Education Never Ends

"Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last." Arthur Conan Doyle

This famous quotation; by Arthur Conan Doyle, could I suppose be loosely applied to today's self publisher as, even without specialized knowledge or training; the more one does something, the better one becomes at it.

Let us consider a little more closely, some of the problems facing self published authors today. To begin with; self publishing requires a financial investment, a complete and utter dedication to writing, which, if nothing else, is time consuming, and the ability to market the finished manuscript in book form, be it eBook or in paperback version; for most of us the marketing aspect has to be learned.

If we were to switch our perspective now, from one of an author attempting to sell his work, to that of a passionate reader; searching for a particular genre of e-book to read, whilst browsing the countless book reviews to be found on the internet. But just how many book reviews will they read before finding; an inspiring title with a synopsis that thrills, a dozen... perhaps more? I doubt it. Book revues alone are not going to sell your book in appreciable quantities
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For the author, on the other hand; finding a suitable market place to display their literary work; one that fulfills the criteria of being a hundred percent visible to eBook enthusiasts is becoming increasingly difficult, and due I believe, to the ever growing number of new authors across the literary genres.

Competition is rife, and invariably, authors today are spending vast amounts of time looking for the perfect solution; in vain I might add, as there is not just one solution, rather, what's needed is a series of carefully crafted solutions, which, when linked together; become the authors marketing stagey. How many of us, when we first put pen to paper, considered that; not only did we need to be proficient writers, but would eventually have to learn the multifaceted intricacies of global marketing; and these days it is global... I certainly didn't.

Social media groups are a good place to begin your campaign, but don't let it rest there. Free book days will help; as they will get your work read and possibly generate revues; which in turn will help to sell your book.

Creating an active and interesting Blog site where you can feature a synopsis and a chapter or two of your recently published book can work wonders. But how does one attract potential readers there? Well I can tell you that; "Come to my new blog site and read all about me, and my new book" won't do, you are going to need a far more subtle approach these days.

What you need to appreciate is; that the world and his wife are not clamoring to discover your literary genius, at least not yet. So you will need some form of strategy.

My own approach to the problem; was to create several Blog pages related to my book, and other writings, after which I focused on self publishing in a wider sense. That is to say; I provided useful links for self published authors who are in need of a high end cover image for their book, after which I ran an C G I artists "Computer Generated Image" spotlight, featuring a prize winning American C G I artist, and five of his most prolific works.

Once you have decided on a strategy, and created your Blog site, all that remains is to register with several of the more popular, and my case it was authors and writers' forums, and contribute to one or more of the topics related to; self publishing or whatever you decided on as your own area of expertise, and then, where permitted, leave a link to your Blog site. Do bear in mind though; that one visit only is hardly sufficient as a regular presence there will yield a better result.

Don't limit yourself to just one area of expertise either, explore other avenues, and broaden your horizons, and by doing so; extend your reach into that global market place.

Finally, beware of the Bear trap that offers; "10 sure fire ways to sell your book, for only $50" or, "Grow your audience by 300% in under two hours," and so on, because there are, without doubt; hundreds of, "sure fire ways to sell your book", gurus, all of whom will guarantee that their patent method is the best, which flies in the face of logic of course, as they cant all work.

The best way to sell your book is to do it yourself, and providing that you work at it conscientiously, with an unerring passion, you will begin to notice that more and more people are visiting your Blog site.

Have I sold more books since I created a Blog site? It's too early to say, but I have become more visible to prospective buyers, and the daily hits on my Blog site; do creep unquestionably, albeit gradually, higher.

Currently I am learning about "Search Engine Optimization"; S E O, as a method to make my Blog site more visible and, for those of you who don't understand S E O; as indeed I didn't, then do as I did; look it up on Google, and begin a new lesson...

Education and Islam

Islam is the religion of peace, and it is one of the most sacred and trustworthy religions, which has given us guidance in every aspect of life. Islam has given us education with knowledge which has no limits. The Holy Quran is the most sacred book of Allah revealed on Prophet Muhammad (SAW), for the upliftment guidance and enriched messages to the humanity.

