Google Faculty Summit 2012: Online Learning – Video
Posted: September 6, 2012 at 8:10 am
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Google Faculty Summit 2012: Online Learning - Video
Online classes proliferate in Nevada colleges
Posted: at 8:10 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) When Hilary Nagel goes to "class" at College of Southern Nevada, she powers on her iPad and listens to a lecture in her pajamas from the comfort of her home.
Nagel, 28, is among the university students across the nation taking online classes. As cash-strapped colleges contend with budget cuts, higher-education leaders and politicians have looked toward online education as a potentially cheaper way to educate students.
In Nevada, which last year saw a 14 percent decline in state funding for higher education, online classes have proliferated as demand has grown.
The first college in Southern Nevada to offer online education was CSN, in 1996. The state's largest higher education institution started out with one computer server, 37 sections of online classes and 528 online students.
By last fall, CSN's "Online Campus" had grown to 18 servers and 962 online sections with more than 13,000 online students.
"We started very small, but grew quickly," Terry Norris, director of e-learning at CSN, told the Las Vegas Sun (http://bit.ly/QC8Cdg). "It was hard to keep up with the growth."
Online courses become viable options because students may be bound by time and geographical constraints, Norris said.
Virtual classrooms allow rural students in Tonopah and Nellis Air Force Base students serving overseas to complete their degrees at CSN. Las Vegas students like Nagel who work during the day can still go to college by logging online in the evenings and weekends.
UNLV junior Yisrael Vincent, who has attended CSN for two years, said he could no longer afford the hour-long commute to campus. That's one of the reasons why he began taking online classes, he said.
"(The commute) ends up being a higher opportunity cost than logging on at home," the accounting major said.
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Online classes proliferate in Nevada colleges
World Education University Announces Academic Leadership Team
Posted: at 8:10 am
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- World Education University (pronounced "we-you"), the first tuition-free, global, online higher education institution designed to provide comprehensive course offerings and full degrees to students, today announced the signing of its initial academic leadership team. Joining WEU, which has originated the term "Education Should Be Free" (ESBF), are 10 faculty representing the positions of University President, Deans of the Schools of Medicine and Health, Education, Psychology, Engineering, Law, and Arts, and Directors of Curriculum, Education Design and Standards and Compliance. WEU executives are still in the process of recruiting a Dean for the School of Business.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120905/CG68371LOGO)
"We are honored to be welcoming this top-caliber group of higher education professionals to the WEU staff," says Curtis Pickering, WEU Co-Founder and Chairman/CEO. "These individuals, established leaders and practitioners in both academia and private - sector worlds, share WEU's dedication to transforming higher education to reflect a more inclusive, equitable environment. Among our faculty are experts in the high needs areas of STEM, differentiated learning, business entrepreneurship, management, and educational leadership who are poised to help students achieve a solid academic education that also includes mastery of the 21st century skills employers say are crucial to success in today's workplace."
New faculty include:
Dr. James Waddell University President, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jim Waddell holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophical Theology from the University of Oxford, is a Foundation Fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford University, and Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturing, and Commerce. Dr. Waddell has taught at Princeton, been president of Menlo College in California, and as president of the Waddell Group, assisted colleges, universities, and corporations in launching, developing, and expanding programs in management, humanities, and education.
Dr. Sally Kilgore Dean of the School of Education Dr. Sally Kilgore is former Director of the Office of Research for the U.S. Department of Education, co-principal investigator of a National Science Foundation study of mathematics and science achievement, founder and former CEO of Modern Red School House, and author of the recent book From Silos to Systems. She has served on the faculties of several universities, including Emory University. Dr. Kilgore holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago and has an undergraduate degree from Baylor University.
Dr. Penny Orr Dean of the School of Psychology Dr. Penny Orr's extensive training and work in psychology, education, and creative fields has driven her to be a student-centered advocate and a creative innovator in developing programs that meet student needs while ensuring academic rigor. Dr. Orr is a registered and board certified Art Therapist, and Art Therapy Certified Supervisor and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University, a Master of Arts in Art Therapy from The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University.
