What if they’d told you it was “iPad Day?” You’d be up and atom with your lunchbox, pronto.

Teachers at three elementary schools in South Carolina say that thanks to the iPad, keeping kids focused on formerly “boring” subjects isn’t a problem.

“We’re golden. I mean look at them. They’re engaged. They are ready to go. They will practice math all day long,” said fifth grade teacher Jennifer Johnson as she handed out iPads to her students for a scintillating lesson on working with decimals.

Kids now look out for the gray iPad cart in the classroom (like older generations used to watch for the film projector?) to indicate that it’s going to be fun day.

Teachers swear iPads aren’t all fun and games – time on Apple’s magical device is limited and apps are strictly used for lessons. Aside from math, apps like Storykit provide them with less passive learning for subjects like history, prompting them to re-iterate the lessons with text and drawings.

Administrators say the iPads serve not only as a teaching tool, but as a motivator. Staff tells a story of a student who told his parent he “had to go to school” because he knew it was iPad day in one of his classes.

“It is neat to see the kids motivated. They just feed off of it. They love it. They’re excited about learning,” reading teacher Megan Charles said.

Via WCNC

Emirates Stadium

Two hundred lucky young Arsenal fans became the first in the Club’s history to camp out overnight on the Emirates Stadium pitch last night, Friday 14th May 2010.

The unique and fun-packed event, attended by Junior Gunners* aged between seven and 12 years old, offered attending children the chance to play on the pitch overseen by qualified coaches, eat post-match dinner up on the swanky Club Level hospitality tier and watch a movie before it was time for lights out and the big sleepover. Attached pictures show the JGs taking over the turf before standing by their adopted home for the night, one hundred two-man tents!

Sue Campbell, manager of the Junior Gunners supporters added: “We’re very proud of the exciting activities our members have access to and camping on the pitch is the latest initiative that demonstrates that we like to go the extra mile for our fans.  The 200 lucky Junior Gunners that were here for the first-ever kids’ sleepover on the pitch at an English football club, were part of a special and unique experience for everyone involved. Along with the tickets on offer and days out, there are many reasons to join up!”

*Arsenal’s young supporters club the Junior Gunners is for boys and girls from new-born to 16 with three age groups: Welcome to our World new born to three years of age, Team JGs four to 11 and Young Guns 12 to 16 years of age. All JGs receive special membership packs upon joining and have the chance to attend exclusive events with players throughout the season.

Only members can lead the team out at Arsenal games as official mascots, have access to reduced price match tickets and exclusive events like the annual Christmas party and February half term Q&A session with first team players! Membership is priced £20 or £23 overseas. Visit www.arsenal.com/juniorgunners for further information.

Source : Arsenal.com

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Here is one indicator of the allure of Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial culture: Diane Keng just launched her third start-up — and she is still in high school.

In March, the 18-year-old launched Internet company MyWeboo.com to help teens manage their digital lives and social-network identities in one place. She is now pitching the company to venture capitalists, and earlier this week presented at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco.

Yet each morning, Ms. Keng also heads to Cupertino’s Monta Vista High School for a schedule of classes that includes Advanced Placement economics and government. In the afternoons, the high-school senior squeezes in varsity badminton practice.

“My age, my gender and my lack of experience don’t deter me from going after what I want for the company,” says Ms. Keng, who runs marketing for MyWeboo.com from home and co-founded the venture with her 25-year-old brother, Steven.

Ms. Keng has several advantages in pursuing her entrepreneurial ambitions, including her father, a venture capitalist who splits his time between Beijing and Cupertino and gave her $100,000 in seed money.

Another big advantage is that Ms. Keng is here in Silicon Valley and can tap the region’s unique ecosystem of tech resources and experience — not to mention supportive parents and teachers. Her high school alone is home to about 10 entrepreneurs, including a student who buys and flips websites that he thinks have potential.

The Valley is filled with teen-entrepreneur legends: Gurbaksh Chahal started online ad company Click Agents in San Jose when he was 16, and sold it for $40 million two years later. He then founded ad network BlueLithium, which he sold for $300 million when he was 25.

