A Safer Approach To Moving Handling And Storing Materials

"Precaution is better than cure", this proverb goes true not only in the health-care industry but in all industries, including those of heavy machineries. In addition to acquisition of raw materials, the efficient handling and storing of materials are vital to the heavy industry. The improper handling and storing of materials often result in costly injuries. To avoid such unwanted workplace hazards, the right material handling equipment is essential in more or less all heavy industries.
Weight and bulkiness of objects are major contributing factors to the injuries at workplace in many industries. Bending, followed by twisting and turning, are also more commonly cited movements that caused back injuries. Other hazards include falling objects, improperly stacked materials, and improper use of the various types of equipment. Manual material handling involves potential risks of injuries that can be among the following:

• Strains and sprains from lifting loads improperly or from carrying loads that are either too large or too heavy,
• Fractures and bruises caused by being struck by materials or by being caught in pinch points, and
• Cuts and bruises caused by falling materials that have been improperly stored or by incorrectly cutting ties or other securing devices.

It is essentially important to provide important safety information on handling, lifting, loading, storing and installing in heavy industries. Efficient flow and proper handling of materials is essential to a high production operation. A systematic approach should be used to reduce the total amount of required manual material handling and minimize the hazards associated with these activities during the planning and construction phases, by creating a unified material handling system.
Material handling equipment selection is a complex task and there is usually more than one good solution for any particular situation. The choice of material handling equipment depends on the product and process requirements. For this reason, material handling equipment can only be selected according to the product and process specifications. The entire material handling equipment process can be divided into three stages:

• Material Handling Equipment selection
• Rationalization of the selected Material Handling Equipment.
• Utilization and detailed design of the Material Handling Equipment

The types of material handling equipment are most often based on one of the following categories:

• Load Type
• Load Capacity
• Size
• Nature
• Speed
• Accumulation Required
• Distance
• Frequency Of Movement
• Flexibility of Path
• Loading and Unloading ability

An effective management always works towards worker safety and health protection. It is a decisive factor in reducing the extent and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses and their related costs.

Have You Selected Wrong Materials for Chemicals?

Chemicals are very much a part of our lifestyles. Every household detergent, solvent, and bleach that you use in your homes is a result of some production efforts from manufacturing plants somewhere in the world around you. Fertilizer, automobile radiator coolant, shampoo, soap, insecticide, paint solvent, lubricants, fuel oil are just a few that I can name right now. I'm sure you can find more around you, but you get the point. We use chemicals everywhere.

Anyone who has visited a chemical processing plant is sure to notice the many pumps, agitators, tanks, piping, and valves that are installed there. Liquid have to be transferred from one place to another. Pumps are therefore very important in a chemical processing plant. Without them the chemical processing plant will literally come to a halt!

One of the main jobs for Plant Engineers is to maintain the numerous pumps installed at their plant. These pumps can count into the hundreds or even thousands, depending on the size of the plant. So you should realize that to do a proper preventive maintenance, it is no mean task. There must be regular schedules, proper tracking of jobs done, available manpower and skills, suitable tools, replacement parts, materials and a proper system of administration of all these.

Sometimes, even with all the maintenance activities being carried out, pumps do fail. And when they do, plant engineers will have to find out what causes them to fail. Especially with new pumps where there is very little record trend of breakdown, engineers will be hard pressed into finding solutions for this. This is when experience helps in pinpointing the cause(s) of the failure.

Pumps or other machinery will give tell-tale signs when they are not working properly. An observant pump user will be able to avoid major breakdowns or damage if the problem is corrected early.

In order to solve any pump problem, we need to notice the symptoms carefully so as to determine the most likely causes. Instruments like pressure gauges are very helpful and should be installed in the pumping system.

Very often we do have to rely on our 5 senses to determine the exact symptom. Normally, pump problems can be classified into:

1) Suction Related,

2) System Related, or

3) Mechanical Related.

It can also be a combination of these.

