Posts Tagged ‘Tipping Point’
AMI USA Website
I would like to take a post to applaud the new AMI USA website launched January 7, 2009.
A friend and web developer, Jeremy Tolbert, recently made this comment on his blog, regarding the challenges involved in convincing organizations to update a website…
Explaining why certain technology is better than others, or why a website shouldn’t look like it was built in 1997 can be more specific and difficult. One thing I try to explain early on is that websites are about projecting an image. Your website should reflect the image that you wish to convey to your clients, customers, whatever. If your website’s image is that of an old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn, that might not be in line with your organization’s overall strategies.
Not only does the new site create a fresh, more professional face for AMI on the Internet through contemporary design, it also includes features like embedded videos and interactive maps that significantly improve the functionality and usefulness of the site.
I’m excited that these steps may foretell more improvements to AMI USA’s web presence, and even more hopeful that AMI will soon realize it’s current site is not projecting a contemporary, relevant image.
The AMI International website still utilizes frames (an indication it was built a decade ago) and has yet to adopt more efficient and user friendly technologies such as PHP coding. Frames are considered a nuisance by professional web developers, and to support this statement I point to Web Pages That Suck, which started more than 10 years ago as Web Pages That Suck: Learning Good Web Page Design by Looking at Bad Web Pages , written by Vincent Flanders, a well respected expert in the field. Frames is number 4 on Vincent’’s list of 82 Potential Mortal Sins of Web Design. I mention frames merely as the most apparent and obnoxious example of antiquated programming, (Frames do not allow you to link or bookmark a specific page, say Training Centres, instead you are forced to bookmark the home page) to illustrate the need for serious website renovation. If you need further convincing, I recommend comparing Vincent Flander’s 149 Mortal Sins That Will Send Your Site to Web Design Hell and deciding for yourself how much salvation the AMI website needs.
The AMI website desperately needs renovation, I am hoping AMI-USA can recommend a solid web developer because a great web design might be a Tipping Point in the Montessori Movement.
How do Parents choose a Preschool?
“Research says that many parents look for the least expensive and the closest to home, which isn’t the best facility,” Good said, indicating a new pilot program, Parent Aware, launched in August in Blue Earth and Nicollet counties, can provide answers for parents who are unfamiliar with the options available.
I visited two (Little Bits and Dayspring). I made a chart of all tuition options including registration fees and different number of days per week/half day vs full day. The deciding factor for choosing the one I did (Little Bits) was that they were willing to heat the kids lunches up in the microwave while the other one (Dayspring) wouldn’t.Little Bits was the least expensive one as well. What a bonus!!!
Some decision factors were location to home and the other schools, cleanliness, teacher/student ratio, being able to show up unannounced, but most importantly was the interaction between the teachers and my child while we were looking and how inviting they were to her. Some schools we looked at just let her stand off to the side and watch, where others tried to include her right off the bat. I found that the ones that were more inviting wanted her there even though we were not signed up yet.
Location was part of it. It was less than three miles from my house and in the University community where my husband worked. School’s philosophy was part of it as my daughter needed a strong learning environment.Our decision was based on what we saw such as, a state certified teachers, a lot of tricycles for children to ride, students’ arts works displayed around ( not teachers or mothers), a lot of books and learning materials, students’ smiling faces, busy children, playground,and the professionalism of the faculty and director.
TJ, it might be different for you since your daughter has already been in daycare. In my situation, preschool was my son’s first “group” exposure to other children. I just wanted a nurturing enviroment that would provide an opportunity to develop good social skills, and the fact that the preschool was affiliated with our church was a real plus, since it was nearby, and I already “knew” their philosophy.
I chose the right preschool by looking around and observing. I wanted to know what did they have to offer my child. What kind of things will they be doing with my child. Ultimate goal would be to prepare my child for kindergarden, and for him/her to be safe.When entering into the daycare you and your child should feel comfortable. Go with your motherly instincts. Yes it will be hard but our children will enjoy being with other children. The waiting lists are awful, but don’t give up! Most of the time people on the list don’t need it anymore, and the list gets shorter.
