When you endeavor to write a book, especially for the first time, it is very important to set aside specific time to write it. Writing on a regular basis is a new habit that you need to learn. Just like every other thing in life that you do all the time, you had to discipline yourself to do it regularly.
In my own experience and when helping clients with time management it is important to set aside your high energy time when you need to write. The other important things to consider are your schedule, the deadline you have for finishing your writing project and how much time you need to spend writing to meet your deadline.
The way we're going to figure this out is to work backwards to find where you have available time and how much you need. We will use an example project to do the figuring and then you can insert your dates, deadlines and numbers. Then you can do the math to figure the details for your writing project.
First, let's look at your project deadline. Let's say you have 6 months to write your book.
Second, let's look at how much time you need to write the book. Let's say you will write 12 chapters. (That means you will write approximately 2 chapters each month). You can't count on that 100% because some will probably take more or less time than others, but at least it gives you a guideline. You also have to take into account the time you will need to go back and read what you've written. Of course, we all tend to make changes when we reread our stuff.
Third, in order to write 2 chapters a month how much time do you need? Now this is the most individualized part of this equation. Some people can sit down and write and everything just flows from their fingertips onto the paper. Others sit and dwell and stare at the computer hoping the words will flow from their fingertips. You know which person you are and should plan accordingly.
For the sake of argument let's say a chapter will take you 6 hours to write. That means about 12 hours each month. That can break down several ways. It is 40 minutes a day, 2 hours every 3 days, 3 hours a week and so on.
Decide on what is a realistic time limit for you to set. Forty minutes a day versus 3 hours every Saturday require different disciplines. Which fits who you are?
Now comes the time to look at your schedule. Do you work all week and have to write on the weekends? Do you work all week long but would like to get up early or stay up late to do the writing daily? What feels right to you? Which do you really think you can commit to doing regularly?
Lastly, let's look at your energy level. When are you at your absolute best? Is it in the morning with your coffee? Do you get that sudden burst of energy right after lunch? Do you work best at night when perhaps it's quieter and you can really work without disruption from phones or emails? Maybe you have certain days or nights when your spouse or kids are out and that is the time to take advantage of for your new endeavor.
Whatever you choose for your schedule, make a real commitment to it. It can always be tweaked if you need it to be. Sometimes the most difficult part is the planning, but think how wonderful and proud you will feel once you've completed your book.
The idea is to have your writing become a habit. The habit only has to work for YOU! Writing, just like everything in life, is not one size fits all. Find what works for you in your life. Once you've become accustomed to doing it regularly and see the progress you're making it will be magical! Enjoy it!
About the Author
Beth Flarida, CPO®, owner of Get It Together, is a Professional Organizer, Productivity Coach & Efficiency Expert for businesses since 1991. Visit Beth at http://www.getbeth.com & sign up for her free weekly newsletter, Answers From The Organizer®. Claim your free report "Get Your Office Organized Right Now!" & your complimentary Problem Solving Strategy Session. Don't wait, be productive today!
Dispelling Myths About Writing Childrens Books | Writing fo
New Book Describes How to Get Free Grants to Start a Small Business or Pursue Other Dreams
Government grants provide free money to start and expand small businesses. According to the federal government’s Small Business Administration (SBA), most small businesses fail within the first five years. One of the most common reasons is a lack of adequate funding.
Despite this fact, federal and state governments award billions of dollars in grant money each year to individuals from all walks of life to start their own business.
The Grant Authority is written to help entrepreneurs and business owners locate and apply for grants from the government and other, non-government sources.
Its author, Ron Wainrib, Esq., is an attorney and writer with decades of experience as a consultant to small businesses. He has taught entrepreneurs who want to start their own business the pros and cons of running and financing a new business, and keys to obtaining small business funding.
His book offers resources, a comprehensive glossary, and an extensive collection of forms and other important documents in its Appendix on a free CD that comes with it.
Unlike many books that just offer lists of the million of dollars of grants available to start or expand your business, The Grant Authority teaches you where to find these grants, how to apply for them with a well-written grant proposal, and what to do after you submit your proposal.
It features real-life success stories of people who launched their businesses with the help of government grants. “You’d be amazed at the businesses that began in someone’s garage or home and grew to important contributors to our national defense, war against terror, and war for energy independence” Wainrib says.
He shows how major companies, including Cobasys, FuelCell, ArmorWorks and Siga, have used government grants to fund their research and development work for energy conservation, military armor and smallpox vaccines, to protect the nation’s safety and security.
The book includes checklists, tips and web site photos to simplify the complex grants process, teach you how to do effective research, and write well-written grant proposals to gain a winning edge in the competitive world of grants.
Go Green for Preschool: Using Recyclables to Teach Your Child
Under your supervision, your child's booster seat at the kitchen table can be transformed temporarily into a "school desk", on which fun, homemade manipulatives can be sorted and formed into letters and numbers. If you cringe at the mentioned of the word "homemade" and think only the "Martha Stewarts" of the world can handle that-be assured-my suggestions are easy with a capital "E".
"Recycling" Creativity
Recyclable items are everywhere in your home, look around at what you routinely recycle or throw out. Toilet paper rolls can be collected and turned into puppets. If you are not the artistic type, don't fret-a quick marker-drawn face on one end of a toilet paper roll and instantly you have a Superhero! Kids love to pretend, so with just some encouragement from you, and that "artistic handicap" of yours will help them exercise their imaginations. Have your little ones insert their fingers in the center-and your puppet comes alive for the cost of the ink! Gather your recyclables and do a little brainstorming!
