I am a life-long learner! I love to teach! I was honored with 28 years in the classroom as well as independent study experience. I worked Kindergarten through College courses. Mentoring and working with teachers was a wonderful part of my educational experience. Today, I manage a consulting business - Passion In Education. I'm excited to still have access to educators. We welcome you to our virtual world!
View all posts by Sandy Carl →
With concerns growing over the coronavirus (COVID-19), we know many of you are making plans to keep learning going should your school need to close. As parents and teachers ourselves, we know there’s a lot on your minds, from health and safety to child care and jobs.
We want to do everything we can to support you. We are a nonprofit organization with free educational resources.
We are having daily (weekdays) 9 am PST/12 EST live streams on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for students, parents, and teachers navigating school closures.
Khan Academy is a free resource for students, teachers, and parents.
What is Khan Academy? We offer exercises, quizzes, and tests so students can practice and master skills, as well as instructional videos to help students learn or review material.
Khan Academy has a library of standards-aligned lessons covering kindergarten through early college math, grammar, science, history, AP® courses, SAT® preparation, and more.
Students can practice skills with exercises, quizzes, and mastery challenges and get immediate feedback and support.
Students without laptops can access the Khan Academy website or use the Khan Academy app on smartphones.
Teachers get tools and reports designed specifically for them.
Teachers can easily assign students an entire course—Algebra 1 or AP Biology, for example—a specific unit, or a specific skill.
Teachers can easily track student progress with our reports.
School and teacher resources: How can you use Khan Academy?
We have several resources including a step-by-step Welcome Guide and a series of online videos featuring real teachers demonstrating how to use Khan Academy to assign instructional videos and practice skills and monitor student progress. All these resources are available at Teacher Essentials. Teachers can also join our #TeachWithKhan Facebook group.
If you have a child ages two to seven, we recommend our free app, Khan Academy Kids. In addition to building early literacy, reading, writing, language, and math skills, the app encourages creativity and builds social-emotional skills. It is 100% free, with no ads and no in-app purchases. Khan Academy Kids is available on iTunes, Google Play, and the Amazon App store.
Khan Academy is a nonprofit organization.
Our mission is to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. We are closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19, and are here to assist communities with their learning needs. Check back with us in the coming days and weeks as we are updating our resources for you.
Doctor of Medicine (M.D. cum laude) from Boston University School of Medicine in 2012 – Dr. Colucci is currently a radiologist in MADec 11, 20196 Min Read
On December 20, 2018, the president signed into law the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.[1] More commonly known as the Farm Bill of 2018, this act addresses a number of issues that pertain to our nation’s farmers, such as wetland conservation, environmental quality incentives, and food trade requirements.
However, one of the major changes this act has made to U.S. law is in regard to hemp. Specifically, it removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively making fiber-containing marijuana plants no longer illegal under federal law.
This has prompted many Americans to consider the use of hemp oil, CBD oil, and other CBD products to help them better deal with mental health conditions like anxiety. Why is this such a concern?
Anxiety disorders afflict roughly 40 million adults in the United States according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).[2] That makes this category of issues—which includes generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder—the most common mental health illnesses in the nation.
The ADAA adds that, though anxiety disorders are typically treatable, only one in three Americans (36.9 percent) with this mental health condition are actively engaged in some type of anxiety treatment. Research has found that feelings of shame, fear of being judged, not knowing where to go to obtain effective treatment, and not having the financial resources necessary to treat anxiety oftentimes keeps people from seeking care.[3]
Because of all of these reasons, people who want to experience less anxiety in their lives may choose to seek a natural remedy they can purchase over-the-counter that provides anti-anxiety effects. Studies have found that CBD is one such option.
CBD stands for cannabidiol, a chemical compound found within the flower of cannabis, which is another name for the marijuana plant.[4] Furthermore, this substance is thought to promote health based on the way it interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) explains that the goal of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain homeostasis.[5] This means that it strives to achieve a level of stability related to basic processes that impact things such as mood, sleep, immune function, reproduction, stress, metabolism, appetite, and more.