Kristopher Tate, who five years ago finished high school early and drove his parents’ car from San Diego to Cupertino at the age of 16 to launch photo-sharing site Zooomr, says Silicon Valley is a great place for budding entrepreneurs. “Everybody is there, and when you want to step up or feel like your idea is worth a grain of salt, there are people who will take it seriously.” Today, Mr. Tate is 22 and runs a portfolio of Internet companies from Tokyo, but isn’t involved in Zooomr’s day-to-day operation.

Despite the encouraging business environment, teen entrepreneurs have their own set of work-life balance issues.

“For the first two years that it took me from starting Click Agents to selling it, I basically sacrificed my youth,” says Mr. Chahal, who dropped out of high school to focus on his start-ups. “I slept and worked in the office.”

In addition, many start-ups don’t succeed, which can bring some particularly harsh lessons for young entrepreneurs. They are, as a set, more inclined to overvalue their own ideas, according to YouNoodle Inc., which tracks start-ups. In a recent survey, YouNoodle found that founders under the age of 25 expected their companies would be worth about 27% more after three years than other founders (who are, on average, 35 years old).

Ms. Keng co-founded the venture with her 25-year-old brother, Steven.

Other young entrepreneurs end up putting school first. Virtual goods marketplace PlaySpan Inc. was founded in 2006 in the garage of San Jose sixth-grader Arjun Mehta, who wanted a better way to sell items he had won in online games. He created a mock-up of his ideal website, then passed the baton to his dad, who now runs the company while Arjun attends eighth grade.

“In my free time, I test out the commerce side of the site,” says Arjun. He says he doesn’t demand a salary, but has kept the title of co-founder.

Ms. Keng launched her first venture at age 15, when she started a T-shirt screen-printing business and later began a teen marketing-consulting firm. She says she ended up dropping the T-shirt company because it wasn’t making enough money, and the second business because she felt she was spreading herself too thin amid activities, and needed to devote time to prepare for the ACT.

With MyWeboo.com, it helps that Ms. Keng’s school encourages entrepreneurial activity and makes allowances for an enterprise’s demands. Fiercely competitive Monta Vista offers business classes that include marketing and finance, and brings groups like the Silicon Valley Private Equity Roundtable to workshops on how to write a business plan. Teachers allow Ms. Keng to miss class and make up tests as needed.

“If they’re going to fail, they might as well fail when they are young,” says Carl Schmidt, Ms. Keng’s business teacher at Monta Vista. He teaches students that 90% to 95% of all new products fail, so they must focus on doing their research and solving a real consumer need.

Still, balancing so much requires focus. Ms. Keng, who says she gets As and Bs and will attend Santa Clara University beginning in the fall with a full scholarship, turns off her cellphone and email while at school or doing homework. “If it’s a business call, that’s what voicemail is for. I will call you back,” she says.

And her father, Brian Keng, says he insists academics remain his daughter’s top priority. Ms. Keng’s parents also ask that she communicate with them about all her business activities.

“She is just in high school,” says Mr. Keng, “and sometimes it is very difficult for her to make a judgment.”

Even with those boundaries, developing a business is a far cry from traditional high-school diversions like glee club or yearbook. Those activities are still around, but “there needs to be a place for those kids who are entrepreneurs and are a little bit eccentric and are willing to push the envelope,” says Mr. Schmidt.

Write to Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com

provided by The wall Street Journal

Young Entrepreneurs

A recent post on a business message board read:

I’m sixteen, and I know quite a bit about social media. Many local businesses (in my rural area) seem to be jumping on the Facebook bandwagon, and not exactly utilizing the platform’s potential (ie. Using a user acct instead of a fan page, setting up a fan page w/o using it to communicate with its customers). I’m looking for a part time job, as are many other teens. What do you think about me being a consultant for this? Will I be taken seriously?

