Day: May 22, 2020

Survival Guide to Being a Working Adult and a College Student

These tips can help make your transition to student life as smooth as possible and keep you on track to achieve your goals.

In today’s competitive job market, many adults are going back to school to earn or advance their degrees. Whether you’re looking to change career paths or to advance in your current career, these tips can help make your transition to student life as smooth as possible and keep you on track to achieve your goals.

1. Set goals and track your progress

You likely have specific goals for your career and education. Maybe your degree will help you get that promotion you’ve been working towards, or maybe you’re looking for a change of pace and beginning a career in a new field. It’s important to have long-term goals, but it can also benefit you to have short-term goals while you’re in school. For example, striving to get all A’s in your first semester of classes helps you get closer to your long-term goal of graduating, while also giving you something to work towards right now.

Keep track of what you are doing to meet your goals as well as your progress. Celebrating your successes, like getting an A on your first exam, can boost your productivity and help you stay motivated through rough patches or busier periods.

2. Work ahead when you can

As a working student, you’ll learn how to make the most of little pockets of free time, such as in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, or in between classes. Use these spare moments to get ahead in your coursework or to cross items off your to-do list.

Herzing graduate Ashely Oloshove quickly mastered the art of multitasking so she could enjoy her time with family and still get her schoolwork done.

“I work five or six days a week, but I am home with my kids every night. As the kids are eating, I might be doing dishes or packing lunches for the next day. We might have a family movie night, but I’m working on my homework while I watch,” she says.

3. Use time management apps

Time management is an important skill for any student to master and it’s especially important if for working students who are balancing a busy schedule. Today, there are a variety of apps that can help you manage your time. You can even program these apps to send you reminders about upcoming deadlines or daily to-dos, so you don’t let anything slip through the cracks.

Survival Guide to Being a Working Adult and a College Student

4. Take advantage of student resources

Most universities have a variety of academic and career resources available for students, whether you’re attending on-campus or online. If you need help writing a paper, for example, many universities have writing centers that can help you navigate any step of the writing process. Course-specific tutors can help you understand key class concepts or study for an upcoming exam. Some campuses even offer childcare services, which can be an important resource for any adult student with children.

By setting clear goals for yourself, practicing good time management and taking advantage of all the resources your school has to offer, you can position yourself for a successful college career.

flexible learning committee

T and I have just been brought on to the flexible learning committee and although there was good discussion about flexible learning issues most did not seem to have a clear idea of where the committee was heading re the information gathering for developing the strategy. Probably cos most people were relatively inexperienced with flex learning per se and were coming to terms with the whole concept. Now of course T and I have the job of coming up with the ideas/survey etc. to gather info on which to base the strategy…such is life and the challenge…and swallowing the “I told you so” feeling. It would have been a lot easier if we had been there from the start.

M of course is being roped in to our working group. Plus I will be involving L who is bringing us in to the 21st century although he isn’t on the committee – yet. Good to have K as an ally on the same wave length and speaking the lingo.

How to Leverage Social Media (Besides LinkedIn) For Your Job Search

Job seekers are using social media to help them find the perfect job — and not only in LinkedIn! Facebook can help you stay on top of company updates.

The majority of employers today are using social media in their recruiting processes, according to the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). Candidates are using social networking to find a job, too – and not only LinkedIn.

While LinkedIn remains the top social media platform for recruiters and job seekers, candidates are leveraging other social media platforms to build their personal brands, connect with their favorite employers, and get a sense of a company’s work culture before applying.

Here’s how you can use social media to supplement your job search:

1. Facebook

Facebook might not seem like a relevant platform for your job search, but it does have some unique advantages. According to a recent Jobvite survey, 67% of those who used social media in their most recent job search used Facebook. Here’s how you can, too:

  • Research potential employers. A company’s website and LinkedIn page can help you understand more about the business, but heading over to the corporate Facebook page can give you a little more insight into what it would be like to work there. Check out recent photos, birthday announcements, blog posts, press releases and reviews to learn more about the corporate culture and employee sentiment. For example, is it a fun, casual and creative place, or more of a traditional, conservative work environment? Facebook is a great place to get a look inside the company and determine whether a potential employer is a good fit for you.
  • Follow your favorite companies for regular updates. If you’re interested in the company, follow its Facebook page so you don’t miss any important updates. Many companies will post open positions and hiring announcements on social media, and you don’t want to be out of the loop!
  • Clean up your online image. It’s a good idea to comb through your own Facebook profile while you’re at it. Consider removing content or photos that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see, or changing your privacy settings so that your updates are only visible to close friends. It’s common for employers to run a social media check on potential candidates, and you want to make sure you’re presenting yourself in the best light possible.