Gather Up Collections of "Stuff"
I collected lids from milk and juice bottles, disinfected them, and tossed them aside in a plastic container on my counter. Within a few weeks, I had an interesting collection that were great for learning patterns, an important pre-reading and pre-math skill. Look for plain-colored plastic lids vs. the ones with writing on them. Collect ones that match in size and color, and also collect a variety of sizes for sorting. Add a few plastic bowls and you can play endless sorting games! "Going Green" never was such fun!
Look At "Junk" Differently
Ideas will abound when you check-out your recycling bins. Margarine tubs with lids can be slit at the top, and "Presto" you have a cash register for playing money games. Egg cartons can be transformed into boxes for you child's collections. Newspaper taped together can be morphed into large sheets of drawing paper. Kids love to color to "themselves" after having their whole bodies outlined with fat markers on a large sheet of paper.
Old magazines can be treasure troves for photographs to decorate your creations. We glued magazine, cut-out photos to paper plates, tied them together on one side with yarn and made instant "books". This is a fun way to allow your child to practice her "writing" skills. I still have a motorcycle-themed book in my son's keepsake box! Include your child in this discovery process. You can ask him, "How can we use these plastic lids for school?" You will be amazed at the suggestions you will get!
Explore New Ideas For Old Items
Once you start on the adventure of making your own preschool supplies you will never look at a box the same way again! Shoeboxes can be transformed into panoramas with glued-in miniature toys and crayon-colored backgrounds. Appliance boxes decorated by your preschool artist and with windows cut-out (by an adult); can become a cozy "Reading Room". Just add a light source through the "ceiling" and throw some pillows inside.
Cereal boxes can yield a harvest of colorful, cut-out letters. Cover them with clear contact paper and they last forever! Busy, little fingers love to sort them. Empty shoe boxes decorated with construction paper, convert into light-weight building blocks. Your child's architectural designs with be limitless and environmental-friendly!
Brainstorm Around The House
Look around your home for inexpensive items that you normally stock. Dried beans and spray-painted pasta make excellent finger-friendly counters. I found numerous uses for bulk-bought plastic straws and coffee stirrers. We bound them together to show One-Tens-and-Hundreds. We formed letters with them on the floor. We used them as puppet arms.
Multi-shaped pasta and Fruit Loops can be used to make patterned necklaces. Tape one end of a length of yarn to a table top and let little fingers do the threading. Remove and tie in a bow and let the Artist wear her masterpiece. Paper plates can be transformed magically into masks. Coffee filters are great for mini-drawing paper, puppet hair, and mini-Art frames. Your house is full of preschool curriculum!
Keep you eyes open and let your imagination run wild! Cookie sheets can double as a surface for magnetic letters or a base for messy projects. Bowls, pans, and lids can be musical instruments, just add a plastic serving spoon and a child's energy! It might be noisy, but it is unbeatable (excuse the pun) as an introduction to rhythm for little ones. Drums made from round oatmeal boxes decorated with construction paper are easy to make. Paper towel rolls, with wax paper and a rubber band on one end, can be turned instantly into a kazoo! You and your child can make music with things that you already have in your house.
Handmade vs. Manufactured
Contrary to what you think "expensive and factory-made", does not equal "educationally-successful", or for that matter, "memorable". My oldest daughter, who recently graduated with honors from a local public high school, still talks with fondness of the homemade school supplies we used in her preschool years. She recently paid me the greatest compliment by saying she wanted to teach her kids in the exact same way that I taught her.
I'm not saying throw out every whirling, buzzing, manufactured gizmo that overflows from you child's bedroom, but I am encouraging you to move toward the fun and simplicity of homemade toys and games. You will never regret it! It's Green and it's cheap--good for the environment and your bank account!
About the Author
Pamela Palmer is the founder and writer of Natural Cleaning Product Reviews at http://www.greenkeen.blogspot.com . Pam is also a contributing “Green” writer for the ezine, Suite 101, http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/pamelapalmer .
She has written for Clay Times Magazine, a ceramics magazine for artists, teachers, and students and other print publications, as well. She resides in Western Maryland, near the mountains and enjoys writing poetry from the porch of her almost one-hundred-year-old house. She is the wife of a very patient man for the last 21 years and is Mom to two energetic teens, a goofy dog and a street-smart cat. Visit her poetry blog http://www.goldapples.wordpress.com when you get the chance.
COA Preschool Program Offers Specialized Programming
Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technology in Education
Running Head: Breaking the Technology Barrier
Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technology in Education
Patrick Wellert
ETC 558
Northern Arizona University
Abstract
It has long been difficult for teachers to effectively communicate the objectives and goals in a fun and exciting way that reaches the students. In the changing times teachers need to find ways to include students into the lesson using the technology made available to them. It has long been believed that teachers need to get over their fear and use technology openly with students in order to meet their educational needs. By including students into the lessons teachers will experience a more positive classroom experience.
Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technology in Education
Technology and education have always seemed to go together. In order to prepare students for the workplace or college they need to be able to be exposed to it. Teachers in the classroom use technology believing that the students are gaining valuable information and retaining the concepts taught but in reality the students need to be involved in the lesson and actively participating in activities that include technology. Student engagement is critical to student motivation during the learning process. The more students are motivated to learn, the more likely it is that they will be successful in their efforts. (Beeland, 2002).
