ARGOSY UNIVERSITY OFFERS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE
Education Management Corporation asked:
(CHICAGO – September 6, 2005) Argosy University announced today that it will assist students from universities in New Orleans, southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama universities, which have been closed for the foreseeable future due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Argosy University will make available both on-campus and online courses that might be able to permit dislocated students to progress in their academic careers during this semester of disruption. Students at a university forced to close by Hurricane Katrina may register at any of Argosy University’s 13 campuses across the nation for courses, on a space-available basis, for the fall terms.
Argosy University will waive tuition for dislocated students who have already registered and paid tuition at their home institution for the fall 2005 semester. If dislocated students have not yet paid their tuition at their home institution, they will be assessed the lesser of the current published tuition and fees at the home institution, or Argosy University’s published tuition and fees, as determined by the Argosy University campus president.
“Argosy University acted today by offering educational assistance to college students impacted by Hurricane Katrina,” says Dr. Gregory O’Brien, president of Argosy University. “Argosy University is concerned for the well-being of these students, and this initiative is our way of reaching out with compassion and benevolence to those affected. We pledge to do all that we can to assist college students in the Gulf Coast region to continue their education and continue in their lives.”
According to the American Council on Education, more than 30 colleges and universities in the Gulf Coast region have been severely damaged by the hurricane, and possibly 100,000 students have been displaced from their schools.
Argosy University offers doctoral, masters, and undergraduate degree programs in psychology, counseling, education, business, information technology, and organizational leadership. Doctoral degree programs in clinical psychology (accredited by the American Psychological Association), are available at several Argosy University’s campuses. Argosy University will assist dislocated Ph.D. and Psy.D. students on an individual basis. Select associate’s degree programs in several health sciences fields are available at Argosy University/Twin Cities, located in Eagan, MN.
Argosy University has campuses in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Orange County (Santa Ana, CA), Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area (Port Richmond, CA), Sarasota, Schaumburg (IL), Seattle, Tampa, Twin Cities (Eagan, MN), and Washington DC (Arlington, VA).
Students seeking information about Argosy University’s initiative can visit the university’s website (www.argosyu.edu) or call National Admissions Information at 1-800-377-0617.
With 13 campuses across the nation, Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of business, education, health sciences, and psychology and behavioral sciences. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, 1.312.263.0456, www.ncahlc.org). The parent company of Argosy University, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com), is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 71 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC’s education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology, legal studies, and business fields, culminating in the award of associate’s through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years. ###
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(CHICAGO – September 6, 2005) Argosy University announced today that it will assist students from universities in New Orleans, southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama universities, which have been closed for the foreseeable future due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Argosy University will make available both on-campus and online courses that might be able to permit dislocated students to progress in their academic careers during this semester of disruption. Students at a university forced to close by Hurricane Katrina may register at any of Argosy University’s 13 campuses across the nation for courses, on a space-available basis, for the fall terms.
Argosy University will waive tuition for dislocated students who have already registered and paid tuition at their home institution for the fall 2005 semester. If dislocated students have not yet paid their tuition at their home institution, they will be assessed the lesser of the current published tuition and fees at the home institution, or Argosy University’s published tuition and fees, as determined by the Argosy University campus president.
“Argosy University acted today by offering educational assistance to college students impacted by Hurricane Katrina,” says Dr. Gregory O’Brien, president of Argosy University. “Argosy University is concerned for the well-being of these students, and this initiative is our way of reaching out with compassion and benevolence to those affected. We pledge to do all that we can to assist college students in the Gulf Coast region to continue their education and continue in their lives.”
According to the American Council on Education, more than 30 colleges and universities in the Gulf Coast region have been severely damaged by the hurricane, and possibly 100,000 students have been displaced from their schools.
Argosy University offers doctoral, masters, and undergraduate degree programs in psychology, counseling, education, business, information technology, and organizational leadership. Doctoral degree programs in clinical psychology (accredited by the American Psychological Association), are available at several Argosy University’s campuses. Argosy University will assist dislocated Ph.D. and Psy.D. students on an individual basis. Select associate’s degree programs in several health sciences fields are available at Argosy University/Twin Cities, located in Eagan, MN.
Argosy University has campuses in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Orange County (Santa Ana, CA), Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area (Port Richmond, CA), Sarasota, Schaumburg (IL), Seattle, Tampa, Twin Cities (Eagan, MN), and Washington DC (Arlington, VA).
Students seeking information about Argosy University’s initiative can visit the university’s website (www.argosyu.edu) or call National Admissions Information at 1-800-377-0617.
With 13 campuses across the nation, Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of business, education, health sciences, and psychology and behavioral sciences. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, 1.312.263.0456, www.ncahlc.org). The parent company of Argosy University, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com), is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 71 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC’s education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology, legal studies, and business fields, culminating in the award of associate’s through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years. ###
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The Value Of Online Education Degrees
Bryan Smith asked:
The Setting for Online Education
Today’s fast changing landscape has drawn a hazy line between the importance of classical university education and online education degrees. A mobile workforce has given reference to output rather than looking through experience given by traditional education and skill. The world has changed to give a head start for quick decision makers and fast thinkers. In this setting, earning a degree does not seem as a tall order as it seems.
Alternative education is holding ground for employers and students alike. Online education was once given the label as inferior education. But today, employers are even offering reimbursement for their employees who are willing to take the risk of acquiring an online education degree.
Finding the Advantages in Online Education Degrees
The relevance of online education degrees started with the shift in teaching methods found in the internet and traditional schooling. With the advent of the internet and the current Web 2.0, training styles are being upgraded and challenging courses are now being developed. Internet based learning also offers a wide variety of material along different media formats. In this way, students are taught to learn in a dynamic environment which can’t be easily duplicated in a classroom setting. Therefore, most employers find graduates of online education more motivated, output oriented, and more flexible to different stimuli.
The industry is now coming into the light on the advantages of online education over traditional schooling. There are two forms of this education. These are continuing education and degree focused programs. Continuing education aims in developing and polishing a specific set of skills. These trainings can include basic computer programming, software training, and refresher courses of the latest engineering and medical trends. The goal of continuing education is too update career professional and other individuals who seek to sharpen their comparative advantage.
Meanwhile getting online education degrees focuses on online training programs to arrive at an academic credit. These credits may include licensures, Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and even PhD. Degree-focused online education is embraced by the premier universities across nations. Such a trend has enveloped the consciousness of the student population, the workforce, and the leading industries.
The value of college degrees have never waned. However, the methods to get these degrees have become more varied. Distance learners find that even highly structured subjects such as management training are being offered online. The possibilities of online education degrees are endless.
The Litmus Test on Online Education
Online education represents the core of how things are learned today. At a time of breakneck information dissemination, nearly anyone can enter the market and be a productive part of an industry. The 21st century trend looks at the value of creativity in an individual sense as a contributing factor to society and wealth creation rather than the structures of competition. That is why it is not surprising that 21st century educators use online education exhaustively as a medium to bring their message. Online education is continually challenging traditional methods of education.
In another perspective, online education questions traditional degrees. Most employers fall into statistical discrimination as they choose applicants who come from prime universities. However, the development of this kind of education brings a message that traditional learning should not be the measuring stick for career success. It is always the alternative voice that states the value of experience, ability, output orientation, and dynamism as tools to get ahead in life. As Jamie McIntyre implies, degrees are not as useful if it only teaches you how to work hard. Instead, continuing online education and online education degrees shows us that output, dynamics, and skills are much more important than the name in the front of one’s diploma.
In this sense, 21st century trends and voices of 21st century educators agree with the value of online education degrees as vehicle for career development and financial success.
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The Setting for Online Education
Today’s fast changing landscape has drawn a hazy line between the importance of classical university education and online education degrees. A mobile workforce has given reference to output rather than looking through experience given by traditional education and skill. The world has changed to give a head start for quick decision makers and fast thinkers. In this setting, earning a degree does not seem as a tall order as it seems.
Alternative education is holding ground for employers and students alike. Online education was once given the label as inferior education. But today, employers are even offering reimbursement for their employees who are willing to take the risk of acquiring an online education degree.
