Power Learning 21

Online learning has a come a long way. Students can now get a BA or Master’s degree in a number of areas, including nursing. Students that have a busy work life and wouldn’t normally be able to attend a brick-and-mortar school can still get a great education through online learning.

Jean Pickus, regional director of academic affairs and program chair for nursing and health care programs at the University of Phoenix explains the benefits of online learning, “Now people can take classes anywhere, and most colleges and universities offer some component of their education online. It’s no longer the exception, but the rule.”

Online learning is especially helpful for nurses she goes on to say, “Nurses work so many weird hours and shifts. Online education helps them achieve the American dream of helping themselves, their careers and their families” “Online learning allows students to go to school on their own schedules,” Pickus said. “It’s convenient for working nurses, as well as nurses who live in remote areas or big cities where traffic impedes their getting to classes easily. It’s a great option for military nurses.”

Online education is showing that is not a fad but a form of education that is here to stay. Even if someone is not interested in earning a degree, they can still take an online course to increase their knowledge in any area of interest. It is a great way to continue learning while maintaining a career.

PowerLearning21.com is a great way to continue this process. With hundreds of educational videos and courses, we are dedicated to providing education to anyone and everyone who has a desire to learn. With more courses being added all the time, we are looking towards becoming a leader in online educational videos. Your learning experience doesn’t have to end once you leave school. There are so many things to discover in this world and PowerLearning21.com is here to help with the discovery!

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A question was recently asked about the value of learning martial arts techniques online. PowerLearning21.com believes that online martial arts training is a great way to learn martial arts techniques. On our site, we have hundreds of martial arts videos that will teach you everything from self defense to taekwondo to jiu jitsu.

Online martial arts training is a great alternative to learning all of your martial arts techniques in a gym. It is significantly less expensive, much quicker, and easier to learn more material faster.

For the price of one lesson taught by an instructor, you can watch numerous training videos on PowerLearning21.com. Our online instructors go through the step-by-step process to teach you techniques. And you can rewind when you want to see something again or fast forward if you have already mastered a certain technique. You have the ability to learn any martial arts subject you want all through the click of a button. That is something that isn’t offered when you take classes at a gym. At the gym, you have to go through multiple lessons to finally learn the techniques that you are interested in.

You can learn whenever you want and aren’t tied down to specific schedules if your own life doesn’t allow for it. The classes will always be there waiting for you to watch them. You can also watch a lesson again to refresh your memory before beginning another one. Online martial arts training makes it quick an easy for anyone to learn the skills they want.

And PowerLearning21.com makes it easy to begin your online martial arts training. We have online classes taught by renowned martial arts masters, such as Grandmaster Gambordella who is a 10^th degree black belt and winner of multiple martial arts instructional awards. You can learn the techniques and skills necessary to become a skilled martial arts fighter with our classes in no time at all!

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Many Americans are beginning to think of dropping cable television and its fat monthly bills and turning instead to the wide-open frontier of Internet video.  Many have begun to cut their cable service and connected their flat-panel television to the Internet to watch sitcoms and other favorite shows.  The biggest obstacle right now is that there is much programming out there that isn’t offered online.

“These are confusing times in the living room. The proliferation of Internet video has led to much talk of “cord-cutting” — a term that has come to mean canceling traditional pay TV and replacing it with programming from a grab bag of online sources.”

Younger people, though, are more intrigued by the possibility: respondents under the age of 45 were significantly more likely than older ones to say they had considered replacing their pay TV service. The poll was conducted Aug. 3-5 with 847 respondents and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.  Plenty of people say they have gotten rid of cable for good. They are mostly  young adults who know their way around the Internet and have grown used to watching video on computers and other devices for some time now.

Where does Powerlearning21.com come in?  We are dedicated to providing education television to those who are looking to cut the cord and begin watching all tv through the internet.  Our goal is to be at the forefront of online education video destinations for those that no longer carry education programming and cable services.

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A program developed in 2003 is now helping children in the Philippines learn educational material through online videos. The videos provide an appealing introduction to the material they will be learning that day to make the students interested in the subject. Nokia, the International Youth Foundation, Pearson, and the United Nations Development program developed the program.

download educational video

The head of the Nokia Europe Community Involvement Patrick Gonzales explains the program as “an evolution of what we have in the past. What we have now is the ability to download these videos, at very high speeds using the cellular network. The beauty of this is you can take the program, and take it to those areas that are very, very rural and don’t have access to the Internet. It is much easier with a cellular tower and with that speed and you can serve the entire community with this content to help the teachers.”

Teachers can download and choose educational videos on Math, Science, and English that are specially created for this program through the mobile application Nokia Education Delivery (NED) installed in special Nokia phones.

