Category: Education

One bright spot about the pandemic is the increased focus on digital learning. This has increased opportunities for many, regardless of age and location.  This is in spite of the fact that many schools not prepared to move to a virtual classroom setting due to lack of proper technology and systems to properly run an online class.

Still, the advantages of online classes for kids have enabled younger generations to surmount physical barriers to accumulating knowledge. Yet another boon is the proliferation of apps that can help anyone understand the psychology of spending money and help boost financial literacy.  For these apps, “what’s learned with pleasure is learned in full measure.” Do you know someone who can benefit from these financial education tools for children? Then check out these four innovative apps.

Top apps for the future finance wiz

Here are some of the best apps to help secure the future for the next generations:

1. Junior Achievement Finance Park

The Junior Achievement Finance Park app is an enjoyable and immersive way for kids to learn about personal finance. It’s a virtual world where they can make real-life monetary decisions and experience the consequences, just like grown-ups do! What’s more, the app features colorful graphics, easy-to-follow tutorials, and engaging activities that make learning about money management a blast. And, with its dynamic market updates, the little ones can see how the economy can impact their budget, just like in the real world.

Additionally, through the unique “teach-test-teach” approach, children will not only have fun playing, but they’ll also remember what they learned. So, if you want to give them a head start on their financial goals, look no further than the Junior Achievement Finance Park app!

2. Counting Coins

Counting Coins is the ultimate solution for the kiddos to get a grip on money matters. The app features captivating graphics and interactive gameplay, making learning about currency a delightful experience. They can count, identify, and break different coins and bills, such as pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, etc., into smaller denominations. In addition, the app creates realistic purchasing scenarios, allowing children to apply their newfound knowledge and skills in a practical setting.

Not only does the app provide a fun way to learn about money, but it also instills good financial habits, preparing kids for a future of wise spending and savings. Whether playing solo or with friends, Counting Coins offers a unique and entertaining approach to money education, setting the stage for successful money management. With its engaging design, the young ones will be begging to play, making learning about money a rewarding experience for parents and youngsters alike.

3. Money Maze

With captivating graphics and a straightforward gameplay, it appeals to children of all ages, Money Maze can help kids learn the value of money. The app presents a delightfully interactive game format where players navigate through a maze, collecting coins and avoiding obstacles. The aim is to reach the finish line while maximizing their earnings. As they progress, the users encounter various challenges and decision points to use their finances responsibly, where they must choose the most advantageous path (that is, how to best allocate their money during each challenge). These decisions will affect the outcome of the game. In the process, they can understand the consequences of their decisions and develop critical thinking skills about how they use their money.

Thus, the app can teach good money management using scenarios happening in real life. Examples are saving for a big purchase or investing in a stock. This helps make financial literacy both accessible and engaging. The app also includes a parent dashboard, where guardians can track their child’s learning progress. So, turn the tiresome chore of managing money into an exciting adventure with Money Maze.

4. Money Box

Money Box is a revolutionary app for kids designed to instill smart money habits. The app transforms savings into a fun and engaging experience by allowing children to set financial goals and track their progress. It features a virtual piggy bank where the little ones can deposit their allowance, birthday money, or any other form of income. As they save, they can watch their digital savings grow, giving them a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue.

The Money Box app also includes educational content covering budgeting, saving, investing, and more. Parents can set savings goals and monitor their child’s progress while also receiving tips and insights on how best to go about it. These features make  Money Box a unique and effective way for the little ones to develop a healthy relationship with money, helping lay the foundation for a bright and stable future.

The bottom line

Nurturing money-savvy kiddos has never been easier. The digital age offers an abundance of resources, and these four apps are some of those leading the charge. By imparting financial literacy skills through interactive and entertaining methods, these can make a lasting impact.

So, what are you waiting for? The investment of time now will pay dividends tomorrow, when your children have a firm grasp on managing their finances. Don’t let the opportunity to shape their future slip by—introduce them to these cutting-edge tools today.

Children are the future, and the institutions we provide them are crucial to their development. Helping to shape, develop, and educate their minds happens inside a school. Making sure that the building where educators help them grow is well taken care of is detrimental to their development. Read on to learn how to properly maintain school grounds year-round.

