Cat Education Blog

Riverside Community College District seeks Inland employers for training program

Up to 40 hours of free manufacturing skills instruction available FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 15, 2012 - Riverside Community College District (RCCD) is seeking industry partners to participate in a manufacturing program that will provide free training for employees.The district's Customized Training Solutions center is offering local companies up to 40 hours of free manufacturing skills instruction. The courses are available to employees in both public and private companies and organizations headquartered in the Inland Empire. The program is made possible through a $254,000 grant from a Responsive Training Fund for Incumbent Workers (California Community College Chancellor’s Office), which supports employee training in high-growth industries.Program organizers are looking for at least 15 employers to participate in the program by June 2013, when the grant funding is set to end. Classes will be offered at the Customized Training Solutions center in Corona, as well as on-site at each business. Training must be scheduled during company time when employees are being paid to attend."We want to support the manufacturers in this region," said Robert Grajeda, director of Corporate and Business Development and head of the Customized Training Solutions center. The center, a division of RCCD’s Office of Economic Development, provides specialized training and consulting services to improve employee performance.The program’s curriculum focuses on manufacturing skills because of the strong concentration of high-tech, aerospace and pharmaceutical industries in the region. Jobs in those industries also tend to be higher paying, with a low turnover rate.Sample courses include manufacturing processes improvement, supervisor leadership and management, communication skills classes in customer service, vocational English, and Microsoft Office Suite. Employers can design classes in partnership with Customized Training Solutions that are tailored to their company’s specific needs. There are no restrictions on class size.“Frontline workers benefit from training that updates their skills to stay current with rapidly changing technology,” Grajeda said. “Offering this program can also boost employee morale, which often is key to employee effectiveness and retention.”Grajeda is working with the Manufacturing/Technology Council in Corona and other local business organizations to outreach to employers.“RCCD’s Office of Economic Development has a lot of training experience. We can help businesses improve their bottom-line and grow their market share," Grajeda said. "We’re here for them.”Employers interested in participating in the program should contact Robert Grajeda at (951) 571-6457, or visit the Customized Training Solutions center website at www.rccdextension.com/home/customized-training-solutions.# # #The Desert Regional Consortium consists of 13 community colleges and two community college districts in Riverside, San Bernardino and Kern counties. The consortium assists colleges in providing professional development opportunities and designing programs to improve workforce training and technical education. The consortium was formed to address the economic development needs of industry, government and the community.More info about the Consortium can be found at www.desertcolleges.orgConsortium members: Barstow College, Cerro Coso Community College, Chaffey College, College of the Desert, Copper Mountain College, Crafton Hills College, Mt. San Jacinto College, Moreno Valley College, Norco College, Palo Verde College, Riverside City College, Riverside Community College District, San Bernardino Community College District, San Bernardino Valley College, and Victor Valley College....

Source: Riverside Community College District seeks Inland employers for training program

You’ve been Sentenced! wins 19th award; Play on Words honors game with 2012 PAL Award

The You’ve been Sentenced! word game, flagship offering from game development firm McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds, recently received a PAL Award for language advancement from Play on Words http://hiremesf.com/the-actual-degree-of-epidemiology-programs/. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 13, 2012 - Wilmington, Delaware, March 13, 2012 -- McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds’ You’ve been Sentenced! word game recently received a 2012 PAL Award for language advancement from Play on Words.  This is the 19th national honor for the game in the toy and game world, as well as in the education sector.Established by respected speech and language expert Sherry Artemenko, the PAL Award recognizes exceptional toys, books and games like the You’ve been Sentenced! word game that, through their design, content, quality, and character, promote play that advances language. PAL winners in the hands of kids spark fun and creative play with lots of talk!Products are chosen on the basis of Play on Words’ experts’ practical child development experience, and are complemented by thoughtful reviews, showing parents how to best use each toy, game or book to build language.For more than 35 years, Play on Words founder Sherry Artemenko has worked with children to improve their speech and language, serving as a speech language pathologist in both the public and private school systems and private practice. Sherry started Play on Words to advise parents, companies and authors on the attributes of the best toys, games and media to build language.“As speech therapists, we spend a lot of time helping kids put together a good sentence and eventually a story. “You’ve Been Sentenced!” can help such language learning and provide a lot of fun in the process,” says Artemenko. “Racing against a timer and your fellow players, one must construct a meaningful sentence from a random set of words. So many skills are tapped it is hard to list them – grammar, parts of speech, meaning, word order etc.”Artemenko continues, “An incredible language learning game, “You’ve Been Sentenced!” calls on players