“One of the differences of Text2Teach is that learning has become more mobile. For example I’m a teacher, I can download the materials today, I will teach it tomorrow, I can study the materials tonight, at home or wherever I am because it’s in the mobile phone. It could be the advent of one day, students having their own mobile phones, downloading educational video materials over the mobile phone. Text2Teach actually creates that culture of learning in a mobile way,” explains Globe Telecom Corporate Social Responsibility head Jeffrey Tarayao.

The program was recently launched in Ligao City, Albay in the Philippines. 24 public elementary schools in the area were givenText2Teach packages with almost 400 educational video materials preloaded on their Nokia devices.

“With the introduction of Text2Teach, we hope for a significant improvement in the academic performance of the pupils because we expect that our students will be benefiting much from this. Unlike in the normal method of teaching, which is simple lecturing, this time subjects like Mathematics, Science and English have become more lively, more enjoyable. And we are hoping that learning will become meaningful and lasting for the students in this direction,” Dr. Evangeline Palencia, Department of Education Schools Division superintendent, City Schools Division of Ligao shares.

According to Manuel Ferrer, a principal of an elementary school using the program, the school improved its National Achievement Test scores by 8 percent after only using it for a few months.

This program shows just how important online videos can be in improving our education. They are a new way to engage students in the classroom by changing up the teaching style. Online videos seem to be an educational tool that is quickly rising in importance and effectiveness.

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We take a look at the

- Top 10 Video Sharing Sites

to help you determine the right place to post your videos.

PowerLearning21

-  Educational videos online

-  Uploaders profit share in the rental of the educational videos.  This encourages not only quality video but also self marketing

-  Upload, add materials, share, group into courses, etc

-  With upload, design, and interface changes on the way, this is the most viable educational video alternative as the ad supported video structure begins to fail

Eyespot

-  Eyespot offers an easy-to-use video uploading and remixing.

-  You have the ability to trim the beginning and end, reorder clips on a timeline, add music and photos.

-  You can post to a group or invite a friend to the service.

-  Uploading is super easy but has a 25MB filesize limit which could often be too small.  We feel there is not a lot of reason to use Eyespot, in its current incarnation.

Google Video

-  Pro:  It’s Google

-  Con: It’s Google

-  Typically clean and sparse Google layout.  Uploading requires you download the Google Video Uploader. .Allows you to add plenty of metadata, including a transcript.

-  No editing and Google Video requires a “video verification” process, where your submission is reviewed to ensure it conforms to Google’s technical standards and legal policies.

Grouper

-  YouTube with a file-sharing application built on top.

-  For full functionality, requires an application download. Windows Media Player-based (converts other formats).  Ratings, tagging, groups, RSS feeds.

-  You can post direct to myspace, friendster, eBay.  Download to hard drive, iPod.

-  This file-sharing application seems is undifferentiated from existing options.  “Groovies” will prove much more popular if they can be built online without having to download the app.

Jumpcut

-  Create, edit, and remix video online.

-  Cool interface and the best editing options of the bunch.  Splice your footage, reorder the shots, add music, photos, transitions, even effects–think iMovie in an online interface.

-  Email to a friend, embed in a web page (worked flawlessly in Wordpress).

-  This could be the future of online video based on its interface and editing capabilities.

Ourmedia

-  ”The Global Home for Grassroots Media.”

-  This thing was slow, confusing, and messy.

-  No editing capabilties.  RSS feeds, email to a friend, direct link to files from your own site.

-  One of the most difficult sites to upload video to.  Current “alpha” version falls far short of potential.

Videoegg

-  Upload video of any format to the web and post it to other sites or share it with friends.

-  Requires you download an application in order to upload.  The download seamlessly embeds in your browser to give you drag-and-drop functionality.

-  Basic trimming of beginning and end points.  Post direct to eBay, Blogger, and Typepad.  Creates a simple URL, lets you email the video, and gives you javascript and html code for embedding in your own pages.

-  If you only need to post and share video with friends, Videoegg works

Vimeo

-  Flickr for video.

-  No download required, simple and easy uploads.  Tagging, commenting, voting.

-  None in the current version. Post to Flickr, send to del.icio.us, download original file, embed in your MySpace profile or blog, create an RSS feed.

-  Good video quality. Embedding the video in Wordpress worked flawlessly.  But: Light on community features, and weekly storage cap of 20 megs is too limiting.

vSocial

-  ”The fastest, easiest way to upload, watch and share your favorite video clips.”

-  The site looks sweet, period.

-  Offers “edit this video” functionality

-  Embed in your own page, MySpace, Typepad, Blogger, del.icio.us, Flickr, Blog It!  Lots of community features.  But: Didn’t live up to their “fastest” or “easiest” claim.

YouTube

- The video-sharing site everyone’s already heard of.

