Wifi in ElderCare: A Must for Assisted Living / Nursing Homes / Senior Centers

With improved bandwidth and availability of high-speed wifi, advances in assistive technology, lower-cost hardware (laptops, handheld devices, touch-screen monitors, etc.) and new, easy-to-use web applications, the elderly have more access to a wide array of information and services, from email to lifelong learning.

There is no reason keep the elderly isolated and out of touch from their families, no matter how far away they might be. The initial investment can be quite modest, especially if a nursing home or assisted living center takes an approach similar to ones taken by hotel business centers. They have two or three workstations, each of which is equipped for their clientele's needs, which would include the right kind of software and hardware (detailed below).

Support staff could be available during certain times of the day. There would be a time limit for work on the workstations (20 minutes, perhaps). Although many of the elderly users would have their own computers, having a small computer center would help keep everything running smoothly, and would help with individuals with vision, hearing, or mobility issues. Having a support team would also be very helpful for those residents with cognitive challenges.

Benefits
*Connection to family
Everyone needs a support group, and, it goes without saying that people need people. However, the quality of the connection is often compromised in a nursing home or in assisted living where the connections between individuals are of necessity, or of commerce. Having a vital, daily connection to one's family can provide an emotional anchor for individuals who are going through a phase of life where they feel lonely, fragile, and cut off from caring alliances. Advancing into old age can be a frightening experience, and the elderly often feel the sting of prejudice and patronizing attitudes. They often appear to go into a downhill slide immediately after moving to assisted living. Is the slide real or not? Many times, what looks like a cognitive decline is, in reality, shame and fear.

*Cognitive stimulation
Not only do videos, audio, and images provide stimulation, the interaction brings another level of engagement. The major difference between retrieving information with a computer and watching it on television is the fact that computers are interactive. Numerous learning styles and strategies are accommodated through an array of computers, web applications, and information sources. Cognitive stimulation exercise for the elderly can yield very positive results.

*Connection to prior knowledge
The elderly are immensely valuable to our society, not only because of their knowledge, experience, and wisdom, but also because they show us our humanity. We have points of contact -- and often those points are through shared experiences, and also through prior knowledge. Having access to wifi and a solid computer with good web applications and reliable repositories of information can keep that prior knowledge alive through web searches, readings, and connections with friends and family. Individuals can connect prior knowledge to new experience and feel they are continuing to evolve and to grow.

*Connection to outside world
It's worth repeating. Perhaps the most immediately jolting experience for the individual who enters assisted living is the loss of a connection to the outside world. Television and radio are not true connections. If anything, television and radio reinforce the sense that the elderly individual has been marooned on a faraway planet that no one wants to visit, although people from the outside world are comfortable with transmitting sound or images to the faraway planet (!) Since radio and television do not offer the opportunity to communicate back to the source, it does not take long for the elderly residents in an assisted living center to wonder if they have become pariahs -- simply by virtue of age and diminishing physical abilities. Having an interactive connection is extremely valuable.

*Lifelong Learning / Continuing Education
Some of the most motivated learners are those who are living in assisted living or eldercare facilities. Taking courses provides connections to lived experience and prior knowledge, and stimulating the neural pathways helps individuals make connections, develop new problem-solving techniques, and to feel self-confidence. Sharing work with others, or continuing investigations into one's interests -- often memoirs, literature, history, comparative religion, science, or medicine -- develops self-esteem and a renewed sense of self-respect. Creative writing courses, and those dealing with stories (community, family, personal) are quite popular. It is also often a goal to complete a degree -- often a master's degree. At any rate, since the 1990s, the concept of "elderlearn" has been vital on college campuses. It's time to move it inside the walls of assisted living.

