How to Give the Gift of Technology to the Technophobe

Almost everyone knows someone who just doesn't seem to want to take part in the technological revolution.  You sit back and enjoy the speed and convenience of modern technology while your friend or relative refuses to even get a cell phone.  You want to help, you want to make him see the light, but he stubbornly refuses.  You're certain he is afraid of technology.

You really want to help bring this person into the modern age, but anything you try is met with a refusal to even try.  If you force the issue he might take whatever you are forcing on him, but it will get stuffed in a drawer or in the closet never again to see the light of day.  Is there any hope?

There may be some hope after all, but if you really want this to work, you are going to have to adjust your entire strategy, and you are going to have to work at it.  This will take patience and time, but it can be very rewarding in the end.  But be warned that you may actually learn something about avoiding technology that helps you as well.

The first thing you should do is to try to understand the person's reasons for avoiding technology.  Usually the underlying motivation is fear, but fear can take many forms.  A fear of change is usually deeply associated with technophobia, but this is often accompanied by a fear of being wrong, or a fear of looking stupid.

To help alleviate some of the fear, don't ever thrust technology at the technophobe.  Introduce technology slowly, and even then only when it helps make something easier for him.  Never try to introduce technology just for the sake of technology or because you think it's cool. 

There are some things about technology that can get frustrating for even the most seasoned technologist, so keep that in mind when helping the technophobe use technology.  Have you ever had trouble with a computerized telephone system, or an automatic checkout?  Most people have, and you can use that experience to relate to the person you want to help. 

Which brings us to the most important part - you must try to do everything in your power to remove fear and discomfort from the learning process.  If he is uncomfortable, he will not have a pleasant experience and will not want to use this technology again.  And it is the fear that has kept him from it in the first place. 

A useful technique you can try is to make the unfamiliar technology do something familiar to help ease the transition.  This is not always possible, but it can help a great deal when you can use it.  An example of this would be in teaching someone how to use a PC, you might first teach them to play the solitaire game included with most computers.  If they are familiar with playing cards, and specifically the game of solitaire, they will quickly become accustomed to using the mouse - click and drag, double click, and so on, which will remove a lot of the fear of using the computer. 

One last thing - if you keep an open mind you may also learn from this experience.  For example, many technophobes accurately state that technology takes the personal relationships out of doing business.  By going into a bank rather than using the ATM, you will likely become more familiar to the tellers and officers at your bank.  If you find yourself in a situation where you are disputing an overdraft, or even if you simply need more information about something in your account, having this relationship can help you get things sorted out more quickly and easily.

Simple technologies are usually the best ones to start your technophobe on a path to the present. If the person is a movie lover, a Roku Video Player can be just the easy interface to help bring the technophobe along. This player works with NetFlix and Amazon, among other services, to bring movies and other digital programming to your television over the internet.

And if you can get him to use a notebook computer, a wireless netwo

When Technology Doesn't Matter - Presentations That Speak to Business

The room is full of business people in "business casual" dress. It's the IT department turn to present and they are ready. The PowerPoint is revved up. The projector has been focused. They've practiced extensively over the past week, refining their message, practicing with their slides: they are thoroughly prepared for this moment. IT is eager to explain how the newest technology will contribute to the overall success of the organization.

Thirty minutes later, the presentation is over, the PowerPoint's finished and the business people in the room are frustrated and annoyed. The IT staff is wondering what just happened. Their brilliantly detailed and highly accurate PowerPoint presentation was interrupted by questions unrelated to the technology. The help desk department wanted to know how the new technology would improve call-processing time. The accounting department wanted to know how the technology would work with the general ledger system. The sales organization didn't understand why the change was even needed. After all, the sales force knew the old system and they didn't see anything wrong with it. What started as hopeful and creative ended with heartache and confusion. What went wrong?

Presentation Basics: Know Your Audience

The IT department in the story above didn't understand their audience. Do you?

As you lead your organization, you intellectually know that IT does not exist for the sake of IT. IT exists to support the larger organization in making money. But do your presentations show it?

The best IT presenters know the members of the audience, if not individually, then in general terms. They know what it is the different departments care about and how those concerns relate to IT. They know the case of new technology how any changes to the status quo will improve the condition of those other departments and address their concerns. The smart IT department builds the presentation around the needs of the company to make more money or cut costs - not on whether or not the IT staff gets to use the latest and greatest technology. The best IT presentations reflect that fact.