Finding the Advantages in Online Education Degrees
The relevance of online education degrees started with the shift in teaching methods found in the internet and traditional schooling. With the advent of the internet and the current Web 2.0, training styles are being upgraded and challenging courses are now being developed. Internet based learning also offers a wide variety of material along different media formats. In this way, students are taught to learn in a dynamic environment which can’t be easily duplicated in a classroom setting. Therefore, most employers find graduates of online education more motivated, output oriented, and more flexible to different stimuli.
The industry is now coming into the light on the advantages of online education over traditional schooling. There are two forms of this education. These are continuing education and degree focused programs. Continuing education aims in developing and polishing a specific set of skills. These trainings can include basic computer programming, software training, and refresher courses of the latest engineering and medical trends. The goal of continuing education is too update career professional and other individuals who seek to sharpen their comparative advantage.
Meanwhile getting online education degrees focuses on online training programs to arrive at an academic credit. These credits may include licensures, Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and even PhD. Degree-focused online education is embraced by the premier universities across nations. Such a trend has enveloped the consciousness of the student population, the workforce, and the leading industries.
The value of college degrees have never waned. However, the methods to get these degrees have become more varied. Distance learners find that even highly structured subjects such as management training are being offered online. The possibilities of online education degrees are endless.
The Litmus Test on Online Education
Online education represents the core of how things are learned today. At a time of breakneck information dissemination, nearly anyone can enter the market and be a productive part of an industry. The 21st century trend looks at the value of creativity in an individual sense as a contributing factor to society and wealth creation rather than the structures of competition. That is why it is not surprising that 21st century educators use online education exhaustively as a medium to bring their message. Online education is continually challenging traditional methods of education.
In another perspective, online education questions traditional degrees. Most employers fall into statistical discrimination as they choose applicants who come from prime universities. However, the development of this kind of education brings a message that traditional learning should not be the measuring stick for career success. It is always the alternative voice that states the value of experience, ability, output orientation, and dynamism as tools to get ahead in life. As Jamie McIntyre implies, degrees are not as useful if it only teaches you how to work hard. Instead, continuing online education and online education degrees shows us that output, dynamics, and skills are much more important than the name in the front of one’s diploma.
In this sense, 21st century trends and voices of 21st century educators agree with the value of online education degrees as vehicle for career development and financial success.
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UK Education; Bank offers alternative financing
Anthony Osae-Brown asked:
Are you a student with plans of pursuing a masters or undergraduate degree in the United Kingdom or any part of the world in the September admission window? Then perhaps you should pay a visit to the nearest branch of Bank PHB as the bank is offering an optional route to finance your dream using the Bank PHB UK educational loan.
Parents and Guardians facing the strains of the current global financial crunch may find the Bank PHB education finance opportunity quite attractive. The loan provides the opportunity for sponsors or guardians to give their love ones quality education abroad by contributing a fraction of the cost of the programme (20% equity contribution) while Bank PHB provides the balance (80% contribution).
The Bank PHB educational loan is offering sponsors, parents or guardians the option of not of sourcing for the total cost of study in the UK. With the UK educational loan, parents can invest the funds that could have been used in educating their child in other productive ventures that will generate more income, while Bank PHB cater for 80 percent of the cost of study.
The Bank PHB UK educational loan covers the tuition, accommodation, living expense and return ticket to the UK or any other part of the world.
The advantages that come with the Bank PHB educational loan is that it reduces the pressure on the sponsor’s or the guardian’s cash flow as it allows the customer to make repayment conveniently over an agreed period of time.
It also gives parents or guardians the opportunity to save for their children’s education in the future, through education target savings account. This account attracts higher interest on deposits than the normal savings account.
There are two versions of Bank PHB educational finance facility. There is the Bank PHB educational loan and the Bank PHB UK educational loan. The PHB|UK Education Loan support postgraduate programmes only, in the UK, while PHB Education loan supports pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as professional exams anywhere in the world.
However both variants of the Bank PHB education loan come with, flexible repayment options, tailored along the sponsor’s income pattern and provide funds to cover tuition, accommodation, and living expenses and return ticket up to a maximum of N5million.
The tuition fee and accommodation which is optional will be remitted to the school by the bank, while the living expense will be transferred to the student’s bank account in the country of study.
For students taking the Bank PHB UK educational loan option, the bank will offer a “quick turnaround time, upon submission of all relevant documentation while Bank PHB will also provide a Letter of Financial Guarantee to support Visa application for those applying for the PHB|UK Education Loan.
The Bank PHB Educational finance facility is available in branches of the bank however those desiring to take the loan must open an education target savings account in any branch of Bank PHB and build up or deposit 10 percent of the tuition fee of their proposed course of study.
For those who do not have an account with Bank PHB but desire the Bank PHB Educational loan in a hurry, they will have to open a current account, fill the PHB education loan application form and provide 20 percent equity contribution of the loan amount. The loan applicant will also have to provide a sponsor who must have a regular source of income as well as acceptable collateral which may be a fixed deposit, legal mortgage or domiciliation of salary and terminal benefit of the sponsor.
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Are you a student with plans of pursuing a masters or undergraduate degree in the United Kingdom or any part of the world in the September admission window? Then perhaps you should pay a visit to the nearest branch of Bank PHB as the bank is offering an optional route to finance your dream using the Bank PHB UK educational loan.
Parents and Guardians facing the strains of the current global financial crunch may find the Bank PHB education finance opportunity quite attractive. The loan provides the opportunity for sponsors or guardians to give their love ones quality education abroad by contributing a fraction of the cost of the programme (20% equity contribution) while Bank PHB provides the balance (80% contribution).
The Bank PHB educational loan is offering sponsors, parents or guardians the option of not of sourcing for the total cost of study in the UK. With the UK educational loan, parents can invest the funds that could have been used in educating their child in other productive ventures that will generate more income, while Bank PHB cater for 80 percent of the cost of study.
The Bank PHB UK educational loan covers the tuition, accommodation, living expense and return ticket to the UK or any other part of the world.
The advantages that come with the Bank PHB educational loan is that it reduces the pressure on the sponsor’s or the guardian’s cash flow as it allows the customer to make repayment conveniently over an agreed period of time.
It also gives parents or guardians the opportunity to save for their children’s education in the future, through education target savings account. This account attracts higher interest on deposits than the normal savings account.
There are two versions of Bank PHB educational finance facility. There is the Bank PHB educational loan and the Bank PHB UK educational loan. The PHB|UK Education Loan support postgraduate programmes only, in the UK, while PHB Education loan supports pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as professional exams anywhere in the world.
However both variants of the Bank PHB education loan come with, flexible repayment options, tailored along the sponsor’s income pattern and provide funds to cover tuition, accommodation, and living expenses and return ticket up to a maximum of N5million.
The tuition fee and accommodation which is optional will be remitted to the school by the bank, while the living expense will be transferred to the student’s bank account in the country of study.
For students taking the Bank PHB UK educational loan option, the bank will offer a “quick turnaround time, upon submission of all relevant documentation while Bank PHB will also provide a Letter of Financial Guarantee to support Visa application for those applying for the PHB|UK Education Loan.
The Bank PHB Educational finance facility is available in branches of the bank however those desiring to take the loan must open an education target savings account in any branch of Bank PHB and build up or deposit 10 percent of the tuition fee of their proposed course of study.
For those who do not have an account with Bank PHB but desire the Bank PHB Educational loan in a hurry, they will have to open a current account, fill the PHB education loan application form and provide 20 percent equity contribution of the loan amount. The loan applicant will also have to provide a sponsor who must have a regular source of income as well as acceptable collateral which may be a fixed deposit, legal mortgage or domiciliation of salary and terminal benefit of the sponsor.
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Innovative Kids Educational Software – Reviving Kids Education
Pattrick Savarna asked:
When we talk about educational software, we notice a much evident feature attributed to them. They are rather less-commercialized in nature, unlike other popular software. Their main purpose is to impart education in an exclusively interactive way.