Uses of Technology
There are numerous uses of technologies that are available to teachers to include students into the classroom’s lesson. These include Interactive Whiteboards, Proximas, PowerPoint games, interactive DVDs, Ventrilo chat software, Myspace, Blackboard, and scavenger hunts. To put the uses of technology into an effective practice, teachers need to help students set achievable goals; encourage students to assess themselves and their peers; help them to work co-operatively in groups and ensure that they know how to exploit all the available resources for learning (Hall, 2006). The following are how some technology is used to help students learn.
Interactive Whiteboards
There are two different types of whiteboards. The first is a virtual version of a dry erase board. It allows students to see what the instructor or other students write or draw using a special pen. The second functions similar to a normal whiteboard but also contains a projector screen, an electronic copy board or as a computer projector screen on which the computer image can be controlled by touching or writing on the surface of the panel instead of using a mouse or keyboard. They function by connecting a projector to the whiteboard panel with the use of a computer and software. It is important to know the different functions in order to determine which whiteboard is right for the educator. By knowing the difference you can also learn the terminology and understand the basic functions of each.
Proximas and PowerPoint
PowerPoint is a software program that is being used in the classroom as a tool to incorporate learning activities into the curriculum. PowerPoint enables teachers and students to actively create presentations with graphics, charts, diagrams, and pictures in their slideshows to help make often complicated ideas and lessons more manageable and understandable. It is a way for students to engage in research, and present information to their peers. When students are actively learning, taking an active role in the learning process, they seem to understand the information better, and enjoy the lesson. The use of a game also allowed Jones and Mungai to directly address the learning style needs of the visual (58%) and tactile learner (22%), which represents eighty-percent of those involved in the content related courses. When constructed with different learning styles in mind, games can often accelerate the learning process (Jones & Mungai, 2003). By itself PowerPoint is not a cure-all remedy, but rather a tool that needs to be understood and used properly for it to be effective as an active learning tool. It also has shown that students that did use PowerPoint as a learning tool were more engaged in the discussions (Rowcliffe, 2003). This will encourage teachers to use PowerPoint as a way to involve students into a lesson by stimulating discussion. For PowerPoint to take place in a classroom an Interactive Whiteboard or a Proxima is needed. A Proxima displays a computer screen onto a screen much like a projector at a movie theater. The user is able to display items such as websites, PowerPoint, and interactive games. A way for students to interact using this technology is through games created by teachers and used in the PowerPoint lesson. Games such as Hollywood Squares, Jeopardy, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire are created using slides and links to answer the questions. Teachers may use a blank template and fill them with different answers for the students to use as a review. Teachers may even let the students create their own review using the blank templates. This activity can also be used in a small group or team setting.
Advantages to the Students
Learning sciences research tells us that students learn much better “by doing” rather than “by listening.” This means that passive learning – the traditional lecture – is being replaced in our classrooms by more active learning activities that emphasize student problem solving, discussion, presentation and other “authentic” learning-by-doing-activities. (Day, 2004). By including students into the lesson it opens up a realm of possibilities because students can retain roughly only 10% of what they write down.
Teacher Apprehension
So why are teachers not using technology that engages and interacts more frequently with students? There are many reasons why teachers feel apprehensive or uncomfortable using an interactive whiteboard, proxima and PowerPoint. The first of which could be the length of time from their college prep program until now. Teachers often get exposed to and learn new technologies in their teacher prep courses. Some might not have been prepared enough upon entering the workforce. Although the availability of technology in American schools has increased (US Department of Education, 2000), information released by The National Education Association (2004) indicates that less than 35% of public school teachers feel they are "well prepared" or "very well prepared" to use this technology effectively.
The second reason is blockage from the school’s control or security system. Teachers claim that the firewalls and filtering systems create blockage in their attempts to educate and communicate with others with technology (Murray, 2004). The teachers and other users can become frustrated when they do not understand why a certain item like a website used for a scavenger hunt or a hyperlink in a PowerPoint are not available.
The inconsistency from school to school is another reason. At one site there may be access to all different types of technology while at another the absence is very evident. The general public perception is that our schools are using technology and managing our resources in that area well. In several surveys done some schools do show nearly 100 percent use of technology while in others the use of technology is nonexistent (Starr, 2003).
Summary
The research has shown that there are proven benefits to using technology in the classroom. The ability to integrate technology into the classroom can add valuable information and ideas to our students.
By facilitating Proximas, PowerPoint, and interactive whiteboards our teachers will be able to reach a broader audience of learners.
References
Beeland, W.D. (2002). Student engagement, visual learning and technology: can interactive
whiteboards help? Retrieved May 31, 2008, from www.apexavsi.com
Having been reading aloud to your child's time to start guided reading
Having been reading aloud to your child's time begin guided reading. Guided reading is when children can read themselves. With guided reading always start with something easy to read to help build confidence.
Usually, your child should be able to understand about 90% of the book. It is best to start with picture books for your child can see in the pictures for words. This is where phonics comes into play
If your child can read the word phonetically, then we hear the word. You should see the lights light on his face when he realizes the word. When children begin to say words phonetically they say they too slow so it means nothing. It should say: "Say the word faster." Some children have problems running the phonetic together so instead of saying a word they say each sound phonic. With practice you will improve.
guided reading is in the planting of reading strategies in the mind of your child. If she gets stuck on a word ask if any part of the word she knows. For example: the word. "Ask if you can see part of the word is understood and if she says 'heard' and then ask him to pronounce 'ear' with a 'b' in front.
In this way the child learns to read new words by using what is already knows.
