Students dread the word homework because they don t need any more school work during their valuable weekends after spending hours in class.
The Importance of Homework in Students Life
Students dread the word “homework” because they don’t need any more school work during their valuable weekends after spending hours in class. Even though it’s well recognised that homework is a requirement of traditional education, the subject has grown to be somewhat contentious. While some people believe that homework is an essential part of education, others believe the time could be better spent elsewhere. Do pupils need to do homework? Take a closer look at both sides’ arguments about the Importance of homework to make your own decision.
A Closer Look at theAdvantages and Disadvantages of Homework
Pros
Potential of promoting classroom learning
Students perform best when their homework reinforces what they’ve learned in class. Homework assignments that review lessons from the previous day increase pupils’ retention of important material. When the students have completed homework, they can use their newly acquired skills to apply to other topics and real-life scenarios.
Develops crucial study skills
Another importance of homework is that students develop various necessary skills that they will carry with them throughout their academic and professional life, from time management and organisation to self-motivation and independent learning.
It encourages the discipline of practice
While doing the same issues again might be tedious and challenging, it also strengthens the disciplined practice. It’s common to need repetition to get better at a skill. Each repetition makes you more proficient. When homework is finished each night, especially for a challenging subject, the principles are easier to comprehend. This gives the student a benefit while looking for vocational employment later on in life.
Homework builds communication bridges
The relationship between the student, the teacher, the school, and the parents are forged by homework. Everyone can get to know one another better, and parents can identify where their kids are having difficulty. In a similar vein, parents may observe what areas their kids are doing particularly well.
Cons
Takes away from leisure time
Children can relax and explore the world during free time; for example, learning to ride a bike, reading a book, or socialising with friends and family teaches kids valuable skills that cannot be acquired when sitting at a computer. Getting enough exercise, which can improve cognitive function, might be hampered by sedentary activities like doing schoolwork.
Causes unnecessary stress
The mere mention of “homework” can make students feel dreadful. Homework makes pupils feel worried, agitated, and unmotivated when the workload is excessive, and the tasks get harder.
As well as causing behavioural problems and sleep deprivation, this can make schoolwork a burdensome part of school life.
Not always effective
Numerous research has attempted to evaluate the importance of homework and how it enhances academic performance. According to research by John Hattie, a professor of education at the University of Melbourne, homework in elementary school has a negligible impact since pupils are working on independent, unconnected projects rather than consolidating previously learned material.
According to Hattie’s research, homework at the elementary and secondary levels only works when it requires pupils to review previously taught material.
Final Thoughts
The advantages and disadvantages of homework are both genuine, and it appears that the topic of whether or not students should have homework is not an easy one to answer. It is often observed that parents and teachers are at odds while the students are left out in the middle.
It’s crucial to weigh both viewpoints to reach a middle ground. The achievement of the learner is ultimately everyone’s goal. To help achieve this goal even more easily, 21K School has designed curriculums that will minimise the workload on students and help them have a better learning experience.
21K School
Read our latest education blogs here. We are pioneers in proffering personalised, affordable and high-quality lessons using an advanced learning platform.
Homework Helps Parents Know What Their Children Are Learning
Another importance of homework is that students develop various necessary skills that they will carry with them throughout their academic and professional life, from time management and organisation to self-motivation and independent learning. Children learn at different paces, and the time spent in the classroom might not be enough for some students to fully grasp the key concepts of a subject.
Repeating a task multiple times can feel arduous, but it’s necessary to help increase your child’s skill and understanding of a subject. Regular homework will make certain concepts easier to understand and put them in an advantageous position should they seek a vocational career.
Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here.
Important Note: Because the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual heavily emphasizes digital and electronic sources, it does not contain explicit instructions for certain less-common print sources that earlier editions covered. For this reason, some of the examples below have been adapted from the instructions for sources with similar attributes (e.g., the conference proceedings example is derived from the instructions the 7 th edition manual gives for citing edited collections). Every example below that has been adapted in this way is accompanied by a note explaining how it was adapted.
Please also note: While this resource contains many examples of citations for uncommon print sources that we think are helpful, it may not account for every possibility. For even more examples of how to cite uncommon print sources, please refer to the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual.
Entry in a Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with a Group Author
The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite physical reference works such as dictionaries, thesauruses, or encyclopedias. Therefore, this citation, as well as the one for an individual author of an entry in a reference work, is modeled on that of a chapter in an edited book or anthology, both which are similar in format to reference works.
Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (edition, page numbers). Publisher name.
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (1997). Goat. In Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10 th ed., pp. 499-500). Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
Entry in a Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with an Individual Author
Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of entry. In F. M. Lastname (ed.), Title of reference work (edition, page numbers). Publisher.
Tatum, S. R. (2009). Spirituality and religion in hip hop literature and culture. In T. L. Stanley (ed.), Encyclopedia of hip hop literature (pp. 250-252). Greenwood.
Work Discussed in a Secondary Source
Note: Provide the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Deleuze and Guattari’s work is cited in Nail and you did not read the original work, list the Nail reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation:
Dissertation Abstract
The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite dissertation abstracts. Therefore, this citation models that of a journal article, which is similar in format.
Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation. Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol., Page.
Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services. Dissertation Abstracts International, 74, 03(E).
Dissertation or Master’s Thesis, Published
Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation/Master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. Database or Archive Name.
Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services (Publication No. 3544643) [Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Note: If the dissertation or thesis is not published in a database, include the URL of the site where the document is located.
Dissertation or Master’s Thesis, Unpublished
Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master’s thesis]. Name of Institution Awarding the Degree.
Samson, J. M. (2016). Human trafficking and globalization [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Federal or State Statute
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Publ. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2010). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/pdf/PLAW-111publ148.pdf
Report by a Government Agency or Other Organization
United States Government Accountability Office. (2019). Performance and accountability report: Fiscal year 2019. https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/702715.pdf
Report by Individual Authors at Government Agency or Other Organization
Palanker, D., Volk, J., Lucia, K., & Thomas, K. (2018). Mental health parity at risk: Deregulating the individual market and the impact on mental health coverage. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/About-NAMI/Publications-Reports/Public-Policy-Reports/Parity-at-Risk/ParityatRisk.pdf
Conference Proceedings
The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide guidance on citing conference proceedings. Therefore, this citation models that of an edited collection, which is similar in format.
Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Eds.). (Year). Title of Proceedings. Publisher. URL (if applicable)
Work Discussed in a Secondary Source
Note: Provide the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Deleuze and Guattari’s work is cited in Nail and you did not read the original work, list the Nail reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation:
The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite dissertation abstracts. Therefore, this citation models that of a journal article, which is similar in format.
Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation. Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol., Page.
Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services. Dissertation Abstracts International, 74, 03(E).
Citing a thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database
Important Note Because the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual heavily emphasizes digital and electronic sources, it does not contain explicit instructions for certain less-common print sources that earlier editions covered. The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite physical reference works such as dictionaries, thesauruses, or encyclopedias.
To cite a master’s thesis in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:
In this guide, we’ll show you how to optimize your content for voice search. We’re going to cover:
1. What is voice search?
2. How does it work?
3. What are the different types of voice search engines?
4. How can you optimize your voice search content?
5. How do you get started?
What is Voice Search?
“Voice search” is a type of search that allows users to search for information by speaking into a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or smart speaker. Voice search is also referred to as “conversational search”or “augmented search”. It’s a natural extension of the way people search today. For example, if you want to find a restaurant in your area, you’d probably start by typing “restaurants near me” into a search engine. But what if you don’t know the name of the restaurant? You could say, “I’m looking for a restaurant near me,” and the search engine will return a list of restaurants near you. You can also ask Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, or Cortana to help you find restaurants, movies, or anything else you want.
Types of Voice Search Engines
There are two main types of “voice search engines”:
– “Speech-to-text engines”, which convert human speech into text. These engines are used by voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. They are also used by search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.
– “Natural language processing (NLP)” engines, which are used to understand the meaning of human speech and convert it to text. NLP engines are typically used by websites and apps that allow users to speak into their devices and get search results. They’ve been around for a while, but voice search has only recently become more popular.
How Voice Search Works
To understand how voice search works, you first need to understand how search engines work. When you type a search query into the search bar on a website or app, your search query is sent to a “search engine”. The search engine processes your query and returns a set of “search results” to you. These search results are then displayed to you in the form of a “list”.
Voice Search vs. Text Search
The difference between voice search and text search is that in voice search, the user speaks the search query instead of typing it into a text box. In text search, you type the query into a box and then click a button to submit the query. In contrast, when you speak a voice search query, your voice is captured by a microphone and converted into text by a “speech recognition” engine. The text is then processed by an “automatic speech recognition” (“ASR”) engine, which converts the text into a “natural language”. This natural language is then used to generate search results that are displayed to the user as a list. This list is usually ordered by relevance, which means that the most relevant results appear at the top of the list and the least relevant results are at the bottom. The user can then click on any of the search results to read more information about the item.
As you can see in the diagram above, the voice search process is similar to the text search process, but there are a few key differences. First, the speech recognition and automatic speech recognition (ASR) engines are different. The speech recognition engine converts your voice into text, while the ASR engine converts text into speech. Second, the natural language processing engine is different as well. The natural language engine processes the text generated by the speech and ASR engines and generates search results based on the content of the text. Finally, the list of search results is different. In a text search engine, the results are displayed in a list, while in a voice-search engine, they are displayed as a “carousel”.
The carousel format is a great way to display search results because it allows the user to quickly scan through the results without having to click on each one. It also allows you to display more results than you could in a traditional list. However, the carousel is not always the best format for displaying search results, especially if you have a lot of results. In that case, you may want to display the results in a more traditional list format.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, you learned how to use voice search. You learned about the different types of voice search engines and how they work. You also learned about voice search best practices and how to improve your voice search experience.
Getting paid to write, sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? The exciting news is it’s not a dream, and you can do very well by starting a career as a freelance writer! Today we’ll talk about the different opportunities that exist for freelance writers, plus how you can start freelance writing as a beginner.
What is Freelance Writing?
Freelance writing is when you work for hire to write something for someone else. In most cases, a freelance writer today will be writing articles which will appear on websites and blogs online, as well as potentially in print magazines, newspapers, and other publications.
As a freelance writer, you can work for a number of different types of people. For example, you could be hired by a company which needs blog posts on their website, and they hire you to write these posts.
There are also websites where you can sign up to be a freelance writer and they will pay you based on the articles you submit. These types of sites however are typically referred to as “content mills” – and it’s easy to burn out fast as you often have to produce quantity over quality to make it worthwhile.
Today I will share how I have done well as a freelance writer, and how today I charge anywhere from 50 cents to 800 per word when I am hired to write. I often meet people at various conferences who beg me to write – so learning how to write well and what to write about is important!
I’ve also hired freelance writers in the past, so hopefully these tips will help give you a nice understanding of how freelance writing works and what you can do to start your freelance writing career on the right foot!
Here’s How to Start Freelance Writing:
Step 1: Start by Creating a Portfolio
Your portfolio as a freelance writer is critical. You will want to write articles and pieces which are easy to read, informative, and accurate. Having examples of your written work is critical in helping people decide whether or not they would want to hire you as a writer.
