Meet Chris Mason, Author of Tutor in a Box

Chris Mason has spent the last 20 years raising three kids with special needs. During this time, he received his Bachelor's in Psychology and a Master's in Education. When his children attended an online charter school, he needed to find ways to save money and found many free resources through the internet. Tutor in a Box shares many useful--and free!--resources for students, parents, and educators. Chris has written many other "in a Box" reference guides to the best free stuff in particular areas.

1. What audience did you have in mind as you researched and wrote your book, Tutor in a Box?

The primary audience was the overworked soccer mom or families with children in alternative school settings.

2. How much time did it take you to find all the resources in your book?

Tutor took about six years to complete.

3. With so much information on the internet, what were your criteria for separating the useful resources from the not-so-useful ones?

I used the following criteria for website inclusion:

A. The 30 second rule. Could I figure out the website in 30 seconds? If the answer was no, the website was discarded; if the answer was yes, the website moved on to step B.
B. Was the website and its educational content geared towards students? As before, a no answer got a website dropped from consideration, and a yes moved it forward.
C. What was the grade level of the website, and what was it teaching? For example, 6th grade California mission history.
D. What was the website's focus? Skill instruction, skill reinforcement, enrichment, or reference.
E. Was the website unique?
F. Did I enjoy the website, or did it help me?

If a website passed the above tests, it was included in Tutor in a Box.

I also tried to make sure to include websites for all modalities of learning. For example, in math, if reading something is the best way a student learns, then Purple Math is for them. If, however, the student is an audio-visual learner, then Khan Academy is the best fit.

4. Would you tell us a little bit about some of your other "in a box" projects?

The "in a Box” series of books are a set of reference guides to the best free resources on the internet in a particular area. The series currently includes:

• Tutor in a Box - A guide to free educational resources.
• Book Store in a Box - A guide to free print and audio books.
• Arcade in a Box – A guide to free video games.
• Video Store in a Box – A guide to free television and movies.
• Record Store in a Box – A guide to free music.
• Entrepreneur in a Box – A guide to the best ways to make money on the internet.
• App Store in a Box – A guide to the best free applications for mobile devices.

5. What's your advice to other authors with a unique idea but who haven't explored self-publishing before?

This is a multipart answer.

A. Write what you love and are passionate about, if you care about it others will because your passion will leap off the page.
B. Don't write about what's popular on Amazon. Stand out and be different.
C. Have your audience in mind as you write; it helps keep you focused.
D. Match your subject matter to your delivery system. Not every book is good for every format. For example, the "in a Box” series would not be good for the audio format due to its online nature.
E. Don't be afraid to outsource parts of the writing process that are outside your skill set. For example, I outsource my cover creation and formatting. This way I can just focus on the writing. This includes marketing as well.
F. Lastly, as corny as it sounds, believe in yourself. In the immortal words of Ed Wood, "Just write. If it is bad, it will get better, and if it is good, it will become great. Just keep writing."

Thanks, Chris!

Meet Mike Reid, Creator of STUDTEGERY, an Educational Board Game

When Mike Reid is not working his theatre manager job, or TV/screenwriting (Pastor Greg - sitcom, Super Simple Science - TV science show, His Kids - kids talk show, BB's Bedtimes Stories with Monty - children's TV series), he is selling his educational board game STUDTEGERY. Learn more at http://www.studtegery.com, or check out STUDTEGERY on Teachers Pay Teachers.

1. How did you come up with the idea for STUDTEGERY?

During my time in college in the mid to late 80s, seldom did I go anywhere without a set of index cards with facts on them so I could study for my next test at a moment's notice. Also during that time, Trivial Pursuit became the most popular board game to sweep college campuses. When I started brainstorming the type of game I wanted to create, these two life experiences played a major contribution to the creation of STUDTEGERY.

2. What is the significance of the name of your game?

I wanted a name that represented what this board game does, which is to combine studying with strategy and makes studying fun. I remembered that Saturday Night Live skit where Will Ferrell's George W. Bush character used the made up word STRATEGERY and thought, "What if used the 'TEGERY' suffix in my game's name?" and the name STUDTEGERY was born. Furthermore, while the name still has most of "STUDYING" and a little bit of "STRATEGY" in it, well, most of the letters in "STRATEGY," it is fun to say. Go ahead and say it, STUDTEGERY.