When your child gets stuck on a word that must not say the word immediately. It is better to let your child try and work itself. Guided Reading is to leave your child take responsibility for their reading.
Breaking Through—working With Japanese Creatives
Creatives and clients, with account service caught in the middle. Around the world, wherever advertising is made, their quarrels are legend. Japan is no exception.
On one side are seers and shamans whose search for the new and original may lead in directions that seem quite mad. In their ceaseless search for something new, creatives who fail to probe the limits of sense and taste are not doing the job their clients should be demanding. In advertising, job No. 1 is impact, and safe too often is dull—is dead.
On the other side are the makers and guardians of corporate policy. Managers on the client side must check and check again to be sure that ads are in line with marketing strategy and consistent with brand and corporate image. Their nightmare is going too far, causing a scandal that damages the business for which they are held responsible.
The problem on both sides is keeping the quarrel contained and tapping the tensions it generates to power creation of more effective ads. When creatives and clients share a common language and culture, finding an answer is hard enough. When creatives are Japanese and the clients are not, the difficulties may seem overwhelming. My argument here is, however, one of hope. With patience, cunning and the right preparation, they can be overcome.
In what follows, we will look first at the typical process by which Japanese creatives and their non-Japanese clients get to know each other. (Knowing where you are in this process is vital to dealing effectively with the issues that come up.) We will then examine some of the ways in which differences in language and culture make problems worse. Finally, when the outlook is dark indeed, I will offer a few suggestions for finding solutions and preventing problems before they occur.
Getting from #@!!#%&!! to Ads That Satisfy It often starts here. A foreign marketing manager arrives in Japan. The agency assigns a creative team to work on his account. He is new to Japan. They are new to working with non-Japanese. If he works for a major, multinational corporation, he comes equipped with clear corporate guidelines for making good advertising. His new creative team is eager to show him "How it's done in Japan." Both are quickly disillusioned.
He is upset by their seeming inability to come up with ideas that fit corporate strategies and present them in ways that he (and his bosses back home) will find convincing. On their side, the Japanese creative team is fuming. "Doesn't the stupid gaijin realize that this is Japan!"
What the foreign manager asked for were top-flight creatives who have made their mark working for Japanese clients. It may seem instead that what he got were amateurs who don't know their business at all. On their side, if they are top-flight creatives—and especially if they work for a large agency—they see themselves, quite properly, as members of an elite. "Doesn't this stupid gaijin know who he's talking to?" If the team's members are real primadonnas, their impulse at this point is to walk out. "I don't have to put up with this! Find someone else to do it." And, if they are top-flight, yes, they can get away with it. First-class creative talent is as rare in Japan as anywhere else, and those who have it are pampered. Yes, the foreign manager can find people who are easier to work with. The results are rarely exciting.
Stage two occurs when the team doesn't walk away. Instead its members realize that the gaijin is hopelessly rikutsuppoi, which is to say, logical in a nasty, rigid, narrow-minded sort of way. "OK," they say. "Shiyou ga nai"( It can't be helped), we'll do it his way. At this point, they start, in effect, working to rule. The result is check-list advertising. It satisfies the criteria laid down by corporate guidelines. In a simplistic, mechanical way it conforms to corporate strategy. It is generally less than exciting, often simply dull.
The ideal, of course, is to reach stage three. Here the creative team has learned and accepted the limits imposed by corporate strategy but is fired up and producing great ideas within them. They have learned that working with a foreign client is remarkably like writing haiku, where you only have seventeen syllables, their pattern is fixed, and, oh yes, you must include the appropriate words for the season. The framework is rigid, the demands obsessive, the challenge enormous. The possibilities are endless.
When insights and emotions merge in precisely the right images, the result is exciting advertising. The problem, of course, is getting there. Language and culture stand in the way.
Language, It's a Problem. When you live and work in Japan, you will soon come to realize the awful truth of Jackson Huddleston's introduction to Gaijin Kaisha: Running a Foreign Business in Japan.
Too many foreign corporations take the attitude, "We're not paying you to go over there and learn a language. We're paying you to do a job." Why do they not realize that language is part of a job? Would any foreign CEO in the United States go to work without reading the Wall Street Journal? I doubt it. Every day in Japan, 99 percent of the foreign general managers go to work without knowing what is in the current Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the principal economic newspaper in Japan. Nor can they understand the television news, advertisements, or social commentary. Who would run a business in the United States without knowing English, or a business in Paris without knowing French, and without being able to communicate with employees in their native language? Is it out of ignorance or arrogance that we think we can run businesses successfully as illiterates in the second most important economy in the world?
Huddleston is speaking to CEOs. For their marketing managers, whose task is effective communication in the Japanese language, the problem is, if anything, worse. Consider a few examples:
Manager A has finally decided that the only way to get the ad campaign he wants is to brief the agency's Japanese creatives directly. His material is carefully organized; his presentation is forceful. Then he asks for questions. If he's lucky he may get one or two. He makes a point of asking "Do you understand?" "Yes," they say. "Yes, we understand," is what he thought they said. "Yes, we're listening," is all that they actually said. He is, then, understandably, angry when the agency's next presentation is wildly out of line with what he thought were the clear directions he gave them.
Manager B has chosen an indirect approach. She has spoken to her Japanese staff and given them the job of briefing the agency. They have met with the agency's account service people, who have then gone back to the agency to brief the creatives. She, too, is justifiably angry when the agency's presentation seems wildly off strategy.