Electrical System

Let there be light. Of course, all schools need light, but the electrical system of a school controls more than the lights. The system controls the PA system, electrical boards, equipment in the kitchen, and a lot more.

Professional engineers and electricians should provide you with preventative maintenance tasks and schedules for electrical components. Make sure they work with thermographic scanning devices to identify overheating in connections, motors, bearings, and other electrical switchgear. These inspections need to happen every six months for everyone’s safety.

Fire Drills

The students may not know why they go through so many fire drills, but the administration does. The administration conducts these monthly drills for two reasons. The first is for the students. Showing them how to properly exit the building in case of a fire is vital.

The second reason is the school. The drills will help you see how well the system is working. You need to ensure every classroom hears the alarm and sees the lights. Teachers will report back if something is off inside their classroom. Furthermore, you need to check that every fire alarm works when you pull on them.

Exterior Upkeep

There is a lot of ground to cover when it comes to the exterior of all schools, and every area needs to be well maintained. Focus on the classroom because this is an area people forget about too often.

Conduct a roof inspection every six months. The roofer will tell you the condition of the roof and if they see any potential dangers. Aside from the roofing, pay close attention to the parking lot. Don’t fall victim to the common parking lot maintenance mistakes. Make sure you keep the lot in order for faculty and staff.

Energy Management

Energy management means a lot of ground to cover. Energy management is a computer-controlled system for the HVAC units. The system can turn off the air conditioning, lights, and boilers. Here are specific guidelines to follow for these systems:

• Establish an energy policy with specific goals.
• Find the proper authority for the district’s energy management program.
• Monitor each building’s energy use.
• Conduct an energy audit.
• Adjust your usage based on the audit findings.

Try and conduct these audits before the school year starts and once it ends. Doing so before the school year will show what condition the school is in and whether you need to make adjustments.

Properly maintaining the school grounds is a year-round job. Make sure to do your diligence to maintain school grounds all year.

Related Reading:

Taking care of a school, both inside and out, is a regularly discussed issue amongst administrators.  Often overlooked however, is whether school devices are being properly maintained.  Read about these quick tips for keeping school provided devices in good shape.

Maintenance also relates to safety and security.  Read about security measures within a school and how protocols and devices and resources used need regular scrutiny.

Purchases made in a hurry are rarely successful. Therefore it is better to prepare for the school or academic year well in advance, choosing gadgets for education with the best value for money. And why not do it after the start of the new year? Especially since you will have a huge choice nowadays.

The market presents dozens of manufacturers competing for customers’ preferences. But so that you don’t get lost in this vast sea of tech variety, read this article highlighting the top 5 modern gadgets that help students in education.

# 1 Laptop / PC

It’s a fact that there is no way to do without a computer or laptop in the modern educational process. But here, a pretty natural question arises: which hardware to choose? Desktop computers have an advantage in power, and laptops — in mobility. So, let’s find out what to select in your particular case.

If you combine study and games, look for a pair of system units and a monitor. In other cases, the choice of a laptop seems more logical. For example, a budget laptop with average productivity is more than enough for creating presentations, writing essays, and using training sites.

Another argument favoring a laptop is its compact size, due to which a device takes up little space. This feature is significant since no one attends lectures or lessons with a desktop PC. That’s why many students prefer models, the key advantage of which is a modest size. And here we mean netbooks and ultrabooks.

Consider also that for humanitarian students, especially philologists, the technical characteristics of laptops don’t play a significant role. On the other hand, students who study professions connected with drawings and graphics processing have higher requirements for hardware. In most cases, the right choice for the study will be a laptop under Windows. MacOS is not the best option because university software can have compatibility problems.

It is also worth noting that intensive tech use during a busy school or academic year can sometimes malfunction. However, it’s pretty standard, and you shouldn’t worry too much about it, especially when you know about the existence of consulting service Howly. On this site, you can quickly get in touch with qualified experts who troubleshoot laptop, and it takes them no more than an hour.

# 2 Headset / Noise-Canceling Headphones

With the advent of the pandemic, online learning has become much more relevant. Therefore, a student needs a headset to understand a subject’s nuances in peace. The sound in the gadget comes from a computer or laptop, so choose an impedance in the 40-150 ohms range.

