By Eric Weinstein, author of Labyrinth Learning’s Excel for Accounting and Payroll Accounting
Continue reading Effectively Teaching an Excel for Accounting Course
Tag Archives: technology in the classroom
Student Engagement in Online Classes
By Pat Hartley, author of Labyrinth Learning’s QuickBooks Online
Join us at one of Our October 2014 Educator Conferences
At Labyrinth Learning, we aim to transform classrooms by providing materials that make it easier for instructors to teach, and easier for students to learn. If you’re interested in learning more about our mission and the steps we are taking to achieve it, consider attending one of our 2014 Educator Conferences.
We are going to be attending several conferences coming up this fall. Find the one that’s nearest to you, and make plans to attend today.
- October 12th – 13th: Hot Springs, Arkansas
- October 15th-17th: Acme, Michigan
- October 23rd-25th: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- October 30th – 31st: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- November 6th – 9th: Baltimore, Maryland
- November 20th – 23rd: Orlando, Florida
At each of these conferences, we will have a display set up and knowledgeable staff present to answer all of your questions about our software and learning programs, and how they can benefit both you and your students. Take the time to read about Labyrinth Learning’s growth over the last few years, and look over some of our materials. You can also order review copies to see for yourself whether our materials are the teaching solution you’ve been looking for.
Conferences are a great way to spread new ideas and rehash older ones. We’re happy to be a part of these events. You can see our 2014 Educator Conferences schedule on our website. Contact us if you are interested in giving our materials a try or to learn more about our mission.
Enjoy Teaching With the FastCourse Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is a tool that is not only commonly used when giving presentations in the classroom, but also out in the business world, which means it’s incredibly beneficial to learn the program. Trying to learn it on your own can be a difficult task, especially since PowerPoint has countless features that can be used. This is why the FastCourse Microsoft PowerPoint 2013: Level 1 textbook is so helpful.
The level one version of this FastCourse Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 textbook is perfect for introducing students to the PowerPoint software. It allows new computer users who want to get a decent grasp of PowerPoint to learn beginner-level PowerPoint skills. There are a number of topics covered in-depth within the textbook, including:
- An introduction of the software’s Ribbon interface
- How to use document themes
- How to create bulleted lists
- How to create outlines
- How to format text
- How to print presentations
- How to create transitions
- How to use clip art and graphics
- How to do slide show delivery
- How to use charts
The textbook teaches these topics through 4 lessons that uses a step-by-step and skill-based approach so that students can learn the program as quickly and easily as possible. Once the student becomes well versed in these beginner topics, they can move on to level 2 for learn about PowerPoint’s more advanced features.
Find out more about the FastCourse Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 textbook, as well as our other software guide textbooks, by contacting us at Labyrinth Learning today.
Using eBooks to Prepare Students for College
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.
The Bright Future of Technology in the Classroom
You know it better than anybody: college students can be very persuasive when they choose. And if you feel as though they’re pulling you along on the rising tide of technology in education, at least you can be assured that they have a good point, because technology usage in the classroom will become even more important in the future.
For now, you may be persuaded to allow your students to bring their smartphones to class to look up vocabulary words and translations, or in some cases, to take pictures of classroom notes and presentations. You might call this simple acquiescence; other colleges put a formal name to it: Bring Your Own Technology to School Day. Students also might be taking notes on their laptops, designing projects in Prezi and using the Smartboard to demonstrate just how adept they are at using technology in education.
In the future, when technology is further brought into the class, students might:
- Collaborate regularly in real time with students across the globe, using Skype or a similar service.
- Take a visual tour of a foreign country via a webcam, microphone and, of course, a reliable Internet connection.
- Trade their laptops and tablets for wrist-mounted computers.
- Take the extra step of having a computer chip implanted on their person so that they are literally wired for global connectivity.
Labyrinth Learning can assist you in helping students embrace technology in education, and become confident learners along the way. Contact us for more information, today!