3. Why do students--and teachers and parents!--like the game?

• Students like STUDTEGERY because it makes studying fun.
• Teachers like STUDTEGERY because it helps the struggling students review for tests more effectively than the ask and answer test review which the struggling students avoid partaking in for fear of being embarrassed if they answer incorrectly in front of their peers.
• Parents like STUDTEGERY because it is a fun way for them to be involved with their children's studies.

4. How can individual students adapt the game to suit what they need to study at a particular time?

The great thing about STUDTEGERY is from 3rd grade to graduate school, it works all subjects, classes, and courses as long as the student is studying for a multiple choice type test. While STUDTEGERY has no clue what you need to study, you and/or your teacher do. You and/or your teacher create the multiple choice test preparation questions/answers from your class lectures, notes, handouts, text books, etc, and you use those questions/answers for game play.

5. What was your process like in creating the game--from designing it to having it manufactured, and then marketing it?

The thought process with my design was to replicate a multiple choice test. Just like most multiple choice tests, I went with only black and white colors. The players' pieces and answer sticks were the letters "A," "B," "C," and "D."

As for getting STUDTEGERY manufactured, I went with a company called 521 Promo. I found their manufacturing prices to be very fair. I sent them the prototype I made from an old Trivial Pursuit game, and from there, we worked together on getting the graphics just right, then got the games manufactured and safety tested.

As for marketing STUDTEGERY, I am still riding the learning curve as I just launched the game. I first set up a website (www.studetegery.com) from which to sell STUDTEGERY. I have also made STUDTEGERY available for sale on Amazon.com and TeachersPayTeachers.com. Since my budget is extremely limited and school just started back, I am focusing on teachers, schools, PTA/PTOs, and homeschools in September and October, then onto parents and students for the Christmas season. Of course, I am working hard on getting distribution into brick and mortar retail stores.

Thanks, Mike!

Meet Mauricio, Founder of NEWinPM, a Website for Project Management Education

Mauricio is the founder of NEWinPM.com, a modern e-learning site that first launched in January 2013. Since then, the educational materials on the site have been helping students from all over the world to study project management and prepare for their CAPM Certifications. If you are just beginning your project management studies, NEWinPM was designed with you in mind. Check out the following link to learn more about how to get CAPM certified.

1.When you came up with the idea for an e-learning site, why did you choose to focus on project management?

Education has always been a thing of high importance to me and close to my heart. I am a Project Manager myself within a MNC. We never wanted to restrict our business to a particular region or space. Project Management today is one of the most important stepping stones to one's career and professional needs.

The reason for choosing online education and especially imparting Project Management study was to make sure that students and professionals all over the world, and especially beginners, get to know Project Management better through our Online Courses and learn the necessary steps to progress in their careers.

2. What is the PMBOK, and why is it so important to people who want a career in project management?

PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) is a study guide from the PMI (Project Management Institute) to share the best practices involved in Project Management operations. It consists of a collection of processes and concepts that are vital to Project Management implementation across multiple industries.

For those who are passionate about Project Management and are looking for a breakthrough in their careers by writing their Project Management entry level exam (CAPM), PMBOK will teach all the basics of Project Management and the guidelines followed in Project Management. Aspirants should follow this book so that they will be able to leverage all the concepts in their real time work, too.

3. What is CAPM certification, and how does your site help people prepare for this credential?

CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) is an entry-level certification from the PMI that helps beginners and aspirants gain fundamental knowledge of the processes involved in Project Management.

NEWinPM is a modern online educational platform that focuses on imparting Project Management education for those who want to undertake CAPM and other Project Management exams. Our practices follow the latest knowledge books from the PMI and ensure that students and professionals stay up-to-date with the concepts.

4. Would you tell us a bit more about the resources your site provides to help people get started in project management?

NEWinPM offers tailored services to suit the needs of different individuals. Our approach is very unique in its way where we offer video tutorials that add a great value to learning. We also have tons of study materials, quizzes, and games that help in the learning process and make it far interesting.

For our students we also offer many tips and tricks, as well as community support where they will interact with fellow students and enrich their knowledge. Our forums and articles offer plenty of Project Management news and knowledge that can be very valuable for students and professionals.

5. If you were talking to someone who had never taken any sort of online class or study program before, what would you describe as some of the specific benefits of the e-learning format?

The convenience of learning at any time and anywhere makes e-learning the best way to gain knowledge. Today in this fast-paced world, the majority of the students and professionals are busy with personal and professional commitments that make it hard for them to study effectively.

