Working From Home as a Professor

Professors that work in traditional settings sometimes need to work from home. Also there are professors that are teaching online education courses that also need to work from home. Here are some ways you can make sure you get your work done.

The key is keeping distractions to a minimum. You may want to start with making sure you are not in a room where a television set is so you become distracted with an engaging program that may be on air. If the space you live in is rather large, you can always keep the television on in another room for when you take breaks.

Try to make sure you have call display on your home office telephone. This will make sure that you can answer important calls, plus avoid unimportant calls that may be from people such as telemarketers for example. This will also help to keep your productivity high.

Make sure you keep a clean and organized space. This will help you to get the most work done. As well, to guard against any technical difficulties on the job, you may want to invest in an external hard drive so you can transfer documents from your desktop and/or laptop just in case your computer may crash. You can also e-mail important documents to yourself where you can have the opportunity to create virtual storage space of your files.

Keeping Your Office at Home and Work Organized

A professor needs to have an office that is organized to stay on top of all the work you need to do.

One way of making sure you keep your office at work organized is to make sure you do keep a lot of papers and assignments hanging around. Take the time to neatly organize these assignments and file them away. One way you can avoid dealing with paper at all is to maintain a paper-free assignment policy with your students. If you use e-mail to have students send you their assignments and mark it using tools in Microsoft Word, this will make sure that you do not have a lot of paper to deal with in your work.

Another way to make sure you are keeping your work environment organized is to make sure your keyboard is clean, as well as the telephone and anything else you may share with other professors. Even if you do not share these facilities, it is still a good idea to keep them clean.

At home, make sure you empty out your waste basket and give a good sweep to the floor of your home office. It is ideal to have home office space, or to at least designate an area as your work space. Make sure you keep all documents organized and file – it is extremely useful to have a filing system and cabinet in your home office, as well as something like this at work.

Getting an International Experience Online

There are ways of traveling the world, right from the convenience of your chair in front of your computer at home.

If you are interested in studying abroad without paying the plane fare (especially with rising oil prices), you may want to consider studying at a school abroad online. Australia is a country that has many of these types of programs.

Griffith University is one of them. You can study online to achieve higher degrees, however you may need to go to visit the school to do a residency requirement if you are doing a degree such as a PhD. The University of Western Sydney is another university where you can such an experience as studying abroad from home. Charles Sturt University is another option, however with this one you may not need to do a residency requirement in order to do a PhD.

The possibilities will become more and more endless in the future as more international universities begin to offer courses online so they can reach students from around the globe. If you are interested in such opportunities, take the time to do your research. You may even have opportunities on the campus where you are presently at to find out about studying abroad programs that you can actually do online. Some of the advantages are that you can still continue to lead your life in your hometown – not missing out on a family, a girlfriend or boyfriend, and your friends. As well, you can make sure your existing contacts will help you to get viable work and spend some of that money on higher education that will help to advance your career.

Making the Decision to Go Online

Walden University has recently come out with a report that Hispanics in the United States are attending their university in droves.

The Hispanic population in the United States is greatly underrepresented when it comes to higher education. Schools such as Walden University give underrepresented groups the opportunity to still obtain higher education and to improve their chances in the workforce when other more traditional institutions may not. There are some good and bad points to this kind of thing.

Walden University is an accredited online university, however does not have the same kind of credibility as a school such as Harvard, Cornell or Columbia. Sometimes in academic circles and in the world of work, the school you graduated from is just as important as the degree you receive. Do schools like Walden University actually make it possible for underrepresented groups to get a foothold in the world of work?

Well, apparently it seems as though it does. Many Hispanics are choosing schools such as Walden because it is giving them a greater advantage in the workforce. As online universities such as Walden become increasingly more credible over time, which is likely to happen, the stigma of studying online will start to go away and schools such as Walden will be seen as a viable alternative to schools such as Harvard.

Managing a Classroom

It is sometimes rare to get a classroom that behaves perfectly. There are always those few students that are having side conversations while the professor is speaking. These are some of the things you can do to make sure you are managing your classroom well.

Sometimes the hard line approach actually can work. By letting students know you will not put up with their disruptive behaviour, this makes the classroom a better learning environment for all students.

Some ways of dealing with the noise levels are the stop speaking until the room has quieted down. This tends to be an effective method that works, without the professor needing to shout.

Another method that tends to work is let the students know that if they are going to make noise in the class...you would prefer they do not show up. If they are going to be disruptive, perhaps they should not show up to class at all if they would rather chat about such things as Facebook.

Another method to ensure that your classroom is orderly is to make sure that you have a participation or a professional conduct mark as part of your class. Make sure to keep track of those students who seem to constantly be the noise makers and make sure you penalize them at the end of the class for being so disruptive. Make sure at the same time that reward those students to actually come to class to learn.

Marking Guidelines for the College Level

Marking can be one of the toughest things that a professor has to do. I have some guidelines that I go by that have been suggested to me by other professors:

You cannot mark all levels of different subjects the same. In general I stick to some basic rules that help depending on the level I am teaching.

If it is a first year class, I generally allow about three to five errors in a written document before I start to deduct marks for grammar, spelling errors and punctuation. Especially at the beginning of the course when many of the students may have come out of high school, I try to make allowances that they are still learning how to write. I do not tend to completely re-write their text, unless there are some major problems. I try to keep in mind that not everyone writes the way I do and that I should let their individuality and creativity shine through their assignments. They are not in school to learn how to write like me, they are there to learn how to write their best.

If it is a second year class, I generally allow only three errors at a maximum before I start deducting marks.

If it is a third year class, I allow about two errors. For a fourth year class I allow one. If the class is a post-graduate certificate class, I expect flawless copy and will start deducting marks at the slightest error of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

I find this to be a fair way to do my marking. Other things I keep in mind when marking is to make sure I am really impressed with the work. If I am really impressed with what the student has done, generally they will receive A standing. If I think they could have put a lot more work into the story or written work, or audio assignment...they receive lower marks.