Education is the knowledge of putting one's potentials to maximum use. Without education, no one can find the proper right path in this world.

This importance of education is basically for two reasons. Education makes man a right thinker. Without education, no one can think properly in an appropriate context you. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is that only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world. It is well said that

"Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards outside world."

This is why Islam attaches such great importance to knowledge and education. When the Quran began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was 'Iqra' that is, read..

The reflective book of Holy Quran is so rich in content and meaning that if the history of human thought continues forever, this book is not likely to be read to its end. Every day it conveys a new message to the humanity. Every morning, it gives us new thoughtful ideas and bound us in the boundaries of ethics.

Islamic Education is one of the best systems of education, which makes an ethical groomed person with all the qualities, which he/she should have as a human being. The Western world has created the wrong image of Islam in the world. They don't know that our teachings are directly given to us from Allah, who is the creator of this world, through our Prophets.

The Muslims all over the world are thirsty of acquiring quality education. They know their boundaries and never try to cross it. It is the West, which has created a hype that the Muslim are not in a path of getting proper education. They think that our education teaches us fighting, about weapons, etc., which is so false. This is true that there are certain elements, which force an individual to be on the wrong path, because as we will mould a child, they will be like that, but it doesn't mean that our religion teaches improperly to us.

Our Holy Prophet (SAW), said,

Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.

And:

Seek knowledge even [if it is to be found in a place as distant as China. At the battle of Badr, in which our beloved Holy Prophet (SAW) gained victory over his foes, seventy people of the enemy rank were taken to prison. These prisoners were literate people. In order to benefit from their education the Prophet declared that if one prisoner teaches ten Muslim children how to read and write, this will serve as his ransom and he will be set free. This was the first school in the history of Islam established by the Prophet himself with all its teachers being non-Muslims. The Sunnah of the Prophet shows that education is to be received whatever the risk involved.

Today, the Muslims are acquiring good ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and skills, from all corners of the world. The world is moving very fast, and in this industrialize world, It is the duty of the teachers to give quality ethical integrated education to the Muslim students worldwide, because children are invaluable assets of future generations.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encouraged all Muslims to acquire knowledge and share it. He said:

"Acquire knowledge, for he who acquires it in the way of Allah performs an act of piety; he who speaks of it, praises the Lord; he who seeks it, adores Allah; he who dispenses instruction in it, bestows alms; and he who imparts it to others, performs an act of devotion to Allah." (Bukhari, Muslim)

All the teachers of either secular or religious education should give more attention to the pupils inside the classroom. It is necessary that in the Islamic system that we should consider these dear children as our own children, and put aside all other considerations, and rise above all such things and realize our duty and our mission. We should raise the standards of education and attend to the needs of these children. We should realize our duties with earnestness and awaken to the sense of responsibility. It has been seen that there are certain teacher who are not fulfilling their duties with keen interest. I would like to request all the teachers that for the sake of God, for the sake of your revolutionary duty, teach the children with devotion and dedication.

It is important that we advance our work through discussions, debates, studies, and through proper distribution of work among ourselves.

We must never forget that we are living in an Islamic State, and our aim should be simultaneously to create both an independent as well as an Islamic culture in character. Independence and richness of content are indeed among the characteristics of the Islamic culture. Our system is an ideological system.

We should make our child enthusiastic, dynamic, and this search should pervade every corner of our society. We should aspire them to be truthful and sincere.

Self-sacrifice and generosity, love of freedom, the resolve for resistance and headstrong perseverance, the courage to welcome martyrdom-all these are the new values of the new generation, which should be taught according to the teaching of Islam.

The doors of the school should always be kept open for the sake of Islam, for the sake of the Muslim Ummah.

Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the famous, prominent and creative names in the field of Education since 8 years. He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate, Teacher Educator and a Teacher. He is a Freelance Writer and Photographer too. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children named as "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN" and has also written Biology course book for Secondary Classes. He has written almost more than 40 articles on social, health, educational and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized and published on most of the famous world wide websites, magazines and newspapers. He is also a Social worker, private tutor, career counselor, musician, lyrics writer and have multi- dimensional talents. His future plan is to write dozens of informative books and articles and to work for education and media too.