2. Twitter

Twitter is an ideal medium for building your professional brand – something that can distinguish you from other qualified applicants. By reflecting your “brand” through your social media footprint, you can help potential employers understand who you are and what type of leader and employee you would be.

  • Create a professional Twitter account. If you want to keep your personal and professional online identities separate, consider setting up a second, public Twitter profile where you can post specific work-related content. Be sure to flesh out your bio with keywords that reflect your interests and future goals, so employers can understand your background and the kinds of opportunities you’re interested in.
  • Follow industry hashtags. Show employers that you are passionate about your field and on top of the latest trends and conversations by following industry-relevant hashtags. If you have a unique perspective to offer on a particular issue or trend, share it on your own page, or start a conversation in the comments.
  • Build your professional network. Engaging with others on Twitter is a great way to continue building your professional online brand. Research who the influencers are in your field, and follow them to stay in-tune with the latest trends. You can also reach out to others for advice in navigating your job search, or crowd-source input from your followers.

3. Instagram

Instagram might seem like the last place to go during a job search, but it’s becoming one of the most valuable platforms for businesses today. More than 25 million businesses use Instagram worldwide, and just like Facebook, their profiles can provide a window into day-to-day company happenings and culture.

  • Follow your favorite companies to stay in-the-know. Some companies are phasing out their Facebook presence in favor of faster-growing platforms like Instagram. If a company’s Facebook page is a little light, head over to Instagram to see if it is posting more frequently there. If a company seems like it could be a good culture and career fit for you, hit the follow button so you don’t miss any important updates.
  • Track job search hashtags. Take advantage of the ability to search for job-related hashtags like #JobOpening or #NowHiring to be among the first to know when a new position is available. Some larger corporations might have a separate account for career and HR-related updates, so do your research to find out which pages you should be following.
  • Update your privacy settings. Again, if there are posts you don’t want employers to see, make sure to update the privacy settings on your personal Instagram account, or create a separate account for your professional updates.

But don’t forget about LinkedIn…

Of course, it’s still important to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and that you’re active on the platform. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 610 million users worldwide and over 15 million active job postings, so this is the platform that should take most of your job search time. For example, 95 percent of recruiters report using LinkedIn as a sourcing tool to identify qualified candidates. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you can expand your network, get noticed by recruiters and take your career to the next level.

You can get more tips on how to navigate your job search through LinkedIn here. 

Need help getting started? If you’re not sure where to start your job search, schedule a time to meet with your career advisor. Our Career Development team is there to guide you through every step of the job search process – from creating a resume to fine-tuning your LinkedIn profile, and everything in between.

4 Certification Options for Healthcare Managers

Learn more about certification options for healthcare managers and how they can help you reach your career goals.

Healthcare managers, otherwise known as healthcare executives or administrators, work closely with registered nurses, physicians, surgeons and other healthcare workers to direct, plan and coordinate medical services.

Due to rising demand for healthcare services, employment for healthcare managers is expected to grow by 18% from 2018 to 2028, adding as many as 72,000 new jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The occupation also offers a competitive salary – the annual average is $99,730, and the top 10% earn more than $182,600, according to BLS.

Once you earn a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management, your next step to advance your career could be to earn an industry-recognized certification. Learn more about certification options for healthcare managers and how they can help you reach your career goals.

Why should I earn a certification in healthcare management?

A certification provides third-party validation of your knowledge and expertise, which can play an important role in helping you land your first job out of college or advance your healthcare management career years later. While a certification is not required to work as a healthcare manager, earning one can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates, position you for advanced roles, and increase your earning potential.

Herzing University offers a few sought-after industry certifications as part of its healthcare management degree program, including:

1. Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification (LSSYB) from GoLeanSixSigma

Revenue and efficiencies aren’t the only things at stake when errors are made in the healthcare industry – people’s lives are on the line. This is why significantly reducing medical errors is so crucial, and why Lean Six Sigma methodologies are so valuable. This certification takes you through the five-step approach of Lean Six Sigma, which can help healthcare managers improve the patient experience by shortening wait times, preventing falls and injuries and reducing medication errors.

2. Certified Specialist Managed Care (CSMC) through Healthcare Financial Mgmt Associations (HFMA)

This certification prepares you for the issues surrounding healthcare reform, case management, Medicare and Medicaid and cost reporting. At the end of the program, you’ll be able to navigate negotiation strategies, various managed care models, reimbursement calculations, benefit coordination, and more.