Technology Tips for Professors to Students

To get students set up on a blog, these are the sites I would suggest:

http://www.wordpress.com
http://typepad.com
http://eblogger.com
http://blogger.com
http://www.squarespace.com
http://www.thoughts.com
http://livejournal.com
http://blogcrowds.com
http://www.vox.com/

These are just a few. There are many, many more.

Podcast Instructions:

A podcast is an audio file sent to the web. You probably already know this. Here are some sites where students can get podcasts going:

http://www.wordpress.com - students may need to pay extra to upload really large files, such as documentaries
****The same goes for all of the ones above

There are other sites that will allow you to upload large files for free:

www.podbean.com
www.podomatic.com

This one may be for a fee:

www.podcast.com
www.podango.com

There are podcasts for just about every major mainstream radio station from the BBC, NPR, CBC, RCI, FAN590, CHFI, etc…

Video Blogs or Video Podcasts:

Video blogs are when students would do a commentary piece, a talk show that is more casual – anything appropriate for student work and/or the nature of the web. Every site I have listed at the top will give a student the ability to upload video onto their blog. As I have mentioned before, there may be an added fee to support the high megabyte size of these files.

Video Podcasts – these are more professional pieces of work put to the web. Either check out or show these two websites are doing Internet TV, and essentially on-going video podcasts:

www.dex.tv
www.therealnews.com/t/

If you would like to see a multimedia online magazine that I have created through Wordpress.com, check out http://kakonged.wordpress.com. There you will find blogging stories, pictures, podcasts, video blogs and video podcasts. I highly recommend you start one yourself if you can find the time so you can show it to your students. It is tremendous fun and I know you would really enjoy it.

More on multimedia magazines...to create an online .pdf copy of a magazine here are some sites:

http://www.joomla.org/
http://drupal.org/
www.xanga.com
http://www.uniflip.com/

Design Information:

If you want a really unique design for your site…here are some sources where if you have some money…you can get it done:

http://www.doodlebuddesign.blogspot.com/
http://wp-design.org/
http://www.wpdesigner.com/2007/02/19/so-you-want-to-create-wordpress-themes-huh/
http://wp-design.net/
http://wpdesignblog.com/
http://wpdesignpro.com/
http://fleuron.com/?gclid=COaX3_W9npsCFSgYagodyRJ3Bg

This list is always developing and growing.

Key to Teaching is Organization

When it comes down to planning a course in education, the key is organization. Here are some tips to make sure you are ready for the upcoming academic year:

The first step in keeping organized when it comes to teaching is to make sure you have read the course textbook. If you are finding you are really crunched for time and perhaps have only found out that you can teach the course at the last minute, try to at least read the first five or six chapters of the book. Chances are you are teaching the course because you are already familiar with the course topic. Once the course has started, you can concentrate on making sure that you read the entire textbook. I find this to be helpful because when you are using the textbook as a discussion point in class, you will be knowledgeable of what it covers.

Once you have done that, you can start planning the course outline for the class. In some cases, you may already receive a course outline from the coordinator of your program. If not, then make sure you follow the guidelines of the school to plan out your week by week breakdown of what your classes will entail. This will help you to be really organized and to know what to plan for. As well, if you do this early enough and would like to have a special guest speaker come to class, or plan a class trip, you will be organized enough to make sure this happens.

The next step is start planning your individual lesson plans, week by week. I do recommend you do this all before the class starts. This will allow you to have more time to mark during the semester, as well as to take on more teaching projects if the opportunity arises. If you have a full-time job and are only teaching one course, preparing your lesson plans in advance will help you to manage your workload. If you are a full-time professor, planning your lesson plans in advance could give you more time to work on outside projects, such as publishing, attending conferences and professional development that are also important to the academic working experience.

Using the News as a Discussion Point in Lectures

Sometimes for a professor it can be hard to find a way to bridge the gap between the theory of a textbook and the reality that goes on around us. The news is one way to do this.

Finding a way to tie in current events to a lecture and interesting points of reference is a wonderful to get discussion going in classrooms. Most students would keep up to date on things that are going on. This is a collective knowledge that can be used to stimulate discussion.

Some of things that are really hot topics right now include Barack Obama winning the democratic nomination in the United States. This historical event is something that really should be discussed in classrooms. In general, the United States is better at discussing such points in the classroom, whereas in Canada, professors tend to shy away from discussing politics, with the exception of political science courses and classes.

Journalism classes are another arena where important current events are discussed are often tested as part of the curriculum. Another way to make sure students are aware of current events is to have them do assignments linked to real-life situations that are occurring in the news. This will help them to understand that the world around them does count in the classroom, plus as citizens it is their duty to be aware of the news.

Educating Yourself With Music

Music is such a marvelous thing that there are so many ways to educate yourself about it.

Outside of taking a music appreciation class in your high school, college or university...the first step to educating yourself about music is just by listening to the radio. This is something that many people start out with when they are young and they start to develop a sense of what they like and do not like about music.

Many times our musical tastes can also be influenced by our parents. The kinds of music they play in the home will always have lasting memories for us.

Once you get older and if you would like to save money on acquiring a musical collection...a great way to do so is to borrow CDs from the library. The library will tend to have some of the best music you can find. Sometimes the rare music you enjoy that you would like to have, you would need to buy that...however this would still lower your costs.

Now a days, many people are also downloading music. This is definitely an option too since some sites are legal so that you can actually pay per song.

Getting an understanding of music, even getting to the point where you take advantage of music classes to learn how to play an instrument, or continue to play music through private lessons is so important. A very important reason why understanding music is good for educational purposes is because those people who have a firm grasp of music tend to do better in their math, science and even language abilities. This will help any student to be well-rounded. If you are looking to enter university or college...this can also help you to receive the highest grades to get into the school of your choice.