Whether it’s social media consulting, web design, small engine repair, or landscaping, many teens have great ideas for businesses – and the same concerns about being taken seriously.  After all, many adults (their would-be customers) have a dim view of today’s younger generation.  They’re all irresponsible, lazy, and shiftless, right?  Far from it.  Obviously, whether you’re talking about 16-year-olds or 46-year-olds, you’ll find some who are less than motivated.  But you’ll also find many looking to go beyond society’s view of what they’re all about and to make something of themselves.

Many of the most successful business leaders of today and days past were active entrepreneurs in their teens, from Sam Walton, who delivered newspapers, milked cows and sold magazines for money while attending high school, to Richard Branson, who started his first business selling records out of his car trunk in his late teens.  In fact, most accomplished entrepreneurs first felt the entrepreneurial itch young.  But what does it take to be taken seriously as a teenage business person?  Here are a few tips:

1. Know your stuff. Whatever business you’re going to go into, credibility is everything.  Do your research to learn all you need to know to provide superior quality and service.  Even if you feel like you know your field inside and out, never stop learning.  There is abundant information online about any area you can think of, so check it out.  You might just find an idea or two to help take your business to the next level.

2. Plan for success. If you find that people aren’t taking you seriously, it might be because you’re trying to “wing it” without thinking through your approach and follow-up. A big part of being successful at anything is planning.  This doesn’t necessarily mean writing a formal business plan.  In most cases a one-page business plan is enough to get you on your way.  The point is, when you take some time to plan, you’re better prepared, and it shows.

3. Clean up your act. Whether your business involves meeting customers face-to-face or over the Internet, it’s important to make a good impression.  This doesn’t mean trying to be something you’re not.  It’s ok, in most cases, to wear casual clothes to see customers, for instance.  Wearing ripped jeans and a dirty t-shirt, on the other hand is a bad idea.  Remember, you might need to overcome some preconceived ideas about what teenagers are like, so be sure your looks and your language reflect the fact that you’re serious about your business.  When communicating through email, use spell check and keep slang and abbreviations to minimum.  If you’re polite, professional and knowledgeable, your potential customers are sure to take you seriously.

Last but not least…

Above all, don’t give up, and don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done.  Every successful entrepreneur has stories about people who weren’t supportive of their ideas.  Friends, potential customers, and even family, can be discouraging at times, but they’ll come around when you prove you can do it.  It takes guts and perseverance to start a business at any age, but the effort is well worth the reward.  So go make it happen!  And when you make it big, be sure to come back here to YE and share your story to inspire other entrepreneurial teens.

source : http://www.youngentrepreneur.com

FOSS Day at Ashesi University

FOSSFA is organising a FOSS event at Ashesi
University College here in Accra.
You are all invited to come and participate.
We’ll give you the chance to introduce your association and recruit new
members.
The event will take place on Wednesday 5th May from 9.30AM to 1.30PM at
Ashesi University College, Bldg 3, lecture hall 4

The event will start with the video “Codename: Linux is a good film
about the roots of Linux and the work of the FSF.
We have invited some volunteers that are working with Ubuntu and FOSS in
rural areas of Ghana to tell share their experience.
After that we’ll give a short presentation of a list of FOSS
applications.
We’ll distribute some free CDs/DVDs and some food of course!!!

Please help with the communication of this event and come along!!!

FOSSWAY has a page on Facebook: http://bit.ly/cxGdUa Please check it
out!!!

Ultimate Gold Guide

Dugies World of Warcarft guide has been created by Dave Farwell (Dugi), a WOW expert with over 7860 hours of play time to his credit. The guide includes information about different aspects of the game like leveling, professions, PVP, making gold, etc. Whats more, it’s regularly updated so as to be up-to-date with game patches and expansions.

The Guide has three general sections. Section one is from pages 1-80 and it’s a leveling guide covering all classes for the Alliance and the Horde. Like all good guides, it uses an in-game leveling add-on to make it as easy to use as possible. This in-game guide is great because you don’t have to switch back and forth between the game and the guide like in some other guides.

