Category Archives: Education

The Rezvan Foundation for Excellence holds Fundraising Gala to honor a Legacy of determination and transformation and the value of Education

When it comes to legacies, the one left by Dr. Ahmad Rezvan resonates as one of the most enduring and heartwarming of all.

Salinas, CA, November 29, 2016 – Growing up in Iran, young Ahmad faced tremendous obstacles — abject poverty and the devastating loss of his father when he was just 14 years old. Despite this, and while providing for his grief-stricken family, Ahmad stunned his small town by secretly putting himself through school, winning admission to the most prestigious university in Iran, and eventually earning a medical degree. Ahmad needed equal parts excellence and determination to transform his life — and the lives of his family.

To honor the legacy of his late father, Dr. Ehsan Rezvan founded the Rezvan Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit that supports students who share the same incredible combination of strengths that eventually brought the senior Dr. Rezvan to America with his family.

The mission of the Rezvan Foundation is to support the educational pursuits of exceptionally talented young students who have shown a determination to succeed, despite the crippling loss of one or more parent, or removal from their parents’ home.

It is the hope of the foundation that Rezvan scholars will continue to “pay it forward” and keep alive the generous spirit of Dr. Ahmad Rezvan and his family for generations to come.

To celebrate this lasting legacy, and to help fund future scholarships, the Rezvan Foundation for Excellence is holding its first-ever Fundraising Gala on Feb. 4, 2017, at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City.

Tickets to the gala are $250, and are tax-deductible (Tax ID No.: 81-0810674). Payment can be made by check (payable to The Rezvan Foundation) or credit card (Visa, MC, Discover or AmEx). Please mail or fax the completed form with check or complete credit card information to: The Rezvan Foundation for Excellence 7888 Wren Ave., #B-120, Gilroy, CA 95020. Phone: (818) 298-8316. Fax: (408) 842-7057. Email: rezvanfoundation@gmail.com. Website: www.rezvanfoundation.com.

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.rezvanfoundation.com

SQL-Lessons.com Launched to Learn SQL Easier & Faster

On SQL-Lessons.com you can learn SQL step by step in an interactive way. Beginners can skip the often difficult and error prone process of setting up a development environment and can instead use the provided online database.

Starnberg, Germany — In our big data age, the ability to query databases efficiently becomes more and more important. On SQL-Lessons.com (http://www.sql-lessons.com) beginners can learn SQL step by step in an interactive environment. The often complicated step for beginners to set up a database is not necessary as all SQL queries will be executed against the provided online database. So beginners can invest their time in actually learning SQL and not on setting up a database on their local machine.

Beginners can learn the basics of SQL like select statements, joins, group by statements step by step. Every lesson comes with an exercise so that SQL beginners can practice SQL straight away.

If a query is syntactically incorrect, users will receive a useful error message what is wrong, going beyond the often cryptic error messages provided by the SQL database engine.

Getting started is easy: Just visit SQL-Lessons.com and go through the course. By the end of the course, you will know already some useful basics of SQL (select statements, join and group by statements) that you can use in your daily work immediately.

Media Contact:
Andras Huebner
SQL-Lessons.com
+49 176 43 44 11 03
andreas.huebnerh@gmail.com
http://www.sql-lessons.com

GC Learning Services, LLC Celebrates 20th Anniversary by Launching New e-Learning Library

New Comprehensive Courses will Streamline the Entire Training & Development Process.

Orlando, FL (USA), July 21, 2016 — GC Learning Services, LLC, a leading provider of e-Learning solutions, announced today that in recognition of their 20th anniversary of proven expertise, they have launched a new library on the Coggno platform offering universal, affordable, off-the-shelf generic training courses for sale. To extend the celebration to all new and existing GC Learning Services clients, a discount is being offered to companies who purchase a minimum of 10 licenses.

The new platform enables companies to easily download licensed courses for immediate use for one, ten, or hundreds of employees at a time at discounted bulk rates. The first course, titled Effective Meeting Strategies, takes the learner through a five-step process on how to conduct an effective meeting. From creating an agenda to assigning action items, participants learn how to have successful and effective meetings. Courses include audio, video, offline activities such as worksheets, graded assessments and printable certificates upon passing completion of each course.

