Teaching Teens Important Life Skills With Technology

We give them devices from a young age. Walk through any crowd of kids, from strollers to those ready to get behind the wheel, and the one consistent thing you will see is the use of electronics. With all this electronic use going on you would think this new generation would be coming into adulthood with some serious technology skills. But the truth we are hearing from employers is that they’re not. In fact these young adults are struggling with even the most basic life skills. So what do we do? Here are some tips for raising children and teens into competent, tech savvy adults.

Children use devices. It is pretty much a given that most children now will be using cell phones, tablets, computers and more.

Most often the main concern parents have is around how to keep their children safe. Which is completely valid and important.

As they grow into their teens, it turns out there is something else parents should be focusing on, and it could open up a world of possibilities and potential for their children. It involves learning how to become effective users of technology in our connected society. This will help them professionally and personally, especially as they transition into adulthood.

So what can we do to help teens develop vital life skills with technology? Read on to find out!

GET THEM RESEARCHING

One of the most important skills we need to develop in this day and age is that of critical thinking and research. We have the world’s knowledge at our finger tips thanks to the Internet and cell phones, but with that comes a lot of information that is not accurate. Kids need to learn how to conduct research using the Internet and weed through all those results to find the best answers. A great way to do this is to get teens researching things for you. Want to go out for a family dinner? Have your teen research and find a new restaurant. This involves reading reviews and filtering through all of those opinions (and at times trolling comments) to find out if the restaurant will be a good fit for your needs.

You can also have them research summer camp options, contractors to do some work on the yard, a weird noise your car just started making, or ideas for your upcoming vacation.https://4091d77dce767ad6d59636ec3dfcda1c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The idea is to get them using the Internet effectively to find solutions and information. This means fine tuning their question asking skills and critical thinking skills.

LEARN TECH SUPPORT SKILLS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

“Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

When problems happen with technology it is important for kids to learn how to fix those problems. We are lucky my kids have grown up with a parent that worked in IT for years. So they have been learning how to troubleshoot and fix issues with computers, tablets and phones since they were young.https://4091d77dce767ad6d59636ec3dfcda1c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Instead of fixing the issues for them, walk them through the troubleshooting process. Still having issues, why not have them call tech support or come with you to the store to be part of the process of getting professional tech help?

Being in a world dominated by technology means being able to effectively troubleshoot issues with that technology. Equip them with the skills that will have employers smiling over their proactive and knowledgeable approach to keeping technology running smoothly.

MAKE PHONE CALLS

I admit, I hate making phone calls. I have some hearing loss and I find it so hard to talk to people on the phone, especially if they are in call centers and using those headsets that muffle their voices. But making phone calls is part of adulting. So whether we like it or not, we need to be capable of making phone calls and communicating with people over the phone.

The amazing thing we are seeing in today’s day and age is how so many young people never make phone calls. They text and send messages but almost never have conversations on the phone. Especially with strangers.

Have your teen call that restaurant they researched and make a reservation. Call tech support and ask for help with an issue. Call and book their next medical appointment. When they are younger, have them call family and friends rather than texting or emailing.https://4091d77dce767ad6d59636ec3dfcda1c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

MEAL PLANNING AND SHOPPING

The Internet is a fantastic place to find new recipes. Why not ask your teen to plan a weeks worth of dinners. They can research the recipes and ingredients to find the perfect recipe they want to try. They may even want to get in the kitchen and help make their chosen meals.https://4091d77dce767ad6d59636ec3dfcda1c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Meal planning can be complex, so make sure they are also looking at the family calendar and evaluating how much time is available for cooking meals each day, or how they can possibly use leftovers from an earlier meal in a new recipe. They may also need to consider allergies, or seasonality and availability of certain ingredients. This really ties into researching but since it involves food, lots of teens suddenly get really interested!

When it comes time to shop, have your teen make the shopping list using an app or in Excel. Or have them place your shopping order online (if you use that kind of service). At the store have your teen be part of the shopping and checkout process. I find the clerks in the store are often very excited to help teach my kids how to conduct purchases properly.

LEARN HOW TO USE BASIC OFFICE SOFTWARE TOOLS

‘There is a lot of different software that is used daily in an office setting that your teen can start using now. Have them learn the basics of Excel by getting them to set up a budget and track their money. Build a shopping list, or maybe a packing list for an upcoming vacation.

They can use PowerPoint to make a slide show or a different piece of software to create a video. When our very senior cat died, my son created the most amazing video dedicated to his life. It gave my son a purpose and a way to process his grief. It also provided us with a wonderful gift to remember our beloved cat.

