micro program is done while you are online connected to their web site. They will ask to install a small program on your computer that will enable them to access it for scanning. Other than that it will not take up much memory. Frankly, computers today usually ship with a minimum of 40 gigs, so it shouldn't be an issue.

You can also get quality anti-spyware from the following sources:
Personally I use both anti- spyware programs! One final piece of advice. Make sure you update each program daily to make sure your programs have the latest definitions.

Ok parents, so you still feel uncomfortable checking up on you kids while they are online? Then perhaps you'll find comfort in the knowledge that government and private companies feel it is necessary to keep tabs on their adult employees! Ask any network administrator and they will tell you that all their company's email and chats are sent through stringent filters and are very closely monitored for inappropriate contacts and content.

Schools utilize sophisticated monitoring tools to block possibly offending web sites. While some folks will argue against such censorship, it must be understood that these protections are for all students while they are on school property. Schools have an obligation to do their best to ensure student safety I personally found it frustrating at times because I wnted to use some java heacy sites with my students, but the Department of Education filtered them out. I managed and my students were able to access them at home or in the public library. That's life. Those who work for an employer must follow the rules of the job. Teachers understand that. They also know, that no matter how hard you try, some child, somewhere, will land on an inappropriate site. After all, even though computer filters are much better these days, than when they first came out, none of them are 100% error free. Note the image below:


Mom's Row Boat

Notice that the caption does not match the picture.
Also note the the image is named for_dad.jpg

If the above picture had an offensive image on it, filters might not block it.

The image name seems safe enough, and so does the caption.
Yet, it could be a very inappropriate image for your child to view.
Lesson: No filters are 100% effective!

Children must be supervised.


So now you've got the inside scoop on where to go to make children safer online. Surf's up!

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Machines, Weather and Virtual Knee Replacement Surgery?

I just had a wild trip through a free Virtual Knee Replacement Surgery, compliments of Edheads! Then I took played the The Odd Machine! where students explore a fantastic 'Odd Machine' while learning about forces and prediction! This web site reminds me a little of FunPop- a great similar web site the the NYC DOE felt was a threat and blocked- surprised?

"Edheads helps students learn through educational games and activities designed to meet state and national standards. We partner with various school systems in the United States, which help us research, design and test our activities every step of the way!

Not only do teachers and students appreciate our free activities, Edheads has been recognized by almost every major award on the Web for our excellent educational content!"

Edheads - Activities

When time permits, I intend to go back and test my recall on weather facts. Awesome!

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

JRY: Cheapskate Monthly

Cheapskate Monthly

If you are looking for an online calculator to use with your class, you may not need to look further than the Cheapskate Monthly. It is a web site with online calculators for dozens of uses! There are calculators to enhance loads of math and science lessons. It is enough to make a lab teacher jump with joy! Ok, it is also a terrific site for teachers, parents and everyone else too.

"It was developed for the purpose of helping fellow cheapskates in their financial number-crunching. No longer is it necessary to take all the time and trouble to learn all of the complex formulas necessary for successful financial management. From now on, all you have to do is to visit this ever-growing list of calculators, plug in the numbers as instructed, and let the calculators perform all of the complex calculations for you."

Appliance Operating Cost Calculator: This JavaScript calculator will help you to estimate the cost of operating ... Read full description

Average Interest Rate Calculator: This calculator will help you compute the average combined interest rate ... Read full description

Bi-Weekly Payment Calculator: This calculator will show you how much you will save if you make 1/2 of your loan ... Read full description

Budget Percentage Calculator: This calculator will compute your recommended budget amounts for an income ... Read full description

Car Cost Comparison Calculator: When buying a car most people fail to consider ALL of the expenses that will be ... Read full description

Cash Flow Calculator: Since cash inflows and outflows vary in amounts and intervals, it can be ... Read full description

Children's Math Tutor: Since addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are skills children need to know in order to become successful money managers, this interactive tool was created to give CM children an interesting way to hone those all-important math skills. If you have children and any of them haven't yet memorized the math factors for their age group, simply make using this tool part of their required daily homework.

College Funding Calculator: This calculator, based on The College Board's Annual Survey of Colleges for the 2000-2001 school year, will help you to determine how much money you need to invest on a monthly basis now, in order to be able to pay for your child's college education by the time he or she is ready to start college. The calculator allows you to choose between In-State and Out-of-State, between Resident and Commuter and between Public or Private -- and adjusts the estimated costs according to those selections. Plus, the calculator even adjusts the future cost of attending college based on your own estimated rate of inflation.