Tips on Keeping Healthy While in School

There are many ways to make sure that you can avoid the sleepless nights studying before an exam and getting wired on coffee. Here are some tips on how you can stay healthy while you are in school:

· Being organized is key. Time management is a huge part of this. You can make sure that you do not pile on too many tasks such as school and work by making use of people on campus who can help you with time management
· When an assignment is given to you, start working on it right away. This way you can make room for other things you want to do too
· Make sure you make exercise a part of your life. Most campuses have gyms and exercise rooms and working out is a great way to make sure you can handle all the stress of the school year
· If you live on residence, try to avoid going for the dessert counter in the school’s cafeteria. If you do this, you may find the figure you had in high school is nothing but a memory by time you finish your first year
· Always make time for a good night’s rest. This goes with keeping organized where if you make sure you factor in your time to do assignments in the evenings or on the weekends, you will make sure you will get a good night’s sleep

Professional Development for Professors

Professors receive many perks of their jobs such as free books, extended vacation time and paid vacations to conferences. One of the things that become a vital part of professor’s work that is often volunteer work to improve their skills is professional development.

Professional development can take on many forms. It can include becoming acquainted with new technology that the school is offering that helps in teaching, such as electronic podiums, to understanding the Blackboard or grading system that helps a professor to manage their course.

Many schools keep track of the number of hours a professor will spend in professional development. Sometimes the professional development can also include teleconferencing networks with other schools to learn new software such as Adobe, or even go away on a retreat to learn how to become a better teacher. These opportunities are excellent for any professor to take part of and to improve their skills.

When a new professor starts at a school, there is often an orientation session that makes it possible to understand the particulars of their college or university at a faster rate. These orientation sessions are also a terrific way to network and get to know the other professors, coordinators and chairs on campus – as well as the all-important support staff and administrative staff.

Value of Summer Vacation

Students and Professors can get a lot out of the summer vacation whether they choose to do school or take the time off to earn money or travel. Here are some of the ways the summer vacation is of value:

· For students that may have failed a course or not received the grade they desired in the fall and winter semesters, they have the chance to upgrade in the summer – this could be pivotal to reaching the coveted status of graduation
· For students that would like to fast-track their education and finish earlier, going to summer school can be the perfect way to speed up the process towards graduation too
· For professors looking to earn extra money – teaching in the summer is the perfect way to go about – perhaps they want to gain back some of the money they lost from paying high taxes
· For professors who have had a busy year of marking and preparing lesson plans, as well as teaching itself, the summer can prove to be an excellent rejuvenation time
· For students who take the summer off school, the summer can prove to be an excellent time to travel or earn money to pay for tuition for the following school year
· Especially for professors working in professional programs at colleges and universities, or an extremely research-orientated school – the summer can prove to be an excellent opportunity to catch up on projects and research interests, as well as writing work and other professional activities
· Students can use the summer to boost their resume and do school-related projects such as co-ops, internships and paid work to help them obtain a job after graduation
· For those students nearing graduation, the summer can prove an excellent time to plan for future endeavours such as going to graduate school, looking for ideal places to work or choosing travel destinations

Either way you look at it, there is a lot of value in a summer vacation.

Differences Between Undergrad and Graduate Degrees

There are many advantages to obtaining higher education at the graduate level. Here is some information on what makes graduate degrees different from an undergraduate degree.

· Unlike undergraduate education, graduate classes tend to be smaller in a more seminar-style format
· Depending on the school you go to, you will probably be highly encouraged to attend conferences and write papers for academic journals to build your academic portfolio, especially if you are planning to do your PhD
· Again, depending on the school, graduate work at the master’s level, as well as most of the time at the PhD level is funded – this is quite different from undergraduate work
· There will likely be the opportunity for you to be a teaching assistant or teach a class on your own when you are in graduate school
· There will also be likely the opportunity to do research with one of the professors when you are in graduate school
· Many times you work on a thesis which would be about 100 pages at the master’s level and about 300 pages at the PhD level – this is intense research that takes some time and you will have an advisor to help guide you through it
· When you are doing master’s work, your completed thesis will most likely need a committee to review it and you would need to defend your thesis, unlike undergraduate work
· The same that was mentioned above, also happens at the PhD level, however in a much more intense situation
· When you reach the PhD level, your thesis has to contribute original ideas to the world of scholarship
· The work at the PhD level is much more intense than the work at the master’s level
· There is also the opportunity to do these kinds of graduate degrees online, however they are not yet fully accepted in academic circles if this is the kind of work you would like to do - teach

Tips on Going After a Graduate Degree

If you are looking at doing a graduate degree after your undergraduate education, here are some things you should know:

· Most schools will closely look at your last two years of undergraduate education to determine whether to admit you into the program. This means you would need to plan well ahead of time and make sure that your marks and motivation is extremely strong in your last two years of your first degree
· If you do not have A grades to help you get into a master’s degree – try making sure that you have a strong cover letter and statement of intent. Research the school thoroughly to know that your interests of study match the school. Do volunteer work and make sure you have exceptional work experience and academic references. All these things can really help a B student get into graduate school
· When it comes to scholarships, it is important that your grades have been really spectacular throughout your undergraduate degree. If you are having any problems in writing your essays, make use of the writing centres on campus. If you think you need a tutor to keep your grades at the top – make use of them, there are many of them out there. This is the way you can make sure you can receive the funding that is needed to go to graduate school
· In places like Ontario, Canada, there are such scholarship programs such as the Ontario Graduate Scholarship where if you can win this based on your grades, as well as get funding from the school – you could make an extremely good living just by doing your graduate degree
· Another thing to keep in mind is all the other scholarships that are available for graduate school. The United States has many of them and more and more so does Canada. You may want to use your graduate degree as a way to discover a new city or country – it is an excellent opportunity to do so
· Make sure you contact the school and make a connection with the faculty there. If you could pre-arrange who your advisor is, this will help to ensure entry into the graduate school that is your first choice

Good luck with getting into grad school.

Dealing With Students That Have Disabilities

Some professors find dealing with students that have disabilities difficult, however, I have found that many times they are students that excel extremely well in the classroom:

If a student is mature enough to recognize that they do have a disability, it can actually be something that works for them, rather than against them. The special tutoring and extra help they can receive outside of the classroom can go a long way in their success in school.

Most professors actually have to make many allowances in their grading scheme for students that have disabilities. This helps the students to do their best despite the challenges they face.

In my experience, I have found students with disabilities that are serious about school and truly want to exceed to be really no different than other students that have the same mind set. They hand in exceptional assignments and for those that are responsible they do not abuse the special privileges they have as a student with a disability.