Most of the system related problems occur because of design flaw. For example, the designer may have chosen the wrong pump whose characteristic does not match the system requirement. Suction related problems are usually caused by air locks that are due to a variety of reasons. I will not mention them here.

The effects of mechanical related problems could manifest themselves as suction related problems - air leaks in the system, worn out impellers, and mouth rings - but the most common symptom is the presence of vibration and abnormal noise in the equipment.

However, there is one area where we seldom focus on - the effect of chemicals. Was the material selected able to withstand the chemicals? If you have done all your designing right and you still find that leaks are occurring so frequently, chances are that the materials are failing due to chemical reaction. Signs of corrosion at the seals are a strong indication of material failure due to wrong usage.

Nowadays, waste treatment plants or even process plants are called upon to process strong acids, alkalis, oxidizers, solvents, waste, slurry and other corrosive and abrasive chemicals. And it is not only pumps that are affected. Agitators, storage tanks, and piping need to be compatible to these chemicals. If the wrong material is selected, it can lead to dangerous and widespread consequences of chemical spills, emergency evacuation, pollution, environmental damage and other disruptions to the production facility.

Engineers in such chemical processing plants need to know what materials are suitable to be used for their process. It is much more complex than just selecting materials for water pumps. Much detailed and careful selection choices based on the chemicals, the temperatures (because some of the plastic materials can weaken at temperatures that are considered normal for metals), chemical reactions, safety, spills and many others have to be taken.

The aim of any maintenance personnel is to lengthen the lifespan of equipment under his care. Selection of chemical resistant materials is not a one-cure-fits-all solution. Some materials are not affected by certain chemicals but can be damaged by others. Some have good mechanical strength while others cannot last long without reinforcement. Usually, materials that can withstand many types of chemicals are very expensive.

Cost considerations need to be taken into account when choosing a material for a certain application. If there is a choice of materials for a certain application, it makes better sense to choose cheaper materials if they can perform just as well.

There are several components to check for when selecting suitable materials:

1) Elastomers for flexible parts like seal rings and gaskets

2) Metal parts like shafting, springs, holders, bolts & nuts, and pressure gauges

3) Plastic parts like housing, piping, impellers, and covers

Metals have good mechanical strength that can last very long in operation. In fact some parts need to be made of metal, e.g. bearing housing and shafts. Pump housing made of metal can be casted and machined easily. They are able to withstand abrasive fluids and rough handling without any other reinforcement. One very important characteristic of metals is heat conduction. If the chemical to be pumped is hot, metal is always the choice.

Plastics have become the better choice for many corrosive chemical applications because it is more resistant to chemical action than metals. When using plastics to replace metals, you have to compromise on the mechanical strength of the pump. If the pump does not encounter much rough handling or abrasion, plastics can be used. Sometimes plastics are used to coat metal parts. These are fine as long as the plastic coating remains intact.

Elastomers are the flexible materials that are needed for sealing the pump parts. There should not be any compromise here. Laboratory tests on the suitability of elastomers with certain chemicals should be followed. Unsuitable material used can cause leaks that can lead to other failures in other parts.

With so many chemicals in use today, how do we know what materials can be used for what chemicals? Sometimes liquids to be pumped contain chemicals that are both corrosive and abrasive. Should we choose a plastic or a metal housing? Sometimes chemicals may become hot either through the process or through mis-operation of the system - perhaps, somebody forgot to open a valve. Plastic parts can weaken at high temperatures.

It's only through the result of test and actual operation that we are able to know what materials to use. It is good to know what to expect when we make a decision for a choice of materials to use. A good choice may involve some compromise.

