Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The Millennial babies


Gone are the good old days when students visit libraries to clear their doubt. In an era where everything is ruled by internet, the students of this era demand more than just an ordinary classroom and a bag of text books.

The expectations of the students are very high. They read daily news in tabloids rather in a newspaper. They have huge desire to learn but they don’t want to do it in the old fashioned way. They want to use modern means of education tools to learn. At a time, where people search even for a restaurant on social media, students too want to learn in a much socialized way rather a small class room.

They want to utilize the latest technology to get the best out of education. They want to learn at their own pace from the comforts of their home. They want to network with people across the globe and learn from their experiences. They want real time experience rather than reading text books.

The students of this generation are more interested in typing than talking. Whether it is games or studies they want everything online. They don’t want to spend hours of precious time travelling to schools or colleges in heavy traffic. They want to study online, earn a degree and invent new technology and make the world a better place to live.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

What is Ethical Hacking?

Ethical Hacking is done by the skilled computer experts by their excellent programming skills. It is an attempt to penetrate or crash the computer system. An ethical hacker is a computer and network expert who attacks a security system on behalf of its owners, seeking vulnerabilities that a malicious hacker could exploit. It is performed to increase the safety of the computer systems. Normally hacker prevent their company in is that owns the system and specifically to prevent others from attacking it. The command prompt is one of the most important things to become a hacker.
  

Getting Started    


What you need to do to get started on the road to becoming an ethical hacker depends on where you are in the IT field. If you haven't started your IT career yet, you might even consider military service. The military offers many IT opportunities, and you get paid to go to school, even if you enlist in a part-time branch such as the National Guard or Reserves. Military service also looks good to employers that require security clearances.
Start with the basics: Earn your A+ Certification and get a tech support position. After some experience and additional certification (Network+ or CCNA), move up to a network support or admin role, and then to network engineer after a few years. Next, put some time into earning security certifications (Security+, CISSP, or TICSA) and find an information security position. While you're there, try to concentrate on penetration testing--and get some experience with the tools of the trade. Then work toward the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification offered by the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council for short). At that point, you can start marketing yourself as an ethical hacker.
For a hacker, networking know-how is vital; but make sure that you gain experience in related areas as well. Discover and play with Unix/Linux commands and distributions. Make sure you also learn some programming--maybe C, LISP, Perl, or Java. And spend some time with databases such as SQL.
 

1. Programming

We call programmer as creator and hacker as destroyer but that is not true. We can say hacker as security analyst who find the flaws on the programs and help programmer to make it more secure. To do this, A hacker must have knowledge of programming . Earlier, I have posted two article: how to become good programmer and Best websites to learn programming. you must read those article if you are starting to learn programming and want to become an expert.

 

2. Networking

The knowledge of networking is very essential because all we do is on network. And improving the network security (cyber security) is what i call ethical hacking.

 

3. cryptography

Cryptography concept in cyber security is used to secure the information travelling through the wires or wireless media. Mainly there are two concepts in cryptography : Encryption and Decryption . You will need to learn how information is being encrypted and how decrypted and what are the methods .

 

4. Database Management system

All the data on internet is saved somewhere in databases. And these databases contain very important and sensitive information which must be only visible to authorize person .  To be an ethical hacker, you must have to know how data is stored , how data is retrieved and how it become insecure.

 

5. Linux

If you want to play games, listen music, watch movies and work in office than i’ll prefer windows but if you want to be a hacker i’ll prefer linux. and it has been already posted in technotification : why hacker prefer linux.


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

How To Improve Student Motivation


Not only the lessons, Exams, and books in the world change the students excited about learning and willing to work hard if they’re not motivated.
Motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, is a key factor in the success of students at all stages of their education, and teachers can play a pivotal role in providing and encouraging that motivation in their students. Of course that’s much easier said than done, as all students are motivated differently and it takes time and a lot of effort to learn to get a classroom full of kids enthusiastic about learning, working hard, and pushing themselves to excel.

Even the most well-intentioned and educated teachers sometimes lack the skills to keep kids on track, so whether you’re a new teacher or an experienced one, try using these methods to motivate your students and to encourage them to live up to their true potential.

