Companies looking to expand online public education in Iowa
Posted: February 23, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Iowa Connections Academy Altoona Info Meeting
When: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24.
Where: Holiday Inn Express, 165 Adventureland Drive N.W.
Who should attend: Families interested in kindergarten through 12th-grade online education
Education chief: Online academies will face scrutiny
The CAM and Clayton Ridge school districts will face heavy scrutiny next school year as they begin offering virtual academies to state students, said Jason Glass, Iowa Department of Education director.
Connections Academy, based in Baltimore, and K12 Inc., of Virginia, will begin partnerships with Iowa�s CAM and Clayton Ridge districts, respectively, in July. The partnerships will allow Iowa students to attend the virtual classes without leaving their homes.
Some Iowa educators say allowing the for-profit companies in the state is the same as creating a voucher system, in which students take state money to attend the school of their choice. The partnerships will create competition among cash-strapped, mostly rural districts, where leaders mostly worry about students being shortchanged, several educators said.
Educators will present their concerns Feb. 22 to the Government Oversight Committee.
- Sheena Dooley
Here is the original post:
Companies looking to expand online public education in Iowa
Online driver education vote delayed
Posted: at 2:05 pm
Legislators postponed a vote yesterday on a bill allowing New Hampshire teens to take driver education online so that two dramatically different amendments - one co-written by the bill's prime sponsor - could be married into one.
Several House Transportation Committee members said while they support the idea of online education, they could not vote for the bill without a requirement of lessons from a certified driving instructor.
But the sponsor, Rep. Laura Jones of Rochester, said she'll fight against that requirement when the bill goes before the full House, and she thinks she might win.
"A majority of the committee wants to move that forward, but I think the floor as a whole may have a different mindset," Jones said after the committee meeting.
The bill, which Jones sponsored along with Rep. Tara Sad, a Walpole Democrat, allows New Hampshire residents who are at least 15½ years old to take a driver education course online and complete 10 hours of driving time supervised by a parent, guardian or other licensed driver who is at least 30 years old.
At a hearing on the bill last month, teens and parents spoke out against the high cost of driver education courses, which range from $400 to almost $700 in different corners of the state.
The cost is prohibitive for many teens, who often opt to wait until they turn 18 when the educational requirement is waived. Allowing a lower-cost online option would put more educated drivers on the road, supporters said.
The executive session on the bill was an emotional one for several members of the committee, who described motor vehicle crashes they witnessed as law enforcement officers or as parents.
For Rep. Lisa Scontsas, whose 16-year-old daughter died in a car crash in 2008, without the professional instruction requirement, the bill loses her support.
With emotion breaking her words, she told the committee "you can't put a dollar on life. Safety comes first."
Rep. John Tholl, a Republican from Whitefield, proposed the amendment requiring professional instruction.
He supports online education, but not without real-world instruction, too, he said.
"My background is 40 years of law enforcement. . . . I don't want to pass a bill that compromises safety simply because it's cheaper," he said.
Some parents just sign the documents saying they did the required 40 hours of supervised driving with their teen when they haven't, Tholl said. What's to stop them from doing so under the new law, and how much would that limit teen drivers' training if that is all the supervised driving that's required, committee members said.
If the bill focused on home-schooling families, some representatives said they would have no problem supporting it without the professional instruction requirement. Parents who made the decision to home-school will be much less likely to skirt the requirements, they said.
"I mean no disrespect to the home-school community, but the rest of the state, we don't have that same commitment and level of dedication," said Rep. Brian Rhodes, a Democrat from Nashua, speaking in support of Tholl's amendment.
Jones, working with Rep. John Hikel of Goffstown, transportation committee clerk, proposed a different amendment increasing the required driving time to 20 hours, limiting the instruction to parents and grandparents and imposing a penalty on teens who fail their driving or written test after taking an online course.
Those students would then have to take an in-person driving education course.
"We tried to make it so everyone was happy. It's as reasonable as possible," said Rep. Kyle Jones, Rep. Laura Jones's son and a member of the transportation committee. (next page »)
Continued here:
Online driver education vote delayed
Life Coach Los Angeles | Cheryl Hunter – Video
Posted: at 12:49 am
Read more here:
Life Coach Los Angeles | Cheryl Hunter - Video
Three keys to success for entrepreneurs
Posted: at 12:49 am
Enlarge this image
Guest Column elizabeth saunders Special to Globe and Mail Update Published Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 6:00AM EST
I’m not responsible for everything
I started out in business with an eagerness to please my clients — no matter what — and I put more stress on myself than I needed to.
Sometimes I’d work on a project that required someone else to give me information before I could move forward. They didn’t always feel the same sense of responsibility to meet deadlines, which means they gave me what I needed to complete the project at the last minute, and then I had to work really late to get everything finished on time.
More related to this story
Over the years, I learned to set boundaries and I realized that I’m not responsible for people outside my organization who are running behind. Instead of stressing out and trying to pick up the slack, I give clients regular progress reports and I warn them when someone has not lived up to an agreement to deliver on time. I’ve found that, in general, clients are very understanding and this strategy reduces the burden tremendously.