Chemistry - Various Raw Materials

Natural Gas, Coal

Fossil fuels and many other raw materials are the remains of plants and animals which lived millions of years ago. They are composed of hydrocarbons, so we call them fossil carbon compounds. Fossil fuels and other raw materials can occur as solids, usually in stratified layers of earth. Or, these materials can be liquids, as with oil. Natural gas, which is found in underground caves in often great quantities, occurs sometimes in kilometre-wide supply. Because coal is usually deposited near the surface of the Earth, it was the first fossil fuel to be used as an energy provider by our distant ancestors. Oil and natural gas have gained their importance as fuels mostly as raw materials for industry, and that in more recent times.

Coal is a flammable material made from the remains of plants and other organic substances, which during millions of years of geological history has been charred, or carbonised, to a brown or black colour in a sedimentary layer. Coal can be divided into various kinds based on its degree of carbonisation: brown, black and anthracite.

While brown coal contains about 60-70% carbon and has a relatively high water content, with ash matter and bitumen making up around (asi 7-20% ), hard, black coal is much richer in carbon (75-92% ), while being lower in water content, ash and bitumen. This makes it more expensive, of course. Anthracite is coal with a high degree of carbonisation (containing more than 91.5% carbon). Its water and ash content are negligible.

Carbonisation, or charring, is a process by which fossilised compounds become coal. In the process of this long-term geochemical change, plant material (cellulose and lignite) are transformed into peat, then to brown coal, hard coal and anthracite. One of the prerequisites for carbonisation is a large amount of matter containing carbon. A damp environment is also needed, as is a moderate climate. The organic material has to be covered with a thick layer of mineral sediment (in a depression in the earth). Carbonisation begins at high temperature and pressure in the absence of air, leading to the decrease of the concentrations of hydrogen and oxygen in the material. On the other hand, the relative concentration of carbon in the material increases.

The degree of carbonisation in a material rises from peat material, to brown coal, to black coal, to anthracite.

The various types of coal, with their differing degrees of carbonisation, have variable heat, or calorific, value, with the least amount in peat. Calorific value is the amount of heat energy which is released when 1 kg of material is burned. The calorific value of the individual fossil fuels is given in units of kilojoules per kilogram (KJ/kg)

wood 16 800 KJ/kg

peat 16 380 KJ/kg

brown coal 21 000 KJ/kg

black coal 34 860 KJ/kg

anthracite up to 36 120 KJ/kg

benzene 44 520 KJ/kg

Coal is used in a number of industrial processes, and in households, mostly as a fuel.

Natural gas is a naturally-occurring gas which is often found in caverns in the earth, often together with oil. Natural gas can also be found in porous layers of sand. Natural gas is a mixture of gases composed mostly of methane. Other gases which can be found in natural gas are other hydrocarbons (ethane, propane, butane), nitrogen, hydrogen, water and helium. It is formed by the transformation of fossil compounds by long geological processes. Natural gas can be won by digging natural gas wells. Natural gas need not be taken from the surface of the earth, because the internal pressure of the layer where it is found is sufficient to push it up to the surface of the earth. It is used today as a propulsion and heating material. It is also widely used in many chemical processes.

Oil, Fossil Fuels and Raw Materials

Composition and Uses of Oil and Natural Gas

Oil begins to be formed when microorganisms decompose plant and animal matter in the absence of air. This previously organic material is amassed thousands of meters below the surface of the Earth, in porous caverns in sedimentary rock formations. Oil is a brown to black liquid. It is more or less viscous, thanks to its chemical composition. Oil is a mixture of materials, but it is primarily composed of normal or cyclic hydrocarbons (up to 80-90% ) and water (10-14% ). Oil can be burned when it is in its liquid state, as a heating oil, but it is also a raw material in the production of other fuels, lubricants, paraffins and bitumens. Besides these uses, it is a geochemical raw material which is used in other special processes which produce various powders, plastics and synthetic fibres, among others.

Separation of Individual Oil Fractions Using Distillation

Oil is composed of a mixture of linear and cyclic hydrocarbons. These can be separated by taking advantage of their different boiling points, using distillation to separate the components. When oil is heated, its fractions, or components, with the lowest boiling point vaporise first. If the distillation is carried out gradually and slowly, a fraction can be cooled, and the gas will condense. In this way, one liquid fraction can be isolated, and this fraction should be fairly pure. This separation of the individual fractions of oil is called a fractional distillation. Of course, each individual fraction separated contains a mixture of materials. Each mixture has its own special uses as well.