Thus using ultra innovative educational software will not help you make enormous money, but of course it can help the students understand concepts in a much better way.
The rising popularity of interactive based teaching, equipped with real-life experience, forced the professionals, dealing with education system, to escape from the conventional instruction based teaching. Rather, they adopted audiovisual design in classrooms empowered by educational software.
Undoubtedly, results with a difference were soon very much evident. The evaluators found that the learners, especially kids, were more entranced when the teacher used multimedia devices to elaborate any concept. The students, seeing visuals added with audio, were comprehensively comfortable and gave their maximum attention while the session went on.
Thus this satisfying evaluation led numerous companies to jump into the field of developing educational software. Of course, we can say, at some extent, that the competition amongst the companies to come up with the best educational software has given it a commercial undertone. However, this commercialization is solely meant for education, thus it can be bearable.
As the educational software tend to be interactive, the kids get greater chances to discuss a topic and clear the doubts, if any. Thus, as a result, they become more vocal and can have their personal point of views on a certain topic. It helps a lot to develop their communication skills.
Thus the software companies are developing a series of interactive educational software with the help of educational software developers who are well versed with the students psychology and their needs. They are also trained to understand the demand of syllabus and curriculum of the related educational institution.
For example; educational software like Kidspiration, Microsoft office, Inspiration, iLife etc are the flag bearers in this regard. Such educational software help the students of various grades in the better planning, evaluation and comprehension of the subject matters.
Inspiration is most suitable for students studying in grades between 6-12. Also educational software for all age groups and grades can be found at Educational Software Reviews.
Moreover, the ongoing boom in online and distant education system would not have been a possibility without the advent of these educational software. A student, miles away from the schools and colleges, learns successfully a concept, all because of the audiovisual aid.
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When we talk about educational software, we notice a much evident feature attributed to them. They are rather less-commercialized in nature, unlike other popular software. Their main purpose is to impart education in an exclusively interactive way.
Thus using ultra innovative educational software will not help you make enormous money, but of course it can help the students understand concepts in a much better way.
The rising popularity of interactive based teaching, equipped with real-life experience, forced the professionals, dealing with education system, to escape from the conventional instruction based teaching. Rather, they adopted audiovisual design in classrooms empowered by educational software.
Undoubtedly, results with a difference were soon very much evident. The evaluators found that the learners, especially kids, were more entranced when the teacher used multimedia devices to elaborate any concept. The students, seeing visuals added with audio, were comprehensively comfortable and gave their maximum attention while the session went on.
Thus this satisfying evaluation led numerous companies to jump into the field of developing educational software. Of course, we can say, at some extent, that the competition amongst the companies to come up with the best educational software has given it a commercial undertone. However, this commercialization is solely meant for education, thus it can be bearable.
As the educational software tend to be interactive, the kids get greater chances to discuss a topic and clear the doubts, if any. Thus, as a result, they become more vocal and can have their personal point of views on a certain topic. It helps a lot to develop their communication skills.
Thus the software companies are developing a series of interactive educational software with the help of educational software developers who are well versed with the students psychology and their needs. They are also trained to understand the demand of syllabus and curriculum of the related educational institution.
For example; educational software like Kidspiration, Microsoft office, Inspiration, iLife etc are the flag bearers in this regard. Such educational software help the students of various grades in the better planning, evaluation and comprehension of the subject matters.
Inspiration is most suitable for students studying in grades between 6-12. Also educational software for all age groups and grades can be found at Educational Software Reviews.
Moreover, the ongoing boom in online and distant education system would not have been a possibility without the advent of these educational software. A student, miles away from the schools and colleges, learns successfully a concept, all because of the audiovisual aid.
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Revolution and Evolution in Educational System
Prof.M.S.Rao asked:
REVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
BY PROF.M.S.RAO, ACADEMIC GUIDE, ICFAI UNIVERSITY, INDIA
“ Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it”, Martin Wright Edelman.
WHAT IS EDUCATION AND SOCIETY:
Education provides the man with information, imagination, knowledge, ideas, values, ethics, reasoning and over all makes the man complete man. Education brings refinement, adds to intelligence, and makes independent and confident man. It is only the human beings who can get armed and equipped with education, which is missing in animals. Education does not mean only reading and writing but also thinking, learning, reasoning, practical experiences and so on. Education is a learning process from cradle to grave. It is education that has brought out many changes in this world and transformed the entire civilization since time immemorial. Ariel and Will Durant quoted, “Education is the transmission of civilization”.
The growth of society solely depends on the type of educational system adopted. Education makes tremendous impact on the society. The quality of the society depends on the quality of educational system implemented. Some one correctly said, “Better institutions are essential if we are to lead better lives”. Right education makes the people build character, values, ethics, and prepares the society and country as a whole to catch up with the rest of the world. Right education is the legacy or the gift, which we pass on to our next generations. George Peabody said, “Education: a debt due from present to future generations”.
EFFECTS OF EDUCATION ON SOCIETY:
Kerala is the first state in India, which attained cent per cent literacy. It encouraged other states to contribute their best so as to attain total literacy. Rather Kerala has become a model state and ideal state to be emulated by the rest of the country in providing importance to education.
No nation can develop without proper education. And India too developed as a society and as a nation for the last 60 years. India has now vast human resources and it has the thirst highest technical manpower in the world. Although the effects of education in the society are tremendous, yet there are grey areas, which needs to be addressed. India as a nation has developed politically, culturally, economically and socially but yet much needs to be focussed in a right direction.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, said Nelson Mandela. It is very obvious that no weapon is superior to education. Apart from education, the influence of technology has brought out significant changes in the society. If technology is used in the right direction and if it is coupled with education, we can expect miracles in the society as a whole.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
“Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t”, said Pete Seeger. All human beings make many mistakes resulting in bitter and, of course, experience. If an individual is educated, he knows the things because he reads the fine print. He tends to make a few mistakes in his life. Where as if an individual is not educated he tends to make more mistakes because he does not know the fine print. An uneducated individual believes in trial or error method. If he succeeds in his trial, he pursues or else he drops. The uneducated man mostly believes in observation and practical knowledge. The success rate is far higher in educated man rather in an uneducated man. Education brings down the complexities in one’s life thereby making life easier, simpler and comfortable. John Dewey rightly said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”.
PROBLEMS IN PRESENT EDUCATION:
India is the second largest populated country in the world and unfortunately it is nowhere near in number qualitatively. It may be again due to huge population and the type of administrative and political system we have. There is stress on cramming, memory and mugging up. One who mugs up and puts in examination paper is treated as a meritorious candidate. It does not encourage imagination, creativity and originality. There is no effective emphasis on practical aspects of life. It is mostly beset with theoretical aspects and concepts, which any one can read even without going to institutions.
School children are loaded with many books and they find it highly stressful. Education, in fact, should be filled with entertainment and fun so that student can discover the joy of learning, which is missing now. Children find it horrible to go to schools because of too much of study. Even at home children engage themselves so much on school homework. Such things do not promote the relations between parent and child at home. Inadequate infrastructure and inexperienced teaching staff are another bane. Unfortunately, in India, both the primary and secondary level education is still struggling to survive qualitatively. The views and opinions of the students are not being respected. Students are always imposed whatever is there in the textbooks resulting in lack of imagination and innovation. R W Emerson rightly said, “The secret in education lies in respecting the student”. Only when students are respected and valued, they will try to think creatively, innovatively and out of the box. Students should be provided with more freedom of thought.
It is very unfortunate that the teachers are not paid handsomely. Best brains are pursuing other careers for monetary benefits and for better prospectus. It is a pity that those who stick to teaching profession either due to their aptitude and taste and temperament towards teaching or because there is no other alternative (TINA factor) career.
Pandit Nehru’s policies and Kothari commission have brought some significant changes in the education but still there is no healthy and constructive impact. There is commercialization of education, and a few fly by night operators entered into this sacred field and spoiled the standards.
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO OVERCOME:
Teaching faculty must undergo regular training to update and upgrade their skills and abilities. Encouraging regular workshops or seminars or courses related to teaching methodologies can enhance and sharpen their skills. Such seminars will encourage the teaching faculty to exchange and gather more information.
