Professors - Use Timers in the Classroom (For Your Students and For Yourself) - Increase Focus

When you teach in the college classroom, it's hard to keep track of the time. This is true during lecture, Q & A portions, learning activities with your students, student presentations, and yes...even breaks during long classes.

I got started using timers when I was still teaching at the university. Since nearly all of my classes met for three hours at a time, we always had a break mid-way through the session. It was easy for me to lose track of time because I was talking with students, answering questions from individuals, or handling concerns of groups who were working together.

To help keep *me* on track (and of course, to make sure students were getting their money's worth from me by having a full class session), I started using timers created on PowerPoint. Originally, I just created "break" timers but then later, I found other ways to use timers in the classroom. Students responded well because they knew exactly how much time they had remaining. It also helped me feel more relaxed about taking the time with students that they were allowed rather than frantically looking at my watch and trying to remember what time the break had started.

I tended to use numerous cooperative and collaborative learning experiences within the class time and wanted students to stay focused on their tasks (instead of veering off into chit-chat, which could happen if they felt that had all the time in the world to complete their tasks). Using a timer that was displayed at the front of the room helped them feel a sense of urgency and to begin to bring their learning responsibility to a close as the time "ticked" by. This eliminated the frantic, "Wait, Dr. McIntosh! We're not finished yet." I was able to move smoothly between and among the student groups, glancing at the timer as needed. If I sensed that not enough time had been allocated for the task, then it was easy enough to go to the computer to readjust the time remaining.

A third use for timers are the using them during tests. It's rather jarring to students' concentration if you are booming out every few minutes, "30 minutes remaining," or "You have 10 more minutes," and the like. By creating a timer that displayed the time beginning at 1 hour, then showing it by ten-minute increments until it gets to the final 10 minutes, it helped students to glance up periodically and keep themselves on track.

You may create any number of different timers for yourself or feel free to access the ones.

that are available at no charge on http://meggin.com/DownloadsTimers.php

We might as well all keep sharing and investing our time where it makes the most sense. Enjoy these and enjoy your students and your classes!

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Advantages of a College Education

In today's global economy looking for a job can be tough and getting one can be even harder. With so much competition for the few jobs that you are looking for can mean that competitors will go that extra mile to obtain that job and become a part of a workforce. So what can you do to open up more opportunities for your career in the industry that you want to work in?

How about a college education? Many consider a college education a great way to kick start a career in a chosen path. Colleges will provide you with the skills and knowledge that you need to start in the industry of your choice. Whist undertaking the courses you will gain knowledge and get experience from those who can be a great source of information.

A college education will provide you with many benefits over those who aren't fortunate or do not choose to undertake such a qualification. One such advantage can be the availability of jobs. With stronger competition for jobs the employers can afford to be more selective and you may find that a higher education will give you the edge on any competition applying for the job. To a potential employer a completed college qualification will show them that you are able to study, complete tasks that have been set, meet deadlines and work towards and reach a goal. This allows them to see that you are able of undertaking long term work and stay on the job until complete. Some college courses involve working in a team and this will also show the employer that you are able to integrate well with others and work well in a team environment.

Undertaking a college course will also allow you to gain any experience that you might need with computers. The work place today is vastly populated with computers in various types of industries from admin assistant to architecture all of which use technology to drive the industry forward.

A completed college course also opens up the opportunity to work in many fields that are just not open to those with out a college education. This is not to say that college provides you with the only way in to an industry but it will certainly open up some doors that other wise will remain locked with out one. Many careers that involve science or engineering require a qualification that shows you are able to undertake such work and alongside practical experience the chance of obtaining such a job becomes far more realistic.

Salary benefits are also something that draws people to a college education. People with a recognised qualification can climb up the ladder in a company, usually faster than those without any such experience as this can show you are willing to work hard and focus on the task in hand.

Through these few points it is easy to understand why people are opting for a college education. It's a great was to gain experience and the knowledge that is needed to enter a certain industry and allows any potential employer to see how committed you are to the industry you have chosen to work in.

One college that offers such diverse courses is Northampton College who are one of the popular choices for people looking for Colleges in Northampton.

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The Greek World and Its Benefits

When you hear "Gamma Phi Beta" you are probably like most people and you instantly think of fraternities and sororities. This is because this name and others like it have become synonymous with fun and adventure, but the fact of the matter is that the Greek world that exists at colleges around the country has a lot to offer just about any student. It doesn't matter where you come from, what your major is, or even how old you are, Gamma Phi Beta and other Greek organizations can improve your college experience.

Wondering what Kappa Kappa Gamma or other Greek organizations can do for you? First and foremost, it will give you a place to fit in. Many people who are going to college have a difficult time finding their place. They don't know if they should focus on the academics or the social life or both. When you belong to a Greek organization you instantly have a niche because you have other people around you that you identify with for many different reasons. When you have a place to fit you'll find that it is easier to enjoy all of the aspects of college life.

In addition, Greek organizations are great for the social life. While college is about academics it is also about socializing and getting to know yourself better as well as learning to get along with others. When you belong to a fraternity or sorority you'll find that you always have something to do, somewhere to go, and people to do it with. You have the organization in common and that means that you'll share a lot of the same experiences. You'll meet new people through the fraternity or sorority and you'll simply have a lot of fun. If you are looking to improve your social life this is a great way to do it.

If you want to pump up your post-college resume belonging to Kappa Alpha Theta or another Greek organization is a great way to do it. Through your Greek group you'll find that it is easier to get involved in charitable events and with charity organizations. You'll be able to put all kinds of fun stuff on your resume that will give you a lot of experience and will also make you a very attractive candidate for just about every employer out there. It's important to always be keeping an eye on your future and joining a Greek organization is a great way to do just that while giving you some great memories in the process! There are a lot of different fraternities and sororities to choose from, so see which groups are at your university and think about getting involved, you'll be glad you did!

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. When you hear Gamma Phi Beta you are probably like most people and you instantly think of fraternities and sororities. Wondering what Kappa Kappa Gamma or other Greek organizations can do for you? First and foremost, it will give you a place to fit in.