Approximate Boiling Point (° C) Fraction Uses

500 bitumen asphalt products, freeway materials

From a practical point of view, fractional distillation means that when oil is heated, it vaporises, its fumes rising up a column from its liquid origin in the bottom of the column to the top. These fumes are horizontally divided into individual columns. The temperature of each fraction decreases as the column rises away from the original liquid material. The fractions condense and can be divided out. Before a fractional distillation of oil is carried out, the original oil sample must be cleaned, which means removing the salts it contains, and removing any water which might be present.

Mineral Oils and Motor Oil

Fuels contain alkanes and cyclic hydrocarbons in their liquid form, with two main groups which can be distinguished. Motor oils are products with low boiling points (30-200° C). These can be used in the propulsion systems of Otto motors. Diesel oil is separated from a boiling fraction at temperatures of 200-300° C. It is used in diesel motors and has a higher burning temperature than petrol. When the fuel is completely burned, water and carbon dioxide are produced. If there is insufficient oxygen available during the burning process, carbon monoxide, a very poisonous and reactive gas, is produced. The release of excessive carbon monoxide into the air can result in problems in the atmosphere. To help solve this problem, modern cars are equipped with catalytic converters, in order to decrease the amount of carbon monoxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere. Catalytic converters change carbon monoxide into the less harmful carbon dioxide, as well as transforming harmful nitrogen oxides into less harmful compounds.

Environmental Consequences of Burning Fossil Fuels

Besides water, carbon dioxide is formed when fossil fuels are burned. This gas is released into the atmosphere. Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide rises, and the result is the we have to be concerned about possible changes to the Earth's climate. Carbon dioxide is not the only harmful gas released in burning reactions: Nitrogen-containing oxides and sulphur oxides are also released. The latter are easily dissolved in water, which makes them a main ingredient in rain, which falls on both land and water, acidifying our environment and bringing even more consequences to bear. The burning of fossil carbon sources, then, has significant effects on the Earth's climate, nature, agriculture and of course, our health. The use of alternative sources of energy, therefore, is the only possible answer to this dilemma. Only in this way can the negative effects of the release of these harmful gases be limited. Another possibility, of course, is using less energy, especially that derived from fossil fuels.

The significance of the above-mentioned alternative sources of energy has grown and continues to grow, on the one hand because of the pollution of our environment which is the result of the burning of fossil fuels. Not to be underestimated, however, is the reasoning that the stocks of these fuels are bound to be used up at some point in the not so distant future. Fossil fuels are one type of exhaustible energy source. There is only a certain amount of fossil fuels found on Earth; once this amount is gone, there is no way to produce more. As these stocks are used up, it will become more and more important to generate the energy humanity needs from alternative sources which can be regenerated and can therefore be used in a practically unlimited way. Wind energy, solar energy, hydroelectric energy and geothermic energy are only some of the possibilities.

Carboxylic Acids and Eesters

Nomenclature of Carboxylic Acids

Carboxylic acids are organic acids which contain a functional carboxylic group (-COOH). Aliphatic, saturated monocarboxylic acids which contain one carboxylic group in the molecule form a homologous group with the general chemical formula (CnH2a+1COOH). In naming of these acids, the compound name of the corresponding alkane is taken as an adjective, with the name of the acid added on. The first acids in the homologous group carry their traditional names:

formic acid (HCOOH)

acetic acid (CH3COOH)

propionate acid (CH3CH2COOH)

butyl acid (CH3CH2CH2COOH)

When the salts of carboxylic acids are named, the base name of the corresponding alkane is taken and an -ate suffix is added to the end. The cation of the salt is indicated by an adjective of the name of the element.