Personal Values Help You In The Long Run

You can establish your personal core values and maintain them religiously. It takes small efforts to change human behaviors. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 07, 2012 - How do personal values help you in the long run?You can establish your personal core values and maintain them religiously. It takes small efforts to change human behaviors. If you are ready to turn a new leave- you will know exactly where to start from. Make a check list of the core values you think you already have. Define them according to your personal requirements, beliefs and opinions.Personal Values are the things which are most important to us in Life.Values are important internal motivators. What we value determines what life means to us and what actions we take. When we honor our values on a regular and consistent basis, life is good, life is fulfilling. When we dishonor our values, life becomes stressful.Knowing our personal values will provide us Following benefits:•   Reducing stress & Making better decisions•   Increasing joy and happiness in life•   Supporting your growth and personal development•   Helping in times of conflict or confusion•   Providing motivation•   Personal values help focus and align our life choicesTry NowPersonal Values Test To Find Out your Own Personal Values TodayPersonal Values Test A Test Which Gives You Your Own subconscious Mind Personal Values http://www.values-test.com/# # #Personal Values Test A Test Which Gives You Your Own subconscious Mind Personal Values http://www.values-test.com/...

Source: Personal Values Help You In The Long Run

Search Engine Academy Northwest Rolls Out New SEO Training Classes

>Portland, OR (PRWEB) March 07, 2012 Search Engine Academy Northwest now offers half-day SEO training classes to complement certification courses already offered. The new half day classes include: QR Codes - How to Implement Effectively to Market Your Business
March 27, 2012 from 1 pm to 5 pm. Early bird price: $99, after March 20th $125 Local Search - Getting to Page One in the Search Engines
March 28, 2012 from 1 pm to 5 pm. Early bird price: $99.00, after March 19th $125 You can also still choose from one of the three certification courses offered: 5-Day Comprehensive Online Marketing Course March 15 and 16, then March 21, 22 and 23, 2012 from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Early bird price: $2,295, after March 7th $2,495 3-Day Advanced Online Marketing Class
http://seotrainingnw.com/seo-advanced-workshop
March 21, 22 and 23, 2012 from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Early bird price: $1,345.00, after March 14th $1,495 2-Day SEO Essentials Workshop
http://seotrainingnw.com/seo-essentials-workshop
March 15 and 16, 2012 from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Early bird price: $995, after March 7th $1,095 Search Engine Academy stays on top of the latest changes within the search industry and materials are updated as changes occur. In addition, students receive six months of mentoring after the certification class is completed. Topics covered in the SEO Training courses: 2-Day SEO Essentials Workshop: *Keyword Research using Keyword Discovery by Trellian
*On-Page Optimization Tecniques
*Effective Link Building Strategies
*Writing web page copy that keeps visitors reading
*Staying out of trouble with the Search Engines
*How to Blog successfully
*Getting listed on page one for local search terms 3-Day Advanced Online Marketing Class: *Advanced keyword research techniques
*Writing effective sales copy
*The impact of search personalization
*SEO powered press releases
*Content development and leveraging your visitors for creation
*Building link reputation
*Social media marketing
*Competitive intelligence
*Video optimization
*Local search
*Web analytics
*Starting an SEO business and more… The 5-Day Comprehensive Online Marketing Course is a combination of the two and three day courses. All classes are held at the Ambridge Events Center located centrally in NE Portland. Search Engine Academy Northwest is an affiliate of Search Engine Academy. Search Engine Academy has training centers in the United States, Canada, Australia and Asia and is celebrating 10 years of SEO Training for business owners, marketing professionals and job seekers. For more information on Search Engine Academy, go to http://www.searchengineacademy.com. ...