Credit Card Comparison Calculator: This calculator will help you to compare the long-term costs of credit cards that have varying interest rates, annual fees, introductory rates and compounding intervals.

Credit Card Early-Payment Savings Calculator: Since most credit card companies compute interest charges based on your average daily balance, making your payment early in the billing cycle will not only reduce the chances of getting hit with late charges, but it will also save you money. This calculator will help you to determine the interest savings that will occur if you make your monthly credit card payment earlier in the billing cycle rather than at the end. Savings will be computed for both your next payment, and for all remaining payments (assumes a fixed monthly payment amount).

Debt Consolidation Calculator: When the typical debt-consolidation company advertises that they can "save you money," what they are most often referring to is simply a reduction in your total monthly debt payments -- not a savings in the cost of paying off your debt (interest charges). Sure, by consolidating your payments into a single loan, you might be paying one monthly payment that is smaller than the sum of your current monthly payments, but if they stretch your loan out for a longer period of time you could actually end up paying more interest by consolidating. This calculator will help you to determine whether or not consolidating will actually reduce the cost of retiring your debts.

Debt Investment Calculator: Before you go throwing darts on Wall Street, check to make sure you can't earn a higher rate of return simply by investing in your own debt! For example, if you have a credit card balance that's costing you 19% per year, and you increase your payment, you will get a guaranteed 19% return on your investment. What's more, your earnings will be tax-free! So use this JavaScript Calculator to see how much you could be earning if you increased your payment on any one of your debts.

Expense Percentage Calculator: This tool will help you to determine what percentage of your income you are currently spending on each of your various expense categories (food, clothing, etc.).

Gas Budget Calculator: This calculator will help you to estimate your annual gasoline cost given the type of car you drive, the number of miles you drive per year, and the price you are paying for a gallon of gasoline.

Gas Station Savings Calculator: This calculator will help you to determine whether or not driving the extra miles to a cheaper gas station will actually save you money.

Generic Savings Calculator: This calculator will show you how much you'll save over the course of your lifetime when permanently switching from any given high priced buying habit (name brand) to its functional, less expensive equivalent (generic). Plus, it will also show you how much interest you could earn if you were to invest all or part of those savings as you realized them. As you're about to see, "a penny saved" can REALLY ADD UP!

Irregular Payment Calculator: This calculator will convert your non-monthly payments into their monthly equivalents, and then provide you will a total. This total will represent how much you will need to set aside each month (into your Freedom Account) in order to make your non-monthly payments as they come due. A great budgeting tool!

Lifetime Earnings Calculator: The purpose of this calculator is to make you aware of just how much money you (and your spouse/mate, if applicable) will have the opportunity to manage between now and when you retire. And the point this calculator will attempt to make, is that if it turns out you end up broke at retirement age, it won't be because you didn't make enough money, it will because you did not successfully manage the abundance of income (potential wealth) you managed to create.

Loan Balance Calculator: This calculator will help you to determine the current balance of a loan when payments that have been made have been different from those stipulated in the original loan terms. This may be especially helpful if you have sold something on Contract for Deed, but the borrower has not made the regular payments as stipulated by the loan agreement.

Loan Calculator w/Amortization Schedule: This calculator will compute a loan's monthly payment amount based on the principal amount borrowed, the length of the loan and the annual interest rate. Then, once you have computed the monthly payment you can also create and print out the loan's amortization schedule.

Loan Comparison Calculator: This calculator will not only compute the payment amount and interest charges on any given loan, but it will also allow you to see what effect changing any of the four variables has on the cost of the loan.

Long-distance Cost Calculator: This calculator will not only assist you in calculating the average cost per minute of one or any number of calls, but it will also keep track of the cost of your long distance phone call (including state and federal taxes) based on either the calculated average cost per minute or on the actual cost per minute -- if you happen to know it.

Meat Cost Per Serving Calculator: Price-per-pound can be misleading because all cuts of meat will not yield the same number of servings per pound. This calculator, based on the information provided by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cooperative Extension (Buying Meat by the Serving), will help you to calculate and compare the cost per serving of up to five different cuts of various types of meat (110 selections overall). You can also use this calculator to determine how many pounds of a selected meat to buy based on the number of servings you need.

