How Education Shapes The Future

Nobody is too old to learn. It’s a fact even if many people feel that age is a hindrance to going back to school and getting an education or pursuing post-grad courses. But the truth is, some could not even put their children to school in high school or community colleges because of financial constraints. Of course, it is a given that their basic needs must be met first before they can pursue their intellectual endeavors or join important think tanks. Meanwhile, there are those who can afford to study abroad because they believe that it boosts their credential and helps them land better and higher-paying jobs someday. All these factors are constants in our modern education system. There are much more actually and the government should look into them in order to create policies that address most of these problems and help lighten the burden poorer families experience day in and day out.

The educational sector needs to consider that practical application is what is most important now and that employers look at that first from job applicants although we do no discredit the value of their academic achievements too. Looking for work is especially harder now as many industries already automate most of their processes and applicants are expected to miss out on even more job opportunities as roughly 7 million more jobs will be automated in the coming years. It is also perhaps the reason why those who can afford to study abroad don’t hesitate in doing so because they know they’ll learn more from prestigious institutions in other countries in terms of knowledge, skills, and experiences local students miss out on and be the first to get hired when job vacancies open up.

Employers value transferable skills in the workforce, more than strictly technical ones. In fact, ACT's 2016 National Curriculum Survey showed among employer responses that the most valued skills were things like “acting honestly,” by treating others fairly, “sustaining effort,” and “keeping an open mind," intermixed with other skills like complex problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. With the global workforce already losing around 7 million jobs over the next five decades to automation, according to a recent study, it's important that students graduate from higher education institutions not being automatons themselves. 

IIE's study drawing the link between study abroad experiences — which build students' abilities to work with others, meet new people, and think outside the box — and improved employability only highlights the importance of higher education leaders emphasizing learning in an academic sense, but also building of the actual student on a more personal level. 

(Via: http://www.educationdive.com/news/how-can-institutions-build-students-21st-century-workforce-skills-send-th/506313/)

Not everyone enjoys the same opportunities and in a way, it affects whether they become successful later in life. While some students are actually deserving of landing certain jobs or even getting promoted, they miss out on these chances because others have a finer resume than theirs, attended better schools, or have a longer list of skills and trainings/seminars making them more competitive and qualified for the job since they have the money to burn unlike those who have no choice but to attend public schools.

The introduction of technology into education was not a silver bullet for improving education outcomes and the 19th-century style of teaching and learning needs to be adapted as technology is gradually incorporated into South African classrooms.

This was the message coming out of the Decolonised 21st Century Education Conference in Johannesburg on Friday.

Panelists said technology needed to be coupled with an adapted curriculum, political will and trained teachers to facilitate learning that solved local problems.

(Via: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/education/2017-10-02-focus-on-technology-educations-future-in-spotlight/)

It is imperative for educators to integrate as much technology as needed into the curriculum and day-to-day lessons of students because we already live in a highly digital world. It’s no longer a luxury since we are only making sure students are equipped with everything they will ever need for the future that awaits them. They must be able to navigate their way through all these digital mazes that are quickly gaining traction in the world. It’s also all the more reason for the government to increase federal funding on education because the future of our nation is a stake here. Whatever the personal opinions of the leaders in power right now are on the case are irrelevant and they should think first about the welfare of the country and the people who will soon run it in the years to come.

The following blog post How Education Shapes The Future was initially seen on https://PopEgo.com

source https://popego.com/how-education-shapes-the-future/

Black Friday Christmas Shopping Rules!

It is funny how time flies. It wasn’t long ago when the year just started and now it is almost another year-end once more. In as much as we are excited over what the new year brings, we can’t help but feel excited about the idea of being able to eat, rest and relax to our heart’s content. It is like our little reward for working hard the entire year. Now, there’s more. It’s not just the holidays that get us pumped up but the thought of receiving gifts. Like how we love to be on the receiving end, many of us apparently have to give out gifts too. Whether it is for your family, friends, or the obligatory exchanges of gifts during the endless parties that the holiday brings, you have no choice but to shop for one (or more) or end up being branded stingy or worst, the Grinch.

For the average Joe, we love a good bargain. Imagine all the money you can save on your Christmas shopping if you are able to buy in bulk and with big discounts. One of the most looked forward to shopping sprees before the year’s end is the Black Friday sale. Who isn’t excited about it? Just look at the long lines every single year. It simply does not get old and has become a tradition for some families. The discounts are outrageous and you can definitely save a lot of bucks by braving the malls at this time of the year and fall in one of those long lines lining outside the various malls and shops.