Once you’ve earned your degree and have relevant experience in the healthcare management field, you can pursue the following certifications:

3. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) from the Project Management Institute (PMI)

If you don’t have a lot of experience under your belt as a healthcare manager, this certification is a great stepping stone to more advanced certifications. A CAPM certification demonstrates your working knowledge of project management. With this certification, you’ll be able to manage larger projects and bring valuable project management skills to your current healthcare management role.

4. Certified Specialist Business Intelligence (CSBI) through Healthcare Financial Mgmt Association (HFMA)

With a CSBI certification, you’ll learn how to leverage healthcare business intelligence and tools that can inform decisions surrounding quality of care, operational effectiveness, financial efficiency, and more. Once the certification is complete, you’ll be able to better recognize the role of data in the healthcare industry.

If you’re interested in the business of healthcare and helping organizations implement new technologies and processes to improve patient care, a career as a healthcare manager could be the right fit for you. Due to fast-growing employment prospects and a competitive average salary, healthcare manager is ranked #25 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Paying Jobs for 2019 and #5 on its list of Best Business Jobs.

With additional certifications and experience, you can continue to advance your healthcare career and take on more responsibility within your organization. Learn more about Herzing University’s healthcare management program and start building your healthcare career today

Video communication apps and mobile learning

One of the great things about mobile devices such as tablets, iPads and phones is that most modern devices have good quality cameras and microphones built in. This opens up a really wide range of potential for communication and speaking practice that used to be such a struggle to organise on older laptops and desktop computers.

App developers have also been quick to exploit the potential of this powerful tool and in this post I’d like to look at some of the tools that have been created and how they can be used for language development.

Mailvu for asynchronous messages


Mailvu has been a long time favourite of mine, mainly because the web based version is so easy to use and doesn’t require any downloads. You just point your browser at: http://mailvu.com/ and as long as you have the Flash plugin installed on your computer you can start recording immediately. Mailvu also provides mobile apps for iOS, Android an Blackberry. These are easy to use and it allows you to send short spoken messages which don’t require the viewer to have any specific software or to download large video files. They just click a link and watch your message. This kind of cross platform compatibility is really important if you are working in a BYOD environment where students could be coming to class with a wide range of devices.

EyeReport for picture in picture


EyeReport  puts an interesting twist on the video communication genre by adding the ability to record video on video. By this I mean that students can upload or record a video on their mobile device and then add a video commentary over the top explaining or commenting on what they see in the original video. This opens up a whole range of potential activities that we can get students doing. They could add commentary to sporting clips, give guided tours of places they have visited, explain processes or even make their own documentaries. Once students have completed their recording these can be shared to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or emailed directly from within the app.

CoachesEye for video annotation


CoachesEye is a similar app to EyeReport (though this one is no longer free) but is much more feature rich. Like EyeReport you can record video commentary over video, but with CoachesEye you can also add annotations and you can stop and control where you insert your comments into the video. This app was designed for coaches to give detailed feedback to athletes on their physical movements, but it’s a great app to get students creating and talking about their own videos, and also a useful tool to use when observing teachers for training purposes.

Storytime for bedtime stories 


Storytime is another app which puts a new Twist on the video communication genre. It combines video conferencing with reading stories out loud. The app was designed to enable parents to read to their children from a distance and it contains a number of books you can choose to read and while you read you can discuss the books, ask questions and point to things on the page whilst chatting with the video window at the top. This is great for doing online tutoring with younger learners. There is quite a range of books from very basic and up and they are nicely illustrated.

Teleprompter for controlled speaking practice 


Teleprompter is an app that I wrote about a while back when it was still free (iPhone for Speaking Homework ). The app is what it says, it allows you to import text and then it scrolls through the text while creating a video of you reading it. This is great to get students doing controlled speaking practice and then watching and improving their speaking. You can set texts which include a range of sounds which they find difficult and then watch them together and help them to understand what elements of their pronunciation are causing problems.

Keek for video journals


Keek mixes web with mobile in the form of video journals. Users can post short messages of up to 35 seconds from their mobile or computer and these are published to the web or can be browsed through the app. This would be a great tool to use as a daily learning journal, but it’s probably best used by adults or more responsible teens. It seems to be a very popular tool with teens in the USA and there is a wide range of content that students can browse through, some of which is not best suited to educational purposes, but as a concept this is quite a good app. If you prefer your students to be sheltered from this kind of popular culture app, then you can still take up the idea of the video learning journal and just get them to use their built in video camera app and post the messages to a Dropbox site.