Getting to Know Your Audience

The best way to get to know what the audience for your presentation cares about is to ask them. Interview representatives from the different departments that will attend your presentation. Ask them what their focus is, what their concerns are, and their knowledge on the subject of your presentation. Understand what their issues are, both from a technology and a business perspective. What do they care about and how does it relate to technology. If you can't answer the questions of how what you have planned from a technology perspective will help them out, then don't present until you figure it out. Every audience member wants to know what's in it for them. Find out what's in it for your audience and give provide for their needs during the presentation.

Eliminate the Boring

No one likes to be bored. But the definition of boring is in the eye of the beholder. New technology is exciting for IT professionals, but boring for everyone else. What's exciting to people is what interests and benefits them. While you may have brilliant material and in-depth understanding of the new technology, those outside of IT really don't care. Don't bore them with the technical details. Save that material for a presentation to your staff. For the business side, excite them with what the new technology can do for them. Help them see how the new technology will make them look good with increased revenues or decreased costs. Your audience will never tire of hearing of they ways you can help them look good.

Be Compelling

Often in business presentations, we fail to take advantage of some of the strongest tools to enhance our message. These tools include stories, analogies, and emotional appeals. Paint a picture of improved call processing through a story. Explain the newest technologies by relating it to everyday examples that the business departments can relate to then draw a comparison that helps them understand the benefits to them. Appeal to the larger human emotions that connect people to one another: a sense of belonging, pride, humor, the greater good. Link what your business does for your customers to a bigger human condition that makes a difference. The wireless phone company that can call grandparents from the delivery room to say, "It's a girl!" The car company whose seat belt saved a mother's life. The insurance payout that saved a family's house after a young father's death. Stories of success and appeals to the emotions tie our audience to us and to our message. Look for ways to add humanity to the message you deliver.

Presentations don't have to be painful. With attention to the audience's needs, eliminating unnecessary technological explanations and adding the human element to presentations we can prevent annoyance on the part of the business and bewilderment on part of IT. After all sometimes, technology doesn't matter.

Minority Education

By the late 19th century, educational debates were still echoing on "who was to be educated?" and "how this education was to be carried out?" Such philosophers as John Dewey and (closer to us) Jean Piaget understood that "all knowledge has a special origin and the interests of the child are the primary source of learning" (Spring 1989). The same author said that after the Civil War black leaders, particularly W.E. Dubois and Booker T. Washington debated not the importance of schooling but the kind of education for blacks. The latter, considered by many blacks as a traitor, would acquiesce with the 1895 Plessy v. Ferguson decision that said under segregation schools can be separated and remained equal. According to Perkinson (1991), Washington addressed publicly in 1895,
"....The Negro did not want social equality, that he did not need social equality with the whites. Nor did he want or need political or civil equality ... but cooperation with their white friends. Negro education should be devoted to the practical education of earning a living." P.48

But Dubois vehemently rejected that position and argued for equal rights. Meanwhile, diverse segments of society had been restless protecting their interests after the inaction of Plessy v. Ferguson. The US Supreme Court solved many cases in favor of minorities such as Peirce v. Society of sisters (1922, unconstitutionality of forcing public schooling only) or Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1940, unconstitutionality of forcing Jehovah Witness to salute the flag). None of them delivered a blow to the racist establishment more significant than Brown v. Board of Education of (1954), which stipulated that separate education was inherently unequal. That decision invigorated the position of such minority leaders as Dr. Martin L. King who had long said that the reality of equality will require extensive adjustments in the way of life of the white majority, an adjustment many are unwilling to make", ( Smith & Chunn, 1989). The Brown decision opened the valve for a flurry of other specific legislations to right the educational wrongs done to minorities. For, Perkinson (1991) stated that black parents realized that their children were failing in schools not because they were culturally deprived but because the schools were incompetent to teach black students who, indeed, had a culture, a different culture.

I remain convinced that, on the part of many folks, it was not a matter of how to educate our culturally different children, but a deliberate case of not willing to do so. If we take, for example, Shor and Freire (1987), "It is not education which shapes society, but on the contrary, it is society that shapes education according to the interests of those who have power" p.35; and Perkinson (1991) "By 1965 the schools had polarized American society into self-satisfied whites and victimized blacks, into despondent city dwellers and indifferent suburb amenities by identifying and creating winners and losers" p.220, we shall see that these points of view (Freire/Shor's and Perkinson's) are in direct contradiction while both being sensitive and in the interests of the unfortunate, that include the children of the immigrants.