On the whole my sympathies lie with Manager A. The indirect approach adopted by Manager B ensures that translation problems will be compounded as each of the people involved in the chain tries to communicate what it is they think they heard. (The often-asserted Japanese preference for non-verbal communication frequently results in missing details, some of which are vital points. Preventing this from happening is one of the principal functions of what may seem to foreign managers to be the endless meetings at which nothing much gets done but confirming what has been said before.)
I suspect, however, that Manager A simply said too much, too quickly. His presentation style was perfect for the bosses he needs to please back home. He was, however, misled by the token questions he heard, which, more often than not, came from account executives chosen to work with him because they "speak his language." Had he imagined himself hearing the same presentation in Japanese, while getting only a rough synopsis of what he said in his own language, he would have realized that much of what he wanted to say, while it might have been said very well indeed, was not heard by those to whom he was speaking. He should also be aware that the way in which he made his presentation created, in effect, a classroom situation. And in Japanese schools the one thing you certainly learn is not to question the teacher.
For Manager C all this is history. The agency has come up with what seem to be plausible ideas, not perfect perhaps, but possible. His problem is now to choose between them. Since he doesn't read Japanese himself, he is forced to rely on translations in making his judgments. But what, in fact, is the real relation between the translation and the Japanese copy he approves for publication? The Japanese copy may be wonderful, the translation inept. The reverse is also possible. If the agency employs a translator who is both a native speaker of the language into which the translation is made and is also a good writer, the translation may be more interesting than the Japanese original. Is the Japanese copywriter brilliant? Or has he gone too far? Is what he has written appropriate for the audience to whom he is speaking? Or boring, offensive, or worse? Who is to say? That's the crunch.
The agency will do its best to sell its creative product. Let the buyer beware. It would seem only natural then for the foreign manager to depend on his Japanese staff. But what if his staff and the agency disagree? What if his staff disagree among themselves? One experienced manager I know says ruefully that given a Japanese headline and 10 Japanese, he is sure to hear 20 opinions. And the knowledge he needs to choose among them is more knowledge of culture than of language per se.
Culture, What Are We Talking About? Culture is what we take for granted. Therein lies the problem. Whenever one person makes assumptions not shared by another, there is potential for conflict. In the case of the foreign manager and the Japanese creative team, the root of the problem is often what one assumes the other knows and thus doesn't bother to explain—in a way that the other can grasp. Finding that way is the key to working together smoothly.
On the side of the foreign manager, nothing is more frustrating than hearing people say, "But, this is Japan." In a conflict situation "Japan" is a word that literally means, "You don't understand, you can't understand. Shut up and do what I want you to do." And no manager worthy of the name should let anyone get away with that.
The question is how to counter the claim without making everyone angry and making the situation worse. The place to begin is to ask yourself, "What is this 'Japan' we are talking about? What is it that's being taken for granted by them that I don't understand yet?"
It is possible that the answer lies somewhere in Japanology, in the unceasing flood of articles and books that scholars and journalists write about Japan, or in the remarks that "old Japan hands" like to offer to newcomers. There is much of value here. Knowing, for example, that "sauce" goes on fried foods but not on sushi can save you from ruining a good meal and embarrassing yourself in front of Japanese colleagues. Knowing that promotion to kacho (section chief) is a key step up on a Japanese manager's career ladder can help you make sense of a recent commercial for beer. Knowing that Japan is a "vertical society" in which the group to which a person belongs is likely to be more important to him than sharing a certain professional skill with members of other groups illuminates Japanese labor relations. The examples are endless, and precisely because they are so exotic they attract the attention of foreigners when they start to think about Japan. They are only sometimes relevant to what creatives are trying to do. They only become significant when someone thinks he has found a new twist on something he takes to be common sense.
The Japanese creative's judgment more often reflects a sense of what is trendy and fashionable, not just in Japan but, more often than not, in the international worlds of fashion, film and music to which he or she is very much attuned. As much or more than other Japanese, Japanese creatives devour information about the latest trends. And their appetite is largely satisfied by mass media whose uniformity is striking.
This last point is vital. The result is a constantly moving wave of common knowledge that is typically months or years ahead of the Japanologists' efforts to grasp what is going on in Japan. If the foreign manager had the time as well as the language skills to keep up with what is going on, he, too, would share that knowledge. He, too, would have a sense of what is coming in and what is going out. Dealing with the fact that he doesn't is one of his most pressing problems.
His problems may be compounded by the ages of the people he's working with. In Japan as in other parts of the world, generation gaps are growing. The greying corporate warriors who rebuilt Japan after World War II grew up in a different world from that of their children and grandchildren. A man in his fifties may remember his first drink of Coca-Cola, a gift from a GI. To him a Coke is, above all, an American drink. A woman in her twenties grew up with Coke vending machines across from her elementary school. She is pleasantly surprised when she travels abroad to find that Americans drink Coke, too. That same man remembers when German automobiles were an almost unattainable peak of automotive perfection. His son has grown up in a world where Japanese cars set quality standards, and some offer longer lists of features.
"All right," the foreign manager says, "I can't be expected to know these things. It's up to you, the agency, to tell me what's going on here. And your presentations?You call these presentations!"
First, let's remember what we've just learned. There's a lot they assume is common knowledge. It isn't common knowledge to you, but it is, or at least they assume it is, for their other, i.e., Japanese, clients. It may be worth pondering, too, what effects the '80s had on Japanese advertising. The economy was booming. Everybody's sales were going up. People played their hunches, tried things out, had a good time. The disciplines needed to build an image and hold on to market share were not much in evidence. When you need to persuade people who don't have the glorious freedom to choose whatever they feel like, that's when you need carefully planned presentations. Who were those people?