Minimum Payment Credit Card Interest Calculator: This calculator will show you how much credit-card interest you'll pay if you continually make only the minimum monthly payment on your credit card.

Missing Loan-Term Calculator: If you know any 3 of a loan's 4 terms (principal, interest rate, payments remaining, and payment amount), this calculator will help you to find the missing term. For example, if you know the interest rate, the payments remaining, and the payment amount, this calculator will compute the current payoff amount of the loan.

Monthly Deposit Savings Calculator: This calculator will show you how much a periodic, interest earning investment will grow to, based on the entered interest rate and length of time.

Monthly Deposit Time Calculator: This calculator will compute how long it will take you to reach your desired savings goal, based on three factors: the amount you currently have set aside, the amount you can add to your savings each month and the annual interest rate you expect to earn.

Mortgage Payoff Goal Calculator: This calculator will show you the additional monthly payment you will need to make on your current mortgage in order to pay if off within a specified number of years. It will also show you how much interest you will save if you make the calculated additional payment each month, from now until your mortgage is paid off. Special thanks to online subscriber Lyle Crafton for presenting the idea for this calculator.

Mortgage Qualification Calculator: This calculator was designed to allow you to see what size mortgage you can afford based on comparing your present financial condition to mortgage lending-industry standards.

Mortgage Refinancing Calculator: This calculator will help you to decide whether or not you should refinance your current mortgage at a lower interest rate. Not only will this calculator calculate the monthly payment and net interest savings, but it will also calculate how many months it will take to break even on the closing costs.

Net Worth Calculator: This calculator was designed to help you to take a "snap-shot" of your current financial condition Whereas an income and expense statement shows you your financial picture for a given period of time (month, year, etc.), this Net Worth Calculator will show you your financial picture at a single point in time (a specific date). That way, if you compute your Net Worth now, and then again 3 months from now, you will then be able to tell whether your financial picture is improving or getting worse.

Payment Breakdown Calculator: This calculator will help you to determine the principal and interest breakdown on a loan's given payment number. Simply enter the loan's original terms (principal, interest rate, number of payments, and monthly payment amount) and the payment you want broken down.

Portfolio Mix Calculator: This calculator is based on Author Austin Pryor's "Just-the-Basics" investment strategy. Upon selecting your life-phase and investing temperament, this calculator will not only tell you the exact portfolio mix you should strive for, but it will even calculate the specific dollar amounts based on the amount of money you have available for investing.

Present Value of a Single Amount Calculator: Use this calculator to compute how much you would need to invest now in order to have your investment grow to a specific amount within a specified time-frame.

Rapid Debt-Repayment Calculator: In a single click this calculator will: calculate the number of payments remaining and interest charges for each debt with a separate chart for "Falling," "Fixed," and "RDRP" payments, sort the debts by order of payoff, create your Rapid Debt Repayment Plan, summarize all three payment plans, and finally will create a "Schedule of Payments" chart that you can use to mark off each payment as you make them. The RDRP result page will also tell you how much interest you will save as a result of following through on your plan. Plus, on the bottom of the RDRP Plan you will also have the option to see how your freed up debt payments will grow if you start investing them once you become debt free.

Real Hourly Wage Calculator: So your boss told you that you were getting paid $10 an hour? Don't believe it! This calculator will show you how much you're REALLY profiting (after-tax, after work-related-expense takehome) from each hour you devote to working--both paid and unpaid.

Rent Vs Buy Calculator: This calculator will help you to compare the costs of renting to the costs of buying a home. Since there are all kinds of forces at work behind the scenes (interest, property taxes, tax savings, appreciation, opportunity costs, closing costs, selling costs, etc.), comparing the cost of renting to the cost of buying is a lot more complicated than just comparing the monthly mortgage payment to the monthly rent payment. This calculator attempts to forecast the net effects of all the hidden forces so you can make an informed decision.

Retirement Savings Calculator: Use this calculator to compute how much you would need to have invested in order to withdraw a specified amount each year over the course of a specified period of time.

Savings Goal Calculator: This calculator to will help you to figure how much your current savings will grow and how much more you'll need to save each month in order to achieve a given savings goal within a given number of years.