At many of the schools I work for, the student needs to show you a form from the office that deals with handling students with disabilities to indicate to you that they have one. They are allowed more time with their assignments, for grading to be more lenient and other special privileges depending on the disability. If you are a young person or even an adult with a disability that is thinking of going back to school and you think your disability is holding you back – it really does not have to. You can still succeed in school despite your disability.

Science Education

It is important to make sure that science education is not left behind in the development of education.

Schools such as the University of Toronto are not receiving enough funding for their scientific research that help to find a cure for cancer, for heart disease and for a host of other diseases.

More funding needs to go towards education in general, but especially to the field of the sciences that at times can be highly under-funded.

Corporate Education

More and more professors and teachers are asked to do training sessions in the corporate world.

Corporate education has been going on for a long time. There is always a need to upgrade staff on skills such as computers, administration policies, creativity and all kinds of workplace functions. There are even professors that exclusively teach in the corporate world.

Another way of accessing the corporate education market in a place like Canada is through schools that are privately owned. This kind of education is seen as a more corporate way of teaching, compared to working for schools that are partially, if not completely government funded.

Professors make good money at these schools. Two of them that come to mind are Herzing College and Everest College, located in Toronto. There are many of them throughout Canada and the United States. A professor working at a private college can make about $40/hr. for a 40 hour work week.

When a professor goes into a workplace to train professionals on how to do their job better this also sets the stage for the potential for in-house employment on this level too. Sometimes a trainer may be brought in to do diversity workshops as one example. This diversity trainer may be kept on in-house for a length of time to ensure that the objectives of the training have been met.

10 Most Popular Culinary Arts Programs

Looking to make cooking part of your career? There are many terrific culinary arts programs throughout North America where you can turn your flair in the kitchen into a profitable lifestyle choice.

George Brown College has one of the most reputable culinary programs in Toronto, Canada. Many of its graduates have gone on to work in some of the most famous kitchens in Canada and around the world, as well as opening their restaurants. In many of your favourite restaurants you will find a George Brown graduate who either owns it or works there.

Humber College is another school with an excellent culinary arts program. Located in the outer limits of downtown Toronto, the students get a chance to test out their culinary skills at many of the great eating places right on campus. This brings real life experience before they hit the job market.

If you are interested in studying culinary arts in the United States, there are a number of schools that offer associate's degrees. They are:

● The Art Institutes
● Atlantic Culinary Academy
● Scottsdale Culinary Institute

Coming back to Canada, the Globe and Mail has listed the Vancouver Community College as having one of the most popular culinary arts program in the country.

If you are looking to study in the capital city of Canada, Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute offers a comprehensive program with many terrific restaurants from cultural backgrounds around the world to work in after graduation in the city.

For major American cities, the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts offers a program in how to become a chef. In New York, The French Culinary Institute at the International Culinary Center. There are so many great restaurants in a city like New York, with a culture that likes to go out to eat, there would be no end to places where you could work after graduation and also finding employment would not be a problem. Chicago is another city where its residents like to go out to eat and Kendal College Culinary Arts School in that city would be a great place to learn the art of cooking.

Montréal, Québec with all of its varied restaurants and being like New York and Chicago where many of its residents enjoy going out to eat, you can study at the Pearson School of Culinary Arts in Lasalle, Québec. This school has also been featured on the public broadcaster's CBC Montreal.

10 Most Popular Tourism Programs

There are so many tourism and hospitality programs to choose from and it is definitely an exciting field to go into. Here are some of the most popular ones.

The University of New Brunswick has a strong tourism program where you can learn everything you need to know to work in this industry. Considering that tourism in the Maritimes is picking up each and every year – there would be no better place to do your education than a school like the University of New Brunswick.

The province of Saskatchewan is another place in Canada where tourism is picking up and the market is strong. At the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology they have an interesting tourism program that will allow you to work in that province, or any where in Canada.

Seeing the popularity and interest that many people all over the world have in the Aboriginal culture of Canada, the Native Education Centre in British Columbia offers Aboriginal people a chance to enter the tourism industry and to enter a field where they can share their culture with others.

Toronto being one of the busiest tourist attractions in Canada, George Brown College has a excellent tourism program that attracts many students each and every year. It is an extremely popular program.

With the Discover Ontario advertisements that play throughout Canada, it is not just Toronto where chances to get into the tourism industry exist. Canadore College in North Bay offers a great tourism program that is so popular that they have people traveling from other places around the world to take the program.

Again in the Maritimes, the Nova Scotia Community College offers a tourism program.

As well, in the western part of Canada, there are so many tourism programs to choose from. The College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, British Columbia offers a terrific tourism program. So does SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, Alberta.

If you are looking for a fun and interesting tourism program that is a little different, you may be interested in the University of the Fraser Valley that specializes in adventure tourism. As well, moving back to Ontario, Fleming College offers an ecotourism and adventure tourism program in Haliburton, Ontario that is a program that answers to the needs of our changing planet.

10 Most Popular Health Care Programs

Whether you want to be a dentist, a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist or any thing related to the health care field – these are some of the most popular health care programs in North America.

At many of the ivy league schools in both Canada and the United States is also where you will find the most popular health care programs. Many future health care professionals know that if they have a degree on their wall that is coming from a highly regarded school, this will improve their chances of being able to garner the best business and work in the best places in health care field.

McGill University is one of the top universities in Canada for studying medicine. Located in Montréal, Québec, the competition to get into the school is as competitive as all of these schools that will be mentioned.

The University of Toronto is another school with an excellent reputation when it comes to studying medicine. Again, the competition is rough and top marks, as well as strong experience and references are needed.

McMaster University has a terrific reputation when it comes to its medical school. Their medical school is also quite unique because they will also accept exceptional students that did not study pre-med before entry into the medical school. This gives people who have studied in another field such as psychology or even in the humanities a chance to pursue a medical degree.

The University of Calgary also has an excellent medical training program with a top-notch reputation.

York University is developing a medical school, however their nursing program has a strong reputation. As well, Ryerson University and Humber College also have reputable and popular nursing programs.

Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada also has a strong nursing program. Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario also has a good nursing program.