“He who opens a school door, closes a prison”, Victor Hugo. Children from the age of 6 to 14 are to be admitted in schools to provide education, as this is the best age to tune them for creating interest in education. Child labor has been abolished but unfortunately it is not enforced effectively. Children should be encouraged by various innovative ways and means to get into educational institutions.
Content and curriculum in the educational system needs to be addressed. Streamlining the educational system on national basis from Kashmir to Kanyakumari will raise the educational standards. There are disparities in the educational system in various states and efforts must be made to fill those gaps.
Govt. levies 2 per cent educational cess and authorities must ensure that the funds go in a right direction to create strong educational infrastructure. Nobody is against the levy of 2 per cent cess but the right application and mobilization of the resources will bring right results rapidly.
Focussing more on vocational education is the need of the hour. Presently there is a vast gap between industry and academics. Infosys has come out with ‘Campus Connect’ initiative to bridge the gap between the industry and academics and it is a step in right direction. The corporate leaders have a vital role in funding the educational system. They make money for themselves, pay handsome salaries to their employees and paying dividends to their shareholders and all the people who are involved in the business are earning one way or the other. But what are they contributing for the education and society? It is a well admitted fact that the helping hands are far better than praying lips. Corporate, whether big or small, can wholeheartedly come forward to contribute their best for bringing Indian educational system on par with global standards.
It is essential to bring reforms in education from time to time as the tools and techniques involved in teaching are changing rapidly due to the influence of technology.
For professional qualifications like engineering, management, medicine, computers etc., the students should be engaged in the practical education and project works from the first year itself. Such activities will build more confidence in the minds of the students as they grasp the needs of the industry and thereby fine-tuning as per the industry expectations. Fee structure needs to be rationalized and the deserving students should be provided with scholarships.
Providing interest free educational loans will help the deserving and poor students. Also, it is desirable to encourage non-professional degree holders to get vocationalized. “Education is not filling a pail, but the lighting of a fire”, said William Butler Yeats. Education must ignite the minds of the students and it must move the students from comfort zone to effective zone. The students in the comfort zone will not achieve as much as that of in effective zone.
CONCLUSION:
There is a strong need to streamline the present educational system. The problems in the educational system need to be addressed immediately. Education should focus on ethical, social, vocational and academic aspects. Education builds man and man in turn builds nation. A strong nation can be built only when there is a strong character education. Abraham Lincoln aptly said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing”. Hence the essence of any education is the strong character. The evolutionary approaches and revolutionary changes in the present educational system are the need of the hour. We must build a nation where youngsters have a vision to think beyond their geographical boundaries. There should be scope for the students to expand intellect, reinforce mind and make them to stand on their own feet.
MESSAGE:
Education and character are two sides of the same coin and one without the other is meaningless. Money may come and go but it is the character that counts from beginning to the end of life. Any individual when equipped with character education can excel in any part of the world. To put it in the words of Martin Luther King Jr. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically . . . . . intelligence plus character . . .. That is the goal of true education”.
T H E E N D
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REVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
BY PROF.M.S.RAO, ACADEMIC GUIDE, ICFAI UNIVERSITY, INDIA
“ Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it”, Martin Wright Edelman.
WHAT IS EDUCATION AND SOCIETY:
Education provides the man with information, imagination, knowledge, ideas, values, ethics, reasoning and over all makes the man complete man. Education brings refinement, adds to intelligence, and makes independent and confident man. It is only the human beings who can get armed and equipped with education, which is missing in animals. Education does not mean only reading and writing but also thinking, learning, reasoning, practical experiences and so on. Education is a learning process from cradle to grave. It is education that has brought out many changes in this world and transformed the entire civilization since time immemorial. Ariel and Will Durant quoted, “Education is the transmission of civilization”.
The growth of society solely depends on the type of educational system adopted. Education makes tremendous impact on the society. The quality of the society depends on the quality of educational system implemented. Some one correctly said, “Better institutions are essential if we are to lead better lives”. Right education makes the people build character, values, ethics, and prepares the society and country as a whole to catch up with the rest of the world. Right education is the legacy or the gift, which we pass on to our next generations. George Peabody said, “Education: a debt due from present to future generations”.
EFFECTS OF EDUCATION ON SOCIETY:
Kerala is the first state in India, which attained cent per cent literacy. It encouraged other states to contribute their best so as to attain total literacy. Rather Kerala has become a model state and ideal state to be emulated by the rest of the country in providing importance to education.
No nation can develop without proper education. And India too developed as a society and as a nation for the last 60 years. India has now vast human resources and it has the thirst highest technical manpower in the world. Although the effects of education in the society are tremendous, yet there are grey areas, which needs to be addressed. India as a nation has developed politically, culturally, economically and socially but yet much needs to be focussed in a right direction.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, said Nelson Mandela. It is very obvious that no weapon is superior to education. Apart from education, the influence of technology has brought out significant changes in the society. If technology is used in the right direction and if it is coupled with education, we can expect miracles in the society as a whole.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
“Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t”, said Pete Seeger. All human beings make many mistakes resulting in bitter and, of course, experience. If an individual is educated, he knows the things because he reads the fine print. He tends to make a few mistakes in his life. Where as if an individual is not educated he tends to make more mistakes because he does not know the fine print. An uneducated individual believes in trial or error method. If he succeeds in his trial, he pursues or else he drops. The uneducated man mostly believes in observation and practical knowledge. The success rate is far higher in educated man rather in an uneducated man. Education brings down the complexities in one’s life thereby making life easier, simpler and comfortable. John Dewey rightly said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”.
PROBLEMS IN PRESENT EDUCATION:
India is the second largest populated country in the world and unfortunately it is nowhere near in number qualitatively. It may be again due to huge population and the type of administrative and political system we have. There is stress on cramming, memory and mugging up. One who mugs up and puts in examination paper is treated as a meritorious candidate. It does not encourage imagination, creativity and originality. There is no effective emphasis on practical aspects of life. It is mostly beset with theoretical aspects and concepts, which any one can read even without going to institutions.
School children are loaded with many books and they find it highly stressful. Education, in fact, should be filled with entertainment and fun so that student can discover the joy of learning, which is missing now. Children find it horrible to go to schools because of too much of study. Even at home children engage themselves so much on school homework. Such things do not promote the relations between parent and child at home. Inadequate infrastructure and inexperienced teaching staff are another bane. Unfortunately, in India, both the primary and secondary level education is still struggling to survive qualitatively. The views and opinions of the students are not being respected. Students are always imposed whatever is there in the textbooks resulting in lack of imagination and innovation. R W Emerson rightly said, “The secret in education lies in respecting the student”. Only when students are respected and valued, they will try to think creatively, innovatively and out of the box. Students should be provided with more freedom of thought.
It is very unfortunate that the teachers are not paid handsomely. Best brains are pursuing other careers for monetary benefits and for better prospectus. It is a pity that those who stick to teaching profession either due to their aptitude and taste and temperament towards teaching or because there is no other alternative (TINA factor) career.
Pandit Nehru’s policies and Kothari commission have brought some significant changes in the education but still there is no healthy and constructive impact. There is commercialization of education, and a few fly by night operators entered into this sacred field and spoiled the standards.
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO OVERCOME:
Teaching faculty must undergo regular training to update and upgrade their skills and abilities. Encouraging regular workshops or seminars or courses related to teaching methodologies can enhance and sharpen their skills. Such seminars will encourage the teaching faculty to exchange and gather more information.
“He who opens a school door, closes a prison”, Victor Hugo. Children from the age of 6 to 14 are to be admitted in schools to provide education, as this is the best age to tune them for creating interest in education. Child labor has been abolished but unfortunately it is not enforced effectively. Children should be encouraged by various innovative ways and means to get into educational institutions.
Content and curriculum in the educational system needs to be addressed. Streamlining the educational system on national basis from Kashmir to Kanyakumari will raise the educational standards. There are disparities in the educational system in various states and efforts must be made to fill those gaps.
