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When I close my eyes and think back really hard, I can remember my first semester of college.  It was quite a few years ago, but the cloudy memories can come back to me every so often.  It was a good time all around.  I made new friends, learned a lot of life lessons, and spent a ton of money–mostly on books. Continue reading

No Child Left Behind

Finally, the government is beginning to see what educators on the front line of America’s war against illiteracy have known for the past twelve years:  No Child Left Behind doesn’t work.  It hasn’t worked from its inception, and it never will.  The law was designed by the federal government during the George W. Bush administration, with a far fetched guarantee that all American school students would be on or above grade level in all the major subject areas by the year 2012.  Aimed specifically at closing the performance gap between minorities and whites in public schools, it was based on the inaccurate assumption that the reason those groups performed poorly was due to the proliferation of unqualified teachers in the classrooms, teachers who were not paying adequate attention to the needs of minorities. Continue reading

Did you know that you can get better grades and possibly have a stronger relationship with your college professors just by adding them on Facebook?  Increasingly, college professors are finding that social media tools are a great addition to their repertoire of teaching tools.  Some even require their students to participate in social education for certain courses, but the benefits don’t stop at the requirement level.  Keeping in touch with your professors can have other, less tangible fringe benefits as well.  Read on to learn more! Continue reading

Teachers and their use of social networks have always been a cause of controversy, especially as far as teachers present themselves online in ways that are discoverable by students or their parents.  At times, teachers have found themselves in uncomfortable situations following Facebook posts that were found to be inappropriate by district officials looking into complaints from parents and other members of the community.  Other cases involve complaints of inappropriate dialogue between teachers and students.  Should teachers be forced to sign agreements not to use personal social networks? Continue reading

The thought of attaining your master’s degree is one that comes with many mixed emotions.  You know that it will take much work and effort, but in the end you know that it will be so well worth it.  In the past to work hard for a master’s degree people would have to find time to attend classes on a regular basis.  This could mean that someone who must keep up with a full time job while finishing their degree could be in school for many years longer than someone who could attend classes full time.  Now due to advances in technology and online education achieving your dreams of having your master’s degree is easier than it has ever been.  You can work on your time and still keep up with all of your other jobs and duties while furthering your education.  If you are ready to begin your journey of earning your master’s, then go for it!   Continue reading

Ever wondered what your college degree will do for you in the jobs marketplace once you get out of school?  Look at the infographic below:  it seems to indicate that the more education you gain, the less it becomes worth, proportionally speaking.  It seems that the amount of money (in addition to what you could make with only your high school diploma) increases less and less the higher your degree of education is.  Interesting stuff, especially since a recent professor of mine was actually cautioning the class not to “over-educate” themselves formally.  He of course did not mean that anyone should ever stop learning — but at some point, extra education, especially for those who take out loans in order to get it, can become a liability instead of an asset. Continue reading

Have you ever found something so incredibly cool online about education that you had no choice but to immediately share it with all the world?  That is where I find myself today after discovering the RSA Animate Changing Education Paradigms on YouTube today.  This is very inspiring, breathtaking and hopeful for the world of education and the direction it should soon take. Continue reading

Receiving a college degree is a proud moment for any individual, whether they are 22 or 62, whether it took them four years or six.  This is the ultimate goal of education, right?  To be happy with one’s achievements and to have the hope for providing a better future for yourself and for those that you support is priceless.  Having graduated ten years ago from University, I didn’t have the option of taking online course when I was in school and haven’t had any experiences getting a lecture from a professor through a podcast.  I have attended online webinars countless times and been involved in business meetings over skype, but I’m never given an exam over these experiences after the fact. Continue reading