In Search of Solutions First, forget about who is to blame. The issue is how to reach stage three and develop a working relationship that produces great advertising for one of the world's most important markets. Blame doesn't help. Asking questions does.
Yes, you are busy. Yes, it seems to take much, much longer to achieve the results you want than it would back home. At least for the first year or two that is probably unavoidable. The question is how to use effectively all that extra time it takes.
Resign yourself to moving slowly—but make every step count. If they won't ask you questions, you can ask them questions. Ask about everything. Why that word? That color? That gesture? Why a woman instead of a man? Why not younger? Older? Bigger? Smaller? You can win a lot of respect by showing a craftsman's concern for details. By challenging assumptions, you can find out, finally, what they are. You can also gradually train people to provide you with more of the information you need.
Listen for useful Japanese phrases. One of the best is, "Mou sukoshi,...nanika,...hoshii...," which is to say, "I'm not sure just what, but I want a little something more." It's a gentle but very effective way to indicate dissatisfaction and motivate people to think again.
Above all—be very specific about the form of the presentation you want to see. Better still provide an example, on paper, a model the team can work with. These are your assumptions, a part of your corporate culture that you may take for granted. To them they may be alien. So don't just give them the model. Go over it with them, step-by-step. And don't assume that "Yes (we're listening)" means "Yes (we understand)."
Your patience will be sorely tried. Stage one may be awful, stage two depressing. Reaching stage three will be all the sweeter.
About the Author
John McCreery is an anthropologist who has lived and worked in Japan since 1980. For thirteen of those years, he was a copywriter and creative director for Hakuhodo Incorporated, Japan's second largest advertising agency. In 1984, he and his wife and business partner Ruth McCreery founded The Word Works, a supplier of fine translation, copywriting, research and consulting services to firms doing business in Japan.
You may also find articles by John at TalentZoo.com.
Grant Writing Services Outsourcing | Grant Prposal Writing
Grant Writing, Grant proposal Writing Services
Victorious grant-writing involves solid set mentation and readying. It takes case to coordinate your cerebration and investigate, devise, write and package your proposal, submit your proposal to the funder, and follow-up.
Handle your proposal; pay tending to portion and specifications, use laconic, coaxing penning, and postulation reasonable finance. Understandably understand the grantwriter’s guidelines before you write your proposal. Act reliable the grant maker's goals and objectives couple your grantseeking purposes.
Thought is alive to the grant-writing operation. Plain cerebration and explore faculty simplify the activity traveling. A well-written proposal follows the base steps distinct beneath.
Affirm that you mortal a operative penury or difficulty in your proposal.
Render a solvent to the require, or set to the difficulty, supported on get, ability, system, and imaging throughout your proposition. Tidy trusty your proposal describes a program/project for vary.
Reverberate thought, investigate and sensation throughout your offer.
Research grantmakers, including backing purposes and priorities, and individual eligibility.
See whether the grantmakers' goals and objectives duplicate your grantseeking purposes.
Point your offer to grantwriter’s earmark to your champaign and work, but do not limit your finance postulation to one author.
Junction the grantwriter, before you create your proposal, to be trustworthy you clearly interpret the grantwriter's guidelines.
Say your proposal in the appropriate and consummate arranges, and countenance all required attachments.
Tell your disposal's needs and objectives clearly and concisely. Write well. Do not blow text. Use energetic kinda than voice verbs. Use prissy grammar and penalize spelling. Be elucidate, existent, supportable, and authority. A well-written offering is a key figure in the grantmaker's decision-making activity.
Be decipherable almost why you are search a actor, what you plan to do with the money, and why you are a respectable fit with the grantmaker's priorities. Train an engrossing, coaxing and unequalled offering.
Always treat the tailing important criteria: externalize determine, practicableness, agreement require, funds required, applier responsibleness and ability.
Lick these questions: Who are you? How do you add? What do you requisite? What problem gift you address and how? Who will benefit and how? What particular objectives instrument you effect and how? How module you mensurate your results?
How does your finance asking comply with the grantmaker's use, goals and objectives?
Resist assign system and outcome, issue of funds, and accord validation. Be proper roughly wide goals, measurable objectives, and quantified outcomes.
As a language and literature teacher, it has always been my main concern to translate relevant theory into the classroom. And I have felt, at times, bombarded by the various approaches suggested to that end. In this series of articles, I will help you select the kind of material that will make your practice enjoyable both for yourself and, most importantly, for your students. Furthermore, since the choice of materials is of paramount importance, I will provide you with a selected bibliography, most of which I have been using for a long time, and some which I have become acquainted with – and enjoyed – in my recent studies in curriculum design.
I will start by focusing on a question Tricia Hedge asks in her delightful work Writing. Why is it that for large numbers of English language students writing seems to pose great problems? According to Hedge, it is ... (possibly) for the same reasons that large numbers of adult native speakers never achieve a high level of expressiveness in writing their first language. It is partly to do with the nature of writing itself. If we asume that the last sentence refers to the solitary nature of writing, the inability to converse with the reader, we must heartily agree with the statement. But a writer never writes in a vacuum, a writer is influenced by internal and external circumstances, such as having had a row with with a relative, or suffering from a head cold, to mention only two items from a long list! Certainly, the most influential factor affecting you, the (would-be) writer, is seeing yourself as a writer. This is probably because we associate the job of writing with the great minds (Shakespeare, Borges, Hemingway, you name the author), so it is of course difficult to imagine that what you write may be worthwhile, may capture the attention of a reader. Because, as readers, we try above all to feel, not to analyse. Likewise, when we write we are not aware of the literary elements we are using, all this is for the literary critic to detect. When we write we do so out of feeling, out of some impulse, out of some idea we wish to express. So, when the reader reads, their first experience is the impact of emotion, to move later on to intellect, in an act of 'intense narrative abstraction.