The hydrocarbon portion of the molecule of carboxylic acids is named according to how the corresponding alkane would be named. This is characterised by the main symbol of the carboxylic acid - for example the carboxylic group (-COOH), which is the functional group.

Physical Properties and Reactivity

Molecules of carboxylic acid are polar. The carboxylic groups contained on the molecules form hydrogen bonds with neighbouring molecules. Thanks to these weak intermolecular forces, carboxylic acids have high melting and boiling points. With increasing size of the hydrocarbon rest of the molecule, the polar character of the functional group is masked by the non-polar character of the hydrocarbon chain. The first homologous members of the series are liquids which are soluble in water. As the series continues, however, its members become solid at room temperature, and begin dissolving in non-polar solvents. Because of their acidic character, carboxylic acids form salts with impure metals.

The acid reactions which take place among carboxylic acids are caused to a great degree by the presence of their carboxylic group. Its oxygen atom increases the polar character of bonds formed with oxygen and hydrogen, making it very easy for it to release an electron - to form a carboxylic ion.

Acetic Acid

Acetic acid is the base ingredient of common table vinegar. Acetic acid is a clear liquid with an acrid odour. It is corrosive, and combined with indicators, it reacts in an acidic manner. Concentrated acetic acid is known as icy acetic acid, because below 16.6° C, its melting point, it hardens into a metal-like structure. Acetic acid is easily soluble in water and ethanol. When it is reacted with impure metals, hydrogen, metal salts and acetic acids known as octanes (acetates) are formed. Acetic acid is used in the food service industry. It is used as a preservative in the production of some groceries.

In industry, acetic acids are used to produce acetic acid esters. These are good solvents. In addition, acetic acids can be used in the production of plastics, artificial silks, some medicines and paints and other colourings.

The acids which are found in vinegar are produced with the help of the bacteria found in alcoholic wine. This reaction has as its mechanism the oxidation of ethanol by oxygen contained in the air, to acetic acid. This process is called acetic fermentation.

bacteria

CH3CH2OH + O2 ¾ ¾ ¾ ® CH3COOH + H2O

Ethanol acetic acid

Production of Esters and their Reactivity

Esters are produced when carboxylic acids are allowed to react with alcohols. Esters have the functional group -COO-. Water is also produced as a by-product in the reaction which produces esters.This is a reversible reaction, sometimes also called an equilibrium reaction. The break-up of an ester (reversible reaction) is called the hydrolysis of an ester. The synthesis of an ester is a multi-step reaction, with additions and eliminations included.

Significance of Esters

One of esters' most distinguishing characteristics is their intense odour, similar in some cases to fruits and other plants. For this reason, they are often used in the food service industry, especially in the production of certain delicacies or additives which tend to intensify some tastes in foods. Esters are good solvents. They are ingredients in some glues and paints. In the production of an ester from an acid derived from an alkane bonded to glycerin (glycerol), fats and oils are produced. The oils contain

unsaturated carboxylic acids of ester glycerin. The fats contain saturated acids. Waxes are esters of higher aliphatic alkanols with carboxylic acids. They have 16-32 carbon atoms in each molecule. Fats and oils are very significant for living organisms, because important materials necessary for living systems can dissolve in them.

Cautions About Buying Online Educational Materials

When the Internet first materialized from the ether and teachers discovered its potential as a research and educational tool, it became a teacher responsibility to educate students on the "Good, Bad, and the Ugly" of the Internet. Even today, students still have difficulty discerning fact from just plain garbage on the Internet. They still believe that everything they read there is TRUE. Now I am discovering that many adults have the same trouble. My biggest concern with this is in the area of educational materials.

In the real world, most people still feel that teachers should be held to a higher standard and that schools should be "doing right" by their child. Parents are quick to complain if something goes wrong. Teachers today have to be fingerprinted and go through extensive background checks--even teachers who have had perfect records for 30 years.

