Attendees will learn about the "when, where and how of using online speech therapy during October 25, 2012 webinar

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 15, 2012

During the webinar, Joe Pacheco, Director of Student Services at Leadership Public Schools, and Shawn Whitney, the Director of Special Education at Edison Charter Academy, will discuss online speech therapy and how it can be used in the charter school setting. The panelists will share first-hand accounts on what they have learned about the "when, where and how of online speech therapy in charter schools and answer questions from the webinar participants.

By attending the webinar, participants will learn:

This webinar is the sixth in a series of free webinars sponsored by PresenceLearning. The webinar series, entitled SPED Ahead: New Realities, New Choices A Forum for School Leaders, brings together thought leaders who are re-thinking the way special education services, especially speech-language pathology services, are delivered.

About Joe Pacheco

Joe Pacheco is the Director of Student Services at Leadership Public Schools. Prior to his role as Director of Student Services for California-based Leadership Public Schools, Pacheco was Principal of LPS Campbell High School. Among administrative positions he has held for public schools, Pacheco was the Program Specialist for Special Education for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. He also served in the Oak Grove School District for 12 years as a Speech and Language Pathologist. He received his undergraduate degree from San Jose State University and his Master's in School Administration from the University of San Francisco.

About Shawn Whitney

Shawn Whitney is the Director of Special Education at Edison Charter Academy. Whitney joined Edison Charter Academy in 2010 after ten years of teaching, including five years teaching students with learning differences and emotional disturbances at an Arizona high school. She holds a Bachelor's of Elementary and Special Education from Northern Arizona University and a Master's Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix.

About PresenceLearning

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Special Education Experts Discuss Use of Online Speech Therapy in Charter Schools during Free PresenceLearning Webinar

Independence University, a private college specializing in distance learning with programs in healthcare and business, has released an information-rich infographic highlighting the recent boom in online education.

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) October 15, 2012

According to the Sloan Survey of Online Learning, 5.6 million American students were enrolled in some type of online class in 2009. That number was a one million student increase over the previous year. Its also the largest increase ever in the eight-year history of the survey. The number of students turning to distance learning has continued to increase steadily since 2009.

The data also indicates that our nations recent recession has had a direct impact on the demand for online classes. According to the Sloan survey, as the economy recovers from the recession, more than half of all new jobs created are going to workers who hold at least a bachelors degree. That only makes up one-third of the pool, however; leaving two-thirds of unemployed Americans to compete for fewer than half of all new jobs.

Students who choose distance learning are incredibly diverse. They range in age from recent high school graduates to retirees, and they seek degrees ranging from associate to graduate-level programs. According the Department of Education, students who took online classes performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.

The full infographic can be found on the Independence University blog.

About Independence University

Founded in 1978 as California College for Health Sciences, Independence University has dedicated itself for more than 30 years to providing distance education to working adults. Throughout its history, IU has reached beyond the barriers of traditional on-campus education to offer programs not only to working adults across the United States but also to those serving in the military and to international students living in the U.S. In 2010, Independence University merged with its affiliated institution, Stevens-Henager College, becoming a branch of Stevens-Henager's main campus in Ogden/West Haven, Utah. The main campus is located at 1890 South 1350 West, West Haven, UT 84401.

For more information on courses offered at Independence University, please visit independence.edu or call 1-800-972-5149.

Nathan Schwebach Independence University 801.939.9317 Email Information

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Independence University Releases Infographic on Online Education

A new open source software program, Course Builder, is being introduced by Google to the public in hopes that it will help individuals create their own online courses. Almeda University, web-based educator, offers insight as to how it could affect the industry of online education.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (PRWEB) October 15, 2012

PC Magazine notes that, at the moment, Course Builder is not being presented as a ready-to-use application, but rather a beta platform to see what talented developers will make of the new software. Director of Google Research Peter Norvig comments on the anticipated innovation this preliminary phase could offer, The Course Builder open source project is an experimental early step for us in the world of online education. It is a snapshot of an approach we found useful and an indication of our future direction. We hope to continue development along these lines, but we wanted to make this limited code base available now, to see what early adopters will do with it, and to explore the future of learning technology.

Richard Smith responds, Almeda University has been providing quality education to students across the globe since its establishment in 1997. The online market for academics is one that Almeda University students continue to embrace, and I believe that Google is taking a positive step toward crafting the future of web-based education. With many leading universities experimenting with online courses, I think this innovative approach is particularly unique because it is putting the development of learning methods into the hands of the public, and possibly the students.

However, Richard Smith notes that the Course Builder software could lead to a wave of curricula that do not have any accreditation. He notes, While advancing technology is essential for online education, it is important that students research the credibility of each online university or course. To date, Almeda University has offered a variety of courses that continue to give students the credibility and education they need to advance their careers.