- Hard to cut through the clutter

-  Ratings, favorites, flagging, tagging, commenting, create playlists, subscribe to other’s uploads, and subscribe to tags.

-  No editing but you can embed in other websites, including Friendster, eBay, Blogger, MySpace.

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As supply companies watch the back-to-school purchase season end with slow sales, the National Retail Federation has said that less than 1/2 of consumers have made all of their back-to-school purchases.

The NRF said its survey is in step with retailers’ comments during second-quarter earnings calls about how people are buying closer to need as the economy has weakened.

“The good news is there is still a lot of shopping to be done, even if people are headed to the sales racks,” said Kathy Grannis, spokeswoman for the NRF. “Families may be buying on a budget and buying only what is necessary.”

Typically it is expected that $21.4 billion will be spent on supplies, clothing and electronic devices for children in grades K through 12.

This year, more than any previous year, consumers will be buying online.  This goes with the typical trending towards online sales as well as the addition of online capabilities of many supply companies.

Retailers are ready for what may come, although they have been ordering merchandise cautiously. Target Corp. (TGT) is focusing on value, with initial results for back-to-school and back-to-college “encouraging,” said Target merchandising chief Kathee Tesija during the retailer’s earnings call Wednesday.

The back-to-school buying season generally runs from July through Labor Day, which this year is Sept. 6.

Join the millions who have already reaped the benefits by becoming a Power Learning 21 teacher or student.

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Over the past several years, learning online has continued to grow at an impressive rate. Nearly four million students are discovering the benefits of obtaining an education online.  And learning online is no longer just for students enrolled in school.  While colleges and academic institutions across the country actively working to keep up with the growth in enrollment in accredited online colleges, now anyone who has knowledge to share can reach anyone interested in learning.

Here are some of the benefits to learning online.

Greater access and availability: Students are able to watch and learn courses that are not available in their geographic area. Those who live in rural areas where transportation is a problem can log-on and learn without having to leave home!

Diversity of course offerings: Where you live doesn’t matter. You can make yourself available to a wide variety of subjects.  Nearly every topic and career field is now represented in online offerings.

Convenience and flexibility: Being able to log-on twenty-four hours, seven days a week makes online learning very attractive to the adult learner. Controlling when and where learning is done allows students to easily fit online video viewing into their schedule.

Ready for the future: Pioneers in online education will be well-equipped for life in the 21st Century. Not only will online students be technologically savvy, they will have gained a more global perspective by learning from others from a distance.

Privacy and anonymity: Students not desiring a physical classroom experience can learn without having to meet face to face with anyone. Students who may be intimidated by on-campus involvement enjoy the freedom and privacy of learning online.

Student-centered learning: Online students can tailor their learning to their own learning style and learn at their own pace. One day a student may want to learn about a subject, and the next day they don’t.  Learning online allows for students to choose what they learn and when they learn.

Join the millions who have already reaped the benefits by becoming a Power Learning 21 student.

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By definition, visual learning is a teaching and learning style in which ideas, concepts, data and other information are associated with images and techniques.  Videos posted on Power Learning 21 have the ability to greatly enhance a student’s learning style. You can show the relationship between ideas by linking the graphic cues and words, which helps in clarifying meaning.

In a study entitled Graphic Organizers: A Review of Scientifically Based Research, The Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education at AEL evaluated 29 studies and concluded that visual learning improves student performance in the following areas:

Critical Thinking–Graphic organizers link verbal and visual information to help students make connections, understand relationships and recall related details.

Retention

According to research, students better remember information when it’s represented and learned both visually and verbally.

Comprehension

Students better comprehend new ideas when they are connected to prior knowledge.

Organization

Students can use diagrams to display large amounts of information in ways that are easy to understand and help reveal relationships and patterns.

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There are many different ways that you can approach the design of your video to enhance visual learning.  Here are 4 key elements to review when creating your video.

1. Simplicity

On-line course creators sometimes become victims of the “more is better” concept. This is not the best case when developing a course site. Including everything you have or can find on a topic can overwhelm and confuse students. Improper use of fonts, colors, and graphics can also serve as a distraction and hinder the effectiveness of your course. Keeping the content, menu, color and font variations to a minimum can help keep your site design simple.

2. Consistency

Consistency across videos can reduce the load on cognitive processing and prevent content overload. If learning to use a course is a quick and painless process, learners are motivated to continue. Consistencies should include: colors, backgrounds, fonts, headings, and text layout.

Some inconsistencies, if used correctly and infrequently, such as changing text formats can quickly grab a learner’s attention. These might include a highlighted line of text, or an altered color scheme to indicate a change of topic.