Source: Search Engine Academy Northwest Rolls Out New SEO Training Classes

BagsInBulk.com Participates in the 1st Annual Julian D. King Gift...

>(PRWEB) March 07, 2012 In honor of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson’s nephew, Julian D. King, who was shot to death along with his grandmother and uncle in 2008, Jennifer Hudson and her sister Julie hosted the 1st Annual Julian D. King Gift Foundation Hatch Day Celebration. BagsInBulk.com partnered with the Julian D. King Gift Foundation to provide school supply kits to students in Chicago http://rssmix.com/u/2881973/rss.xml. BagsInBulk.com provided the backpacks to the foundation to hold the school supply kits. Julian D. King had always wanted to have a “Hatch Day Party” before he was tragically murdered. The 1st Annual Julian D. King Gift Foundation Hatch Day Celebration was held on what would have been Julian’s 10th birthday. The Hatch Day Celebration will be held annually on Julian’s birthday to honor his memory by giving back to the community. All bags sold by BagsInBulk.com are tested by third party laboratories to ensure they are sturdy and safe to use for children. To order wholesale backpacks and bags for your organization, visit http://www.BagsInBulk.com or call 1-888-758-BAGS. About BagsInBulk.com
BagsInBulk.com has been selling wholesale backpacks, drawstring bags, pencil cases, lunch bags, duffel bags, belt bags, tote bags, sling bags and messenger bags for over 50 years and has been selling their product online for 4 years. BagsInBulk.com carries over 50 styles of bags and has over 1 million in stock. BagsInBulk.com only carries high quality wholesale backpacks and bags and there is free shipping on all orders. BagsInBulk.com supports not-for-profit organizations like Hatch Day by providing these organizations with wholesale bags used to provide children with necessary school supplies. ...

Source: BagsInBulk.com Participates in the 1st Annual Julian D. King Gift...

LG Optimus Vu available unlocked, but not cheap

LG's answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note is now on sale in Korea, but for a big markup over its competitor.

Apparently the privilege of using a stylus on an out-sized phone is worth a few hundred bucks these days.

The Samsung Galaxy Note officially has some competition in the world of huge phone/tablet hybrids that work with a stylus--coming from another Korean company, LG, and its 5-inch Optimus Vu http://www.student-by.com/aviation-career/.

South Korea's second stab at a mega-phone went on sale in the country today with an unlocked price of about $900. The LTE-enabled Optimus Vu comes with Android Gingerbread, but LG promises an Ice Cream Sandwich update is just around the corner.

Related storiesLG Optimus Vu--another 5-inch, pen-friendly Android phoneLG takes on the phablet with the Optimus Vu (photos)

LG seems to be positioning the Optimus Vu as an e-reader alternative, touting an IPS display and 4:3 aspect ratio that provides "optimum readability" (according to Google Translate.)

A no-contract Optimus Vu from Korea is currently running about $200 more than an unlocked Galaxy Note, but I wouldn't consider this initial price to be indicative of what LG's biggest phone might run if it ever made it to North America.

There are no specific plans to float the Optimus Vu over the Pacific just yet, but if it got much bigger it could almost be a viable raft.

...

Source: LG Optimus Vu available unlocked, but not cheap

Maricopa Community College Chancellor Rufus Glasper Appointed to...

>Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) March 03, 2012 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano has appointed Dr. Rufus Glasper, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges, to the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC) http://onlinedegreespro.onsugar.com/Initial-Conceptualization-Community-Psychiatry-21869563. The new council, comprised of prominent university presidents and academic leaders, is charged with advising the Secretary and senior leadership at the Department on several key issues. “Chancellor Glasper’s extensive experience and expertise will make him a valuable asset to the Council,” said Secretary Napolitano. “I look forward to working with him on these critical issues.” The new council underscores the Department’s commitment to working with the academic community. In this noteworthy role, Chancellor Glasper will provide advice and recommendations on issues related to student and recent graduate recruitment; international students; academic research; campus and community resiliency, security and preparedness; and faculty exchanges. Dr. Glasper was appointed Chancellor in September 2003. Earlier, he served as Executive Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Administration. Before coming to Maricopa, he served as Director of Financial Planning and Budgeting for the Chicago Public Schools. Chancellor Glasper holds a Bachelor's degree in business administration from Luther College (Decorah, Iowa), a Master's in school business administration from Northern Illinois University, and a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in higher education finance from the University of Arizona. Dr. Glasper will attend the group’s inaugural meeting on March 20 in Washington, D.C. The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college districts in the nation. It includes 10 colleges – Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella

Facebook aims to whip the mobile Web into shape

The social network's CTO announces a new HTML5 standards and testing effort to make it easier to build Web apps. Also: an attempt to reform app payment on the Web.

Facebook CTO Bret Taylor speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

BARCELONA--Facebook would like to build more mobile Web apps and fewer mobile native apps. Really, it would -- but browsers just aren't up to it, the company has concluded.

Web apps naturally span the multitudes of mobile devices that Facebook loves to run on, but they support Web standards so inconsistently that it's a developer's nightmare, said Facebook Chief Technology Officer Bret Taylor, speaking here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. So Facebook is trying to do something about it: "We're taking on mobile web standards," Taylor said.

A sample result for Facebook's Ringmark test

It's a two-pronged effort. First, Facebook is working with a wide range of companies and the World Wide Web Consortium to standardize a set of Web standards suited for mobile apps. Second, it's coming up with a corresponding mobile Web standards test suite called Ringmark.

Facebook has a lot to gain from the project. Most obviously, it could reach more mobile devices with less development effort. But it also would benefit when third-party developers could have an easier time with the same challenge when plugging their apps into Facebook's Open Graph technology, which lets people inform their contacts when they're doing things like listening to music on Spotify.

The work dovetails nicely with another effort, Mozilla's B2G browser-based mobile OS, which runs Web apps and nothing but. Telefonica is backing B2G since its phones will be ten times cheaper than iPhones, but Mozilla is the first to acknowledge that mobile Web standards need work. Mozilla is a Facebook ally for the mobile Web standards, and the Mike Shaver, the former director of Firefox engineering, now leads Facebook's Android app engineering

Taylor said that Facebook has another gripe with the mobile Web: payments.

Where Android and iOS have massive app stores with millions of registered account holders, the Web has a mess.

Related stories Android chief: We must 'double down' on tablets, win the market LG's new smartphones: We go hands-on from MWC At long last, Skype comes to Windows Phone 7 Samsung: 'We're not doing very well in the tablet market'

"Right now, the payments experience is just broken for end users," Taylor said. "Even for operating billing, most purchases require SMS device verification. If I want to purchase a 99-cent level in a game, I have to wait for an SMS to arrive to verify this device is attached to my account. If do, I have to memorize code, type it into the browser, and resubmit the transaction. If i make it this far, I can go back to playing my game. Most customers don't make it that far."

It's just as bad for developers, who must sign deals with hundreds of carriers and reckon with hundreds of interfaces to make it work, he added.

Here, too, Facebook has an answer, and here, too, it would give Facebook a higher-profile role.

Facebook is working on "partnerships with operators to improve the user and developer experience around operator billing that will eliminate the SMS verification for vast majority of customers," Taylor said. Using a software developer kit will give programmers "a global reach," and "Verification will be what it should be: a single step to confirm the purchase."

Facebook announced a partnership with the World Wide Web Consortium to work on mobile standards for the Web, and it also debuted a mobile Web test suite called Ringmark.

In talking to developers about why it's so hard to write mobile Web apps, Facebook has learned, "There's rampant technology fragmentation across mobile browsers, so developers don't know which part of HTML5 they can use," Taylor said. Those programmers would be better off "if we were able to define a single standard and have that consistently adopted across devices."

The Ringmark test, at http://rng.io/, graphically represents support by coloring concentric rings green. Basic features are in the center ring, and more elaborate ones are in outer rings.

"In the near future, we will be open-sourcing and donating these tests to the W3C," Facebook's Matt Kelly announced in a Ringmark blog post today. He added:

You can think of the rings as straightforward software versioning. Ring Zero represents the base functionality that most mobile phone have today. Ring One represents what functionality is needed to unlock the most common apps that developers want to build; specifically, 2D games, music and video apps, and camera apps.