In keeping with American tradition it always fall on the Friday after Thanksgiving meaning this year it will fall on November 24.

With Black Friday taking place before Christmas, it's easy to see why it is so popular among shoppers, as it gives them a great excuse to sort out presents - at a fraction of the cost.

In previous years online retailer Amazon has remained a firm favourite thanks to its huge discounts on must-have items including PlayStations, Kindles and Fire Sticks.

(Via: http://www.devonlive.com/whats-on/shopping/black-friday-2017-best-deals-776075)

Many have dubbed the Black Friday sale the biggest shopping event of the year for a good reason. Some wait for it buying luxurious appliances like LED television because the discount is crazy. It is the perfect excuse to hoard as many staples and nice-to-haves are sold cheaply. If you still aren’t done with your Christmas list, this is the best time to finish it as you can find food deals for Christmas presents you are planning to give. With all the savings you can get, many people no longer mind falling in line for hours just as long as they can buy what they want without paying for the same price as they would when they buy it on ordinary days.

Walmart (WMT, -1.03%) has made the first of its Black Friday style deals available to shoppers online as the race to win the holiday season starts to intensify.

The world’s largest retailer, looking for a repeat of its strong 2016 holiday season when it bested rivals like Target (TGT, -8.50%), is offering a few deals on items such an Acer Aspire ES Laptop and the Xbox One S Console Bundle from Thursday through November 12, in the hopes of whetting shoppers’ appetites for the Black Friday shopping bonanza.

A full list of Walmart’s Black Friday deals that will only be available on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday itself is available here.

Other retailers including Kohl’s (KSS, +0.33%) and Amazon.com (AMZN, -0.88%) have also begun giving shoppers a foretaste of the deals to be had starting on Thanksgiving Day. (Many such deals, include Walmart’s, will be available online all day on Nov. 23 but only in stores later on Turkey Day. In the case of Walmart, the deals will be in-store starting at 6 p.m., as was the case last year.) On Wednesday, Best Buy also announced an early start to its Black Friday deals.

(Via: http://fortune.com/2017/11/09/walmart-black-friday-4/)

If shoppers prepare for the biggest shopping spree they do each year, businesses are just as prepared. They ensure their shelves are stacked to the brim so that people will have a lot of options and stocks can meet the people’s demand. There may be horror stories about people getting hurt during Black Friday sales because of the crowd but if you have noticed, the crowd has actually lessened over the years perhaps because many have discovered the joys of online shopping and no longer want to subject themselves to the hassles of buying for things personally when they can get the same deals and get the items delivered onto their doorsteps. So, take advantage of its lessening popularity to tick off everything in your Christmas list and at the same time save a lot of money you can put to good use instead of paying for overpriced Christmas presents.

Black Friday Christmas Shopping Rules! is courtesy of https://PopEgo.com

source https://popego.com/black-friday-christmas-shopping-rules/

Special Needs Deserve Extra Help

Since all of us are created uniquely, we grow up to be a diverse group of people populating this planet. It is a wonder for somehow we actually manage to coexist but let us not forget it is not always peacefully. Until today, divisiveness is still a major issue and has caused wars that only left humanity scarred and hurt for a long time. While we battle the struggles we made so ourselves, there are vulnerable human beings that require special needs and attention that are oblivious to all the conflicts we are experiencing.

People with special needs are special. PERIOD. They are not like us who can cope with whatever problems we are facing for their bodies aren’t equipped to do just that. They lack various senses that are crucial for living normally. Not everyone, though, was born with their disabilities. Some acquired theirs through an unfortunate accident or something like that. Persons with disabilities need our understanding and perhaps we can extend our love and patience for them, which they so badly need. It’s not that they wished to be invalid or something since they also suffer from the many limitations their handicap has brought about.

The perseverance of navy serviceman and para-athlete Jason Chee inspires me (Against the odds, he triumphs; Oct 1).

His story is a reminder that anyone can acquire a disability in an accident, an illness or in old age. However, no disability can take away the intrinsic worth of a person nor stop him from maximising his potential.

It is heartening that the National Council of Social Service organised the "See the True Me" public education campaign to encourage the public to see persons with disabilities for who they are instead of the disability they have.

However, one of the reasons given by the Government to justify keeping the cut-off time of abortion at 24 weeks is to allow those mothers whose unborn children are found to have "structural abnormalities" to "consider the implications and make an informed decision as to whether to keep or abort the child".

