Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Is the Future of School on a Chromebook

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Is the Future of School on a Chromebook When I was growing up, it was all about “Apples in the classroom.” Then, while I was in college, every student had to have access to a PC and connected printer so our term papers would be legible. If you’re a school-aged child today, though, chances are you’ll interface with Google hardware before you ever hear the words “Apple” and “Microsoft.” My husband grew up in Norwalk, CT, and according to Dian Schaffhauser at The Journal , this school system currently provides a huge number of Google Chromebooks to its students. Ralph Valenzisi, chief of technology, innovation, and partnerships in Norwalk, told Schaffhauser that he needed the devices so students could take the Smarter Balanced online tests. “We also wanted to move to a cloud-based computing platform that would deliver applications and provide a 21st century learning environment allowing creative thinking, collaboration, and communication among students, while giving them access to whatever they need,” he said. “Since most teachers were already using Google in their pockets, the Chromebook was the easiest tool to move forward with.” A 2015 Futuresource Consulting study found that Google Chromebook sales now account for more than half of all devices sold for U.S. classrooms (not including the still-ubiquitous desktop computers), up from less than one percent in 2012. The Chromebook device has a built-in keyboard and cloud-based storage. Why the sudden takeover? “Chromebooks have the perfect value proposition for education: Theyre easy to manage, secure, can easily switch between users, and are cost-effective,” Forrester analyst J.P. Gownder told CNBC’s Harriet Taylor. “Plus, a great deal of educational content and software has been optimized for Web-based delivery.” Case in point: Google Apps for Education is an easy solution for word processing, presentation building, and spreadsheet development. Chromebooks are also very lightweight and hard to break. Compared with similar devices, they are also relatively inexpensive, and their software allows teachers to offer learning plans that are tailored to a diverse range of student abilities and requirements.The only issue with the Chromebook (and it’s a fairly big one), is that functionality is limited and students often get stuck because the device can’t perform as, for instance, an iPad would. Printing is one major area that has proved cumbersome for Chromebook users. Up to this point, if a child wanted to print out a document, they had to send it to a parent or teacher first. But fortunately, my partner Xerox has a new solution that may just save the Chromebook’s efficiency. The Google Chrome store now offers the Xerox Mobile Print app, which, when it comes to printing, immediately turns the Chromebook into a standard mobile device that students already know how to operate. The app lets students send their Chromebook docs to any printer, even the old, laser jet ones that might be sitting in the office. School districts purchase access to the Mobile Print cloud server, and with basically the flip of a switch, tens of thousands of students have access to the app. The districts, in turn, can set policies for security, accounting, and tracking so they can restrict access where necessary. In a digital world, why is it so important for students to be able to print easily? Obviously, assignments, lesson plans, and tests sometimes require it. But there is also a psychological component, which a MediaPlanet article describes well. “Imagine a student spending hours on that well-crafted report or project â€"and the pride experienced when seeing the fruits of their labor in printed form or when receiving the proverbial gold-star of approval from their teacher. Equally, many parents still want to proudly display their child’s handy-work on their fridge or at the office. None of that is possible without paper.” In short, the future of education appears to be on a Chromebook that’s connected to mobile apps like the one offered by Xerox. I’m looking forward to seeing how this trend develops!

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Obama Has His Cabinet in Place -- Do You

