【推荐1】The Achievement Exhibition of the 13th “Taoli Cup” National Dancing Education Performance of China, the country`s most recognized event for dance education, kicked off at the Beijing Dance Academy (北京舞蹈学院) on Thursday.

This year, it will focus on students’ dance performances, teaching displays and dance forums (论坛). A variety of dance styles will be included, such as classical Chinese dance, ballet, contemporary dance and Chinese folk dance.

“Over the decades the Taoli Cup has attracted a lot of fans in the country and is known as the biggest and most important dancing event, which promotes dance education and young talent,” says Ba Tu, Party secretary of the Beijing Dance Academy. “Some of the students who have participated in the past events have become top dancers in China. Some have become teachers. We will keep this tradition going on,” he says.

One of the dancers is Wang Qimin, a principal dancer at the National Ballet of China. She participated in the Taoli Cup in 1997 and won the top prize in the youth group for ballet dancers.

“It was the first time that I had participated in a national competition, and I still remember how nervous I was. I am very grateful to my former teachers, who helped me with intensive training and my selection of dance pieces and costumes for the competition,” recalls Wang.

She graduated from the academy in 1999 and started dancing with the National Ballet of China the same year. Wang danced as a soloist a year later. “The valuable experience with Taoli Cup also taught me how to prepare myself for the following international ballet competitions that I went to, not just physically but also psychologically,” says Wang, who won a top prize at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 2001.

【推荐3】BEIJING—Twelve years after joining the national team. Fan Kexin finally stood up on the highest podium (领奖台) at the Olympic rink (溜冰场). Together with teammates, the 28-year-old new Olympic champion won the mixed team relay gold medal on February 5 at the Beijing Winter Olympics. It was also the first gold for the host country at the Beijing Games, which received congratulations from the central leadership.

Fan, the leading figure of the Chinese women’s short track speed skating team, has long dreamed of winning Olympic gold. “I’ve been waiting for this gold medal for 12 years. I’ve waited for it for so long,” Fan said after the victory, in tears. “I have always believed in the team. From the day I entered the national team, I have always believed in my teammates.”

Fan was born in September 1993 in Qitaihe, a city in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, which is a cradle for a number of world-famous short track speed skaters, including China’s first Winter Olympic gold medalist Yang Yang and four-time Olympic champion Wang Meng.

Fan didn’t turn to skating as a child, but chose dancing like many other girls. However, the relatively high training costs ended her hope of becoming a dancer, as her family ran into financial difficulties.

Since 2003, when Fan was selected by her first coach, Ma Qingzhong, to train as a short track speed skater, she worked hard at training, getting up every day at 4 am for a one-hour training session before going to school. “We didn’t have to call her in the morning as she could get up herself,” Fan’s mother, Nie Gulling, recalled. “She was always reluctant to leave the rink and wanted to train more.”

Fan’s career was put into a dangerous situation when she was diagnosed with severe anemia (贫血) in 2008. Her parents asked her to give up the sport, but Fan insisted on carrying on and returned to the rink the following year.

The Olympic gold in Beijing came after Fan’s persistence (毅力), as well as that of the whole team. “We’ve been experiencing tough training in the past four years. Every day when we finished training, we’d have blood in our throats. But at the moment we won, I thought it was all worth it. We’ve made it,” Fan said after the victory.

【推荐1】How to be a successful online student

While regular schools still exist, the virtual classroom plays an important role in today's learning community.

    1    

Be able to communicate through writing

In the virtual classroom nearly all communication is written, so it is necessary for students to express themselves in writing. Some students have limited writing abilities which need to be improved. This usually requires more practice from these students. Whether working alone or in a group, students share ideas on the subject being studied, and read about those of their classmates.     2    

Be willing to ‘speak up’ if problems arise

Remember that teachers cannot see their students in an online course.     3     If they face technical difficulties or problems, they MUST speak up; otherwise there is no way anyone can know something is wrong. If one person does not understand something, possibly several others have the same problem. While explaining something others, students strengthen their own knowledge about the subject.

Take the program seriously

    4     In fact, many students say it requires much more time and effort. Requirements for online courses are not less than those of any quality program. Successful students, however, see online learning as a convenient way to receive their education - not an easier way. Many online students sit at computers for hours at a time during evenings and on weekends in order to complete their assignments.

Be able to think ideas through before replying

Providing meaningful and quality input into the virtual classroom is an essential part of online learning. Time is given to allow for careful development of answers.     5     Many times online students will not always be right, they just need to be prepared to accept a challenge.

【推荐2】This page summarizes the service offered by some of the best online tutoring websites on the Internet. We provide a brief summary of each of the websites, the service they offer, the cost of their service and our opinions of the pros and cons of each website.

In our opinion, Tutor Vista.com offers the best buy in the field of online tutoring service. For $100 per month your child can have unlimited tutoring. There are significant discounts for multi-month contracts ($ 50/month for 12 months or more).

Tutor Vista.com is founded by Krishnan Ganesh in 2005 with headquarters in Bangalore, India. Its mission is to provide world-class tutoring and high-quality content to students around the world—anytime, anywhere and in any subject.

Tutor Vista.com only hires experienced tutors. Most have a master or Ph. D. degree as well as 5 to 10 years’ teaching experience and they must pass strict certification exams.

You can schedule sessions with your preferred tutor in advance. Using a technology called VoIP, a student and a tutor talk naturally with headphones and microphones. The student and the tutor also share a “Whiteboard” that they both can write on. No special software is required but a headset with microphone is recommended. The company takes advantage of the highly educated, low-wage-base Indian population to offer the most cost-effective online tutoring service on the Internet.

Pros:◆Highly qualified tutors.

◆Unlimited online tutoring.

◆Low cost.

Cons:◆Maybe some language problems.

◆Voice interaction requires purchase of headset with microphone ($25~50 from Amazon).

【推荐3】Getting a degree can often be your best ticket to career development. No matter whether you decide to pursue a traditional four-year degree, there are many options designed for non-traditional students who are looking to fit a formal education into their already busy schedules.    1    

One of the advantages of online education for non-traditional students is that you can learn from anywhere there’s an Internet connection.    2    Learning and completing coursework from a neighborhood coffee shop, local library, co-working space, and / or your home are just a few choices.

The structure of traditional in-person education isn’t necessarily the ideal learning environment for everyone, especially if you have an already busy work and personal schedule.    3    You can take one or several courses per term or attend an online program with shorter terms, which can make it easier to concentrate on one course at a time.

    4    With so many online options, students have the freedom to pursue the life they want without having to give up the one they have, wherever it is.

Another advantage of online learning is to reduce financial costs.    5    This is because you don’t need to pay the costs of housing, transportation, student meals, etc. Students with families don’t need to pay for childcare or babysitting.