Debra Rocha, J.D. Dean of the School of Law Dr. Debra Rocha has been on the faculty of several higher learning institutions, has instructed adult learners in undergraduate and graduate degree programs, authored over 400 online law related courses and developed 13 law related degree programs. Dr. Rocha holds a Juris Degree from American College Law with course work completed at Suffolk University College of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. She also holds a Master ofScience degreein Criminal Justice from Salve Regina University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice and a Paralegal Certificate from Roger Williams University. Dr. Rocha was also founding Dean of the California Southern University College of Law.
Dr. Vanessa Sheldon Dean of the School of Arts Dr. Vanessa Sheldon is an internationally-known practicing musician, on the faculty of several southern California colleges, a member of the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the Golden Key International Honour Society. Dr. Sheldon holds Bachelor's and Master's Degrees of Music in instrumental performance from California State University (CSU) Los Angeles and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in harp and musicology from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Philip Slocum Dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences Dr. Philip Slocum's academic career spans more than three decades in both private and public medical schools, as both a faculty member and administrator. Dr. Slocum holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. His interest in the interface of the principles of higher education with the principles of medical education led him to complete the Harvard University's Graduate School of Education's Management and Leadership in Education and the Institute of Educational Management programs. He is a recognized national leader in medical education, and noted for his critical views of the current state of health professions education and medical education.
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World Education University Announces Academic Leadership Team
First Watch: Moon Duo, ‘Sleepwalker’
Posted: September 5, 2012 at 10:12 pm
If you're too young to remember the 1980s, you'll have to take my word for it: We thought we were pretty cool. New Coke, pink Izods, hair metal and The A-Team. We really turned pop culture on its head! (We didn't turn pop culture on its head.)
Of all the trends that seemed fantastically modern back then, few things said "the '80s" more than aerobics and the requisite leg warmers and unitards. The San Francisco band Moon Duo revives this exercise phenomenon and everything that now seems ludicrous about it in a new video for its song "Sleepwalker."
The scene, led by a mysterious guru, is both hilarious and terrifying (things get pretty creepy by the end). Fortunately, it's not scored by Sweatin' to the Oldies or Culture Club, but by Moon Duo's fabulously funked-out space rock.
"The original idea was to do a straight aerobics instructional video in the classic '80s style: humorous but also useful, something you could really work out to," says one-half of Moon Duo, Ripley Johnson. "We realized it would be more entertaining and practical to do something narrative, and [Moon Duo's] Sanae [Yamada] came up with the idea of a young couple finding an aerobics-class flyer on the street. The story ideas rolled forth from there, and by the time we cast King Khan as the instructor, we had a full-tilt aerobics cult story, with mystic logo, abduction, crazy costumes, the whole nine yards."
Ripley and Yamada are the DJs seen at the back of the aerobics classroom. They shot the video in Berlin with an all-volunteer cast, including Canadian musician King Khan (Arish Ahmad Khan).
"Sleepwalker" is the opening track to Moon Duo's latest album, Circles, due out Oct. 2 on Sacred Bones Records.
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First Watch: Moon Duo, 'Sleepwalker'
Yoga tougher than you think
Posted: at 10:12 pm
Meditation, chants and breathing exercises were what I expected. What I got was a gruelling workout where I was made to do handstands, asked to defy my bodys limit to stretch and given a pose that felt suspiciously like a push-up. All this in a 75-minute yoga class with instructor Jacqueline Quesnel at Akasha Studio, Long Circular Road, Maraval. My yoga education prior to the class was decidedly limited, Id only tried the activity once before, in a yoga for beginners class, which didnt prepare me for the intensity of Jacquelines workout. What I did know was that yoga was the type of exercise that focused not just on the body, but on the mind as well. Jacqueline practices an Anusara-based yoga, a type of yoga she said was known for hand stands and promised we would make an attempt before the class was over.