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Obama Has His Cabinet in Place -- Do You As Barak Obama begins his first days in office, he'll be surrounded by trusted advisers.Before he makes a decision, he's likely to consult members of his Cabinet. He'll probably ask their opinions on everything from foreign policy to domestic issues. In the end, of course, the final decision will be his. But he will make that decision based on input he's received from people he trusts and respects.So, who is in your Cabinet?You may think you don't need a trusted group of advisers. After all, you're not the president of the United States, and may believe that it's a luxury reserved for world leaders.Not so. In fact, no one may need a Cabinet today more than the average worker.That's because times are tough. It's hard not to be pessimistic about the future, or at least concerned that your portfolio has taken a huge hit and no raise or bonus is on the horizon. But with a Cabinet in place, you not only can do a better job of keeping difficult times in perspective, but you can have in pla ce people to advise you when times are bad -- and good.Who should be in your Cabinet? Well, let's consider who Obama has chosen. Some descriptions that come to mind: Smart, savvy, experienced and diverse. His advisers are not wilting lilies -- and Obama has reportedly encouraged them to be true to themselves and offer their unbiased opinions.That's exactly what you're aiming for with your Cabinet: Smart, savvy, experienced and diverse. Now, let's look at how you put a Cabinet together:* Make a list. Think of those you've worked with in past and current positions, or others you've met through various professional functions. For your Cabinet, it's best to steer away from personal friends and family members. You want people who are more concerned with what's best for you professionally, rather than just becoming emotional about what happens in your career.* Don't rush. Putting together your Cabinet won't happen overnight. You need to carefully consider each person, and the strengths a nd experience they can offer. And, you need to be able to offer something in return. You're not a monarch -- this is supposed to be a relationship that is beneficial for them as well. Perhaps you'll be a Cabinet member for them or be able to offer valuable contacts or help when needed. If you don't think you can offer reciprocal benefits, you may need to consider someone else.* Who has your back? In the working world it can often be tricky to know exactly who to trust. A person may say they have your best interests at heart, but actions speak otherwise. When looking for a Cabinet, think about who has covered for you at work without whining about it. Or, the person who gave you a heads up about a new project that you might like or the person at another company who alerted you to a great new job that was opening up. Your Cabinet members should be supportive of you, and show they have your best interests at heart.* Always assess your Cabinet strength: If you put a Cabinet together and then discover that someone isn't really contributing, it's time to cut your losses and find someone else. Don't be ugly or unprofessional about it -- just tell them that you've learned a lot and probably won't need to be calling on them as much in the future. Remember: You never want to burn bridges with professional contacts.* Be realistic. Your Cabinet isn't going to do your work for you. That's still your responsibility. They're in place to give you advice, to act as a sounding board and to give you their honest opinion whether you're doing the right thing or headed for disaster. Don't abuse their talents and don't take them for granted. Make sure you always offer something of value in return, and you and your Cabinet will go far in the coming years.What are some other considerations for a career Cabinet?Social BookmarkingLijit Search