You can also create a portfolio of writing samples online. This could be your own blog or website, or you could easily set up a google docs account to upload your writing samples to be viewed by potential clients.
Step 2: Create a Profile at Freelance Job Boards
Creating a profile at most freelance sites is relatively straightforward. Some freelance job boards will require you pay an application fee, which is typically a relatively small price, such as $5. This is usually how they try to keep out spammers. You will also likely need to authenticate your account with a phone number and possibly even a copy of your photo ID and tax information.
These steps can be annoying as a new writer, but it is helpful to do this, as it will make your life a lot easier for billing and taxes. It also adds a level of trust to the website, because if someone goes through all of that trouble they are more likely to be reputable and trustworthy as someone who will actually pay you!
For example, if you are a psychiatrist, you can get paid more simply for your credentials as an expert in the field of psychology. If you are a licensed plumber, people will pay more to have someone who is knowledgeable in that subject.
While a good writer can write about any topic, even a topic they know very little about, having experience will show through. It’s important to list any type of experience you may have that would make you a desirable writer for hire!
Step 3: Begin Submitting Proposals for Writing Jobs
It is important when you first start submitting for work that you do not underbid your worth! Many writers think, oh, everybody else is charging $5o to write a 500 word article, I’ll charge $35 and hopefully win more writing gigs that way. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with this!
First of all, it devalues the work of all writers everywhere. In order for writing to be taken seriously, we have to know our worth as a writer. The myth of being a starving artist of a writer is silly, and we can’t keep feeding into that idea. Writers need to make a living wage, because the work they do typically does cause a lot of return for the businesses and individuals that hire them.
A website that hires you to write articles is likely making a lot of money off your writing – otherwise they would not pay you to write those articles! One single article on a popular website can translate to thousands of dollars per month for that website in income.
DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT!
If you charge $50 per article, and your goal is to make $3,000 – guess how many articles you have to write? You would have to write 60 articles, or two articles per day every single month.
Now, let’s imagine you find a client who is willing to pay you $350 for every article you write. If your goal was to make $3,000 in a month, now you only have to write 9 articles per month. If you write 10, you’ll actually make more money than your original goal.
See the big difference? Know your value as a writer. Don’t compromise. If you are a good writer, tell people you are a good writer. If you are a good writer, people will expect to pay top dollar for your writing.
It’s true, in the beginning as you build up credibility, you will likely need to charge a little bit less. However, this does not mean cutting yourself short. As you build credibility and a proven track record with the success of your writing, you will be able to soon be able to charge more for your writing.
Step 3: Build More Credibility as a Writer
Building credibility is not as difficult as it seems. The portfolio you created in the first step is a good starting place. However, it’s good to also know what people who are hiring writers want and need – this way you can have these qualifications to outshine the competition.
Many freelance writing gigs online are to create content for websites and blogs to rank in search engines. This is called SEO writing. I won’t get into the nitty-gritty details of writing for SEO here, but it is something that a lot of freelance writers simply don’t understand.
Why? Because those of us who do know how to write well for this type of writing aren’t too quick to spill all of our secrets – after all, that is what makes us valuable as writers!
The good news is you can easily take a course online on this, and all of the information out there is basic common sense. Write good content, people will share it, and people will find it.
Organize your notes
Note: If you don’t organize your notes, writing your article takes practically forever, what with all the leafing through the pile to find that one quote you wanted. You might think skipping organization is a time-saver, but trust me, it’s not.
The secret to writing a first draft…fast. I want to give you a big article-writing tip for creating a strong first draft: Try putting aside all your notes and quotes, and just writing the story.
This ‘spit draft’ will often be a lot better than what you’ll come up with if you cobble the draft together slowly, shuffling through your notes, stopping and looking up names, and rechecking exact quotes as you go.
I’ve often spent a grinding, 8-hour day making all that happen. Instead, see if you could create a first draft in short order. Then, refer to your notes and outline to fill in details and make sure there isn’t an important point you forgot to include.
Now that you have that big-picture, ‘how to write an article’ process tip, it’s important to understand article structure, so your draft has all the key pieces needed to impress your editor.
The lede
This is journo-speak for the lead sentence or three, or the beginning of your article. Simply put, the lede needs to be fascinating. Its job is to compel readers to continue reading the rest of the story.
Don’t write a ‘wind-up’ or ‘throat-clearing lede,’ where you take five paragraphs to get to the point (unless this is a very long article, and the publication’s style allows for this). Readers generally don’t have the patience for that anymore.
Instead, cut to the chase with something that makes us just have to keep reading. For instance, I once began a reported story with, “Briefly, it was Bambi in bondage.” You want to know what that’s about, no?
Everyone told Tom Kennedy to expect flooded trails when he hiked through Big Cypress National Preserve in the spring of 2015. But as he sloshed through miles of waist-deep swamp water that hid alligators and aggressive snakes, the trail quickly got the better of him.
It’s a hallmark of amateur freelance writers that their ledes are boring. You want people to read your whole article, after all the hard work you put in, right? Make that lede shine, and they will.
Remember, this lede serves double-duty, as you may also use it in your proposed query letter to try to get hired. Spend some time on it — I’d say I rewrite mine dozens of times, typically, before I’m satisfied.
The ‘nut graf’
A paragraph or three on from the lede, after you’ve finished that opening anecdote, interesting fact, or brief expert quote, it’s time to orient readers. They won’t read through a long piece without having a sense of what they’re going to find out if they do.
