'GPS' for Students

Detecting roadblocks on the path to success
Provided by Tutor.com

Homework, studying and tests are a fact of life for every student -- and every parent. But, as the year goes on and classes get more difficult, students sometimes get lost in the maze of schoolwork.

Unlike the GPS system in your car, children don't always alert you when they make wrong turns, so parents don't always know when they're in trouble. There are warning signs, though, that parents can keep an eye out for before a major detour happens:

"The dog ate my homework"
Learning is cumulative, and that means every homework assignment counts toward complete understanding of a subject. Students might get away with one missed assignment, but several missed assignments can add up to lower grades and falling behind.

If your child is missing homework because he or she doesn't remember when it's due, you might suggest writing down each assignment in a notebook and check off the list each night.

If your child is skipping assignments because of a failure to understand the subject, don't wait to get help. Find someone who can step in to provide extra help so your child doesn't fall behind -- teachers and guidance counselors can provide referrals, or try online tutoring for immediate help.

"I don't like my teacher"
Sometimes students and teachers just don't click in the classroom. Teaching and learning styles vary, and it can be difficult for a child to recognize that problem and know when to ask for help.

Encourage your child to ask for further explanation of the subject in class, talk to other teachers, or ask for help from an outside source. Sometimes all your child needs is a different explanation of a concept to "get it."

"I'm no good at algebra -- I give up"
Most children won't send up an obvious flare if they have fallen behind in class, but they may exhibit signs of low confidence and self-esteem that are tied to schoolwork. This could be a sign that your child is stuck, frustrated and needs help. Take action quickly before things get worse.
Talk to your child to determine the root of the problem and work with the teacher to determine the best way to get your child back on track.

Getting back on the road
If you see signs that show your child is heading for a detour, act quickly. Help your child with homework in subjects you know, and ask for help with the subjects you don't know. Teachers and guidance counselors can provide resources for you, and tutors can provide extra help in difficult subjects.

An Overview of the Garmin Vista CX

By Randall Rhodes

The Garmin Vista CX is a handheld GPS system that makes it easy and affordable for the user to have maps with him or her anytime, anywhere. As with those that are mounted in a car, the Garmin Vista CX helps prevent getting lost while also creating routes to get from one place to the next. In addition, many users enjoying using these little gadgets for an increasingly popular hobby called geocaching, in which the user utilizes the handheld system in order to locate small “treasures” that have been hidden around the world.

What to Expect from the Garmin Vista CX
The Garmin Vista CX includes a number of features that are attractive to the user. Some of these features include:

• An electronic compass
• A barometric altimeter
• Sunlight-readable color screen
• Advanced GPS routing ability
• A waterproof design

In addition to all of these attractive features, the Garmin Vista CX also comes with a blank 64 MB microSD card. With this card, the user can store additional map details that can be easily accessed with the device. The information can be downloaded directly to the map or additional microSD cards that have already been preloaded can be purchased instead. Navigation software supported by the Garmin Vista CX include BlueChart marine cartography, MapSource inland lake and Topo maps, and City Navigator street maps.

Getting the Most from an Outdoor Experience
Outdoor enthusiasts particularly enjoy using the Garmin Vista CX. The barometric altimeter makes it easy for hikers and climbers to determine their current elevation while the compass allows the user to get a heading no matter where he or she may be standing. In addition, the sunlight-readable display makes it possible to still make out map details even when the sun is shining on the screen. Since the system is battery operated, it is convenient and easy to carry anywhere.

As should be expected from any high-quality handheld GPS system, the Garmin Vista CX also includes automatic route generation as well as off-route calculation. In addition, it provides alert tones and turn-by-turn directions to assist with finding a point of interest or other requested destination. With the help of this little system, finding where you are going couldn’t be any easier.

Need more information, tips and uses for the Garmin Vista CX and related equipment?
Visit GarminVistaCXREVIEW.com for articles such as: A Closer Look at the Garmin eTrex Vista CX Go there now.

Ways to Use a Portable GPS system

By G. Mira

Since GPS technology became available, the number of devices that contain GPS units has increased. You probably have or know someone that has a GPS unit installed in their car. Technically, the GPS units that are installed in cars are mobile GPS systems, since a car has wheels and it moves around. Other, newer devices that contain portable GPS systems are just as popular.

Serious Portable GPS Systems
Many of the devices that contain portable GPS systems are used for business purposes, emergencies and other very serious matters. The mobile phone is a device that is most likely to contain one. In the past several people would call 911 but they were unable to give their location, so a law was passed that required mobile phones to contain a GPS signal emitter.

Now, a 911 cell phone caller can be located as easily as someone calling from a home phone. PDAs are used by delivery people, sales people, repair people and other people that need them to find their way around, are used to track their positions and keep track of their phone calls.
Some software that is being used in conjunction with GPS units can create routes that are efficient by grouping customers together by their location.

Surveyors use a very precise portable GPS system to plan roads, map fields, and locate survey markers and boundaries. Besides PDAs, laptops can be equipped with a Global Positioning System as well as software to use the signal for mapping, traveling and many other purposes. Police and Fire services find new ways to save lives with different types of portable GPS system every day.

Fun Stuff
Almost all electronic gadgets gets turned into toys for adults, and the portable GPS units are no different. Remember that tracking your own position isn't the only way to use a portable GPS system. You can use them track the position of someone or something else too.

Competitive glider pilots use portable GPS units to provide proof that they reached the race markers. Geocaching is a game that is played using a small item that emitters a GPS signal that is hidden and players with PDAs compete to find it. Now that watches and cameras can be found with a portable GPS system, the possibilities of their uses are seemingly endless.