Six3 for video messaging


Six3 is similar to MailVu and also compatible with most platforms, but it gives you the choice of recording private or public message and has an additional filter feature which can help to improve your appearance on the video. It’s called Six3 because you have 63 seconds of recording time in each message. Like Mailvu, the messages are also sent via links through your email, but they can also be posted directly to Twitter or Facebook from within the app.

Skype for synchronous online tutoring


Skype has been around for a good while and was one of the first video based communication tools to break into the mainstream. It’s being used by many online schools to deliver live online lesson from teachers to all parts of the globe. One of the great things about Skype, apart from the reliability, is that it keeps developing and adding new features. The recent addition of video messages that enable it to be used as an asynchronous tool will really help to widen its scope for use as a language development tool.


Built in camera app
With all these apps and the possibilities they offer, it can be easy to overlook the obvious. Most modern mobile device come with a built in video camera application and you can always use this to record and send video message. This has the advantage that messages are very safe from third party app providers and any possible security breaches, but sending the video clips to someone else often involves sending the whole clip via email which can be slow and require good connectivity.

For more ideas and activities for using video and webcams to develop languages see my posting 20 WebCam Activities for EFL ESL Students

Why use video communication?

  • Well one of the best reasons to use these kinds of apps is to get students speaking. Speaking homework has always been particularly difficult for students, but now you can ask students to produce spoken homework which you can watch and assess.
  • Video as a communication genre is likely to become increasingly important as a 21st century digital literacy, so it’s important that our students have practice and are able to use this communication genre, just as they do with speaking on the telephone or writing emails.
  • Video can draw students’ attention to many of the paralinguistic features of communication that are hard to highlight in a crowded classroom.
  • Enabling students to record themselves speaking and then to watch themselves can be very enlightening for students as they can then start to self assess their own performance and look for ways they can improve. It can also encourage some students to try harder, because they know that someone else might see the video.
  • Video can be very engaging and can be played repeatedly so it gives students the chance to listen again and in more depth.
  • Video communication can help teachers to build a stronger sense of connection with their students, especially with online course when you might never physically meet your students. Conveying some sense of your personality, sense of humour and character can be very difficult in written communications, so video has some really big advantages.
  • Giving students 1 to 1 time and having the time to just sit down and spend a few moments listening to a single student without the noise of others around can be really difficult in the classroom, but having a short recorded video clip of our students can really enable us to focus on their specific strengths and weaknesses and enable us to give them some really personalised feedback.

Potential problems

  • As with any kind of online communication, make sure your students know how to protect their privacy and also themselves from harassment. Be sure to have a transparent and open policy on any kind of harassment so students know what is likely to happen to anyone harassing and how to report harassment.
  • If you are using video communications with younger students also make sure their parents know what you are doing and why you are doing it and get their approval (in writing if possible) and if possible get them involved too.
  • Make students aware of the difference between poor quality speaking and poor quality audio. You don’t want them to think they sound bad if the real problem is the recording quality and interference from background noise etc. Help your students to understand how to get he best quality results from whatever recording tools they have, by finding somewhere quiet to record and experimenting with the best distance from the microphone.
  • Helping students to look their best on video will also help to boost their confidence. Getting the camera angle right and having the light coming from the right direction can also have a big impact on how students look, so helping with this can be part of the learning experience. There is a useful article here which may help: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/look-good-on-webcam/
  • Always remember and remind students that anything they do or say on video can potentially be seen by other people for years and even centuries to come, so whenever one of these apps is used, encourage them to think about what they are doing and saying and keep in mind that it could be seen by people they know and people they might yet meet as well as strangers who they might never meet. It’s important to remind students of how they want to be perceived.


I hope you enjoy these apps and that they help to get your students speaking. Please leave a comment if you have any favourite video communication apps that you use to get your students speaking.

Related links:

Students can avail credits by online courses per UGC’s regulations

Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ informed that the Students enrolled in Universities and affiliated colleges may undertake SWAYAM courses and avail credits by completing these courses as per University Grants Commission (UGC)’s present regulations on credit framework for online learning courses.

Shri Pokhriyal further informed that UGC has shared a list of 82 Under Graduate & 42 Post Graduate Non-Engineering MOOCs courses  with University Vice Chancellors and College Principals,  which will  be offered in July Semester 2020 on SWAYAM Platform(www.swayam.gov.in).