1. sense of control
While guidance from a teacher is important to keeping kids on task and motivated, allowing students to have some choice and control over what happens in the classroom is actually one of the best ways to keep them engaged. For example, allowing students to choose the type of assignment they do or which problems to work on can give them a sense of control that may just motivate them to do more.
2. Define the objectives.
It can be very frustrating for students to complete an assignment or even to behave in class if there aren’t clearly defined objectives. Students want and need to know what is expected of them in order to stay motivated to work. At the beginning of the year, lay out clear objectives, rules, and expectations of students so that there is no confusion and students have goals to work towards.
3. Create a threat-free environment.
While students do need to understand that there are consequences to their actions, far more motivating for students than threats are positive reinforcements. When teachers create a safe, supportive environment for students, affirming their belief in a student’s abilities rather than laying out the consequences of not doing things, students are much more likely to get and stay motivated to do their work. At the end of the day, students will fulfill the expectations that the adults around them communicate, so focus on can, not can’t.
4. Change your scenery.
A classroom is a great place for learning, but sitting at a desk day in and day out can make school start to seem a bit dull for some students. To renew interest in the subject matter or just in learning in general, give your students a chance to get out of the classroom. Take field trips, bring in speakers, or even just head to the library for some research. The brain loves novelty and a new setting can be just what some students need to stay motivated to learn.
5. Offer varied experiences.
Not all students will respond to lessons in the same way. For some, hands-on experiences may be the best. Others may love to read books quietly or to work in groups. In order to keep all students motivated, mix up your lessons so that students with different preferences will each get time focused on the things they like best. Doing so will help students stay engaged and pay attention.
6. Use positive competition.
Competition in the classroom isn’t always a bad thing, and in some cases can motivate students to try harder and work to excel. Work to foster a friendly spirit of competition in your classroom, perhaps through group games related to the material or other opportunities for students to show off their knowledge.
7. Offer rewards.
Everyone likes getting rewards, and offering your students the chance to earn them is an excellent source of motivation. Things like pizza parties, watching movies, or even something as simple as a sticker on a paper can make students work harder and really aim to achieve. Consider the personalities and needs of your students to determine appropriate rewards for your class.
8. Give students responsibility.
Assigning students classroom jobs is a great way to build a community and to give students a sense of motivation. Most students will see classroom jobs as a privilege rather than a burden and will work hard to ensure that they, and other students, are meeting expectations. It can also be useful to allow students to take turns leading activities or helping out so that each feels important and valued.
9. Allow students to work together.
While not all students will jump at the chance to work in groups, many will find it fun to try to solve problems, do experiments, and work on projects with other students. The social interaction can get them excited about things in the classroom and students can motivate one another to reach a goal. Teachers need to ensure that groups are balanced and fair, however, so that some students aren’t doing more work than others.
10. Give praise when earned.
There is no other form of motivation that works quite as well as encouragement. Even as adults we crave recognition and praise, and students at any age are no exception. Teachers can give students a bounty of motivation by rewarding success publicly, giving praise for a job well done, and sharing exemplary work.
11. Encourage self-reflection.
Most kids want to succeed, they just need help figuring out what they need to do in order to get there. One way to motivate your students is to get them to take a hard look at themselves and determine their own strengths and weaknesses. Students are often much more motivated by creating these kinds of critiques of themselves than by having a teacher do it for them, as it makes them feel in charge of creating their own objectives and goals.
12. Be excited.
One of the best ways to get your students motivated is to share your enthusiasm. When you’re excited about teaching, they’ll be much more excited about learning. It’s that simple.
13. Know your students.
Getting to know your students is about more than just memorizing their names. Students need to know that their teacher has a genuine interest in them and cares about them and their success. When students feel appreciated it creates a safe learning environment and motivates them to work harder, as they want to get praise and good feedback from someone they feel knows and respects them as individuals.
14. Harness student interests.
Knowing your students also has some other benefits, namely that it allows you to relate classroom material to things that students are interested in or have experienced. Teachers can use these interests to make things more interesting and relatable to students, keeping students motivated for longer.
15. Help students find intrinsic motivation.
It can be great to help students get motivated, but at the end of the day they need to be able to generate their own motivation. Helping students find their own personal reasons for doing class work and working hard, whether because they find material interesting, want to go to college, or just love to learn, is one of the most powerful gifts you can give them.
16. Manage student anxiety.
Some students find the prospect of not doing well so anxiety-inducing that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. For these students, teachers may find that they are most motivated by learning that struggling with a subject isn’t the end of the world. Offer support no matter what the end result is and ensure that students don’t feel so overwhelmed by expectations that they just give up.
17. Make goals high but attainable.
If you’re not pushing your students to do more than the bare minimum, most won’t seek to push themselves on their own. Students like to be challenged and will work to achieve high expectations so long as they believe those goals to be within their reach, so don’t be afraid to push students to get more out of them.
18. Give feedback and offer chances to improve.
Students who struggle with class work can sometimes feel frustrated and get down on themselves, draining motivation. In these situations it’s critical that teachers help students to learn exactly where they went wrong and how they can improve next time. Figuring out a method to get where students want to be can also help them to stay motivated to work hard.
19. Track progress.
It can be hard for students to see just how far they’ve come, especially with subjects that are difficult for them. Tracking can come in handy in the classroom, not only for teachers but also for students. Teachers can use this as a way to motivate students, allowing them to see visually just how much they are learning and improving as the year goes on.
20. Make things fun.
Not all class work needs to be a game or a good time, but students who see school as a place where they can have fun will be more motivated to pay attention and do the work that’s required of them than those who regard it as a chore. Adding fun activities into your school day can help students who struggle to stay engaged and make the classroom a much more friendly place for all students.
21. Provide opportunities for success.
Students, even the best ones, can become frustrated and demotivated when they feel like they’re struggling or not getting the recognition that other students are. Make sure that all students get a chance to play to their strengths and feel included and valued. It can make a world of difference in their motivation.