The setup process is easy and configures itself depending on your current character. You’ll learn exactly where to go, who to talk with and what to do. The guide keeps a marker on your map and shows a directional arrow on your screen after you accept a quest. The marker and arrow will lead you to the next step in the quest.

Something that you see in this guide and don’t find in other guides is that their talent guide is also in-game. You can just select the given templates which assign your talent points to the best spec for your character.

The second section of the guide is about making gold. Something to remember is that you won’t need to farm gold when you’re leveling to 80. The quests that you do in the first part will provide you with pretty much all the funding you need during that phase. It’s really only after you’ve leveled up that you’ll be able to really make bank anyway. Having said that , the gold making guide does teaches you how to make gold quickly for your mounts at levels 30 and 60 since having them makes leveling that much faster. The main focus of the gold guide is where to go to farm rare items, and how to win the auction house game. You can also learn leveling up every Profession with the gold guide.

The third and final section of the Ultimate World of Warcraft Guide teaches you how to be successful in player versus player combat (PVP). This is probably one of the best parts of the guide. Combat types are covered in detail, and it teaches you what you should do in order win from any class and race combination that you may face in WoW. You learn about which talents you should choose for every battle. There are even macros that you can copy.

The Ultimate WoW Guide has just about every aspect of World of Warcraft explained in detail. There’s a mount of information that you get from this unlike any other guide. Other guides normally cover one aspect of game play and the info you get from this guide is better than those individual guides.

Hayden's World Of Warcraft Secret Gold Guide

In the guide, Hayden has shown methods that players at any level can use to make gold. So, if you’re a new comer to the WOW world you can use this guide and find ways that you can use to make gold. This, of course, does not mean that you will instantly start making 600 gold but you can find different ways to increase the amount of gold that your character is making and this can help you on the later levels as well. The guide will also explain common gold making mistakes other players make and how to avoid them and the hottest selling items for each profession.

Another great thing about Hayden’s guide is that it does allow you to make a choice between leveling your character and making gold. The gold making methods shown in the guide will allow you how to easily do both. The guide is bookmarked and organized so that you can find anything and everything as fast as you like. The instructions provided by Hayden are in the form of coordinates and map locations. For example, if the method involves farming something to sell at the Auction House, Hayden provides a map as well as a path to follow to maximize your time farming it. In addition, he also provides a good idea of how much what you’ve just spent time farming should retail for at the AH.

The best thing about this guide has to be the fact that it does not provide any illegal methods of earning gold. Every method that Hayden shows in the 232 page Secret Gold Guide is legal and will not get you in any sort of trouble.

Hayden Hawke wrote this guide after Wrath of the Lich King was released and she thoroughly tested the strategies explained in her book. She assures that these are not some old strategies that have been repackaged to sale. She further says that there is nothing in the Secret Gold Guide that does not work. There is also a money back guarantee if you can find 3 methods that she explained that did not work for you.

Hayden’s book is a comprehensive guide to how you can make extra gold using 100% legal methods. The guide also comes with 9 bonus products that you may find very helpful.

Warcraft millionaire

The “1-60 Gold Guide” is the first main section of the Warcraft Millionaire. You will learn about the speed, at which you should be leveling, the items you should be purchasing and where you need to be in the game. You will be able to find great items and pay less than others for the items you require. You will also learn how to maximize your gold while leveling from 1 to 60. The guide accepts the fact that grinding is necessary for making gold. After reading Warcraft Millionaire you will learn how to grind more effectively, this combined with tips regarding getting the most out of your profession and taking advantage of the best daily quests, can really improve your game.

In the second called the “60-70 Gold Making Blueprint” you learn how to make gold in Outland and reveals all the methods you can use for doing this. In this guide also you will learn which items to buy and where to go in order to make maximum gold.

The third guide focuses on making a lot of gold in Northrend and it’s called the “70-80 Gold Making Blueprint” .This guide gives a lot of valuable tips on making gold in Northrend.

