BOULDER, Colo., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --PFP (Personal Fitness Professional) Media, the leading industry resource for personal trainers, is pleased to announce a partnership with Club Industry, the premier magazine and event for fitness and wellness professionals, to search for the 2013 PFP Trainer of the Year. The call to entry for this 8th annual prestigious award is officially open to applicants and nominees, and the award will be presented at the 27th annual Club Industry conference and trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, October 10-12, 2012.

"It's always exciting to begin the search for our next PFP Trainer of the Year," said PFP Media Publisher Josh Vogt. "This competition helps to showcase many of the outstanding achievements in our industry, and it provides the winner with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance his or her personal fitness career."

All personal trainers are encouraged to enter by August 3, 2012 at http://www.fit-pro.com/traineroftheyear. The PFP Trainer of the Year is awarded to a fitness professional who is an exemplary leader in the industry and who demonstrates a strong commitment to his/her clients, career and community.

The winner receives:

*One round-trip ticket from your location to Las Vegas.

"Personal trainers are a growing and integral part of the fitness and wellness industry," said Adam Andersen, Club Industry show director. "Club Industry is excited to partner with PFP Media and their experts to bring the industry a dynamic award that recognizes the best in the industry."

Personal trainers continue to be at the core of the evolving and growing fitness industry. The PFP Trainer of the Year award offers the industry an opportunity to recognize these leaders and highlight a standout trainer who embodies the spirit of fitness and health.

PFP Media offers the only independent personal training magazine in the professional fitness market. The bi-monthly magazine and website reaches certified personal trainers, group instructors, club, studio and franchise owners, club managers and fitness directors/managers. Readers rely on PFP to stay informed on industry developments and trends, cutting-edge products, profit-generating ideas, and building a successful fitness business.

Club Industry, produced by Penton Media, is the premier magazine and event for fitness and wellness professionals focusing on the needs of for-profit and not-for-profit facilities. The combination of unmatched professional development, inspirational content, strategic business solutions and industry networking make Club Industry the leading media and in-person resource for professionals in the business of fitness and wellness.

Contact: Heather Smith, Public Relations Club Industry / Penton Media e. hsmith@newhope.com

More here:
PFP Media and Club Industry Announce Partnership and Search for the "2013 PFP Trainer of the Year"

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PsHVoZ7aWI

30-04-2012 21:31 Online learning is a delivery form of distance education. Distance education is characterized by the separation in space (different places) and possibly in time (different times) between an instructor and her students. Online learning utilizes the Web (Internet) and its technologies as both a distribution channel and as a computer-mediated communication medium. A typical online learning scenario includes dedicated instructors who structure, schedule, and facilitate class activities. Learners complete a variety of assignments, perform practices as assigned, participate in class discussions, collaborate with fellow learners and the instructor, and summarize their learning.

Read the original here:
Myths and Facts of Online Learning - Video

New online material offers tips on everything from saving to budgeting to finding sources of money

OTTAWA, April 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Students and parents have a new one-stop location to find free, objective information about paying for post-secondary education. In this new addition to its suite of "life events", the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has put together a comprehensive online guide that can help anyone looking to fund their post-secondary education.

"Coming up with the money to pay for university, college or specialized trade training can be a challenge," says FCAC Commissioner Ursula Menke. "The cost of post-secondary education can have a major impact on a family's finances, and it helps students and parents if they are able to prepare themselves financially and learn more about the different options available to them."

Paying for Post-Secondary Education not only provides an outline of the costs, but also suggests ways to save and find other sources of financial support. The Student Budget Worksheet lists possible expenses which you can compare to the money available to pay for them (it also does the math for you). You can learn more about programs that can help your education savings grow, such as Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs), the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) and the Canada Learning Bond (CLB).

The guide also covers:

Students will find other tips on earning and saving money while at school, and paying down student debt after they finish their studies.

About FCAC

With educational materials and interactive tools, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) provides objective information about financial products and services to help Canadians increase their financial knowledge and confidence in managing their personal finances. FCAC informs consumers about their rights and responsibilities when dealing with banks and federally regulated trust, loan and insurance companies. FCAC also makes sure that federally regulated financial institutions, payment card network operators and external complaints bodies comply with legislation and industry commitments intended to protect consumers.

You can reach us through FCAC's Consumer Services Centre by calling toll-free 1-866-461-3222 (TTY: 613-947-7771 or 1-866-914-6097) or by visiting our website: itpaystoknow.gc.ca.