If you believe the news, we’re a country full of half-awake zombies who need to chug caffeine just to make it through the day. While the reality isn’t quite that bad, many Americans are sleep deprived, and it’s harming their health. We spoke with health clubs and sleep medicine experts about why health clubs should help their members get the Z’s they need—and how to do it.
Note: A strong nut graf sends your reader on to complete the story with the confidence that they understand the direction this article will take — but not with enough info that they feel fully informed and stop reading.
The body
Simplify. If you research and interview like I do, you likely won’t be able to fit everything you’ve learned into this article. Look for side issues you could prune out and possibly spin into another article.
Watch your transitions. Your article body shouldn’t jump abruptly from topic to topic. Read the last sentence of one paragraph and the first sentence of the next. Do they make sense together? If not, adjust.
Organize sources. Try not to ping-pong back and forth between your sources and quotes…it’ll get confusing for the reader. Introduce an expert, use them, and then use the next one. Maybe come back to the first expert toward the end.
Quote short and zingy. Usually, 1-2 sentences is good. Don’t use a quote where you could sum up a point narratively. Quotes should add insight, show the personality of the subject, or convey something that would be lost if you rephrased it in narration. Don’t overuse quotes.
Tip for longer articles: Outline the sections you’ll need, and give each a proposed wordcount. This will help you write to length and avoid having to do a ton of cutting later.
The conclusion
Writing a strong conclusion also helps prevent editor chopping from the bottom (a habit many editors have). If you have a strong final point, the editor’s more likely to come to you and ask you where to shrink the piece down, giving you more control over your article’s final form.
Writing is practical. Every day, we need to write in order to complete our tasks, whether we are filling out a form at the doctor’s office or writing an important letter. These tasks require us to write clearly, and organize information effectively.
Writing is an important element of a student’s education. Whether students are writing by hand or on the computer, many assignments and exams require students to write short answers or longer essays as a way of assessing what they have learned. As students get older, they will be expected to show more sophisticated writing skills, and to complete more sophisticated tasks through their writing. In addition, many colleges and universities require students to write essays as part of their admissions application.
Writing can be an important element of an employee’s job. Employees in many kinds of jobs are required to write on a daily basis. Perhaps they are taking phone messages and doing administrative work, or writing research reports and newspaper articles. Whatever the task, their ability to do their job well may depend on their ability to write. Many job applicants also must submit a resumé and a letter of application when applying to a new job.
Writing is an important form of communication. Writing letters and emails is a common way of keeping in touch with our friends, relatives, and professional colleagues. Writing is frequently the final stage in communication when we want to leave no room for doubt, which is why we write and sign contracts, leases, and treaties when we make important decisions.
Writing can be an important outlet. Many people find writing to be therapeutic, and a helpful way to express feelings that cannot be expressed so easily by speaking.
Computers and touch-typing
Kids can start learning how to type at the age of 6 or 7, when their hands fit comfortably on a keyboard. Taking a touch-typing course is a must for the child who is learning to write on a computer. That’s because the process of translating ideas into words and sentences is much smoother without the disruption of visually searching for letters.
Touch-typing speeds up writing, allowing a child to write at the same pace as he or she is thinking. It can be a great way to encourage kids to do more writing outside of school, as it takes less time to write a brief email to a relative or compose a comment on social media.
It helps children who struggle with learning difficulties too. They can avoid handwriting tasks and improve their spelling skills, as muscle memory in the hands automatizes the writing of high frequency words.
Finding the right touch-typing course is key. Touch-type Read and Spell takes a multi-sensory and modular approach that allows each child to work through the course at a pace that is right for him or her.
Foster Connections With Authors
This last one was a game changer for me. I remember meeting my first author when I was in elementary school. He did a reading from his book and talked about his writing process, and I was enthralled. Then in my twenties I reached out to one of my favourite authors, Anne McCaffrey. Never expecting to hear back from her. But she did respond. And we had a number of conversations with her encouraging me on my own writing journey. She was amazing and inspirational. It changed everything for me.
Once your child finds those authors they really connect with, have them pen a letter. An actual, physical letter. Handwritten messages are becoming a lost art. Encourage kids to write a letter to their favourite author and mail it. Many authors will take the time to respond to fan letters and that kind of response can be truly life changing for a child.
A quick google search can help you find contact information for authors. Often it will be sent to their publisher. You can also search for whether they respond to letter. Not all authors will respond but if your child can get a response it can be extremely exciting.
Writing For Kids – Authors That Respond
I recently discovered that all the authors from Innovation Press take the time to respond to letters from readers. These books are a HUGE hit with both my kids. If your child is also in love with these books, they can send their letters to:
One of the biggest misconceptions is that those with dysgraphia have poor writing skills. It is important to remember that dysgraphia is a learning disability and with the right accommodations, students struggling with dysgraphia can do an amazing job writing and sharing their creativity. My son is a perfect example of this. He writes amazing stories, but has severe dysgraphia.
Learn more about What is Dysgraphia?
Building a love of writing beyond the quick and messy world of texting and tweeting is important for all children. The ability to communicate, especially in written form, is becoming vital in a world where people connect more and more through their words. Inspire a love of the written word and a passion for written communication now, so they are prepared for the future.
The ability to write meaningful sentences, lines, paragraphs which a reader can easily understand is termed as Excellent Writing Skills. It is a perfect way to write & express your views on the topic you want to address your audience & listeners.
Learning how to write brief paragraphs and essays is one of the terrible experiences for students in school, but it is also one of the essential skills. If kids do not attempt to learn the skill of writing at a young age, they will face difficulties in mastering the skill in their later life.