Image Source: freedigitalphotos
How the Digital Age Has Impacted Education
Every generation sees a shift in its perceptions about education. The advent of the digital age just makes this observation all the more evident. Here, detailed below, are some of the changes that a computer-oriented society has manifested for our children:
A Distributed Network – It is no longer necessary to show up for class in the literal sense when a student can just log in and attend a MOOC (massive open online course). The internet is just bursting with opportunities along this line.
An Emphasis on Skills – An increasingly technological workplace requires an ever more tech savvy workforce. This means that the skills necessary to navigate the Internet and the computer world will be in greater demand as the technology expands.
The Face of Traditional Colleges is Changing – Online courses are growing at a shocking rate, and as we look to the future, we may find more students taking lessons from the comfort of their own homes instead of the lecture hall. The students of the future may even be able to choose courses from multiple institutions from across the globe.
For more information on this and other advances in technology in education, please visit us at Labyrinth Learning. You will always find us online or you can reach us anytime at 1-800-522-9746.
The Effect of Technology on Education
In a world of rapidly advancing technology, it can be difficult to sort the useful benefits of tech in the classroom from the distracting noise of marketeers. Of course, for every example of social-networks causing trouble in schools, there’s a story of a self-taught go-getter utilizing Internet resources for something beautiful. Just like in any era, our status-quo has its problems and dilemmas, but embracing technological solutions for educational issues should be lauded as the solution, not the problem.
Many teachers are already using technology in education to reach more students, to communicate better with students, to demonstrate complex-concepts to students, and to inspire students to do more with their potential than they ever thought possible.
A major aspect of their success is properly choosing which technology is best for their specific situation. However, any teacher who tries their best to introduce their students to the latest technologies rather than seclude them in the darkness of last decades textbooks and documentaries is having a positive impact.
Technology is and always has been a tool; finding the right way to wield it is just as important as the difference between using an axe to build a home and using an axe to wage a war. For example, when trying to get students to work together, some teachers realize that they are already connected via popular social-networking sites that have options to share data and insight as easily as selfie-photographs and gaming invites.
If you have an active interest in utilizing more technology in education for your students, contact Labyrinth Learning!
Image Source: morgueFile
How Technology is Changing the Landscape of Education
In ancient times, a centralized university or library was the sole source of education for everyone in a given society. If you wanted to hear a lecture, you had to be physically present when the teacher spoke. If you wanted to read a book, you had to do so in the library itself. If you missed something, you could only go on your own intuition and the guidance of your peers.
However, today, with multimedia recording technologies and the rapid spread of information, any lecture, book, or educational concept is only a Google search away. Brilliant teachers are quoted on Facebook, shared on YouTube, and lauded on Twitter. If someone desires to learn, there is nothing in their way other than an imperfect Wi-Fi connection.
It’s no surprise that low-cost Internet-based educational opportunities are stealing students from traditional university environments. However, the best-of-the-best longstanding universities are embracing this technology in education, including Princeton, Yale, MIT, and Stanford who all offer Massive Open Online Courses utilizing the Coursera platform. These unique classrooms offer the same information available in a standard college format, but make them readily available to the masses.
Even still, as technology in education continues to become more important, expect the university of tomorrow to look nothing like what we see today. If you plan to be a part of the ongoing technological revolution in education, please contact Labyrinth Learning today to see how we can best help you change the way you impact the world.
How to Pick the Right Technology for Your Classroom
With the boom of education technology (or ed tech), there are now more solutions for the classroom than ever. It’s great to have plenty of tech options to choose from, but it can also be confusing instituting them in a class.
The next time you find yourself wondering what solution to pick, simply view the situation from your students’ point of view. What will they find interesting and engaging? What will motivate them to study harder? What will they find easy to use?
Remember that even though ed tech is steadily growing, using technology in the classroom is still not fully mainstream. Some of your students may find it challenging to transition from traditional methods to tech solutions, so it’s advisable to anticipate what their concerns will be.
Also, don’t forget to check if the tech solution you’ll pick actually addresses the needs of your students. It’s easy to be impressed by sleek designs and cute graphics, but it takes close attention to determine if a tech solution serves its intended purpose.
To discover more ways to make learning easier for your students, visit us at Labyrinth Learning and drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!