So your first task when attempting to write would be what we might call 'getting the cops off your back', i. e., getting rid of the voices you hear inside yourself, telling you, 'Now, look who can write!'And how do you accomplish such a difficult task? Simply by taking a slip of paper and writing down the name of the person who is holding you back from writing: it could be a (former) teacher, a friend, a spouse, even yourself! If there is more than one voice pestering you, write their names on separate slips of paper, put them in an envelope and take it out of the room where you are writing. This is the first exercise I ask my language and literature students to do when we embark on a writing project, and I guarantee it works wonders! Incidentally, when I enquire about the name(s) they have wrapped up, it is always my name that comes up on top of the list. What worries them is what I might think about their attempts at writing, they have confessed to being afraid of disappointing me. And I always tell them a writer is not supposed to please anyone but him/herself. If you write, say, a short story to please your literature teacher, it will most probably make a poor read, and you will attain an undesired end, i. e., boring your teacher to death! Why? Simply because your story will be empty of the passion mentioned above; it will be a wishy-washy piece of writing that will not involve anyone, will not knock anyone off the chair.
Take a few seconds to reflect upon a story that (has) had this effect on you. I am certain that you will agree with what Mark, Josephine and Esther Harris say in their inspiring book. 'We love the sound of a good story, its rhythms, its excellent phrases, the very words themselves. Maybe we can never know precisely what the story is “about.” It just is.It sounds. This, too, is what the writer may have felt: it sounded right. If you asked me which story I would select, I would answer What a Thought,by Shirley Jackson some years ago, and at this moment of my life anything written by Tolkien (but I find some of Tolkien's critics unreadable!). With this I mean to say that it is very difficult to answer certain questions as Which are the best stories you have read?, because both reader and writer are part of the process, and the reader does not exist in a vacuum, either. I would also like to make another point here. Although the stories I selected were written by great minds, do not worry if yours were not. You can include the Harry Potter series if you like! We should never be ashamed of our literary affections, and always avoid rigid categories and ranks; 'consensus is not the goal of literature.
Now that you have taken the cops off your back, you are ready to start. So the question at this point is,'What do I write about?' It all depends on the writer; some prefer writing about what they know, some about topics they are not familiar with, in order to expand their horizons. When I wrote my first (published) story, I did it to enter a contest, which I later won,to my surprise. Why was it surprising? Because on that occasion I wrote about people I know, and I did not expect the jury to be interested in a confession on paper. But there you are again, I suppose the decision was based on two criteria: ( a) it must have engaged them emotionally, some of them must have shared my feelings; (b) it was reasonably well-written; after all, I do teach people to write! Remember, they were not ordinary readers like you and me, they were also supposed to pass judgement.
Why is it that reading is frequently mentioned alongside with writing? They go hand in hand because you need to be a good reader if you want to write well. Just as young children learn by emulating the behaviour of significant people in their lives, we learn to write by being exposed to the writings of significant authors in our lives. I should stress the word significant here, as I never read what is not significant to me. That is the reason why I never expect my literature students to enjoy all of my literature syllabus, but I encourage them to make their own selection, which is subject to availabilty of materials when one lives on an island! In my next article I will provide you with some strategies to become an effective reader, as well as with some ideas to start a writer's workshop, which might be useful to introduce you and your students to different forms of writing.
At this point I should mention two other elements a (prospective) writer needs; one is easy to get, the other might be somewhat harder if you are a busy adult. You will then need: (a) a notebook, which in my case is small enough to carry in my pocket; what do I scribble there? Notes about interesting people and situations I observe around me, possible titles for my stories, and sentences or phrases I overhear. And (b) time.Time to record ideas as they come to you, time to plan, time to write and to rewrite. Time, that is, for the sustained effort and craftsmanship that are essential in writing well. But finding the time to write is possible if you learn to organise your daily schedule and leave no more – and no less – than forty minutes per day to write. That is all that is needed provided you do not have to meet a deadline and you are behind! So, let nobody persuade you that writing is an impossible task; what you should always bear in mind is that it is learned by writing, rewriting, and by perceiving yourself as a writer.
About the Author
For more useful tips & hints, please browse for more information at our website:- http://www.newbies-copywriting.com http://www.articlewriting.reprintarticlesite.com
Writing & Education : How to Teach Vowel Sounds Using Literature Books
All children have an incredible natural ability to learn. Before the age of five a child can easily take in an amazing amount information. Using flash cards is the easiest way to impart a huge amount of knowledge to a young child. If the child is younger than four it will be easier and more effective, before three, it gets even easier, and before two the easiest and most effective of all. The use of flash cards to teach babies is largely attributed to Glenn Doman who popularized this method. Doman’s books are available from Amazon. And there are a lot of proof available that it actually works to make tiny children smarter. Flash cards can be used to teach a baby to read, learn mathematics and gain an encyclopedic knowledge. According to the Doman method;
- The child before five can absorb information at an amazing rate.