The University of New Brunswick has a strong nursing program and the University of Waterloo, back in Ontario can prepare many people looking to get into the health care field, as well as Wilfred Laurier University near by.

In the United States, there are many reputable institutions for doing everything from nursing, dentistry, optometry, medical school, pharmacy and many other fields in health care. Here is a list:

● Columbia University
● University of California at Berkeley
● Georgetown University
● Harvard University
● Princeton University
● Yale University
● Cornell University
● Northwestern University

10 Most Popular Design Programs

Design is such a fascinating field of study and it can be hard to find the best school to study at. Here is a list of the 10 most popular design programs in Canada. There are actually a few more than 10 because it was so difficult to narrow the list down to just 10.

The Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) focuses exclusively on everything having to do with art and design, as the name states. OCAD for short has one of the best reputations in the province of Ontario, Canada and has produced graduates that you can find in every field of art and design. From painters, to sculptors, to graphic designers to interior designers, OCAD produces some top quality people and has some extremely famous faculty members, well-known in their field. The school is developing so much, they also have advertising programs and master's degrees. There has been some discussion about the school also offering a doctorate degree in a number of years.

York University's Fine Arts program has a reputation that is international. This school offers terrific programs in design and extremely strong designers have graduated from the school that can be found all over the world.

Ryerson University situated in the heart of downtown Toronto also has a strong design program. Moving over to the west part of Canada, the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in British Columbia has a great reputation throughout the country and has produced some excellent designers.

Keeping to the west part of Canada, the Banff School of Fine Arts have some superior design programs that are highly respected in the industry. The Banff School also offers special summer programs that have just as strong a reputation as their longer term programs.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology is another place that has a popular design program. If you would like to study a design vibrant city such as Montreal, you may want to choose Académie internationale du design inc. or Dawson College. Not far from Montreal in Ottawa is a design program at Algonquin College.

Heading out east, there is a design program in Halifax at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Toronto has many excellent design programs at Centennial College, Durham College in Ajax (not far from Toronto), George Brown College, Humber College and Seneca College on York University's campus, also known as Seneca@York in the School of Communication Arts.

10 Most Popular Media & Recording Arts Programs

There are so many terrific media and recording arts programs in Canada and the United States that are popular – it is hard to know where to start. There is a list below though.

Carleton University has one of the oldest and most respected media programs in Canada. This program has produced graduates that are in areas of media all around the globe. Some its notable graduates include the late Peter Jennings.

Concordia University in Montreal also has a strong media program that has such notable graduates as Jeannie Lee with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Scott Laurie with CTV Newsnet.

McGill University in Montreal also has a great reputation with many of its graduates working all over the world. Their strength lies in the communication programs at the graduate level.

Ryerson University has an excellent media program and in most places in Toronto, where Ryerson is located, you will find a graduate from Ryerson.

Centennial College in Toronto also has a really strong media program. They have developed some excellent journalists that are working in all parts of media and PR practitioners that are working all over the world. They are also about to start a sports journalism program beginning in January of 2009.

Humber College has a really popular media program. Their graduates go on to terrific success all over the world.

Guelph-Humber University is still a relatively new school, however has an excellent media program that has everything from public relations, image arts and journalism. Their graduates are starting to make a foothold in the field of media that proves that the school is here to stay.
mailto:Seneca@York
Seneca College at York University and in the School of Communication Arts has an excellent program that focuses on broadcast journalism. They also have a summer institute that has a strong reputation. One of the more notable graduates of their program is Melissa Grelo on CP24 with Rogers. They also have a strong independent music production program, as well as a fairly new independent digital photography program.

Sheridan College also has an excellent media program that tends to produce animators that work in such places such as the United States for Disney.

Simon Fraser University is a more academic type of school when it comes to media. Many of its graduates become well-respected scholars in the area of media and communications.

The University of Regina also has a great reputation when it comes to media education. Some its notable graduates include the award-winning journalist Rita Shelton Deverell of Vision-TV.

King's College at Dalhousie University has a fantastic reputation and many of the journalists working throughout Canada, as well as in the Maritimes are graduates of that school.

Ottawa University also has a strong media program. Algonquin College also located in Ottawa has a media summer institute that has a terrific reputation.

For French-speaking schools l'Université du Québec à Montreal has an excellent reputation for producing journalists that work in French.

Plus, back in Ontario, Durham College in Ajax has a strong media program.

Some of the more notable American schools include:

● Columbia University
● Northwestern University
● University of Missouri

How to Start Studying Abroad

Studying abroad is an excellent experience – if you get the opportunity it is worth it in so many ways. Here are some tips on how you can start to plan for studying abroad.

Many schools have an international centre where you can inquire about studying abroad. Most schools also have links with certain universities around the world where you are able to study there. For example, the University of Toronto has a link with a school in Florence, Italy where you can study architecture and design. What a terrific experience this would be for anyone.

As well, there are certain campus based travel agencies that will give you the opportunity to study abroad.

Going on a student exchange is another option for studying abroad. You can organize this through your school and check your school's course calendar for more information.

As well, there are schools such as Seneca College that bring international schools on campus so students can find out about their options to continue their studying through travel and learning. Make use of these information sessions and when school representatives are on campus, ask as many questions as you can and find out all the information you need.

Once you have made the decision to study abroad, you will need to make sure you have the necessary health shots that may be needed depending on what area of the world you will be studying in. You will need to arrange accommodation – it is always recommended to live on campus until you get to know the city. As well, make sure you have your passport and other information in order.

Most Interesting Campuses in Ontario

Ontario has some of the most beautiful campuses in the country of Canada. Here is a quick description of some of them:

Queen's University located in Kingston is a picturesque town with a campus that is charming. You can actually see the ivy growing on the university and it is relatively easy to maneuverer your way around the campus.

The University of Toronto undoubtedly has one of the most beautiful campuses in Canada, and yes in Ontario too. Located in the centre of downtown Toronto, the Bata Shoe Museum is close by, plus the Royal Ontario Museum and the Textile Museum. There are great places to eat that surround the entire campus and some parts of it even have cobblestone.