ABOUT:

Founded in 1997, Almeda University is a web-based institution that has been teaching students from all across the globe. Students participate in a variety of classes, including mathematics, arts and sciences and religious studies, to earn a wide selection of degrees. The virtual school also offers professional development courses through its stay-at-home e-Learning channel for students that are not seeking academic degrees. The professional development courses range from Web development to health insurance. Almeda University professors make it their mission address students unique needs and offer solid academic lessons through innovative and modern teaching methods.

For more information about Almeda University, visit http://www.almedauniversity.org.

Claire Wilson PR Management, Inc. 484-362-9658 Email Information

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Almeda University: Google Software Could Improve Overall Approach to Online Education

Dr. Eben Alexander's book entitled "Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife," which will be published on October 23, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Below is Dr. Alexander's story, posted on the book's Amazon page:

"Dr. Eben Alexander III has been an academic neurosurgeon for the last 25 years, including 15 years at the Brigham & Women's and the Children's Hospitals and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Over his academic career he authored or co-authored over 150 chapters and papers in peer reviewed journals, and made over 200 presentations at conferences and medical centers around the world. He thought he had a very good idea of how the brain generates consciousness, mind and spirit.

"In the predawn hours of November 10, 2008, he was driven into coma by a rare and mysterious bacterial meningitis-encephalitis of unknown cause. He spent a week in coma on a ventilator, his prospects for survival diminishing rapidly. On the seventh day, to the surprise of everyone, he started to awaken. Memories of his life had been completely deleted inside of coma, yet he awoke with memories of a fantastic odyssey deep into another realm - more real than this earthly one! His older son advised him to write down everything he could remember about his journey, before he read anything about near-death experiences, physics or cosmology. Six weeks later, he completed his initial recording of his remarkable journey, totaling over 20,000 words in length. Then he started reading, and was astonished by the insights his journey brought to the world's literature on near-death experiences, and to all phenomena of extended consciousness. His experience clearly revealed that we are conscious in spite of our brain - that, in fact, consciousness is at the root of all existence.

"His story offers a crucial key to the understanding of reality and human consciousness. It will have a major effect on how we view spirituality, soul and the non-material realm. In analyzing his experience, including the scientific possibilities and grand implications, he envisions a more complete reconciliation of modern science and spirituality as a natural product.

"He has been blessed with a complete recovery, and has written a book about this most powerful, life-changing story."

Dr. Eben Alexander's "Proof of Heaven" is the 2nd most popular book on Amazon, as of posting. Rick Riordan's "The Mark of Athena" is currently at number 1 while Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's "Killing Kennedy" ranks third.

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Dr. Eben Alexander's Book 'Proof Of Heaven' Goes Up For Pre-order On Amazon

Limited by the mores of the times, Sandra Ryan was a cheerleader in high school. She hasnt been on the sidelines since.

Ryan, 63, has been an instructor in aerobics, low-impact aerobics, stepping, sliding and now yoga. She ran, she biked. In the summer, she swims across the lake in front of her house.

Age is age; it doesnt bother me," says Ryan, who has always" been fit.

When I had my children, I was going to the YMCA, and I took fitness instructing there and I started teaching. It was just when aerobics classes were coming into style. The Y was the place to be in those days. It was just packed."

Later, while working at Dalplex in Halifax as a fitness co-ordinator, Ryan began practising yoga.

It was becoming popular and Madonna was doing it as well, which was a big thing with students, and yoga just took off. When you get into yoga, you think its physical, but it has a 5,000-year history to it and theres much more to it.

Theres eight limbs of yoga, and the eighth limb is enlightenment, where you just let go of your outer self thats worried about things and to-do lists and deadlines and stress. Thats what I like to see happen in a class."

Ryan teaches five or six times a week, which gives her a bit of a workout. She also practises at home. It is a less jarring way to stay fit than what she used to do.

My idea of a good time was to teach a high-impact aerobics class and then go for a run. Or, when I was at Daplex, Id teach and then go for a run on my lunch hour. That kind of went by the wayside as my knees got older.

Toward my 50s, my back started curving; thered always been a slight curve. Like anybody, theres little aches and pains, but whats so good about fitness is that you can kind of sail through them. Theyre not a big deal.

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BODIES OF WORK: Fitness makes life 'better and better'

Brent Kuemmerle was dealt a bad break in life, losing the lower half of his right leg in a car accident.

Instead of fretting about what he couldn't do because of his disability, he was determined to show what he could do despite that disability.

It's now his desire to coach others those who has that same competitive determination.

Kuemmerle, who was an avid rock climber before his accident in 1995, taught himself to become a better climber with his prosthetic leg. He learned to become a snowboarder when there were basically no opportunities to compete in the sport as a disabled athlete.

Based in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Kuemmerle, a former Rapid City resident, has just created a non-profit organization called Tahoe Adaptive Competition Center.

His mission statement is simple: Train any athlete who wants to compete at any form.

If you want to compete in local competitions, we can do that. If you want to compete in regional competitions, we can do that. If you want to make the U.S. Paralympics team and go to Russia, we can do that, Kuemmerle said.