Single Debt-Payment Investment Calculator: This calculator will compute how much interest you will save by adding an additional principal payment to the next regularly scheduled payment on any given debt. For example, if you find yourself with an extra $20 this month, this calculator will tell you how much interest you will save (guaranteed, tax-free return on your investment) if you add that $20 to the next payment of one of your debts (preferably the one with the highest interest rate).

Single Deposit Savings Calculator: This calculator will show you how much a single, interest earning investment will grow to, based on the entered interest rate and length of time.

Spending Cost Calculator: When you spend money on non-essential, non-investment type products or services, you simultaneously give up the right to earn interest on the money you spent ... for the rest of your life. The total of the money you spend unnecessarily, plus the forgone interest earnings, represents the real cost of spending (usually an amount much higher than is actually printed on the price-tag). Therefore, in order to make wise purchase decisions (expenditures that return a benefit of equal or greater value than their real cost), you must be aware of -- and give full consideration to -- the real cost of each purchase. This calculator will help you to do just that.

Transportation Savings Calculator: This calculator will help you to determine any savings that might occur if you were to choose a transportation alternative (walking, biking, bus ride, etc.) to driving your car. You can either compute your savings for a one-time trip or for multiple reoccurring trips over any number of years. Plus, you can choose whether to compute the savings using the Gasoline Method (cost of gasoline only) or using the Mileage Method (average cost per mile to own, operate, maintain and insure your car).

Variable Compounding & Deposit Savings Calculator: This calculator not only allows you to compute and compare the forcasted interest earnings on various investment scenarios, but it also allows you to choose the deposit and compounding intervals. No longer will you need to wonder if an investment offering a 6% return, compounded daily is better than an investment offering a 7% return, compounded annually.

Wage Conversion Calculator: This calculator will help you to quickly convert a wage stated in one periodic term (hourly, weekly, etc.) into its equivalent stated in all other common periodic terms. This can be helpful when comparing your present wage to a wage being offered by a prospective employer where each wage is stated in a different periodic term (e.g., one is listed as an hourly amount and the other is listed as an annual amount).

New Calculators Are Added Often!

~JRY

Thursday, November 17, 2005

FREE Knowledge from MIT's OpenCourseware!

Well we've all heard the expression, "There's no free lunch!", but lucky for us, on the Internet, there are some wonderful exceptions. A great blog post from Christopher Roach (from Oreilly) discusses the awesome FREE, yes FREE online courses given by MIT- oh yes, FREE! He explores other great rsources on MIT's web site and this is one of my recommended must reads!

Read his post here:
Learn Lisp From MIT--for Free!!!
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/8397


MIT OpenCourseware (MIT OCW): http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html

* Is a publication of MIT course materials
* Does not require any registration
* Is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity
* Does not provide access to MIT faculty

Check out the "Master Course List" at: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Global/all-courses.htm

Highlights from the web site:
Curriculum Guide - In the interest of improving the MIT OCW user experience, they offer a guide to MIT's undergraduate and graduate curriculum. - MIT OCW offers access to a small selection of complete video or audio lectures. Read more about their approach to video and see the entire list of complete video series.
MIT Departments with OpenCourseware are:

  • Aeronautics and Astronautics

  • Anthropology

  • Architecture

  • Biological Engineering Division

  • Biology

  • Brain and Cognitive Sciences

  • Chemical Engineering

  • Chemistry

  • Civil and Environmental Engineering

  • Comparative Media Studies

  • Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

  • Economics

  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

  • Engineering Systems Division

  • Foreign Languages and Literatures

  • Health Sciences and Technology

  • History

  • Linguistics and Philosophy

  • Literature

  • Materials Science and Engineering

  • Mathematics

  • Mechanical Engineering

  • Media Arts and Sciences

  • Music and Theater Arts

  • Nuclear Science and Engineering

  • Ocean Engineering

  • Physics

  • Political Science

  • Science, Technology, and Society

  • Sloan School of Management

  • Special Programs

  • Urban Studies and Planning

  • Women's Studies

  • Writing and Humanistic Studies

    "OpenCourseWare expresses in an immediate and far-reaching way MIT's goal of advancing education around the world. Through MIT OCW, educators and students everywhere can benefit from the academic activities of our faculty and join a global learning community in which knowledge and ideas are shared openly and freely for the benefit of all."
    - Susan Hockfield, President of MIT

    Treat yourself to some high quality FREE knowledge courtesy of MIT! I have, and will again!