“I anticipated the need for alternative eLearning solutions to serve both large and small businesses with an easier, more efficient process,” says Cheryl Powell, founder and CEO of GC Learning Services. “The needs of companies are constantly evolving, and I have successfully expanded the offerings to meet and exceed those demands.”

By using cutting edge technology and e-Learning industry-standard best practices, GC Learning Services will continue to develop new courses weekly that will enable businesses to reach their internal goals, and better serve their employees and clients. In the new courses, Subject Matter Experts offer their expertise and years of industry leading experience to a global audience and GC Learning is excited to share this knowledge on the new platform. Some of the course topics include Project Management: Back to the Basics, Balancing Your Work and Life, The Benefits of Stress Management, Safety in the Mental Health Workplace, and Good vs. Bad Termination Processes.

To experience the high level of information offered, professionals can tour the Effective Meeting Strategies training course in the new library on the Coggno platform by visiting gclearning.coggno.com. The free 3-minute preview highlights the topics that will be covered and discusses the benefits of optimizing every meeting you attend.

On a global scale, GC Learning has enabled thousands of companies to improve their performance and stand out from the rest through unique theme and character-based eLearning solutions. The dedication to providing custom e-Learning and instructional design solutions has made them the trusted and established leader in the industry.

“A lot has changed in 20 years, but one thing that hasn’t is my commitment to my clients and my pledge to find increasingly better ways to serve them,” Powell says. “I look forward to discovering new ways to serve my clients over the next 20 years.” For more information, please contact Cheryl Powell at gclearningservices@gmail.com or visit http://gclearningservices.com

About GC Learning Services, LLC:
Since 1996, GC Learning Services has been one of the leading providers of e-Learning solutions and instructional design products and services across the US and overseas. With twenty years of experience in the online training sector, GC Learning continues to be a fierce competitor in the eLearning solutions marketplace. The company, based in Orlando, works with a wide range of industries, including pharmaceutical, banking and finance, call centers, human resources and solutions, information technology, government and state agencies, telecommunications, cable and media, product manufacturing, food service, property management, non-profit organizations, software developers, staffing agencies, professional and life coaches and business consultants. For more information, visit http://www.gclearningservices.com

Press & Media Contact:
Cheryl Powell
GC Learning Services, LLC
Orlando, FL – USA
(888) 353-2768
gclearningservices@gmail.com
http://www.gclearningservices.com

ProctorU Announces New Partnerships with Innovative Institutions

ProctorU combines technology and a human element to test students anywhere

Birmingham, AL, July 15, 2016 – ProctorU is pleased to announce partnerships with the Arizona State University (ASU), the University of Virginia (UVA) and the Florida Virtual School (FVS). In collaboration with ProctorU, each institution is able to embrace the use of technology to offer their students flexible options in test-taking.

UVA, a nationally recognized institution, has over 21,000 students and is located in Charlottesville, Va. ASU, recently ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report on its “Most Innovative Schools” list, has five campuses across the Phoenix metropolitan area and has over 69,000 students. FVS is the largest and most successful state virtual school in the nation. It offers both full-time and part-time virtual options for Florida students, as well as virtual solutions for students in other states and nations.

ProctorU provides live student identity management and proctoring services to make online testing more secure. Its unique service will allow these institutions to securely identify and test students anywhere.

Since it was established in 2008, ProctorU has worked with more than 800 colleges and universities around the world and has administered over 2 million exams for test-takers in 129 countries. Their unique approach to proctoring enhances the online testing experience while ensuring the academic integrity of an institution and that of its students.

To learn more about ProctorU, visit www.proctoru.com.