From there on, each subsequent ring represents a slice of features that will unlock the next generation of mobile web apps, based on developer necessity. For example, we expect Ring Two to include upcoming technology like WebRTC and WebGL.

Facebook is earnest in its fondness for mobile devices, which offer a more immediate, portable, and personal connection among peoples' contacts. Facebook doesn't think of a mobile device as a computer with a small screen and feeble processor.

Instead, Taylor said, "We think of it as the most natural version of Facebook. Facebook mobile is the version of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg would have made in his dorm room at Harvard 8 years ago had the technology existed at the time."

...

Source: Facebook aims to whip the mobile Web into shape

Michigan Educational Technology Organizations Announce Partnership

Two Michigan education technology organizations announce a formal partnership to develop and nurture collaborative relationships having a mutual benefit for both organizations, their respective members, partners and schools throughout the state. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  maculPRLog (Press Release) - Feb 22, 2012 - Lansing (MI), February 21, 2012 – The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) and the Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan (REMCAM) have announced a formal partnership to develop and nurture cooperative, collaborative relationships having a mutual benefit for both organizations, their respective members, partners and schools throughout Michigan.    In an agreement officially adopted by the boards of directors of both organizations and signed by MACUL and REMC presidents, the partnership will seek the development of collaboratively created and/or supported research and resources, the development of collaboratively created and/or supported professional development opportunities, and collaboration on projects that advocate the effective use of technology in education, particularly online/blended learning and digital learning resources.  Both organizations also agree to collaborate on any other activity of mutual interest.   MACUL President Mike Oswalt hailed the collaborative agreement by stating, “MACUL and REMC have a long and rich history of working together to ignite and support quality teaching and learning. Through formally bringing together the expertise of the many dedicated educators who make up the leadership of each organization, this collaborative venture will be successful and educators and their students will benefit.”  REMCAM President Tim Davis agreed by stating, "In an environment where collaboration is encouraged statewide, this joining of forces will help both associations achieve greater service to their constituents.  The REMC Association of Michigan is very proud to join with MACUL in bringing more high quality professional development opportunities, projects, and general assistance to the members of our organizations."   Founded in 1975, MACUL is a non-profit organization of over 6,000 members dedicated to bringing educators from all levels together to ignite learning through meaningful collaboration and innovation. Visit macul.org for more information about MACUL initiatives.   REMCAM, founded in 1969, is a non-profit organization comprised of the 28 Regional Educational Media Centers operated through intermediate school districts.  The Centers collaborate to promote equity and quality teaching and learning programs that support student achievement.  Visit remc.org for more information about REMCAM projects.# # #The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization established in 1975 dedicated to support the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning....

Source: Michigan Educational Technology Organizations Announce Partnership

Onvia Brings Major Product Upgrade to Clients With Release of Onvia 5

"Onvia 5 represents a successful milestone in our roadmap to enhancing value for our customers," said Onvia President and CEO Hank Riner. "We have listened to our customers and have significantly improved the navigation and usability of our database services."

Among the benefits that Onvia 5 brings to the company's clients:

Faster scanning and qualification of project opportunities Advanced search features that allow clients to more efficiently pinpoint the opportunities that are most relevant to them Project data better organized for readability and to match user workflow Less scrolling and clicking to access data

Onvia 5 also serves as the foundation for a series of additional product enhancements and additions that the company has in development for future deployment link. To learn more about Onvia 5, visit www.onvia.com.

"We are thrilled with the positive reaction and accolades we have received from the market," said Riner. "We will continue to invest in enhancements and new solutions for our customers to expand our leadership position in public-sector procurement intelligence."

About Onvia, Inc.For more than 12 years Onvia (NASDAQ: ONVI) has been delivering the data, analytics and tools companies rely on to succeed in the $5.5 trillion government-contracting market.  Onvia tracks, analyzes and reports the spending of tens of thousands of federal, state and local government agencies, giving companies a single source for conducting open, intelligent and efficient business with government.  Along with providing an ex