Essential Applications
*e-mail
*Facebook
*Flickr
*YouTube
*News feeds
*Search (google / bing / yahoo) on key words
*Online libraries / repositories of pertinent information

Essential Hardware
*Large monitor
*Touch-screen monitor
*Memory sufficient for graphics / video (RAM)
*High-capacity video card
*Desktop (rather than laptop)
*Microphone
*External speakers
*Webcam
*DVD player / recorder
*Touchscreen option
*Camera (detachable) for images / video
*Kindle reader (scalable text)
*iPad reader (scalable text)

Workstations for Visually / Hearing / Cognitively Impaired
*Hearing Impaired
Close-captioning
High-volume, high-quality speakers
Headphones

*Visually Impaired
Large print / scalable images
JAWS assistive technology (audio)
screen-readers (news / e-mail, etc.)

*Cognitively Impaired
Easy to navigate menus
Simple text, large text
Two or three dedicated applications, very easy to use

New Master's Degrees Change as the World Changes

A recent set of articles in New York Times Sunday edition (Jan 3, 2010) highlighted how master's degrees are bellwethers of new directions. Because master's degrees generally do not require a large number of hours, many colleges and universities have used the flexibility of interdisciplinary master's degrees to tailor student studies to individual goals, interests, and career opportunities. The obvious critique is such degrees can be trendy, and perhaps, arguably rather useless if there are massive paradigm shifts. But, the same can be said for traditional master's degrees. One can safely say that the bloom is off the rose of the stolid, traditional MBA, and to be at all competitive one must be sure to enter an MBA program that at least has a modicum of "sustainability studies" emphasis.

The article provided food for thought, and prompted a contemplation of some of the emerging trends and degrees. In doing so, one can gain an appreciation of the skills that are valued, and emerging industries that will potentially hire "niche" workers.

Homeland Security: After 9/11, many colleges and universities scrambled to assemble master's degree programs in Homeland Security as a continuation of Criminal Justice programs. Frankly, it appeared that there might be an oversupply just a year or so ago, as Iraq changed direction and budget issues resulted in layoffs at police departments, government agencies, and private security providers. Now, thanks to publicized security concerns, there is a renewed interest in the programs. There are a few new twists: language studies, cross-cultural studies, and emergency management have been added into most curricula.

CyberSecurity: This is a very specialized field that requires individuals to evaluate and remedy vulnerabilities within systems. Students become operational in computer networks, programming, and systems. This is an important program, but one can't help but suspect that some programs could be overly general, and deal with issues on a systems level, and never provide the hard-core math, computer science, and skills-training to make the graduate truly valuable. The extreme value to a company, the government, or military is the individual's ability to do things "hands-on" as well as to understand certain things about human behavior, marketing developments, and social networking in order to respond to emerging technologies.

Educational Leadership: This has been an extremely popular program for teachers who must have master's degrees for permanent certification, or who wish to move forward in their careers and become administrators of private schools, charter schools, or even community college programs. The best programs emphasize organizational development, and require students to have a project-based approach where they develop plans for schools or educational institutions. It's also important to include public policy training, educational technology for transformation, curriculum development, and teacher training programs. Informational technology may also be a focal point. Avoid programs that do not incorporate case studies and which do not require students to build a plan to rebuild a school.

Individualized MBAs: The MBA that can be somewhat customized to the individual's interests and goals is more important than ever. For example, an MBA program may allow an individual to focus on health care administration and to even take courses in specific areas, such as urgent care entrepreneurship. It can also be more theoretical in nature, and look at the interplay of sustainability and public policy as they relate to enterprises.

Sustainable Communities: There are any number of variations on the sustainability theme, all of which hold enormous promise in a world that must look at sustainability as a reality in a world that sees itself as increasingly interconnected, and where energy and environmental concerns are squarely at the center. An international scope is often a key characteristic. A good program will go to lengths to let the students develop a deep understanding of the concept of sustainability, and will provide significant grounding in "green" practices in various industries, including construction, transportation, healthcare, and manufacturing. In addition, programs look at individuals, communities, and the world -- each from a different set of criteria that discuss how to develop an enterprise, a community, and a household with an eye to long-term viability. Avoiding boom-bust mindsets is a part of the emphasis. Encouraging creativity and new solutions is equally important.

