There are a myriad of reasons adults return to school. Some are planning a career transition, others need new skills or certifications to advance and still others enroll in courses for enrichment, development and to study subjects of personal interest. Whether it has been one year, ten years or even forty years since you were enrolled in college, there are a number of steps you can take to ensure you’ll be successful in your new endeavor. 1.       Sign Up for a Non-College Class If you're nervous about sitting in a classroom or dealing with homework and assignments again after all of these years, you may want to consider signing up for a non-college/not for credit course in your area as a trial. Many community colleges and local libraries offer classes that cover a variety of topics. If you haven’t been to school in awhile, taking one or more of these courses can help you re-familiarize yourself with homework and assignments, and help you gain confidence in your ability to succeed before you enroll in courses for credit. 2.       Think about your learning style As students, we all have our own type of learning style.  Our learning style defines how we take in, understand and process information and it impacts our ability to problem-solve.  Most of us have more than one learning style, but there is often one dominant method that we relate to more than the others. There are three main primary learning styles; Visual, Auditory, and Tactile. (To learn more, visit Ed4Online’s blog: https://ed4online.com/blog/what-your-learning-style#sthash.I4poYtcy.dpuf) 3.       Find the best program for you As you are making the decision where to attend college, take the time to research what resources each institution offers non-traditional students. Do they offer part-time, full-time and/or online curriculums? Are you interested in a multi-year program or an accelerated, shorter program? Are there ways to earn college credit from prior learning or life experiences by taking an exam? Are there student centers, discussion forums or events to help bring non-traditional students together? Which program will best meet both your career goals and personal needs? 4.       Network With Other Non-Traditional Students Going back to school can be overwhelming for anyone at any age. Seek out other students in similar situations as yours; whether on campus or in your course’s online discussion boards or chat rooms. 5.       Seek out resources Online searches, MOOCs, the local library or even school websites often offer refreshers on proper writing format, research methods and more. Take the time to bring yourself up to date on the proper way to complete assignments so that you’ll receive the best grade possible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if the material is not sinking in. Take advantage of every opportunity to grow, learn and develop. Attend help sessions with professors and other students, whether online or in person. 6.       Approach school assignments as if they are work assignments Those who have been in the workforce are familiar with deadlines, and developing plans of action to reach them. Schedule enough time to research and complete the assignment so that you allow yourself ample time to edit and rework if necessary. 7.       Make your education a priority. Taking courses as an adult can be difficult. We often have jobs, families, and other obligations all vying for our time. It’s important that you make coursework a priority and schedule time to study and complete assignments. Remind yourself why you are enrolled in courses; whether it’s for personal enrichment or to create new or better job opportunities - take the time necessary to apply yourself to your coursework! Ed4Online has valuable resources built into our programs and curriculum to help ensure student success. We have skilled Educational Consultants on staff, we offer an Online Student Center as well as Career Coaching. Visit us today to learn more about the Ed4Online difference! Sources: http://www.howtolearn.com/2012/07/best-ways-to-get-yourself-ready-to-go-back-to-college-after-taking-a-few-years-or-many-to-work/ http://blog.online.colostate.edu/blog/value-of-education/re-adjusting-to-academic-life-study-tips-for-adults-returning-to-college/ http://blog.studentadvisor.com/7-tips-help-adult-learners-go-back-school/        

This week we are proud to introduce you to Kristy Rolen. Please read the letter below to find out more about Kristy and the amazing work she does with Ed4Online. "My name is Kristy Rolen and I work with Student Services managing the Online Student Center.  I graduated from Taylor University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work with an emphasis in statistical research.  I have been with the company for about a year now.  My job is a perfect fit for me because I enjoy helping others use technology to improve their life. One of my professional goals is to continually learn new ways to engage the online student by providing practical tips and tools that allow them to be successful. I recently celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary with my awesome husband, Terry and we have 3 kids that range from college freshman to 5th grade.  This fall we will experience the bittersweet feeling of sending our oldest off to college. One of my personal goals will be to readjust to life with 1 less child around as well as learning to parent a young adult. One of my favorite quotes says that "Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain".  Most times our biggest life lessons come from our struggles.  Difficulties in life make us a stronger and better person. My tip for students would be to learn to embrace the difficult aspects of your life. The more we resist the tough areas of our life the more stress this will create.  Embracing difficulties gives us power because when we own our struggles we also own the solution. It is a privilege to serve the Ed4online student community.  See you in the Online Student Center! Kristy Rolen"        