    Enjoy!

    Saturday, November 12, 2005

    Your Privacy and The National Do Not Call Registry

    Your Privacy and The National Do Not Call Registry

    As the New Year gets closer, it brings to mind the buzz from last year about the national program to get rid of annoying telemarketers. So if you make only 1 resolution make it to register at the link below. Then 31 days later sit back and enjoy your undistrubed dinner!

    WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE:

    As of January 1, 2005, telemarketers covered by the National Do Not Call Registry have up to 31 days from the date you register to stop calling you.The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home.

    Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at this Website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free. Your registration will be effective for five years.

    Bon apetit!

    Tuesday, November 01, 2005

    FREE OpenOffice 2.0 - Great Alternative to MS Office!

    Yes, I'm still playing around with Flock, but I have been tad bit way layed by a neat open source alternative to Microsoft Office!

    Did you buy or inherit a computer, but it did not come with a full fledged suite? Do you have classroom computers that need word processing capabilities but your school dows not have the bucks? You've got it now!


    OpenOffice.org 2.0 Is Here

    OpenOffice.org 2.0 is the productivity suite that individuals, governments, and corporations around the world have been expecting for the last two years. Easy to use and fluidly interoperable with every major office suite, OpenOffice.org 2.0 realises the potential of open source.

    With new features, advanced XML capabilities and native support for the OASIS Standard OpenDocument format, OpenOffice.org 2.0 gives users around the globe the tools to be engaged and productive members of their society.

    Download it now. If it is not ready today in your language, it will be shortly. OpenOffice.org 2.0 is yours.


    OpenOffice.org Is Five Years Old!

    On 13 October 2000 Sun Microsystems donated the source of StarOffice to the open-source community. Sun remains the project's chief sponsor and contributor, though the project can now boast contributions from Novell, Red Hat, Debian, Intel, and many other large and small companies, plus the very important and numberless contributions from independent developers, NGOs, and government agencies. All these have made OpenOffice.org not just a free alternative productivity suite but the best and most advanced productivity suite. And also a great community.

    Saturday, October 29, 2005

    NYsee: A Google Map Mix of Streaming Traffic Cams!

    NYsee: A Google Map Mix of Streaming Traffic Cams!

    Yesterday I posted about a Google type program to locage registed sex offenders: MapSexOffenders.com . Today I bring you another marvel of technology this time from Alkemis. This is a kick a$$ program which gives you updated traffic reports for NYC and vicinity using the Google Maps (with hybrid option) with web cams. Now, let yourself go and imagine this program going country-wide- Sweet!

    Bring some great visuals to geography by utilizing the Google maps with the hybrid option (satellite overlay) to help grasp scale, color and orientation to your own neighborhood. Hold the mouse down and drag the map to view more an another direction. This is a fabulous way to bring geography to life in the classroom! There is so much you can do with it!

    Thursday, October 27, 2005

    NYsee: A Google Map Mix of Streaming Traffic Cams!

    NYsee: A Google Map Mix of Streaming Traffic Cams!

    Yesterday I posted about a Google type program to locage registed sex offenders: MapSexOffenders.com . Today I bring you another marvel of technology this time from Alkemis. This is a kick a$$ program which gives you updated traffic reports for NYC and vicinity using the Google Maps (with hybrid option) with web cams. Now, let yourself go and imagine this program going country-wide- Sweet!

    Bring some great visuals to geography by utilizing the Google maps with the hybrid option (satellite overlay) to help students grasp scale, color and orientation to their own neighborhood. Hold the mouse down and drag the map to view more an another direction. This is a fabulous way to bring geography to life in the classroom! There is so much you can do with it!

    ...JRY

    NYsee

    [Tested in Windows (IE6, Firefox1.0.4, Netscape8.0.3.3, Opera8.5) only. HTML/CSS standards go out the window too.]

    Posted by seanisthegood posted on the Attack of the Show blog.


    From Alkemis :

    "Google Maps with NYC Live Traffic Cams, Yahoo Traffic News and A9 Blockview Photos. AJAX gone wild, gotta love it.