Packaging leads to success — or failure
One of my biggest joys as an entrepreneur is having a ton of flexibility in my life and variety in my work. When I began my business, I actually preferred contract work that didn’t tie me down on a long-term basis. I saw it as giving me more freedom.
But after almost six years of full-time entrepreneurship, I’ve found that offering “retainer” contracts, where my company is paid on a monthly basis, and larger three- to six-month programs is a huge key to success. When you have larger contracts, you even out your cash flow, reduce your sales and marketing time and build a long-term, value-packed relationship with your clients.
Sales is fun. Really
I’ve always enjoyed marketing: strong networking and communications skills have come naturally to me from the time I started toddling around. But I used to detest the thought of sales. I thought it was enough to tell people what I did and they would hire me if they needed me.
Once I got into the coaching business, where I help people who have struggled with time management for years, I realized that marketing was not enough. I needed to know how to sell to get chronic procrastinators into a coaching program that would transform their lives. I invested in sales training so I could learn the art and science of sales, and I found I loved it. Selling done well provides the right people with the right solutions to overcome their challenges.
Special to The Globe and Mail
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E, a time-management life coaching and training company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to accomplish more with peace and confidence.
She is also a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only, non-profit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment and underemployment and provides entrepreneurs with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a company’s development and growth.
Follow this link:
Three keys to success for entrepreneurs
Do You Work With Kids or Want to Work With Kids?
Posted: at 12:49 am
You’ve been asking so we’re delivering…Adventures in Wisdom announces a program to enable professionals, non-profits, and educators to use their innovated “Life Coaching Program for Kids” mentoring toolkit with the kids they serve.
Austin, TX (PRWEB) February 21, 2012
After receiving requests by professionals who work with children to use the Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching Program in their own organization, Adventures in Wisdom™ announces an affordable license agreement to enable counselors, coaches, educators, work shop leaders, and other professionals to use their mentoring toolkit with the children they serve.
Ten-minute stories teach skills that will last a lifetime!
The program uses creative short stories and activities to teach kids (ages 6-12) how to:
develop a mindset for happiness and success handle peer pressure think for themselves and make good decisions move through fear; overcome mistakes and failure live life with intention achieve their goals build self-confidence create powerful self-esteem that doesn’t rise and fall with the ups and downs of life
....and much more - 27 skills in all.
“Learning without lecture”
The toolkit includes 27 skill books each containing a children’s guide and a mentor’s guide. Each children’s guide includes a fun short story to teach the skill, discussion questions to evoke deeper understanding, and activities to provide hand’s on experience. Each mentor’s guide provides background information and coaching tips.
“Our vision is to inspire and empower children to believe in themselves and their dreams and to teach them the skills they can use to reach their fullest potential. We know that we can’t reach every child by ourselves so we are thrilled to offer professionals this opportunity to use Adventures in Wisdom with the kids they serve,” shared Renaye Thornborrow, found and CEO of Adventures in Wisdom™. “Professionals can integrate the program into the great work they are already doing and use as much or as little of the program as they would like.”
To learn more about the licensing programs and to receive a sample of one of the skill books go to http://adventuresinwisdom.com/do-you-work-with-kids/.
About Adventures in Wisdom
Based in Austin, Texas, Adventures in Wisdom is a breakthrough life coaching program for kids that uses short stories and activities to teach children ages 6-12 how to develop powerful self-esteem and self-confidence; achieve their goals; handle challenges such as fear, failure, and peer pressure; and create happy fulfilling lives. Kids learn over 25 personal development skills via skill books or audio programs that can be completed while at home or in the car. For more information call 860-580-WISE or visit http://www.AdventuresInWisdom.com.
# # #
Renaye Thornborrow
Adventures in Wisdom
860-580-9473
Email Information
Read the original post:
Do You Work With Kids or Want to Work With Kids?
Kevin Johnson | Fantasy Fitness-Group Class | Fitness Factory Louisville KY – Video
Posted: at 12:49 am
Read the original:
Kevin Johnson | Fantasy Fitness-Group Class | Fitness Factory Louisville KY - Video
Vodafone Health Debate part 1: mHealth Summit 2011, Washington DC – Video
Posted: at 12:49 am
See more here:
Vodafone Health Debate part 1: mHealth Summit 2011, Washington DC - Video
Health and Wellness – Video
Posted: at 12:49 am
View original post here:
Health and Wellness - Video
Kevin Johnson Chest Workout | Team Beastmode | Fitness Factory Louisville – Video
Posted: at 12:49 am
See the article here:
Kevin Johnson Chest Workout | Team Beastmode | Fitness Factory Louisville - Video
June-Marie Raw Food Health and Fitness new Swimsuits 001 – Video
Posted: at 12:49 am
Go here to see the original:
June-Marie Raw Food Health and Fitness new Swimsuits 001 - Video