New Directions and a New Decade for E-Learning: 12 Predictions

The new decade will be a time of great change in e-learning, and we're already getting a glimpse of it. Many of the changes are driven by new technologies, but even more are emerging in the aftermath of economic crisis, and the changes in the way people work, interact, and obtain information.

E-learning will be affected in many areas,

1. Continuing growth in online courses.
Colleges and universities will continue to expand offerings of online courses. This may surprise some, but a study by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities-Sloan National Commission on Online Learning reports that more than one-third of public university faculty have taught an online course. The full report is available at http://www.sloan-c.org/APLU_Reports.

2. Focus on cross-disciplinary programs.
Programs that span disciplines to go into new high-growth areas such as primary-care health care, home health care, sustainable business, green technology, green building, and "smart" energy technology will continue to attract students.

3. Career-related courses will grow.
Career colleges that offer "green" trades, health care certificates and degrees, and training in emerging technologies and sustainable business will boom, particularly if they incorporate an apprenticeship or internship that leads to employment.

4. Budget challenges mean trimming add-ons in online courses.
Despite the growth in online courses and course offerings, there has been a decline in overall university budgets. Cost-cutting means furloughs for staff and administration, and trimming overhead costs. Many of the applications and "add-ons" that colleges used to purchase will be replaced by opensource solutions, integrated Web 2.0 applications, and simple (yet effective) substitutes.

5. Stimulus spending in technology impact to be felt.
The move to expand access to high-speed Internet and to improve information / energy infrastructure is already resulting in an uptick in usage of higher technology solutions. The "trickle-down" of smartboards and wireless connections will result in a higher percentage of web-enhanced courses as well as a conversion to digital resources, libraries, and learning object repositories.

6. More use of opensource software such as Moodle (http://www.moodle.orgg), DotNetNuke (http://www.dotnetnuke.com/), and Joomla (http://www.joomla.org/)
Moodle is already proving itself to be a hardy, flexible survivor in the LMS wars. DotNetNuke is an excellent social networking solution for organizations that can't afford the randomness of relying on LinkedIn or Facebook, but are not up to the high cost of Sharepoint. Joomla's content management flexibility allows people to wean themselves slowly from legacy systems, and to avoid high-cost custom solutions (Oracle, etc.). What's nice about Joomla is that it can power portals and websites as well. Python (http://python.org/) will continue to be a useful programming language for integrative solutions.

7. Mobile learning integrated into online courses for anytime, any place data access
Ubiquitous learning is gaining speed as the watchword of the new decade. Any place, any time, and -- this is most important -- any device -- will be key. Obtain information, interact, and share from multiple sources of information. Increased access is a given. What is less certain is how open the information will be.

8. Social networking starts to be used in e-learning to focus and filter information.
Controlled social networking that can be accessed via mobile device will continue to be very useful in the quest for ubiquitous learning solutions.

9. Twitter: enhanced student support in online courses and programs.
Finding how to harness Twitter to help develop learning communities is one of the most exciting challenges of the upcoming year.

10. High growth elearning programs in high-growth careers.
Health: Home health care, health care reform, primary care expansion, structural changes in medical care delivery and coverage
Business: Sustainable business, "green" business, new finance and private equity changes
Technology: "smart" technology that assists in the quest for energy efficiency, automation, robotics, control / monitoring
Energy/SmartGrid: control and monitor energy generation, use, distribution, infrastructure maintenance,

11. Expansion of online Advanced Placement (AP) programs, seamless integration of high school and college.

12. Webinar restructurings: Rise in synchronous (which are archived and available as asynchronous) modules used for training and in online courses.

Premier Student Loans – Making the Grade Affordable

It's often been said that student loans are among the most honest and honorable debts you can incur (along with car loans and home mortgages), because it's a debt that helps provide a better future for you and your family, as opposed to credit cards that merely allow you to spend beyond your means.