NewinPM has taken the leap here to address these issues. We offer convenient e-learning project management coaching for CAPM that is fully packed with all the resources from videos, books, quizzes, article sections, forums, community discussion, and much more than you may ever want.

Thanks, Mauricio!

Meet Maximilian L Linhard of Affairs Today, A Global Business Journal

Maximilian L. Linhard is one of the founders and current CFO of AffairsToday LTD. He is studying towards his MA in Economics/Business & Management at the University of Glasgow.

Affairs Today is a student business journal that targets a global audience. Articles on the site are analysis-based, meaning that they provide insights into what is happening, why it is happening, and what the consequences will be. Contributors work with Affairs Today on a volunteer basis, new writers are always welcome. Read a sample article from the journal by checking out this interview with King Simeon II of Bulgaria.

1. What inspired the creation of Affairs Today?

While visiting the University of Edinburgh the CEO, Alexandre C. Gianasso, and I were looking for a business-related student publication. We noticed that all student publications were either too general or not student-operated. As both of us are entrepreneurial business students, we spotted the niche and decided to set up our own student business journal. To further stand out from the crowd of student journals, we decided that we are not just operating at our university or within the United Kingdom, but that we are a global student business journal.

2. How has the journal grown in its first year?

We started with two people last February. Over the first couple of months, we added a few contributors to the team. Real growth, however, occurred after we promoted our current COO, Ferdinand v. Götzen, from the role of contributor to editor-in-chief. Within a couple of month we incorporated Affairs Today Ltd., and increased our staff numbers. Now we have a constantly growing team of more than 20 contributors, and several managerial roles.

3. What are you looking for in contributors to your journal--and how does publication in Affairs Today benefit the contributors as well as the readers of the site?

All our contributors are students. That is the key point of the journal. We want to provide the best possible news analysis and content created by students. Besides being students, we are looking for people with drive who are motivated by the opportunity of achieving more than just getting a degree during their time at university. This drive together with a passion for writing and the topic they cover is what makes our contributor team special.

In return, they benefit from gaining first-hand experience in the field of journalism and developing their writing and analysis skills. Moreover, they are part of a growing start-up that might shape the journalistic scene of the 21st century.

4. What are your individual interests when it comes to your business and economics?

Personally, I want to awaken interest in students. A lot of students live their lives oblivious to current issues and what is going on in the world. I am confident that we can reach them by providing information from a student perspective. I also hope to show that there are reliable alternatives to established news outlets.

In terms of my interests in economics, I focus on financial markets and growth. Since the big crisis, the financial sector has been highly scrutinized. In addition, most mainstream media outlets have blamed only financial institutions for the crisis. This has been done by often misrepresenting facts. I hope to show that more factors were causing the crisis than just corporate greed and risk-taking.

5. Do you think that our global internet culture makes it easier for younger people to become involved in startups and other entrepreneurial business projects?

Definitely. Only 20 years ago it would have been impossible to set up a journal like Affairs Today without major financial support. Within a fortnight we managed to have everything running. That is all thanks to the global internet culture. Just looking around on a university campus also reveals how many internet-entrepreneurs there are. Two close friends of mine started their own internet-business and there are various meetings and conventions for students pursuing their dream for a tech start-up. Not only do they receive support from various sides, but most importantly from fellow-minded individuals. I think that we have to thank the global internet culture for that.

Thanks, Maximilian!

iCarryalls Makes iPad Accessories for College Students

When you make an investment in an iPad or other tablet computer, you want to keep your device looking and functioning like new for as long as possible. I see people with all sorts of different iPad sleeves, many of them made from plastic or PVC type materials. For people who want a classic, professional type look and a case made from long-lasting leather, there's a company named iCarryalls which makes an iPad portfolio case.

A variety of cases are available. There are larger business portfolios with room for an iPad as well as other paperwork, such as handouts and other materials given as school assignments. And of course there are streamlined cases which simply hold your Ipad. Some of the cases have a handy "quick release" function for easy opening and closing. Rather than carry a bulky laptop bag, why not carry an iPad portfolio which has room for your pen, pencil, and other necessary school supplies? You can choose a portfolio with a carry handle which makes it function very similarly to a briefcase.

There are lots of colors and styles to choose from, too. I could see these cases making popular holiday gifts!