The camera can imprint photos with the latitude and longitude of the places that they were taken. This is very useful on vacations. Smaller GPS units can be used to track pets and other things that might wander off. Besides doing fun things, just having some of the odder new items equipped with a portable GPS system is pretty fun, too. It looks like GPS units are here to stay!

If you are considering purchasing a GPS system, and you would like to read about some of the latest GPS devices on the market then you need to visit: http://www.GpsTrackingWorld.com

GPS Maps - How Important Are They?

By Korbin Newlyn

Many people have heard about a GPS map but not many people realize what they are or how they work. Most of the time, only people who have traveled extensively such as pilots, navigators, sailors and similar people would be most acquainted with GPS maps because this kind of new technology is very essential in regards to charter courses when you travel.

However, the military, researchers and various other people who would have the need or desire to be aware of their exact locations at any given time are also utilizing this kind of technology.
On the other hand, for the majority of ordinary people who would not want or need to know about any systems or maps that could let them know exactly where they are at any given point in time, GPS maps are not as well known.

Exactly what is a GPS Map?
GPS is an acronym that stands for Global Positioning System, this system is a global radio navigation system that is comprised from the interaction of 24 satellites orbiting the Earth, along with their corresponding ground stations. In the distant past, navigators and sailors would depend on the stars to point them on their way to their destinations. Fast forward to the present, through the use of modern technology of a GPS map, travelers such as sailors, pilots and those who travel by land no longer have to use the stars to guide them.

A GPS positioning system utilizes the orbiting satellites as reference points in determining the distance from one point to another and to find certain objects on the planet. With the use of satellite data, it would be fairly easy to calculate the distance of a certain place to another place.

The technology has become so advanced and precise that it can calculate your position exactly down to the centimeter. For instance, if you are using a GPS device to find a certain area anywhere on the globe, it can pinpoint precisely where that area is and what the distances is from where you are standing. The exact nature of the technology within GPS systems is such that when we refer to a GPS map, we can rest assured that the information we can find within these GPS maps are easy to follow and accurate. Everyday uses for GPS Maps

The GPS map has too many uses in our current society. For one thing, the police department can help fight crime by using a GPS map; by installing a GPS vehicle navigation system in police cars, the police officer can easily respond to alerts in the city. GPS maps give police and other government services the ability to find a way around the city just as if they know every corner and every street by memory alone.

Because the technology has progressed to the point where it can find a location down to just a few feet it has been utilized extensively by the military as well. When you see the documentaries on TV showing a "smart bomb" strike a target with pinpoint accuracy what you are seeing is GPS technology in action. What they do is incorporate an on board GPS navigation system into the missile to guide it to its target.

Korbin Newlyn is an avid follower in the electronics field. You can find more of his insights at GPS Navigation and at Automotive GPS tips.

GPS - What It Is and How It Works

By Michael Russell

A GPS unit can be purchased in stores for anywhere between $100-$1000 dollars and allows a user to know their location anywhere in the world. Unlike the GPS receiver the actual global positioning system is composed of approximately 30 satellites, which orbit the earth.
Furthermore, at any time of the day, anywhere in the world, there must be at least 3 GPS satellites visible for a receiver (unit) to function properly. By using radio frequencies to contact the GPS network of satellites a receiver can pin-point a users location via a process called three dimensional trilateration.

Originally the GPS system was developed by the United States Department of Defense, as a new means of tracking navigation. Ironically, GPS is free for civilians; anyone can pick up a unit at a local store and begin to know his or her location immediately. In fact GPS has become so popular as a means to aiding navigation that map makers, surveyors, businesses and scientists use it as part of everyday operations. A very useful feature of GPS is that it provides a precise time stamp allowing users to make calculations of their velocities as well as track their changes in locations.

There are minor errors with GPS; in fact certain problems can occur if a user is next to large objects such as buildings, canyons, tunnels, etc. The cause being that radio waves bounce off of large objects, giving the impression that key satellites are father away than in reality. Originally users in large cities with skyscrapers experienced these problems rather frequently. In order to solve these problems differential GPS (DGPS) was developed as a means of providing more accurate information. By sending out more frequencies, DGPS receivers could receive more accurate information instantly resulting in fewer errors and transmission problems. In addition, DGPS units could reports latitudes, longitudes and altitudes of current locations and included this data into maps, which were stored within the unit. Currently, you can use maps stored in a DGPS unit, you can download new maps, or connect your unit to a computer to allow you to find your way more accurately.

The newest GPS receivers typically have the following features; display how far you have traveled, how long you’ve been traveling, current speed, average speed, a trail showing you where on the map you have traveled and can even display estimated times of arrival given current speeds. The technology has grown so much that many consumer products have been fitted with GPS units. New cell phones, cars, rentals, boats and government vehicles have been fitted with positioning units; making travel safer and more reliable. In addition GPS is believed to have contributed to lower crime rates and in certain countries greater compliance with speed limits.

Currently, according to the retailer Amazon.com, the top vehicle GPS units are: the Garmin Nuvi, Street pilot, Pocket Navigator, TomTom One and Magellan Maestro. On the other hand, for handheld units the most popular are: Garmin Forerunner, Lowrance iWay, Via Michelin and the Magellan Explorist. If you’re interested in purchasing a unit, be sure to check consumer reports to determine the right GPS unit for your needs.
Michael RussellYour Independent guide to GPS