Tips for a Good School Website

Website is an effective way to reach out to audience looking for information online. It allows one to broadcast information to the public and they have the ability to access it 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Websites also serve as channel of communication between the world and the entity.

Schools need a website to reach out to current parents, potential parents, potential and current staff, media and host of other people. A good website (visually and functionally) can make a lasting impression and at the same time a bad one can lead to frustrations.

Here are 10 tips to make sure your school website provides a good experience for your audience:

Tip 1 - Host Your School Website With a Reliable Hosting Company

Always ensure your site is hosted with a reliable hosting company and is up 24/7. Do some research on the hosting service provider before selecting them. You should monitor your site for uptime using one of the several free tools available on the internet. Some of them are: siteuptime.com and host-tracker.com


Tip 2 - Ensure the Contact Form and Emails Work

I have seen this problem with lot of Indian schools and it in a way defects the purpose of two way communication between the visitor and the school, yes I am talking about the email listing on the site not working or the contact form on the site not working. Imagine you are looking at the school website at mid night (for whatever reason) and decide to shoot of a query to the school, only to get a bounce mail stating “email could not be delivered as the user has exceeded his quote limits” or “email could not be delivered as the email id does not exist”. Believe me this is very common as schools have no one to manage the emails they get.

Please make sure your school does not do this mistake and your emails and contact forms work. Test them periodically!


Tip 3 - Ensure School Website is Not All Looks But is Search Engine Friendly As Well

Is your school site completely flash based? There is a big problem with that. Search engines, which are the drivers of web traffic do not know how to read flash. Thus your site is a black box for them and most likely won’t show up in their search results. Flash sites no doubt are visually appealing but a good mix of flash and html would give it a balance by it being SEO friendly and visually appealing as well.


Tip 4 - Design and Develop a Effective Home Page

Make sure home page of your site allows user to get a glace of the most important things about your school and allows them to choose a navigation path to dig deeper.


Tip 5 - Use Content Management Systems (CMS) to Manage Your Site Content

School sites have lot of content update requirements and a static html site is not ideally suited for this requirement. It is best to have a CMS system driven website which allows easy update of the website content. This can make a difference world of difference as lot of school sites out there have outdated information on them. There are plenty of quality free cms systems out there: drupal, joomla, wordpress etc.


Tip 6 - Ensure Ease of Access to Contact Information

Make sure your contact details, phone, address, address map, email etc is well placed on the site for users to contact you conveniently.


Tip 7 - Avoid Flash Intro Pages

Avoid intro flash splash pages as they do no good but harm you a lot. Splash pages mostly hide all the inner pages of the site from the search engines, resulting in lower visibility of your website.


Tip 8 - Use Multi Level Drop Down Menu to Organize and Show Pages

If you have lot of pages on your school website, it might be worth while to create pull down / drop down menus to expose inner pages. This company offers very stable drop down menu creator which is easy to configure: opencube.com


Tip 9 - Use Quality Graphics and Brand Site Effectively

Ensure strong brand presence and quality graphics on your site to leave a lasting impression. It may cost you a little but always seek professional help with website creation.


Tip 10 - Incorporate Social Media Features on the School Website

Make the site social media friendly by incorporating flickr (for photo gallery), social bookmarking tools and a blog on your site.

Author: Vikas Sah

More information visit:
www.zitzsolutions.com

Latihan Soal Ujian Nasional (UNAS) Online

For all Indonesian Students and Teachers, there are some examinations to knowing your skill or your students ability about the lessons they have been learned. This test will very helpful to prepare our students "fighting" the final test with call is National Test (UNAS) for many level studies such as: Elementary School, Junior and Senior High School. The test contains for many lessons and many years of National Test database with multiple choice questions.

Let's see the score of your test now and good luck!

Don't forget to do the easy question first!

Elementary School (SD) :

Year of 2007
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris

Year of 2006
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris

Year of 2005
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2004
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2003
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, PKN

Yunir High Shcool (SMP) :

Year of 2007
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2006
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2005
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2004
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2003
Matematika, IPA, IPS, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Senior High School (SMA) :

Year of 2007
Matematika, Fisika, Kimia, Biologi, Ekonomi, Bahasa Indonesia,
Bahasa Inggris, PKN, Sosiologi

Year of 2006
Matematika, Fisika, Kimia, Biologi, Ekonomi, Bahasa Indonesia,
Bahasa Inggris, PKN, Sosiologi

Year of 2005
Matematika (pembahasan), Fisika (pembahasan), Kimia (pembahasan),
Biologi, Ekonomi, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2004
Matematika, Fisika, Kimia, Biologi, Ekonomi, Bahasa Indonesia,
Bahasa Inggris, PKN

