Education
LiveMocha – Learn a new language or brush up on one
Livemocha is a free service that allows its members to become conversationally proficient in an ever-growing number of popular languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Icelandic, Italian, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Russian. Since launching in September 2007, the Livemocha community has already grown to over 2 million members, a clear indication of the growing demand for an engaging, collaborative approach to language learning.
The British Council estimated that there will be 2 billion people worldwide learning English as a foreign or second language by 2020, fueled by rapid globalization, immigration and travel. For more information about Livemocha, please visit www.livemocha.com.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Coupon code for 5 FREE games, books, and activities from KidThing!
kidthing is a secure internet-based global learning platform for children, parents, teachers, family and friends. This is an awesome program to keep kids busy over the summer. kidthing is kind of like iTunes for kids. You download the free digital player onto your desktop from www.kidthing.com and then once you start it, you just go to the store and add the products you want.
If you put the code ktpromo-summerfun into the search field of the store, it’ll bring up 5 free products – just add them to your cart, and then go through the checkout process – you won’t be charged for them. If you check back every week through the summer, they’re going to have new products each week.
One Mom I know says, “My son loves kidthing – he asks to go on it all the time – and I think we’re going to be able to build up a really good stock of games and activities for him this summer – all for free!”
kidthing’s proprietary distribution, publishing, and social networking platform provides a safe, ad-free, environment that insulates young children from the Internet. kidthing’s free, downloadable, digital media player integrates purchased content from the kidthing online store with personal media in custom mixes that can be shared. Parents can preview and purchase learning and entertainment content, create custom mixes of kidthing and personal content and make their children the “star” with content that can be personalized. Children can play kidthing content offline. Personalized content and custom play mixes can be shared among friends and family through private sharing communities in the kidthing environment.
“Today’s children are growing up in a high-tech, connected world, and are exposed to the Internet at younger ages than ever. The Internet is a part of everyday life, but it isn’t a safe place for young kids.” stated Larry Hitchcock, kidthing’s CEO. “kidthing is Internet technology, but it isn’t browser based, nor a white-list tool. It’s a secure, safe environment for kids to explore, learn and share; and parents can be confident that their children aren’t one click away from the open Internet.” kidthing’s professional open publishing platform enables content owners, authors and publishers to offer their digital content for sale throughout the world at the kidthing store, allowing kidthing to offer a wide variety of learning content available in multiple languages including digital books, games, videos, and music. kidthing content is inexpensive, starting as low as $0.99, making kidthing accessible to a broad international audience.
About kidthing:
kidthing delivers the next generation Internet-based learning environment through its proprietary distribution, publishing and social networking platform. kidthing provides a safe, ad-free, global learning environment that insulates children from the World Wide Web. Parents and teachers can purchase, customize and personalize content for kids and can share this in private sharing groups. Publishers and content creators around the world can make their works available in the kidthing store in an enhanced electronic format.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Visit the Intel Museum – free admission and free classes for kids
Fun Filled Explorations at the Intel Museum
If you live in or are visiting the San Francisco Bay area or Silicon Valley, visit the kid friendly Intel Museum.
Explore what it’s like inside an ultra-clean, highly automated silicon chip fabrication facility (fab); travel through Intel silicon history from Intel’s first microprocessor, the 4004, to today’s processors based on Intel’s 45nm High-k silicon technology; write your name in binary code; “get digitized” by creating a digital postcard; and more!
Experience the exciting world of silicon technology at the Intel Museum. Explore binary code,circuits, robots and more with fun filled classes! After your class, take a self guided tour of the Intel Museum to learn how silicon is at the heart of an ever expanding, increasingly connected digital world, changing the way people work, learn, play, and communicate.
Participate in hands-on Saturday science classes designed especially for children such as:
- Schematics, Switches, and Circuits (ages 9 and up) Learn to decode schematics and understand basic circuitry as you build items such as a cool doorbell chime or active burglar alarm.
- Binary Beading (ages 7 and up) What is binary code and how do computers use it? You’ll find out and have a chance to code your initials in a beaded key chain.
- Musical Greeting Card (ages 7 and up) Learn about open and closed circuits while making a musical greeting card you get to take home.
- Build a Remote Control Rover (ages 9 and up) Successfully build a circuit and you’ll be able to test drive and race a remote control rover.
Class times (check website for updated info):
Tuesday and Thursday Sessions: 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Saturday Sessions: 10:30 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Space is limited, reservations required. To make a reservation, call (408) 765-0503 or send an e-mail to museum@intel.com. Include child’s name, age, and telephone number and date and time of the session you would like your child to attend. Reservations close 48 hours in advance of the class. Parents must remain in the museum during the class. Classes last approximately45 minutes.
Admission and parking are free.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Free online classes: software, business, marketing and IT
Need to brush up on your Powerpoint or learn how ERP can streamline your business? Hewlett-Packard’s online HP Learning Center offers free online software, business, marketing, and IT classes for small to medium businesses (any individual can take them too). You can choose from:
Software & Technology (29 classes): Microsoft Office, web skills, operating systems and technology updates
Business/Marketing (9 classes): Real estate marketing, creating marketing collateral or direct mail, and a new course on learning how your business can implement ways to save energy with energy-efficient technologies in order to save money and conserve resources.
IT (14 classes): Best practices for IT: networking, data management, infrastructure and more.
Classes are free and available 24/7, but sometimes you need to purchase materials. For example, a while back I took an online class on organization based on the book, Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern (she’s had programs on PBS). Fortunately, a friend had a copy of the book, so I just borrowed it from her and didn’t need to purchase it.
More new classes coming in September:
– Business logos
– Firewall basics
– Microsoft® Excel 2007: introduction
– NAS basics
– Business writing
– Wireless NW solutions
– Microsoft® Windows Vista®: advanced customization
– Introduction to Linux system administration
– Blade servers
– Printing marketing materials
– Mobile internet
– Virtualization
– deployment
– First web page
– MS Project intro
– Security threats
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Living Well on a Budget 