Writing goes beyond school purposes. Businesses require candidates who can write and communicate effectively. Even the digital age has not reduced the need for writing. Be it emails, online chat conversations, faxes or website updates all these require excellent writing skills.
The clearer the communication is, the greater will be the chance of a high success rate. Be it any field or any profession, writing skill is required in some part of the journey in life.
Computers and touch-typing
Kids can start learning how to type at the age of 6 or 7, when their hands fit comfortably on a keyboard. Taking a touch-typing course is a must for the child who is learning to write on a computer. That’s because the process of translating ideas into words and sentences is much smoother without the disruption of visually searching for letters.
Touch-typing speeds up writing, allowing a child to write at the same pace as he or she is thinking. It can be a great way to encourage kids to do more writing outside of school, as it takes less time to write a brief email to a relative or compose a comment on social media.
It helps children who struggle with learning difficulties too. They can avoid handwriting tasks and improve their spelling skills, as muscle memory in the hands automatizes the writing of high frequency words.
Finding the right touch-typing course is key. Touch-type Read and Spell takes a multi-sensory and modular approach that allows each child to work through the course at a pace that is right for him or her.
3. Developing writing skills can improve the communication skills of students
When you develop excellent writing skills, your communication skills also increase. It’s because writing abilities channelize your brain and knowledge to the point of value. Therefore, if you want to be successful in delivering speeches and in debating, you will need to have practical writing skills, aside from the facts and figures, to present your ideas and viewpoints to your audience.
When you write, your brain uses its every part and cells. For example, when writing about your life experiences, a blog article, an editorial, or anything else, all of your knowledge related to that, including incidents, memories, success, failures, present situations, and future possibilities, comes out of writing. When this happens, your awareness increases, which also improves your memory, making you sharp. Aside from that, it also increases your creativity and imagination.
7. Writing can serve as a record for the future
Writing down your ideas and experiences can also be for future references. For example, your scientific, logical, and technological achievements cannot be communicated verbally. Therefore, you need to present them in a composed format, like white papers, logical diaries, and scientific journals. Imagine, if the researches had not written each experiment in a reasonably composed form, science would not have existed.
These are some of the importance of developing writing skills for students. There are many things that you can do to improve your writing skills, aside from the things that you learn from school. Some of the best things to do are to practice and write every day. Reading books and articles is also useful in learning how to write well.
If you find writing challenging, what you need to do is accept your mistakes because the first attempts are always wrong. But don’t fret because there are also things that can help you get started. For example, if essay writing is not right for you, you can use essay writing services while you are a beginner. It can give you ideas on properly writing essays so that you can do it yourself next time. Plus, hiring an essay writing service can provide other benefits. Check it out here to know more about it.
Is English Your Second Language? Here Are 7 Ways To Improve Your Academic Writing
Writing a PhD when English is your second language is scary. It’s scary enough when English is your first language. 80,000 words, sometimes even more, in a technical language and at the highest level of academic rigour. Terrifying, right?
I’ve proofread countless PhDs from people just like you and one thing stands out – you’re doing great. Sure, it’s hard and you sometimes struggle, but how many native English speakers can write a PhD in a second language? Not many.
So stop worrying. International students pass at the same rate as native English speaker and they do so quicker. To get onto your PhD program in the first place, you already had to show your competence in English. Don’t forget that.
If your supervisor has ever criticised you, you’ve ever been told your English can be improved, you’ve ever had a chapter sent back for language errors or you simply want to improve your own English-language skills, these strategies are for you.
What should I focus on when trying to improve my writing skills as a freelancer?
1. Outlines
Outlining is the secret weapon of efficient, high-quality freelance writers. Not only does an outline help you order your ideas and arguments, but you can also leave yourself notes that will help during the drafting phase. Outlines are also a great way to collaborate with clients, since you can show them a rough outline to get their sign-off on structure and content before spending time drafting. A good outline also helps you overcome writer’s block, since you won’t be starting from a blank page when you sit down to start writing.
2. Structure
As you create content, think about the multiple layers of a solid structure: content that makes it easy to skim, identify key arguments, and spot more detail if you want. This three-tier system is essential because not all readers want to read every word in detail. Sometimes they just want to get the gist of it (skimming headlines), sometimes they want to understand your key arguments, and sometimes they want in-depth knowledge. This applies to all kinds of writing, whether a blog post, short stories, social media writing, or a how-to guide, or any other kinds of articles.
3. Grammar
Grammar is not just about using the right words in the right order. It’s also about using grammatical devices and language to move your story along. Further, there are moments when you can purposefully “break the rules” of grammar when it serves you. But that only works when you know why you’re breaking rules, and you do it deliberately for effect. Otherwise, you run the risk of your content appearing poor quality.
4. Storytelling
Storytelling is the art of weaving multiple narratives together, leaving nuggets of information and foreshadowing for readers, and personifying characters in the minds of readers. These skills are essential—even in cold, nonfiction writing—because they grip the reader and pull them through your content. Even if someone has to learn what your content explains, a better storytelling experience will make them much happier to engage.
5. Vocabulary
Using the simplest possible explanation for something is a good standard practice, but using the right word to explain a moment is what truly brings a piece of writing to life. For example: are you mad? Or are you infuriated? Livid? Frustrated? Loathsome? Irritated? Annoyed? Angry? Bugged? There are so many different ways to explain anger, each with its own unique nuance that applies subtly to different situations. The more you expand your vocabulary, the more you can pick the right word for the situation.
6. Editing
Editing is the process of taking a draft and polishing it to prepare for publishing. That requires not only a knowledge of editing devices, but also self-awareness to know your weak spots that need attention. This can be a painful process, whether you’re self-editing or working with an editor, but it’s necessary for becoming a better writer.
Self-assessment: 4 ways to identify writing weak spots and improve your writing skills
1. The summary assessment
How to do this activity: Have someone else (how has never read this content before), summarize your content by filling in the blanks of this sentence: “This content explains ________ to ________, specifically highlighting ________, ________, and ________.”
2. The high-level assessment
Weak point this activity tests: Not all readers will read the whole piece of content. This assesses if your headings are enough to give someone a general understanding of what you discuss in your content.
3. The key points assessment
How to do this activity: Only read the first sentence of each paragraph (for an article) or the first sentence after a line break (for social media posts or emails). Do you understand what the content is saying or arguing?
4. The out-loud assessment
How to do this activity: Read your content out loud, consciously following the editorial guidelines you’ve set with your word choice, punctuation, and added emphasis. Does it flow naturally?
Free advertising is always top of mind for volunteer organizations, nonprofit organizations, professional groups or other business owners. It is best that to find a cost effective solution that will reach potential customers with local initiatives.
The some of these tactics is to target local internet users that may be looking either for education or information on a product of service. Fortunately, many digital marketing solutions could serve as an effective lead generation tool a local business may be looking for.
Leverage Google My Business to promote your business listing in your local community
Have a social presence to attract the attention of your target audience
Post you positive reviews on the major business listings, such as Yelp, to promote your business
Build a basic website to drive website visitor to learn more about your business via search engine results
Create a Facebook business page to promote your business
Participate in local Facebook groups and comment as relevant
Generate Facebook posts to capture Facebook users attention generate publicity
Look into various social media channel platforms as ways to promote your business to increase your customer base and organic reach
Start your own blog by creating content that will be picked up in Google Search results
Make explainer videos on your YouTube channel with relevant content and keywords to highlight your small business products or services
Invest in search engine optimization (SEO) targeting your basic website and business name to increase website visitors and search ranking results
Put out a press release on significant events like Grand Openings
Network with other local business groups in your local community and at local events.
Replace the business card with your mobile phone by using free QR codes
How to save money on advertising
Free advertising is always top of mind for volunteer organizations, nonprofit organizations, professional groups or other business owners. It is best that to find a cost effective solution that will reach potential customers with local initiatives.
The some of these tactics is to target local internet users that may be looking either for education or information on a product of service. Fortunately, many digital marketing solutions could serve as an effective lead generation tool a local business may be looking for.
Leverage Google My Business to promote your business listing in your local community
Have a social presence to attract the attention of your target audience
Post you positive reviews on the major business listings, such as Yelp, to promote your business
Build a basic website to drive website visitor to learn more about your business via search engine results
Create a Facebook business page to promote your business
Participate in local Facebook groups and comment as relevant
Generate Facebook posts to capture Facebook users attention generate publicity
Look into various social media channel platforms as ways to promote your business to increase your customer base and organic reach
Start your own blog by creating content that will be picked up in Google Search results
Make explainer videos on your YouTube channel with relevant content and keywords to highlight your small business products or services
Invest in search engine optimization (SEO) targeting your basic website and business name to increase website visitors and search ranking results
Put out a press release on significant events like Grand Openings
Network with other local business groups in your local community and at local events.
Replace the business card with your mobile phone by using free QR codes
7) Be active on social media
You can promote any news, events and interact with your audience as well as post your blog content through the most common media channels, including Facebook, Google+ LinkedIn and Twitter. (Twitter even has local chat hours for businesses – try searching for your nearest ones using #townnamehour or #countynamehour.)
This can be verified by anyone at the business. Google will send a pin number through to your exact business address, and as long as someone enters this pin number onto your listing it means you are verified and can receive the benefits.
These include more chances to appear within Google local searchers, the opportunity to connect your Google+ profile to your Google+ Local listing, and the opportunity to gain reviews from your customers that will then show up as star ratings in your search results.
The best bit about this is that it’s completely free. The downside is that the pin numbers through the post can take weeks to arrive, so if you’re given the option to verify immediately by phone then do this.
In the early 2000s, when social media was just beginning to take off with Facebook and YouTube, businesses were still spending much of their marketing budgets on traditional advertising and PR – and they relied on these strategies to drive brand awareness and sales revenue.
By 2010, marketing strategies were shifting – and ad spending on new media looked a lot different. As reported in VentureBeat at the time, eMarketer was projecting that US advertisers would spend an estimated 800.7 billion in ads on social networks, accounting for 6.7% of all online ad spending.
This infographic from Visual Capitalist also offers a great illustration of how social media spending began to rise around 2008, and quickly overtook traditional media including radio, newspapers, and magazines by the mid-2010s. You can see how this translated into advertising revenue for Facebook in this chart below from Business of Apps.
Digital Marketing Blog
Social media has become the most influential and important virtual space where the platform is not only used for social networking but is also a great way of digitally advertising your brand and your products.
Social media’s power is commendable as you get to reach a large number of people within seconds of posting an ad, helping you reduce your costs, and making your ads reach out to your potential audience through these social media advertisements.
With the huge number of online users, which is almost 59% of the world’s population, marketers must not miss out on their chance of marketing on these digital forums where they can reach all the maximum number of potential buyers compared with print or television media marketing.
Similar Post: What is Social Media Marketing?
10 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing Is Important For Your Business Or Brand
These social media channels help you attract the right customers with the right information at the right time and help you showcase your product or brand to potential customers at the right times.
Reason 1: You Get To Tell Your Story
Having an online presence as a business on any of the social media forums like Facebook or Instagram is a great way to interact with your audience and to really connect with them on a personal level.
