January 19th, 2007 walkere
Previously, children with special needs were dealt with in one of two ways. Either they were segregated from the general population, if their needs were so noticeable that they could not operate in a regular classroom, or they were ignored. The current trend in education is to attempt to identify these special needs and provide any and all accomodations possible to help a student operate successfully in a regular classroom. The two main mechanisms for this are 504s and IEPs.
Essentially, a 504 or IEP identifies a specific disability that a student has (i.e. dyslexia, ADHD, below grade level reading abilities) and informs the teacher of how to best help the student learn. Some parents are hesitant to classify their children, and so they shirk from the very idea of creating an IEP for their child. Others think that these classifications are a type of panacea that will solve all of their child’s problems. I am here to tell you that there are both advantages and disadvantages to having these classifications, and that it is neither damning stigma for the child nor a cure-all for their troubles. Read my article at Helium (”Benefits of a 504 plan for children with ADHD“) for a more extensive discussion of my opinions of how such a plan could help or hinder a student.
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January 19th, 2007 walkere
The internet has opened up limitless possibilities for communication. In doing so, it has made us all more vulnerable to various kinds of scams and cheats. Some are easy to spot, others are not. I have been able to avoid a few, but there are some that I have fallen victim to in some way or another.
Check out my article on Helium (”How to avoid internet scams“) to read about the various types I’ve witnessed. I describe simple e-mail scams, phishing attempts, fake e-bay accounts and scams, and instances of forged money orders. The best way to avoid being scammed is to be knowledgeable about the ways in which people are cheated. So read up, learn from other peoples’ mistakes, and save yourself a lot of aggravation in the future.
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January 19th, 2007 walkere
Looking for free web hosting? Well I’m here to tell you that not all free webhosts are created equally. Depending on the project that you want to create, some will be more suitable than others.
The simplest choice is a free blog. These sites allow you to post things to a pre-formatted website (similar to this one). It is easy to use, but limited in its versatility.
The second choice is a traditional free host that allows you to create your own html, but embeds ads in your page and does not give you access to advanced scripting languages like PHP and MySQL. (Note: You do not have to be an internet wiz to use PHP and MySQL. There are many pre-made programs that you can upload to your site which will use these languages, and you will never have to know how to program a single line of code)
Finally, the most advanced choice offers you the ability to create your own html, utilize databases and scripting languages to make your page dynamic, and do not force you to put ads on your page. These are relatively new and generally are the best choice.
Read my article at Helium (”Where to find free webhosting“) to get a more indepth description of each type of host and to find links to three hosts from each type.
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January 19th, 2007 walkere
Welcome one and all to my writer’s desk. This site is a collection of my writings, ramblings, and thinkings. Some things will be unique to this website. Others will be summaries and links to articles that I have written elsewhere. Hopefully they will all interest you.
Glad you stopped by. Check back often.
Posted in Ramblings | No Comments »
