E-Book Review
Web Site ABC’s by Phyllis Wheeler
Category: The Everyday Entrepreneur (Homeschool + Home Business)
Reviewed by Janice Campbell
The Computer Lady has done it again! Phyllis Wheeler has taken a seemingly complex subject, and made it accessible. Internet Commerce (aka e-business or e-commerce) is a vibrant, growing field, but in order to provide goods or services online, a company must have a website! There are many books and programs available to help set up a website, but most are too complicated for computer novices, or too expensive for a start-up venture.
Wheeler’s new e-book, WebSite ABC’s, bridges the gap between the beginner and a first website. Using detailed text instructions, coupled with screen shots, Wheeler walks the reader through the process of learning exactly what is necessary to get online in just hours. She covers simple HTML, how to find and use a free web design program, how to create an information or sales site, how to find affordable hosting, how to tie in a shopping cart, how to make an e-book, and much more.
The greatest strength of WebSite ABC’s is its simplicity. The information presented is adequate, but not overwhelming. Using Wheeler’s information, anyone with internet access can create a simple, income-producing website. The casual tone and “let me show you” warmth of WebSite ABC’s removes the intimidation factor from unfamiliar terms and concepts, and leaves the reader with a “can do” feeling.
Information in the e-book is applicable to both PC and Mac. While Wheeler’s example screenshots show a PC, she includes keystroke instructions for the Mac when necessary. WebSite ABC’s is a remarkably friendly introduction to the world of e-commerce, and is suitable for both high school students and adults. Now there’s no excuse for not setting up a website!
Click Here! to purchase Phyllis Wheeler’s WebSite ABC’s.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Scholarship Hunting
Everybody talks about it, but hardly anybody does it.
What's that, you say?
Scholarship hunting! Thousands of dollars go unclaimed each year because very few people are willing to put in the effort it takes to rake in the kind of scholarship money that counts. You don't have to be the most spectacular student on the planet to earn significant funds-- you just have to put in the hours and hours it takes to write essays, gather reference letters, fill out applications on time, and keep good records.
Steve Rosen's "Kids and Money" column offers an indepth look at the scholarship hunting process through the eyes of a student who amassed over $25,000 in scholarships. Read it-- you'll learn what it takes, and I hope you'll be inspired to jump into the competition!
You might want to check out my favorite scholarship search engine (below), but don't overlook the very important financial aid office at the college you have chosen. Your academic advisor can occasionally point you toward some very little-known scholarships, and these are the ones that have the least competition. Whatever, you do, don't be afraid to ask questions!
Need money for college? Use FastWeb's free scholarship search to find information on more than 600,000 scholarships!
Have a great weekend!
What's that, you say?
Scholarship hunting! Thousands of dollars go unclaimed each year because very few people are willing to put in the effort it takes to rake in the kind of scholarship money that counts. You don't have to be the most spectacular student on the planet to earn significant funds-- you just have to put in the hours and hours it takes to write essays, gather reference letters, fill out applications on time, and keep good records.
Steve Rosen's "Kids and Money" column offers an indepth look at the scholarship hunting process through the eyes of a student who amassed over $25,000 in scholarships. Read it-- you'll learn what it takes, and I hope you'll be inspired to jump into the competition!
You might want to check out my favorite scholarship search engine (below), but don't overlook the very important financial aid office at the college you have chosen. Your academic advisor can occasionally point you toward some very little-known scholarships, and these are the ones that have the least competition. Whatever, you do, don't be afraid to ask questions!
Need money for college? Use FastWeb's free scholarship search to find information on more than 600,000 scholarships!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Literacy- It's a Choice!
We are rebounding after a season of flu. All I can say is that it sure lasted awhile-- much longer than the standard version! At least it didn't have anything to do with birds...
A couple of articles caught my eye in the past couple of weeks. The most interesting, "Literacy of College Graduates Is on Decline," out of the Washington Post didn't come as a great shock. Although the experts claim to be baffled by graduates' decline in reading proficiency, doesn't it seem obvious that people who don't read often will not be able to read well? The aphorism, "practice makes perfect," remains perfectly true. If, as the study suggests, "only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it," there has obviously been a breakdown somewhere in the educational process.