(Via: http://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/lets-rally-to-support-those-with-special-needs)

We are all worthy of love no matter our disabilities. Do not just easily pass a judgment to the next person because you see him unable to rise on his own, walk on his own, eat on his own, or simply move and talk on his own. Be the bigger person and extend help in whatever way you can to make their lives more comfortable and convenient and extra brighter given that they have to endure a life more lonesome and less-fulfilling as ours.

Unfortunately, the world we live in is far from ideal, especially if, like me, you happen to have disabilities.
Unfortunately, we happen to live in a society that does not value such people. It discriminates against them, often with the connivance of politicians, and through the utilisation of gaps in the law, or through the failure to enforce what law exists. Try getting on a bus while using a wheelchair if you want an example of the latter.
With a few notable exceptions, for example those rare individuals with the potential to become elite Paralympic athletes, British society does not value differently-abled people, or the contributions that they make.
Britain is frequently in the habit of treating differently-abled people not as valued members of society, but instead as burdens or costs. No less an institution than the United Nations was moved to describe the situation facing them as “a catastrophe” in a recent report. 

(Via: http://gulftoday.ae/portal/e693697d-12ff-4cb8-b9aa-f9fc463d6e99.aspx)

All over the world, people with disabilities still have problems in getting accepted by society. While many institutions are advocating on their behalf, they still face the harsh criticisms of those who have little tolerance towards them and choose to ignore other people’s sensitivities and difficulties because they do not want to inconvenience themselves in offering support. If you know better, go the extra mile and offer help when needed because that is what we all need, someone to take the first step and show the world how life is so much better if we all help and love one another whether we are lacking in some things or not.

Special Needs Deserve Extra Help was first published on https://popego.com/

source https://popego.com/special-needs-deserve-extra-help/

Make Your Blogs SEO-Friendly

We live in an era where technology rules. It’s all around us and we can’t get away from it because that’s what everyone uses too. And remember what they say if you can’t beat it, join it. Technology is here to stay and there is no denying it. We may hype up its benefits but it has its limitations too and it somehow made our lives a little more complex whether you acknowledge it or not. These new innovations burst like a vacuum that draws people in. And with it came many other tech advancements that define the modern life that we know of today.

The use of social media became an obsession to many too and smart technology became available to everyone who can afford a smart device. The Internet of Things made everything so interconnected without us fully knowing or realizing it and it left everyone unable to keep their hands off their smartphones. There is an advantage here, though, if you are someone who is business-minded and can see potential rather than challenges. If there is one thing that is literally all over the web today, it has to do with content. Whatever your niche is, you can write up something about it and share it with your followers or consumers. Blogging is the most popular one of all as it allows the writer to connect with people on a more personal level yet at the same time provide the writer with a steady stream of income that was unheard of in the past. However, it is not always that easy to start a profitable blog. Here’s why.

The digital marketing landscape has evolved significantly over the last two decades. And between Google’s ever-changing algorithm and the deluge of misinformation floating through the digital marketing sphere, it’s easy to lose sight of basic practices we should be employing in our own SEO and content marketing strategies.

With every new algorithm update and technological shift in search, we become obsessed with how the field of SEO will enter a wholly new paradigm, and we shift our focus to reflect this. Yet as much as the medium may change, the core principles remain the same — and it’s time to get back to the basics.

We all understand the secrets and best practices of SEO, so why do we often fail to leverage these tactics? Let’s explore five common blogging mistakes you may be making right now.

(Via: https://searchengineland.com/5-easy-miss-blog-mistakes-281795)

You can’t just easily take KEYWORD out of the equation since that is basically how people look up contents on the web. By using it right, you’d be able to hit your target better and reach out to the people who care about your content (and product and services) the most. Take advantage of keyword research to determine your audience and then share to them the type of content they want the most.

First of all, it’s very important to realize the fact that Google isn’t the only way to grow your traffic. Sure, Google search is a big part of that process – but it isn’t the only way to do it. It totally depends on you that whether you want to still rely on organic search or not. But make sure to be safe from another algorithm update. In the following post, we are going to dig wider and deeper for more Google-less traffic strategies.

Tactic #1: Content Swap

Recently, I published a guest post and somehow it did gain popularity which led to some new traffic and Twitter followers for me. The trick, again, is to guest post at the right place – Google PageRank or Domain Authority never remained my main concern. What I required was influential blogs with real readers who will read and engage with your content.
Now content swapping is all about swapping guest posts to build links. Although it may turn out as a tedious job but trust me when you use this as a tactic, you are in the driver’s seat. It is a safe bet to say that guest posting opportunities will come to you instead of you being forced to seek them out endlessly.