Are You Ready to Learn Online? Five Need-to-Have Skills for Online Students

This post outlines five of the most essential skills students need to be successful with online course work, 1) basic computer skills, 2) digital communication, 3) Web search, 4) time management, and 5) collaboration skills, AND includes excellent resources for learning more about each. 


1) Computer Skills—The Basics
Why you need it:  At the very least you’ll need basic set of computer skills to function effectively in an online course. You’ll be communicating with the instructor and classmates either through discussion forums, email and video conference or chat platforms. You’ll also be uploading assignments, converting documents to PDF files, navigating within the course site, conducting searches, installing and updating software.
Applications/tools you’ll needAccess to a computer or laptop equipped with a webcam and microphone, an email address, as well as access to a reliable, high-speed internet connection (more so if accessing streamed lecture videos). If access to high-speed internet is a barrier, alternatives to view video content include: viewing in low definition setting, downloading video file to computer for later viewing, or reading lecture transcripts.
Access to word processing software such as Microsoft’s Word or Apple’s Pages. Some courses require use of Excel and/or presentation software such as PowerPoint. You’ll need to be able to convert a document to a PDF file format, and have up-to-date plug-ins, such as Flash, to engage with web content. The main gateway into an online course is through the course management system, also known as the learning management system (LMS)—you’ll need to be familiar with the features of the LMS specific to your course.
Resources:
  • To learn features of the LMS, check on your course site for tutorials. YouTube is another source for tutorials, as is the LMS provider, e.g. Canvas or Moodle.
  • Check the website of the tech department associated with your institution for help with plug-ins, software downloads, tutorials, etc.
  • eLearning Faqs, Browser plug-ins, elearningnc.gov
  • courseeplus.com, learn skills for free, computer basics, email, Powerpoint, etc.
  • How to Convert a Microsoft Word Document to PDF Format, WikiHow
2) Digital Communication
Why you need it:  As an online student you’ll be communicating and collaborating with your instructors and classmates in a variety of ways, most frequently through writing. Communication is either delayed, (asynchronous) where students post messages on discussion board for instance (similar to Facebook), or in real-time, (synchronous) during a video conferencing session, interactive classroom within the LMS, or a chat session.
What you’ll need to do:  To engage within discussion forums, which is a typical method to interact with your classmates and apply course concepts through dialogue. You’ll need to use netiquette skills when communicating online. Netiquette skills include for example, using full sentences, avoiding sarcasm, and using emoticons. These skills also apply to email communication, where you’ll want to be clear and succinct. Your instructor or institution may provide a list of netiquette skills for your class.
Tip: To make the most of learning with discussion forums, you’ll want to provide thoughtful responses that include deeper insights and/or resources (e.g. links to external content sources) that build on course concepts. Students can add value to online discussions by encouraging fellow classmates to expand on their ideas by posing thoughtful ideas and questions that will challenge classmates (and yourself) to think and reflect further about concepts.
Resources:
  • Netiquette rules for electronic communications, Mark C. Frank, Boise State University
  • Online discussion: tips for students, University of Waterloo
  • Tips for Success in Online Discussions, Boise State University
globe_mouse3) Web Search
Why you need it:  Knowing how to conduct searches on the Web is a skill set needed in today’s digital culture, yet students learning online need advanced Web search skills that go beyond ‘Googling it’.  We live in an age of information abundance, yet information is not knowledge. You’ll be sourcing relevant information for your studies—finding resources to share within discussion forums, references for papers and projects. Also searching for sources to learn background information within the course subject area you aren’t familiar with.
What you’ll need to do:  Use a variety of search tools to find scholarly articles, search databases, discern credible sources, locate primary and secondary sources.