The way this system works is by endocannabinoids like CBD binding to specific receptors (namely, CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors) which are located throughout the body. When this occurs, it signals the nervous system to take the actions necessary to create a more stable level of health and wellness.
Many studies have found that one of the positive health effects that CBD provides is due to its anti-anxiety properties.
For instance, one study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology subjected 40 subjects to a public speaking simulation, which is a situation that brings about anxiety in a lot of people. Each person was given either CBD, diazepam (a generic name for Valium), or ipsapirone (an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication) to see what effect, if any, these substances had on their levels of anxiety.[6]
Subjects were then evaluated using the Visual Analogue Mood Scale and State-trait Anxiety Inventory. According to these measures, researchers found that CBD decreased anxiety which was present after the public speaking simulation. Therefore, they concluded that this chemical compound offers anti-anxiety effects in stressful situations.
CBD can also potentially provide relief for other mental conditions typically characterized by high levels of anxiety, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For example, research published in Current Opinion in Psychology notes that when individuals with PTSD took CBD, they had positive effects related to reduced insomnia and modulated fear. The CBD also served as an anti-depressive and anti-anxiety treatment remedy.[7]
While both animal and human studies have connected CBD to the relief of anxiety, it has been somewhat unclear exactly how it creates this positive effect. So, in an attempt to learn more, one study looked at 10 “treatment-naïve patients” with social anxiety disorder. [8]
During the initial double-blind session, these first-time treatment seekers were given either 400 mg of CBD or a placebo. Then, during a second session of the study, the same participants were given the opposite (subjects who had previously received CBD were given a placebo and vice versa).
After analyzing responses in the study subjects’ brains, researchers concluded that CBD appears to help reduce anxiety because of the way it affects limbic and paralimbic areas of the brain.
Research has also found that CBD can sometimes provide additional health benefits beyond those associated with reducing anxiety. For instance, some studies have noted how it can potentially provide relief from chronic pain conditions.
One such piece of research involved 177 cancer patients who were having difficulties finding pain relief, even after taking opioid drugs.[9] Subjects in this study were divided into three groups.
One group was given a THC extract (THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive property commonly associated with the marijuana plant), one was given a THC extract with CBD, and the third group received a placebo.
When compared to the placebo, the group that received THC with CBD had two times as many subjects who reported a pain reduction of 30 percent or more after taking these two extracts.
Research has also found that CBD provides positive effects related to blood pressure. In one case, when healthy male volunteers were treated with a single, 600-mg dose of CBD, they experienced lower systolic blood pressures and lower blood pressure in times of stress than those who received a placebo.[10]
Other studies have found that extracts taken from the marijuana plant also offer anti-inflammatory benefits, which is why medical marijuana is often a consideration by people who suffer from inflammation-based health conditions.[11]
Because CBD research is still in its infant stage, with many of the studies being conducted in recent years, there is still a lot to learn about what impact CBD has on specific mental and physical health conditions.
That said, the U.S. National Library of Medicine reports that more clinical trials are scheduled to help us learn and understand more about how CBD impacts inflammation, anxiety, and other medical conditions.[12]
One of the biggest concerns people have when using CBD oil for anxiety is whether it will result in them feeling stoned or high. However, as CNBC reports, unlike THC, CBD does not create the intoxicating type of effects typically associated with marijuana usage.[13]
Additionally, though many of CBD’s effects are positive in nature, some people have reported experiencing not-so-pleasant side effects when taking products containing this particular chemical compound.
For instance, research has found that CBD usage can sometimes cause tiredness, diarrhea, and changes in appetite.[14] Some users have also reported experiencing dry mouth (also referred to as “cotton mouth”) after taking hemp oil products.[15]
Until more research can be conducted, Harvard Medical School suggests that individuals considering taking CBD oil for anxiety and other health conditions first consult with a medical professional or other healthcare provider.[16]
Medical News Today adds that it’s also important to realize that, when drugs have not been regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—which is not currently the case with CBD oils—it’s difficult to determine whether they are safe or effective.[17]
For this reason, it’s important to consider how to practice safe, yet effective usage, especially if you’re using products such as CBD tinctures or vape pens for the very first time.