He added that these courses cover subject areas such as Biochemistry/Biotechnology/Biological Sciences & Bioengineering, Education, Law, Computer Science and Engineering, Commerce, Management, Pharmacy , Mathematics , History, Hindi, Sanskrit, etc.

The Minister further said that in the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic scenario, Students, Teachers, Life-long learners, Senior Citizens and Homemakers may enrol and avail the benefits of SWAYAM courses to widen their horizon of learning.

SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active–Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is a programme initiated by Government of India and designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality.

Economic viability is crucial for higher educational institutions

Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari today  said that economic viability is crucial for higher education institutions. These institutions need to reduce their operating cost without compromising on quality.

He was addressing a meeting via video conferencing with the representatives of MIT ADT University on future of higher education.

The Minister said that upgradation of universities is required, and value based education is the strength of the society. He further shared that our youth should understand their strengths and weaknesses and problems faced by them can be converted into opportunities. He added that enhancing capability of the youth is critical for the country at this stage.

Shri Gadkari  emphasised the need for integrated approach, effective coordination and team spirit among stakeholders and urged the industry to have self-confidence and positive attitude to overcome this challenging phase.

He opined that industry should focus more on innovation, entrepreneurship, science and technology, research skill and experiences to convert the knowledge into wealth.

The Minister recalled that Government of Japan has offered special package to its industries for taking out Japanese investments from China and move elsewhere. He mentioned that it is an opportunity for India which should be leveraged. 

He opined that there is need to work on decentralization of industries and focus on rural, tribal and backward areas of the country. He added that there is need to explore Agro MSME sector.

The Minister also stated that the government is planning to introduce vehicle scrappage policy. Recycling clusters may be started near the ports, which will boost automobile manufacturing industry in the country.

The Minister responded to the questions from participants which were about qualities needed for an entrepreneur and guidance on decision making.

1 Crore Treatments – Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the flagship health assurance scheme of the Government of India today marked 1 crore treatments. To mark this milestone, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the first edition of Arogya Dhara, a series of webinars created as an open platform for discussion on topical issues of public health, heretoday. The webinar is titled “Ayushman Bharat: 1 crore treatments and beyond”. Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS (HFW) was also present during the webinar.

Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO, NHA made a presentation on the performance of AB-PMJAY and discussed the journey ahead. The webinar was webcasted through all official social media pages of National Health Authority and was open for all members of the general public.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “Providing 1 crore treatments to patients from the country’s poorest households since its launch less than two years agois a milestone achievement for Ayushman Bharat PMJAY scheme. These treatments worth Rs 13,412 crore have been provided through a growing network of 21,565 public and private empanelled hospitals.” “Ayushman Bharat will continue be a trailblazer with an all-encompassing humanitarian approach, to deal with various health-related challenges that will confront us in the months and years ahead,” he said.

He further said “Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, is the flagship health assurance scheme of our Government, since its launch in 2018. It is providing affordable healthcare in the form of tertiary hospital treatment to poor and vulnerable Indians through a health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. Its aim is to ensure financial risk protection to more than 10.74 crore poorest, most vulnerable families in the country and is a step forward towards achievement of Universal Health Coverage in India.”

The Minister conveyed his best wishes and gratitude to all the States who have ensured the scheme delivers on its promise especially in the unprecedented times of COVID-19. “Government of India is making persistent efforts to expand testing and make treatment of COVID-19 available for free to all 53 crore beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, further strengthening Government of India’s resolve, scope and capability to move towards universal health coverage. Concerted efforts by every health worker and all empanelled hospitals have helped us achieve the 1 crore mark,” he said.

On this occasion, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched a‘Ask Ayushman’ chat bot on WhatsApp, a 24*7 AI-enabled assistant that provides information on various aspects of the AB-PMJAY scheme such as its benefits, features, process of making an e-card, locating the nearest empanelled hospital, sharing feedback and the process of lodging a grievance. One of the key features of the chat bot is that it is able to comprehend and respond in Hindi and English languages and it also provides text-to-speech feature for the users and can be universally used on all major social media platforms.

The Union Minister also launched a “Hospital Ranking Dashboard” which is a significant step to rank empanelled hospitals on the basis of beneficiaries’ feedback. The ranking will help NHA to take evidence based decision making for enhancing the quality measures and indicators of healthcare delivery across all empanelled facilities to further improve the beneficiaries experience.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan also released a “Special edition of the AB-PMJAY beneficiary e-card” exhibiting the milestone of 1 crore hospital admissions. Apart from the above, “Hindi version of the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY website” was also launched which shall enable to effectively connect with the masses and to empower them with access to right information through a user-friendly medium.

In his address, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that MoHFW and NHA have been consistently developing, sharing, revising all testing, treatment, hospital and related guidelines, insights and information to its beneficiaries, which is of great help in dispelling rumours and myths surrounding COVID-19.

Dr. Vinod Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog stated that since its launch in 2018, AB-PMJAY is providing affordable healthcare in the form of tertiary hospital treatment to poor and vulnerable Indians. The aim of PMJAY is to ensure financial risk protection to more than 10 crore poorest, most vulnerable families in the country and move step forward towards achievement of Universal Health Coverage in India.

Sh Indu Bhushan stated that NHA has utilised this period to leverage its IT systems, expertise and network of private sector stakeholders to support the Government of India’s preparedness and response in the form of managing the national COVID-19 helpline 1075 to conducting thousands of outbound calls to COVID positive patients and their families.

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RPF efforts to identify and act against touting activity

As Indian Railways has started 15 pairs of AC Special trains on 12th May,2020 and announced 100 pairs of additional trains w.e.f 01 June 2020, complaints had started to pour in regarding touts of e-tickets using multiple personal Ids and cornering reserved berths in these special trains. It was also apprehended that once the reservation for the 100 pairs of trains start on 21.05.2020, the activities of these touts will escalate adversely affecting the availability of confirmed train reservations to the common man.

In view of the above, RPF has started concerted nation wide efforts to identify and act against these touts. Analysis of PRS data through PRABAL module clubbed with ground intelligence is being used to identify and bring them to book.

The drive has been launched on 20.05.2020 and despite the impact of AMPHAN in eastern part of the country, RPF has been able to arrest 14 touts including 8 IRCTC agents and recovered tickets worth Rs 636727/- (Rupees Six Lakhs Thirty Six Thousands Seven Hundreds and Twenty Seven) wherein the journey is yet to be performed.

The IRCTC agents were using personal Ids to corner tickets and then sell them unauthorizedly at a premium. Action has been initiated to get them blacklisted. One tout was found using auto fill software called Super Tatkal Pro.

***

Notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area of Western Ghats

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar today interacted with Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers & State Government Officers of six states viz, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu through Video Conference to discuss issues relating to notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) pertaining to Western Ghats.

To conserve and protect the bio diversity of Western Ghats while allowing for sustainable and inclusive development of the region, Government of India had constituted a High Level Working Group under the Chairmanship of Dr. Kasturirangan. The Committee had recommended that identified geographical areas falling in the six States of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu may be declared as Ecologically Sensitive Areas. A draft notification was issued in October 2018 mentioning the areas to be notified in the ESA.

States were of unanimous view that looking into the importance of Western Ghats, there is need to ensure protection of the western Ghats. However, the states expressed their views as regards activities and extent of area mentioned in the said notification. It was decided that state specific issues shall be further deliberated so as to arrive at a consensus on the issue. The states expressed their desire to expedite early notification while protecting interest of ecology and environment.

flexible learning committee

T and I have just been brought on to the flexible learning committee and although there was good discussion about flexible learning issues most did not seem to have a clear idea of where the committee was heading re the information gathering for developing the strategy. Probably cos most people were relatively inexperienced with flex learning per se and were coming to terms with the whole concept. Now of course T and I have the job of coming up with the ideas/survey etc. to gather info on which to base the strategy…such is life and the challenge…and swallowing the \”I told you so\” feeling. It would have been a lot easier if we had been there from the start.

M of course is being roped in to our working group. Plus I will be involving L who is bringing us in to the 21st century although he isn\’t on the committee – yet. Good to have K as an ally on the same wave length and speaking the lingo.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

5 Job Hunting Tips for MBA Grads

Our Career Development team has some tips to help MBA grads land the right job.

It’s a good time to be entering the workforce with your MBA. Today, employers are looking for candidates who not only have experience but the transformative leadership, management and problem-solving skills they need to become future leaders and executives.
The Graduate Management Admission Council found that more companies are hiring MBA grads than in previous years. In fact, 86 percent of employers sought to hire MBA graduates in 2017, including nearly all Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
So, now that you have that extra degree, it’s time to find the right job. We asked our Career Development team for some tips to help MBA grads land the right role. Here’s what they had to say:

1. Make your resume pop

You’ve worked hard to advance your education, so make sure that you’re also putting in the extra effort to differentiate yourself from other candidates who may be applying for the same role. Don’t expect the “MBA” in your title to do all the hard work for you. Your resume should demonstrate the added value you can bring to a particular company or role, not just reiterate your accomplishments.