Year of 2003
Matematika, Fisika, Kimia, Biologi, Ekonomi, Bahasa Indonesia,
Bahasa Inggris, PKN

File source: www.invir.com

Lowongan Kerja Guru di Jakarta

Advertised: 18-February-2009
Closing Date: 19-March-2009

Bent Tree Primary School,

== URGENTLY REQUIRED ==

We are an international primary school in North Jakarta is looking for highly motivated and dynamic individual for the following positions.:

Teacher (English, Mandarin, Physical Ed., Bahasa Indonesia, Social, Science and Math)
(Jakarta)

Requirements:

• Female/Male
• Bachelor or Master degree related field (S1 / S2 ). Strata IV is preferable.
• Love working with children and establish good relationship with parents.
• Intellectual strength, professional integrity, strong values
• Able to work as a team as well as an individual
• Fluent in English both spoken and written
• Experience in International School or National Plus School minimum 2 years.
• For Mandarin teacher should be fluent in Mandarin both in oral and written
  

" Only short-listed candidates will be invited via e-mail/phone for Test and Interview "

Please email CV / resume, recent photograph, and current and expected salary to:

majubinabangsa@yahoo.com or benttree@rocketmail.com

More job information visit:

http://indonesia-job.blogspot.com/

5 Ways To Improve Your Memory - For Students

"Oh God, tomorrow is exam! Will I remember what I have studied?" This fear haunts many students. Now, don’t fear friend. You can remember what you study.

Provided, you use those study methods that help your brain to remember better.

Here are five ‘Brain-friendly’ study methods that help to improve your memory and remember your study lessons easily:

1. Study with short breaks

Take short breaks while studying. Do not study continuously for more than 30 to 45 minutes.
Give a break of five to ten minutes in between two sessions.

Such short breaks give rest to your brain and help it to reinforce what you are learning. This will make it easy for you to understand more and remember better.

Do not read any new information during these short breaks. Just relax or walk around.

2. Explain to yourself

Explain what you study to yourself. Pretend you are both the student and the teacher, and try to explain the chapter or study topic to yourself.

This kind of ‘explaining’ automatically helps you to learn the subject in detail. Hence you will remember it clearly.

3. Discuss

Discuss important study topics with a willing classmate. Holding such discussion will jog your memory. This is like another form of revision.

Also, you will become aware of important points about those study topics. This will help both you and your classmate to learn more and remember more.

4. Sleep well

Yes, sleep cosily. Good sleep is essential for good memory.

Recent research has shown that lack of sufficient sleep interferes with memory function. Because during sleep and rest period, our brain processes and consolidates information which it records during the day.

So do not skip sleep; especially during the exam days. Sleep for at least six hours. Eight hours is best.

5. Eat Well

Now what has eating got to do with remembering more? Simple. What we eat affects our brain’s performance. Poor nutrition leads to learning and memory problems.

So make sure you include nutrient-rich food items like--whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and milk in your diet. This will keep your brain healthy and happy.

The above five remedies are easy to follow. They definitely help to strengthen your memory and achieve more success in your studies.

Author: Navi Arora

Student Teacher - Don't Fall in to This Trap

So you are a student teacher in teacher's college. There are so many new ideas presented to you with how to create effective lesson plans, classroom management, and portfolio making. All of this is to prepare you for the big interviews, and ultimately for your job. The problem is that at this time, many student teachers are not getting jobs as easily as they once were, and some are not getting jobs at all.

Currently the job market is saturated with teachers, especially if you are an elementary teacher. Most teachers are stuck taking temporary positions or supply teaching for months or several years until they finally get a full time position. As a student teacher, you might be lucky enough to do some supply teaching and get paid as an 'unqualified teacher' for a while until your papers come in that say you are qualified.

As a student teacher you really need to make sure you have a plan to make money if you do not land that full time teaching job right away, or if you are only a temporary teacher, or if you are doing occasional supply work. If you are not full time, you will not be paid over any vacation periods, and if you supply teach you need to make calculate roughly how much you will make a month, so you know how much to supplement this income.

Sure you could go out and get another job, but with occasional teaching it is sometimes hard to fit a new job (with it's set hours) in to your teaching schedule. This is why it is so important to have a plan, where you can make money either while you are teaching in the classroom, or while you are at home.

The Internet has made it extremely profitable for us as teachers to make money Online. As a student teacher, you need to briefly take your mind away from curriculum documents and do some research into concepts like leverage and residual income. For these two concepts are really going to change the way you think about making money. And, once you finally do land a teaching job, these concepts are also going to separate you from the rest of your colleagues who are chained to their budgets.