According to Project CBD, this requires having a “less is more” philosophy, starting out with low doses and working your way up (if necessary), and sometimes choosing a full-spectrum CBD oil with small amounts of THC as this typically provides a therapeutic effect.[18]
If you’re considering using CBD oil for anxiety, it helps to also keep in mind that legality of this substance still varies based on where you live. This is because state laws are different in regard to this particular topic.
To help with this, Americans for Safe Access offers an online, interactive map at https://www.safeaccessnow.org/state_and_federal_law. Simply click on your state of residence and you are provided information and links to resources related to CBD usage, medical marijuana regulations, and more.
This can help keep your anxiety to a minimum if you’re concerned about legal CBD use.
[1] “Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.” House of Representatives. https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20181210/CRPT-115hrpt1072.pdf
[2] “Facts & Statistics.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America. https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
[3] Goetter E.M. et al. “Barriers to Mental Health Treatment Among Individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” Psychological Services. Aug 2018. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fser0000254
[4] “What is CBD?” Project CBD. https://www.projectcbd.org/about/what-is-cbd
[6] Zuardi, A.W. et al. “Effects of Ipsapirone and Cannabidiol on Human Experimental Anxiety.” Journal of Psychopharmacology. Jan 1993. Doi: 10.1177/026988119300700112. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/026988119300700112
[7] Loflin, M et al. “Cannabinoids as Therapeutic for PTSD.” Current Opinion in Psychology. Apr 2017;14:78-83. Doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.12.001. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X16302342
[8] Crippa J.A.S. et al. “Neural Basis of Anxiolytic Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder: A Preliminary Report.” Journal of Psychopharmacology. Sept 2010. Doi: 10.1177/0269881110379283. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881110379283
[9] Johnson J.R. et al. “Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study of the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of THC:CBD Extract and THC Extract in Patients with Intractable Cancer-Related Pain.” Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. Feb 2010; 39(2):167-179. Doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2009.06.008. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885392409007878
[10] Jaddon, K et al. “A Single Dose of Cannabidiol Reduces Blood Pressure in Healthy Volunteers in a Randomized Crossover Study.” JCI Insight. Jun 2017;2(12):e93760. Doi: 10.1172/jci.insight93760. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470879/
[11] Zurier R.B. “Prospects for Cannabinoids as Anti-Inflammatory Agents.” Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. Dec 2002. Doi: 10.1002.jcb.10291. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcb.10291
[12] “Cannabidiol for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: An 8-Week Pilot Study.” ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03549819
[13] “Huddleston Jr., T. “Why People Love CBD – The Cannabis Product That Won’t Get You High.” CNBC. Nov 10, 2018. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/09/what-is-cbd-these-popular-cannabis-products-wont-get-you-high.html
[14] Johnson, J. “Everything You Need to Know About CBD Oil.” Medical News Today. Jul 27, 2018. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317221.php
[15] “Unexpected Side Effects of Hemp Oil.” Functional Remedies. Apr 21, 2018. https://functionalremedies.com/blogs/news/unexpected-side-effects-of-hemp-oil
[16] Grinspoon, P. “Cannabidiol (CBD) – What We Know and What We Don’t.” Harvard Health Publishing. Aug 24, 2018. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476
[17] Johnson, J. “Everything You Need to Know About CBD Oil.” Medical News Today. Jul 27, 2018. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317221.php
[18] Lee, M. “Cannabis Dosing 101.” Project CBD. May 16, 2018. https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/cannabis-dosing-101
Thank you to Fresno County Office of Education for providing this competition. Thank you to all the teachers and students for all the preparation and drive to compete in Math Counts! Well done! #passionineducation #mathiswhereitisat
First Place TeamSecond Place TeamThird Place TeamCOUNTDOWNTop Ten Individuals
Add the Voice Share App to your phone and load voices reading, singing or just talking. Once recorded to your perfection, share with others.