    The traffic cams are not live video, a more accurate description would be live streaming images (some refresh faster than others). And we know, some images are not live at all, but hey it's not our job to fix the cameras.

    Google, Yahoo and Amazon all working together, kind of makes you want to cry."

    With this and a mobile laptop, with moblie satellite or spiked hot spot access, you can visually plot your path avoiding all the annoying time killing problems that get in the way of a zippy drive around town! Perhaps not too practical for the masses, but still very cool.

    Protect Our Children & Ourselves!- www.MapSexOffenders.com FREE!

    Protect Our Children & Ourselves!- www.MapSexOffenders.com FREE!

    Wouldn't you like to know if a registered sex offender lives next door to you or your child's school? When your child walks home do they pass the residence of a sex offender? Well this web site does not list every sex offender, and is not psychic to tell the where-abouts of those that slipped through the cracks, but it is definitely an eye opener!

    Around Halloween, responsible adults plan ways to keep children safe when Trick-Or-Treating. Chaperones, having an adult check gathered "treats" are just a few ways parents try to protect their children on October 31st.


    There is a great free web site that parents (and non-parents) can go to and see if any registered sex offenders live near their home or local school.

    "
    MapSexOffenders.com is part of Orbizon Inc., a privately owned web development and technology company based in Orem, Utah committed to building interactive, easy to use websites that aid users in a variety of ways. All of their websites are user friendly and provide a vast amount of information in an accessible format. One of their other sites is MapGasPrices.com.

    The purpose of MapSexOffenders.com is to inform the general community of sex offenders in their area in a straightforward way. Sex offender registries have been on the internet for many years, but they are hard to find and even more difficult to use. MapSexOffenders.com is simply a map so that the data can be easily viewed. Each sex offender is highlighted on the map and you can zoom in to view the offender, address, and other information. The map also links to the state registry for additional information such as the vehicles offenders drive and their convictions. Parents concerned about their neighborhood or those who are moving can use this free service to make sure they are in a safe neighborhood.

    " MapSexOffenders.com maps all sex offenders in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. It is our goal to map all 50 states in an interactive, easy to use design.

    Before you will be allowed to be a user of this website, you must accept and agree with the conditions set forth on the web site by clicking on the “I agree” button below. If you choose not to agree, a message will appear, and access will be denied."

    Visit MapSexOffenders.com

    Background:

    "Megan's Law:
    In July of 1994, Jesse Timmendequas, a convicted sex offender, raped, beat and strangled Megan Nicole Kanka. This sex offender lived across the street from the Kanka family, however the family was never aware of this.

    Since Megan's death, the Kanka family has fought to get laws approved that requires each state make public information about sex offenders. Most states do this through an online sex offender registry website. In addition, each sex offender, by law, must be compliant to re-register each time they move or annually. The Kanka family created a foundation in behalf of their daughter and received some 430,000 signatures to create these new proposed laws called 'Megan's Law.'

    In 1996 President Bill Clinton signed legislation requiring states to notify communities when a sex offender moves into the area. In signing the law Clinton noted the rights of former offenders, but said "there is no greater right than a parentâs right to raise a child in safety and love." Since this time, each state in the nation has developed and maintained an online registry of all the registered sex offenders. In addition, laws have been cracking down on such things that lead to sex crimes, such as child pornography, sexual assaults on children under the age of 16, and sexually lewd acts.

    Megan’s Law allows the States discretion to establish criteria for disclosure, but compels them to make private and personal information on registered sex offenders available to the public. Community notification: 1. Assists law enforcement in investigations; 2. Establishes legal grounds to hold known sex offenders; 3. Deters sex offenders from committing new sex offenses; 4. Offers citizens information they can use to protect children from Registered Sex Offenders, child molesters and victimization."
    Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation

    Friday, October 21, 2005

    Flock Challenges Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, and Firefox!

    From En Educational Voyage:


    Yes, I admit it, I'm hooked on FireFox. I left the Internet Explorer fold and converted to the Mozilla FireFox camp. I fell in love with the myriad of extensions freely offered by the open source FireFox devotees!


    Oh, the extensions! Tabbed browsing, light and easy on my system. Google search tools, Blogger integration, RSS/XML plug ins, Editing extensions, side bars... oooooooooh, I tingle from it all.


    Then in April, the unthinkable happened! Security exploits were made public. Now my safe haven of Internet bliss seemed to come crashing down upon my cyber self, dashing my delusionary world of browser safety that until that moment was Firefox.