Bilingual Education

History & Rationale. As children of the lower class were failing in school and in life, bilingual education (originally) was not meant to rescue them. On the contrary, it was designed to catch up with the Soviets after their launching of the Sputnik, the first manned satellite (Cazabon, 1993). Through the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), the United States Government hoped to be competitive scientifically and technologically while being sophisticated in languages and cultures. As waves of immigrants kept crashing onto our shores, the Federal government passed a series of legislations and decisions to deal with the problem among which the 1965 Elementary & Secondary Education Act (to attack poverty), the 1967 Bilingual Education, the 1974 Lau vs. Nichols (special aid to non-English speaking pupils) and the 1980 Department of Education regulation (mandated Transitional Bilingual Education nationwide for limited English proficient students). Despite all those efforts, Lambert held that there were two faces of Bilingualism; one for language minorities and the other for the mainstream Americans (Cazabon, 1993). To such conservative politicians as former Senator Hayakawa, Bilingual Education would hinder the English development of immigrants (Minami & Kennedy, 1991). To those critics, Jim Cummings replied that students who experienced a preschool program in which: a) their cultural identity was reinforced, b) their was active collaboration with parents; and c) meaningful use of language was integrated into every aspect of daily activities; these pupils were developing high level of conceptual and linguistic skills in both language. Supportively, Krashen (1983) indicated that all languages are acquired the same way through four development stages, namely silent period or comprehension, early production, speech emergence, and intermediate fluency. Given time, a comprehensible input, and a lower affective filter (anxiety-free) the young immigrant will excel.

The situation of bilingual education let to believe that the authorities either want to assimilate every child into the main culture or to create bad cases of bilingual programs for the minorities where they would be proficient in neither language. In reply Skutnabb-Kangas (1986) had put forward the Declaration of Linguistic Human Rights (the rights to identify with, to learn, and to choose when to use one's mother tongue), especially in relation to small children, where it "is close to criminal, real psychological torture to use monolingual teachers who do not understand what the child has to say in her mother tongue" (Skutnabb-Kangas & Cummins, 1986) p.28. Nonetheless, they registered many cases of positive as well as negative bilingual programs. The additive (positive) Bilingualism has been mostly experienced abroad, whereas most of the subtractive ones have been found in the United States.

Models of Bilingual Programs.
When Lau vs. Nichols was settled, it left the establishment too much leeway even though it cited the school districts for violations of the fourteenth Amendment and the Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964. According to Lyons (1990), the law did not seek any specific remedy, but only that the Board of Education apply its expertise to the problems and rectify the situation. Therefore, in its implementation worldwide, Bilingualism had two faces depending on whom it was called to serve. It could be implemented and verified as the best form of education (for the elite, the middle/upper class) or the worst case of educational formation (for the minorities, the working/lower class).

Online Education Master's Degrees

A master's degree gives students training and education in a specialized field of expertise with greater depth than studying for a bachelors degree. Students pursuing a master's degree traditionally need to hold a bachelors degree and commit to one to six years of study in a particular field. Online education masters degree programs make it easier for working business professionals to complete their education and attain advanced positions in their field.

Masters degrees definitely afford individuals an opportunity to increase their earning potential. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average weekly earnings for a masters degree holder are $1,102, which is $200 more than people holding a bachelors degree. These statistics further reveal that only 5.9 percent of adults in America hold a masters degree.

Online education masters degree programs may consist of any combination of advanced study courses, internships and independent research, such as a thesis. Some master's degree programs enable students to go directly into a career, others require internships or additional credentials and some prepare students to enter doctoral degree programs. To fulfill the requirements of a masters degree program, students must attend between 30 to 60 semester hours, which may be completed online between 15 and 36 months.

Masters degrees are differentiated by post-nominal letters that indicated the level of academic achievement, honor or office a student has earned. The most common areas of online education masters degree study are:

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study determined that about one in five students seeking to earn a master's degree pursue an M.B.A. The masters degree in business administration is research-oriented and involves independent study and achievement. Online education masters degree programs give business executives the ability to fit educational advancement into their schedules at their convenience. Further, according to "Taking the E-Train" by Douglas Bartholomew there are quite a few opportunities for business networking and making professional connections through online education.

