Monday 19 January 2015

Do You Have What It Takes To Be The Most Successful African Woman?

Do you dream of becoming a successful African woman? Are you planning to be one of the leading businesswomen in Africa? Although there are several challenges for African women to build successful careers and contribute to the society and economy; but if you are passionate about your goals, then you can surely achieve success despite all odds.

Although the global business world is dominated by men, several remarkable women have become highly successful in different fields like leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, politics and business across the continent in the past few years.

Here we are going to have a look at some of Africa’s most prominent and successful women and how you can become one. Keep reading...

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is a renowned and respected entrepreneur from Ethiopia. She is the founder of the footwear brand SoleRebels, which experts believe to be the African version of brands like Adidas, Reebok and Nike.

Alemu was born in the impoverished small rural community of Zenebework in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. At an early age she realised that although most people in her region were unemployed, they had striking artisan skills that were not utilised properly. She decided to use the skills of the locals in community to build an enterprise to create employment opportunities and wealth over a certain period. In 2004, Alemu managed to gather startup capital with the help of her husband and relatives and started SoleRebels by mobilising her talented community members. Now the brand has become the most popular footwears in Africa.

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has earned global recognition for her efforts and is one of the most famous female entrepreneurs in Africa. At the 2012 annual African Business Awards, she was awarded the ‘Most Outstanding Businesswoman’ by African Business Magazine. She was also titled the ‘Most Valuable Entrepreneur’ at the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in 2011.

Ory Okolloh

Okolloh is a renowned blogger and open-government activist from Kenya. She is also the co-founder of Ushahidi, which is a free open source platform for managing crowd sourcing crisis information. Moreover, she also started the website Mzalendo which assists the electorate of Kenya to keep a tab on activities of representatives in parliament.

Currently she acts as Google’s policy manager for Africa. Even after being a mother and wife, Ory Okolloh has successfully managed to progress her career and act as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

Divine Ndhlukula

Ndhlukula is a successful Zimbabwean entrepreneur who founded the largest security company in the nation, SECURICO. Currently she acts as the Managing Director of the organisation. She has achieved a lot in her 15 year long career as her $13 million company has grown remarkably. SECURICO has over 3,400 employees, among whom 900 are women workers.

Her organisation was awarded the esteemed Legatum Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship in 2011. She owes most of her success to her training from MBA degree which she earned from Midlands State University. She says “I have an Executive MBA from Midlands State University and an MBA (Honorary) from Women’s University in Africa conferred me in recognition of my business leadership and efforts on gender equality.”

Ndhlukula adds “In 1998 I saw an opportunity in the security services sector. The opportunity was prompted by what I had noted in this sector- a total lack of professionalism, quality and services that customers really yearned for.”

Khanyi Dhlomo

Khanyi Dhlomo is a 36- year old media mogul from South Africa. After completing her journalism course from the University of Witwatersrand, she became the first black newscaster for national broadcaster SABC1. She eventually worked for True Love magazine and became its editor at the age of 22.

After almost 8 years for being the editor, she went to France and acted as the manager of South Africa Tourism Board in Paris. After she earned her MBA from Harvard Business School in 2007, Dhlomo founded Ndalo Media, which is the biggest media company in Africa. She also launched the website DestinyConnect.com and fashion department store Luminance in 2013.

Be A Successful African Woman

These women have passionate about their careers and pursued their career goals with zeal and motivation. But how can you become a successful woman in Africa? Apart from being determined to climb up the career ladder, you will need to possess the essential skills and knowledge to gain expertise in your field. As you can see above, most of these women have earned higher education degrees, even after starting their careers. Getting a college degree will open excellent career opportunities for you so that you can reach your goals.

Get The Right Degree

How can you pursue a college degree if you are already employed? If you ask me, getting university degree online can be your best option. Why? Let’s face it...most of the African nations face various challenges regarding education. Pursuing an online programme will enable you to earn a recognised degree from globally reputed universities in Africa, UK and US directly from the convenience of your own home. As all the study materials are available online, you can choose to study at your own pace without attending the campus.

Moreover, studying an online university degree allows you to effectively manage your work and family commitments, and still find time for your studies. As there are no scheduled classes, you can easily do a full time job and study at night.

Now It’s Your Turn To Succeed

Your online college degree also allows you to hone your skills and acquire essential knowledge that will empower you to boost your career. Becoming a successful woman in Africa might not be an easy task, but with the help of a higher education degree you can make the right start and move steadily towards your career goals.

Wednesday 14 January 2015

What Mistakes Should You Avoid As An Online Student?



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Online education has gained immense popularity amongst students all over the globe because of the flexibility, convenience and affordability it offers. But if you think it can be done easily, then you are in for a rude awakening. One of the major challenges that you will face while pursuing an online programme is time management.

Here we are going to talk about some common mistakes that most online learners do while studying online. We hope you can learn from it so that you can make the most out of your online education. Read on.....

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Not Involving Your Family
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According to Jennifer Fraone, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at Boston College Center for Work & Family, before you start your online programme, you need speak with your family about the requirements of online study and inform them that you will need adequate time and space for your coursework.

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Failing To Follow A Schedule

If you do not prepare a, effective study schedule and allocate specific times for your study, work and personal life, whether in the weekend, in the morning or at night, you will not be able to achieve your academic goals.

Procrastinating

Do you wait until the last minute to work on your assignment and projects? Well this is one of the most common mistakes done by online learners and is a sure-fire way for failure.

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Spending Excessive Time Online

Make sure you open only those websites that help you in your study while you are at the computer. Wasting too much time on Facebook, Twitter or online shopping will only delay your work from getting done.

Failing To Logging Into Class Regularly

By logging in to your online class you will be able to stay on track. You will not miss out on curriculum modifications and will be able to stay updated about the progress of your course by cheeking our the classes regularly, says Tamara Popovich, Associate Director of Student Services for ASU Online.
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Staying Silent When Falling Behind

It is very common for every online student to fall behind on the coursework at some point of time due to various personal or professional reasons. In such a case, you must inform your educators who will help you to manage your scheduling problems.

Failing To Utilise Free Time

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If you are an online learner who is balancing family, work and academic commitments, then you must be able to maximise each moment to make your studies more effective. There is no point in wasting time waiting at the traffic light or for an appointment, when you can easily study on your tab or smartphone.

Studying In A Distracting Setting

It is imperative that you prevent distractions from affecting your studies so that you can learn with full concentration. Hence you need to find an isolated and quiet place at home for your studies.

Failing To Note Down Deadlines
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Maintain a calendar with important due dates and deadlines will enable you to become a successful learner online.

Not Focussing On Coursework

Even though you might feel the need to hang out with friends or to hit the gym, but you main priority should your online programme, especially if you are a working professional. You must learn to use your leisure time effectively.

So there you have it! Hope you learn a thing or two from the common online learning listed above. If you would like to add to the list, then simply comment in the box below. We would love to hear from you.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

iPads - A Great Way To Teach Students With Learning Disabilities

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Let’s face it...we all know that iPads are an excellent tool for teaching our students in the classroom and at home. But the fact is iPads can also prove to be the best way to teach kids with learning disabilities. You can use these devices for better customisation, communication and translation with supreme effectiveness. iPads can help to lessen frustration, develop confidence and teach essential skills to students.

Here are top 10 ways that iPads help kids with learning disabilities to study better-

iPads Are Intuitive

As iPads are rather intuitive in usage, it proves to be very helpful for students with disabilities as they don’t need to struggle with visuospatial awareness. The apps are properly organized and easy to navigate. Moreover, touchscreen technology can help students with motor impairments.

Creating A Tailored Learning Environment

iPads are multisensory which helps kids follow an enhanced learning approach. These devices also greatly help to customize tasks for individual students. Moreover, these can also greatly help in the classroom by interpreting the processing style of the educators to simpler methods which students can understand easily. 

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 Makes Learners Feel Relaxed, Not Overwhelmed

Every student has their own weaknesses and strengths; however it is a bit distinct in kids with learning disabilities. Hence, such students can feel overwhelmed with tasks that might appear simple to normal students. iPads help to alleviate this dilemma via a range of apps which focuses on various types of skills. These apps help students to develop skills that are required to complete specific assignments.

Enables Students To Communicate

The touch-to-speak apps, like Yes|No, Assistive Express and Proloquo2Go, can help nonverbal students to better communicate in class. These enable students to communicate effectively by using touch to voice their opinions or simply answer yes or no.

Develop Social Awareness

iPads are an effective tool to help students develop social skills in a very smart manner. For example, interacting on FaceTime can enable kids to understand facial cues. These features, along with the specific education section mentioned above, can help to better emotional development.

Ipads Are Therapeutic Tools

iPads offer easy access to apps which learning experts can utilize to simultaneously develop specific skills. Actually there is a particular section in iTunes that is dedicated to education apps.

Assist to Track Behaviour

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Tracking the behaviour of learners is very essential as it helps educators understand which students are falling behind on homework. It is also important to find out the difficulties and weaknesses of students with learning disabilities. Various apps in iPad help to identify the different weaknesses of different students so that you can work on them.

Useful for Organization 

Several students who cope with learning disabilities tend to face issues related to organization. When students use an iPad, they will not lose assignments, forms, books, and worksheets as all materials will get centralized.

Help Learners Struggling Emotionally

By adding some soothing and relaxing music to the iPads of students, learning experts and educators can help these students to calm down and focus when they become emotional.

There Is No Stigma Attached

iPads are cool and very normal devices that almost anyone can use. When a student with a learning disability will use an iPad in the classroom, it will not make them inferior or different from normal kids. 

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 So There You Have It....

 iPads and its apps can greatly help students who struggle with learning disabilities in the classroom to have a better learning experience and perform better.

How else do you think iPads can help these students in the classroom? Share your ideas and thoughts with us by commenting below. We would love to hear what you think.

Article Source: huff.to/1wE6bez

Saturday 3 January 2015

4 Great Sectors You Can Start Your Career In 2015

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Are you looking forward to boost your career in 2015? Planning to start a new career in the New Year? Here we are going to talk about some profitable sectors that can help you grow your career in the coming year. Read on...

New Career Opportunities In New Year

According to a survey by CareerBuilder, in January 2014 around 21 per cent of the US workforce claimed that they were thinking about changing their jobs in the coming 12 months. It has been found that most people, especially those with low levels of job satisfaction, tend to introspect during the end of the year and plan what and how they can do things differently in the New Year. Many people change jobs and careers, while others pursue higher education to improve their employment prospects.

One of the best ways to better your career prospects is by earning a degree. By getting an undergraduate or postgraduate degree you can increase your employability, earning potential and also better your chances of landing the next big promotion. Moreover, your degree can also enable you to switch careers and work in your desired field.

Here are 4 excellent growth areas which you can consider for changing and improving your career-

STEM Education

According to recent reports from US News, salaries for employees related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) fields increased substantially in the last 10 years. With a dearth of skilled STEM professionals the demand for trained candidates have increased manifold as well.

With growing need for STEM professionals, the demand for teachers who can help learners prepare to follow STEM careers has also increased. Institutes that offer STEM courses concentrate on degree programmes which enable graduates to teach science and maths at kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) forecasts a growth in employment opportunities of 12 per cent for teachers in elementary schools and middle schools; and around 6 per cent for teachers in high school within 2022.

Health Care

It is predicted that demand for skilled health care professionals will rise considerably in the coming decade across the globe, including Africa. If you are planning a career change, then the health care sector can offer you lucrative job opportunities. In fact this industry is growing more rapidly than any other sector.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the sector will have to include over 64,000 dental hygienists by the year 2022 in order to cope with the growing demand.

Information Technology (IT)

IT or information technology is spread across all aspects of our modern society. According to the BLS, information technology professionals are responsible for securing information systems, developing new software, maintenance of networks, and operating systems. During the last global recession, IT was among the most stable sectors and is predicted to expand faster than others, as per BLS reports.

Business

As business occupations keep growing across the globe, the demand for skilled and trained managers are also growing. Apart from getting excellent opportunities in corporate sectors, managers can also find employment in accounting, administration, sales and marketing, human resources and IT.

So there you have it....four booming sectors that can help you change and better your career in 2015. If you wish to add to the discussion or want to tell us how you wish to change your career in the New Year, then feel free to comment below.