Some reading that I would suggest before taking the skills you learned as a student teacher into the workplace are : Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki and The 4 Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss. You can get the gist of their ideas on YouTube videos if you do not have time for additional reading. These authors completely changed the way I look at the teaching profession, and making money as a whole.

Start to open your mind to the concepts taught in these books, and learn as much as you can about making money online, aside from teaching so that you can make money while you're not working, and so you can teach if you love it and not because you have to. Do not forget to check out the link in the resource box below. I've got a great free report that details my experiences so you can learn from them.

Author: Tania Mesar

Scholarship Aplication Strategies - Part 5

High School Students: Investigate Scholarship Options Early

High school students who hope to earn college scholarships and grants should begin researching scholarship opportunities during their sophomore or junior year of high school or even earlier. It’s important to find out what types of scholarships for high school students are available, so that you can take steps toward making sure you are eligible well in advance of the time you will need to apply. By investigating scholarship options early, you’ll have time to take the right classes and beef up your resume to ensure you have the best chance of winning scholarships when it comes time to start applying.

For example, the National Key Club scholarship program is open only to Key Club members with two years of tenure in the organization. If you wait until your senior year to join the key club, you will have eliminated yourself from consideration for this type of scholarship. Additionally, the Dell Scholars Program is open to only those individuals who spent a minimum of two years in an approved college readiness program. Students who hope to receive these prestigious scholarships must plan ahead in order to qualify.

These are not the only scholarship awards that have participation requirements. Many of the awards most worth winning have specific eligibility requirements, rather they be a certain GPA, a certain ACT score (just imagine coming across this and realizing the next ACT test day is after the scholarship application deadline), a record of community service, or any number of other criteria. The earlier you investigate scholarship options, the earlier you’ll know not only what’s out there, but what you’ll have to do to win.

By conducting a scholarship search and researching scholarship and grant opportunities early on in your high school career, you can be at an advantage when it comes to scholarship eligibility. Then, when your senior year of high school arrives and you begin the scholarship application process in earnest, you can put your name in for tons of awards for which you’re clearly eligible, rather than beating yourself up and thinking of what could have been.

Other Strategies:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4


Source Information:
www.scholarships.com

Scholarship Aplication Strategies - Part 4

Finding Scholarships; Know How & Where to Look

There are many ways to look for scholarships. Naturally, the most efficient way is to have somebody tell you which ones are not only available, but available to you, in particular, based on your background, interests, abilities, financial situation, etc. That is what Scholarships.com does - free of charge! Another way to find out how you will be able to fund your college education is to search colleges, which can also be done at Scholarships.com's College Search. You can look up, among other things, the cost of attendance and room and board and then perhaps contact the college directly to find out what kind of scholarships/other financial aid they would offer you.

There are many types of scholarships. But we all knew that, right? Maybe and maybe not. Some of you might still be under the mistaken impression you can't win a scholarship unless you play sports or have an I.Q. over 130 or a GPA over 3.5. The simple fact is that, yes, you probably stand a better chance with a 4.0 GPA or play Quarterback for the varsity squad, but those are just a few kinds of scholarships a student will find if they do a thorough search. This is why we advocate conducting a search at Scholarships.com. We match you to any scholarships in our database you might be able to win, regardless of why. We'll let you decide whether you want to apply for the scholarship after you have read more about it.

Don't give up. New scholarships are created all the time and finding scholarships is as simple as knowing how to conduct your search and following up periodically. Your credentials change over the course of a year. These are a few reasons why you shouldn't give up looking for scholarships. If you're GPA goes up by .3 points, come back to Scholarships.com and edit your profile to reflect this improvement and check your search results to see if this has qualified you for additional scholarships. If you have changed your mind about what you would like to major in or which college you would like to attend, come back to Scholarships.com and make these changes in your profile. You never know when one or two seemingly minor changes in your life, academic or personal, might be worth thousands in financial aid.

Other Strategies:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Source Information:
www.scholarships.com

Lowongan Kerja - Preschool Teacher

Advertised: 22-1-2009 | Closing Date: 20-2-2009

Children obtain life skills from the day they are born. Children are literally “sponges” that absorb anything their environment has to offer – good or bad. Thus, giving them an environment where they can grow and develop into their full potential is absolutely important for their future success.
Our preschool in Cipete has a curriculum to do just that! We need adults who love working with children to facilitate their learning and start creating a difference for their future.