Through Bluetooth, the story, song or chat can be shared via texting or email to a phone, laptop or speaker. I’m pretty excited about this new idea to share out with family. Imagine that children are listening to your voice when you are far from their daily routines.
This is a great time to get this combination for the children in your life!
Education is a gradual process which brings positive changes in human life and behavior. We can also define education as “a process of acquiring knowledge through study or imparting the knowledge by way of instructions or some other practical procedure”.
What is education?
Education brings a natural and lasting change in an individual’s reasoning and ability to achieve the targeted goal. It facilitates us to investigate our own considerations and thoughts and makes it ready to express it in various shapes.
Education is the main thing that encourages us to distinguish between right and wrong because in the absence of education, we can’t do what we need or we can’t achieve our goal.
Straightforwardly, we can say, “education is the passage to progress”. It is additionally the way to our fate as achievements can only be accomplished when individuals have information, aptitudes, and frame of mind. In this way, education resembles a medium through which we can associate with various individuals and offer our thoughts.
To tackle issues and do inventiveness we first need to gain proficiency with some essential abilities. We require learning and abilities to wind up increasingly imaginative. So education is fundamentally learning of abilities and ideas that can make us increasingly innovative and issue solver. Education is to pick up the capacity to develop and take care of issues in order to achieve their lawful motives.
Education also means helping people to learn how to do things and encouraging them to think about what they learn.
It is also important for educators to teach ways to find and use information. Through education, the knowledge of society, country, and of the world is passed on from generation to generation.
In democracies, through education, children and adults are supposed to learn how to be active and effective citizens.
More specific, education helps and guide individuals to transform from one class to another. Empowered individuals, societies, countries by education are taking an edge over individuals stand on the bottom pyramid of growth.
Types of Education
Education goes beyond what takes places within the four walls of the classroom. A child gets the education from his experiences outside the school as well as from those within on the basis of these factors. There are three main types of education, namely, Formal, Informal and Non-formal. Each of these types is discussed below.
Formal Education
Formal education or formal learning usually takes place in the premises of the school, where a person may learn basic, academic, or trade skills. Small children often attend a nursery or kindergarten but often formal education begins in elementary school and continues with secondary school.
Post-secondary education (or higher education) is usually at a college or university which may grant an academic degree. It is associated with a specific or stage and is provided under a certain set of rules and regulations.
The formal education is given by specially qualified teachers they are supposed to be efficient in the art of instruction. It also observes strict discipline. The student and the teacher both are aware of the facts and engage themselves in the process of education.
Examples of Formal Education
Learning in a classroom
School grading/certification, college, and university degrees
Planned education of different subjects having a proper syllabus acquired by attending the institution.
Characteristics of formal education
Formal education is structured hierarchically.
It is planned and deliberate.
Scheduled fees are paid regularly.
It has a chronological grading system.
It has a syllabus and subject-oriented. The syllabus has to be covered within a specific time period.
The child is taught by the teachers
Advantages of Formal education:
An organized educational model and up to date course contents.
Students acquire knowledge from trained and professional teachers.
Structured and systematic learning process.
Intermediate and final assessments are ensured to advance students to the next learning phase.
Institutions are managerially and physically organized.
Leads to a formally recognized certificate.
Easy access to jobs.
Disadvantages of Formal education:
Sometimes, brilliant students are bored due to the long wait for the expiry of the academic session to promote to the next stage
Chance of bad habits’ adoption may be alarming due to the presence of both good and bad students in the classroom
Wastage of time as some lazy students may fail to learn properly in spite of motivation by the professional trainers.
Some unprofessional and non-standard education system may cause the wastage of time and money of the students which leads to the disappointment from formal education and argue them to go for non-formal education.
Costly and rigid education as compare to other forms of learning
Informal Education
Informal education may be a parent teaching a child how to prepare a meal or ride a bicycle.