Your customers will be able to know you and relate to your stories on a more personal level as well, and this is exactly what you need as an entrepreneur in this digitally connected world.
People who don’t know you or your business might find it intriguing to know how you build up your business and, thus, through these posts, you can create brand awareness about how hard you worked to make your dreams come true.
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Reason 2: You Can Grow An Audience With A Small Budget
Once your social media marketing is strategized effectively, this would help you increase the traffic on your profiles on these forums, which will eventually lead them to your websites.
There are a number of businesses and bloggers who have spent not even a single dollar on a digital advertisement, but just with the help of great content and great interaction with their audience, they created a customer base who connected with them.
This means that even if you have a smaller budget for advertisements, you can help your business on these social networking forums, where through increased marketing, the process of digital growth for your brand quickens.
Reason 3: Stay Top Of Mind With The People Who Matter The Most
Business owners need to be vigilant on social media networks and need to create an image of their brand such that it is the first thing that comes to your customers’ minds when they think about a certain product or service.
For a target audience with the potential of becoming buyers, it is important that you are connected with them through these social media forums, creating an impression on their minds so much that your business is on top of their minds whenever they search or think about buying a similar product.
Reason 4: Learn About Your Competitors
With all business profiles on all social media networks accessible to the public, this could be your chance as an entrepreneur to know your competitor better and understand the strategies that they are implementing to attract their audiences.
After carrying out this analysis of your competitor’s profile and looking into all the queries asked by their audience, you will be able to incorporate those questions into your digital marketing strategy.
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Reason 5: Can Build Custom Audiences
Businesses can access the different tools present on social media forums to see how many visitors were interested in the content that you shared, how many clicked any call to action, and how many purchased if any.
Stats like these help you build a customized audience where you get to target the people who seemed interested in your product but abandoned their carts right at the last minute.
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Getting your hands on such stats enables you as a business to target these potential customers who were almost about to become a buyer, but due to certain reasons were unable to complete the shopping process.
Through social media marketing, you will be able to show your brand content to such customers, reminding them how they needed/wanted your product, and now after seeing such ads, they would be reminded of their need/want for your product.
Building a custom audience gives you an opportunity to create customer satisfaction for these specific people who initially did not feel satisfied with your service and thus abandoned their cart.
This could be your chance to rectify all the errors and change your potential buyer’s perspective about you by providing them a much better and giving them the satisfaction that they seek by purchasing a well-produced good or service.
Reason 6: Learn The Buying Patterns Of Your Ideal Customers
Learning these patterns helps you focus on the things that you are not following while designing content for your page, and therefore aiding you in becoming better at your digital marketing strategies to attract the right customers and meeting their demands.
How Can Businesses Nail Social Media Marketing?
First off, brands and marketers need to do some research and find the audience they need to “speak” to. Not marketing to the right audience results in loss of time, resources, and limited ROI.
For example, if a brand’s target audience is between 18 and 24, the brand ought to use Instagram marketing as the first social media marketing endeavor it is going to undertake, as evident by the graph above.
Creating a profile that corresponds with the brand tone and values the brand has set is of high importance. A consistent brand tone can boost recognition and trust between the prospects and the brand, thus increasing the emotional connection. What is more, a genuine and appropriate tone of voice can increase revenue.
Of course, that tone needs to be ever present when it comes to a brand’s copy, content, and visuals. Consistency across platforms, visuals that correspond with the brand’s colors and, of course, frequent posts are also crucial.
In reality, when used for business, social media profiles need to present an image that mentally – and practically – redirects the prospect to the website and make them think of the brand as a whole.
Of course, stunning visuals, colors that correspond with the brand’s tone, and copy that attracts attention are not the elements that steal the show. A brand that is there to correspond with its prospects on a one-on-one basis, though, is.
Therefore, marketers, entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs need to remember that when utilizing the power of social media for business, they need to have a skilled social media team that responds to comments on the spot, creating a positive brand image.
Lastly, marketers need to make sure to share content consistently and according to a schedule. That way, they can create all the right conditions for prospects to anticipate their content.
This is not an easy task, but a brand can always repurpose old content, break old blog posts down to digestible bits and pieces that can be shared on social media by marketers and prospects alike, and link back to the brand’s website and landing pages.
The Takeaway
It is wise to invest in AI technology, and marketers need to study their data and analytics, as those elements allow them to make informed and educated decisions and not just guesstimates.
AI, more specifically, can distinguish patterns that humans just cannot. This eventually creates segments that allow marketers to personalize their posts on a one-on-one basis and hyper-target their audience when it comes to content and paid ads.
High-performance, driven marketing actions stand out in the hectic world of social media for business. It takes a marketer with skill, proper education, and a knack for insightful and meaningful predictions to put everything together in a harmonious way.
Programs like PLNU’s Evening MBA can create all the conditions through which a marketer will be able to create, curate, and target the audience that will be spot-on for their niche. A program that offers in-depth business knowledge, inspiration, and teaches all the tricks of the trade is all it takes for marketers to turn social media for business to their playground.
About the Author Virginia Zacharaki is the Marketing Communications Associate of Moosend, a highly competitive Email Marketing, and Marketing Automation platform. Passionate about knowledge, art, teaching, and creating. Tends to live as a ballerina bookworm.
9 E-Commerce Website Design Tips and Best Practices in 2020
D esign is a chance to make a good first impression for an e-commerce website. It has a direct effect on how much time users are going to spend there and how much they are going to buy. It shows like no other how important all the design aspects are: from the beautiful UI to the elaborate UX. With e-commerce website design, it’s not just about how the website looks but how it works.