Master of Education (MEd, MAT, MSEd). According to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, about 28 percent of students study for a masters degree with a focus on education. There are several specialization that students can choose, including elearning, corporate training, teaching and administration. Graduates can pursue careers as teachers, in technology or as principals and administrators or pursue doctoral degrees to seek positions as education experts in their field. Online education masters degree programs provide educators with the opportunity to seek advanced education while maintaining their current positions and tenure in the field.

Master of Science (M.S.). A master of science can be earned in a variety of research, education and health care fields. Pursuing an M.S. degree usually involves independent study as well field work. Graduates are employed in careers such as research, health care, education and more. Certain M.S. Programs prepare students to enter doctorate study to become employed in positions such as physicians and health care administrators. Online education masters degree programs give busy doctors, nurses and scientists the chance to practice in the field while attaining higher degrees.

Master of Arts (M.A.). A masters degree in the arts is often considered to be a terminal degree. This means that graduates are prepared to enter their chosen field and no further degree is needed to advance professionally. For example, the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) enables graduates to enter directly into careers such as a photographers, sculptor, creative writer and painter. An M.A. gives a greater level of distinction, expertise accomplishment to those working in the fine arts and can even qualify people to educate others on artistic pursuits.

Financial aid is readily available for all types of online education masters degree programs. Students can find out about tuition reimbursement from their employers, especially in fields such as health care that need more certified people in certain professions. Federal and state grants and loans may be available, such as Stafford Loans. There are also private students loans through entities such as Citibank. Certain online education programs offer payment plans to students who are unable to pay a lump sum at the beginning of the semester. Finally, there are a wealth of scholarships available to students willing to apply and pursue them. Financial assistance is readily available for students who want to attend online education masters degree programs.

The increased availability of financial aid coupled with the convenience and flexibility of online education masters degree programs have made it easier for more people to earn advanced degrees. "Earned Degrees Conferred by Gender, 1870 to 2000" revealed that between 1970 and 2000, the number of masters degrees earned by women increased over 220 percent. The number of masters degrees awarded to men increased 53 percent. According to the College Board 2006, these graduates are certain to benefit from obtaining an advanced degree as only 6% of the population have one.

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Science Lab Equipment Makes Learning Science Fun

Getting your children to become interested in science is often a difficult task. With the use of kid friendly science lab equipment and some easy projects the kids will be begging to do more science oriented projects. And will soon be searching ideas of their own unique ways to implement science into fun.

Parents have difficulty with science sometimes as much as their children do. They have the idea that it takes rocket science degrees to become science oriented. The following projects are super easy and fun. They will get your kids not only having fun with science but eager to do more.

This first project is great for teaching things such as how stuff grows, the process involved and the end results with a lot of indiscreet learning in between. As you complete each step explain the process in kid friendly terms and encourage them to ask questions. Both projects are only four easy steps but packed with information.

For step one, purchase some inexpensive sponges. The sea sponges that are used for crafts and painting work great because you can give explanations about where they come from. Use a microscope to let them view what the sponge looks like dry and wet. If using cellos sponges the kids can cut shapes from the square sponge. Use this as an opportunity to learn geometry.

Step two teaches why water is needed for growing food and plants. Soak the sponge and place in a baggies that has been filled with seeds of your choice. Roll the sponge around in the bag until it is covered with seeds.

Step three: tie a piece of string around the sponge or if preferred feed string through a hole in the sponge. Hang the seed covered sponge in an area that will provide lots of sunlight. In a week or less there will sprouts forming on the sponge.

Step four will teach them how to care for the plant and the result of caring for them. When sprouts have begun, remove string and place in a clay pot that has been half filled with potting soil. Sprinkle soil over the sponge and put in a sunny area until fully grown.

Parents and kids of any age love to do this next project which is a lava lamp of sorts without the light. To start fill a jar with two cups of water and few drops of food coloring. Stir will and set aside. This will teach your children how to use measurement and mixing.

Step two is adding the oil. Measure a half of cup of vegetable and pour into the jar of colored water. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the oil will separate from the water.

In the third step kids learn about weight and gravity. Without shifting the jar pour a teaspoon of salt directly in the jar. When the salt lands on the oil it will form some clumps. The clumps will begin to sink due to the weight.

Step four encourages the learning of movement, gravity and separation. After the clumps reach the bottom the salt will start dissolve and cause the oil to float back to the top. Each time you want to sink the oil, just add salt.

Science is fun for parents and children. It encourages children to ask questions and look up the answers with their parents. The more gadgets kids have the more interest they have in using them. For gifts opt for microscopes and other science lab equipment to encourage learning science.