    But alas, all good things come to an end. Reality steps up to show it's ugly face and now my guard is back up. I'm still in love and am unable to part with my dear Firefox. However, an article: PC Magazine: Flock To Offer More Social Web Browsing purports a new browser on the block to offer not only new security but better integration of perks- including blogging del.icio.us, and Flickr. Flock apparently is not ready for the general public, and is making it's debut with the brave souls willing to grapple with crashes and snags just to be in on the development stage ground floor. Well the Flock Developer Preview is now available.

    So, will I give in to temptation? Will I just make a little secret download to play around on the sly?

    What do you think? :)

    Sunday, September 25, 2005

    Cheat Sheet to Get Past Voice Mail to Speak to a PERSON!

    RE:
    Customer Service Heaven - An occasional series ferreting out hard-to-find phone numbers. By Timothy Noah

    If you have ever tried in vain to get past endless voice mail to speak to a PERSON to resolve customer service issues you are in my boat! This web site is an answer to our prayers:
    Find A Human

    Amen!

    Friday, September 23, 2005

    Avidly Seeking Wireless Clues From Google - New York Times

    Avidly Seeking Wireless Clues From Google - New York Times

    This folks, will make dial-up and DSL fees unnecesary. Now it is just in the San Francisco Bay area, but this author hopes it will creep east real soon.

    Wow! Come to the Big Apple Google. This gal is ready. Free WiFi!

    Ya-hoo!

    Monday, September 19, 2005

    Big Blue Back to School: Generous or Down-Sizing Smoke Screen?

    (This is from my other blog: An Educational Voyage)

    Article: Big Blue Back to School : "On a completely related note, IBM announced a "Transition to Teaching" initiative today to help transform IBMers into U.S. schoolteachers in an effort to stave off teacher attrition and boost interest and aptitude in math and science among American students. The Cliff Notes version: IBMers would be given financial assistance in the form of tuition reimbursement and stipends while they take a leave of absence from the company to seek teaching credentials and begin student-teaching, before ultimately becoming full-time teachers and leaving IBM's employ. Datamation blogs it here and hints we could quickly be moving to the top of our class."
    Article: Big Blue Back to School

    My Opinion?

    This will be nice for those close to retirement or dissatisfied with corporate life. However, I think in the long run, IBM is planning to terminate a nice number of employees and thinks it has figured out a way to not announce a need to down-size, (ie. overseas outsourcing) while being helpful to employees whose heads are on the chopping block by providing new career training. No red and white in Old Blue...
    Oh, the miracles of modern "spin!"

    This is a really lucky project for "soon be let go" IBM employees. However, they probably land better paying, moe respected jobs anyway- after all they landed jobs with Big Blue to start with, right?

    A word to the wise IBMers heading for the Big Apple: Sometimes the devil you know is better than the NYC devil you don't know. Switchers beware.

    Hey, IBM, can you send us a quality Chancellor?

    Sunday, September 18, 2005

    Analog Folks in a Digital World

    I have been a technology teacher for the New York City Department of Education, own my own technology company, run and moderate an online educational discussion list, have numerous web sites, and am here to tell you, technology can be quite useful.

    Believe it or not there are still some people out there who have resisted as much technology as possible. You know who they are. They are the ones who scoffed at the Casio calendar watches, digital alarm clocks, tone rather than pulse telephones, etc. They are our loved ones, the business down the block who still used the old cash register, and the wonderful aunt who still writes wonderful handwritten birthday cards!

    Perhaps you are a closet technophobe. Just maybe, you are thinking of coming out of the closet. Well relax. You have a friend. I'm here to introduce you to the wonderful world of technology, in little baby steps. In posts here, I'll discuss a little snippet of technology in a gentle, non prodding way. You can read and digest it, then decide if you want to take the plunge little by little.

    I always said, that if God didn't want us to use dishwashers, they would never have been invented. So with that in mind, de-stress yourself, and take comfort that technology is here to serve you. Not the other way around. You can take control and improve your life in itty bitty ways, and not feel a bit of pain along the way.

    Whether its getting a digital answering machine, buying that first PDA, cellphone, or computer I'll lead you down a neat, clear path.

    Trust me- Technology Rocks!
    ccccc