About ProctorU
ProctorU helps protect the academic integrity of online programs around the world. With an evolving online education environment, institutions are faced with the challenge of maintaining quality, rigorous standards and a consistent experience in online courses and assessments. ProctorU’s digital solutions, including student identity management and exam management, are designed to address the most common challenges to the academic integrity of online programs. Trusted by over 800 institutions and serving students in countries all around the world, ProctorU works to meet institutional and student needs while enhancing the online education experience. The company has four offices in the United States, as well as an international support center in the Philippines, and employs more than 600 people. For more information about ProctorU visit www.proctoru.com or follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

Contact:
Franklin Hayes
ProctorU
2200 Riverchase Ctr.
Suite 600
Birmingham, AL 35244
850-512-4552
fhayes@proctoru.com

The ProctorU Proctoring Platform

ThingLink Launches Virtual Reality Lessons App for Education

Interactive media platform ThingLink has launched its first virtual reality content app called VR Lessons. The app is designed for elementary school students, their teachers and parents.

Palo Alto, CA, USA — Interactive media platform ThingLink (http://www.thinglink.com) has launched its first virtual reality content app called VR Lessons. The app is designed for elementary school students, their teachers and parents.

VR Lessons by ThingLink is a collection of high quality, interactive, 360° image and video journeys on a variety of topics including science, language, and arts. The first stories take students to visit different kinds of ecosystems from the French Alps to a jungle in the archipelago of northern Australia. As students turn their heads to look around, they can spot details and unlock additional information of each habitat in a narrated virtual reality environment.

“Virtual reality can take students to places they could only dream of visiting, but it is also an open canvas for students to imagine and build new worlds and experiences. We are making it possible for schools to use virtual reality as an engaging learning platform,” says ThingLink’s founder and CEO Ulla Engestrom.

VR Lessons by ThingLink utilizes three key feature additions to ThingLink’s core product, the image editor: audio annotations, background audio for 360° images, and the ability to connect several 360° images or videos into a one immersive story.

“Audio annotations work wonderfully in a mobile VR environment, adding depth to the overall experience of the space. For example, in VR Lessons we added the sound of the wind in the background of an image from the Norwegian tundra, and an owl howling in the image of a cold winter forest in Finland. In annotations we are using both human and computer voiced files, and students can vote which voice they like the best,” says Engestrom.

The first VR lessons have been created by ThingLink’s own content team using the company’s new VR editor. Later, educators from around the world will be able to publish their virtual reality lessons in ThingLink’s VR Lessons app.

About ThingLink
ThingLink, founded in 2010, is an interactive media platform that empowers online publishers to create more engaging content by adding rich media links to photos, videos and virtual reality. With over 3 million content creators, ThingLink has become the most popular cross-platform solution and creative community for interactive images and videos. For more information, visit http://www.thinglink.com.

Media Contact:
Tom Woolf
Woolf Media & Marketing
415-259-5638
tomw@woolfmedia.com

Connecting Seniors to the Smartphone Conversation

Michael Schmitt uncovered an educational need for seniors while working for a major telecom company. Combining his current knowledge and teaching expertise, he created Learn4Fun4Ever.

St. Augustine, FL, USA — Fun, personalized Apple & Android technology lessons for seniors comes to the Jax Beaches.

Local entrepreneur Michael Schmitt uncovered an educational need while working for a major telecom company. Technology was advancing too quickly for some of his clients to keep up with. Frustrated by the way they were losing touch with loved ones, particularly grandparents with their grandchildren, they sought Michael’s help to learn how to use their Apple and Android phones.

Michael began helping his clients with everything from basic operations (how to text, make calls, email, etc.) to customized solutions for interests and/or special needs. Throughout this process, he tapped into his true passion: teaching. Prior to working in technology, he ran a business in Italy dedicated to teaching scientific and business English. Combining his current knowledge and teaching expertise, he took his services to the next level with the creation of his latest business, Learn4Fun4Ever.

“Today’s world relies on communication via the smartphone, email, text message and social media. ‘Smart devices’ connect people to ‘Their World’ in every imaginable way. In contrary, the unfortunate result is that many of our seniors are being marginalized by this technology… We, as a society, have an obligation to ensure they are included,” says Michael Schmitt, Learn4Fun4Ever founder and CEO.

