Thursday, March 30, 2006

Learn French Online

Ever wished to visit France? Walk through the Champs Elysees? Climb upon the Eiffel Tower? To sail on the Seine? Did you really think to realize that without knowing a scratch of the French language? Come on. Stop kidding me!

Everywhere around the world people speak different languages but it seems that we are a little bit behind that kind of technology. Doesn't that makes you wonder? We should prepare ourselves to get educated. We always send our children to the best schools to master a lot of things like French language but do you even know a little bit about it?

This is just a sneak-peak of where you should start.

Greetings: Monsieur Dupont meets Madame La Baronne.

Monsieur Dupont: Bonjour Madame! (Hello Madam!)
Madame La Baronne: Bonjour, Monsieur Dupont! (Hello, Mister Dupont!)
Monsieur Dupont: Comment allez vous? (How are you?)
Madame La Baronne: Très bien, merci. Et vous? (Fine, Thanks. And you?)
Monsieur Dupont: Je vais bien, merci. (I'm well, Thanks.)

Well is it that hard? No, you see! We really need to get started to be educated before to try to educate others.

This is my 3-T Formula to learn French and much more: Tools, Tips and Techniques!

• Learn a lot and master what you've learned.
• Take action by listening, reading and writing what you've learned.
• Rehearse it with your partner by using all of your knowledge.
• And be patience to understand and to make understand.

A lot of people think that by hanging some name cards on door knobs they are going to learn French but it isn't that easy. Believe me. Personally I speak fluently four languages and that all with confidence.

I learned two of them at home because my mother spoke Dutch and my father French. I learned English by watching American television for a couple of years with French and Dutch subtitles. And the last year I've just learned to speak Arabic by living and working in Egypt.

So now you see that this is the proof that your brain is unconsciously working while you're wasting your time like a lazy … in your sofa watching TV, or listening to your parents or just living in another culture with another language.

Thus this will be your lethal weapon to learn French and other languages because your brain is really unconsciously working.

So now you know all that you just need to take the right steps to advance and become a real educated citizen in this wide wide globe of multi-lingual cultures.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Differences Between Abacus Math and Vedic Math

Today two different ancient methods are available for school students to conquer math. With either of this technique students are able to do large and complex calculations in their head without need of any modern day electronic devices. These techniques are: 1) Abacus Math and 2) Vedic Math. Before we indulge straight into the differences let us first know what these two methods are.

The abacus is an ancient tool invented during Greek and Roman times. Over the period abacus has evolved into different types as it traveled across the world. However it was in China the abacus was innovated further and used heavily in day-to-day life for calculations. Abacus math is a technique derived from this very old technique and fits right into the modern day world. Abacus use can build confidence, provide a sense of achievement, promote intuitive thinking, enhance problem-solving capability, stimulate creativity and improve concentration and mental endurance.

Vedic Mathematics has no legal definition. Hindu philosophy is based on Veda-s (ancient scriptures written in Sanskrit, some say as old as 5000 B.C.) and mathematics translated from these texts is termed as Vedic Mathematics. These ancient scriptures were rediscovered by Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji (1884-1960) and he translated the complex text into simpler understandable mathematics.

The system is based on 16 Vedic sutras or aphorisms, which are actually word-formulae describing natural ways of solving a whole range of mathematical problems. Some examples of sutras are "By one more than the one before", "All from 9 & the last from 10", and "Vertically & Crosswise". These 16 one-line formulae originally written in Sanskrit, which can be easily memorized, enables one to solve long mathematical problems quickly. These formulae describe the way the mind naturally works and are therefore a great help in directing the student to the appropriate method of solution.

With Abacus math, abacus is used as a tool to learn calculations. Beads are moved up and down and various columns to represent the number. When children use both hands to move the abacus beads to perform arithmetic calculations, there is quick communication between the hands and the brain that stimulates both the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This promotes rapid, balanced whole brain development. Abacus math should be started at very early childhood, as young as age 4. Abacus math starts at very basic level by teaching the numbers and then progressing to calculations. Eventually the child retains the memory of bead positions and the relevant notation. Abacus math if started during later ages can create a bit of hindrance.

