Well, yes yesterday was the day which comes once in everyone’s life. Its shows you growing up, maturing over period of time, creating new possibilities in life and what not!
The Pages of Life: Something about Turning 25
There is something about turning 25 and stepping into your 26th year. There is something about life taking a new turn, its like a new page opening in life, which calls out to you saying, im again blank and then you start scribbling many new chapters of times and life on the pages. The pages of life.
A Little Kid, Growing Up
When we were kids, we never used to think twice about something. Whether it was climbing trees while playing hide n seek or just gong berserk in rains and soaking in every drop of happiness that there is. We were fearless.
And that’s what Iv always liked about being a kid. And that’s how I operate in life, makes one, fearless. Makes you do things which are not so normal according to the real world. According to the world of grown ups.
And What Did I Learn, Turning 25?
Well, I am so sure my life has been put through such a major sudden change. Now I must admit, I was looking for this change to happen since a long time and I think its finally arrived. But as they say you never know what it is like, till the time it hits you, well, Yes, it’s hit me and Im happily just going with the flow, learning.
What Change?
Even before I talk about the change, its about the fact that I learnt a lesson, which is, that being a little kid makes you fearless, but what it also does is puts you into a whole new space which is full of so many grown ups that you feel that there is something that we grown ups talk about, a communication gap.
For Me Life Changed While Answering a Question: Who am I?
Yes! Life actually did answer me a question which is one of the most crucial questions for anyone! Who am I? Just like every normal person, I am playing many different roles in life, that of a Son, of a brother, of a friend and professionally as the CEO.
And Iv always been operating from just one take in all these spheres of life, which is being just the way I am.
And How did it happen?
Interestingly, God has plans which unfold in front of us, while we don’t even realize there are things happening. Things had started to change around me and were calling for a change to be accepted by me, within me, which I was aware of, but probably was too reluctant to be accepting and being present to it.
And then it happened, it started on 27th August and went on and on endlessly and effortlessly. While going out for a meeting on 27th I bumped into someone who is changing life, who is making me realize that there is not just me to myself.
I see smiles everywhere, everything is smiling around it seems and well that’s the way I am
The above line is not mine, but that’s what Iv come to realize.
What Iv come to realize and really really incorporate in my life is, the real meaning and the truth behind the word ‘stability’. Everyone talks about it. Everyone says you must have it. But there are a few in your life who actually understand you and make you realize that you know it, but you have been missing it, by just a small mark, but that small mark, you were not able to see clearly, as you were happy with what you are!
One of the biggest lessons of my life which this one person taught me over like a few days and many many hours is how to detached and still be as much attached to something. Until ROI, of which I am the Founding CEO, obviously when its your baby, you are always cautious and concerned, but what also becomes is you get so attached to your baby, that at times you overlook many a things.
What Iv Always Been Wishing for?
Iv always been wishing for someone who can help me be detached and still be as much attached. Someone who really makes me learn, how to control my excitement at times when Im just overjoyed and literally like a to little kid the excitement takes over my senses in those moments. And at these highly charged up and very excited moments, does one loses his sense of stability. At least I used to.
At many a times in life you need a strong perspective on things. A perspective so strong that it hits your own ego and shuts you up for a few minutes and makes you realize that there are other views to the same issue than your own.
I mean, this has been the biggest learning of my life. Today I am growing towards real stability coupled with patience and the right attitude. Iv learnt to how look at the same thing, which I used to just look at from my own vision, from many other views. Its about seeing something so close to yourself, from your eyes, but from a whole new perspective.
And How Has it Helped?
Well, this whole new perspective has changed my life. Changed my life, as now I am looking at all things existing and in the future from a different perspective. Its not about just me anymore. Its about learning from many new people in life. About how they see what Im seeing or trying to see.
What Do I See Now?
As I said above, well, now when I look upto the sky, what I see are smiles, clouds forming upto be smiles, the moon smiling back..
And Obviously I am Thankful to that One Person Who’s blasted my Ego and Made me Realize the Bigger Things in life. Sure this one person is going to be a part of many new wins and many more better moments in life 
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An Exclusive Interview with Jeanette McLeod, Founder Wizz-e a company which is redefining how the children of the current generation learn!
Wizz-e leverages what your children love doing, that is using the computer, by creating innovative eBooks for children which are highly interactive in nature and makes learning fun and easy!
I was introduced to the concept of eBooks and Wizz-e by a good friend, Shama Hyder who runs a successful company (ClickToClient.com) in the US. Though I was initially not sure of the outreach of the concept, but Wizz-e I feel is redefining the space entirely.
Jeanette, who is a mother to four is an amazign Mompreneur and I caught up with her for a small interview. This interview is an exclusive on this blog and I thank Jeanette for her time!
Paritosh: Wizz-e.com is a brilliant Idea, what made you think about eBooks as a medium for teaching the next generation?