Govt. levies 2 per cent educational cess and authorities must ensure that the funds go in a right direction to create strong educational infrastructure. Nobody is against the levy of 2 per cent cess but the right application and mobilization of the resources will bring right results rapidly.
Focussing more on vocational education is the need of the hour. Presently there is a vast gap between industry and academics. Infosys has come out with ‘Campus Connect’ initiative to bridge the gap between the industry and academics and it is a step in right direction. The corporate leaders have a vital role in funding the educational system. They make money for themselves, pay handsome salaries to their employees and paying dividends to their shareholders and all the people who are involved in the business are earning one way or the other. But what are they contributing for the education and society? It is a well admitted fact that the helping hands are far better than praying lips. Corporate, whether big or small, can wholeheartedly come forward to contribute their best for bringing Indian educational system on par with global standards.
It is essential to bring reforms in education from time to time as the tools and techniques involved in teaching are changing rapidly due to the influence of technology.
For professional qualifications like engineering, management, medicine, computers etc., the students should be engaged in the practical education and project works from the first year itself. Such activities will build more confidence in the minds of the students as they grasp the needs of the industry and thereby fine-tuning as per the industry expectations. Fee structure needs to be rationalized and the deserving students should be provided with scholarships.
Providing interest free educational loans will help the deserving and poor students. Also, it is desirable to encourage non-professional degree holders to get vocationalized. “Education is not filling a pail, but the lighting of a fire”, said William Butler Yeats. Education must ignite the minds of the students and it must move the students from comfort zone to effective zone. The students in the comfort zone will not achieve as much as that of in effective zone.
CONCLUSION:
There is a strong need to streamline the present educational system. The problems in the educational system need to be addressed immediately. Education should focus on ethical, social, vocational and academic aspects. Education builds man and man in turn builds nation. A strong nation can be built only when there is a strong character education. Abraham Lincoln aptly said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing”. Hence the essence of any education is the strong character. The evolutionary approaches and revolutionary changes in the present educational system are the need of the hour. We must build a nation where youngsters have a vision to think beyond their geographical boundaries. There should be scope for the students to expand intellect, reinforce mind and make them to stand on their own feet.
MESSAGE:
Education and character are two sides of the same coin and one without the other is meaningless. Money may come and go but it is the character that counts from beginning to the end of life. Any individual when equipped with character education can excel in any part of the world. To put it in the words of Martin Luther King Jr. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically . . . . . intelligence plus character . . .. That is the goal of true education”.
T H E E N D
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How public libraries can overcome budget cuts through cultural, educational, and business partnerships
Thomas Badgett asked:
How public libraries can overcome budget cuts through cultural, educational, and business partnerships
By Thomas Badgett
In the current difficult economic times, libraries of all sizes and types face budget cuts, often quite severe. At the same time the need and demand for library services surges. In order to minimize cutbacks libraries need to play to their strengths and promote how much value they offer to anyone who chooses to use them. They need to inform the public that they are available and promote what they offer in the way of services and alternatives to paid entertainment. As the public becomes more aware of libraries and what they offer, they may come to their support and demand more funding from politicians and bureaucrats.
During economic downturns, people cut back on unnecessary spending and seek value on what they do spend funds for. There is no better value than free. Public libraries provide services and materials to users that no competitor can beat because they are usually free. Families seek activities and places they can go to interact, be entertained, and spend quality time together. Libraries provide all this plus educational value, whether it be for self-help, school homework help, free choice learning for lifelong learners, or reference help. Also, libraries can preserve a community’s identity by recording oral histories, housing artifacts, and staging programs informing users of the history and culture of their community as it has evolved. Libraries should play to their strengths as educational and cultural institutions while also promoting their value as free and family friendly social centers.
Ways in which libraries might promote themselves as family-friendly centers include advertising at other family gathering venues such as bowling alleys, movie theaters, ice ream shops, and dining establishments. Libraries could establish booths for self-promotion at special events such as sporting events (soccer and baseball games), festivals (wine, music, crafts), concerts (classical, country, jazz, rock), and baseball card and toy shows. Perhaps the IMLS or ALA would sponsor a NASCAR team? To get the attention of young readers a library could sponsor comic book shows at one of their meeting rooms or have a kiosk/booth at a comic book convention. Cooperation with local booksellers and comic book stores or newsstands would be another way to publicize library services. The library could advertise certain businesses in its lobby and perhaps have signage donated by other businesses (in a manner like sports stadiums are doing). Even bookstores and libraries could refer users to each other in a sense of cooperation since both have a vested interest in the printed word. Libraries could also build relationships with hobby and craft stores and sponsor craft fairs or model kit shows in their community. In addition, the library could build a dialogue with local community members who are craftspeople or model collectors or any other collector. Card games could be sponsored at the library – a cribbage tournament, for example – or a poker tournament (with no gambling). There are innumerable ways for libraries to build relationships and get their message out to the public in addition to the Internet.
Scheduling and management skills on the part of librarians are now more important than ever since less money for staff translates into fewer man-hours for service. Library hours of operation should be based on peak demand times in the library’s community and not traditional banking hours. This is especially critical if the library intends to promote itself as a family or social center. Libraries need to be open when families can use them, not necessarily when it is most convenient for staff to be there. There may be no faster way to render libraries defunct than to cling to traditional banker-style hours Monday through Friday as in the past – unless a library tax is created. Weekends may become a peak demand time in some communities and library staff will have to adapt or face career extinction. In the short-term, at least, certain non-traditional skills (like scheduling in order to meet demand) should gain importance. As libraries continue to evolve additional new skills and a blurring of departments may occur in public libraries. For instance, reference may play a smaller role and customer service skills will be much more in demand. Every library, now more than ever, must focus on what services and materials are needed to provide service to its users.
The IMLS, whose mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas, is dedicated to serving a nation of learners. In addition to the NLG program, an International Strategic Partnership Initiative is in place to connect educational and cultural institutions from all over the world. The NLG program fosters collaboration between educational and cultural institutions on various projects, especially digitalization projects, in order for them to reach a broader range of users and make access easier for these users. Collaborations are both short-term and long-term in length, ranging from rotating exhibits between institutions to the multi-state Colorado Digitalization Program. Cultural heritage and educational institutions like libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies are good fits for partnerships through IMLS grants. However, schools and private sector businesses are also potential partners as the cultural/educational network expands.
One major goal of the IMLS is to preserve culture, whether it is local, regional, national, or international in nature. Through digitalization and the spreading of information this goal may be realized. Partnerships between cultural and educational institutions may help to ensure their survival through this severe recession, the longest in post-war history. Not only should partnerships result in more users, they may eliminate duplication of positions and result in streamlining of staff in these institutions, thereby placing them in an advantageous position for growth when the economy recovers. Collaboration projects enable libraries and museums to explore common issues and challenges, build networks for collaboration, share information and best practices, and further develop their institutions.
Museums today are active partners with libraries, archives, historical societies, and others in building digital libraries in order to emphasize their role as educational institutions. Museums have had a long and productive relationship with academic and special libraries and are now collaborating more often with public libraries. Two important considerations for producing digital resources are good cataloging (library strength) and accurate, knowledgeable description according to appropriate standards (museum strength). A broader, more diverse audience may be reached through collaboration and digitalization because the institutions complement each other. Also, the wear and tear on parts of the museum collection may be reduced once digital reproductions are created for Web consumption. Library web-sites should be interactive and participatory, much like many museum web-sites are. This interactive/participatory model lends itself well to free choice learning, which represents half of all learning (after formal schooling and work). In free choice learning the individual is the entry point in the framework of learning. The individual user decides what participation method, learning style, learning venue, and content they wish to engage in.
Library-museum partnerships may also collaborate with educators. In Illinois, the Illinois Library Association (ILA) noticed that school visits to museums and libraries were on the rise once collaboration projects began. Home school educators use museum and library resources also. Ways educators and museum staff can work together is through professional development workshops and training sessions at museums. Also, students can create their own museums in schools. Museums and museum web-sites can be excellent resources for teachers to use for the curriculum. NC ECHO is creating online curriculum resources for K-12 educators in North Carolina.