Just as every student picks a university and course of study that are tailored to their personality and interests, so too do you need a student loan that fits your needs. Some loans, like Perkins and Stafford loans, are offered as part of a school's financial aid package, which are not just one loan, but are usually comprised of a combination of loans, grants (Pell Grants, for example), scholarships, and work-study programs, but in our current economic climate, with public colleges and universities, financial aid is more and more difficult to come by, even for students with perfect academic records. It is for this reason that private financing exists.

One source of such financing is PremierStudentLoans.com. This site isn't just a portal for loan applications, and it isn't a direct lender, either. Instead, it's a virtual encyclopedia of everything you always wanted to know about student loans, from explanations of what each kind of loan does, and who provides them, to how you can maximize your student's educational dollar by helping them not get into the credit card habit. There's even a section on what happens after college, and how you can help your son or daughter prepare for the inevitable moment when they must begin paying off all the money that was borrowed to cover their education.

Of course, PremierStudentLoans.com also wants to help you find the extra money you need to make sure your child's college experience is as stress free – at least financially – as possible. This is why they also offer a student loan matching service. It works similarly to the way you might request a quote on insurance, with four basic steps:

1. You complete a short, online form that asks for basic information.

2. You confirm that you really want the information, and affirm that it's okay for PremierStudentLoans.com to contact you via email.

3. Your information is transmitted securely, and analyzed to find lenders who offer what you need.

4. You are provided with information so that you can compare offers and contact the lender you select.

Best of all, all of this happens in only a few minutes, and you can do it all from your living room.
Financial aid packages are great, when they're offered, but if you need extra money to cover books and dorm fees, even after the tuition's been paid for, private financing is the way to go. To save time, and find reputable lenders, go to PremierStudentLoans.com. They always make the grade.

I'm New to E-Learning - What Do I Do?

Even though you've completed your online course orientation, and you've read all the material your school has given you on online courses, you may still have a few questions about the way things work. You're open-minded and willing to give the online courses a change because they are convenient, affordable, and just what you need. But, you're nervous. What are you supposed to do? How will you do it? Will you figure out the way it works before it's too late in the semester?

You're not alone. Everyone who has taken a course has the same questions. Although each program and school is different, here are a few tips and pointers that will help you get started, keep on track, and feel good about your course, your program, your fellow students, your instructor, and most of all -- your educational plans and your future.

Here is a list of activities and pointers for being successful with your online course.

Log In Early: Find out what your username and password will be, and where to find the portal or access point to your course. After you log in for the first time, be sure to review the entire course at least two or three times. Click on all the links, go to all the pages. Then, do it again. You'll be happy you did. You'll feel more comfortable and confident.

Acquire Texts Before the Course Begins: Have you ever waited until the last minute to buy your books, just to find out that the bookstore is sold out? Granted, textbooks are expensive, and everyone would like to delay the purchase. At the same time, though, it's best to get the books early to assure yourself that you'll have them for the first day of class. Ideally, when log into your course, you'll have your books at your side and will be able to review the readings and the required work.

Know the Mechanics of the Course: How Does It Work? Chances are, your course will be hosted on one of the most popular course management systems, or learning management systems. You may be using Blackboard, Angel, or Desire to Learn. Or, you may be using Moodle, which is the open-source learning management system preferred by many schools who wish to host their own solution and not pay the fees required of some learning management system providers. Alternatively, you may use a proprietary product. In any case, be sure to go through the orientation. One of the things you'll need to do early in the game is to download the proper plug-ins so that the elements in your learning management system actually work. Otherwise, you'll be very frustrated.

Introduce Yourself Early: It is a great idea to introduce yourself as early as you can in the discussion board area. Also, if your course allows you to create a homepage or to post photos of your pets, your interests, and landscapes from your vacation, please be sure to do so. You'll be amazed at how friendly the space becomes - how close and bonded you start to feel with your fellow students.

Check In Often: Some people think that checking in once every few days is sufficient. Not a good idea! You may miss an important announcement, and, more importantly, you may start to feel isolated. If you check in often, and read the discussion posts and announcements, you'll feel a part of the group.