Book Censorship in Schools - Why Books Get Banned

Many folks do not realize that our education system in the US has banned many different books over the years, including various versions of the dictionary for explanations of sexual acts and incest for instance. Wikipedia notes that "Catcher in the Rye" and "Grapes of Wrath" were once banned in the US, of course not anymore. Kansas had banned textbooks discussing evolution, and in Pennsylvania they'd banned textbooks explaining "divine intervention" theory. Some books have been banned by the government due to the potential of giving away military or state secrets, that would include producing them for schools.

Speaking of our schools, have you ever wondered why books get censored in schools or are rendered unacceptable for school libraries? Well, let's talk shall we - specifically let's talk about 5 of the more common reasons why books are banned?

1. Religious Reasons
2. Political Correctness
3. Taboo Topics in Society
4. Vulgarity and Moral Issues
5. Parents Find the Unsuitable

Many schools which are run by religious organizations will refuse to allow certain books on the property, generally there isn't much opposition to this because those who are devout enough to send their kids to these schools tend to agree, those who send their kids there for a superior education at a private school may oppose such, but generally won't speak up and risk having their children asked to go elsewhere to get an education.

Political correctness would be the other side of the religious fundamentalist motif and motivation for banning books or having textbooks re-worded to fit a softer tone on various subjects and often these two sides of the argument are both very vehemently charged. Although they often agree on some things being banned such as extreme vulgarity or extreme racism and extreme violence is becoming a more common theme that both of these groups can agree on.

Of course, once we get into college, kids are no longer kids or teens, they are adults and as adults most Universities and colleges believe that it is their right to choose what they read or reject on their own personal and moral grounds. Still, we can understand how parents become activists as they don't want certain material taught to their children, who can blame them?

There is enough violence on TV, in video games, and online already. It's hard to keep our children safe. Some parents decide home schooling is the only answer - perhaps you can begin to understand why? Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on the Future of Education. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

Audio Books Bring Entertainment And Education

Audio books are good friends of all who want to read but may not have the time to do so. You can listen to them anytime and anywhere to learn or to entertain. Imagine an avid reader who keeps himself up-to-date with the latest books of interest in spite of a watertight schedule. How would he be able to do that? The answer could lie in listening to audio literature while driving to his workplace, walking in the shopping mall, or during break times at work. Audio books are not just learning tools but are being used as entertainment tools by everyone, from kids to the elders.

Audio books are recordings of the contents of a book, read aloud by actors, good readers, or the authors themselves. The reading is done creatively to appeal the reader of various ages. If the books are children's literature or poetry, they normally have good music and dramatization done in order to appeal to the children.

The audio books were earlier available as audio cassettes, but with technology harnessed they are now available as CDs or in downloadable formats. Unlike in earlier times the audio literature are not as expensive. They can even be downloaded free from some Internet sites. They can be copied to portable media devices such as an iPod and MP3 players.

Audio books are no longer only a learning tool for kids. It is also useful in adult education. Some people even use it to learn foreign languages. It assists in improving your behavior, daily life and to develop new hobbies. The audio literature allow you to catch up with reading the book that you may not have been able to lay your hand on till now.

The best advantage is that you can order an audio book online. Rather than getting it delivered at the doorstep, you can simply order an online download, which would be done immediately. Even if you lose that copy you may have another copy in the basket of the earlier purchase. Even the libraries now have a section for audio literature. Readers from all walks of life can take advantage of this facility.

Audio books are also available on a wide range of subjects. There are classics, self help manuals, and the latest best sellers. The exercise provides lots of entertainment when you are tired after a day of work. You may relax listening to one of your favorite audio literature.

Even between your work times, you can find the chance to relax by listening to one of your audio books. It allows you to enjoy traveling. With the audio literature you can put your time to good use. It allows you to concentrate and keep yourself alert and energized. Even while driving, rather than flipping channels of a radio to find something relevant and of interest, the audio book would help you to experience the joy of listening to interesting literature.