At the same time, parents are buying "educational materials" from the Internet with just the assumption that these materials are appropriate for their child and are correct. Parents are also reading articles and looking at websites and accepting that what they are reading is fact without doing any research of the topic or checking into the background of the author.

I recently read an article about becoming a psychologist. Since I have a degree in Psychology, I was interested in what the author had to say. I was shocked to see him write that you can become a psychologist with a 2-year Associates degree. This is simply NOT TRUE! His article ended with a link to a site pushing Psychology programs. It was not his site-he had misread some of the information from the site-and he is not a Psychologist himself. I suspect he has no Psychology training at all.

I read a large number of tutoring articles all written by the same person. He had terrible grammar and spelling (he needed a tutor) and some of his articles contained information that was inaccurate. Surprise! Every article ended with a link to an online tutoring site.

I don't have trouble with the concept of using articles to drive traffic to a site to sell products like eBooks on how to get you ex back or how to market an online business or search engine optimization. You, the buyer, realize these sites and/or authors have a vested interest in getting you to buy their product. The important issue is that if you get taken for a ride, only YOU suffer the consequences.

This is not the case for educational materials being purchased by parents for their children. If parents buy materials that are not produced by educators, are not based on sound educational practices, or are actually bad materials, it is the CHILD who will suffer the consequences. What you do to yourself is your business, but what you do to a child is everyone's business. Online educational sites and materials need to be held to that higher standard. Parents need to know that the producers of these materials are "up to date" with their knowledge and can be trusted.

A few years ago, when the home-schooling movement began to grow quickly, there was an increased demand for materials they could use. The Internet is now "littered" with sites trying to make a buck off this demand. Typical worksheets are easy, quick, and cheap to produce. But just because someone can type two columns of addition problems doesn't make the worksheet good for your child. Current science is showing us that worksheets are contrary to the way the brain learns. I have found virtually no websites offering worksheets that are actually good for children. Many sites don't show examples of their material so you don't even know what you will be getting.

PhD in Curriculum and Instruction For Better Education Materials and Methods

As any well-meaning teacher is aware, each student works at a speed which ticks according to his or her academic clock. Even in a class of supposedly smart students, everyone understands what is taught at varying rates and degrees. Hence, the skill in drawing up an effective curriculum is very often an art and science bundled together. With experience gained from many years of teaching and observing people, such a professional is best suited to pursue a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction to make an impact in the education system.

A PhD in this specialization revolves around much research on what and how best to teach people to comprehend, retain and pass on knowledge. Once this can be successfully accomplished, it also provides some guarantee that future generations benefit from what their predecessors have learnt and pass onto them. We often see present curriculum development and technology not in accordance with the times as students are thought based on what was evident eons back. Although it is important to reflect on history, it is just as crucial not to dwell on it. With little or no exposure to the present, there are no means to deal with the good and bad of today. It's likened to food without salt. Although it may give you nourishment, it is bland and not appetizing enough for a second helping.

By being a professional in the teaching or curriculum field, equipping yourself with a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction allows you to delve deeper into mapping an effective curriculum according to target student group. As part of your PhD research, you will cover and identify suitable methods of instruction and assessment for said curriculum. You then seek balance between the cognitive and behavioral approaches. Theories of learning by thought as compared to behavior are to be handled accordingly. Putting in layman's terms, sometimes you see to learn and other times, you learn to see.

This PhD program encompasses a wide spectrum of curriculum levels and areas. Specialization can be in the study of the curriculum development and technology itself or by disciplines such as languages, sciences, mathematics. They may focus from elementary to middle school to tertiary levels, or even concentrate on adult teaching or special education. Whichever it may be, there are various areas for one who is interested to improve the current curriculum to produce a wiser generation with practical capabilities.