I wasnt overly excited. I had never attempted or even wanted to attempt a hand stand before. The very first principal is to open to grace, said Jacqueline, before letting me know she would begin with a Sanskrit chant. I interrupted before she could begin, wanting to know the religious connotations here. In my research I had learnt of yogas connection with Hindu philosophy and that it was practiced by Hindus and Buddhists. You dont have to be a Hindu to practice yoga, she answered. I encourage my students to chant with me after I translate for them but I also give them the option of saying a prayer or even being silent before the class starts. The purpose of the prayer, she explained was to give thanks and prepare yourself both spiritually and mentally for the class. She admitted, there was a spiritual aspect to Yoga but added that it wasnt religious. I am Catholic and I have never strayed from being a Catholic. I use Hindu stories as guide sometimes in my class but I dont practice Hinduism or teach it, she said.
While she did a chant, I closed my eyes respectfully and said a quick prayer, thanking God for life. What, I should have done, was asked him for strength, energy and endurance as we stepped onto our yoga mats. The mats, Jacqueline revealed could cost upwards of $300, depending on the material. Eco-friendly materials cost more. Jacquelines first instruction was for me to hug my muscles to my body. I took this to mean I needed to make my muscles tense and proceeded to do so. With Jacquelines assistance I managed to align my body in a proper standing posture, a marked difference from my usual slouch.
She instructed me in my first pose, the table pose, which felt very much like the pose one starts a pushup with, but instead of actually pushing up I had to hold my body in place, all the while with tensed muscles. Yoga is a combination of fitness and stress management and is something you take at your own pace. While speaking, Jacqueline directed me to lift one hand towards the sky and turn my body sideways so that only one of my hands was supporting my body. As my arm wobbled and I felt myself sweat, I realised that this was a lot harder than Jacquelines soft voice and vibrant smiles, as well as several online pictures of pretty poses had led me to believe. We tried the cobra pose. Jacqueline said I did a great job on most of the poses but looking at her fluid moments and the ever-present joyful smile compared to my aching muscles and frowns of concentration I wasnt so sure.
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Yoga tougher than you think
Sept.: One free week of yoga offered
Posted: at 10:12 pm
Published: Sept. 5, 2012 at 11:18 AM
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- During the month of September, the Yoga Health Foundation, which is coordinating Yoga Month, says it is offering one week of free yoga passes to inspire health.
"Experience is a powerful teacher, so we decided to give people across the country the opportunity to try yoga for themselves," Johannes R. Salinger, founder of the Yoga Health Foundation, said in a statement. "Preventative wellness can be accessed by simply unrolling a yoga mat!"
Salinger said research has shown numerous benefits of yoga including stress management, increased flexibility, relaxation, stronger muscles and stronger connective tissue.
For access to free yoga and events from over 1,800 studios across the country, visit http://www.yoga month.org to find a participating studio in your city, Salinger said.
Whether just beginning or continuing a journey through yoga, Yoga Month provides an opportunity to discover yoga's simple, unique health benefits firsthand, Salinger said.
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Sept.: One free week of yoga offered
High performance hockey coaching camp begins
Posted: September 4, 2012 at 11:15 pm
Calcutta News.Net Tuesday 4th September, 2012
Olympians and former international hockey players including Mohamad Riaz, B.J. Carriapa, Baljeet Singh Saini, Surinder Kaur and Sandeep Kaur are participating in the first High Performance Coaching Programme that began here Tuesday.
The three-year programme, organised by Federation of International Hockey (FIH) and Hockey India, aims to help Indian coaches obtain up to a Level 3 certification and will be an annual feature during the junior national championship.
As many as 46 coaches have registered for the inaugural course that is being conducted by FIH Master Coach and FIH Coaching and High Performance Manager Tayyab Ikram and FIH Grade 1 Coach Siegfried Aikman.
"Hockey in India needs to be institutionalised and the focus should be on the structural development and high performance awareness. There is a pressing need of professional high performance center and a long term plan for coaches and training of team entourage, time to give up ad hoc arrangements," Ikram said.
"In India, we need to be more consistent when it comes to coaching development. This can be the most important investment for a country which is very rich in potential and talent," he said.
The seven-day initiative will conclude Sep 10, a day after the conclusion of the men's junior hockey championship.
The content includes two High Performance Courses a year and will target the experienced and qualified coaches from all over India. It also includes inputs from top experts and practical coaching sessions, discussions on development, special presentations and contributions from participants, match analysis, feedback after each course and complete monitoring and assessment process will be in place.