Resources:  If you are studying with an institution, check with library services for online tutorials in using library databases, search skills, etc. Often local public libraries have instructional resources for conducting scholarly research—all you require is a library card.
  • Searching the World Wide Web, One of the best programs available for free via Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab, OWL
  • Conducting Online Research: Effective Online Research Strategies” is an excellent resource for OWL, available for download in a PDF format
  • Google Scholar, database for scholarly literature across disciplines including: journals, theses, books, abstracts, academic publishers, etc.
  • Google Scholar Search Tips
4) Time Management
Why you need it:  Life can get in the way of studying online, more so for students taking online courses that have full-time or part-time jobs, are juggling family responsibilities, or already have a full course load at a traditional institution, all of which suggest that time management skills are critical to student success. 
What you’ll need to do: Take charge of your learning from the beginning of the course; allow no time for procrastination to set in. Research suggests that habits of successful online students include consistent and specific times set aside each week for their online studies. Other recommendations:
  • Log on to your course at least three or four times per week. For discussion forum activities, you’ll need to post an initial response to a discussion question early in the week, then log onto the course site throughout the week to read and respond to classmates’ comments and elaborate on your own.
  • Read the syllabus on the first day of the course; print off a hard copy or keep a digital copy on your mobile device to refer to throughout the course.
  • Record all dates for assignments, exams, tests for the entire course in your calendar, and add reminders.
Resources:
5)  Collaboration
Why you need it: You’ll be collaborating with your classmates for group projects and assignments. Numerous online courses require some form of interaction among students, and frequently students question the value of group work, especially in online courses. Yet it is beneficial for students. Working in small teams, in face-to-face and online classwork is a method that promotes application of core concepts, builds knowledge and provides learners with skills that allow them to view problems and situations from different perspectives.
Developing good collaboration skills will be an asset beyond the online classroom. Employers regardless of sector, seek people who are team players, can communicate across digital platforms with co-workers or clients on projects and/or research. Given the global and digital nature of current culture, digital collaboration is a competency considered an essential skill for all.
What you’ll need to do: There are three key aspects to collaborating successfully with other students online: 1) familiarity with the platforms and applications the group will use for communication, 2) effective communication skills, and 3) an understanding of factors that influence positive outcomes for team work in online settings. Below are suggestions for each aspect, with additional resources below.

  1. Determine which applications your group will use to collaborate and communicate— become familiar with how to use each. There may be more than one, e.g. a virtual meeting place specific to your group within the LMS, a real-time meeting platform, such as Google Hangouts or Appear.in.  Groups usually use a collaboration platform to work on the project, such as Google Docs, WeVideo for creating videos, or other sharing platforms. If you are not familiar with a tool or application, seek out tutorial videos to learn it, or ask for help.
  2. Communicate with group members—be present, be involved, be vocal. Don’t be that group member that doesn’t respond to group communication, shows up at the last-minute, or doesn’t pull his of her weight.  
  3. Know the dynamics of team work in an online environment  • Different time zones can pose a challenge but are workable when acknowledged up-front • Set up a schedule with deadlines  • Getting the project started is the most challenging—brainstorming sessions work well to share ideas—synchronously or asynchronously • A team leader is critical to group effectiveness—suggest early that a group member assume the role • Get to know each other as people; being social builds relationships and trust  • If a group member is not contributing, team lead should contact him or her; if non-participation persists, notify instructor asap.