(Via: http://customerthink.com/stop-worrying-about-the-seo-rankings-start-thinking-outside-the-box/)

Do not simply obsess about Google, though, if you are a blogger. While it is the largest and most influential search engine in the land today, it is not the be all and end all of everything. You can maximize the use of your content by using social media and influencers who have lots of followers to create buzz to your page or site but there’s more that you can do without going far. You can likewise tap other search engines like Bing, which comprises roughly 36% of US searches. So, explore your options well and extend your reach as far as you can because you never know when you’ll be able to hit a goldmine. If you have the budget, various types of online advertising can only work for you just as long as you already have a plan in place so as not to waste your efforts.

The blog article Make Your Blogs SEO-Friendly is republished from Popego

source https://popego.com/make-your-blogs-seo-friendly/

Natural Calamities: Safety First Before Going To Events

We all like to unwind at times especially when we’ve had enough of the daily grind. Of course, you have to make sure first that it is your free time as well so as not to compromise your work and lose your bread and butter. Coming to events whether intimate or in public is a great way to de-stress. A must as we live in such complex and stressful times today. Most events require you to pay fees but some don’t, so feel free to choose which ones you like and can afford. Indoor ones are great for small groups while the outdoors or big arenas are the perfect venue for big concerts where you can contain a big crowd without a problem at all.

The problem with outdoor locations is the elements. Yes, we can’t always predict them nor control them. Fortunately, modern science allowed experts to somehow tell when Mother Nature will likely have a meltdown so the public can take the necessary preparations and protect themselves first. It is just a shame that some big events or concerts you have waited and anticipated for months will suddenly be put on hold because a storm or hurricane is brewing and organizers will decide to postpone the event but it is better than compromise the safety and security of the audience.

A concern over severe weather produced due to Hurricane Nate making landfall had regional events postponed until further notice Saturday morning.

District 5 Councilwoman Sherry Guidry had been promoting a new downtown beautification event she’d created heavily on social media in recent days. The event, titled ‘Tight & Right,” would have brung volunteers to downtown New Iberia, beginning on Anne Street near the Masonic Lodge, to pick up trash and clean the streets. 

On Friday night, Guidry was considering starting the event earlier than its scheduled 10:30 a.m. start to beat the weather. But, after speaking with parish president Larry Richard about weather concerns, she canceled the event Saturday. 

(Via: http://www.iberianet.com/news/local-events-postponed-due-to-hurricane-nate/article_e694566c-abb4-11e7-a93e-8b25124231e7.html)

It wasn’t long ago when a couple of hurricanes hit the nation in succession and a new one is coming our way once more. People who bought tickets to large-scale events held outdoors may sigh in exasperation but it is better to set aside any events than put their lives in danger. Getting hyped and enjoying yourself can wait just as long as you are sure nothing bad will happen to you by doing so. We’re not even considering here the threats beyond nature like the mass shooting that happened in Las Vegas quite recently.

A mobile sign on Saturday near the entrance  of what was to be the first day of Flambeau Fest at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center flashed a mix of bad and good news: “Saturday only canceled,” the sign said. “Sunday will happen.”

Fans expecting to see Sam Hunt, Dustin Lynch, Chase Rice and other country music stars Saturday at Flambeau Fest were disappointed. But by mid-afternoon, the festival announced that Hunt will perform Sunday at 4:30 p.m., joining the second-day lineup that includes classic Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr. and the country and Southern-rock band Blackberry Smoke.

Citing Hurricane Nate’s pending landfall on the central Gulf Coast, festival officials canceled day one of the event following consultations with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

(Via: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/article_db3fd666-a91f-11e7-bd93-3bcb8e8bc997.html)

The question is simple, would you feel at ease going to any event knowing that a brewing storm is on its way and you are not yet sure just how powerful it is and how well your home and family will fare in the midst of this uncertainty? No matter what event it is, it shouldn’t even be a question anymore as to why events have to be canceled. The public should just wait a little longer because they’d be able to go to that event when the sun is once shining once more and they no longer have to worry whether a sudden flooding will make their entire surrounding a vast open urban swimming pool or face some other similar threat.

Natural Calamities: Safety First Before Going To Events See more on: The PopEgo.com Blog

source https://popego.com/natural-calamities-safety-first-before-going-to-events/