In addition to educators, government can play a role in library-museum partnerships. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an agency within the Executive Branch charged with the mission of funding collaboration between cultural institutions like libraries and museums. Libraries were moved out of the Department of Education in the FY 1998 federal budget and placed under the umbrella of the IMLS. According to Diane Frankel, IMLS Director in 1997, museums are starting to understand that they need to serve a more diverse audience – while librarians have always realized that. Frankel describes libraries and museums as being “community anchors” and social places to spend time together, as well as educational institutions. These functions make these entities natural partners and the IMLS intends to facilitate more collaborations and partnerships through grant funding with the National Leadership Grant (NLG) program.
Dilevko criticizes some library-museum collaboration efforts, describing exhibits as “edutainment” since many museum exhibits shown at libraries have nothing to do with the library collection or community. Instead he recommends a library-museum hybrid that can be based on one of two models. The first model is the cabinet of curiosities – where books and objects are co-located to enhance investigation and learning. This model is often found in academic libraries. The second model is the popular collections model in which public libraries use individuals’ popular collections of objects to design exhibits that heighten the interconnections among libraries, information, and user communities.
Originally a phenomenon of private collectors, the cabinet of curiosities displays (or cabinets) of rare and curious pieces –using deaccessioned and stored museum objects – can have a bearing on learning. These artifacts, along with books from the library collection create an interdisciplinary environment to be explored by the user. The popular collections model utilizes objects that are affordable and appealing to the majority of people in order to connect to an audience of users. Corporate sponsorship may play a role in the blurring of the educational and entertainment functions of museums, raising concerns regarding control over the content of displays and exhibits (either at the museum itself or at a library partner). Museums seem to be making a shift from emphasizing “authentic objects” to “authentic experiences” in order to attract more users to the museum experience. This could lead to a problem in that the museum provides services and facilities that don’t relate to the museum’s collection. Libraries may fall into the same trap by hosting museum displays/exhibits that have nothing to do with the library community or collection.
Dilevko and Gottlieb contend that libraries will have a more difficult time asserting their importance to a community if they act and look like so many other places – an obvious swipe at bookstores. They also mention that the digital age has created the notion of re-establishing the museum as a physical space – a place where people would want to gather. Libraries and museums, they add, should avoid the situation where the experience-based concepts used to bring people to the library/museum do not translate into meaningful experiences that meet the scope of their mandates. Libraries must make the distinction between the goal of simply attracting visitors and of attracting library users. Libraries lack rare or impressive artifacts that draw people to them for study. They are partnering with museums often on collaborative digitalization projects for educational use. Also, libraries host traveling museum exhibits – which may erode the importance of the library’s own resources in the community. Many times these exhibits have little to do with the library’s permanent collection. The creation of virtual museum-libraries conflicts with the library’s need to reestablish itself as a physical space and presence in the community. A Catch 22 situation exists whereby the library expands its access electronically and loses physical users. One solution is to develop their own exhibitions that combine museum objects and artifacts with the library’s own collection.
Museums have recently begun to recognize what Dana practiced nearly a century ago – the value of local collectors in connecting to their communities. Some museums have a “collector in residence scheme” and in England, museums sponsor “People’s Shows” – collective displays in a museum environment of a number of private collections that range from pencil erasers to pulp fiction. Popular collections models based on users in a library community could be supplemented with objects from the library collection serving as a form of community outreach. An example would be a model collector proposing an exhibit based on his/her plastic kit collection of World War Two aircraft and the library adding books and magazines about aircraft and World War Two from its own collection and perhaps sponsoring a community plastic model kit-building contest (or show). Both the cabinet of curiosities model and the popular collections model can provide experiences to draw people to an educational institution. The library-museums can maintain control over how the information is presented (without corporate sponsorship). The library-museum hybrid is another method of these two cultural/educational institutions partnering together as places where people gather together.
According to McCook, libraries of the future will follow four main trends. First, they need to provide a sense of place – a third place (not home and not work) – where people gather. This is where being perceived as family-friendly falls and also helps communities retain their character. Second, there will be a convergence of cultural heritage institutions – digitalization is the main manifestation of this trend currently. An example is NC ECHO. Third, libraries follow inclusive service mandates along with a commitment to social justice. This is the struggle to supply equal access to all users. Lastly, libraries must sustain the public sphere – act as a public commons where citizens can meet and voice interests and concerns. In this sense the library can serve as an unofficial, informal town hall and news center, much as commons did in New England towns during colonial times. Combined together these trends support lifelong learning.
If the IMLS is renewed past 2009 library and museum collaborations or partnerships will probably increase due to two factors. One being that the IMLS represents both types of institutions coupled with the harsh reality of reduced funding (both public and private). Those institutions that would normally be an island may be forced to find a partner/partners. In the future one may expect to see multiple partners in collaborations, not just two, because of lack of funding and the publicity and public relations advantages. In addition, corporate sponsorships may be combined with grants and partnerships in a hybrid partnership. However, for this to work to best effect the public sector and the private sector should be co-equal partners. IMLS research shows that working together libraries and museums can increase access to information in their communities and enhance education. Also, they can attract new audiences and expand and complement the reach of their programs. Libraries and museums share common educational goals and the preservation of culture as common bonds. As more collaborations/partnerships have taken place the “rules of engagement” and protocols have been established between the two institutions in order for them to share expertise. Many staff members from the two organizations have developed a dialog due to previous collaboration efforts. The possibility of future regional and state conferences that would unite library and museum decision makers is more likely because of past successful collaborations between these and other cultural institutions. This base of support could be expanded to include educational organizations (schools) and the private sector (businesses), as well as government at the local, state, and national level. Finally, library-museum partnerships could be used in order to promote tourism in certain areas of the nation and therefore, economically benefit their communities.
The fate of libraries and other cultural institutions are in their own hands and may well be decided by how quickly they adapt to ever-changing technology, educational and cultural needs, and public perceptions. Librarians need no longer be passive and hope the powers that fund them will “do the right thing.” They must aggressively promote themselves in new ways and partner with other organizations and businesses that share at least some common goals and that can be mutually beneficial to them. New library skills needed in the twenty-first century include technological aptitude, business-type management skills for scheduling and prioritizing, and shameless self-promotion as well as the ability to broker and negotiate deals/prices (haggling). The ideal Century Twenty-One Librarian might be part techno-geek, part bookworm, part used-car salesman, part entrepreneur, part teacher, and part activist. This combination may be what is needed in order for libraries and librarians to survive into the twenty-second century.
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How public libraries can overcome budget cuts through cultural, educational, and business partnerships
By Thomas Badgett
In the current difficult economic times, libraries of all sizes and types face budget cuts, often quite severe. At the same time the need and demand for library services surges. In order to minimize cutbacks libraries need to play to their strengths and promote how much value they offer to anyone who chooses to use them. They need to inform the public that they are available and promote what they offer in the way of services and alternatives to paid entertainment. As the public becomes more aware of libraries and what they offer, they may come to their support and demand more funding from politicians and bureaucrats.
During economic downturns, people cut back on unnecessary spending and seek value on what they do spend funds for. There is no better value than free. Public libraries provide services and materials to users that no competitor can beat because they are usually free. Families seek activities and places they can go to interact, be entertained, and spend quality time together. Libraries provide all this plus educational value, whether it be for self-help, school homework help, free choice learning for lifelong learners, or reference help. Also, libraries can preserve a community’s identity by recording oral histories, housing artifacts, and staging programs informing users of the history and culture of their community as it has evolved. Libraries should play to their strengths as educational and cultural institutions while also promoting their value as free and family friendly social centers.