Teens can also use Word or Publisher to make cards for birthdays, Christmas and other holidays to give to family members, teachers and friends.https://4091d77dce767ad6d59636ec3dfcda1c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

MONEY MANAGEMENT SKILLS

This is such an important skill for children to develop. When I look at the financial struggles so many families are facing, it reinforces my determination to make fiscal knowledge a high priority when teaching my kids. I want to make sure my children are financially savvy, money smart, and know how to use the tools effectively.

Have them build a spreadsheet in Excel where they can track all their income and expenses. One of the keys to being financially smart is being aware of where your money is going. Start by keeping that spreadsheet simple, but overtime have them start to colour code and make it really detailed.

You can also have them use a budgeting app. We use a free one called Wave and it ties into their bank accounts and helps them track their money like a proper small business.

Teach kids how to use online banking. Teens should learn how to conduct transactions through online banking, so have them pay your bills or make an investment or stock purchase.

Why not get them to research your next stock investment options. Or get them set up with their own investment portfolio. Starting young will only help them see the benefits of growth over time of their investments.

Ask your teen to research services and products offered through the bank that might be helpful for them or your family. Maybe they are ready for a bank account or investment account, have them research to find the right one for their needs.

Another feature teens should learn how to use is the built in money management tools available through most online banking platforms. These tools help you track your money effectively and efficiently. But to be effective, they need to be used regularly. Why not have your teen do a monthly audit of that months spending to see if you stayed on budget and hit your monthly financial goals. This will benefit you and the kids.

TAKE PICTURES AND VIDEOS ON MANUAL

As technology advances, one of the areas we are seeing incredible improvements is with the cameras in our phones. It can be so easy to just point and click, but why not teach kids how to dig down and use all of those features such as f-stop, ISO and more. Getting the cameras onto manual will teach them skills that will make their images stand out in a world that has become increasingly visual.

Taking photos or videos may also encourage your teens to get outdoors, slow down and look at the world with new eyes. This can have incredible mental health benefits.

While you are at it, get them using photo and video editing software. Go beyond filters and learn how to really edit and create visually. This will benefit teens when they are entering the workforce and need to make a presentation that will help them stand out with their boss.

We explored many tools for young film makers here.

TYPING SKILLS

It is amazing that in a world dominated by technology, so many teens are entering the workforce without the ability to touch type. There are lots of different programs available to teach touch typing, including many free options. Encourage your teen to research their options and get started learning to touch type properly. This will help them be much more efficient in the workforce. It will only take a few weeks of practice before their fingers are flying across that keyboard.

Fostering Tech Savvy Teens

The whole idea with all of this is to get teens invested in the daily operation of your household and lives. Using technology to make their lives better and make it a functional tool, rather than a toy. You will also be helping them develop important skills they will need when they become an adult and enter the workforce.

Adulting isn’t always fun. We all know that, but teens need to be equipped with these skills and the best time to develop those skills is while they are with you, where you can support and coach them. Small steps now, in a safe, low risk setting, will make an enormous impact on their abilities to cope with more complex issues when they become adults.

Article is taken from www.steampoweredfamily.com

Blog is curated by Vikram.

How to accomplish a winning Negotiations?

We negotiate all the time. If you carefully analyze your speech from morning when you get up till the night when you go to bed, you will find that you have been negotiating through out the day – with your spouse, with your child, with your help, your neighbor; in fact whomsoever you talk to, you always try to do any of the following things:

You try to influence the person you are talking to;
When you answer any question, you want to impress and sound convincing;
If you are buying a car, you want that other family members should readily accept your choice – the brand, the color etc.
When there is a difference of opinion, secretly you want that everyone should accept your viewpoint, your preference.

But does it happen that way all the time?

No Way!

That is the reason you should learn and practice how to accomplish a winning negotiation. This is so because of various different considerations in all the situations. There are 8 elements of winning negotiations which you need to master. These are:

Element 1: When you are talking to colleagues you care for your position, and your relations with your colleagues. This means that you do not want to give in when your opinion differs, but at the same time you want to maintain cordial relations. Let us call it consideration of “Position and Relations.”
Element 2: Whenever there is a situation, that you have a claim on something which ‘other person’ is also claiming, you need to rely on the ‘AND Concept’ but not on ‘EITHER / OR Concept.’ When you work on ‘AND Concept’, your long term benefits far exceed the short term gains on the ‘EITHER/OR’ tussle.
Element 3: Whenever you have to chose from ‘Your Profit’, ‘Other Person’s Profit’ or ‘Relationship’, you should try to strike a balance with your discretion, application of mind and the demands of the situation.
Element 4: A very important message for a healthy, happy life is to ‘engage’ people with mutual benefits in view. Breaking the line of communication brings about only one result. What is that? Physical or emotional frustration or loss. Therefore, preference should always be given to useful engagement, but never to break communication.
Element 5: This message is critical. Many negotiations fail if you ignore this important insight. Whenever you are on a negotiating table for a hard bargain, set these two rules. I call them sacred rules. Which are these? No ‘hot words’, and No ‘personal attack.’ This should be agreed upon while starting any discussion on a hard bargain.
Element 6: Now, think of two circles partly overlapping each other. One circle represents your interest, while the other stands for the interest of the ‘other person’. Since these partly overlap, you will find a common ground. This should be the area to work on. Common grounds mean that both of you have some common interests. You need to focus on these common interests.
Element 7: Another important element of a successful negotiation is that you should never be obsessed with ‘winning outcome’, after all, negotiation is not an Olympic race where you must stand first and win gold. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity, where you get a chance to resolve a pending problem that has been bothering you and developing a fresh relationship. So never, ever, have the winning obsession.
Element 8: Finally, an advice with which you should start. You must try to eliminate the worst fears of the ‘other person’ right in the beginning. This initiative will create a congenial environment where thoughts are exchanged peacefully and issues are discussed cordially. Every challenge of life can be met gracefully and resolutely. So why not derive a winning situation? Always!

Thanks for reading.

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How to Be an Efficient Presenter: 6 soft skills You Must Have

6 Soft Skills to become an Effective Presenter

Soft skills refer to the personality traits, interpersonal skills, and behavior you use to interact with other people. These abilities are crucial if you want to become an efficient presenter — someone who can be trusted to make any event lively, productive, and remarkable.

Luckily, these valuable assets can be learned and developed.

Encouraging everyone to participate, communicating effectively, and working collaboratively to make the gathering successful are examples of soft skills essential to events. By knowing what soft skills are and how to develop these, you can become a professional presenter who is sought after by both new and established organizations worldwide.

Here is a list of soft skills you must possess to become an efficient MC or presenter.

1. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence refers to your ability to control and understand your emotions while identifying and empathizing with the emotions of other people. This is crucial when remaining calm is significant, and if you need to understand the opinion of both the audience and the speakers.

You must have a sense of ease – and this must be expressed in your face, words, and body language and gestures. Be comfortable in your own skin, and allow pauses instead of rushing. You must develop a sense of calm commitment that will draw the crowd in without shattering.

To show a sense of calm and ease, you should have a sparkle in your eyes, significant pauses when speaking, and a gesture that emphasizes your point.

2. Creativity

Being creative refers to thinking outside the box and finding innovative solutions to solve any problem that can arise before, during, and after events.

For instance, you should keep an open mind whenever you are confronted with bizarre ideas instead of ignoring or shutting them down. It is also helpful to use creative techniques like provocations, mind maps, and role-playing.

3. Critical thinking

Critical thinking is knowing how to analyze information and give reasons effectively. When hosting events, this will involve the process of taking problems or information and understanding them to develop solutions or extract value.

To become an excellent critical thinker, you need to know more than what the audience does. The participants must perceive you as someone who can translate the details into their level of understanding. This can only materialize if you are familiar with the subject matter, so you need to prepare and practice your presentations.

Start with a concise and compelling message. Tell a story instead of presenting just a list of bullet points. Every part of your presentation must move the message forward. The ending should then wrap the whole thing up in an organized way and go back to the message mentioned initially.

4. Communication

You need to speak to the audience politely and clearly, and at the same time, listen to what they have to say. Effective communication involves verbal and written skills that are tied to active listening.

The best way to develop your communication skills is to build your confidence by turning your nervousness into power. Fine-tune your delivery skills and work on your mental focus. If you are in command of your thoughts, you can speak fluently and confidently, and fillers or hesitations can be avoided in your speech.

Moreover, know how to connect with the audience. You can do this by thinking about them and relating your content to them. You can also move closer to them, make eye contact, and engage them in the discussion. Most importantly, don’t waste their time with irrelevant presentations.

5. Flexibility

Being flexible means embracing challenges and changes with a resourceful, positive attitude. Unexpected problems can arise during presentations, but this should not discourage you from doing what you do best. Instead, quickly find a solution and make it look like it is a part of the event whenever possible.

The world is constantly changing, so you must be resilient in response to these deviations and view them as opportunities instead of hindrances. Be persistent and resourceful to overcome any challenge that may arise during the event.

6. Teamwork

Teamwork or collaboration refers to your ability to work effectively with everyone involved in the presentation or event. It requires and encompasses other soft skills, including flexibility, communication, and emotional intelligence.

For events that include several speakers, working collaboratively with them as the event MC is crucial in ensuring that everything will run smoothly. You must know the structure of the program and inform the speakers of their order. Give emphasis about how long they must be on stage so as not to disrupt the timetable. Inform them about any signal indicating that they only have a few minutes left to wrap up their speech.

The ability to think critically, resolve issues, and interact effectively is vital to navigating through events and presentations successfully. Luckily, you can develop these soft skills through experience and leadership and management training, and you can nurture them with proper focus, structure, and repetition.

AUTHOR BIO

Hisham Wyne is an internationally recognised MC, broadcaster, presenter and moderator who helps the world’s best-known brands create memorable occasions. He regularly hosts conferences, panel sessions, gala dinners and award ceremonies for some of the world’s best brands. With 150+ events under his belt, Hisham is the professional speaker that brands and agencies turn to when wanting to interview, engage and entertain government VVIPs and Hollywood celebrities.

How to break into the Technology sector if you are not a born techie

These days many people would like to work in the tech industry. According to CNBC, most of them would like to do it because of the salaries.

In the future of work, most professions will be oriented to the tech industry. So, most people who currently don’t have a career in this sector are concerned about the future. They believe in the end we’ll all be replaced by robots.

Regardless of the reason you may have, learning a new skill will definitely open new doors for your career. Yet, if you have spent years working on a certain career it may be challenging for you to switch to the tech industry.

If this is your situation, we have a couple of tips to help you switch careers if you’re not a born techie.

Find a related skill to your current career

Before you jump right into an unknown career, it would be good if you could find a related profession to your current career. This way, rather than starting from scratch in a completely new career, you’ll already have some background. If you feel familiar with the new skill you’re trying to learn, the transition from one career to another will not be that challenging.

There are many tech equivalents you can find in your current career. If you’re working in the retail industry, you can work as a project manager or product manager. Another example of this is when artists migrate from traditional art to graphic design.

If you’re in the financial industry there’s also a perfect tech equivalent for you. Data science is a discipline that’s very related to statistics and numbers, so you’d be very familiar with that profession.

Up-skilling

If you are happy with your current career but you wouldn’t like to stay behind the tech trends, you could also try out something called up-skilling. Up-skilling consists of learning new skills that add value to your current profession without leaving your job.

In fact, up-skilling is a vital part of workforce training. This is an excellent way to break into tech and if you don’t want to spend too many years on a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, you can always try to take a short-term course to level up your skills.

Get certification

Once you’ve decided which career path you’d like to take, it’s time to get certified. There are many ways to break into tech.

According to a recent survey, most developers learn new skills through self-learning, so if you don’t feel like taking formal education, you can always try that. However, if you’d actually want to get certified, you have two options: taking a bachelor’s degree or taking a coding bootcamp.

When you already have a built-up career in a certain industry, it’s very challenging to start all over in a different profession. So, it would be hard to study a five-year college degree. That’s why coding bootcamps have become a popular option. You can learn a new skill in a matter of 12 months with an up-to-date education.

Build your own project

After getting certified, you need to start getting some experience. It might not be that easy to find a job at first because you have zero experience in the field.

However, there’s a great way to start getting experience. You can create your own project based on your knowledge. This way, even though you don’t have the experience, you’ll have something to show to your possible clients.

Increase your online presence

When you land into the tech industry, the only way to get visibility is by having an online presence. Therefore, if you don’t have a LinkedIn account or a website, you might not be able to impress recruiters. So try to create some visibility by optimizing your profiles and even developing your own website.

This is especially important if you’re building a career in digital marketing or web development. The way you manage your site and your social media will be a reflection of your skills. So, if you’d like to impress recruiters, this would be a good way to do it.

And even if you’re not a web developer yourself or a digital marketer, you still need to build an online presence. Regardless of your career, getting visibility online is surely a plus to your CV.

Internship

Many people who have a career background usually don’t feel comfortable when having to start all over, so an internship is not an option for them. However, volunteering for an internship could be one of the best things you’ll do for your career.

You’ll meet a lot of interesting people in the industry who could help you succeed in your profession. Look at it as if doing networking and get paid for doing so, while you also put in practice.

Start Gig Working

Gig working is very popular these days. It consists of doing short-term projects for certain clients. You won’t be part of the company, but you’ll be doing short projects for them. Although this is not a stable work dynamic, it is a good way to gain experience.

Conclusion

Starting a career from scratch isn’t easy, especially if you already have a career background. But it has become almost imperative to reskill ourselves with technology.

So, if you want to break into the tech industry even if you’re not a techie, you should start by finding a profession that makes you feel comfortable. It’s also important to get certified and start getting experience by creating your own projects.

Thanks for Reading.

Guest Blog by : Artur Myster [ https://Careerkarma.co ]

3 Principles that make Prime Leaders in Pandemic Era!

he leader has to be adaptable. He must change according to the environment and challenges of the time.
We all know that COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a paradigm change in our world. More so in our workplace needs, and habits.

The three most important attributes or qualities that a leader must focus on can be explained by 3 letters: B C I. What do these represent?

Letter B stands for Beliefs and values
C stands for Creating line leaders
I stands for Influencing

Now let me elaborate each of these three.

Beliefs & Values

It necessary for the leader to infuse beliefs & values among the team members more than ever before. When people come to the office, they are working in an environment which ensures that focus is on work. However, when they work from home that is not possible. At home, distractions disturb them in spite of their effort against it. Therefore, cordial polite reminders of the leader’s Belief and the work-values will play a pivotal role in improving productivity.People who are not used to working from home have to be continuously motivated to maintain focus. So relying on beliefs and values help people maintaining focus when they work from home.

2. Create Line leaders

Secondly, it’s necessary for the leader to infuse leadership qualities among the team members. It means that the leader has to inspire team members to be more responsible and accountable. They should get full credit for what they do and there should be some kind of competitive spirit among team members in order that they can see themselves as stars. In other words it means that the leader is creating leaders; that the focus is not on exercising authority but only on creating more leaders. Since all are working from home each participant needs to think that he/she must take up leadership role himself or herself. This is the only way the productivity can be achieved in spite of the distractions of home working.

3. Influence instead of Instruction

Thirdly, it is necessary for the leader to influence his team members more than ever, rather than instructing them or advising them. Instruction or advice is okay when you are face to face. It’s okay when you are physically available to be monitored. However working from home does not allow face-to-face meetings. It gives a kind of weird independence to the person who works from home. Policing by the leader is never recommended but in the current scenario it is not even possible. So its necessary to inspire the team members to influence them to work with their own motivation. Your leadership is measured on a scale which has different parameters now. Understanding this the leader must become expert in influencing his team members to work to live up, to their own expectations.

Without doubt, in the new normal of Pandemic era, new principles of infusing beliefs, inspiring your people to emerge as mini leaders and relying on influencing more than instructing need to be adopted.

Fear of Failure

Fear of failure acts as a handicap to many of us. So it is necessary to understand this fear.

When we allow something to stop us from carrying out our work…work that can take us forward to achieve our goals; we need to recognise it as our fear of failure.

I am Satish Kakri and I will talk about this malady by explaining five facts of this Fear.

Definition
Symptoms
Causes
Ill effects
Remedy through The Bhagavad Gita

Definition:
Fear of failure is known as ‘atychiphobia’. Like many other phobias it’s an aspect of personality which always stands in the way of our progress. This hinders our growth by lowering our confidence, erodes our will power and attacks our discipline. It may be a part of another mood disorder like anxiety, worry, eating more, etc.
Therefore it is necessary to understand and ensure that atychiphobia is eradicated from our personality.

Symptoms:
You tend to become physically fatigued and mentally drained.
Lose all initiative to do anything new. Laziness becomes your habit. The situation does not allow you to think creatively. Personal initiative goes missing. You don’t want to work on anything that requires application of mind or physical hard work. Habit of procrastination ruins your daily routine.

Causes:
There are many causes for the fear of failure. Conspicuous among them are unsupportive parents. They keep on repeating to the child that ‘you are good for nothing’. Bullies in the school or society also contribute to heighten the fear.
Our education system in India is also responsible for adding to the fear of failure in the minds of students. They are judged only on the basis of their scores in the final exams. No life skills are taught. It is not a part of curriculum.
In fact the system creates graduates without any practical knowledge about how to deal with life and its problems. Social prejudices form yet another cause to contribute to the malady.

Ill Effects:
As a result of this fear of failure, the person suffers a lot. One remains always tired & fatigued. The individual starts worrying on even small things. Chronic overthinking badly affects the health of the person. Emotional intelligence goes for a toss. The ability to face difficult situations or difficult people goes down the drain. The person starts thinking life is a burden and not worth living.

How to remove the Fear of Failure and the role of the Bhagavad Gita?

The Bhagavad Gita gives the best solution. The core message of Gita is that everyone must perform his/her duty without attachment. No doubt attachment is the main culprit for our fear of failure. Our attachment to the desired results and uncertainty associated with it aggravates the fear.
In chapter 1 Arjun expresses to Lord Krishna that he doesn’t want to fight the battle with his own relatives because war will result in killing his own people on both the sides. Killing one’s elders respected people teachers even grandfathers and other revered people will only result in total disaster of the families.
Further, he says that he doesn’t not know who will win. Thus Arjun is deeply attached to the results and totally ignores his duty to fight the righteous war.

Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that one has to perform one’s duty without any attachment. The moment you are not attached to the result, fear of failure vanishes. As there is nothing to loose, there won’t be any fear. Attachment is the root cause of all sufferings.

According to the psychologists there are a number of steps that need to be taken to remove the fear of failure. These are like understanding situation, finding alternatives, strengthening will power, controlling emotions, understanding dangers of life etc. Bhagavad Gita addresses all these issues.

How?
Two major lessons of Gita are:
That one must perform one’s duty without attachment, without fear or remorse. They should not be afraid of even death. Soul in immortal. It never dies. Soul just changes body.

Gita seeks to empower you to overcome the biggest human fear- the fear of death itself. In such a case, no other lesser fear including the Fear of Failure will stop you from working your way up.. to reach your target. Without the Fear of failure you wholeheartedly work and achieve your goal!

Adapting to a Student’s Learning Style in Online Education

All students are individuals in their personal and academic growth and development, and that is never more prevalent than in an educational setting. Whether students are in a physical classroom or are enrolled in an online school, they cannot be placed in a box or put into a mold that makes them identical to other students, particularly when it comes to their learning styles. Most parents and educators are aware of the different learning styles, but most don’t know how to help students really embrace their learning style and make it work well for them.

It may come as a surprise that online learning can benefit all students, including those with a variety of learning styles, primarily because most online education institutions expect students to see and hear the information and have it mastered with just that level of interaction. Online learning is a great way to explore, grow, and learn for all students.

HOW CAN TEACHERS ADAPT TO DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES?

When teachers know their students well, they can adapt more effectively to ensure each student is given the opportunity to understand the material in their own learning style. Teachers need to understand how to recognize different types of learners and how to help each type of learner excel in the classroom.

Visual Learners

Visual learners understand things better when their sense of sight it utilized. They often love to read, enjoy diagrams, charts, and videos, and learn well from demonstrations and handouts. Visual learners usually love artistic activities and are most alert when visuals are being used in the classroom, including whiteboards. The mantra of visual learners is “show me.” The learning style of visual students is most in line with traditional teaching methods, and they will excel when surrounded by visual representations of the concepts being taught. They’ll be thoroughly engaged in books from an early age, and they will often benefit from making their notes more visually appealing, such as with highlighters, sticky notes, and the like. Visual learners can become distracted by too many colors though, so when working at home, they should complete assignments in a quiet and calm space that is not overrun by too many visually-intense items.

Auditory

Auditory learners tend to be better listeners than other students, and they are better at following directions when they hear them rather than when they see them. They tend to love music and are often excellent at remembering song lyrics, movie quotes, and more. They thrive when things are explained to them, when stories are read to them, or when they can read aloud to themselves. The mantra of auditory learners is “tell me” or even “tell me again.” They will benefit from hearing lessons, talking through problems, or making up songs to reinforce concepts.

Kinesthetic

Kinesthetic learners are the most active of all the learning styles. They want to touch, feel, move, and experience the things they’re learning to best understand them. Students who are kinesthetic learners probably enjoy things with texture, interactive things, building sets, sculpting clay, model kits, and the like. They like to “do” and their mantra is “let me hold that.” Spelling practice for kinesthetic learners may involve magnetic letters or different types of paper and pens. Kinesthetic learners may have trouble sitting still and can benefit a great deal from working on a yoga ball, standing up to work, or other unique workspaces that allow them to move as they complete assignments.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF STUDENTS LEARNING IN AN ONLINE CLASSROOM?

Students who attend online have more adaptive work environments since they usually do their assignments at home. Parents can help customize their workspace to their particular learning style to encourage more attentive students and more successful academic endeavors. Additionally, because of the online environment, students can utilize a variety of applications to learn and demonstrate an understanding of a concept.

Encourages Independence

Some learning types are naturally good at being independent, such as solitary, verbal, and logical learners. There is a pretty even mix of independent learners among visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners, but social learners tend to struggle a little more with being independent. Online learning absolutely encourages students to think for themselves, manage themselves and their time well, and keep themselves motivated and disciplined throughout the course of their studies. All online learners will become better at being independent, but certain learning types will benefit even more in this area because it may be a natural challenge for them. To further encourage your social, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners in their independence, start by holding them accountable for completing assignments and checking in often. As they get used to learning online, start handing over more of the responsibility to them and check on them less often, reminding them that they are responsible for their own success and they are more than capable of being successful independently.

Supports Out-of-the-Box Thinking

Auditory and visual learners are the most likely to thrive without much effort in an online environment. But other learning styles may struggle because the bulk of the information they’re receiving is auditory and visual in nature. They will need to think creatively and step outside their comfort zone to ensure they understand and retain the information being presented. This may mean that they create their own way of displaying the concepts from class, such as by acting it out, speaking it aloud, learning about the why behind the concepts, or discussing the material with others. It may also mean that they tap into their visual and auditory side and really work hard to stay focused on what’s being presented to them in these ways to expand their understanding and learning style.

Engages Different Senses

The best online learning programs will give students ample opportunity to experiment and learn the material in different ways besides just seeing and hearing it. Students may need to get creative to engage their different senses during their lessons, or the curriculum program they’re utilizing may offer suggestions on how to engage a variety of senses to explore and learn the various concepts. Utilizing all five senses will not only help students learn the material better, but it will help them expand their learning styles and explore other ways of experiencing concepts, leading to more retention and understanding. Kinesthetic learners may struggle more than others in an online learning environment, but using their other senses as they learn in different styles can help a lot. For example, a student could walk on a treadmill while reading text from a book or jump rope while listening to a lesson.

Promotes Strengthening of Other Learning Styles

While everyone has a primary learning style, it’s always good to hone the other styles to strengthen them and become a more well-rounded learner. Of course, the primary style will likely remain the same, but it’s also good to know what your secondary learning style is and how you can improve your retention of information when it’s presented in a unique way that doesn’t fall into your personal learning style. For example, if you are primarily a logical learner and you always want to know the how and why of what you’re learning, you may find ways to take the information being taught audibly and group it into classifications and categories to explore it further. Or if you’re primarily a kinesthetic learner but have to read the bulk of the material you’re responsible for knowing, you can think of ways to connect kinesthetic learning with visual and verbal learning to strengthen your own learning abilities and still understand and retain the information.

Uses Real-World Connections in Lessons

Online learning environments are typically great about making real-world connections for their students. It’s not just about learning book knowledge, but it’s about understanding how that book knowledge applies to real life and how to utilize that information outside of an academic environment. All learning types can benefit from this type of education as students will interact with different types of people and different situations outside of school and they need to be prepared to respond appropriately and engage others successfully. When students are responsible for their own differentiation and utilization of different learning styles, they tend to be more understanding of others’ differences and more creative in their problem-solving capabilities..

Encourages Exploration

As previously mentioned, students who participate in online learning are constantly encouraged to explore new ideas and think outside of the box. All learning styles will benefit from these critical thinking opportunities as they explore the world around them and their lessons in new, unique, and exciting ways. Many online school curriculums will give students suggestions about how to interact with the material in a different way, such as by completing an experiment, going on a virtual field trip, and so on. But the more students are encouraged to explore new ways of learning on their own, the more they will benefit from their online learning experience. This means they will grow more substantially, both academically and personally, and they will be far more prepared for life beyond degree, both now and in the future.

References:

Amabile, T. (1987). The motivation to be creative. In S. Isaksen (Ed.), Frontiers of creativity research: Beyond the basics (pp. 223–254). Buffalo, NY: Bearly.
Anderson, L., &Krathwohl, D. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Addison, Wesley Longman.
Barr, A. S. (1958). Characteristics of successful teachers. Phi Delta Kappan, 39, 282–284.

Guest Article by:

Dr. Harshada Mulay
Dean: Academics
MasterMyLife EQ Education Pvt. Ltd.
(Collaborator-University of Mumbai’s GICED)
Kalina Campus, Vidyanagari, Santacruz (E), Mumbai
Web: www.MasterMyLifeEdu.com
Email: harshada@Mastermylifeedu.com
Cell: +91 98201 67715/9867810233

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadaxyz/

Do Social Media give everyone a Level Playground?

The rise of social media has raised many questions. Is it good for developing the talent or otherwise? Do people know how to leverage the very effective platforms? Is social media being miss used? Is social media heading to the credibility or influence of celebrities? And a lot more!

This is what I feel about social media:

Befooling people in the age of social media is losing one’s own credibility. Social media is a platform where an ordinary man can express himself/herself without spending any money or without using any influence. One doesn’t have to depend on anyone in power to use the media. Because, no power is controlling it. Should the owners of any popular site decide to exercise any control or should they try to create some kind of influence on any issue, this is bound to be construed as personal agenda. Personal Agenda is against the spirit of Social media.
Social media is fast growing only because it is free and fair. Regarding freedom, I reiterate that if there were no freedom of expression, Social Media would never have achieved the popularity it has gained in such a short time. Another very important factor in its favour is that it is participative. Anyone can start a discussion, contribute to the existing one; start a group or join one already there. Besides, it is not just confined to exchange of views or ideas. We can share pictures, movies, audio/video files etc. Undoubtedly, Social Media encourages to be social, to be creative and effective. It is a boon in this Brave New World.