York University's campus is also beautiful and changing all the time. With its large quadrant that has a grassy knoll, plus a waterfall, it is huge space that has some elements of the old and the new. Just over to the south of the campus is Seneca College that also has many elements of a new design and is a building that displays its strength in understanding technology.

One of the lesser known universities in Toronto, however ones that are extremely interesting include Humber College and Guelph-Humber University. These institutions which are joined actually resemble the Pearson airport that is not too far away. At Guelph-Humber they have a wall that is filled with leaves and foliage right in the atrium. It is absolutely gorgeous for anyone who has the opportunity to see it.

Ryerson University on the other hand is like a modern village in the heart of downtown Toronto. With so much going on around it, it is amazing to think the students there actually get an opportunity to get any studying done. With its proximity to the Eaton Centre, as well as great restaurants, jewelry stores and a newly formed square close to the Hard Rock Café, there is so much going on there that it would be hard for a student looking to take a break to be bored.

Another interesting campus is Centennial College at Pape and Mortimer in Toronto that used to be the old teacher's college. That school also used to be the location where the world famous “Degrassi Juniour High” series was filmed. If you look at the show, as well as look at aspects of the school – you can easily identify some of the classrooms and location scenes from the show.

Is Journalism Education Becoming Obsolete due to Citizen Journalism?

It seems as though anyone can pick up a video camera, a microphone and start a blog today and call themselves a journalist. What does this mean for journalism education?

Journalism education does not have a long history. Actually the first journalists, such as Ernest Hemingway were not actually trained in journalism. Journalists like William Zinsser were not trained in journalism either. Journalism education is a fairly recent phenomena especially in places such as Canada, where Carleton University was the first journalism school back in the 1940s. Before that, the newspaper men and women who delivered the current events were trained in other areas.

It seems as though things are coming back to those early days. The Internet is drastically changing the access that anyone can have to producing journalism. This is known as citizen journalism. Ordinary citizens are starting to pick up video cameras, a microphone, and start blogs, as well as posting information on YouTube to get their voices heard – just like journalists. In many ways this is a good thing, however – does it continue to make journalism education relevant?

I would argue that journalism education is still relevant. Many of the successful blogs that exist today are actually about mainstream news events. This shows that the mainstream news, filled with journalists that have graduated from such schools as Carleton University, Columbia University, Northwestern University and Ryerson University are still being put to good use by adding to the blogosphere. As well, because we still live in a paper driven society where the credentials one has are extremely important in landing paid work, journalism education continues to be important for the purposes of people with interests in the media to find and keep a job. It is a reality that many people who have their own blogs do not make a lot of money from it. It is possible, although people like Matt Drudge of the Matt Drudge Report are more an exception rather than the rule.

The Internet can actually be used to help improve the level of journalism education. There is more information on the web about what journalism is about and understanding media – this information can be used by professors to make the classroom a more vibrant place.

When it comes to journalism education and getting a job in journalism, it is also important about the contacts you have. Going to a credible journalism school ensures that you will have access to people who can help you to find a job. This is something that will surely help journalism schools not to become obsolete.

When I look back on my own journalism education it was one of the best things I could have done. Most people that get into journalism do so because they want to write. Going to journalism school gave me the chance to do this and make my mistakes while I was in school so I could perform better in the job market. I received many opportunities while I was school, such as traveling to Germany, Belgium and Holland and co-producing a documentary that is now in the library of the city where I went to school. Producing that documentary helped me to be involved with other documentary projects. Just being at the school started a long working relationship I had with the public broadcaster in my country where working there was like an education on to itself. Later, when I went back to school for a graduate degree, this is what helps me to know about journalism education today and to work in the field, as well as media in general. I teach at the college level and am able to continue working as a journalist to keep current in the field.

A journalism education is important, however, it is true that for anyone that has talent they will do will in the field. Many times this talent can come through work experience that can be honed by doing citizen journalism work. Equipping yourself with a studio environment right in your home can make a difference in getting your name known and out there, making all the difference in the world when you do apply for a job in mainstream or even alternative media.

I teach at a number of schools and have taught at a number of schools in the past. I have seen great success coming out of the students I have taught. Success levels higher than what I have heard from people who did not go to journalism school. Even people that went to school, however did not study journalism is still a viable option for breaking into the field. Many people do become successful this way too.

In conclusion, I would say that although citizen journalism, web based journalism or Internet journalism is a huge phenomena that is challenging the meaningfulness of mainstream media outlets, many mainstream media outlets are actually combating this situation by “jumping on the bandwagon.” Places such as CBS plans to have many of their programs go online so they take advantage of the power of the Internet. The real answer that journalism schools need to do to find a solution to the challenge of citizen journalism is to make sure they are offering courses and programs that answer to the power of the web. Their students must be prepared to work in the virtual world and prepare to potentially receive employment that is completely web based. This is future, things will not change any time soon.

Does Online Education Pack on the Freshman 30?

Distance education can be seen as quite a sedentary act. If you are sitting at the computer for hours on end, without any exercise...this could be something that could help someone put on weight. Even for people who go to school that is not online, reports have shown that many young people are gaining 15 pounds from eating cafeteria food in their first year at college or university. What happens if you are studying by correspondence? Does online education pack on the freshman 30?

Many students who are young people and older people who chose to sit at their computer to take their courses lead busy lives. Many times their reasons for not physically going to college or university is because it is simply more convenient for them to study and to take classes from home. They have the advantage of being part of a social network with education at its focus. It is easier to squeeze in the time to do the lessons.

Many of us also know that as we spend a lot of time at home in front of the computer, it is much easier to reach the refrigerator, order a meal or take time to cook a meal. The urge to get hungry could happen often and there may be no one around to manage our eating habits. A student who studies from home could be eating just as badly as some of the food in the cafeterias on the campuses of colleges and universities all over North America. The virtual campus is accessible by computer, plus a bag of Doritos to munch on while you are doing your homework. Doritos, added with too many servings of Kraft Dinner, plus some french fries ordered at Swiss Chalet could end up doing more damage – if coupled with inactivity. At least the freshman student on a college or university campus gets the opportunity to walk around.

