But with the lines blurring, it is interesting to know that a change is taking place, and it relates to what could be the productive role of online social networking in the lives of students.
Issue of safety and influence
Majority of the contents of online SNS are user generated. They are open to anyone who wishes to become a member. Because some users often post detailed and specific personal details (including addresses and phone numbers), compromising and unsuitable pictures, statements or other information, SNS are considered as a playground for online predators.
Students are getting in trouble with their school administrators for posting self incriminating and unacceptable pictures or information, which violate imposed school policies or code of conduct. School administrators, however, do not monitor the activities of their students in online social networking activities; but if their students’ online accounts that violate school policies are reported to them or are brought to their attention, then they may investigate the matter further.
Collaboration rather than conflict
The challenge in utilizing the potentials of SNS in the lives of students lies in how to integrate such sites with academic practice. Initially, as expected, academic institutions had refused to accept the influence of social networking activities in the lives of their students. However, it is without a doubt that despite of the downsides, the internet is a powerful educational tool – a virtual school grounds where students can meet and chat, and bring learning to them without having to leave their homes.
Recently, the same school institutions had to see these SNS with a fresh eye. This technological socialization among students may just be a potentially effective partner in the education system. There should be an alliance, rather than a collision, between the online activities of students and academic goals. The challenge here is how to harness the promise of SNS and how to integrate it effectively with the traditional academic methods.
Of course it is not generally possible to directly incorporate SNS directly into the classrooms; such are tools primarily for socializing. But these tools have grown to a level so potentially useful among students that educators should not ignore its value. With optimism, this goal may be realized through the following:
* Paying attention and looking into social networking sites – School administrators must not express disproval of networking activities utterly without really understanding how it works. Exploring these sites will reveal what makes it popular among their students.
* Employing the educational worth of social networking activities – Educators may deliberately consider ways of extending classroom activities onto the internet. Online communities work by providing ways through which users interact. Deliberately thinking of projects and assignments to be executed by the students through SNS may make the most out of it.
Effectively diverting the influence of SNS to a more positive side will strengthen role of online technology to the students. The role of social networking in education may just be an integral part of the learning process of the students, and not merely a distraction.
Filed under Business by on May 1st, 2009. Comment. 
The strength of reading specs was originally based on the patient’s age. A middle aged man would be issued glasses with a strength of 2 degrees and a person of more advanced years offered a 4 degrees of strength pair of specs. Dodgy dealers were the only people peddling glasses until about the middle of the 19th century.
It is remarkable that in our present scientific age, when the appropriate corrective lenses can be prescribed on the basis of precise measurement of refractive errors, some people still choose their own reading eyeglasses at the chemist’s shop.
Astigmatic correction was not generally available until late in the nineteenth century, despite Airy’s cylindrical correcting lens (1827) and Donders’ comprehensive book on refraction (1864). Many inventive solutions come out of necessity and it was the same for bifocal lenses. Benjamin Franklin – yes THE Benjamin Franklin, needed to devise bifocal lenses for himself and so he split apart the lenses in his reading and distance glasses and just stuck them together – Hey Presto: Bifocals were invented.
In 1826, Hawkins brought out a range of trifocal lenses. Smoothly increasing multifocal lenses, were then brought in about 100 years later. Although, these did sound like a good idea in theory, it turned out that they were effectively useless as they didn’t allow enough clear vision in the in between sections.
It may be that multifocal lenses do have a role in patients with emerging multifocal lenses, as they may be better positions to tolerate the increasing strengths.
Filed under Health by on May 1st, 2009. Comment.
For many people who live in small accommodation or a dormitory at a university space is at a premium. White goods such as refrigerators can take up a lot of space. Thankfully mini refrigerators are available which take up less room than their larger cousins.
The benefits of a mini refrigerator don’t just stop at their small size. Being lightweight they are easy to move and carry which makes them a great fridge for those who need to move regularly. They are also cheaper than standard refrigerators and can be useful to people who are on a tight budget. In the office environment, small fridge are handy to store lunches and drink for work parties.
However, their smaller space can also be a disadvantage. You simply won’t be able to store as much food or drink as a larger fridge. They aren’t necessarily that powerful either. Models that can completely cool food are more expensive.
Haier, Igloo, GE and LG are the main brands of mini refrigerators. Each model will have different features and benefits. Some will have freezers so that you can store frozen foods. Others comes in different shapes such as being wider or taller than usual so that they can fit into different sized spaces.
You will be able to buy mini refrigerators in the same locations as larger fridges. That is, in large department stores or white goods retailers. Another place you might not have thought about is online through many of the different websites that sell white goods.
If you choose to buy online it is important that you do so through a trusted website. You should be looking for an online business that has a customer service number that you can call and a brick and mortar business address. As they don’t have the expense of running a brick and mortar business an online retailer can pass discounts on to their customers.
A popular website that many people buy mini refrigerators from is eBay. You will not only find quality new refrigerators but also used ones as well. If you are on a tight budget then buying a second hand mini refrigerator from eBay may be worth your consideration.
Getting a discount from a brick and mortar store can be easy if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Most retailers will offer a discount for cash purchases. Another option is to wait until they have sale or try to bargain will them.
Filed under Family by on May 1st, 2009. Comment.