Im too sad to write a title

Im too sad to write a title When you tell your friends, in disbelief, about this post, you will say, Shes liveblogging her nervous breakdown. I am doing that. Because I dont know what else to do. The problem with blogging while you are having a nervous breakdown is you can never work again. The problem with not blogging while you are having a nervous breakdown is you have to hide things. If I weren’t blogging, I would have such a long list of  things to hide. For example, even though my  son got into Juilliard, hes not there now. We cant afford it. I cant navigate trains because I cant read numbers. And I cant drive because I cant predict the direction things come from. And taking a car to and from Juilliard is $500. I couldnt pay that every week. And then there are cello teacher politics. I cannot write anything about that because all the cello teachers would hate me. I have not said any of this. For one thing, every time I have tried to explain not being able to travel, people think Im lying or not trying. People think Im being a pain. That might be true. I cant tell anymore. It is a social skill to know if youre being a pain. I know for sure people are really sick of me. And that I am ruining my kids’ lives by not being able to deal with the people my kids need. The higher the stakes, the more trouble I cause. So, right now, my son is leaving. My cello son.  I have tried so so hard. But the cello world is all social skills. I think about the hierarchy of life. I think about how could I be failing so massively right now? But its taken so long for me to completely fail, I haven’t totally noticed. I am the frog unaware that I’m boiling. I think about when there were no kids, and it was just work,  it was me and men. Work is mostly men. I worked almost exclusively with men for most of my adult life. The career world is very competitive â€" and most women arent. Women are collaborative. But its a different story in the mom world. The social skills you need to navigate cello moms are at a level I have never experienced.   I cant even begin to talk about how incompetently I navigate this. The cello moms who know me well would be incredulous to hear that I spend most of my waking hours trying to figure out how to make them like me â€" or at least, how to make them not hate me. They would probably tell you it looks like Im not trying at all. Looking back now, I think I was barely holding things together until we moved to Swarthmore. My biggest issue is abandonment. So, it doesnt matter to me that the farmer was abusive.  I cant get my head around abuse, anyway. The only thing that matters to me is that he cut me out, overnight, with no warning. I was so overwhelmed. I couldn’t work. Some days, I was nearly catatonic. Any energy I had I thought should go to the kids. So I did not make very much money. Sometimes I did. But mostly, I didnt. And as the kids required more and more of my time, I became even less and less able to earn money. I cashed out stock from one of my companies to catch up on bills. I feel so alone. I dont receive child support. No one helps me financially. Sometimes, if we dont have money for food, Melissa sends money. There have been times when we have been stranded somewhere and I have had to ask her for $20 for the Uber to get home. Its not that Im not able to earn money. Its that the nonstop pressure of a cello kid and a kid with Asperger’s and me with Asperger’s and me being the only one making money and me being the only one taking care of the kids  is all too much. And I think I started to shut down. I tried to tell people I couldnt keep going. But I guess people think Im incompetent and irresponsible and largely a lost cause. I used to tell myself, “My family doesn’t know how bad it is, but if they knew how bad it is, if I told them how bad it is, then theyd help. So, Im OK. I have that. Then there was a time I called my brother from cello camp. I told him I was going to be arrested if I didn’t pay the hotel bill. The policeman was standing right in front of me. I asked my brother if he could pay the bill. He told me not to ever ask him for money again. I thought to myself, “Im looking at six more years of taking care of the boys and no one will help.” We dont really have money. I dont know how to describe it. People who are very close to me can see how expensive cello is. But on top of that, I dont always know what is important and what is not important. I spend money where I don’t have to and then I dont spend money where I should. So everyone tells me I spend too much money and I make terrible money decisions. But its very hard to get good advice about money when its about parenting. Or maybe everyone is giving me good advice and Im not hearing it. That could be. I decided people are right and I moved the boys to be right next to the cello teacher. I sleep in the closet  in a two-bedroom apartment with mice. No more travel expenses. Theres still not enough money. Once, I said to my son, You have to practice cello every single day, even on the days when its hard. Thats what makes you a great cellist. He replied, Mom. Cant you just accept that sometimes Im having a hard time? When theres nothing to eat but crackers, I dont tell you to try harder to make money. I know you work your hardest. Thats when I realized the boys know everything. Or maybe I already knew. I guess it just hurt. I am telling you this so I don’t have to hide from my shame. Im telling you everything. Because right now I am trying to cope with the fact that my son has to leave. I have failed him. Hes leaving tomorrow. He has to go somewhere where someone can help him become the cellist he wants to be. The history of memoir is writing after its done. There is redemption. People only tell horrid stories in hindsight. I guess I don’t totally understand why people dont talk about sad things that are happening as they are actually happening. I think it might be because its like cutting the lifeline you could use to pull yourself out. But do we have to hide to have a lifeline? Im not sure. I will find out.