Education Definition and Its Importance

Education is also known by many other names such as learning, teaching, and schooling. The term is derived from the Latin word 'educatio' ('a bringing', 'a rearing', 'a bringing up') which is related to other Latin words 'educo' ('I train', I educate'), the homonym 'educo' ('I raise up', 'I take out', 'I erect', 'I lead forth'), and 'duco' ('I lead, I conduct'). Generally, education is the act or experience which affects the formation of one's character, mind, and physical ability. Technically, the term refers to the process by which society intentionally transmits accumulated values, skills, as well as knowledge from the older generation to the younger. Essentially, education covers all instructions and discipline which are aimed at correcting the temper, enlightening the understanding, forming manners and habits, and giving useful skills for children in order to be used in their future.

The process of education includes three major aspects - instruction (learning facilitation delivered by a teacher or tutor), teaching (the action done by the teacher or tutor as an instructor to deliver the learning materials to the students), and learning (an action done by those who are taught to receive knowledge, abilities, or skills that may be useful in the future).

A school can be seen as a place where we learn about life before we jump into the real world. School prepares students to deal with various problems in life. However, nowadays you can still find education systems that put emphasis on the importance of memorizing facts and figures, as well as achieving good grades. Instead of eliciting the learner's appetite for knowledge, these things will only discourage them. Children who are stuffed with facts are figures have the tendency to become passive individuals who are less motivated to think, ask questions, and throw new ideas.

To encourage students to learn more and more new things, educators must provide them with new ideas and new ways of thinking. Besides the conventional textbooks, children should be introduced new education materials from their surroundings as well as from the internet. There are thousands of learning methods and materials available out there. If you are a parent, encourage your child to find the best way of learning, that way education will be a fun activity instead of a boring one. A good method should encourage children to think, not follow a lesson. The combination of learning and practice (or action) will encourage the children to make mistakes and learn from them. Nobody is perfect and it is not a crime to make a mistake. With the right approach, instead of being embarrassed of making some errors and mistakes, children will wisely learn from them and eventually become better individuals with better understanding about themselves and how things work.

Instead of bombarding children with repetitions of learning materials, education will be more effective if students are given the encouragement and chance to give their own opinions and arguments about even the simplest matter. While teaching materials are usually delivered orally, visual materials as well as observation are also very important.

The Internet: How Educators Can Fully Benefit From It

Games, pictures, audio and video content. Multimedia. This is what the internet offers to educators all around the world. A lesson should be concise yet jam packed with information the students need to absorb.

It should encapsulate all the important elements but be presented in a way that would not saturate the learner's mind which can later cause little attention given to the lesson by the students. Little attention given to lessons can hinder retention of the information being presented.

The internet abounds with multimedia materials that can help stimulate and capture the attention of learners, young and old alike. Knowing which materials can help facilitate classroom activities is a plus for educators.

Authentic materials are materials not made for classroom use but can be used for classroom activities and achieve the same effect as usual classroom materials do. What are some examples of authentic materials?
Songs - Popular songs can be used to teach lessons such as usage of prepositions or conjunctions. Finding rhyming words in songs can also be an activity that learners can do.
Online articles - "How to..." articles can be a great way to test for children's skills on following instructions. Giving them a list of instructions and having them come up with the finished product successfully can help educators measure their accuracy in reading skills through this product-based activity.
Videos - Some video clips of famous poems or classic works are available in the internet as well. Plays from Shakespeare like Romeo and Juliet are easily available in many different interpretations from which teachers can choose from.

For those who do not have interest in reading, presenting them with videos on selected plays or short stories can deliver the lesson as well. Though originally made for entertainment purposes, these videos can relay what the text contains through the scenes portrayed.

The internet is a place full of resources and innovative ideas on how educators can make the learners' classroom experience more meaningful and exciting. However, teachers must exercise caution as well when choosing materials.

Educators should take time to see the quality of the materials they are about to use inside the classroom and see these can be deemed student-friendly and can be truly considered as helpful authentic materials.

Through using resources found on the internet, educators can be both effective and efficient as the materials they use can cut discussion time in half while engaging the students' attention.