People can also get an informal education by reading many books from a library or educational websites.
Informal education is when you are not studying in a school and do not use any particular learning method. In this type of education, conscious efforts are not involved. It is neither pre-planned nor deliberate. It may be learned at some marketplace, hotel or at home.
Unlike formal education, informal education is not imparted by an institution such as school or college. Informal education is not given according to any fixed timetable. There is no set curriculum required. Informal education consists of experiences and actually living in the family or community.
Examples of Informal Education
Teaching the child some basics such as numeric characters.
Someone learning his/her mother tongue
A spontaneous type of learning, “if a person standing in a bank learns about opening and maintaining the account at the bank from someone.”
Characteristics of Informal Education
It is independent of boundary walls.
It has no definite syllabus.
It is not pre-planned and has no timetable.
No fees are required as we get informal education through daily experience and by learning new things.
It is a lifelong process in a natural way.
The certificates/degrees are not involved and one has no stress for learning the new things.
You can get from any source such as media, life experiences, friends, family etc.
Advantages of Informal Education
More naturally learning process as you can learn at anywhere and at any time from your daily experience.
It involves activities like individual and personal research on a topic of interest for themselves by utilizing books, libraries, social media, internet or getting assistance from informal trainers.
Utilizes a variety of techniques.
No specific time span.
Less costly and time-efficient learning process.
No need to hire experts as most of the professionals may be willing to share their precious knowledge with students/public through social media and the internet.
Learners can be picked up the requisite information from books, TV, radio or conversations with their friends/family members.
Disadvantages of Informal Education
Information acquired from the internet, social media, TV, radio or conversations with friends/family members may lead to the disinformation.
Utilized techniques may not be appropriate.
No proper schedule/time span.
Unpredictable results which simply the wastage of time.
Non-formal education includes adult basic education, adult literacy education or school equivalency preparation.
In nonformal education, someone (who is not in school) can learn literacy, other basic skills or job skills.
Home education, individualized instruction (such as programmed learning), distance learning and computer-assisted instruction are other possibilities.
Non-formal education is imparted consciously and deliberately and systematically implemented. It should be organized for a homogeneous group. Non-formal, education should be programmed to serve the needs of the identified group. This will necessitate flexibility in the design of the curriculum and the scheme of evaluation.
Examples of Non-formal Education
Boy Scouts and Girls Guides develop some sports program such as swimming comes under nonformal education.
Fitness programs.
Community-based adult education courses.
Free courses for adult education developed by some organization.
Characteristics of Non-formal Education
The nonformal education is planned and takes place apart from the school system.
The timetable and syllabus can be adjustable.
Unlike theoretical formal education, it is practical and vocational education.
Nonformal education has no age limit.
Fees or certificates may or may not be necessary.
It may be full time or part-time learning and one can earn and learn together.
It involves learning of professional skills.
Advantages of Non-formal Education
Practiced and vocational training.
Naturally growing minds that do not wait for the system to amend.
Literacy with skillfulness growth in which self-learning is appreciated.
Flexibility in age, curriculum and time.
Open-ended educational system in which both the public and private sector are involved in the process.
No need to conduct regular exams.
Diploma, certificates, and award are not essential to be awarded.
Disadvantages of Non-formal Education
Attendance of participants is unsteady.
Sometimes, it’s just wastage of time as there is no need to conduct the exam on regular basis and no degree/diploma is awarded at the end of the training session.
Basic reading and writing skills are crucial to learn.
No professional and trained teachers.
Students may not enjoy full confidence as the regular students enjoy.
Some institutes provide fake certification through online courses just for the sake of earning.
There are such fun ways to learn real-life skills. Choose a family game night and enjoy learning life-skills together. Games teach strategies, counting, colors, coordinate graphing, teamwork, patience, and much more. So pick a night and start becoming a forever learner with games! Here are a few great games but remember cards, dice and outdoor games are great as well! ~Sandy