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced its 2015 Best Websites for Teaching & Learning at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference held in San Francisco in June of 2015. AASL's annual list honors internet sites that "foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation and collaboration".  Four of the top Media Sharing websites selected by the AASL in 2015: 1. Tackk: Ridiculously Simple Creation + Sharing According to Google, Tackk is "prime edtech for your blended-learning classroom". Educators can use Tackk to create, collect and review assignments for their students and share lesson plans with fellow teachers. There is no software to download, no login required, and no design/development skills needed.  Students can use Tackk to create robust reports — complete with text, links, photos, graphics and videos — within minutes! Even better, Tackk automatically saves content, and that content can be shared immediately with teachers or via social networks. https://tackk.com/ 2. PearDeck PearDeck integrates seamlessely with Google Classroom, so Google Apps for Education (GAFE) users can get started easily! The creators of PearDeck state that "Learning happens when we think and grapple with problems on our own. Learning also happens when we collaborate and share." Which is why Pear Deck brings them both together. With PearDeck you can: 1. Plan and build an interactive presentation deck directly from your Google Drive. 2. Launch a live, interactive session on a projector. 3. Ensure that every single learner joins the live session and participates on his or her device. https://www.peardeck.com/ 3. Soundtrap Use Soundtrap to create music online. You can plug in your own instrument, use the software instruments available in Soundtrap or record a song directly with your computer microphone. Soundtrap works on Mac, Windows, iPad, Android tablets and phones, and much more. Everything is stored in the cloud allowing you to start, edit and collaborate on your recordings wherever you are. With Soundtrap you can share the music making experience in real-time with others! https://www.soundtrap.com/ 4. Appsbar Appsbar is a free mobile app builder and is free to all app builders and app lovers. This website contains user friendly instruction, video tutorials and offers tech support. Create highly functional and individualized apps that are ready to be published in popular app stores. Appsbar apps can be made for almost any operating system. Start building your free mobile app today! http://www.appsbar.com/ At Ed4Online, we love to stay up-to-date on the latest in education and share that information with you! Stay tuned for future blog posts where we discuss some of the other sites and apps that made the list, or, to read the complete list of AASL’s 2015 Best Websites for Teaching & Learning please visit: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/06/aasl-announces-2015-best-websites-teaching-learning          

This week we continue with our Ed4Online Staff Series - sharing our fantastic team member's stories and backgrounds in order to allow you a glimpse of the people and talent behind the Ed4Online brand.  The following letter is from Dr. Laura Quinn, an integral part of Ed4Online's curriculum design team. "I have been working in curriculum design with Ed4Online for almost two years. I currently work as a senior curriculum designer with the Health and Human Services (HHS) courses. I have my Master degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and my Doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. I worked with clinical populations and in non-profits for many years as a therapist and program manager, but my love has always been training. My research was in leadership development and continued education, and my doctoral focus was in organizational development. I find that training and design allows me to blend my love of cognitive science, neuropsychology, and being creative. My husband is currently serving in the Navy (active duty). We have two children and a retired greyhound. In my spare time, I love to read, sketch, knit, run, hang out with my family, and spend time exploring what each new location we live in has to offer. In the coming year, I plan to brush up on my cognitive psychology as it applies to learning and continue to build my design skills. The best thing about watching my kids learn and develop is that I get to watch them enjoy making new connections between knowledge and have those wonderful "aha" moments. We never stop having those. Our brain is an amazing organ capable of continuous growth and healing. Because of my love for neurology, my tip for students as they approach new or challenging endeavors is to use your brain to its full capacity." "Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."  ~ Francis of Assisi   Ed4Online's staff is hard at work bringing you the latest in-demand course offerings. Please check out our course catalog and see what's new today! https://ed4online.com/            

Prove it from Strava on Vimeo.

There is so much Physics and Geometry in all instruments. Cool stuff!

Click HERE to see the instructions on how to connect your devices to the AHS Wireless.

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

Quadrilateral properties: Quadrilateral Properties

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