Since 1970, the premier retailer for science lab equipment offers a wide variety of resources to young aspiring scientists. Children can immerse themselves in the wonders of science with these fun and educational science toys.

Fun Exploding Science Experiments

One of the best ways to attract your child's attention and get them interested in science is to demonstrate some fun exploding science experiments! Showing them a great explosion and then explaining to them why it happened, and how it can be recreated will create a curiosity for learning, and will show your child that science experiments can be a lot of fun! Do any of these fun exploding science experiments in your home, and let the learning begin!

Pseudo Explosion

To get started with your fun exploding science experiments, try one that doesn't really explode, as the sound may scare your child at first. Putting dry ice into some warm water produces gas and water vapor so rapidly that it is visible. It gives an eerie smoky effect. You can usually buy dry ice at an ice cream store. Teach your child not to hold the dry ice, as it is usually cold enough to hurt them. Demonstrate how this kind of ice is different from regular ice because it doesn't melt into a liquid, it just evaporates into the air. That is because it isn't made out of water, but of carbon dioxide.

Pretend to concoct secret potions with your dry ice, and watch it bubble over water. This experiment is best to teach right before Halloween so you and your child can come up with color ideas for water. Place differently colored jars of water around your lawn or front porch and drop in some dry ice. This will create a spooky effect around your home, perfect for the scary holiday!

Soda Fountain

One of the most famous fun exploding science experiments is the soda fountain. Explain to your child how soda is filled with carbon dioxide gas that is connected to the liquid of the soda. When you drop in a whole roll of Mentos candy into the soda, the tiny holes in the candy reacts with the carbon dioxide in the soda, forcing the gas up and out of the bottle. Place a liter of soda in the middle of your garden and have your kids get ready to dance around the fountain. Drop in the roll of Mentos candies and watch it work! While it isn't a huge explosion, it's a lot of fun!

Bag Burst

This fun exploding science experiment uses the same principles used by the classic erupting volcano science fair project. Take a two tablespoons of baking soda and wrap it up in some tissue paper. Then grab a zip lock bag and put in half a cup of warm water followed by a cup of vinegar. Zip the bag up partially then put it in the center of your garden, put in the tissue with baking soda and zip the bag up the rest of the way. Stand back, because the bag will expand till it explodes!

The bag explodes because once the baking soda an vinegar interact, they produce carbon dioxide gas which fills the bag until the only way out is for it to explode! As we can see, carbon dioxide was used in all these fun exploding science experiments. To make this a true day of learning, try to figure out what it is about carbon dioxide that allows it to do any of the three experiments just discussed!

If your child sees science as boring and difficult, spark their interest and imagination by making science fun! There are tons of easy experiments you can do at home to help your child understand and love the amazing world of science! Check it out now at Amazing Science Discovery! [http://www.amazingsciencediscovery.com]

The Information Technology Management Degree

The use of internet, email and social networking sites has altered the ways of how businesses are conducted. Information technology management has come to replace the job of managing the progress of business, either sales or management - via the computer. Even the tiniest company owns at least a computer network to link from one employee to another. And now, another frontier of the computational technology managerial study has been created. In fact, many business schools have approved the acknowledgment and thus released the study of Masters Degree of MBA in IT.

The IT management degree is a standard degree that combines some extra managerial curriculum to the current business technology. The new MBA course basically kicks off with the study of computer science, networking and information database management. From there, the student will encounter the learning of IT as well as e-commerce, brand building, and online marketing. Of course, the ordinary IT courses will include topics such as dynamic electronic strategies to enhance an organization's profit, value and efficiency, project management, and enterprise systems and infrastructure.

Although the integration of information technology management into the field of business is no longer foreign, the purpose and application have undergone certain alterations. Although the networks and skilled technicians still continue lifts the brunt of work, the field of IT is deemed to be too difficult for conventional business owners to incorporate into their business to navigate or manage. More often than not, they are inexperienced when it comes to using the technology, not familiar with the systems and infrastructures to monitor their businesses.

Hence, the IT management degree is now a significant point of change to achieve future solid rewards in the business domain. This degree will deliver you in becoming a database administrator, IT consultant, or even a senior programmer analyst. In fact, market surveys have revealed that these job holders are receiving handsome salaries. Of course, more can be earned if you engage into the mid-level positions. With the right degree and substantial amount of experience, no doubt your future in the business arena will be much appreciated.