Becoming a LinkedIn Groupie - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Becoming a LinkedIn Groupie - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Most professionals and executives know that LinkedIn can be a powerful career tool. But, like a hammer, it does you no good if you dont pick it up and use it. Leading up to a talk I will be giving on LinkedIn as a Career Advancement Tool later this month at Kennesaw State University, I am in the middle of posting several articles in a row which are intended to help you get more out of the LinkedIn site. In my last two posts, we looked at how to improve your LinkedIn visibility, credibility, and connect-ability  followed by five tips for developing your LinkedIn strategy. In this post, lets dig deeper and examine how you can leverage the power of LinkedIn Groups. But Richard, you ask, why would I want to join a LinkedIn group? Feel free to contribute more. Here are some reasons you would want to join Groups: You want to be more visible to recruiters and others in your industry or profession. You want to post questions or comments and get reactions or ideas from others. You want to be able to find others who share your interests in a certain industry, profession, etc. As of this writing, you can join up to 50 groups. Are you in (or interested in) the healthcare industry? Then you might want to join one of the medical device, medical billing, healthcare executive, hospital, doctor, practice management, electronic medical records, pharmaceutical, or biotech groups. Are you in (or interested in) finance as a professional specialty? Then you might want to join one of the finance executive, financial planning, treasury, private equity, venture capital, Sarbanes-Oxley, or accounting groups. Are you an alum of a university? Are you an alum of a major corporation? Are you interested in hobbies or volunteer work? You get the idea. How can you find all these Groups? You can identify groups of interest by typing keywords into the search bar at the top of every page. Suggested contact names, groups, etc. will populate below your entry and you can click on any one you like to navigate to it. You can also move your cursor on Interests at the top of each page and scroll down to select Groups to navigate to a page that will show your current Groups, suggest additional groups, and allow you to create a new group of your own. Assuming you find several groups and decide to join, here are some things you need to know to make your experience more pleasant and productive: When you join a group, click on the italicized i in the upper right and then select Your settings just below. This will take you to your Group settings page where you can choose, among other things, to turn on or off announcements, group leader communications, other member communications, etc. If you join a lot of groups you will want to turn most of these messages off. Post information you consider useful for members of the group by typing information into the Start a discussion box. This is a way of giving back. Respond and contribute to postings as another way of making new contacts and contributing to the group. Click on the Members tab and search for members by title, location, keyword, etc. This is a great way to identify people you want to get to know. Click on Jobs to see job postings from members of the group. As mentioned in Chapter 13 of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!), The #1 career question advanced LinkedIn users want answered is “How can I leverage LinkedIn to improve my career networking results?” Having a knock-em-dead profile is a good start on LinkedIn, but it is only a start. Getting more connected and active in LinkedIn Groups can take you further and increase the career and business  benefits you can derive from . What do you think? What have been your experiences with these? Gil C / Shutterstock.com

Simple Cover Letter For Resume Mistakes

Simple Cover Letter For Resume MistakesThere are several simple cover letter for resume samples available. However, many of these examples seem to present job applicants with either overly enthusiastic or too negative reactions towards the document. Here are five common mistakes that job seekers often make.* Many applicants are afraid to send the letter to someone other than the job applicant. Therefore, they attempt to copy the letter exactly as it is presented, leaving out vital information. This could create a highly unprofessional impression on the employer and may even bring their business elsewhere.* The letter does not mention the company's name. Job seekers should tell the reader who they are, their contact information, and why they should be considered for the position. After all, this is the part of the application where applicants need to be 'known' to the employer. They do not want to give them the wrong impression, and they certainly do not want to be overlooked.* The le tter provides no links or evidence of previous work experience. No matter how compelling the cover letter for resume may seem, it must first be well-written and factual. No one will take any of the information provided with any seriousness, if it is not in the right format. Include names, addresses, phone numbers, and proof of employment.* The letter lacks proper grammar and spelling. Bad grammar and improper spelling are often signs of an amateur writer. People who have little experience in writing tend to use bad grammar and spellings, especially when they are trying to impress the employer.* The cover letter for resume is filled with buzzwords and other jargon. Everyone loves to learn about the company they are interviewing with, and people who apply with grammatically correct documents that clearly state what they are looking for do not often succeed. Use the correct terms for the company and their industry, and avoid slang or other nonspecific terms.* The resume is not signed b y the applicant. If the person has included his or her own contact information in the cover letter for resume, they should include their full name and contact information when they submit the application. Then, in order to ensure that the employer receives the application, the employer will call the applicant directly to confirm their application and verify the letter's authenticity.These mistakes, when compounded, can lead to rejection, even if the application was properly prepared and correctly executed. Because employers do not like to be rushed or pressured, they will most likely notice these mistakes immediately. In the end, the applicant will not be fired but rather let go.