2. Know how to sell yourself

The job description is your best friend. Make sure your experience aligns with everything that is being sought after. Too often we get hung up on how awesome we feel our accomplishments are, forgetting that sometimes our experience doesn’t translate well outside of our industry or employer.
If you’ve found a position that’s a good fit, make sure to align each of your skills and accomplishments with the employer’s values and needs. Break down the skills you learned in your MBA program to showcase your talents and the depth of your experience. Go through your courses or the program outline to think about what you learned there and how you can represent it well in an interview or on your resume. Write in a voice that is quantitative, specific and concise.

3. Network your network

Let your network know you are talented, educated and ready to make a move. Been a while since you updated your LinkedIn? Get connected with your previous and current managers, as well as your professors and instructors. Upload your new resume and start to populate your profile.
You should also consider publishing content, sharing updates and engaging with your connections regularly. For added visibility, you can customize your LinkedIn URL with your name and/or degree title, which makes it easier for your professional peers to find you online. For more LinkedIn tips, check out this blog.

4. Label your resume

This one sounds simple, but even the smallest details can make a big difference in your job search success: Label your resume with your full name, your title and the position you are applying for.
For example: Sharon Rosin MBA Human Resources Resume.doc
Why is this important? Because having your name – and your new credentials—in the title of your resume document is one of the ways recruiters and sourcing specialists find qualified candidates. Don’t run the risk of letting your resume get buried in someone’s inbox. Make yourself easy to find.

5. Take advantage of your resources

It’s important to be continually working on your post-graduate career options. Whether you’re looking to advance your career at your current company or make a change, you should be networking and contemplating your options before you really need to. If you plan ahead, you could be in a new role before you graduate with your new degree.
Working with the career development team at your university can help you learn about opportunities you might not have found otherwise. Get involved with your alumni network from your undergrad institution, attend career events and work with your career advisors. With so many resources at your disposal, it’s easier than ever to find out about and position yourself for the roles you really want.

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Video communication apps and mobile learning

One of the great things about mobile devices such as tablets, iPads and phones is that most modern devices have good quality cameras and microphones built in. This opens up a really wide range of potential for communication and speaking practice that used to be such a struggle to organise on older laptops and desktop computers.

App developers have also been quick to exploit the potential of this powerful tool and in this post I\’d like to look at some of the tools that have been created and how they can be used for language development.

Mailvu for asynchronous messages


Mailvu has been a long time favourite of mine, mainly because the web based version is so easy to use and doesn\’t require any downloads. You just point your browser at: http://mailvu.com/ and as long as you have the Flash plugin installed on your computer you can start recording immediately. Mailvu also provides mobile apps for iOS, Android an Blackberry. These are easy to use and it allows you to send short spoken messages which don\’t require the viewer to have any specific software or to download large video files. They just click a link and watch your message. This kind of cross platform compatibility is really important if you are working in a BYOD environment where students could be coming to class with a wide range of devices.

EyeReport for picture in picture


EyeReport  puts an interesting twist on the video communication genre by adding the ability to record video on video. By this I mean that students can upload or record a video on their mobile device and then add a video commentary over the top explaining or commenting on what they see in the original video. This opens up a whole range of potential activities that we can get students doing. They could add commentary to sporting clips, give guided tours of places they have visited, explain processes or even make their own documentaries. Once students have completed their recording these can be shared to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or emailed directly from within the app.

CoachesEye for video annotation


CoachesEye is a similar app to EyeReport (though this one is no longer free) but is much more feature rich. Like EyeReport you can record video commentary over video, but with CoachesEye you can also add annotations and you can stop and control where you insert your comments into the video. This app was designed for coaches to give detailed feedback to athletes on their physical movements, but it\’s a great app to get students creating and talking about their own videos, and also a useful tool to use when observing teachers for training purposes.

Storytime for bedtime stories 


Storytime is another app which puts a new Twist on the video communication genre. It combines video conferencing with reading stories out loud. The app was designed to enable parents to read to their children from a distance and it contains a number of books you can choose to read and while you read you can discuss the books, ask questions and point to things on the page whilst chatting with the video window at the top. This is great for doing online tutoring with younger learners. There is quite a range of books from very basic and up and they are nicely illustrated.

Teleprompter for controlled speaking practice 


Teleprompter is an app that I wrote about a while back when it was still free (iPhone for Speaking Homework ). The app is what it says, it allows you to import text and then it scrolls through the text while creating a video of you reading it. This is great to get students doing controlled speaking practice and then watching and improving their speaking. You can set texts which include a range of sounds which they find difficult and then watch them together and help them to understand what elements of their pronunciation are causing problems.