The question still remains unanswered though. Does online education pack on the freshman 30? At the end of the day and at the end of your semesters, that may be more a question of how active virtual students are in their lives when they are off the computer. Are they making time to go to the gym? Are they taking time to have breaks so they can go on walks? Do they have children that are helping them keep fit by having to chase after them? Do they work in physically strenuous employment? Are they meeting with other online students to study the course material? Is the act of typing alone an exercise more physical than it is mental?

With these questions answered by each student who is studying over the Internet, it would be easier to determine if online students would actually gain more weight than students who actually have to get up and go to classes. I will attempt to use my own experience as an example.

When I was doing my undergraduate education, I lived a fair distance from the school. It would take about 40 minutes to walk there one way. Due to the fact that I did not have a lot of money when I was in school, I would walk to school to save on bus transportation costs. So I did receive exercise walking to and from school. This was different from when I was in my first year of university when I lived on campus. At this time, I avoided eating the cafeteria food and lived on Hickory Sticks and Skor bars in fear of gaining weight. I would walk through the tunnel system and spend as much time walking as I could. I also spent a lot of time in the first semester going out dancing at clubs in a city not far from the school.

In my second year though, and subsequent years, I would walk 80 minutes a day, plus work out at the school gym. This kept my weight down low. As well, when I was in graduate school, my weight was higher than it was in my first experience with higher education, however I would still take time to exercise.

Studying online is similar to working many desk type jobs. Once I got into the world of work, I would spend a lot of time at the computer and exercise became less important to me. I have found over the years that a lack of exercise is one reason why I am not even close to the weight I was at during my school days. I would imagine that the same would happen to a student who was studying through distance education and lived a non active lifestyle. Perhaps it would be possible to gain more weight through the experience of a virtual classroom compared to studying on a campus.

OK, now it is time to discuss solutions to the potential of packing on the freshman 30 through a web course or program. Now that the problem has been presented, it would be important for anyone who is studying in a virtual classroom to also make sure they are doing physical exercise. It would also be important to make sure your food choices are healthy ones, because everyone has to eat – at least most of us. Choosing fresh fruits and vegetables, versus a bag of Doritos or Lays would be the first and obvious choice. Reducing one's amount of coffee intake to a maximum of one a day would be ideal for your health. Coffee is known to stimulate all kinds of things such as diabetes. If you cannot dream of living without coffee, try tea instead. There are so many varieties out there, I am sure whether it is herbal tea or black tea, you would be sure to find one you like. As well, it is important to minimize the amount of meat you eat. It is always better in general and as a rule for even ruling out illnesses such as cancer that you try to choose fish and chicken over beef and pork.

I know these things are hard to do. I am hardly saying I am perfect at it myself even though I know what are the right things to do. Truly the key is exercise. If you can at least get a half hour walk in every day, and I mean on the weekends too, this would really help you to be healthier. If you do not enjoy walking, you can always choose an exercise that truly suits the kind of person you are. As long as you are keeping active...this is the key. This way you can prevent putting on the freshman 30 and continue to have the convenience of studying online.

The Advice Show Airing Tonight on VoicePrint

Along with Bridget McDonough, I will be on air tonight though VoicePrint. Here is the link:

Enjoy!

Online Book Clubs

Yesterday I had a lot of fun sending out email invitations to people to join me on some online book club sites. Some of them have already joined and it is a great way to keep in touch with people, as well as to promote my books.

I am also working on getting in touch with the Library Service of Canada so I can have my books distributed through a wider library audience. I feel really excited about this because I have wanted my books in places such as the Toronto Public Library, the Ottawa Public Library and the Montreal Public Library system for a long time. As it stands now, I have my books in Seneca College's library system and a documentary in the Ottawa Public Library.

For a writer to get their books in the libraries is a wonderful thing. Plus, these online book clubs are a terrific way to get and stay connected with some people that you normally may not contact. Things are looking good.

Have a great day!

How to Write Creative Non-fiction

How to Write Creative Non-fiction by Donna Kay Kakonge

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Excellent book. Donna Kakonge has many more that can be found at: www.donnakakonge.com.


View all my reviews.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

It’s after the rain on a Sunday afternoon in May in Toronto, Canada. It’s 20 degrees in Moscow and another siren goes off – heading north. I never know where it’s going but it makes me uneasy. I smoke and I often pray that the firefighters don’t have a reason to visit me.

On the railing of the brown balcony part of my apartment there are modules of water. The air is fresh and feels good for my lungs.

I’m in love with a monk. I’m in love with someone who doesn’t really like to be outside. I’m in love with someone who doesn’t listen to me because a part of him thinks I’m a dumb kid. He also listens really well and inspires me. He’s 49 and I’m 32.

I went to a funeral three weeks ago for my Uncle Al. He died from Alzheimer’s and diabetes. He fought in WWII. When I was 15 he told me on a golf course in Barbados that I had the “gift of gab.” Obviously he saw something in me I didn’t see in myself. I’m good over the phone. Good in small groups and one-on-one, but my presentation skills still need to be fine-tuned.

As I pick some grit from my nails I ponder on what else to do for this Sunday afternoon I dreamt about in winter. It is spring, the trees are in bloom – I have looming problems, opportunities and romances. The television is on to keep me company and keep me informed with Newsnet. The pen to paper is my form of intimacy. It’s my old-fashioned digital masturbation.

There goes another siren – shorter this time. It’s time for me to inside and smoke and be alone. Trying, trying very hard to learn to love myself.

Dropouts – poetry

When I first started working in radio I had a lot of dropouts
Poor reception of radio quality on the reel-to-reel
I would bike down to the CBC building on Front Street with my red Yakota bike
That bike was “stoked”
The saddest thing was a light being stolen
Why can people be so mean?
Why do I still remember?
It still happens today
Nine times I’ve worked with dropouts as a teacher and maybe I’m stealing their lights
I only hope the young will beat me in the race, I want them to be rich, I want them to feel worth $10 trillion CDN
I hope that money will be worth a lot globally at least to the end of the invention of the bicycle
That day may have already come.
My bicycle was stolen when it wasn’t locked outside my apartment building on Rue Bryan in Montreal
I bought a red Wheeler with my former sweetheart and brought it with me to Montreal – I left my cat Enid behind in good hands with a woman I used to work at Radio Canada International
The Wheeler sits outside my house unlocked
No one has stolen it for 12 weeks now
It’s time for it to come inside that the weather grows cold
The wheels are flat and need to be replaced
The squirrel who sat on it backwards didn’t mind though
I wonder when science will discover a way to teach squirrels how to ride bikes
Then maybe they could be put to work

Running a Business During the Recession

There can be disadvantages and advantages to running a business during a recession. I have found some promising things happening, as well as some not so promising things as well.