Taking the unique teaching skills Michael gained from his foreign language education business, he created a revolutionary way to break down complex technology into user-friendly instruction for the novice smartphone and tablet user. Learn4Fun4Ever currently offers one-on-one personalized service by the hour or in packages of lessons. Seminars for group communities, senior centers, and by request are also available. Learn4Fun4Ever exclusively serves Ponte Vedra Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee and St. Augustine, Florida.

To learn more, call 904-699-6111 or email info@learn4fun4ever.com, or visit the website at http://www.learn4fun4ever.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/smartphone.education.

About Learn4Fun4Ever
Learn4Fun4Ever is a smartphone and tablet education service specifically designed to offer a personalized, enjoyable learning experience for new to advanced technology users. To learn more, visit http://www.learn4fun4ever.com.

Media Contact:
Michael Schmitt
Learn4Fun4Ever
904-699-6111
info@learn4fun4ever.com
http://www.learn4fun4ever.com

AppSec California Application and Web Security Training Sessions Announced

Full day of training now available for developers, quality testers, and security professionals.

Los Angeles, CA (USA), November 19, 2015 — The final set of 8-hour application security training sessions have been announced for the Third Annual AppSec California taking place January 25 – 27, 2016 in Santa Monica, CA at the Annenberg Beach House. After reviewing all of the training submissions, the Los Angeles, Orange County and Santa Barbara chapters of the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) have selected the following four sessions:

* Secure Coding Bootcamp for the Web by Jim Manico, founder of Manicode Security
* Web Pentesting Using OWASP Tools by Aaron Guzman, Principal Penetration Testing Consultant, Dell SecureWorks
* Attack Techniques and Hands-On CTF by Mick Ayzenberg, Security Engineer, Security Innovation
* OWASP Top 10 – Exploitation and Effective Safeguards by David Caissy, Security consultant, Albero Solutions Inc.

AppSec California will host the training sessions during Day One of the 3-day summit, providing registered IT and Information Security professionals, developers, QA and testing professionals the opportunity to learn about topics such as:

1. Website penetration techniques
2. Secure software design and development practices
3. Uncovering the technical details of the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities
4. Finding vulnerabilities in ecommerce, HR, and banking websites
5. Use of virtual machines to aid in software security testing
6. Developing secure web services, web apps, and mobile apps
7. How to use free tools to conduct website assessments
8. Real-world web hacking techniques
9. How to perform security-oriented code reviews
10. Deep dive into the OWASP Top 10
11. Hands-on experience in exploiting vulnerabilities
12. How to leverage the OWASP testing guide

“The training classes being offered at AppSec California are always exceptional, and are a great value,” says Richard Greenberg, President, OWASP Los Angeles and AppSec Summit Chair. “Our world-class trainers will provide you with valuable information that can help you at work and help your career.”

In addition to the interactive training sessions, world-renowned experts in the field of web application security secure development best practices will lend their expertise to event goers through presentations and roundtable discussions. This year’s event brings an array of distinct keynote speakers including Marcus Ranum, Chief Security Officer for Tenable Security, Inc.; Jeremiah Grossman, founder of WhiteHat Security; and Jacob West, Chief Architect for Security Products at NetSuite. Attendees can also partake in a Capture the Flag competition, as well as a variety of other challenges.

For more information on AppSec California and for registration details, please visit https://2016.appseccalifornia.org/. Register today to ensure you reserve your place at the table.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available, both for the media and for vendors in the security industry. For more details and the full range of sponsorships, please visit: https://2016.appseccalifornia.org/sponsorship/.

About OWASP:
The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a not-for-profit, worldwide organization focused on improving the security of application software. OWASP’s mission is to make application security visible to ensure that organizations and individuals can make informed decisions about true application security risks. Participation in OWASP is free of charge and open to the general public. All OWASP materials are available under a free and open software license. http://www.owasp.org

The OWASP Los Angeles chapter hosts a networking dinner on the fourth Wednesday of every month, and the Orange County chapter meets on the fourth Thursday. Function presentations are focused on what security is really about. Join the movement today!