Keek for video journals


Keek mixes web with mobile in the form of video journals. Users can post short messages of up to 35 seconds from their mobile or computer and these are published to the web or can be browsed through the app. This would be a great tool to use as a daily learning journal, but it\’s probably best used by adults or more responsible teens. It seems to be a very popular tool with teens in the USA and there is a wide range of content that students can browse through, some of which is not best suited to educational purposes, but as a concept this is quite a good app. If you prefer your students to be sheltered from this kind of popular culture app, then you can still take up the idea of the video learning journal and just get them to use their built in video camera app and post the messages to a Dropbox site.

Six3 for video messaging


Six3 is similar to MailVu and also compatible with most platforms, but it gives you the choice of recording private or public message and has an additional filter feature which can help to improve your appearance on the video. It\’s called Six3 because you have 63 seconds of recording time in each message. Like Mailvu, the messages are also sent via links through your email, but they can also be posted directly to Twitter or Facebook from within the app.

Skype for synchronous online tutoring


Skype has been around for a good while and was one of the first video based communication tools to break into the mainstream. It\’s being used by many online schools to deliver live online lesson from teachers to all parts of the globe. One of the great things about Skype, apart from the reliability, is that it keeps developing and adding new features. The recent addition of video messages that enable it to be used as an asynchronous tool will really help to widen its scope for use as a language development tool.


Built in camera app
With all these apps and the possibilities they offer, it can be easy to overlook the obvious. Most modern mobile device come with a built in video camera application and you can always use this to record and send video message. This has the advantage that messages are very safe from third party app providers and any possible security breaches, but sending the video clips to someone else often involves sending the whole clip via email which can be slow and require good connectivity.

For more ideas and activities for using video and webcams to develop languages see my posting 20 WebCam Activities for EFL ESL Students

Why use video communication?

  • Well one of the best reasons to use these kinds of apps is to get students speaking. Speaking homework has always been particularly difficult for students, but now you can ask students to produce spoken homework which you can watch and assess.
  • Video as a communication genre is likely to become increasingly important as a 21st century digital literacy, so it\’s important that our students have practice and are able to use this communication genre, just as they do with speaking on the telephone or writing emails.
  • Video can draw students\’ attention to many of the paralinguistic features of communication that are hard to highlight in a crowded classroom.
  • Enabling students to record themselves speaking and then to watch themselves can be very enlightening for students as they can then start to self assess their own performance and look for ways they can improve. It can also encourage some students to try harder, because they know that someone else might see the video.
  • Video can be very engaging and can be played repeatedly so it gives students the chance to listen again and in more depth.
  • Video communication can help teachers to build a stronger sense of connection with their students, especially with online course when you might never physically meet your students. Conveying some sense of your personality, sense of humour and character can be very difficult in written communications, so video has some really big advantages.
  • Giving students 1 to 1 time and having the time to just sit down and spend a few moments listening to a single student without the noise of others around can be really difficult in the classroom, but having a short recorded video clip of our students can really enable us to focus on their specific strengths and weaknesses and enable us to give them some really personalised feedback.

Potential problems

  • As with any kind of online communication, make sure your students know how to protect their privacy and also themselves from harassment. Be sure to have a transparent and open policy on any kind of harassment so students know what is likely to happen to anyone harassing and how to report harassment.
  • If you are using video communications with younger students also make sure their parents know what you are doing and why you are doing it and get their approval (in writing if possible) and if possible get them involved too.
  • Make students aware of the difference between poor quality speaking and poor quality audio. You don\’t want them to think they sound bad if the real problem is the recording quality and interference from background noise etc. Help your students to understand how to get he best quality results from whatever recording tools they have, by finding somewhere quiet to record and experimenting with the best distance from the microphone.
  • Helping students to look their best on video will also help to boost their confidence. Getting the camera angle right and having the light coming from the right direction can also have a big impact on how students look, so helping with this can be part of the learning experience. There is a useful article here which may help: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/look-good-on-webcam/
  • Always remember and remind students that anything they do or say on video can potentially be seen by other people for years and even centuries to come, so whenever one of these apps is used, encourage them to think about what they are doing and saying and keep in mind that it could be seen by people they know and people they might yet meet as well as strangers who they might never meet. It\’s important to remind students of how they want to be perceived.


I hope you enjoy these apps and that they help to get your students speaking. Please leave a comment if you have any favourite video communication apps that you use to get your students speaking.

Related links:

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