- The more knowledge a child absorbs before the age of five, the more he retains.
- The child before five has a large amount of energy dedicated to learning.
- The child before five has a insatiable appetite to learn.
- The child before five can learn to read and wants to learn to read.
- All little children are linguistic geniuses.
Therefore can there be, any doubt that since a child before five can learn an entire language, he can therefore learn as many languages as are presented to him? The answer is an emphatic “No!”
So At What Age Should A Parent Begin The Process Of Learning?
One year of age or younger is the ideal time to begin if you want to expend the least amount of effort in teaching your child using flash cards. You can actually begin the process of teaching your baby right from birth. Although at birth, the skill of recognizing movement and shapes is the starting point, it is actually a program of visual stimulation.
Lets stop and think for a moment. We speak to the baby at birth, this helps the auditory pathway to grow. We can also teach the baby to read and provide the language of mathematics through the eyes, this helps the visual pathway to grow. There are two vital points involved in teaching your child. Your attitude and method, as well as the size and orderliness of the teaching materials.
The Best Time To Teach
The most suitable time is when mother and baby are comfortable, both physically and emotionally. If the baby is uncomfortable, tired or hungry, the teaching process should be delayed or cancelled. Find out what is causing the baby’s discomfort and pacify him before starting.
If it is the mother who is in an irritable mood, it is also not a good time to teach. All mothers and babies have days when things don’t seem right and it is unwise to teach a child anything. It is better to take a long term approach and understand that there will be many days ahead when both mother and child are more relaxed and happy and a lesson plan can therefore go on smoothly and enjoyably. On such days, the least amount of time and effort can be spent learning, on a happy note.
The Best Duration
Lessons should be enjoyable and happy. It should be approached like a game and your cheerful voice should reflect this. However, ensure that the length of time you play the game is very short. At first it will be played three times a day, but each session will involve only a few seconds. The parent should determine the timing to end the learning session and stop before your child wants to stop.
How To Use The Flash Cards
In teaching reading, math or encyclopedic knowledge using flash cards, parents have to recognize that Children love to learn and they do it very quickly. Therefore you must show your material very quickly. We adults do almost everything too slowly for children and this is very evident in the way adults teach little children. Generally we expect a child to sit and stare at his materials, to look as if he is concentrating on them. We expect him look a bit unhappy in order to demonstrate that he is really learning. But children don’t think learning is painful, grown-ups do.
When you show your cards do so as fast as you can. You will become more and more good at it as you do it more often. Keep practicing until you feel comfortable. The materials chosen should be sturdy and carefully designed to be large and clear so that you can show them very quickly and your child will see them easily
How To Teach Reading Using Flash Cards
White hard paper or stiff cardboard is the most ideal material to use to make baby learning flash cards, when teaching a baby to read. Ordinary printing paper may be too flimsy to allow you to switch your flash cards in a fast pace. Remember, it’s all about speed. Write the words using a broad-tipped red felt pen. The letters should be about 3 to 4 inches or 7cm to 10 cm. You can group the cards according to items found in the house like Chair, Table, Fork, Spoon. Or species of animals like mammals, for instance - Lion, Tiger, Monkey or even vehicles, like Aeroplane, Car, Truck etc.
Do not be concerned if the words seem a bit tough for a tiny child to learn. Just go by faith. Use one group of words for 3 days or so, and then replace 1 word a day with another group. Keep your lessons short, maybe 10 words a session, each session 3 times a day. To flash the cards, move the card from the back (nearest to you) to the front (facing your child). As you put the card in front of your baby, say the word out loud with enthusiasm. Write the word in pencil behind the card so you don’t have to turn them to face you to know what word you are flashing to your child. As you move the card to the front to face baby, read what you have written behind the card and say “This word says Tiger”, for instance.
How To Teach Math Using Flash Cards
You must understand the numerals like 1, 2, 3 ….and so on are abstract terms for babies. To teach your child math, you must start with a quantifiable symbol like a dot. You can buy stick-on red dots from the stationery shop. Cut or purchase white index cards 11 inch by 11 inch. To teach numbers, stick 1 red circle dot for the number one, Two dots for the number 2 and so on. Write the numbers on the back of the card so that you know which dot cards you are flashing to your baby. In the same manner as reading, move the cards from the back (nearest to you) to the front (facing baby) and as you do, say “this is one”, “this is two”, etc. You can flash the cards in sequence in the beginning, from 1 to 10 for example, then 10 to 1. You can make as many dot cards as you can. Later on, you can progress to addition or subtraction problems. For instance, to teach a baby 1+2=3, you need a 1-dot card, a 2-dot card and a 3-dot flash cards. As you flash the cards in mathematical sequence, you say “One plus two equals three”.
As a teacher to your baby, you now understand the basic steps in the Reading and Math pathway. The pathway just described is the method to follow and it works. However, it may be worthwhile for you to invest in an affordable baby education software tool that will take away the chore of making cards, for reading and math. Such computer programs can even store the lesson plans, do the calculation and generate the dots on the computer screen for you. You can also give your baby encyclopedic knowledge with the picture files that comes along with it or it can also flash pictures you have taken with your digital camera. The use of technology has certainly helped parents bring out the genius in their children quickly and easily.
About the Author
Elaine Mak is committed to helping parents teach their babies how to read and learn math early. Together with like-minded parents, she has developed an amazing program called the Genius Maker to bring out the best in your child. To find out more about her free and popular ecourse, please visit http://www.TeachMyBaby.com
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