Earlier, Television gained its popularity because of the ease of entertainment without the arduous task of going out to the theatre one can watch a programme news or even a movie: all sitting in the comfort of your home. But it took quite some time. Where television swayed the mind of people, lots of program producer emerged. Training institutes for training programme producers also came into being. The channel owners provided the infrastructure and producers created such programmes as would engage the audience. Producers who applied their mind and understood the audience likes and dislikes could make such serials which continued for years. But there is a rub. Some people did find that these serials offer no value and were a ploy to engage them. The TV was termed an idiot for which I consider it is.
But so far as Social Media is concerned, it is also engagement, but it is of a different kind. Here each person becomes a participant if he/she desires to be one. There are always group of people who share their views. There are people who have comments to offer. And as said above, it is not limited to discussions. Sharing of pictures, videos, knowledge on different subjects are both engaging and entertaining. It is for each one of us to make full use of this unique Free Gift.
Thanks for reading.

How to Set your Goals & Achieve them?

Setting your goals is both an art and a science; above all it requires great application of mind.

First, you must write down your goals in clear specific language. Then Start with not only visualizing but also seeing your goals as clearly as you have written down. For example, if your goal is to go to Italy and visit Venice, activate your imagination and see that you are in a boat in Venice. Likewise, if you want to buy a specific expensive car say BMW, you should imagine or see yourself riding the BMW. You have to figure out that the sense of believing that you have already achieved the goal is to start looking at it.

Goals should be set in all your specs of life. For example you must set your career goals, financial goals, family goals, health goals, social goals, recreational goals and spiritual goals. Among these whatever you have already specified is fine but the balance aspects of life also need to be covered. Therefore spend some time to set your goals. These goals have to be realistic. The best test for the goals is that they should be SMART. S stands for specific. M stands for measurable. E stands for achievable. R stands for realistic. T stands for time bound. Unless you write time bound goals and devise in detail the plan of action, these goals will be just wishes.

Be ready to face any obstacles

Next, you need to understand the obstacles. If all things were very easy then nobody would need to create goals, write goals or work hard to achieve them. Things are not easy and they will never be easy. Once you see yourself achieving your specific goal, then you sit down and work out what are the kind of obstacles you might face. There will definitely be some obstacles, which you can visualize. And one more important thing to remember is that as you move forward towards achieving your goal, some unexpected obstacle will also come which you will have to conquer. It is only your determination, your decision and your perseverance that you will some way or the other help achieve the goal that you have already imagined.

You can beat any obstacle with grit, determination and perseverance when required

Create a mental picture that the obstacles are coming and you are conquering all the obstacles. Imagine that there is an athlete who is running an obstacle race, while he is running fast; he is also crossing the obstacles. Likewise, now that you know what kind of obstacles will come, you imagine crossing those obstacles, picture yourself conquering those obstacles and still carrying on with your mission.

Clear all your doubts by spending all the time which is needed

Many doubts can arise in your mind. It is normal. However, clear all the doubts, clear your mind of all doubts which often come, which are quite natural. You say to yourself, nothing doing, no such doubts will stop me from achieving my goal. I have a clear picture of achieving my goal, I am determined and I have created a mental picture of conquering my obstacles. Therefore, there is no doubt that I can do it. The goal itself is a challenge. And all the obstacles that you face while pursuing the goal, will also be kind of smaller challenges. Embrace the challenge. It is an opportunity which will definitely enhance your courage, which will give you more will power to pursue and to be successful. Stay on track. Keep up on the track following the same thing, which you have defined and seeing yourself achieving it. There should be no diversion. Staying on track will definitely make it easier for you to overcome the obstacles and reach your goal. Eventually show the world you can do it.

As I say, SUCCESS stands for,

S See your goal

U Understand the obstacles

C Create positive mental pictures

C Clear your mind of self-doubts

E Embrace the challenges

S Stay on track

S Show the world you can do it.

When the goal is a big project, define it and write it down. Then have a very strong desire for it. That is the kind of motivation, which is necessary to follow the steps that I have already mentioned.

Schedule action

Believe in yourself; that you can do it and then you will do it. If it is an arduous task and a big project, split it up. Split it into smaller goals and then give a time line to those smaller goals. You must review these every day. You have to review what you have done. You have to check if you have come up to your expectations or not. This step is extremely important. Schedule it, add a timeline to all smaller goals and then do it.