Ways in which libraries might promote themselves as family-friendly centers include advertising at other family gathering venues such as bowling alleys, movie theaters, ice ream shops, and dining establishments. Libraries could establish booths for self-promotion at special events such as sporting events (soccer and baseball games), festivals (wine, music, crafts), concerts (classical, country, jazz, rock), and baseball card and toy shows. Perhaps the IMLS or ALA would sponsor a NASCAR team? To get the attention of young readers a library could sponsor comic book shows at one of their meeting rooms or have a kiosk/booth at a comic book convention. Cooperation with local booksellers and comic book stores or newsstands would be another way to publicize library services. The library could advertise certain businesses in its lobby and perhaps have signage donated by other businesses (in a manner like sports stadiums are doing). Even bookstores and libraries could refer users to each other in a sense of cooperation since both have a vested interest in the printed word. Libraries could also build relationships with hobby and craft stores and sponsor craft fairs or model kit shows in their community. In addition, the library could build a dialogue with local community members who are craftspeople or model collectors or any other collector. Card games could be sponsored at the library – a cribbage tournament, for example – or a poker tournament (with no gambling). There are innumerable ways for libraries to build relationships and get their message out to the public in addition to the Internet.
Scheduling and management skills on the part of librarians are now more important than ever since less money for staff translates into fewer man-hours for service. Library hours of operation should be based on peak demand times in the library’s community and not traditional banking hours. This is especially critical if the library intends to promote itself as a family or social center. Libraries need to be open when families can use them, not necessarily when it is most convenient for staff to be there. There may be no faster way to render libraries defunct than to cling to traditional banker-style hours Monday through Friday as in the past – unless a library tax is created. Weekends may become a peak demand time in some communities and library staff will have to adapt or face career extinction. In the short-term, at least, certain non-traditional skills (like scheduling in order to meet demand) should gain importance. As libraries continue to evolve additional new skills and a blurring of departments may occur in public libraries. For instance, reference may play a smaller role and customer service skills will be much more in demand. Every library, now more than ever, must focus on what services and materials are needed to provide service to its users.
The IMLS, whose mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas, is dedicated to serving a nation of learners. In addition to the NLG program, an International Strategic Partnership Initiative is in place to connect educational and cultural institutions from all over the world. The NLG program fosters collaboration between educational and cultural institutions on various projects, especially digitalization projects, in order for them to reach a broader range of users and make access easier for these users. Collaborations are both short-term and long-term in length, ranging from rotating exhibits between institutions to the multi-state Colorado Digitalization Program. Cultural heritage and educational institutions like libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies are good fits for partnerships through IMLS grants. However, schools and private sector businesses are also potential partners as the cultural/educational network expands.
One major goal of the IMLS is to preserve culture, whether it is local, regional, national, or international in nature. Through digitalization and the spreading of information this goal may be realized. Partnerships between cultural and educational institutions may help to ensure their survival through this severe recession, the longest in post-war history. Not only should partnerships result in more users, they may eliminate duplication of positions and result in streamlining of staff in these institutions, thereby placing them in an advantageous position for growth when the economy recovers. Collaboration projects enable libraries and museums to explore common issues and challenges, build networks for collaboration, share information and best practices, and further develop their institutions.
Museums today are active partners with libraries, archives, historical societies, and others in building digital libraries in order to emphasize their role as educational institutions. Museums have had a long and productive relationship with academic and special libraries and are now collaborating more often with public libraries. Two important considerations for producing digital resources are good cataloging (library strength) and accurate, knowledgeable description according to appropriate standards (museum strength). A broader, more diverse audience may be reached through collaboration and digitalization because the institutions complement each other. Also, the wear and tear on parts of the museum collection may be reduced once digital reproductions are created for Web consumption. Library web-sites should be interactive and participatory, much like many museum web-sites are. This interactive/participatory model lends itself well to free choice learning, which represents half of all learning (after formal schooling and work). In free choice learning the individual is the entry point in the framework of learning. The individual user decides what participation method, learning style, learning venue, and content they wish to engage in.
Library-museum partnerships may also collaborate with educators. In Illinois, the Illinois Library Association (ILA) noticed that school visits to museums and libraries were on the rise once collaboration projects began. Home school educators use museum and library resources also. Ways educators and museum staff can work together is through professional development workshops and training sessions at museums. Also, students can create their own museums in schools. Museums and museum web-sites can be excellent resources for teachers to use for the curriculum. NC ECHO is creating online curriculum resources for K-12 educators in North Carolina.
In addition to educators, government can play a role in library-museum partnerships. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an agency within the Executive Branch charged with the mission of funding collaboration between cultural institutions like libraries and museums. Libraries were moved out of the Department of Education in the FY 1998 federal budget and placed under the umbrella of the IMLS. According to Diane Frankel, IMLS Director in 1997, museums are starting to understand that they need to serve a more diverse audience – while librarians have always realized that. Frankel describes libraries and museums as being “community anchors” and social places to spend time together, as well as educational institutions. These functions make these entities natural partners and the IMLS intends to facilitate more collaborations and partnerships through grant funding with the National Leadership Grant (NLG) program.
Dilevko criticizes some library-museum collaboration efforts, describing exhibits as “edutainment” since many museum exhibits shown at libraries have nothing to do with the library collection or community. Instead he recommends a library-museum hybrid that can be based on one of two models. The first model is the cabinet of curiosities – where books and objects are co-located to enhance investigation and learning. This model is often found in academic libraries. The second model is the popular collections model in which public libraries use individuals’ popular collections of objects to design exhibits that heighten the interconnections among libraries, information, and user communities.
Originally a phenomenon of private collectors, the cabinet of curiosities displays (or cabinets) of rare and curious pieces –using deaccessioned and stored museum objects – can have a bearing on learning. These artifacts, along with books from the library collection create an interdisciplinary environment to be explored by the user. The popular collections model utilizes objects that are affordable and appealing to the majority of people in order to connect to an audience of users. Corporate sponsorship may play a role in the blurring of the educational and entertainment functions of museums, raising concerns regarding control over the content of displays and exhibits (either at the museum itself or at a library partner). Museums seem to be making a shift from emphasizing “authentic objects” to “authentic experiences” in order to attract more users to the museum experience. This could lead to a problem in that the museum provides services and facilities that don’t relate to the museum’s collection. Libraries may fall into the same trap by hosting museum displays/exhibits that have nothing to do with the library community or collection.
Dilevko and Gottlieb contend that libraries will have a more difficult time asserting their importance to a community if they act and look like so many other places – an obvious swipe at bookstores. They also mention that the digital age has created the notion of re-establishing the museum as a physical space – a place where people would want to gather. Libraries and museums, they add, should avoid the situation where the experience-based concepts used to bring people to the library/museum do not translate into meaningful experiences that meet the scope of their mandates. Libraries must make the distinction between the goal of simply attracting visitors and of attracting library users. Libraries lack rare or impressive artifacts that draw people to them for study. They are partnering with museums often on collaborative digitalization projects for educational use. Also, libraries host traveling museum exhibits – which may erode the importance of the library’s own resources in the community. Many times these exhibits have little to do with the library’s permanent collection. The creation of virtual museum-libraries conflicts with the library’s need to reestablish itself as a physical space and presence in the community. A Catch 22 situation exists whereby the library expands its access electronically and loses physical users. One solution is to develop their own exhibitions that combine museum objects and artifacts with the library’s own collection.
Museums have recently begun to recognize what Dana practiced nearly a century ago – the value of local collectors in connecting to their communities. Some museums have a “collector in residence scheme” and in England, museums sponsor “People’s Shows” – collective displays in a museum environment of a number of private collections that range from pencil erasers to pulp fiction. Popular collections models based on users in a library community could be supplemented with objects from the library collection serving as a form of community outreach. An example would be a model collector proposing an exhibit based on his/her plastic kit collection of World War Two aircraft and the library adding books and magazines about aircraft and World War Two from its own collection and perhaps sponsoring a community plastic model kit-building contest (or show). Both the cabinet of curiosities model and the popular collections model can provide experiences to draw people to an educational institution. The library-museums can maintain control over how the information is presented (without corporate sponsorship). The library-museum hybrid is another method of these two cultural/educational institutions partnering together as places where people gather together.