3. Personalizing

Personalizing your teacher webpage is also important in order to establish instructor presence, which has been shown to increase student engagement. Some ideas to accomplish this

-  Add a course banner
-  Add a personal picture within “Staff (Faculty) Information”
-  Add personal audio clips conveying reinforcement.

4. Design goals

Remember to keep the following goals in mind as you create course content.

Design your content:

-  to focus attention
-  to avoid visual fatigue and cognitive overload
-  for scanning
-  to educate and not to impress
-  for various learning styles

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Many teachers would agree; teaching jobs do not carry the same job stability today as they did years ago.  After deciding to leave behind the uncertain pay of being a freelance writer, David Robertson chose to pursue a stable career as a teacher. After all, what school wouldn’t jump at the chance to hire an eager 52-year-old with life experience?

This was four years ago but the days of teaching as a safe haven are gone.  In fact, Illinois’ budget troubles threw schools into a firing frenzy.   And the teachers that are left to teach are nervous about large class sizes which can undoubtedly be more than one teacher should handle.  However, even with teaching jobs in trouble, education is still the No. 1 major at Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University and other state schools,  despite stats that about 80 percent of education majors from the class of 2010 are still hoping for an offer.

Interestingly enough, while new comers are trying to get in the doors, teachers who have jobs are leaving them at an alarming rate.  Almost 40 percent of first-time teachers leave the field within 3 years after being disappointed by life in the classroom and such pressures as school reform, demanding parents and an emphasis on testing.  More than 300,000 veterans nationwide left their teaching jobs between 2004 and 2008, driven by retirement incentives. And baby boomers also are geared up to leave, especially in Illinois, where 54 percent of the teacher force is 50 or older.

“The reality is that even high-need schools have an abundance of qualified applicants,” said Karen Peterson, an education professor at Governors State University. “Jobs are scarce, funding is abysmal, class sizes are going up and programs are being cut. This is not an easy time to be a teacher looking for a position.”

Kathryn Castle, president of the Elgin Teachers Association in District 46, where 332 teachers are still without jobs for the fall, said she mentored 16 first-year teachers last year. By the time the district had announced cuts, many were torn about the profession.

“They’ve chosen it as a career that they want to dedicate their lives to, but some of the pressures make it difficult to know that it’s the right choice,” Castle said.

Things are not looking any brighter in the near future either.  The school districts that avoided layoffs for the upcoming school year have eaten through their reserves, which means more than likely layoffs are to come.

PowerLearning 21, or “PL21” for short, is a solution for teachers and others who are in need of income until they find a job in the classroom.  It is a media hub for teachers, tutors and students across the world, providing educational content of multiple topics on a state of the art content-sharing platform that uploads instructional videos to be purchased by other users, “students”. PL21 defines these terms lightly, as anyone can be a teacher or student in a given subject provided they have background or prior knowledge of the topic.

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This year, 4 in every 10 teachers in Texas have taken on second or third jobs in efforts to combat their struggles with paying the bills.

This number is the highest it has been in three decades, according to a new survey by researchers at Sam Houston State University.  This survey also shows that two thirds of those teachers said the quality of their teaching would be better if they didn’t have to take on another job, but they can’t afford to quit moonlighting.

Sam Houston State researchers questioned 907 teachers this spring about outside employment and its impact on their classroom duties. The study is funded by the Texas State Teachers Association and has been done every two years since 1980.  “It’s a shame that so many of our dedicated educators have to struggle with extra jobs to support their families, but they have no choice,” said Rita Haecker, president of the state teachers association. She said the findings point up the need for improved salaries.

Nena Harrison, a third grade math and science teacher at Marcus Elementary School in Dallas, is not at all surprised by the figures in this study, as she herself works two extra jobs during the school year.  One of her jobs is an after-school tutor five days a week and the other is an adult education instructor two days a week, totaling to an extra 11 hours of work per week.  That’s 11 hours of work on top of her regular classroom duties at Marcus.

In fact, the average moonlighting teacher works an extra 15.2 hours a week.  ”It can be tough for a teacher with a family to make ends meet,” said Harrison, whose biggest expenses include college tuition for two children, her student loan payments and her mortgage. Except for her first few years as a teacher, she has always held a second job during the school year.  ”My regular salary has never been enough to cover all the expenses, and that was especially true when my husband was out of work for a while,” she said. “But that’s just the way it has to be right now. It could be worse. Some teachers I know are working as waitresses.”

PowerLearning 21, or “PL21” for short, is a solution for teachers and others who are in need of extra income in addition to their salary.  It is a media hub for teachers, tutors and students across the world, providing educational content of multiple topics on a state of the art content-sharing platform that uploads instructional videos to be purchased by other users, “students”. PL21 defines these terms lightly, as anyone can be a teacher or student in a given subject provided they have background or prior knowledge of the topic.

Check out how you can join in the discussion: