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Social Studies in Elementary Education

Admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:21:26 +0000

This new edition of the most popular elementary social studies methods text on the market houses a wealth of content, strategies, tools, and resources for teaching K—8 social studies. Writing with the same clarity, friendly tone, and solid content of previous editions, Parker details the mission of social studies education and explores the many ways this mission can be made to serve the full complement of learners in a diverse multicultural society. He lays out the elements of a strong social studies curriculum, explains effective teaching methods, and presents a wealth of field-tested examples, exercises, activities, and lesson plans that will enliven every social studies classroom.

From the Publisher

Comprehensive in scope, but streamlined in form, this widely-adopted exploration of social studies in elementary education is exceptionally up to date — offering a solid foundation in both traditional and cutting-edge theory and pedagogy. It details the mission of social studies education, considers the diversity of children in today’s social studies classrooms, addresses the social studies curriculum (what is taught), and explores effective instruction (how it is taught). –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Social Studies in Elementary Education (with MyEducationLab) (13th Edition)

Proving You Are Disabled to the Social Security Administration

Admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:11:41 +0000

We see it too often in our Social Security Disability Law Practice. A potential client will contact us for the first time after their case has been lost before an Administrative Law Judge. When we ask why they did not use a lawyer to try their case the answers we almost always get is “my doctor said I was disabled and even wrote a letter,” or “I thought it was obvious from my records I was disabled”. Other times, we hear “I thought I couldn’t afford a lawyer. “ What these people did not understand, sadly, is that there is nothing obvious about Social Security Disability law. The regulations governing SSD, SSDI and SSI are very complex, even for lawyers who devote their entire practice to this area of the law. Here are some things to keep in mind that will help prove your disability to the Social Security Administration: 1. Hire a lawyer with extensive experience in Social Security Disability law. This seems obvious. . . because it is. Attorney fees in social security disability cases are only paid if you win. The lawyer receives a percentage of the back benefits up to $5,300. 00. The average attorney fees are much less. With the fees being so small compared to what is at stake, why would anyone try to go it alone? For information as to what you should look for in a Social Security disability lawyer. 2. See your doctor regularly, even if you don’t have medical insurance. I know, seeing a doctor can be very expensive, but regular treatment is critical to proving your case. 3. Document your disability impairments, symptoms and limitations with your doctor and be specific. When a doctor writes in his record “Mr. Smith is disabled” it is not very useful. On the other hand, when the doctor writes “Mr. Smith cannot sit or stand for more than 20 minutes at a time because of severe pain” or “Mr. Smith has shortness of breath and chest pain on even minor exertion”, we have much more to talk about with a social security judge. These simple steps will greatly improve your chances of being awarded the social security disability benefits to which you entitled. If you’ve applied for social security disability benefits and haven’t been able to get your disability recognized, it’s not too late to bring a Social Security disability attorney on board now. Your next step will be to file a Request for Reconsideration, which must be filed within 60 days. Since the same committee that made the first decision makes the second, the odds are high that your application will be denied again. In that case, your social security disability law attorney will be able to help you plan a case that will be presented to the Administrative Law Judge. Rather than relying on the previous decisions, the Administrative Law Judge will examine the evidence, listen to the expert opinions of your doctors and psychologists and then make a decision. This is the sole part of the process that you are actually able to speak and be seen by the judge. Sometimes, the judge retains an additional medical expert to review your history and records and offer an opinion, as well as a vocational expert. The vocational expert will assess your employment background, education and skills, and physical limitations, and then make an assessment on your ability to hold a full-time job. The complexity of a social security disability benefits case can not be under-estimated, which is why it’s very important to work with an attorney who specializes in the field.

