Illustration by Keith Shore

By Mark C. Taylor 2012-05-21T23:00:24Z

In the coming decade, emerging technologies will thoroughly transform higher education. Although distance learning and computer-assisted education have been around since the 1960s, financial pressures are forcing institutions to develop aggressive online programs.

When education goes online, how professors teach, what students learn and how institutions are structured will change significantly.

Some changes are well under way. In 2009, about 29 percent of college students took at least one course online; by 2014, that number is projected to increase to 50 percent. Much of this growth has been driven by for-profit schools, but in the past couple of years, traditional colleges and universities have designed their own programs in an effort to increase tuition income without expanding the physical plant. It remains to be seen whether this financial bet will pay off.

The most promising initiatives involve cooperation between and among schools. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University recently announced a $60 million initiative to create edX, described as a transformational partnership in online education that will enhance campus-based teaching and learning and build a global community of online learners. Through video and immediate feedback, students will be able to take online versions of MIT and Harvard courses that include exams, papers and even laboratories.

Two Stanford University computer scientists secured $16 million in venture capital to create a new company named Coursera, which will distribute online interactive courses in the humanities, social sciences and engineering. They were inspired by the wildly popular Khan Academy, which offers more than 3,100 micro-lectures on a broad range of subjects, and by the extraordinary success of a class taught by their Stanford colleague Sebastian Thrun that attracted 160,000 students from 190 countries. The new venture will include Stanford, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University. Thrun himself cofounded the online university Udacity.

Many people within and beyond the academy are skeptical about distance learning and online education. The resistance of faculty members has been the greatest obstacle to the development of effective Web-based learning. While it is true that seminars and small discussion classes cant be taught online, they can be taught effectively using teleconferencing. Two of the most successful courses I have taught were teleseminars with the University of Helsinki in 1992 -- with incoming and outgoing images of the class and myself projected onto a small television screen -- and the University of Melbourne in 1996.

However effective face-to-face classes might be, the reality is that this traditional model is simply unaffordable for most students. In addition, more and more students are working and dont have time for place-based education. Only 15 percent to 18 percent of students in post-secondary education fit the profile of 18- to 22-year-olds residing on campus. For the 85 percent so-called nontraditional students, it is necessary to develop effective alternatives.

The move from the real to the virtual classroom involves fundamental changes. Education is shifting from a mass- production model to one based on what business calls mass customization. This transformation raises rarely asked questions: Why is college duration four years? Why is every course the same length? Why does graduation depend on the completion of a specified number of courses or credits?

Continued here:
College Crackup and the Online Future

FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 21, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QuinStreet, Inc. (Nasdaq:QNST - News), a leader in vertical marketing and media online, has opened operations in Sao Paulo, Brazil to serve education clients. This move recognizes the size and importance of the Brazilian education market, as well as rapidly growing consumer demand for higher education information online.

QuinStreet brings over twelve years of experience and leadership in online marketing and media for education to Brazil, and is committed to developing the Internet as an effective, vital channel for prospective students and education marketers. QuinStreet provides Brazilian education clients with a superior online qualified inquiry generation service across a portfolio of high-quality media properties. QuinStreet's Brazilian-owned and operated media portfolio includes MundoVestibular.com.br, GuiadaCarreira.com.br and PasseiWeb.com, and the company partners with a growing network of publishers. In addition, QuinStreet staff handle pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, email marketing and social media marketing for local clients.

"QuinStreet now operates a leading education media portfolio in Brazil," says Pedro Yue, Director of Brazilian operations for QuinStreet. "We help our clients by developing online marketing channels that yield results, and we are able to measure and optimize them over time -- which has been the biggest value-add for most clients."

QuinStreet websites currently reach between 3 and 5 million Brazilian readers monthly. These media properties engage potential students by providing detailed information about campus and distance degree programs, application processes, entrance exams, and career paths.

"Brazil's post-secondary education is going through a unique period of growth and quality improvement, driven by an escalation in student demand and industry consolidation," says Ryon Braga, president of Hoper Educacao. "With increasingly professional management and competitiveness, Brazilian universities have discovered that performance marketing's efficiency is far superior to that of traditional advertising strategies used in student acquisition."

Brazil is an exciting market for QuinStreet. There is unprecedented demand for consumer information about higher education, with the opportunity for continued strong growth. Education is a $15 billion industry in Brazil with approximately $500 million spent annually on marketing. The country has more than 2,000 private colleges and schools. Internet penetration in Brazil is estimated to be 40 percent of the population, roughly half the U.S. rate. Moreover, Brazil has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and a population of nearly 200 million people.