In addition to the carefully planned marketing strategy, it’s necessary to pack it into an attractive and usable wrap. It takes just a few seconds for a person to decide whether or not they should stay. In a competitive field of e-commerce, the website is a tool to showcase users the value of products and to keep them engaged. There must be a reason for people to use a particular website, and the design can become this reason.
Having said that, until recently, only 64% of small businesses in the US had a website. This number is rising with every passing month, as more and more businesses recognize the importance of having a website. The situation with COVID-19 coronavirus only intensified it. Online shopping has skyrocketed and business owners can’t ignore it any longer.
1. Avoid clutter
Now that you’ve removed some clutter and simplified your menu options, you’ll still need to make additional changes. Since visitors will have fewer menu selections, they’ll see more products when they click on each category.
Take a look at what the search for “running sneakers” yielded in the example above. As you can see, there are 155 products that fit this description. That’s still an overwhelming number of items to scroll through.
If you use this strategy, make sure all your products are clearly tagged with the appropriate labels. Then the search results will be accurately displayed for each shopper’s query.
Create an FAQ Page
Beyond that, live chat can help build your brand. If you’re fast to respond and helpful, you will leave a positive impression on the consumer, and that should not be underestimated.
i. You attract long-tail keyword searches.
Think about the search terms such as “What type of running shoe should I buy?” If your consumer is looking for this info, where are they finding it? Be the site where they find the answer.
ii. The content will help convert.
If you have content on your site that helps to answer questions the consumer may have, then you are more likely to convert. In the example above, maybe the user was looking to buy a pair of ASICS runners. Not knowing what type of ASICS leaves them with indecision.
This generally leads to abandoning the site and delaying the purchase to a later time. But, having an article on different ASICS shoe models (ideally, ones you have in stock), helps that user make their decisions when they are on your site.
iii. It gets you social exposure.
Your audience is more likely to share a blog post that they believe will provide valuable information to their network of friends and family compared to a product page. Unless your product is truly remarkable or unique, valuable blog content is more likely to increase your chances of social engagement and reach.
Utilise Google’s Free Shopping Listings
Perform a search with purchase intent, and you’ll find a few paid shopping listings at the top of Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Result Page). They’re compelling with a product image, title, price, and more.
The good news is that Google is showing free shopping listings. Not on the traditional search page, of course. For the consumer to find your free shopping listing, they’ll have to head to the “Shopping” tab. They’ll be met with a few more paid listings up top, but then they’ll see the free listings below.
If you haven’t been advertising, you’ll need to set up a Merchant Centre Account. It’s a clear-cut process until you need to add your products or product feed. However, if you’re using Shopify, they’ve made it extremely easy. You’ll find what you need to know here.
Quentin Aisbett
Quentin is an information-hungry Gen Xer, often found lurking in the deepest corners of a client’s Google Analytics on a quest to dig up something insightful. With 12+years of SEO experience, he’s the man behind Searcht’s 5-star client reviews and a regular contributor to GoDaddy.
6 short professional bios and how to write one yourself
Short professional bios can be just as effective as long ones that detail your accomplishments. Whether you need to work within Twitter’s character count or you’re making career moves on LinkedIn, a well-written short professional bio gives you the chance to make an excellent first impression. Here’s how to turn this brief text into a powerful introduction to your greatest strengths and accomplishments.
“[Your name] is a [professional title] at [current employer] with [length of experience] helping [target audience] with [audience’s problems]. Specializing in [area of expertise], [first name] uses that experience to [describe most important aspects of the job].
By focusing on [branding statement about what matters professionally], [first name] has been able to put the [degree(s)] they earned at [college or university attended] to good use. Over the years, [first name’s or pronoun] strengths at [employer or project] has garnered some recognition for/by [major accomplishments]. [First name] may spend their days at [employer or employer location], but it’s the [one or two aspects of the job that they’re passionate about] that gets them up in the morning.
Example of a professional bio
Jerry Smith is a race car driver at Hendrick Motorsports with five years’ experience making speedy turns for several hours, helping his thousands of fans to fulfill their entertainment needs. Specializing in left turns and safely overtaking his opponents in the pursuit of a checkered flag, Jerry uses that expertise to never come in last.
By focusing on making sure Hendrick Motorsports ends up in the winner’s circle at every race, Jerry has been able to put the racing certifications he earned at driver’s school to good use. Over the years, his strengths at Hendrick Motorsports have garnered some recognition for winning several races each year. Jerry may spend his days at the racetrack, but it’s the thrill of the race and the glory of coming in first that gets him up in the morning.
What should be included in your bio?
Now that you know how effective a short bio can be, you’re getting closer to putting the proverbial pen to paper and letting the world know more about you. Before you get started on your bio, it’s important that you consider each element you want to mention in it. A good professional bio should include the following bits of information, regardless of your writing style or your goals:
Start with who you are and what you do. The basics of a bio include your name and a brief summary of your professional endeavors and goals.
Describe what you’re currently doing. Include quantifiable information that can show how effective you are in your most recent position.
Share a couple of professional triumphs. If you’ve enjoyed a level of professional excellence that resulted in special recognition, share those results. This is your moment to showcase two or three key moments in your career, such as awards, special recognition, or significant accomplishments. Approach this like you would a cover letter for a job application.
Create abranding statement. Consider your values as a professional and take some space to outline them. Think of this as an easy way to help people quickly determine what matters to you.
Include some personal details that showcase your personality. At the end of the day, your career doesn’t completely define you. Feel free to include interests and hobbies in your bio to make you more relatable.
Mention how to reach you. Add social media links or an email address to your bio. This one is more optional and context-dependent, but a smart idea nonetheless.
Computers and touch-typing