Determining Social Media’s Value Can be a Difficult Proposition

Admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:11:28 +0000

Ever since the first blog went live, PR pros have been trying to figure out how to capitalize on the medium on behalf of clients. And while social media is in many ways no longer an experiment, determining its actual value largely still is.
There are lots of great social networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and others. Some have a decidedly more business-oriented focus like LinkedIn, but basically they all purport to bring like minded people together in the name of establishing valuable relationships.
Although it took some time from the emergence of MySpace and other networks for businesses to pay close attention to the trend, soon companies started trying to figure out is what value should be placed on the trend as a whole and which networks should receive priority in their marketing efforts. Once that happened, PR agencies started opening new media practices and there were also a host of social media evangelists that hit the Web espousing their value. And while some of them have certainly proven popular, the jury’s still out as to whether social media is a trend that’s worth a significant investment of a business’ time and/or money.
Earlier this week, in a report titled Exploring the Link Between Customer Care and Brand Reputation in the Age of Social Media, the Society for New Communications Research examined how consumers are using social networks and which ones they value. While 74 percent of respondents say they choose companies and brands based on the experiences shared online by customers, most still indicated they used conventional search engines for their research rather than social media networks. In fact, several leading social networks scored poorly when it comes to consumer influence, with only 39 percent saying they used micro-blogging sites like Twitter or Pownce; 27 percent used YouTube and 22 percent turned to Facebook and MySpace.
Not surprisingly, technology and e-commerce companies tended to dominate the online discussion landscape, with Dell Computer Corp. and Amazon. com Inc. taking top honors as the companies most often discussed by consumers online. That said, those who do turn to social media networks are a desirable demographic, with an average net income of more than $100,000; most are college educated and range from 25-55 years old.

As with all things new, especially those involving technology, there’s been a rush to adopt social media networks. One of the problems, however, is the fact that the social media sector is still quite decentralized, with several companies trying to jockey for the lead spots in the marketplace. This makes it especially hard for companies to know which investments will generate reliable returns. Historically, in the early phases of a new trend’s emergence, this factor hasn’t mattered very much; however, the fact that little attention has been paid to a return on investment has meant that technology-related trends have experienced harsher than normal boom and bust cycles.

I was in a discussion earlier today with a group of legal marketing executives and a consultant who helps law firms set up their own blogs. The discussion originally started when an executive asked others whether they used Twitter, and if so, how? That spawned a lengthy conversation as to whether social media is judged in the same vein as other marketing activities and, if so, how a return-on-investment can be reasonably calculated. Even though the cost to set up a social media presence may be minimal, there should still be goals set and those should ideally be linked to a positive impact on a company’s bottom line; after all, no matter what business you’re in, time really does equal money.
The blogging consultant was of the mind that people responsible for bringing in business do the best when they’re engaging in activities they truly enjoy under the theory that the use of these mediums mean a firm has the opportunity to reach potential customers that their competitors, who aren’t embracing the platforms, are missing. That’s certainly theoretically possible, although I suspect it will be some time before we really know for sure.
In the meantime, I still encourage companies – especially small and mid-size firms with limited PR and/or marketing budgets – to continue mining opportunities within conventional media channels. Those channels may not be as “sexy” as social media, but they still deliver an audience of many potential customers with desirable demographics.

Social Business Networking – the Web 2 Phenomenon

Admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:39:48 +0000

Social networking is an important part of the Web 2 phenomenon. Social networking is the gathering of a group of people in work, recreational or educational life with the aim of individuals in that group being of mutual benefit to each other in some shape or form. Social networking is too valuable to ignore, especially as consumers are becoming more demanding, and expect to play a more tangible role in your business’s success, or failure. Social Networking is becoming more popular worldwide like forums and blogs. MarketingBuilding social networks and establishing relationships with your consumers is often touted as a holy grail of online marketing. According to a fellow online marketing company, it’s time businesses started to weigh the benefits of social networking against the time and effort that it requires. Social networking is now a permanent fixture in most businesses marketing mix and an absolute must for companies looking to the future. I feel this is the most important part of Internet marketing, after all where would we be if no networking took place. AdvertisingRecent research by Microsoft Digital Advertising highlights a massive opportunity for advertisers to tap into the networking phenomenon and engage with consumers. Companies can also use social networks for advertising in the form of banners and text ads. Around 280 million dollars is being spent by advertisers on advertising and marketing on online social networks. CommunityAspects of social networking include the creation of a personal profile or homepage, blogs, forum and message boards, podcasting, video blogs and generally sharing content with other users within the confines of an online community. Online Community sites will have a place as long as the internet has a place in society. Online social networks are also often referred to as “virtual communities”, which is an extension of the traditional definition of a community. A traditional forum (bulletin board) can be considered the simplest form of social networking site and, of course, it is a virtual community. LinkedinLinkedIn, founded in 2002, is based on the idea of extending your network of work contacts and boasts high membership amongst young professionals. People need a reason to connect to other people and I believe this is one of the main reasons LinkedIn is beginning to hit it’s stride in the social networking world. You might want to give LinkedIn a try. The most prominent business networking sites are LinkedIn, Sta. rtUp. biz, Xing and Ecademy amongst others. Social networking is a cultural phenomenon that is giving high Return On Investment (ROI) and stable revenue. Social networking is seen by some to be the perfect solution to the problem of business social isolation. Clearly, social networking is an important part of everyday life for many people, and the signs are that it will become even more important in the future.