Facebook to Usurp LinkedIn for Career Networking - CareerEnlightenment.com

You probably have your patterns as well. In the future, (2-3 years) this type of posting will simply not be sufficient to help you network into your next position.The problem of having a separate and professional network, isolated from your personal network, is solved by Branchout. But, some of your best connections are going to come from your personal network.The three biggest changes you will need to make with how you use Facebook will be:List segmentation: recently Facebook created three types of connections, Close Friends, Acquaintances and Restricted. Restricted connections will only see posts you designate as Public.Rethink your posts for content and distribution: most Facebook users don’t even know what their default wall post distribution is set at. They just post whatever and not think about who can read it. From now on, think about who the post will go to. You can change the privacy setting for each post. It’s a good idea to post to Public once a week at least.Who you a ccept as friends: Some people accept everyone who sends them a friends request. Other people are not comfortable accepting just anyone, and reject requests from non-close friends or non-family. But with changing expectations, both approaches are flawed.When you accept a friends request, add them to the appropriate bucket, Close Friend, Acquaintance or Restricted. For people who accept anyone, this will allow you greater control over who can see what. For people who don’t accept many friends, this will allow you to accept more into your network without danger of you sharing too much personal information. Don’t worry, no one sees what list you put them into.So don’t wait for Facebook to officially become a professional networking tool. The facts indicate that it already is. And most people haven’t accepted this, much to their detriment. So start using Facebook for professional networking, and you’ll see some amazing results.

3 Ways to Have More Wins in Your Career

3 Ways to Have More Wins in Your Career “Are you winning today?” A former colleague liked to ask this question every time he saw me. He probably just meant it like, How are you doing? but it really threw me off because I had always thought of winning as a zero-sum game. It was like a competition and I didn't really like keeping score. So, this question was unpleasant for me and I never knew how to answer. Fast forward to now, I've come to see that win is just another beautiful three letter word like “joy”. What's changed is I’ve adopted an abundance mindset. When you've got that abundance mindset you can see winning as a real positive. In fact, we can all win. It's not a case of one person wins therefore another person has to lose. When there's abundance, we can all win. And in fact, our life, work and careers are even better when we help each other win. There's no limit to how many wins any one of us can have. When there's abundance, we can all win. Our life, work and careers are even better when we help each other win. There’s also no size or scale requirement for what constitutes an important win. Big wins are terrific and can be used as an energizing way of predetermining your goals for the year. But just as big wins are important, there are also three other kinds of wins that are equally important. 1. Small Wins Small wins are the kind of wins that can lead to bigger impact and broader implications later on. For example, a small win could be that a new client you've been calling and calling and calling, finally calls you back. That's a win and an indication that your relationship with them is going places. Or it could be that you get a compliment from a director. Or it could be that you win over a colleague who’s been difficult in the past. It’s important to celebrate these small wins and to appreciate the fact that they're small now, but they're going to pay bigger dividends later. Celebrate the small wins. While they're small now, they can pay bigger dividends later. 2. Easy Wins Think of easy wins as the low hanging fruit. An easy win could be something super simple like saying “hello” and smiling at everybody that you meet during the day. It's a positive habit that tends to improve relationships and results while making you feel happier too. Or it could be getting in the habit of sending very short two-line emails to your manager to update them so they'll always know what you're doing. That way, they'll have some material to brag about you or brag about the team. Who knows? This could even turn into one of those small wins that has a really big impact later. 3. Early Wins Early wins are really helpful because they help you build momentum and confidence. Especially as you're gearing up toward those big wins for the year, getting those early wins helps win over sceptics and gives your supporters positive things to say on your behalf. Look out for and use those early wins to build confidence for yourself and for your team. Key Takeaways What to do with your wins: Celebrate the small wins Act on the easy wins Be on the lookout for the early wins so you can bank some of them quickly Celebrate the small wins. Act on the easy wins. And be on the lookout for the early wins so you can bank some of them quickly. Set yourself up to win! If you want to have more small wins, easy wins, and early wins on your way to those big wins then join me for the Career Masteryâ„¢ Kickstart 2019 Summit. Over ten days, 50 experts are going to share their very best tips and actionable advice so that you can start getting results and wins for yourself. Here are a few wins that people have had as a result of the Summit: After implementing two Tips, I was asked to take on more leadership with more pay.â€" Phil O. I was able to implement the Tips that day, and once I began applying them, I was able to take charge on two major projects. I feel like more of a leader and more confident in leading other people.â€" Alicia S. There’s every reason this could be you too. In fact, why not you? Join me and 49 other career experts for Career Masteryâ„¢ Kickstart where we’ll share all kinds of useful Tips, tools and strategies to advance your career, including how to have more of those small, easy, and early wins. Join Career Masteryâ„¢ Kickstart 2019 â€" registration is free! In the meantime, are you winning today? Remember, win = joy! What small win will you celebrate today? Leave me a comment and let me know.