"The education market in Brazil shares many of the same characteristics as the U.S. market of ten years ago," says Doug Valenti, QuinStreet's CEO. "There is clear potential for significant growth over the long term. We are excited to be working with clients at this early stage to dramatically expand their marketing reach."

"When performance marketing occupies a featured spot in Brazilian universities' strategies, QuinStreet will certainly lead this movement, bringing its U.S. experience with effective processes and tools and generating better cost/benefit results relative to local players," says Braga. "In a short time, QuinStreet may become the brand of reference and a synonym for high-performance marketing in the Brazilian education industry."

QuinStreet is currently serving a broad base of schools in Brazil, including the two largest institutions: Anhanguera, with 445,000 students, and Kroton, with over 320,000 students. QuinStreet will continue to focus on expanding its client base and building its media presence in Brazil.

About QuinStreet

Original post:
QuinStreet Expands Education Operations to Serve Brazilian Market

Aerobics

CARDIO BASICS: 5:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; CARDIO CROSS TRAINING: 5:15 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday, Daytona State College, Building 320, Room 018, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach. $18-$30 for six-week session. 386-506-3830.

CARDIO REBOUNDING: 45-minute low-impact workout to music using mini trampolines, The Pilates Spot, 1730 Dunlawton Ave., No. 2, Port Orange. Six classes, $144. 386-322-4050; ThePilatesSpot.com

GET ACTIVE! GROUP ACTIVE!: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Gold's Gym, 333 W. Granada Blvd., Suite 200, Ormond Beach. $10 per session, first class free. 386-677-4949.

JAZZERCISE: low and high impact options, 9:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Port Orange Gymnasium, 4655 City Center Circle, Port Orange; 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Atlantic High School, Dance Room, 1250 Reed Canal Road, Port Orange. $40-$45 monthly; $10 walk-in; first class free. 386-767-9505; jazzercise.com

JAZZERCISE: 9:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday; 4:45 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Monday-Thursday, SWV Jazzercise Center, 3063 Enterprise Road, #24, DeBary. Prices begin at $20.12 month; $25 joining fee. 386-848-3446; jazzercise.com

JAZZERCISE LITE ORMOND BEACH: low impact, all ages and fitness levels, 9 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Nova Community Center, 440 N. Nova Road, Ormond Beach and 5:45 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, South Ormond Neighborhood Center, 176 Division Ave., Ormond Beach. New students $44 mo. unlimited; $10 walk-ins. 386-451-8753; jazzercise.com

Aqua Classes

AMERICAN RED CROSS SWIMMING LESSONS: for all ages. S.S. & Company Water Fitness. Call 386-986-5655 for times and locations.

DYNOSWIM MASTERS' SWIMMING TEAM: for ages 18 and older, meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Frieda Zamba pool, Palm Coast. Fees apply. 386-586-3437.

See the article here:
Fitness calendar

By Marc Anthony Reyes Philippine Daily Inquirer

CHRISTOPHER Quevedo needed little time to shake off his rust while Charmaine Dolar delivered as expected as they ruled the senior aerobics events of gymnastics in the POC-PSC National Games yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Quevedo only had a fews days to practice as he was busy finishing his education degree at Philippine Normal University, but he still proved worthy of the gold medal after amassing 18 points.

The 21-year-old Quevedo, from Tandag, Surigao del Sur, beat former teammate Lester Go, who tallied 17.3 points, while John Boy Amangas of Marikina City wound up third with 16.8 points.

Dolar, a senior education student at University of the East, was hardly threatened as she wowed the judges with her routine moves. She also ruled the recent Suzuki Cup world sports aerobics championships in Tokyo.

She piled up 23.15 points to repeat as champion after topping the event last year in Bacolod.

Dolars teammate Lynette Moreno (20.65) and Jhennylo Gacula (20.6) settled for the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

The gymnastics events were being held at the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines gym inside the RMSC ahead of the PNG which fires off May 25 in Dumaguete, Laguna and Metro Manila.

Former national pool member Jan Freddielu Betita, 17, grabbed the boys group 2 gold (16.8) while newcomer Austin Domingo lorded it over the boys age-group 1 bracket. (9.5 points).

Jasmin Yu of Calamba City (15.3) and Kelly Dionisio-See of Pasay City (15.65) snared the golds in the girls age-group 2 and age-group 1, respectively.

Link:
Quevedo, Dolar rule PNG aerobics

More here:
Spanish 2 Excercise Video - Video

View original post here:
Nellis Emergency Management Excercise. - Video

More here:
Face excercise laugh,..laugh by Jove - Video

View original post here:
Meditation Excercise By Dr.Imran - Video

More here:
St. Paul School participates in ACES ("All Children Excercise Simultaneously") - Video

Published : Tuesday, May 22, 2012 00:00 Article Views : 3,764

HANOI: Sixty-six Vietnamese from various backgrounds and fields, supported the Philippines claim on the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal and called on China to abandon its absurd marital claim on the area.