Public-private Partnership in Education Needed in India

Admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:13:53 +0000

The Asian Development Bank noted in January 2008 that education in India was lagging seriously behind its rapid economic growth with only 12,000 training and vocational institutes, compared to half a million in China. Short-term turbulences aside (just as we are witnessing now), India has entered an era of high economic growth. As we enter the last quarter of FY 2008, the fourth consecutive fiscal when India has witnessed over 8% growth, we find India’s manpower shortages aggravate even further. Just as growth has been multi-sectoral, so have the manpower deficiencies. There is a growing demand that the government should increase the outlays on education and do other things to motivate and encourage education. It is true that for India to have consistent rate of growth; Greater levels of R&D, combined with extensive investment in workforce can make a significant contribution. Part of the solution lies in forging strong partnerships between the private sector and the academia. They should be developed in tandem with the government to ensure that courses like computer science are nurtured and developed as a discipline in schools. In India; on the one hand, you have world-class institutions of higher education such as IITs and IITMs and on the other hand, we have mushrooming private institutions/universities which function more as coaching centers, rather than as centers of achieving innovative excellence. Lack of university capacity has resulted in a lower proportion of youth ages 17 to 23 enrolled in higher education in India than in China, the Philippines or Malaysia. This could have an impact on the IT industry, unless immediately rectified. There is scarcity of skilled manpower in every industry, from good carpenters and plumbers to factory workers, doctors and scientists. The banking industry, which employs 900,000 people, is expected to add 600,000 more over the next three to four years. Similarly, the IT and ITeS industry will need around 850,000 additional skilled manpower by 2010. And, the retail industry will need nearly 2. 5 million skilled professionals by 2012. Not only are jobs within India on the rise, the developed world too is facing manpower shortages, which are expected to rise to 40 million by 2020. This shortfall can be met by India, where both educated unemployment and the number of people joining the workforce are on the rise. In short, the opportunities before India are huge, provided our education sector gears up to take these on. Manpower shortages are both quantitative and qualitative in nature. India needs more universities. While Japan has 4,000 universities for its 127 million people and the US has 3,650 universities for its 301 million, India has only 348 universities for its 1. 2 billion people. The Economic Survey released by the Government of India on 28th February 2008 is significant for what it does not say, than what it does. The Survey glosses over the UPA government’s failure to keep its common minimum program pledge of raising public expenditure on education to 6% of GDP. Public spend on education as a percentage of GDP has slipped below the high of 2. 9 % achieved by the NDA government in 2002-03. For the first time, the government has acknowledged that the 86th Constitutional amendment – mankind education a fundamental right for all 6 to 14 year olds-has not been enforced because the enabling Right to Education Act is yet to be enacted. The Survey is also silent on the number of school dropouts, learning outcomes and low enrollment rates for higher education. These issues are part of the reality check that the Survey provides. In the Union Budget 2008, the Government has allocated Rs. 34,400 crores for education. It also announced its decision to establish one Central University in each of the hitherto uncovered states in the country. Besides, three new IITs are proposed to be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. Two Schools of Planning and Architecture will come up at Bhopal and Vijayawada. The government through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the flagship project of the HRD ministry, is geared towards achieving useful and relevant elementary education for all children by 2010. This movement is showing results. The number of out-of-school children in the 6-14 years age group has dropped from 13. 4 million in 2005 to 7. 06 million in March-end 2006. In the Union Budget 2008; the project received an allocation of Rs. 13,100 crores which would be spent in enhancing retention, a shift from the earlier focus on access and infrastructure. India needs ‘curricular reforms’. In today’s world, where technological knowhow is evolving with each day, educational institutions need to be granted the freedom to engage with the industry and change the curricula as and when required. Educational institutions must teach what the industry needs. It is essential to realize that learning needs to continue after formal education. Capgemini in India employs almost 15,000 people in six cities and recognizes that industry must continue the training that they left after graduating; all new recruits participate in a six-week intensive course before induction, developing their business and behavioral skills. Offering expert training on the job is the responsibility of the industry and is essential for a developing economy. In 2002, India’s Chhatisgarh state