According to McCook, libraries of the future will follow four main trends. First, they need to provide a sense of place – a third place (not home and not work) – where people gather. This is where being perceived as family-friendly falls and also helps communities retain their character. Second, there will be a convergence of cultural heritage institutions – digitalization is the main manifestation of this trend currently. An example is NC ECHO. Third, libraries follow inclusive service mandates along with a commitment to social justice. This is the struggle to supply equal access to all users. Lastly, libraries must sustain the public sphere – act as a public commons where citizens can meet and voice interests and concerns. In this sense the library can serve as an unofficial, informal town hall and news center, much as commons did in New England towns during colonial times. Combined together these trends support lifelong learning.
If the IMLS is renewed past 2009 library and museum collaborations or partnerships will probably increase due to two factors. One being that the IMLS represents both types of institutions coupled with the harsh reality of reduced funding (both public and private). Those institutions that would normally be an island may be forced to find a partner/partners. In the future one may expect to see multiple partners in collaborations, not just two, because of lack of funding and the publicity and public relations advantages. In addition, corporate sponsorships may be combined with grants and partnerships in a hybrid partnership. However, for this to work to best effect the public sector and the private sector should be co-equal partners. IMLS research shows that working together libraries and museums can increase access to information in their communities and enhance education. Also, they can attract new audiences and expand and complement the reach of their programs. Libraries and museums share common educational goals and the preservation of culture as common bonds. As more collaborations/partnerships have taken place the “rules of engagement” and protocols have been established between the two institutions in order for them to share expertise. Many staff members from the two organizations have developed a dialog due to previous collaboration efforts. The possibility of future regional and state conferences that would unite library and museum decision makers is more likely because of past successful collaborations between these and other cultural institutions. This base of support could be expanded to include educational organizations (schools) and the private sector (businesses), as well as government at the local, state, and national level. Finally, library-museum partnerships could be used in order to promote tourism in certain areas of the nation and therefore, economically benefit their communities.
The fate of libraries and other cultural institutions are in their own hands and may well be decided by how quickly they adapt to ever-changing technology, educational and cultural needs, and public perceptions. Librarians need no longer be passive and hope the powers that fund them will “do the right thing.” They must aggressively promote themselves in new ways and partner with other organizations and businesses that share at least some common goals and that can be mutually beneficial to them. New library skills needed in the twenty-first century include technological aptitude, business-type management skills for scheduling and prioritizing, and shameless self-promotion as well as the ability to broker and negotiate deals/prices (haggling). The ideal Century Twenty-One Librarian might be part techno-geek, part bookworm, part used-car salesman, part entrepreneur, part teacher, and part activist. This combination may be what is needed in order for libraries and librarians to survive into the twenty-second century.
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Educational Wellness Seems Lost in North American Society, But We Can Get It Back!
Jill Prince, PRINCE OF WELLNESS asked:
The personal philosophy of education, of the members of any society, is not something to be taken lightly. Do you have an opinion about how the public education system should work? Fifteen years ago, I was employed in a public, suburban high school that served grades 8 to 12 and as a result of that employment; I formed a very definite personal philosophy of education.
My belief is that the education system is failing and the parents, who depend on it the most, have become so disempowered, that it would take a major change in how people think about educational wellness to make any real change. The writing has been on the wall since the 1950s that things are not working that well.
Good stress management skills are learned very young in life. Because the public education system, most often, meets children, at the tender age of five or six, it has the best chance possible to teach young people, the life skills needed to function as well-balanced adults. Unfortunately, the school experience is often so negative and destructive that children today really don’t stand any chance. It’s time for real change.
Just like every other institution in society, the public education system served a valuable function at a particular time in history, but that philosophy of education is no longer serving our society. It has to change! We now know that educating groups of kids all at the same age in massive groups of 30 or more per class just doesn’t cut it. Something has to change!
This model came into use after WW2 when the population grew dramatically in a short amount of time. Schools had to make big adjustments to accommodate the increased numbers of students and it wasn’t long before children became little more than numbers in a cookie cutter education system. The system began to weaken and even though the system was being stretched thinner and thinner, the system still wasn’t interested in hearing your personal philosophy of education.
In the elementary classes, children still stayed with one teacher for the better part of each day but at the secondary level, the children were moved from class to class each hour like cattle on a cattle drive. Learning systems began to fail, drop out rates increased, violence and destructive behavior began to increase and today schools are some of the most dangerous places to send kids.
Educational experts tried all kinds of things to fix the problem and when school-based solutions didn’t help, schools began dictating to parents how to raise their children. They began offering *** education; death education; and they began forcing families to put their, so called, ADD/ADHD children on Ritalin. Not only was your personal philosophy of education unimportant but now your parenting philosophy was being challenged as well.
When you attended high school, did you have a mandatory reading list, like I did? Two books that I had to read were “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding and “1984” by George Orwell. The first book explained the dire consequences of allowing a large group of same age, same gender children to be in charge of their own destiny. For those who have not read the book, a very negative result happens.
The second book talks about a society in which there is far too much governmental interference and control and once again the result is less than pretty. Golding and Orwell are considered to be two very important authors, but we have heeded none of their advice. The personal philosophy of education of the average parent is considered to be quite irrelevant by the public education system.
Unfortunately, the system will never change for the better until parents stand up and demand change. Parents DO have standards and they need to raise the bar and demand that schools meet those standards. Parents cannot and should not be replaced as the stewards of educational wellness in a society. It is far too important to leave it in the control of the government and unions. The public education system has to be about the kids and until parents stand up and begin to fight, children will continue to be lost in the system.
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The personal philosophy of education, of the members of any society, is not something to be taken lightly. Do you have an opinion about how the public education system should work? Fifteen years ago, I was employed in a public, suburban high school that served grades 8 to 12 and as a result of that employment; I formed a very definite personal philosophy of education.
My belief is that the education system is failing and the parents, who depend on it the most, have become so disempowered, that it would take a major change in how people think about educational wellness to make any real change. The writing has been on the wall since the 1950s that things are not working that well.
Good stress management skills are learned very young in life. Because the public education system, most often, meets children, at the tender age of five or six, it has the best chance possible to teach young people, the life skills needed to function as well-balanced adults. Unfortunately, the school experience is often so negative and destructive that children today really don’t stand any chance. It’s time for real change.
Just like every other institution in society, the public education system served a valuable function at a particular time in history, but that philosophy of education is no longer serving our society. It has to change! We now know that educating groups of kids all at the same age in massive groups of 30 or more per class just doesn’t cut it. Something has to change!
This model came into use after WW2 when the population grew dramatically in a short amount of time. Schools had to make big adjustments to accommodate the increased numbers of students and it wasn’t long before children became little more than numbers in a cookie cutter education system. The system began to weaken and even though the system was being stretched thinner and thinner, the system still wasn’t interested in hearing your personal philosophy of education.
In the elementary classes, children still stayed with one teacher for the better part of each day but at the secondary level, the children were moved from class to class each hour like cattle on a cattle drive. Learning systems began to fail, drop out rates increased, violence and destructive behavior began to increase and today schools are some of the most dangerous places to send kids.
Educational experts tried all kinds of things to fix the problem and when school-based solutions didn’t help, schools began dictating to parents how to raise their children. They began offering *** education; death education; and they began forcing families to put their, so called, ADD/ADHD children on Ritalin. Not only was your personal philosophy of education unimportant but now your parenting philosophy was being challenged as well.
When you attended high school, did you have a mandatory reading list, like I did? Two books that I had to read were “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding and “1984” by George Orwell. The first book explained the dire consequences of allowing a large group of same age, same gender children to be in charge of their own destiny. For those who have not read the book, a very negative result happens.
The second book talks about a society in which there is far too much governmental interference and control and once again the result is less than pretty. Golding and Orwell are considered to be two very important authors, but we have heeded none of their advice. The personal philosophy of education of the average parent is considered to be quite irrelevant by the public education system.
Unfortunately, the system will never change for the better until parents stand up and demand change. Parents DO have standards and they need to raise the bar and demand that schools meet those standards. Parents cannot and should not be replaced as the stewards of educational wellness in a society. It is far too important to leave it in the control of the government and unions. The public education system has to be about the kids and until parents stand up and begin to fight, children will continue to be lost in the system.
Create a video blog…instantly.
