Three New Concepts That Could Revolutionize Education in America

The other day, I was sitting in a think tank meeting, and one of the icebreakers to get our brainstorming session warmed up was to; name three new technologies or innovations which might help improve or even revolutionize education in America. It wasn't a trick question, it was one to get you to think.
I came up with three, and I thought they were at least worth sharing with you here today. If you have a few moments I'd like to discuss this with you. Below are what I came up with;
1.) The use of simulated voice box vibrational inflection for audio e-readers, and video instruction.
2.) The use of Holographic Technologies and Spectral Imaging in Learning.
3.) Home Internet Study Modules for Public Education Supplement for Curious Students.
Now then, the first one I'll have to explain because it's not something that people typically talk about. One thing I've learned when listening to people who really care about a subject matter, is that their voice box vibrates differently than someone that doesn't care very much about what they're talking about, rather just talks in a monotone fashion.
You see, when people are reading, except for those who read teleprompters on the evening news, or perhaps our President Barack Obama, they have very little voice inflection, and they just read the material, and that is that. This often happens when people are reading into audio books, or talking on instruction videos, as they read their script.
However, if we could lay additional tracks of sound that would mimic someone who is enthusiastic about what they were reading and could capture the human voice box vibrational inflection of that type of enthusiasm, then the people watching the instruction video or listening to an audio book on an E-reader would automatically pay more attention, and therefore they would learn faster.
The next two items are somewhat self-explanatory, but I'd like to discuss with you number two briefly. What is you are taking a philosophy class and you put the tables in a circle and projected a holographic Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, or Einstein in the center? The holographic projection using special spectral imaging technologies would be giving you the lecture. Don't you think that would be more entertaining for students, and more memorable for the human brain as it imprinted the data and the event in the mind? It would be a lot easier way to learn.
Lastly, we hear a lot about the "No Child Left behind" challenges in our school, and some teachers call this; the "No Child Allowed to Advance" way of teaching. There is no sense in killing the curiosity of a student that is interested in a topic or subject, we need extra information that they can study on their own at home. Not just Wikipedia, because yes students do that too, but it would be nice to have a home study courses for such things on the Internet.
Besides that, many of the universities nowadays allow you to watch lectures without having to sign up to go to school, and this means anyone can learn, and that's a good thing. A society always does better when its people are educated. The fastest way to increase knowledge and education is to wet the appetite and curiosity of the learner. Please consider all this and think on it.

The US Debt Crisis: Good News And Bad News

Well folks, the proverbial snowball is going to continue to keep rolling down the mountain. With the debt ceiling agreement deadline looming, it looks like the Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid along with President Barack Obama have finally caved, and have agreed, along with the Senate Republicans to raise the US debt ceiling $3 trillion dollars. This deal, if approved, is expected to extend through 2012-a presidential election year. If you are counting, and I can't blame you if you aren't-I have never had to use trillion in any form when I balance my checkbook, that would increase our national debt from $14.3 trillion to $17.3 trillion. Whew! Boy am I relieved!
The good news is we can put to rest the talk of not sending out social security checks as well as paying U.S. troops. Medicare for senior citizens will likely not be affected. Now, interest rates will not go up and the dollar will not be devalued any further. I wonder how much further it can be devalued? The stock market will likely not plunge. Heck, there might even still be money available in the form of grants and loans for Americans if they want to go to school and get educated. Of course there are no guarantees that social security checks will be mailed out on time. Or, guarantees that any other negative effects that might be felt by the debt crisis will not happen. No my friends, guarantees are pre-election material. This is not the time for hope and change. Well, maybe spare change.
The bad news is the US national debt would now be at a stout $17.3 trillion. The senate vote was 50-49 in favor of the increased debt ceiling. That means about half of our elected officials in Washington, D.C. actually don't know how many zero's are in a trillion. And there are 17.3 to account for. A government default has been avoided....for now. For years our elected politicians have proved they have no idea how to balance a budget. Of course if you have someone's else's money to budget with, it really doesn't matter if it balances or not. What is going to change moving forward in the hearts, minds, and souls of our government officials that will allow the start of debt reduction?
This proposed deal, expected to be finalized on Monday, also includes a two step process that would eliminate approximately $2.4 to $3 trillion in debt. How is this going to be done? The first step would be to eliminate $1 trillion through spending cuts. Additional deficit reduction would involve cuts to Social Security and Medicare. A special committee of Democrats and Republicans would work together on this debt reduction which would also include tax reform. Long story short-the thrifty spenders on Capitol Hill would like to put a band-aid on a bullet wound. Let's hope otherwise and pray that a paycheck and proper medical attention can be afforded for not only our invaluable troops but all American citizens.
Democrats and Republicans working together to solve perhaps our nation's biggest problem. Wow! I hope you live in the sunbelt because the snowball is getting bigger and moving faster and you still have a chance of it melting a little before it reaches you.