Below are the skills required:

Preschool Teacher
(Jakarta Raya)

Requirements:

• Female aged 20 – 35
• Excellent spoken English
• Minimum Diploma in Education, Child Studies, or Child Psychology or a Bachelors degree in any field, preferably in Education
• Candidates who have lived overseas (preferably in US, UK, or Australia) for a minimum of 2 years will be looked upon favorably
• Experience not necessary but preferable
• Must love interacting and working with children
• Must be available to work full time weekdays from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.
• Training will be provided
• Applicants should be Indonesian citizens or hold relevant residence status.
  

The job application processing time can take anywhere between 2 weeks and 2 months from the time this advertisement was posted.

Please send all resumes to Chris Tobing via the following methods:

Mail: Jl. Jati Padang Utara No. 1A
Pejaten, Jakarta Selatan 12540

Email: chris.tobing@yahoo.com.au

10 Secrets Of A Successful Homeschool

1. Have fun.
Attitude is everything with home learning. Enjoy learning and your kids will enjoy it. Make it drudgery and they will respond as well. Try to make even boring tasks, pleasant at least. This is not to say that everything must be a 3-ring circus, but if you have a fresh, upbeat attitude even with times tables and spelling tests, this will reflect well on your children's enjoyment and learning potential.

2. Limit interruptions.

My biggest interruption is the phone. Get a good answering machine and use it during regularly scheduled learning time. Or use voice mail. Record a message that states from this time to that time we are home educating and will get back to you after we are finished. Tell friends and relatives that this is the case, and eventually they will learn to respect this. This also means well meaning drop in visits and babysitting for friends, etc. Keep your children's learning time sacred and your family will benefit from this.

3. Dedicate your time to their learning.
If you are doing 101 things while your children are trying to do bookwork, how can you expect them to concentrate and finish tasks at hand? Keep your focus on them, it is a priority that rewards!

4. Keep it simple.
Be careful not to fall into the "Curriculum of the Month" club. Trying and swapping and changing your education plans with every new program that breezes by will kill your children's spirit. This is not to say that you should stay with something that is not working, just be careful not to flit about like a butterfly in a field of flowers. Your children will quickly learn that all it takes in a bit of whining and they'll have a new book, workbook or system in no time. Also, simplify your life. Too many commitments and outside activities and responsibilities can really wreck havoc with your schedule. Try to keep your life simple and you will be rewarded.

5. Have FAITH! In yourself, your kids and in God.
If you are doing the best you can, you will be rewarded. How can you do any worse than an overworked, underpaid public school teacher with only 6 hours and 24 - 30 children to teach? Overcome your own shortcomings with help, tutoring assistance and your own re-education. Don't count yourself short. Children learn in any environment even the slums of Calcutta! Provide them with your time and enthusiasm, good basic materials and faith and you will do as well if not better than that poor teacher can. You have the best interest of your children in your heart. Let it work for them.

6. When in doubt READ!
If the washing machine is flooding, the baby is sick, your toddler is fussy and lunch is burning don't just give up, get reading. Reading is the best way for your kids to learn and retain. Gather up the brood and snuggle on the couch with a good classic. Reading aloud is a wonderful activity for your family. Even experienced readers will love to hear a story aloud, especially when they don't have to sound out each word and get through those they may not know. There is a rhyme and rhythm to books read aloud that delights even little ones. Make it a drama performance, use voices change the sound levels of your voice, and discuss the plot. You can even tape record your story time so that pre-readers can listen again and again and enjoy the story while you worry about that washing machine!

7. Surround yourself with home school mentors.
Whether it's an online group, or a support group, or just a great mom you met at church or at the library, keep in touch with these people! Ask questions; ask for helpful advice, most likely, they will be happy to help, because someone in their life helped them. Don't do this alone. Even a good home education magazine will help you in your quest. Read home education books when you are in need of a little boost.

8. Use the Library!
What a wonderful resource most public libraries are. Not only books of any and every subject but reference books, video tapes, audio tapes, learning materials, computer accesses, computer software and so much more. With just a notebook and some pencils, I truly believe you could educate your children with just a library at hand! Don't spend a fortune on all these reference books for home. Use the libraries! And the librarians love homeschoolers

9. Take frequent break days.
If you are sick, or some family obligations make a day difficult, take a day off. Instead of great big weeks off or even the whole summer, take frequent days off through the year to refresh and empower you. The children will be pleased and you will get a chance to regroup. Just make sure they aren't every other day!

10. Watch for outside time stealers!
Field trips and social outings and classes for this and that are important, just make sure you are not overdoing it. Too many errands and outings can kill a day's learning and overwhelm your schedule. Remember that you are home schooling not car schooling! Try and schedule a day that is busy and three or four days that are not. Your family will appreciate this!

copyright © 2006 by Sherri L. Chekal

How To Homeschool Your Child?