The group, which include well-known intellectuals and academicians in Vietnam and overseas, sent a letter to Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Jerril Galban Santos to express their support for the Philippines in the standoff with China.

Among the signatories are a former Vietnamese ambassador to China, several heads of tertiary institutions, poets and social scientists.

We fully support the sovereign rights of the Philippines in the Panatag Shoal area and the Philippiness actions to defend her sovereign rights, they said in their letter.

We resolutely oppose Chinas attempts to use its nine-dashed line, which is completely without historical or legal basis, to encroach on the Exclusive Economic Zones and continental shelves of the Philippines, Vietnam and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries. We strongly oppose Chinas illegal actions and threats of force in the Panatag Shoal dispute, they added.

The group also backed the Philippine governments proposal to submit the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos).

We call on the governments and citizens of all Asean countries to take concrete actions to show solidarity with the Philippines, to assist her in the defense of her sovereign rights in the Panatag Shoal area, and to defend the sovereign rights of each and every Asean country as affirmed in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (Unclos), they said.

We solemnly declare that Chinas illegal nine-dashed line constitutes a threat to peaceful cooperation and sustainable development in Southeast Asia. To re-establish stability and ensure freedom of navigation in the West Philippines Sea/East Sea, we demand that China gives up its absurd maritime claims in these waters. The just cause of the government and people of the Philippines will prevail, they added.

Those who signed the letter were Major-General Nguyen Trong Vinh, Former Ambassador of The Socialist Republic of Vietnam to PR China, Prof. Nguyen Minh Thuyet, PhD, Former Vice-President, The Committee for Culture, Education and Youth, National Assembly, Nguyen Ngoc, Writer, Bui Ngoc Tan, Writer, Thanh Thao, Poet, Prof. Pham Duy Hien, PhD, Former Director, Da Lat Institute of Atom, Prof. Nguyen Hue Chi, Former President of Scientific Committee, Institute of Vietnamese Literature, Pham Toan, Educator, Prof. Nguyen The Hung, PhD, University of Da Nang, Vice President, Vietnamese Association of Hydromechanics, Prof. Chu Hao, Director, Tri Thuc Publisher, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Nguyen, PhD, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia. Association Prof. Hoang Dung, PhD, Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy, Pham Xuan Nguyen, President, Association of Ha Noi Writers, Nguyen Ba Dung, Engineer, Pham Hoang Quan, Independent Researcher, Hoang Hung, Poet, Prof. Tuong Lai, Former President, The Institute of Sociology of Vietnam, Nguyen Quang A, PhD, Former President, The Institute of Development Studies, Nguyen Ngoc Giao, Former Lecturer, Freelance Writer, Paris, France, Thai Van Cau, Space Science Specialist, USA, Nguyen Xuan Dien, PhD, Institute of Han-Nom, Dinh Kim Phuc, Researcher on the East Sea and Vietnamese Islands, Le Dang Doanh, PhD, Former Director, Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM), Prof. Hoang Tuy, PhD, Former President, Scientific Committee of Vietnam Institute of Mathematics, Prof. Emeritus Nguyen Dang Hung, PhD, University of Liege, Belgium, To Van Truong, PhD, Specialist of Vietnamese Natural Resources and Environment, Ha Si Phu, PhD, 4E Bui Thi Xuan Str., Dang Thi Thanh Bien, Phan Dac Lu, Poet, Mac Lam, Journalist, Mai Thai Linh, Former Teacher, Researcher, Huynh Nhat Hai, retired Official, Huynh Nhat Tan, Ha Dinh Nguyen, 76, Tran Thanh Van, Association Prof. Dang Ngoc Le, PhD, President, Association of Linguistics of Ho Chi Minh City, Tran Thi Khanh, Editor, Nguyen Thi Tu Huy, PhD, lawyer Tran Quoc Thuan, Former Permanent Vice Chairman, Office of National Assembly of the SR of Vietnam, Kha Luong Ngai, Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Sai Gon Giai Phong News, Cao Lap, Former Political Prisoner in Con Dao, Tran Minh Thao, Writer, Dang Thi Hao, PhD, Former Vice Head, Section of Ancient and Mediveal Literature, Institute of Literature, Ha Noi, Vu Quang Viet, Specialist of Economics for UN, USA, Prof. Nguyen Dinh Cong, PhD, Former Chair of the Construction Department, University of Construction, Ha Noi, Nguyen Duc Hiep, Specialist of the Atmosphere, Office of Environment and Heritages, NSW, Australia.

Go here to read the rest:
Vietnamese intellectuals back PH Panatag claim