FCAC celebrates its 10thanniversary! Follow @FCACan on Twitter Subscribe to FCACan on YouTube

Original post:
Paying for Post-Secondary #Education 101: New online guide by @FCACan

http://www.chinaeducationresources.com

VANCOUVER, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - China Education Resources, Inc. ("CER") (TSXV: CHN, OTCQX: CHNUF), a leading technology provider of online learning, training courses and social media for teachers, students and education professionals, announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2011. All figures are expressed in U.S. dollars.

For the year ended December 31, 2011, CER reported aggregate sales revenue of $6,553,140 as compared to $5,436,165 for the same period in 2010. There was an increase in sales for the current year as compared to the sales of previous year. The Company recognized a net profit for the year ended December 31, 2011 of $83,481 as compared to a loss of $561,104 for the same period in 2010.

2011 financial highlights include:

"We are very pleased with the direction of our sales and operations. Our four-step growth plan is emerging as the foundation for a high-growth business model, as the increased revenues for 2011 are starting to suggest" said Chengfeng Zhou, CEO, China Education Resources. "Our contacts with over 200 education authorities in various provinces in China and signed deals with 14 provinces to provide online training for their teachers further strengthen our confidence in the successful commercialization of our leading edge products and services. The successful financial results in 2011, are more evidence that our revenue will continue to grow significantly in 2012."

CER is also pleased to update shareholders on the status of our arrangement with the Shanxi Provincial education authority, where we are finalizing an agreement to customize the Company's School Platform for their use. This arrangement will provide services and education resources to both teachers and students for educational reform in Shanxi Province. The education reform emphasizes interaction among teachers and students with digitized education resources and multimedia equipment in classrooms.

CER is concluding an agreement with Guizhou Province to provide digital textbooks to the students in Guizhou Province through our CERSP portal. This is a significant step for CER to combine the Company's internet portal with its traditional textbook business, which provides a unique opportunity for CER in the textbook industry.

The Company has developed an unparalleled and broad portfolio of education products that it believes is unavailable in any other education market. It has been market tested and developed in the world's largest education market. The Company intends to explore the potential to provide these online, networked products and services in other education markets. It may launch these products on its own or in partnership with domestic industry players. The Company's goal is to become the leading internet education service platform, content provider and social network to individuals and organizations in the education sector.

In collaboration with China's education administrators and experts, China Education Resources has been helping to transform the curriculum of the world's largest educational system. Recognizing the need to address education reform changes, China Education Resources has created educational tools and curriculum for China's entire kindergarten through twelfth grade system. The Company is playing an integral part in transforming China's educational system by helping to convert the existing educational system from a memory-based learning system to a creative thinking and interactive approach. Presently, China Education Resources has over one million kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers registered through its Web portal. For more information, please visit http://www.chinaeducationresources.com or call (604) 331-2388.

Safe Harbor Statement

Read the original here:
China Education Resources Inc. Generated Revenues of $6,553,140 in 2011

A pioneering Pierce County school district and a leading online education company have decided to end a partnership that began in 2006.

The Steilacoom School District and Virginia-based K12 Inc., which operates the Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA), will part ways when the current contract between the two entities ends June 30.

Together, the public school district and the publicly traded company laid some of the groundwork for early online education in the state.

The severing of their relationship comes in the wake of state funding cuts to online education programs that affect school districts across the state.

Last year, the Legislature cut funding to online programs by an average of 15 percent per student.

The closure of Steilacooms K12 program will mean WAVA families interested in online public education for their kids will have to seek those services elsewhere. The Steilacoom School Board has authorized layoff notices for up to 43.5 full-time equivalent WAVA teachers.

Steilacoom Superintendent William Fritz said contracts prevent the district from hiring WAVA teachers into its six traditional schools for one year.

He said WAVAs Steilacoom program this year enrolls the full-time equivalent of about 1,350 students. Of that number, he said, only about 25 live in Steilacoom. The rest are from school districts around the state.

K12 also operates programs through the Omak and Monroe school districts, and Fritz said Steilacooms WAVA families should have already received a letter inviting them to enroll in those programs.

They would still get the same education, using the same curriculum, it just wouldnt be through our district, Fritz said.

Here is the original post:
Pierce County online school will close

A pioneering Pierce County school district and a leading online education company have decided to end a partnership that began in 2006.

The Steilacoom School District and Virginia-based K12 Inc., which operates the Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA), will part ways when the current contract between the two entities ends June 30.

Together, the public school district and the publicly traded company laid some of the groundwork for early online education in the state.

The severing of their relationship comes in the wake of state funding cuts to online education programs that affect school districts across the state.

Last year, the Legislature cut funding to online programs by an average of 15 percent per student.

The closure of Steilacooms K12 program will mean WAVA families interested in online public education for their kids will have to seek those services elsewhere. The Steilacoom School Board has authorized layoff notices for up to 43.5 full-time equivalent WAVA teachers.

Steilacoom Superintendent William Fritz said contracts prevent the district from hiring WAVA teachers into its six traditional schools for one year.

He said WAVAs Steilacoom program this year enrolls the full-time equivalent of about 1,350 students. Of that number, he said, only about 25 live in Steilacoom. The rest are from school districts around the state.

K12 also operates programs through the Omak and Monroe school districts, and Fritz said Steilacooms WAVA families should have already received a letter inviting them to enroll in those programs.

They would still get the same education, using the same curriculum, it just wouldnt be through our district, Fritz said.

Read the original:
Pierce County online school to close

STILWELL, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

ATI Nursing Education, the leading provider of online nurse education programs, today launched its ATI Product Grant. Building on the industry need for an increased focus on the development of soft skills in nursing education programs, ATI created the companys new, one-of-a-kind Nurses Touch. The grant opportunity will award two nursing programs one registered nurse (RN) and one practical nurse (PN) with Nurses Touch for one class of students within the school for one year.

We recognize the need to strengthen the soft skills of nurses, which is why we created Nurses Touch, which helps students sharpen the professional and interpersonal skills needed to face the emotional and physical demands that come with being a nurse, said Sheryl Sommer, director of nursing education and curriculum at ATI Nursing Education. We look forward to selecting two deserving programs and working with them to implement Nurses Touch to enhance their current curriculum, benefit the students and gain valuable feedback on the content.

RN and PN nursing education programs can apply online at http://www.atinursestouch.com/grant.html starting today through May 31. Grant recipients will be reviewed by an internal committee of nurse educators. Recipients will be announced in July.

Nurses Touch is the first education product of its kind to address soft skills content. The selected nursing education programs will benefit by using the interactive simulators, tutorials, case studies, and practice and proctored assessments while receiving direct support from the faculty support team at ATI Nursing Education. The content areas covered include:

Nurses Touch also allows educators to measure, assess and track students progress. In addition to student growth, this reporting information can be an accreditation documentation resource.

For more information on Nurses Touch, visit http://www.atinursestouch.com. You also can read the recently published white paper: Soft Skills Research: Aligning Nurses Touch with Best Practices.

About ATI Nursing Education

ATI Nursing Education is the leading provider of online learning programs that are instrumental in improving faculty effectiveness and student and program outcomes in nursing schools across the country. Currently the company works with more than 20,000 nurse educators, approximately 2,100 colleges and universities nationwide, and over 225,000 students. ATI Nursing Education has played a role in helping more than 1 million students pass the NCLEX, the U.S. nursing licensing exam. ATI Nursing Education is part of Ascend Learning. Founded in 2010, Ascend Learning provides technology-based educational, curriculum and assessment solutions for healthcare and other professional industries. For more information, visit http://www.ascendlearning.com/companies/ati-nursing/.

Read the rest here:
ATI Nursing Education Offers Grant Opportunity to Provide Industry-first, Online Soft Skills Education Product to Two ...

As part of our ongoing series, We Tried It, health reporter Catherine Pearson and nutrition and fitness editor Meredith Melnick tried a session at True Pilates studio in midtown Manhattan.

Catherine's Take:

I have long wanted to try Pilates, and not just the mat class, but the real deal. Like, on the machines. They're so intriguing -- How do you use them? Are they as scary as they look? -- and the Pilates afficionados I've met always have the loveliest figures. They're long, they're lean and they carry themselves like ballerinas, only somehow less stiff. Which is all a long way of saying that I went into my first reformer Pilates class with pretty robust expectations.

They were met. In my hour-plus long, one-on-one session, my instructor coached me through the basic sequence -- some time on the reformer, sort of the central piece of equipment, as well as the Cadillac (very roughly, tricked-out monkey bars attached to a mat upon which I did a lot of leg and bum exercises). We did each move only a few times -- the emphasis in Pilates is in quality, not quantity, my instructor explained -- and with exacting attention paid to my form. I was told to squeeze my ribs in and scoop my abdominals, schooled on my posture (apparently, I have no idea what it feels like to actually sit up straight, which was a real eye-opener) and did a few simple leg swirls that immediately help open up my very, very tight hips.

It was challenging, both in terms of working my muscles and also forcing myself to pay particular attention to how every inch of my person was aligned, but I also felt extremely safe in a way I sometimes haven't in yoga classes. The machines kind of nudge and keep you into certain positions, and having an instructor there to watch my every, single move no doubt helped, too. When I left, I was walking differently -- head higher, shoulders pinched back, and much more aware of how engaged and strong I could be in my core. And it lasted. For days after, I've been catching myself slumping over on the subway or at my desk and forcing myself to contract my abdominals and straighten my spine.

The issue for me going forward will be cost. Private reformer sessions are just too far out of my budget, although the instructors explained that a few sessions can help build the muscle memory you need to really be more aware of what your body is doing in larger (and less pricey) mat classes. I think I will give that a go. The exercise just really speaks to me -- it's challenging, while also encouraging gracefulness and helped me be more aware of my body. But seriously, would that I were a millionaire, I would go to private reformer sessions all the time.

Meredith's Take:

Although it was predetermined from the time my mesomorphic parents decided to have children, it didn't occur to me until age 15 or so that I would never have a dancer's sinewy physique. Mine is more of a soccer player's build. And since that discovery, I've relegated certain fitness behaviors to an off-limits category called 'What Dancers Do." These include: point work, foot taping, highly-restricted dieting and, well, Pilates -- especially reformer Pilates. So it was with detached curiosity that I approached the True Pilates studio in east midtown.

The swanky two-story gym had the calm warmth of a spa -- and a price tag to match. (Certainly a special treat on a journalist's salary.) A series of reformer machines -- with names like "the guillotine" and "the ladder" -- were laid out across each of two sunny studios. We were introduced to two knowledgeable and patient instructors, who (I was pleasantly surprised to note) looked like us: fit people with some meat on their bones.

As is customary for private sessions, our instructors spent the entire hour adjusting us as we moved through a series of repetitive, isometric exercises. Each one required small muscle movements, but a great deal of realignment. We tucked our tailbones, elongated our torsos through the rib cage and "scooped" our stomachs. I felt my body's bones stack up in a totally novel way.

See more here:
Meredith Melnick: We Tried It: Reformer Pilates

The Kentucky Derby has been the focus of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's horse racing efforts for over a decade.

The ruler of Dubai is known for his avid thoroughbred breeding and racing, and while he has emerged victorious from many of the world's top horse races, he has yet to win a Kentucky Derby, NBC News reported.

"The Kentucky Derby is a more difficult race to win than I first believed," Sheikh Mohammed told ESPN.

But he vowed to return to the classic horse race, which kicks off on May 4, every year until he could win and many believe that this could be his year. The Daily Racing Form(DFR), a website devoted to covering the horse racing season, began speculating in January that the Sheik could have a shot at Churchill Downs this May.

More from GlobalPost: Video of starved horses prompts investigation by the New Mexico Livestock Board

The sheikh's Derby strategy has always been to ship his horses in from Dubai to Louisville, NBC News reported. This year, however, he has kept his Derby hopeful Alpha in the United States with the horse's original trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin.

Alpha has done well so far this winter, NBC News reported, taking impressive wins in the Count Fleet and Withers races at Aqueduct in New York.

"You couldnt blame Sheikh Mohammed if he woke up Sunday morning with the feeling that he has his best chance yet of winning the coveted first leg of the US Triple Crown," wrote DFR's Mike Watchmaker after the Aqueduct races.

The Sheik's passion for horse-racing knows no financial boundaries: He is consistently one of the top buyers at horse sales across the globe, ESPN reported. In September of 2006, for example, he spent $58.6 million in three days at the Keeneland yearling sale.

For the Middle Eastern leader, winning the Derby is a matter of pride and heritage, as NBC News pointed out. His 20-year-old racing unit, Godolphin, is named after a breed of thoroughbred that originated in the Middle East, according to NBC News.

Excerpt from:
Kentucky Derby: Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed sets his sights on a victory at Churchill Downs

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIagXzxLcA0

30-04-2012 20:06 Having some fun and getting a work out done

Read more:
Excercise - Do the Peter Griffin - Video