Warcraft Basics is the fourth book included in the package and it’s a very good read for any newcomer ho wants to make a solid start in WOW. The 5th book is the Auction House Domination guide .It teaches you which tools will unlock the potential profit in everything you buy and which sure shot methods will earn you profits in the Auction House.

A very good addition to the game is the daily quests and the Daily Quests guide teaches you how to earn up to 12 gold per quest completed. This method does not generate gold quickly but it’s still a fairly reasonable method for semi hardcore players. There are also three other items that you get- Limited Items Report, Grinding Guide and a Premium membership with upgrades and support.

The limited items guide is a great thing to have because it teach you how to get the vast supply of limited items in WOW and how to resell them at the Auction House to make great profits. The guide has all a list of all the limited items along with vendor names and their locations.

Warcraft Millionaire is a comprehensive gold making guide that shows you how to become really rich in the World of Warcraft. The course is result oriented and easy to understand. What’s more, if you don’t like the books you can return them within 60 days and get a full refund.

Xbox 360 Redlight

A great thing about the guide is that it’s very well organized. The instructions given in a progressive manner and the pictures compliment the instructions to make it a user friendly guide. Because of the clear details provided you could even fix your Xbox 360 3 red lights error with the guide alone without even watching the videos.

The quality of the videos included in the Xbox 360 Red Light Fix Pro Gamer Edition is outstanding. The videos are in high definition and include complete step by step instructions. The instructions are given clearly and the speaker explains everything that he does. The videos are shot in a way that allow you to clearly see what’s happening and there are there are close ups where required. The videos are streamed directly from the website so you do not have to make space on your hard drive for the files.

The member’s area is also very well organized and upon entering it you will know exactly what to do. The Getting started section is clearly defined and following the directions you can go to the videos. You won’t feel lost in the member’s area when you are there.

The actual repair process is easy to perform and by following the instructions in the PDF e-book and the videos you should be able to repair your Xbox 360 in no time. The actual time required to fix your Xbox 360 is within an hour according to James Dean.

The guide also teaches you to fix other problems that you may encounter with your Xbox 360. You get instructions on how to deal with freeze ups that can happen during game play, distorted graphics that you may have seen when playing a game with a lot of action, 2 red lights, 4 red lights and the E74 error that stems from the GPU and the connections to the motherboard.

The e-mail response time is more than 24 hours, but other than the e-mail service there is not much negative you can point out. The guide itself is complete and is one of the best if not the best guide for fixing ring of death on your Xbox 360. There is also a money back guarantee in case you feel that the guide was not helpful in repairing your Xbox 360.

Xbox 360 Repair Guide

The 3 Red Light Fix Repair Guide enables you to fix for the red ring of death with the help of videos, a PDF guide and pages online to assist you with the repairing process. The repair instructions along with a few pictures make up the PDF guide. The inclusion of a few more pictures and close ups would have been more helpful.

After becoming a member, you get access to videos that are streamed directly from the site this is great because it saves a lot of space on your computer as you don’t have to download the files. Another good thing about the video tutorials are the zoom-ins that allow you to know exactly what you need to be doing to repair your Xbox 360 properly..

The video are clear and of high quality. The instructor guides you through the repair process. Once you have learned the process repairing you Xbox 360 will be easy.
However, the instructor does not talk throughout the video and you see words moving on your screen instead of talking about what’s what they are doing. It’s a better idea if they include verbal instructions because seeing the words and the process may be difficult for some. Also, in the member are there should be clear instructions on where to start with the list of files and videos.

Repair instructions for the red ring of death are not the only thing that you will get. You will also receive information on freezing, over-heating consoles, graphic glitches and the E74 error. All of the information is highlighted perfectly in a way that you can easily follow along and take care of the problems you are experiencing.

The 3 Red Light Fix repair guide provides you detailed instructions on 3 red light repair. The designers of the program say that you can use it to fix your Xbox360 in under an hour. And if you are not able to fix the problem or have any other issues with the guide you can return it within 8 weeks and get your money back.