Social Media Platforms to Create Meaningful Learning Assignments

Social media platforms such as blogs, Wikis and Twitter hold great potential as vehicles for student learning. These tools can support meaningful, rich learning outcomes when assignments are developed to align with course objectives. Yet social media has an image problem—in education at least; it’s viewed as frivolous, a distraction, a time waster. In this post I outline how three social media platforms, when used in pedagogically sound ways support student learning and skill development in for-credit course work.
Social media is the collective of online communications channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration. Websites and applications dedicated to forums, blogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social curation, and wikis are among the different types of social media” Definition viatechtarget.com
Social media In Higher Education  

Social media applications are used by instructors in several contexts: 1) as a tool for communicating with students, 2) as a subject of study, e.g. UC Berkeley’s course “Analyzing Big Data with Twitter”, and 3) as a pedagogical method for instruction and learning. The latter is what we focus on in this post but it’s instructive to acknowledge the other uses.
Most educators were first introduced to social media via Facebook, with students checking-in during class time. But some of these same educators have discovered the value of social media applications, as teaching and learning tools. Twitter for example—instructors can send Tweets to students with class updates, reminders and/or links to course-related resources as described in “Class Twitter Account”. Other options include Facebook or Google+ that can serve as a platform for a course (club, study group, etc.) where notices can be posted, messages exchanged, and resources shared. In these instances, social media applications act as supplements to a course that enhance learning.
Three Platforms—Three Instructional Strategies
Different from above however, is using a social application such as Twitter or Wikipedia as a pedagogical method to support learning objectives of a course. Below I share examples of instructor-developed assignments requiring that students’ apply course concepts using a social media application as the vehicle. The learning outcomes vary depending upon the course and assignment, but instructors find students learn not just course concepts, but develop additional skills that include critical thinking, advanced written communication and digital skills.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Role of Automation Tools and Software in Education


We live in an era where everything is automated. From food processing to navigational system we look for technology that does all the work in a push of a button. Now even in education sector several automation software are being used to make the learning process easy.

The most commonly used automation tools are,
  •  College and school management system
  •  Learning management system
  • Social learning platform

COLLEGE AND SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM:
  • The college and school management system is a type of erp software that is used to maintain all the activities of school and colleges.
  • It tracks down all the decision making process in various departments and their progress.
  • It ensures all the interdepartmental decision making process and implementation takes place without delay.
  • It generates a single report based on all the activities of the entire college/school.
  • Hence the college or school management system is useful only for the staffs in reducing the administrative burden and doesn’t do much in helping students learn easily.

Learning management system:

Learning management system provides the entire course online. The students can access the entire course material from the respecting LMS.
The students can write online tests and the system gives the feedback at once. Depending on whether the answer is right or wrong the student can study further.
The main drawback of the LMS is their limitations. The material is available only to the current students and there isn’t student to student interaction in a global scale. Only the students of the same class can involve in discussion forums.

Social Learning Platform:

Social learning platform are the latest tools that has the feature of the College/School management system and Learning management system. It has additional features that are not available in the other to software.

Social learning platform such has COURSEEPLUS provides an online platform where students can interact globally and develop their knowledge.
Social learning platforms provides various features such as discussion boards, forums, groups, events, assignments etc so that the students can engage with other students and peers in a much constructive way.

It helps students to socialize with their teachers and develop their skill.
Various gaming mechanisms used in the social learning platform makes learning an enjoyable process.


In a era where time is costlier than fuel, teachers should encourage students to use social learning platforms such has COURSEEPLUS, so that they can interact with others and develop their skills. 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

ATTRITION PROBLEM IN CREDIT CARD INDUSTRY



courseeplus - Creditcard-problem 3PROBLEM:The major problem faced by the credit card industry is attrition problem. The constant attrition of its employees affects the performance of the company. The company spends lot of money in recruiting and training of employees. So the constant attrition of its employees results in major loss to the company annually. This results in an endless cycle of recruiting, training and resignation. No matter what strategy the companies put in place the amount of resignation tends to be same. The companies are forced to shell out huge amount of money to train the new recruits.



courseeplus - Creditcard-problem 2SOLUTION:
The companies were looking for a training method which would cut the cost at the same time improve the training process and reduce the human resources used for training. So the decided to use an online platform for training its employees. Courseeplus offers a cloud based social learning platform to companies so they could use it to train their new recruits.



courseeplus - Creditcard-problem 1OUTCOME:
The cost of training of the new recruits was greatly reduced due to courseeplus and the training method has been hugely modified. The recruits were trained online and once the trainer uploads the training content online the content was available to all the recruits to train at any time. So it’s a one-time process. Once the training contents are uploaded, it needn’t to be changed. This reduced training time and cost. Thus courseeplus helped the problem of training new recruits.