Press & Media Contact:
Anthony Chica
AppSec California
Los Angeles, CA – USA
+1 (323) 466-3445
Anthony@cerrell.com
https://2016.appseccalifornia.org

Author Netanel Semrik re-launched best-selling book “Jonathan in the Kingdom of Mood Balloons” in English, Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew

Released on: October 1, 2015, 9:49 am (EDT)
Author: Netanel Semrik, Contento Now
Industry: Education, Entertainment, Internet & Online, Media

Does your child has difficulties to manage their emotions?- “Jonathan in the Kingdom of Mood Balloons” has the answer!

Tel Aviv, Israel, October 1, 2015 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — A new release of the best-selling emotional management book by Netanel Semrik. Find the book on Amazon in English, Arabic, Chinese and Hebrew: http://goo.gl/b1iaai

How many times a day are your children emotionally shaken?
How many times have you seen your child throwing a temper tantrum, frustrated, angry, screaming and shouting?

Everything you have tried doing – shouting, caressing, embracing, yelling, punishing – have only served to send them deeper into their emotional turmoil. Have you experienced your children being sad because they had a fight with a friend? They cry, their sadness threatening to engulf them completely and maybe engulf you a little too.

You are probably familiar with the situation in which your little loved ones are in the middle of a jealousy attack; irritating, snatching, pushing one of their siblings who got a gift or attention, exhibiting little to no self-control. Your children’s emotional mood takes over their entire world and it seems as if nothing can stop the emotional storm. Your children’s eruptive behavior is threatening to control you too. You often feel helpless. Now, please close your eyes and imagine your children are able to manage their emotions and thoughts. Imagine them doing it in an easy, simple and intuitive way. Imagine them feeling so comfortable with themselves that they have no problem sharing their feelings with you.

Is it a Dream?
Is it a reality?
Is it possible?

Yes!

They will be able to do it once you allow them to float off to the dreamy world of Mood Balloons. Mood Balloons? Yes. Mood Balloons. Mood and balloons. This is a Kingdom in which each thought and emotion is connected to the tops of our heads by a string: A Mood Balloon.

Every balloon has a unique color representing our mood at any given moment. The Mood Balloon expresses the mood and the color of the world our children are experiencing. Our emotional management tool is intended for children between the 3 -6 years old, the dream period of early childhood. During this period they will meet the very violent world of stimulation and screens which is all around us. The Mood Balloons allow the children to deal with this harsh world by means of little, charming childhood images. This happens with the help of a simple and friendly tool. The Children color their Mood Balloons with five easy steps, and as we, the parents would say, start managing their moods:

Observation: the children are asked to observe the colorful balloons. Every color symbolizes an emotion they experience and feel. (Pink – love, blue – sadness, orange -joy, and so on)

Point of view: the Mood Balloon’s color can mold the children’s perception of reality, causing them to experience and believe a story that is not a true story as if it was. The Mood Balloon’s color is the color through which the children perceive people and things in the world. Attention: We ask the children to pay attention to every emotional storm they experience, which calms them down before the mood takes over their world and colors their Mood Balloon.

Breathing: the children win the key to the kingdom of their personal emotions by breathing.

Success: children who have chosen the color of their Mood Balloon and stand behind their choice will not be emotionally shaken the next time a storm passes by. All over the world thousands of children reading and listening to this story are carried away by this magical and imaginary tale. It fortifies their ability to believe in themselves as the person in charge of their own moods.

The book invites you, the parents, to give your children tools which will enable them to conduct a different conversation with the world. A conversation existing in an indirect and colorful space, without clouding the delicate “I” which wakes up, develops and lands in this word in the years of early childhood. Apparently, there is another option to the limited conversation: “How was playschool today?” with the constant, vague answer: “Fun”. You can ask the children what Mood Balloon they met today. You wouldn’t believe the wealth of stories and experiences that will burst out of that conversation.

The Mood Balloon reality becomes an accessible, easy and simple emotional base through which the child’s experiences are easily accessed and converted.

Netanel Semrik is the founder of Contento Now, an international publishing house. Which have published more than 250 books of fiction, autobiographies, non-fiction and academic works. Netanel is married and has 3 children. Read more at http://www.contentonow.com/

Netanel Semrik, netanel@contento-publishing.com , Phone: +972-3-561-6666, For more quality books go to: http://www.contentonow.com/.