The "experts" can be as puzzled as they like-- anyone who has been through the public schools can probably attest to the vast amounts of time wasted on non-educational activities. The trend toward dumbing down education didn't start in the past few years-- it's been going on for decades. I remember most classes in school as an absolute waste of time. Assignments were minimal (though most people took them home for homework), and reading was often "culturally relevant" nonsense (we read Hinton's gang lit, as the powers-that-be considered it appropriate for an East L.A. high school population-- what a waste of time!).
Between dumbed-down primary and secondary education, and the vast onslaught of electronic distractions from reading, it's no wonder that literacy is down. The wonder is that anyone is surprised!
There's an elegantly simple solution to the problem of dumbed-down education, though, and it's called homeschool. It allows families to custom-tailor educational experiences to a student's needs, accelerating or focusing in greater depth as needed. Numerous studies have shown homeschoolers outperforming their traditionally schooled counterparts by significant margins, and it has to do with efficiency and focus. Home educators are able to focus on an area until it's mastered; they are able to pursue areas of interest in depth; they can learn at their own pace; they can recruit outside tutors as needed; they are not held back by discipline issue and non-academic nonsense; and they can take the time to make almost any area of study rich and fascinating. It's not hard for a lean, focused home-education experience to beat a system that is bloated with problems and laden with unnecessary frills and furbelows!
As for the electronic distractions-- it's a choice, isn't it? You can choose to provide books and basketballs for your children, or you can provide televisions, x-boxes, iPods, and whatever the latest electro-gadget is. I realize that your choices will probably reflect your personal preferences and convictions, just as my choices for my children reflected my beliefs and desires for their future.
The bottom line is, if you want to have literate children, you must model behavior that leads to literacy. If you didn't have a good education, you can study right along with your children, and create a home atmosphere that promotes literacy. It is a choice, after all!
A couple of articles caught my eye in the past couple of weeks. The most interesting, "Literacy of College Graduates Is on Decline," out of the Washington Post didn't come as a great shock. Although the experts claim to be baffled by graduates' decline in reading proficiency, doesn't it seem obvious that people who don't read often will not be able to read well? The aphorism, "practice makes perfect," remains perfectly true. If, as the study suggests, "only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it," there has obviously been a breakdown somewhere in the educational process.
The "experts" can be as puzzled as they like-- anyone who has been through the public schools can probably attest to the vast amounts of time wasted on non-educational activities. The trend toward dumbing down education didn't start in the past few years-- it's been going on for decades. I remember most classes in school as an absolute waste of time. Assignments were minimal (though most people took them home for homework), and reading was often "culturally relevant" nonsense (we read Hinton's gang lit, as the powers-that-be considered it appropriate for an East L.A. high school population-- what a waste of time!).
Between dumbed-down primary and secondary education, and the vast onslaught of electronic distractions from reading, it's no wonder that literacy is down. The wonder is that anyone is surprised!
There's an elegantly simple solution to the problem of dumbed-down education, though, and it's called homeschool. It allows families to custom-tailor educational experiences to a student's needs, accelerating or focusing in greater depth as needed. Numerous studies have shown homeschoolers outperforming their traditionally schooled counterparts by significant margins, and it has to do with efficiency and focus. Home educators are able to focus on an area until it's mastered; they are able to pursue areas of interest in depth; they can learn at their own pace; they can recruit outside tutors as needed; they are not held back by discipline issue and non-academic nonsense; and they can take the time to make almost any area of study rich and fascinating. It's not hard for a lean, focused home-education experience to beat a system that is bloated with problems and laden with unnecessary frills and furbelows!
As for the electronic distractions-- it's a choice, isn't it? You can choose to provide books and basketballs for your children, or you can provide televisions, x-boxes, iPods, and whatever the latest electro-gadget is. I realize that your choices will probably reflect your personal preferences and convictions, just as my choices for my children reflected my beliefs and desires for their future.
The bottom line is, if you want to have literate children, you must model behavior that leads to literacy. If you didn't have a good education, you can study right along with your children, and create a home atmosphere that promotes literacy. It is a choice, after all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