Kuemmerle is coaching snowboarding, a sport where competitive coaches were few and far between just after his accident. In fact, when he first started snowboarding unlike skiing -- the sport wasn't in the Paralympics Games and it was hardly offered as a recreational lesson.

He spent essentially the last 10 years helping create an educational record and the national standards so there is a complete teaching progression available. The 2014 Paralympics Games in Russia will host the sport for the first time.

The goal of most disabled sports organizations, Kuemmerle said, is to allow people with physical challenges to be able to compete or at least participate in sports that they either used to compete in or are interested in. He said that snowboarding is just another avenue for people to slide down the hill.

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Creating a path: Kuemmerle teaches snowboarding to disabled athletes

14 October 2012 Last updated at 19:40 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Assumptions about fitness in older people should not be used to decide whether patients have surgery, according to a report by the Royal College of Surgeons and Age UK.

It says some older patients miss out on vital treatment because of their age.

Age discrimination in the NHS has been made illegal but the report says it may still happen when budgets are tight.

Doctors should look at the overall health of a patient instead of using cut-off ages for procedures, it said.

The report, Access All Ages, points out that there are valid reasons why an older patient might not be considered for surgery - because they have other health problems that increase the risk of operations, or that they themselves prefer not to go under the knife.

However, the report said: "While there may be legitimate clinical reasons why an older person may not benefit from surgery, it remains the case that some patients may be missing out.

"Decisions may not always be made on the basis of a comprehensive and objective assessment, but on a series of assumptions about fitness in older age."

Too many medical decisions we believe have been made on age alone with informal 'cut-offs' imposed so that people over a certain age were denied treatment

It said some doctors may have "outdated perceptions" and a "lack of awareness" about older patients and their ability to cope with surgery.

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Age 'should not affect' surgery

In preparation for the Fit 4 Life Fall Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, this weekend, Massage School San Diego has created a guide to most popular fitness trends of the season.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 14, 2012

On Saturday, Oct. 14, the Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, will host the Fit 4 Life Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The festival was created to increased awareness of health, wellness and physical activity within the community. The event is free and will include activities such as group training, racquetball challenges, a climbing wall, a tennis tournament and other fitness classes. There will also be lectures on health and wellness, as well as on-site vendors of health- and fitness-related items. For children, the festival will feature face painting and balloon animals.

In conjunction with the Fit 4 Life Festival, MassageSchoolSanDiego.com has created a guide to the seasons best fitness trends.

Barre Using a classic ballet barre, isometric movements burn calories and work muscles all over the body. This workout particularly targets the abs, hips, arms and bottom.

Hula Hooping Swiveling the hips, hands and neck improves strength, posture and balance as well as boosts muscle tone.

Rope Training In this workout, moving ropes in varying motions and intensities build lean muscle tissue, tone, and provide a full-body workout.

Aerial Fitness Hanging silks suspended 50 feet in the air are a great workout. Climbing, moving and swaying on silks tones the arms, legs and abs in no time.

Trampoline Doing a workout on a trampoline burns 30 percent more calories than a typical run. Workouts like 3D Dodgeball and Skyrobics, work the core, legs, arms and more all while having a good time.

Kettlebell Training These uniquely shaped weights help to burn up to 20 calories a minute. They combine cardio, agility and strengthening training into one cohesive exercise that works the whole body.

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Knoxville Fitness Center Hosts Wellness Festival

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Space Shuttle Endeavor to Reach Final Resting Place; Retired Ship Makes Way Through Los Angeles - Video

BERKELEY -- If this was a dress rehearsal for its Big Game assignment, the Cal offensive line got it right in the Bears' 31-17 victory at Washington State.

Now Cal's big men get the chance to repeat it on the big stage of the 115th meeting with Stanford at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

"It's nice to go in there on a two-game win streak," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said.

The team's most maligned unit much of the season, Cal's offensive line delivered its best performance of the season Saturday night, paving the way for a season-high 318 rushing yards and allowing zero sacks.

"I thought the offensive line really played well," Tedford said after the Bears (3-4, 2-2 Pac-12) won their second straight game and moved within a victory of .500 for the season.

No sacks allowed for a team that had surrendered an NCAA-worst 29 through six games? "That's always nice," Tedford said.

No doubt, No. 22 Stanford (4-2, 2-1) will provide a greater challenge than the Cougars (2-5, 0-4).

The Cardinal ranks seventh nationally defending the run, allowing just 89.5 yards per game, and has sacked opposing quarterbacks 19 times. Stanford held USC to 26 rushing yards in its 21-14 win last month.

For the second straight week, the key to Cal's offensive efficiency was its ability to stay out of third-and-long situations. The Bears faced 11 plays of third-and-7 or longer in their 27-17 loss to Arizona State two weeks ago, an unacceptable number,

In wins over UCLA and WSU, however, the Bears left themselves needing 7 yards or more just four times among their 23 third-down opportunities. They converted 12 of those 23 third downs.

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Cal Bears' offensive line has strong performance in win over Washington State