VIDEO:

“Changing a Culture through the Lens of Storytelling and Reading”

Eli Media Productions Book Project Release, “TomKat, A Family Dinner, Table Manners”

Weston, FL, May 28, 2015 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — Eli Media Productions announces the New Release of the first TomKat Book Series, “TomKat, A Family Dinner, Table Manners.”

The TomKat Series feature four main characters, Professor TomKat, Sari, Tommie, and Kayle TomKat.

Eli, the author of the TomKat children books, captures teaching moments of practical everyday living and forms the subject matter into stories and instructional reading books.

TomKat, A Family Dinner portrays Professor TomKat taking his family out to dinner to celebrate at an upscale restaurant. Sari, Professor TomKat’s wife, teaches Tommie and Kayle the rules of etiquette while enjoying dinner with the family.

“We are in the business of ‘Changing a Culture’ through the lens of storytelling and reading. If we successfully engage, excite, and educate early readers, then we will begin to build stronger foundations for enriched neighborhoods and communities,” said Leigh Hardaway, CEO of Eli Media Productions.

Eli Media Productions is pleased to announce TomKat Book Series, “TomKat, A Family Dinner makes a debut at the Book Expo America, BEA. Checkout TomKat, as he is featured as a member of the New Titles Showcase starting May 27, 2015 – May 29, 2015.

Eli Media Productions, founded in 2014, offers educational resources to reflect the characteristics of the Ecological Theory. The first year’s project will be a series of stories to target the primary educational levels Pre-Kindergarten to Fifth Grade.

Eli is committed to designing instructional learning activities to make reading fun!

For more information visit www.elimediaproductions.com!

Contact-Details: Eli Media Productions
Leigh Hardaway
P.O. Box 266223
Weston, Florida 33326
Contact Telephone: 678-597-8122
Website: www.elimediaproductions.com

Mike File Launches Crowdfunding Project to Fund Web & App Development Classes for Young Adults with Disabilities

Crowdfunding to create a tech training center to teach young adults with disabilities how to create apps & websites at no cost to them.

Dickinson, Texas, USA (March 2, 2015) — As a retired special education high school teacher and current mobile application and website developer, Mike File identified a unique opportunity to connect adults with disabilities to a life-changing opportunity by which they can achieve higher goals and succeed in life.

To this end, Mr. File wants to create a technology incubator to help young adults with disabilities learn to develop mobile applications and websites without the financial worry of paying for the classes they would be taking. His target students are those who were very high functioning in high school, but due to lack of ability to access the curriculum, or their social skills, their school was not able to give them a proper preparation for their post-secondary education, they were not able to get into college to continue their education.

Drawing on his vast sets of skills in education and mobile app development, he hopes to leverage all of his professional experience to expand the technology training center he launched after retiring from the school system to provide classes for special young people valuable technology skills for a productive and successful career either as freelancers or employees.

Crowdfunding is sought to allow Mr. File to purchase the computers and teaching materials and cover related costs enabling the students to hit the ground running -without a penny from any student’s pocket. After completion of the program each student will given their own laptop loaded with training and development software, as well as Developer Accounts so they can start creating and selling content. These classes are scheduled to begin in May.

This crowdfunding campaign ends in April.The Teaching Adults with Disabilities App Development Page can be found at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/teaching-adults-with-disabilities-app-development–2/x/9376669.

About Mike File
After spending 16 years as a special ed teacher on a high school campus, his first experience with an iPad in 2010 led him on a journey of discovery to professional reinvention as a mobile app developer running his own company. At present he has 20 apps in the App Store for iPhones and iPads, 6 apps in Google Play for Android Devices, and 5 Apps in the Windows Store for Windows 8 devices. Retiring from teaching at the end of school year in 2014, he found himself launching The Tech Lounge, a technology training center, teaching classes on how to use mobile devices. Although he left teaching he didn’t leave his students behind; staying in touch with them he learned of all the difficulties they face with their careers. This discovery inspired him to pursue his latest dream; being able to provide these former students the skills, and equipment to have careers as web application developers.