"We are delighted to assist the coach education programme which intends to develop the coaches with updated and scientific know how of High Performance Coaching, an area which needs attention and resources in a country full of talent," Kelly Fairweather, CEO, FIH said.
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High performance hockey coaching camp begins
'Major Crimes': Michael Weatherly Guest Stars As A Life Coach With Some Advice For Provenza (VIDEO)
Posted: at 11:15 pm
"The Bachelor"
"The Bachelor," ABC
Status: Renewed
Why: You really think we've seen the last rose handed out? Not in a million years. ABC has already tapped their next "Bachelorette," and we know they'll have their eyes peeled for a hot rejected man from that spinoff to be the next "Bachelor."
"The Bachelorette," ABC
Status: Likely to be renewed
Why: "Bachelor" Brad's also-ran Emily Maynard is getting her turn as the rose giver for the seventh season of "The Bachelorette" this summer. As long as there are people willing to look for love on reality TV, this show will keep on trucking.
"Body of Proof," ABC
Status: Renewed
Why: "Body of Proof" has been falling below its timeslot competitor, CBS's "Unforgettable," but it still draws a decent audience and its fans are very vocal. ABC has decided it deserves a third season.
"Castle," ABC
Status: Renewed
Why: This show's ratings have definitely suffered without "Dancing With the Stars" airing beforehand, but it is a consistent performer. And now that Castle and Beckett's relationship is evolving, a fifth season of "oh yes they will" is a no-brainer.
"Charlie's Angels," ABC
Status: Canceled
Why: Not really a shock for anybody, but "Charlie's Angels" is cooked. Flimsy story, bad remake, questionable casting.
"Cougar Town," ABC
Status: Renewed -- for TBS!
Why: The Season 3 ratings weren't boosted much by holding this show until midseason, but ABC's wonky air schedule also didn't help ... which is why the news that TBS has picked up the show for a fourth season is huge. Cheers with your Big Carl!
"Dancing With the Stars," ABC
Status: Renewed
Why: "DWTS" may have lost its luster in the ratings, but if the viewers are still coming.
"Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23," ABC
Status: Renewed
Why: ABC's new bleep-worthy comedy starring Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker and James Van Der Beek is a funny one, and definitely embraces the quirk (Beek Jeans!), so we're excited to see what they do with a second season.
"Desperate Housewives," ABC
Status: Canceled
Why: After countless deaths, murders, betrayals and natural disasters on Wisteria Lane over the show's eight seasons, the ladies of "Desperate Housewives" will say goodbye forever this May.
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'Major Crimes': Michael Weatherly Guest Stars As A Life Coach With Some Advice For Provenza (VIDEO)
A special link: Coaching adversaries united by pride in daughters
Posted: at 11:15 pm
Northside defensive coordinator Kevin Smith, left, and Veterans defensive coordinator Scott Lamb, right, keep an eye on their softball playing daughters, Sarah Smith and Avery Lamb, as Northside and Veterans prepare to face each other in football Thursday.
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WARNER ROBINS -- Heres a suggestion for the Northside football public address announcer: Throw in a few softball updates during Thursday nights football game between Northside and Veterans. The opposing defensive coordinators will be listening in.
Because theyre assigned the task of stopping the others offense, Scott Lamb of Veterans and Kevin Smith of Northside will miss important region softball games involving their daughters Avery and Sarah, respectively. Veterans plays at Perry. The Lady Eagles host Jones County.
That might not sound like a big deal to a lot of people, but it is to the two coaches.
They dont take (softball) lightly, Smiths wife, Monica, said.
(My father is) the one that, when I dont feel like working, will tell me, Youve got to work hard to be the best, Avery Lamb said. Hes the one that pushes me.
Sarah Smith said when she reached high school she realized, Everywhere I go, (my fathers) watching me. He checks on her class progress and he checks on her attitude and effort at practice.
Its not, however, all bad.
Hes getting me all the coaching and lessons that I need, she said.
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A special link: Coaching adversaries united by pride in daughters
Funk Rockass supported by Pure Health and Fitness – Video
Posted: at 11:15 pm
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Funk Rockass supported by Pure Health and Fitness - Video