Jeanette: Most people with kids will probably recognize that kids love computers. They are such a ‘tech savvy’ generation. My passion is to get kids reading more so why not use the medium they love to teach them to read? The technology gives us the ability to make the books interactive so kids can have the story read to them whilst the words highlight.
In this mode kids learn to model fluency, read left to right, pause at punctuation marks and associate sounds to letter groupings, just like having an adult read to them whilst using their finger to underline the words. For emerging readers they can read to themselves and if they get stuck on a word they can click to hear that word spoken. For our early readers that means that they can read without having to rely on an adult to be there all the time. The illustrations are animated which really bring the books to life.
After all if it is fun, they may not even know they are learning!
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Paritosh: You are a Mompreneur, a mother to four, how do your kids relate to the concept? What kind of research has gone into the project?
Jeanette: My kids are great at giving honest feedback!!
I knew I had hit the spot when the 2 youngest children sat transfixed to the computer having a story read to them. They are really behind their mum doing this. One of my kids has also done the voiceover for a book we are producing for charity [to be released later this year]. That made me really proud. A lot of research was done before the start-up about how children learn to read. We are not trying to compete with the plethora of phonics books or early readers, we want to be complimentary to them. We produce high quality, engaging stories for young children in a format they love. When kids read more their vocabulary and literacy skills improve.
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Paritosh: Looking at the quality of eBooks that you have, I am sure kids must be engaged into the content. What all goes into creation of such wonderful eBooks for the young ones?
Jeanette: Well it starts when an author submits a story to us. We have slush pile readers who will assess whether the story will make a great picture book. If we accept a submission then it goes to the editorial team who go through it with a fine tooth comb to make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors. Then we assign an illustrator, who we work very closely with, to produce beautiful illustrations to enhance the story. We then have the story read by a professional voice over artist. Then off it goes to the technical team who transform the text, audio and illustrations into page turning, animated audio books.
As kids can click on every word to hear it spoken it is a time consuming process but we firmly believe that all this hard work brings a much higher quality to the world of eBooks for children.
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Paritosh: Have any children contributed to the eBooks as Child-Guest authors?
Jeanette: No not yet, although that may be something we consider in the future. A great story is a great story no matter what the age of the author.
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Paritosh: I appreciate your effort in reducing paper usage. What would you like to tell the readers of this blog about eBooks and how they save the environment by reducing tree felling?!
Jeanette: Paper books consume far more of the world’s resources in their production than eBooks. It is not just the impact of felling trees to make the paper. There is a lot of energy consumption in the book making process. During paper production obviously are trees required making the paper, however, further energy is used to transport the trees to the factories, turn the wood into paper during the pulping process and at the paper mills, and to produce chemicals in making dyes for the inks. Then further energy is used in the transportation of the paper to the print factories, during printing, storage and then shipping and distribution. All this uses energy as well as producing CO2 emissions.
There is also the sad fact that books that do not sell are simply destroyed (more than 1 billion books in 2006) some are repulped (using energy) others end up in land fills. Our eBook business is completely electronic. Apart from the energy we consume using computers in their development we do not have a detrimental impact on the world’s resources.
Some key facts:
- The carbon footprint of a book (2006 figures): 8.85 lbs, in carbon dioxide terms
- The total carbon footprint of the book publishing industry (2006 figures): 12.4 million metric tons
- The biggest contributor to the industry’s footprint: using virgin paper – forest and forest harvest are responsible to 62.7% of the industry’s total carbon emissions.
The book world (in the U.S.) uses up more than 1.5 million metric tons of paper each year.
Full report here http://www.ecolibris.net/book_industry_footprint.asp
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Paritosh: I love your blog, NextInLearning (www.nextinlearning.com) ! Can we see kids contributing to the blog?
Jeanette: What a great idea. We would love to hear what kids think about eBooks, reading and how they see the future of learning and we will publish them on the blog. Any views or thoughts should be sent to info [at] ebooks4kidz [dot] com. Let’s hear from our next generation of learners!!
Paritosh: Wizz-e.com is also present on facebook and I see you twitter as well! Its great to see a Mompreneur in action all across the internet, reaching out to as many kids and touching lives! How do you manage to do all this? Please share with us your twitter Id.
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Jeanette: When you love what you do, when you have a mission to get kids reading and help improve literacy levels across the world then you find the time! The internet and social media is a fabulous way to connect to people across the world. Let’s get kids reading! My twitter URL is http://twitter.com/JeanetteMcLeod. I’d love to connect with people who are interested in getting kids reading more.
I would like to thank Jeanette, for her time and the value that she is providing to the generations in a way that they like it, there is so much knowledge which our children can access, how we can contribute to it is by giving them the access to all of it, the way they like it. The way it is easier for them to grasp things and really learn.
Give your smart ones the experience of learning through eBooks by gifting them a FREE eBook
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