Monthly Archives: May 2014

Cloud Computing

How to Use Cloud Computing for Homework Help

Cloud Computing
Stay connected with your students by assigning homework on the cloud.

Cloud computing is a technology that can be incredibly helpful in any number of environments, including a school environment. In fact, cloud computing can provide teachers with the opportunity to increase interaction with their students, allowing them to help students by using cloud computing with homework as well as in-class lessons.

Cloud computing services, such as the use of Google Docs, has a huge advantage over traditional methods of teaching. For example, when a teacher assigns an essay to students, odds are the teach won’t see any progress until the students hand in their final essays. Once they’re turned in, the teacher will have to take 30 some essays from each class home in order to grade. Most students won’t seek help before assignments are due, either. It’s much easier to guide students to a successful assignment with the use of a cloud computing service such as Google Docs.

Through cloud computing, a teacher is able to ask for prompts for a subject in-class through the use of Google Docs and receive them from students within minutes. The teacher can then project these prompts and discuss them, thereby helping students develop their essay’s subject matter. It also makes it easy to track the progress of students by having them send in works-in-progress that teachers can look over quickly. This is much less complicated than having students print or write out their work and having to sort hundreds of papers at home.

Contact us at Labyrinth Learning for additional information on using cloud computing with homework.

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Accounting

Learn Why Payroll Accounting is Important

Accounting Payroll accounting is a critical foundation of any business. This is especially true now that most companies are required to provide health benefits for their employees. Having accurate and up-to-date books ensure that a company is complying with federal regulations, and it will improve economic transparency for owners, management and employees.

Learning solutions, like Payroll Accounting, provide a sensible, streamlined and hands-on approach to appeal to a broad spectrum of students, including those that do not have previous accounting experience. The course is divided into six sections, all of which cover the basis of a thorough payroll accounting system, including:

  • Salaries
  • Wages
  • Overtime pay
  • Commissions and bonuses to employees
  • Payroll taxes and costs
  • Employer paid benefits

This course is ideal for small business owners or employees who are ready to take their accounting and bookkeeping knowledge to the next level, especially if they are expanding, adding new employees to the books, or growing their benefit and retirement programs.

Labyrinth Learning offers Payroll Accounting: A Practical Real World Approach, for those who teach accounting. We are also hosting a webinar, led by the book’s author, Eric Weinstein.

Contact Labyrinth Learning to find out more about Payroll Accounting and other interactive teaching tools.

Image Source: freedigitalphotos

classroom

How You Can Engage Introverts and Extroverts in the Classroom

classroom
No matter the class size, lesson plans should be designed for introverted and extroverted students.

One of the biggest issues in teaching is being able to engage a large number of students at the same time despite their differences. The teaching strategies that capture and retain the interest of extroverts won’t produce the same results in introverts — extroverts tend to be more eager to participate in the open.

Teaching extroverts and introverts at the same time is not an impossible task, though it does mean that teachers will have to be observant and take both groups into account when crafting their lesson plans.

Here are some suggestions for teaching extroverts and introverts in the same classroom:

  • Facilitating both extroverts and introverts begins with telling which people are which. Extroverts tend to be more social, meaning that they will make more of an effort to talk with more people. In contrast, introverts tend to be more reserved — they need time to process their thoughts before participating. Bear in mind that both extroverts and introverts fall on the same spectrum, meaning that teachers must be flexible in handling their students.
  • In class, let extroverts speak first so that the introverts will have time to mull over their thoughts. This ensures that both will be able to participate without being pulled out of their comfort zones.
  • Set up a means for the class to communicate outside of meetings. Extroverts can continue to socialize, while introverts can communicate at their leisure.

Are you looking for more tips on teach introverts and extroverts? Contact us at Labyrinth Learning about more resources for engaging students.

tablet

Using eBooks to Prepare Students for College

tablet
Source: freedigitalphotos

Although learning in a classroom environment is the strongest foundation for students, eBooks are a great way to supplement their education. Not only are they beneficial for teachers, but they are a great way to prepare students for college.