Required Work: Familiarize Yourself Early. As you go through the course, be sure to print out your required work. Create a little timetable for yourself and map out your own travel, work, family, and other time-eating obligations. Budget time for work, study, and posting.

Find Out Professor Expectations: What does your professor expect? Are deadlines rigid? Will the dropbox shut off at 11:59 pm on the day things are due? Find out early, and work in a pro-active manner. Adjust yourself to the requirements of the course.

Due Dates: Use Them for Planning and Goal-Setting. Once you've mapped out your requirements, matched them with schedules, you can set out timelines, milestones, and "to do" lists. This will help you set goals. You'll be amazed at how comfortable you feel with things once you've started to hit those milestones, one after another. You'll feel confident. You'll start feeling what educational psychologists call a strong sense of "self-efficacy." Great job!

Keep Up With Readings: Nothing is worse than falling behind. One of the easiest ways to get yourself in a trap is to fall behind in the readings, and then try to do the work without actually reading the assignments. Not only will you have nothing relevant to say in the discussion board threads that have to do with the reading, you'll be bored when you read others. So, keep up and keep involved.

Practice "Active Reading": A great way to motivate yourself to do the readings is to perfect your own style of "active reading." What is active reading? It's a way that you read and think so that you're creating categories in your mind, and you're relating the reading to your own experiences, prior readings, and the beliefs you have developed. As you read, think of what you'll have to write for your course. Don't be afraid to start jotting down notes or outlines for papers or short essay questions.

Pay Attention to Announcements: It's easy to overlook them. However, the professor has posted them for a reason. Be sure to read them and to follow any links or suggested readings.

Inform Your Instructor Ahead of Time If Problems Foreseen: Will you be deployed? Will you need to travel for work? Do you have a vacation planned? Let your professor know ahead of time. Then, if you can, try to work ahead.

Turn In Work Ahead of Time: Rather than begging for extensions, take the pro-active route and turn in work ahead of time. If you do turn in work, let your professor know. Don't expect instant turnaround, though. The professor may need to grade your work with the others at the actual due date. Be patient and flexible.

Develop Back-Up Plan For Turning In Work: What do you do if your internet is down? What if you have firewalls in the place where you're working from temporarily, and you can't access your learning management system? Find a way to turn in your work -- even if it is via email -- so that you can make your deadlines. Work with the professor to find out the best approach.

Post Early and Often in the Discussion Board: The more you post, the more comfortable you'll feel with your fellow students. You'll learn a lot from each other -- and, be sure to be willing to respond to questions and demonstrate a helpful, supportive, upbeat attitude. You'll be amazed at how you'll feel. You'll start to develop a good, solid sense of affiliation and belonging.

Fellow Students and Peer Review: Very Valuable. One of the most engaging and interesting aspects of online courses is the fact that you'll really have a chance to see the work of others and to review / respond / and learn from each other. Share ideas, but be sure to keep a thick skin. Sometimes people think they're being humorous when they're not.

Know Where To Turn If You Need Help: Mentors, Study Buddies, Tutors. Check out your college's resources. Make sure you're aware of all the support that is available if you find yourself in need of help.

Assessments and Quizzes: Any Practice Exams or Example Papers? If you can find a place to do practice tests or quizzes, it may be a great way to feel comfortable with the course content. You may be able to practice for your exams and quizzes. Often, the textbook is the provider of the practice materials.

Log In and Use Your Virtual Library and Online Resources. Your college or university has invested money, time, and human resources in developing virtual libraries and resource bases. Be sure to check them out and visit the sites often. They will help you as you work on essays and research papers.

Use a Building Block Approach for Writing Papers. Waiting until the night before is not a good idea. Don't procrastinate! Start mapping out your strategy for writing a paper (essay, term paper, research project) and develop a building block approach that works for you.

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If you follow all these suggestions, you'll find your experience with online courses will be much more positive than you might have imagined. As you encounter friends and family who may be nervous about taking online courses, feel free to share your "lessons learned" and success strategies. Work together, win together!