How to Improve Focus
By Kris Powers | March 23rd 2022
On a really tight schedule? Or maybe you work from home and there are constant distractions? You have a deadline for work due Friday, you blinked and now it’s Wednesday! Life can creep up on you, but if you can improve your focus, you can meet those deadlines. Below are a few suggestions that work wonders for beating distractions.
Instead of medication try meditation! Naturally prepare your mind for focus. Meditation can include deep breathing exercising throughout the day, or a more formal break in the middle of work for a quick refresh.
Designated work areas are critical in maximizing your focus. Get into your space and allow for some private work time. The clean and comfortable environment will help you focus and complete your tasks.
Taking a 10-minute break in between long periods of work helps to clear your mind. When you come back you can have a fresh view of what you are working on.
E-books vs. Hard Copy - Pros and Cons of Each
By Kris Powers | March 8th 2022
Whether you take remote or in-person courses you may have the choice between a hard copy book or an electronic “e-book”. If you have the choice, it might be best to select the book format based on the type of learner you are (visual, reading/writing, kinesthetic, etc.). Below we weigh the positives and negatives on hard copy and electronic books.
Hard copy books are excellent for all types of learners. When you are a Kinesthetic or Reading/Writing learner you may be more drawn to having a hard copy to touch and make notes inside. It is much easier to flip back and forth between pages, and for these types of learners it is a better way to remember where you may have read the material and found information. The downside to hard copy books is that the cost is usually more, and they are not easily transportable as they are heavy to carry around and lug from place to place. If you can find used hard copy books or rent them, it can help defray the costs.
How to Stay Motivated While Learning Remotely
By Kris Powers | May 19th 2021
COVID-19 changed many things, including the education system and process. While some students are back to in-person instruction in the classroom; many are still studying remotely - and finding the motivation to succeed can be daunting at times. Here are some tips to help you stay on task and rise to the demands of online learning.
Rethink Your To-Do List
By Kris Powers | December 12th 2020
Many of us are feeling fragmented right about now. Regular holiday season stress on top of pandemic anxiety has created a cocktail for disaster. Are you having trouble focusing? Seeing an uptick in mistakes or feeling as if you are doing sub-stellar work? Do you end each day wondering where the time went, or feel that you are simply going through the motions?
If you are anything like me, your mind is a racing screenplay of the dozens of things we feel we need to accomplish. At the start of the pandemic, I had big plans for tackling long overdue projects at home while working remotely (I’ve not been overly successful on that front). The holidays have brought their own set of challenges while I try to figure out how to celebrate without our out-of-town family joining us this year.
8 Tips for Successful Remote Learning and Work
By Kris Powers | November 12th 2020
Whether you are working from home, helping children manage their remote learning experiences, taking courses for personal or professional development during this time of economic unrest – or all of the above - there are steps you can take to make your days more efficient.
The principles for setting up for successful learning at home are not all that different than those needed to work remotely. The basic needs for structure and discipline are the same. By following a few of the steps below, you will communicate to your child, yourself, and your household that education and work are a priority.
Are you having trouble focusing? Me too!
By Kris Powers | August 25th 2020
I used to excel at multi-tasking, and now I cannot even SINGLE task. What is happening to me?
While I don't usually turn to the internet for diagnosing what ails me (sorry, WebMD), a quick search on the internet reassured me I am not alone. Turns out, experts say that the extra anxiety caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has impaired our working memory and ability to focus.
“All over the world, people are trying to overcome one of the few universal problems this pandemic has brought on: that it feels near-impossible to stay focused on anything. Whether it’s work or study, or even pleasurable things like reading, gaming or chatting, everything suddenly feels like a battle against your attention span to concentrate on what was once simply routine” writes author Sarah Manavis.
Reinventing Yourself - One Step at a Time
By Kris Powers | January 29th 2020
Reinvention. The word hints at limitless possibility. Although I am always looking for ways to grow and learn; there are times when I start really noodling the word “reinvention” around and looking to see what areas of my life I feel need improvement.
A few years ago, I realized that I’d get the itch to reinvent during two specific times every year – Spring and Fall. And I began to wonder why. Living in Florida, it’s not as if we have distinct seasons that might signify change. We are hot, then go slightly cooler, then get hot again. So, for me, it’s not a seasonal change that brings these stirrings to the surface. I began to wonder if it was because, while in school, the start of new semesters occurred around that time. If that’s true, then perhaps I’ve been conditioned to anticipate exciting new things at those times. Much like Pavlov’s dog, the ringing in of the Spring and Fall seasons leads me to anticipate something exciting coming my way.
Six Top Digital Storytelling Tools
By Kris Powers | August 25th 2015
A few weeks ago, we published the first in a series of Top Websites for Teaching and Learning, as compiled by The American Association of School Librarians (AASL). The AASL makes their yearly selections to honor those internet sites that provide “enhanced learning and curriculum development for school librarians and their teacher collaborators”.
This week we’ll explore some of the digital storytelling websites available for teachers and students alike. Digital storytelling provides an exciting way for students and teachers to share their knowledge. It may include a combination of video, animation, sound, still images – any type of digital media that can be used to present an idea or tell a story.
Below is an overview of the top Digital Storytelling websites selected by the AASL in 2015 along with a few additions of our own!
1. Booktrack Classroom (AASL top pick)
What are your training goals?
By Anonymous | April 28th 2015
Every organization and agency have goals to meet. Whether short-term or long-term, goals are essential in keeping employees and members of an organization encouraged and motivated. Apart from an organization’s overall goals, there is also training goals. Although training can be costly and time-consuming, it provides long-term benefits and having training goals can help you meet those benefits. These long-term benefits may include the decrease in employee turnover rate, overall growth and development, maintenance of permanent employees, and increase employee improvement and retention.
When creating training goals, we always want to make sure that the goals are realistic and measurable. If we want the right training program, we must remember to be SMART. SMART is an easy and effective way to assist you in creating your training goals.
S – Specific
Personal Enrichment and Lifelong Learning
By Kris Powers | June 17th 2014
“Make the most of yourself....for that is all there is of you.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Lifelong learning is about seeking or creating learning opportunities for both personal and professional development. Lifelong learning is important because it applies to everything that we learn throughout our life, not just what is learned in a classroom. Learning allows us to make better, informed decisions. It enhances our understanding of the world around us, betters our social skills and our increases our personal development. Lifelong learning also assists us in becoming more successful in our careers as advances in technology require that we learn something new each and every day in order to keep our skills current in the workplace.