Now that you have decided that homeschooling is the way to educate your child, get ready for the ecstasy and the anxiety - the road ahead is a bit bumpy, but the rewards more than make up for it. Producing a well-adjusted and well-rounded personality is no mean achievement.

First of all, it is important to check out your state laws on home schooling. Some states need an affidavit filed with the State's education department. There are basically 3 categories for homeschooling laws.

These are: private school laws, home education laws and equivalency laws. Find your state laws. You may also need to maintain a portfolio that records the child's educational progress. It is important to look into the legal requirements BEFORE you start homeschooling. Some States also stipulate a minimum educational qualification for the parent or teacher.

Next, look for a support group. If you live in a friendly or curious neighborhood, well-meaning friends will try to dissuade you. At the very least, they may put a lot of uneasy questions in your mind. A support group that consists of like-minded people will insulate you from the criticism, pressures and questions of regular school-goers. Many groups organize fun events like visits to the zoo, museum, tours to the ice cream shops etc. And if your children hit it off with other homeschoolers, they will be able to build lasting relationships that do not fade when their friends change schools. These groups provide an important avenue for socialization.

The next important thing to do is to select a curriculum. Depending upon the method of homeschooling, you may choose various tools that aid you in this process. The internet is also a rich resource for homeschooling. Do some research and look into the material that is available.

Set certain ground rules. Homeschooling requires a lot of self-discipline and hard work. Here is a comprehensive list of the things you will need:

1) Eagerness to learn
2) Hard work and effort
3) Discipline
4) Time and patience
5) Flexibility
6) Enthusiasm

Consider why you want to opt for homeschooling. Your motives and your reasons are important pillars on which the whole edifice of your child's lessons depends. Also, consult with your children. Ask them what they feel about homeschooling.

Select a curriculum or custom-make a curriculum that best suits your child. Record keeping is an important part of homeschooling. Look into the various methods of record keeping. Set up a schedule. Your child does not have to learn 6-7 hours a day. Allow him or her to dictate the time. Flexibility and fun are the cornerstones of homeschooling. Do not stuff too many skills into a single term or year. Prepare a skill list. Make the child learn the skills that he is ready for.

Gentle parenting is the secret to successful homeschooling. Children make great advances in learning and show more enthusiasm. They also turn out to be surprisingly well balanced and well informed when they are taught at home.

This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com

What Is Homeschooling?

The term 'homeschooling' basically refers to the process in which one or more children of not more than 2 families are instructed by parents or legal guardians, or a member of either household. The laws that define homeschooling vary from State to State. The legal requirements for establishing a homeschool also vary with the State.

For most children, the actual process of learning begins much before school. Many children already know their alphabets, the names of animals, colors and other more complicated stuff before they reach school. This is mostly due to the hard work of a member of the family who has taken the time to teach the child. Homeschooling is just a natural progression from here. Instead of sending their children to a public school, parents make their own curriculum and teach their children in ways that best suit the child. This is homeschooling, in its most simplistic form.

Before you decide to go in for homeschooling, there are certain important matters for consideration.

First off, meet with parents of other homeschoolers. Find out the pros and cons of homeschooling. Then ask yourself why you would want to adopt this method. This is a very important aspect, as the success of the program depends on the clarity and sincerity of your purpose.

Next, it is time to consider the expenses of homeschooling. It may cost anywhere between a few hundred dollars to a few thousand every year. More importantly, you are also effectively shutting out any job opportunity for one of the parents. It is only obvious that one parent will have to stay at home full time to manage the homeschool. A home-based business however is a great alternative.

Are you qualified to take on homeschooling for your children? Teaching is a continuation of your own learning process. With the advent of the internet, information is aplenty. There are various books and resources for those interested in homeschooling. Go through the various methods of homeschooling and choose one that is most suited to you. It helps if you know what kind of learning style your child has. Also, find out what your child feels about homeschooling before you start.

Every state has its own laws regarding homeschooling. For instance, in North Carolina, you must first file a 'Notice of Intent' to start a home school. In this you have to mention if the school is a 'Private church' school or a 'qualified non-public school'. The persons providing the education are required to have at least a high school diploma. You have to maintain an annual record of the child's attendance and disease immunization. Every year, the child is required to undergo a standardized test. Each student attending the eleventh grade has to take a nationally standardized test. These are the requirements in North Carolina, but it is enough to give you a good idea of what homeschooling entails.

Homeschooling may seem like a lot of fun and freedom from the outside. However, things are seldom as simple as they seem. Homeschooling is a lot of added responsibility and hard work. But, if successful, it will forge a strong bond of love and respect between parent and child, while providing your child with the best form of education he needs.

This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory