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18
Sep, 2015

By MyEdge

5 New Age Techniques For Teachers That Expand Your Horizons

Are you a teacher who teaches children in 2015 using chalkboards? “What are those?” you quip.

Yes! Traditional teaching methods are gradually losing their sheen today. It may be added that as a teacher, you may or may not feel comfortable in the outdated techniques of yesteryears when it comes to teaching, as newer trends and tools are fast evolving and becoming usable too gradually.

Some of the fastest and best methods of teaching are through online tutoring. These include blogging, online forums and podcasts. Technology is fast reshaping the traditional classroom and as users of this technology, teachers must also venture into exploring newer horizons.

Engagement is at an all-time high with the use of technology- believe tech gurus- who think online tutoring is slowly but surely changing the learning environment. There are Web 2.0 tools, social networking sites, training modules, web video conferences that are raising the interactive quotient between the learner and the learned. There are I Tunes lectures, You Tube videos and mobile apps instead of books that are fast becoming the main source of information.

Here are 5 sure shot techniques for teachers to maximize output through digital teaching:

  1. Newer learning management systems such as open education resources or OERs and massive open online courses or MOOCs are fast changing the landscapefor teachers. Online learning is mutually beneficial for teachers and students alike.
  2. Blended learning is fast gaining ground as well and as a teacher you should make use of it. In this the entire course is presented online and the use of a “flipped” classroom may enable the professor to record his or her lecture and also provide a link to the video later. Students can go back home and then listen to the lecture in details. Such a teaching model is different from the traditional teaching model and recalibrates technological capacity with traditional teaching
  3. Use of the multimedia tools and animations, rich graphics, simulation and open course wares are fast changing the learning landscape. This enables teachers to replace books with concepts that are visually shared and experienced by students. Learning becomes retentive and very visual.
  4. There are many learning analytics that are being developed with the making of digital activities more scalable and accountable. Feedback is shared with the student continuously rather than once after an exam.
  5. Learning also becomes non formal and is self-directed and not coerced. Teaching is not one way rather a two way process. Also, slide shares, weekly web modules, text narration and online timed tests that display instant results are fast gaining ground. Each lesson is divided into units and lectures recorded with a comments and query section.

Teachers can now teach non-coercively without being too forceful on results and grades. Students feel motivated and interested when technology is infused. They feel less burdened. Also, when they see their teachers imbibing new methods to teach they feel driven too.

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17
Sep, 2015

By MyEdge

5 Ways To Better Your Academic Career

Bettering your growth prospects in academics is not really easy. There are some careful points you need to apply when you are researching or even trying to ace semester examinations. School years can be fast and very taxing. As a student looking to prep up your academic career, you should follow some simple steps to ensure that each and every school year is memorable and your academic career blossoms like no other.

Know your strengths and set specific goals: If you have a set objective that you need to work on then follow a strict regimen and work towards your goals. If you are a science scholar, know what your key areas of strength are. If you know that calculus is the area that requires a lot of effort and practice then you should aim for working very hard in that area and also solve the most difficult sums to gain in confidence. Setting tall estimates is also not desirable. You should aim for accomplishing smaller target regularly and in time.

Stay focused and be positive: Building a good academic career can mean several things. Your focus and even positivity toward your goals can show greater results. This is especially true if you are in college or university where each semester needs a set of goals and focus. Staying positive throughout is also very important.

Gain inspiration from areas that you have hardly looked at: There are many social learning platforms on the Internet, that help you learn more about your strengths and positive psychology tactics are known to help students ace their examinations in the long run. You may not have attended career and academic workshops. This may be the time to start attending such programs. Some of these workshops have the webinar service and even the teleconferencing networks. You can attend some of these.

Stay resilient and put emphasis on your recovery times: Many a time, when we fail a test or even do not do well in an exam, we tend to feel helpless and dismayed. Do not feel let down. This is a process and failure should be taken in your stride. You should not feel that failure is the end of the road for you. Overcoming failure and then testing success is even sweeter! So take time but set targets.

Go online and use social learning platforms: As a student, you should use several digital bookmarking sites and computerized online reference managers. These are effective tools for a research student who want to save his or her academic work. You can search for other student’s notes on MyEdge and get benefited as well.

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11
Sep, 2015

By MyEdge

5 carefully designed parenting tips for the new age mom

Parenting is the toughest thing to do especially if your child is a youngling. Kids can be obedient and fun to be with only if you are the kind of mother that understands that your actions and reactions shape your child’s behavior. Top parenting experts will tell you how an ideal parent is never infallible. You cannot even for once believe that you can get away with bargains while your child frets over strict discipline. As times change, experts and a few real moms suggest that parents should read books online and learn how parenting has evolved. Here are a few tips to make parenting easy:

      1. Stay alert with your child: Many parents think the younger children (pre-teens and teens) are the easiest to parent and most of the troubles start later. Think again! The youngest are the most vulnerable and despite their inability to fathom all things at once, kids can really feel the pressure from their babbling days. You should be aware that your child’s development milestones should not be equated with development deadlines.
      2. Understand that labels don’t work: Toddlers are unique. Each one is different from the other. What is also crucial is the mother’s temperament. Your 10 year old may be different from your friend’s son. His needs are different and how you deal with the pressures is all about the motherly temperament. So don’t compare and label your child. Accept pressures and work within them, don’t complain as a parent.
      3. Kids watch every move: Parental behavior is often watched closely by children. Even more than words, actions speak a powerful language. How you handle stress, celebrate success or even shine with happiness can make an impact on your child. How you greet your neighbor or even talk to your husband and your mother in law may be up for view. Your responses should be measured and aware. Some carefully researched e books on this can be easily found online.
      4. Go online to unearth a treasure: How we behave in real time can be well affected by what we read online. With changing times, many websites offer you healthy psychologically proven advice on parenting made easy. If you visit an online tutoring website such as MyEdge, you can find a host of tips that can make learning easy for your child. Such sites have plenty of researched tips that can prove valuable in rearing and educating children.
      5. Observe the point behind the wrong behavior: If you look behind your child’s misdemeanor or even mistakes, you will see a cause. The trouble is most kids cry, throw tantrums or even break rules and misbehave to manipulate the parent and coax him or her to change his stance. The idea is to show that outbursts may not be really “bad” in the mother’s eyes. In turn, it is but to extract a behavior or object that is enticing. This needs to change. As a parent, you should tell your young one that having an ice cream for every homework done is acceptable one time, however, you as a mother cannot go on rewarding them for this. Whining and crying or even shouting may not be the road to attainment of your young one’s goals.

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07
Sep, 2015

By MyEdge

5 tips to minimize exam stress

Are exams just around the corner and you are feeling tizzy? You want to do well but are tensed? Even if exams loom large over your head, you as students should follow some basic rules that can prove to be helpful in the long run. Taking exams is an art that needs to be mastered carefully and most of the work is about grooming your mind and applying a study routine that is effective. Here are a few healthy tips and tricks that can help you tide over exam stress.

Begin early to finish early: As a student you should not wait for the final hour to make the killing plunge in the exam hall. A lot of senior school students tend to accumulate study work till the last hour before an exam day. This is simply not going to help you in the long run! Like it or not, a study schedule that is chalked out days before the exam day can well be the key to your success and help beat stress. There is no alternative to regularity, like it or not!

Revise well: If you have an exam tomorrow, try not to cram up details of your study the evening before. It is unthinkably not possible to remember all that you read. In fact, you should read before and make pointers and tips. Before the exam day, glaze over your notes and remember plausible and noteworthy points for your exam paper. This helps reduce stress.

Visit social learning platforms and give yourself a pep talk: As an examinee, your paramount worry should be about staying calm. Try to visit social learning platforms such as MyEdge and read about other fellow exam takers and their experiences. This should help you feel confident and you could take heart.

Set realistic targets and don’t be too pushy: Set up attainable goals if you start late. This is true the other way round as well. Competition is all about doing better than your last time than doing better than others.

Have enough sleep without too many distractions: Do not for heaven’s sake watch TV or even play video games before the exam day. This may backfire, you possible might even forget a lot of key points for study. Instead, try getting full 8 hours of sleep the night before and also catch the wind blow or walk in the evening. You can also eat light and listen to some good music if you want to soothe your nerves.

Finally, we all love change! If you are down with anxiety and are feeling way too much stressed, try to refresh yourself.. Buy yourself a new pen or even a new pencil. Try refurbishing your study desk and bring in some change. Remember, studying for exams is not tough if you plan well. Those who plan a bit in advance often can do without the horrible stresses at work

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03
Sep, 2015

By MyEdge

10 tips to select the best tutor for your child

Education is about effective transfer of a wealth of knowledge & experience from the teacher to the students. These days, many students complain how one-to-one attention is not meted out to students in big classrooms and larger schools. With a crunch of good teachers in the market and increasing peer competition, students often are taking private tuitions.

Children are more inclined to learn better and maximize their academic grades if you select the right tutor for your child. In today’s modern day times, there are a host of educational resources that are available for the academic enrichment of young learners however the “right guidance” to make use of these resources seems to be missing completely. We shall discuss how to choose the best tutor for your child and whether online learning can prove to be a much easier road to academic excellence.

Ponder over your child’s needs: No two children are equal and so are their needs and talents. Children should be allowed to develop their own personality and therefore the decision of choosing a particular tutor should depend on your child’s ability, your capacity to pay fees and convenience. Many young couples these days choose to employ a private tutor to teach their wards at their own residence. This may sound as an easy arrangement but the debate today is on whether your child needs a physical private tutor or would an online teacher also suffice. Some of us also tend to be partial towards ubiquitous tutorial centers. Whatever it may be, you should choose a setting that is sustainable in the long run and is in conformance with your child’s preferences.

Discuss and decide: Before you pitch in with a solution to your child’s learning needs, try to discuss the situation with your child honestly. Most students fail to realize that they are struggling with homework & overall general studies. However, many also own up their inabilities and seek help. As a parent, you should offer encouragement to your ward.

Apply “word-of-mouth” suggestions: Often as parents, we seek advice on various matters from teachers, other parents and counsellors. This may also be necessary before you employ a tutor. The local parenting newspaper, tutor listing websites and yellow pages are also a rich source for identifying the right tutor. Ultimately, after seeking all advice & suggestions the decision rests on you. Take your time & do not take a decision hastily after all it is a matter of your child’s future.

Interview more than one tutor: As a parent you will always want your kid to attend to homework with a tutor that understands your child’s needs and also is comfortable with him or her. Try to speak to a couple of teachers always. Do not zero in on a teacher until and unless you are very comfortable with his methods and demeanor. Many a times, temperament also is crucial. Some tutors may be great academically but are irate and abusive, not suited for young children. You should look for qualities that make that complete mark, your child’s overall development matters, so don’t compromise there.

Discuss long term goals and set objectives: Before you bring in the tutor, remember to have everyone on board with respect to a common goal. Talk to the class teacher and even consult your child on setting the right goals. Set goals that are rational & achievable. Do not overburden your child with your aspirations or peer pressure. It is not about aiming for top grades immediately, but setting forth a work routine that is balanced & consistent designed to showcase improvements. Remember to ask for regular progress reports of your child from the tutor. Slow and steady always wins the race, so don’t push!

Going for online tutors- a viable option today?

The use of technology has become essential today for meeting almost all of our daily needs. From grocery to movie tickets, holidays to clothing, doctor appointments to car insurance everything is being done online except learning! One may wonder that why eLearning has not been considered as a viable option by the student & parent community till date. But, things seem to be changing and that too very rapidly with social learning platform such as MyEdge gaining tremendous popularity for its unique social learning platform facility. Students are increasingly using Virtual Classrooms & Virtual Libraries provided by such platforms to learn in real time from their favorite teacher who may be located anywhere in the world. Please find below a ready reckoner for meeting your child’s online learning needs:

  1. Select a tutor listing website to identify tutors who are available online. Don’t forget to check the credentials of a tutor before signing up a particular tutor.
  2. Remember to search profiles with specific keywords that suit your criteria. If you are looking to teach Shakespeare’s drama to your kid, type in the relevant keyword to gain searches of tutors in English drama.
  3. Read the past reviews carefully about tutors you have zeroed in on.
  4. What is the total experience of the tutor in online teaching in the chosen area? This must be clearly stated in the website for online tutors.
  5. Finally, when you approach a tutor, format a clear and crisp message. Do not go whole hog with your worries but clearly state your needs and requirements of your child.
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5 New Age Techniques For Teachers That Expand Your Horizons
5 Ways To Better Your Academic Career
5 carefully designed parenting tips for the new age mom
5 tips to minimize exam stress
10 tips to select the best tutor for your child