Vedic math is entirely done in mind. Vedic math also starts at a basic level of numbers and gradually progressing to simple additions, subtractions, multiplications and division. Vedic math goes much more beyond just the basic calculations. With Vedic math one can also solve complex geometrical theorems and algebraic problems. Vedic math can be started at later ages as well without any difficulty.

The key in both techniques is to practice and implement the methods in your day-to-day life. And what could be a better way to practice then using the math worksheets. Today there are various websites you can refer to gain knowledge of either method.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Medical Assistant: Distance Education for the Medical Assistant


Medical Assistant distance education is emerging to meet the demands of a new generation of students in the twenty first century. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School distance education program for medical assistant presents a good model for this integration of technology with medical assistant education. Distance education, particularly in its most recent form, online education, is being integrated into even the most cautious and conservative of educational institutions. Yet the impact of these alternative forms of teaching and learning on students, faculty, and institutions has yet to be broadly or deeply studied. New models such as that at St. Augustine Medical Assistant School are immerging. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School is available at: www.medassistant.org

Distance education is not new, and can be traced as far back as the first century. The Apostle Paul wrote to the early Christian churches, instructing them from a distance (even when he was under 'house arrest' in Rome). This was probably the first type of 'correspondence course', which was the only method of learning at a distance until the advent of the telephone. Today, distance education and in particular online medical assistant instruction calls upon an impressive range of technologies to enable medical assistant instructor and the medical assistant student who are separated by distance to communicate with each other either in real time (synchronous) or delayed time (asynchronous). Currently and asynchronous model used at St. Augustine Medical Assistant School to instruct medical assistant students. This has proven to be a very effective model however the medical assistant program is currently investigating the benefits of synchronous online medical assistant instruction and the benefits it may have for the medical assistant student.

Medical Assistant distance learning epitomizes the move away from institute based learning to a more direct, student centered approach. As a concept, distance learning has existed for over a century, notably in the form of paper based correspondence courses including the less formal correspondence education for medical assistants. Now however, distance education is depending increasingly upon technology for its success and technological innovations ensure that distance learning for the medical assistant continues to evolve and grow as a valid and potent force in all forms of education for the medical assistant.

The task of the medical assistant distance educator is therefore to obviate these problems as much as possible by mixing and matching techniques, creating and maintaining a stimulating environment, and offering opportunities for medical assistant students to communicate with each other and with the medical assistant teaching staff on a regular basis. The medical assistant educators will also need to change their traditional role as well. Many remote medical assistant students need a great deal of social support, and medical assistant distance educators may find themselves spending more time offering one-to-one tutorials and less time lecturing. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School at www.medassistant.org or www.MedicalAssistant.us is leading today’s technology in medical assistant education.

When designing medical assistant educational systems and materials for medical assistant distance in delivery the medical assistant teacher must consider not only learning outcomes, but also centered requirements and technical constraints for the medical assistant. Also to be considered are the needs, characteristics, and individual differences of both the students, the teachers and future medical assistants.

Medical assistant distance education for the medical assistant then, should not be viewed as a means of reducing costs, but as an opportunity to raise standards. It is also about providing quality medical assistant learning opportunities for those who, for one reason or another, have previously been excluded from this basic human right. Medical Assistant distance education will quickly become the norm and not the exception for the twenty first century medical assistant. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School distance education program for medical assistant presents a good model for this integration of technology with medical assistant education. The St. Augustine Medical Assistant model can be reviewed at: http://www.medassistant.org and http://www.medicalassistant.us

By Dr. Mark Stout
Dean of Education St. Augustine Medical Assistant School
Distance Education and Informatics Specialist
www.medassistant.org