Due to the fact the recession does exist, I am finding it hard for my writers to actually get paid for their work. I feel bad about this because I was really hoping with my advertorial business model that all of my writers would receive an income. So far, although it has been about a month, this is not the case.

The promising news is that there are writers out there who are willing to work on a volunteer basis and this still creates fresh content for my online multimedia magazine Donna. I also plan to dip into my own funds and to transfer some of my VHS content into digital format so I can upload it onto the magazine. This way I can take advantage of the fact that I have been given the opportunity to include video material and to also have a more updated version of my documentaries and video stories.

So far, it also looks as though I will not be getting more work with Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber for the time being. This is unfortunate because I had really depended on that income, however it is a good thing that I diversify my work. I still do have work with Seneca College, Centennial College and Trebas Institute - so I do not have to feel economically stranded.

My books are doing well. I managed to sell some during the month of May. I am hoping that sales will pick up even more this month. My Roxanne seems to be selling especially well. I also plan to start working on a new book this summer. I was going to work on a book called Story Ideas, however I found that I was not satisfied with what I had and would like to polish it some more. I may change the content of that book and actually turn it into a book of short stories which is something I am interested in writing again.

So...that is my latest update of my business efforts. I am managing to survive during this recession, however I will be very thankful when it is over. I am sure I am not alone in those thoughts.

Self-Publishing in Today's Age

I had started out trying to go the traditional route. I did not send out many manuscripts - in total I have probably sent out manuscripts to less than 10 publishing houses. I knew with my nature of wanting things done instantly, which comes from a journalism training where I have worked in a lot of newsrooms, waiting to get a book published is something beyond the patience of my current age of 36.

It was funny how I discovered Lulu.com. I actually received an email from a man (cannot even remember his name at the moment) from my old site with the same domain name: www.donnakakonge.com. What happened after that has changed the way I look at publishing for good I believe.

The man gave me the link to his site and when I went there an advertisement for Lulu.com was there too. When I clicked through to it, I was amazed that you could actually self-publish a book for free. I had been looking for something such as this for quite some time. I had considered getting my book published through Trafford Publishing, however considered it to be a vanity press - even though I have seen their finished products and they do look good.

The first book I published with Lulu.com was the book that came out of my graduate work, What Happened to the Afro? It used to be called Afro Forever, however I changed the name. Once I published that first book, that summer I worked on a project to create How to Write Creative Non-fiction. All of this happened back in 2006 and I have written now a total of 20 books, edited one, have one CD of radio documentaries and two audio story downloads, all through Lulu.com.

The fun part is getting ISBNs for them through the Library and Archive of Canada. It is a fun and easy process and the people who work there are great. One of the women who I believe still works there even called me the day before Christmas just to sort out some problem I was having with my ISBNs. So much for government workers not doing any work. I have always found them to be really hard-working and a pleasure to deal with. They will also be dilligent in making sure there is at least one copy of your book/s in their archive.

Now, I also have my books in Seneca College's library system. This also makes it available throughout the entire college library system in Ontario, Canada. My next goal is to get Centennial College where I also work to buy them (which they said they would), as well as to get them into the Toronto Public Library system, as well as other libraries across Canada and even in the States too if that works out. I believe in libraries and used to work in two of them.

So these are all of the adventures I have had in self-publishing. I recommend that if you have a story to be told - do not keep it buried away - let it see the light. Plus now, Robert Payne and I have a service where we can help you to tell your stories. Just contact me at: dkakonge@sympatico.ca if you are interested in finding out more about this service.

Using the Web to Realize Journalism Goals

It's a bit of a catch-22 having advertising on a blog site. Sometimes advertising material will be included that I, as the writer, do not agree with. I remember the days when the Internet was a free forum - and there are still things that you can get on the Internet for free. However, now, everyone seems to want to figure out how they can make money from the Internet.

I find myself spending a lot of my free time updating my sites and doing podcasts. I also spend a lot of time writing and self-publishing books. I do not make a lot of money from these tasks - definitely not enough that I could live on it alone, yet I enjoy doing these things immensely. My magazine Donna is a long-held dream of mine. I always tended to find that when I was paid to work for a magazine in the past, with the exception of New Dreamhomes and Condominiums Magazine - things always seemed to go wrong. There always seemed to be some sort of screw up, difference of opinion and people in the magazine industry can sometimes be difficult to work for. However, the joy of working for a magazine is exactly what I am sure keeps so many people in that industry.

Now that I have Donna Magazine, I have been able to bring to light some stories that had long since been buried. With the wonders of the Internet (which I do love), I have even made the magazine multimedia and I plan to start posting up some of my old documentaries on the magazine, as well as producing new ones.

As for the podcasts - well, this gives me a chance to produce my own radio episodes any way I would like to do so. I do not have to worry about CBC cuts, about getting bumped out of my job by senior reporters or even having to get my story pitches "greenlighted" by a producer. If I think the story is good - I can do it. The only thing I need to worry about is that I am using my allotted free space on Podomatic (I could also increase it by going pro). Plus, I can also put podcasts on my magazine.

My books are another story that I will get to in another post. Thanks for listening and I hope that if you have a love for freedom of expression, you find ways to make the Internet work for you too.

New Opportunities Learning Centre

In this economy, it is great to know that there are two dedicated women such as Mary Salerno and Garbriella Starker-Saxe helping people to get back to work. This is a slice of information of their centre that creates new opportunities for people. Their website is at: http://www.newopps.ca/.

Check out the podcast at: http://kakonged.podomatic.com.