Here is detailed list on how teaching with eBooks can be beneficial for students about to head into college:

  • Preparing for the use of technology – Students will most likely be introduced to new uses of technology for their education in college. eBooks are a great way for them to acclimate to the use of technology for studying.
  • Improve problem-solving skills – Students that use eBooks enough will most likely run into a few glitches like they would with any technology. Learning to face and handle such problems is a valuable experience.
  • Learning to try new things – Using eBooks for the first time will take students out of their comfort zones, an experience they should become accustomed to if they are to learn to try new things in life.
  • Learning to collaborate – Many eBook platforms allow students to interact and collaborate within the text. This type of collaboration is a great learning experience, especially for students planning on taking online courses.
  • Learn to think outside the box – Using eBooks is a way for students to learn in a nontraditional manner forcing them to think for themselves without the help of an instructor.

Teaching with eBooks is a great way to prepare students for college. For more information, contact us at Labyrinth Learning today.

Geometry Class

Effective Ways to Use PowerPoint in a College Classroom

Geometry Class Once an office staple, PowerPoint has gained new respect in the classroom. More instructors are incorporating it into their lesson plans because lectures can quickly be updated and additional multi-media features like video, images and audio can easily be added.

Students are much more sophisticated than in the past due to rapidly changing technology. No longer are they satisfied to learn by rote. They want and expect to be challenged and engaged, therefore, when teaching with PowerPoint, it is paramount that PowerPoint lesson plans be carefully thought out.

Getting students interested in a lecture from the opening sentence can easily be achieved using a PowerPoint presentation. Including highlights of the lecture at the beginning gives students a visual aid as to what they will be learning. Building off that by asking open ended questions allow students’ prior knowledge to be gauged and lesson plans adjusted.

The body of the lecture should be broken down into short 10-15 minute segments. Often instructors get so wrapped up in what they are teaching that they forget this important tip. Remember to design a PowerPoint presentation to include active learning strategies so everyone can take a break and redirect their focus.

When teaching with PowerPoint, the conclusion is just as important as the beginning. Determine how effective the lecture was by including a slide requesting students write down what they felt was unclear or hard to understand.

For additional information on adding PowerPoint in your classroom, please contact Labyrinth Learning today.

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headphones

Helpful Strategies for Teaching Auditory Learners

headphones
Auditory learners digest knowledge better from lectures.

There are many different types of learners — kinesthetic, auditory and visual. An auditory learner is a person that learns best through active listening. They take on information through listening and active discussions. If you feel that you or your student may be an auditory learner, there are a few things you can do to  help.

Here are some great strategies for teaching auditory learners:

  • Questions are key — By asking questions, auditory learners can receive verbal clarification on learning material. Putting an idea into words can help the listener to retain the information. When asking questions, a student is becoming an active participant, helping those around them know that they are taking in the information.
  • Repeat study material out loud — Whether reading out a whole text or paraphrasing as they read, auditory learners can take in the information they need by hearing themselves repeat it out loud. This works better than reading the text or information.
  • Beware of distractions — When it comes to auditory learners, too much noise or things going on around them may become a major distraction. While some people do well listening to music while they study, others find it distracting. Awareness of the things that cause you or your student to become distracted can help increase focus.

If you are interested in learning more about teaching auditory learners, contact us today at Labyrinth Learning.

computer lab

Technology Use in the Classroom Will Become More Important Over Time

The days of traditional textbooks, white boards and students in one setting, all being taught the same material, is slowly dying out only to be replaced with rapidly developing classroom technology. Educators, parents and students are quickly realizing technology in higher education is becoming more commonplace and embracing the change.

computer lab
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Because of technological advancements, educators are having to rethink the established teaching methods of presenting information and then having students repeat it back in rote. The future of education is requiring teachers to develop techniques on how to present critical thinking and long-range problem solving.

For all the negatives that people think of with new age technology, like concerns surrounding social media interactions, online gaming and off-topic websites, the positives are so much stronger.

Some of the advantages of classroom technology include:

  • Keeping students attention even longer
  • Increases in students willingness to learn
  • Freedom for students to learn at their own pace
  • Better preparation of students for more advanced technology

Of course, no article on technology in higher education can be complete without a nod to the long range advantages and potential impact that remote classrooms are already having worldwide. Cultural, geographical and financial boundaries are all reduced through nothing more than a strong internet connection, a webcam and a microphone.

For more ways to help engage your students and improve your classroom, feel free to contact us at Labyrinth Learning.