launched a Private Sector University Act to encourage private universities to start up in the region. But as 100 or so private schools sprang up-some with offices in Chhatisgarh but campuses elsewhere-regulators realized that lax rules were allowing many of the schools as diploma mills. The Supreme Court knocked down the Act in February 2005. This episode emphasizes why just private investment in education will not solve the problem; a public-private partnership is necessary in education to combine the agility of the private sector with the social responsibility obligation of the public sector. Examples which come to mind include the Cisco Development program and Microsoft’s University program. The latter include the Imagine Cup competition, run in universities worldwide to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, and in which students from Eastern Europe and South-East Asia regularly outperform their western counterparts in both the volume and quality of their entries The Global Education Centre was similarly established by Infosys in Mysore to train its new recruits for 14 weeks. The key was to address a key aspect of the national psyche, i. e. to take the reactive minds of Indian youngsters and change them into proactive problem solving ones. Infosys Global Education Centre operates on 3 principles. First that the company is a campus and in a campus, there is openness, receptivity to new ideas, meritocracy and a lot of porous learning. Second, that business of Infosys is its context. Third, to teach recruits what Infosys business is all about so they understand what kind of decisions they have to take, what kind of crises they have to encounter. A private engineering college started by one of India’s original technology tycoons and Chairman of HCL Technologies, Shiv Nadar, near the high-tech hub of Chennai was approved in 2003 by the National Board of Accreditation. The school, known as SSN College of Engineering, is affiliated with the nearby Anna University, formed in 1978 from the merger of several public and private colleges. Anna University design the programs and grants degrees to SSN students, but SSN is seeking university status, which would allow it to grant degrees in its own name. Over the past decade, Shiv Nadar has poured $ 37 Million into SSN to build facilities and fund scholarships. SSN’s School of Advanced Software Engineering offers a graduate program that sends select students to study in the US at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. It is noteworthy that Goldman Sachs has a “university”, McKinsey has a “people committee” and Singapore Ministry of Manpower has an “international talent division”. Quite a few of the present courses taught in India lack originality. Students should not be studying computer science only for its core programming content. Courses should equip the students with the relevant skills, so they can make a significant contribution to the knowledge economy. Merely studying for the sake of getting a good job is very superficial education. Students are taught job-specific skills, but they don’t know how their skills can contribute to the world knowledge economy, or even to the business model of the company for whom they intend to work for or are working, as the case may be. The initiatives that are born out of such alliances between the government and private sector for cooperation in education gives students access to the biggest technology players and offer real-world insight, thereby easing the transition from university to employment. Companies can also keep universities up-to-date as technology changes and customer preferences and requirements change, and they can plug gaps in expertise or facilities. Such partnerships also help business. Graduate programs are valuable but they also signal how important it is for companies to take greater responsibility for developing business training. But one should bear in mind that these companies are trying to assist themselves by training their new recruits. For there to be training for one and all; in a setup as in India, Government cooperation and partnership is the key. There are apprehensions that MNC’s are outsourcing work to India because Indians are good at effectively completing the designated tasks in a timely manner without asking any further questions. MNC’s confidence in our ability to improvise the existing product and come up with high quality cost effective product seems to be the motivating factor behind the outsourcing of work to India. As the pay scales go up in India, various companies are trying to identify other low-cost destination such as Philippines and Vietnam to put up their outsourcing units. This will force Indian workers to move up the value chain, for which they do not seem to be having the requisite education skills. Originality does not come just from courses in universities, but in the mindset of the entire nation. The entire country needs to adopt the concept of “Originality in Thinking” for India to become a true superpower. This concept of originality has to be ingrained in the minds of every India right from the time he commences his preliminary education, for India to emerge as a truly powerful economic force on the world scene. Note : Mr SUNIL KEWALRAMANI is a WHARTON BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA and is an International Finance Consultant for leading foreign financial institutions, Multinational companies and NRI clients on FDI and money management matters.