Little Italy Festa Draws Over a Hundred Thousand Visitors

The Italians have a saying, “A chi vuole, non mancano mod” that translates as “there is a will there is a way”.  This year the Little Italy Festa drew around 120,000 people and acted as a homecoming for many Italian Americans who wanted to get in touch with their culture. They found a way to successfully match culture and commerce together into an activity that enhances their neighborhood. 

Hosted on October 11^th, 2014 in the Little Italy District of San Diego small business vendors, artists, and authentic Italian food filled the streets.  They did a great job ensuring people had a safe and enjoyable experience. Plenty of trash receptacles to keep the area clean while displays were organized well both vertically and horizontally among the streets to allow for maximum foot traffic. 

Those who are not skilled in cooking Italian Food watched one of the different food demonstrations, try a few samples, and buy one of the products on display. Artistic types were drawn to the 3D and chalk art that lined the streets in a judged competition.  Skill ranged from master artist down to novice but each offered their own perspective on Italian culture. 

A few were absolute masterpieces while others did not get finished. Businesses sponsored the artists who then went to work on completing their art pieces. The name of the business was included on the side of the masterpiece making it a captive audience of approximately 120,000 visitors. It is hard to get better advertising than matching art, foot traffic, and proximal location. 

The Gondola Company put together an excellent display and caught my interest. They offer Milan style gondola boating for couples and groups. I have never been on a Gondola or to Italy so I might try it someday and wanted to get more information. The activity would be great for a small party or a romantic getaway.  Http://www.gondolacompany.com

 The event was fun and after walking you began to better understand the ancient Italian culture that was established during the Renaissance Period. People like Julias Ceasar, Lorenzo de Medici and Columbus helped shape a cultural perspective. Likewise, people with robust romantic lives such as Leonardo di Vinci and Micheangelo provided a historical foundation for artistic endeavors. From red wine to tortellini you will taste some of the best offerings of Italy in this little San Diego neighborhood.

http://www.littleitalysd.com/events/little-italy-festa/

Developing Online Education to Meet the Needs of International Business

As business information and financial transactions increases there will be a need for more international oriented higher education curriculum. Online education affords an opportunity for greater global reach and revenue development without overburdening cost existing structures. Technology has adapted over the years to allow similar platforms of classes to be used across borders to encourage international higher education.

The global business community that makes up a large portion of international firms have different needs then domestic productions. Senior leadership positions will require a higher level of cultural awareness and additional understanding of how systems work within different cultures. Such leaders will need to develop a wider perspective commerce through proper preparation. 

International Education Models: 

Crossing international borders offer some advantages but rests on 1.) host institution, 2.) technology, 3.) learning models of students and 4.) learning models of teachers (Sadyknova & Dauterman, 2009). These four domains provide a way to understand how sharing resources and technology matched with sound learning and teaching theory can be beneficial.

Universities sometimes partner with other universities to offer programs that they do not or cannot offer themselves due to lack of enrollment. Under mutual agreement these universities may exchange programs to enhance both entities by sharing course resources. As technology increases and distance learning becomes mainstream the transference of shared courses will be easier.

Models for teaching online is also improving and as more universities conduct research in online education and adapt current models to teaching and learning in a virtual environment the stronger the system becomes. Some argue that online education is making its way from disruptive technology to mainstream with distinct advantages for both students and colleges who adapt it and financial disadvantages to those who don’t. 

Student Engagement as a Priority Factor: 

Having the right models and technology only brings you so far because it is the students that need to engage the classroom for higher levels of learning. It doesn’t’ matter much how efficient universities become or their models if students are not willing to engage the classroom. The same problem occurs in traditional and online education.

Engagement is influenced by the nature of the course, its technical approach, its practicality, and the students background (Pimpa, 2011). Students will need to find some interest in the actual course and believe that it is practical information that is beneficial for their futures. When they engage, pay attention and complete work they are more likely to be satisfied with the outcomes. 

Making It Work Together: 

Higher education can take any form from sitting under a tree to zooming cyber world as long as students learn practical information that enhances their lives and opportunities. Research is starting to support the financial and educational benefits of online education. Universities that are suffering under heavy legacy costs, supersized facilities, and expensive structures are seeking ways to revamp.

Online education has strong international possibilities as Internet access gains momentum in most developing nations with intense hunger for higher education. Sometimes these universities will partner, swap, or collaborate with domestic universities. At other times universities may decide to go it alone and develop their own curriculum to meet the needs of the local student population and the requirements of the international community.

Sadykova, G. & Dautermann, J. (2009). Crossing cultures and borders in international online distance higher education. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13 (2).

Pimpa, N. (2011). Engaging international business students in the online environment. International Journal of Management Education, 9 (3).

Call for Papers: 8th Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium

April 22^nd-24^th,2015
Dallas, United States of America

The Emerging Technologies Symposium is devoted to the emerging and innovative uses of technology designed to improve teaching and learning online. The Symposium is geared to experienced professionals and interested newcomers to online learning alike.

Web address: http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2015/et4online/welcome

Buying Handmade American Shoes-Is There Such a Thing?

Minnetonka is a uniquely American shoe manufacturer that has grown from gift shops distribution to selling products in over 50 countries. Fusing Native American traditions with modern design they are able to create branded designs by hand. Few companies in the U.S. make much by hand anymore but Minnetonka has found a way to keep traditions alive while providing a superior product at a middle price bracket. 

Walking through the Old Town area I tried on a pair of casual dress shoes for work and found them to be of high quality and of very comfortable. I made a mental note of the company and searched them out online. After a little research I made a purchase and have been satisfied with that purchase making it more likely I will purchase again in the future. 

If you walk a lot having the right shoes is important. According to a posting in the NY Times blog the average American takes less steps than other nations; something akin to 5,000 versus 8,000 (1).  Health officials desire us to take up to 10,000 steps a day to keep ourselves in great shape and protect us from health issues. Having the right kind of shoes to protect your feet will encourage you to walk casually more often.

They want style, comfort, and price. The shoes do not out price the average American and offer a trendy alternative to over priced products found in many malls throughout the country. It should be remembered that price and quality are not always the same thing and each shoe design should be judged by its own merits. Brands like Minnetonka are built around their unique American heritage and high quality product.

http://www.minnetonkamoccasin.com/