Empowering, Engaging, and Educating Children to Be Leaders

Leadership education is often cookie cutter "team building" exercises that do not really address the needs of children in terms of true empowerment, engaging and educating children on the true meaning of leadership, much less truly empowering them to be actual leaders. The proof of this is the fact that many students who seem to have topnotch careers, as students are actually spending their lives cheating.
Cheating is on the rise according to several studies in high schools and colleges in America and abroad. The pressure to succeed in a very narrowly defined way is creating a nation of cheaters. Just look at the recent political news and it is easy to see that ethics is sorely lacking even among our elected and stated leaders. With these kinds of examples how can our children learn ethical leadership?
Just knowing something is wrong is not enough to stop people from performing unethical behaviors because in our culture winning seems more important than right and wrong. According to the studies the peer pressure to get the mark rather than learn the material is at the root of the issue. To empower children to be ethical:
Develop an Honor Code -- Creating an honor code with the help of the students will enable a conversation to take place about what honor is, thus empowering children to take a leadership role in their own lives.
Reward Whistleblowers -- While we probably don't want our children to go around telling on each other continuously the current situation with beating up on whistleblowers is dangerous to the integrity of all of us.
Demonstrate Honesty and Integrity -- By setting a good example of doing the right thing in the face of adversity, you are showing children a new way to behave. This example empowers children to become leaders in their own lives by learning to do the right thing.
Reward Learning Over Testing -- This may not be able to be accomplished at all levels of education, but students need plenty of opportunity and examples that show how learning the material is more important than learning to take a test.
Many times our children are not engaged because no one is doing anything extraordinary to catch their attention. If you really want to educate children in a way that is empowering and carries a lifelong positive effect on them, be extraordinary yourself. Be how you hope they will be as they grow up.

Get a No Fail Bankruptcy Course With Best Debt Educators

There are times when we may feel empty or that life is meaningless. We may feel alone and experience the anxiety of this isolation. We may find ourselves questioning what the point of life is and it may feel frustrating to not arrive at an answer. Situation worsens when one is lost in some sort of financial troubles as debts. At such times, we may begin to look within and around for answers to our questions and look for options that could give a new beginning.
Well in all such circumstances good advice and professional counseling may strengthen and support all those facts which a person can be unaware.And unknown of even solutions may lead him/ her in amore hopeless situation.Suppose a person is neck tight with amount of debt taken and in no way but declaring himself bankrupt look as the solution. The good news is Govt. allows for such legal filing as the method to pay off debts. But as there are always two sides of the coin even it is with bankruptcy filing. There are many people who actually doesn't seem to know the plus and minus of such legal steps and eventually get exploited.
Seeing all this one of the most significant changes is that under the new law, consumers who want to file for bankruptcy must complete a credit counseling briefing, designed to inform them of their options in dealing with their debts, six months prior to filing. The course must be at least 90 minutes long and can't cost more than $50. Accredited agencies can't turn anyone away based on their ability to pay. As we all know prevention is better than cure. This law is in the wish to not find any client leading to bankruptcy credit counseling just because of lack of knowledge.
One is provided with bankruptcy counseling as a part of our debt education program. The briefing can be provided through one-on-one, in-person counseling; group classes or over the phone or Internet. The U.S. Trustee Program of the Department of Justice, which administers various aspects of the new bankruptcy law, must approve the curriculum.
Through this program one can learn the basic aspects of debt management. It would save you from any kind of huge mess with credit card and debt. In addition, if you have living debt problem, you should learn the aspects of Federal acts that you need to use to go for any kind of debt solutions.
It is not possible for the general people to learn all about the Federal Acts that are set to fix financial problems. However, knowledge on the matter can be helpful to avoid unwanted harassment from creditors. Being a non-profit organization the debt educators help you to lead a debt free life for all. Education in these areas and many others will place you on the path toward financial freedom. This will also allow you to make practical decisions regarding your finances.