Classroom Tips (Making the Most of Your Time Online)

Warm greetings to you all as we begin our journey! It is thrilling to see so many brave, talented women join us for the Application for the Voices of Our Future program. There are over 550 of you, from over 70 countries, all with unique contributions to our global community, PulseWire. I have already seen the site come to life with your energetic voices, eager to connect, learn and grow together. It is incredibly inspiring to be a part of this-- I hope you feel the same way.

For the next four weeks we will embark into new terrain, as we explore the Application Classroom. I would like to offer you a few pointers, so that you can make the most of your precious time online. Hopefully these tips will make the process of applying a little easier, giving you more time to devote to your writing, to the PulseWire community, and your daily work in the world of women's empowerment.

Printer Friendly Version
You may have already noticed this little piece of blue text at the top of the Application Classroom. But, did you know what it can do for you? If you click that text, you will be directed to a plain-text page that has all of the materials without all the graphics and formatting. If you have a slow internet connection, or have to pay money to access the Internet at a cafe, or just want to read the information quickly, you should try it out. You can also view a Printer Friendly Version of each Week's Materials and Assignment separately. To do this, select the Week you want to view on the Application Classroom. Then, click the blue text near the title of the page that says "Printer Friendly Version."

Try it out, and see if it works as a solution for you!

Online/Offline
With your weekly assignments you are asked to reflect on a lot of materials, experiences, and personal dreams, and to keep it under a short word limit! This process might take up a lot of your time, but, it does not all have to be done on the Internet. Especially if you are using a cafe to access the Internet, or have a busy schedule, you might want to try writing and editing your assignment offline, with pen and paper, or Microsoft Word for example. You can take that piece of non-rushed writing with you to your internet connected computer, and once you're online, copy the text to your PulseWire journal and give it the correct tag (2010 VOF Week 1).

Get creative! Do what you need to do to share your beautiful voice with the world, because the world is waiting to hear your story.

I look forward to reading your assignments! There are already a handful of you who have already posted for Week 1... congratulations! If anyone has questions about the curriculum, or about how to get around the Classroom, please post them as replies to this post and I'll do my best to reply quickly.

In Partnership,
Scott