The sound quality doesn’t have to be so good as to capture the nuances of complex musical compositions since clear audibility will be enough for students. However, using overhead headphones for studies is much better since they are comfortable for a long time. A good choice would be a headset with a microphone with noise reduction. You can’t think of a better solution for learning foreign languages, and for a good reason:

📌 The teacher hears the student, picks up errors in their speech, and immediately shows the correct pronunciation.

📌 The student hears the teacher clearly and can pick up their pronunciation and intonation.

📌 The teacher only hears the student, even if the TV is loud in the student’s room next door. The noise-canceling microphone cuts out extraneous sounds.

📌 The lesson continues without pauses, and participants don’t have to repeat the same thing several times.

# 3 Tablet

A tablet for studies is an excellent alternative to a laptop. It is lighter, more compact, and cheaper than a previous device. However, students should look at more advanced models. The presence of a removable keyboard will allow you to type text lectures quickly, and the stylus lets you enter graphic information. The advantages of the tablet also include the ability to take pictures of learning material. In addition, if the Internet works with a SIM card, the device’s owner will always be online.

# 4 Printer

Students and pupils usually need such devices for printing essays, presentations, term papers, tutorials, and other educational materials. So here we should consider two types of these helpful techs: inkjet and monochrome printers. The pros and cons of them are discussed in the table below:

So if you buy a laser printer, looking at MFP models that can print, scan, and photocopy makes sense. Retailers like Supply Link USA offer a wide selection of printers and office equipment suitable for students’ diverse needs and budgets. It will be a good option both for students and pupils. Moreover, additional functions will not particularly affect the price tag. The market also presents color laser printers, but they are expensive, don’t print high-quality photos, and maintenance of such a unit will be a blow to the student’s finances.

# 5 E-Book

The E-book is a helpful device for reading enthusiasts. The emergence of inexpensive smartphones with large diagonals has not become a problem for manufacturers of e-books because their screens are specially adapted for reading. For example, it has a perimeter backlight that doesn’t hurt your eyes. In addition, the gadget understands more than 10 of the most common text formats. When choosing such a gadget, focus on the following details:

✔️ Screen diagonal. It’s not necessary to be limited to 6 inches. Younger students are more accustomed to reading large print.

✔️ The way of control. Students will undoubtedly choose touch control.

✔️ The presence of a backlight is a must.

✔️ Internet access can be by cable or Wi-Fi. However, wireless models are more expensive.

Bottom Line

So, in this article, you’ve learned about the top 5 modern gadgets that help students in education. Studying is a complex and time-consuming process, so the presence of such equipment can significantly simplify the life of many young people. However, it would help if you did not forget that these devices should be done in moderation to avoid harming health.

Christine Tomas is a tech expert, consultant, and aspiring writer. She writes for different news portals and thematic blogs for tech experts that helps her stay at the heart of programming, technology news.

Git Hub is revolutionizing education by providing teachers with a powerful platform to create and manage virtual classrooms. With its plethora of features and easy-to-use tools, teachers can manage projects and assignments and easily collaborate and share resources with their students.

What Is GitHub?

GitHub is an open-source software that allows people to work on projects together from any location. For educators, it is also helpful in sharing teaching materials across different courses, allowing collaboration between teachers, and making it easier to work on lessons together without constantly switching programs.

This article will explore ten ways teachers can use GitHub in the classroom to make teaching more collaborative, efficient, and fun. So read on as we dive into how teachers everywhere should take advantage of its capabilities.

10 Ways Teachers Can Use GitHub in the Classroom

Manage Classrooms

GitHub Classroom provides teachers with a powerful tool for managing their courses. Through the classroom, teachers can create multiple student rosters, which become the foundation of the course itself. With each roster, teachers can assign assignments, track student progress, and review and grade their work.

In addition, they can track their students’ contributions within their repositories, giving them better insights into how each student is doing in their course.

Starter Assignment

Teachers can use the Git & GitHub starter assignment to give students an overview of key concepts related to Git and GitHub. The course is designed to allow students to quickly get familiarized with the topics and develop a better understanding of its fundamentals.

It covers several essential elements, including version control with Git, repository collaboration on GitHub, real-world application of the concepts, and other less-discussed topics, such as techniques for debugging code along with best security practices.

The course also provides helpful links to tutorials and additional resources that teachers can use to introduce more complex topics within software development. The starter assignment simplifies the ongoing learning experience by giving students an effective platform for grasping essential knowledge about Git and GitHub.

Create Individual Assignment

Teachers can use GitHub Classroom to facilitate the creation of individual assignments. They can also determine each assignment repository’s visibility and access permissions by assigning a title and setting an optional deadline.

Grading can also be automated, streamlining the assessment process for improved accuracy. In addition, instructors can employ starter codes, documentation, tests, and other resources to support student efforts on their assignments.

A dedicated space to discuss each assignment with a student further enhances GitHub Classroom’s appeal as an easy-to-navigate educator tool that facilitates comprehensive educational experiences for teachers and learners alike.

Create Group Assignment

Using GitHub Classroom, teachers can easily create collaborative assignments for their courses. Once a student accepts the assignment, they have the flexibility to create or join a team of fellow students. The teams created for each assignment are saved as a set and can be reused for future assignments.

For added convenience, teachers can also provide starter codes, documentation, tests, and other resources to offer students a head start on the project by creating a template repository. This makes it simple and convenient for teachers to administer collaborative assignments through GitHub Classroom.

Edit an Assignment

Teachers can use GitHub to easily edit existing assignments, providing them with limitless opportunities to modify the assignment in a way that best fits their course needs. With the help of GitHub, they can edit such things as submission deadlines and auto-grading tests from previously created assignments.

Additionally, teachers can add bulk or single tasks to an assignment and a grading rubric for individual students.

Reuse an Assignment

Reusing existing assignments is a great way to save time and energy as a teacher, especially if you have multiple classrooms in different organizations. GitHub Classroom can help by copying the assignment wherever you need it, including any other classrooms.

Not only will the assignment contain all original details like the name, source repository, auto-grading test, and preferred editor, but it will also include a template repository and its contents from the target organization.

You can easily make changes to your copied assignment post-copy, allowing maximum customization and flexibility for your students. Remember that you have no control over the preferred editor setting, though!

Create an Assignment From a Template Repository

Creating an assignment from a template efficiently provides your students with documentation, starter codes, and other resources. All you need is to use the template repository as the starter code for your assignment on GitHub Classroom.

Depending on the visibility setting of the repository, either your organization must own the template repository, or it must be public for it to be used in the creation of the assignment.

Auto-Grading

Assessment becomes automated by designing tests to run in the assignment repository, enabling quick and efficient processing of assignments.

All teachers need to do is set up the tests for an assignment. Whenever students submit their work on GitHub Classroom, the configured tests will automatically run in a Linux environment containing the latest submission.

The student can then view the results of the tests and make necessary changes before submitting them again.

Leave Feedback With Pull Requests

Providing feedback to students in a timely, structured manner can have a positive impact on their learning outcomes. To deliver meaningful and constructive feedback, GitHub Classroom offers the ability to create special pull requests. This allows instructors to easily add comments, questions, annotations, and code snippets directly within the repository for each assignment.

Seamless integration with the Student Appointments feature allows for discussions about assignment submissions where everyone involved can see the context within which conversations are held. With an organized workflow, instructors can spend more time engaging with students and less time managing communication logistics.

Register and Connect to an LMS Course

Registering and connecting an LMS course to GitHub Classroom is a simple process that requires only a few steps. First, an administrator must configure the LMS instance to allow for integration with GitHub Classroom. Then, the administrator initiates the OAuth authentication handshake by registering their LMS with GitHub Classroom.

This registration only needs to take place once, but it allows any teacher using the same LMS instance to sync their courses to classrooms. After these preliminary steps are complete, teachers can import rosters of student identifiers from the LMS and into their desired classrooms.

Conclusion

Overall, GitHub provides an effective solution for managing educational resources, which saves time and helps streamline the learning process for all involved.

A helpful video demonstration is also provided on their website for all features as a guide for further instruction.