Archive for May, 2009

Top 10 Things You’ll Discover at College

Source: usnews.com

By: Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman

By now, most students who are starting college next fall have sent in their acceptances, not to mention the first chunk of change. And now, the real worrying for them starts: What is college really going to be like? And how is it different from what I’m [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

Despite Downturn, Families Continue Saving for College

Source: chronicle.com

By: Beckie Supiano

More than half of families whose children intend to go to college are saving the same amount or more for college than they did last year, despite the economic downturn, according to a new study.

A report on the study, “How America Saves for College,” was released by Sallie Mae and Gallup to [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

In Global Recession, Global Ed Still Growing

Source: insidehighered.com

By: Elizabeth Redden

In discussing the impact of the financial crisis on international education, John K. Hudzik, vice president for global engagement and strategic projects at Michigan State University, started out with what he called “a very technical definition of how we’re doing and a little bit of history.”

“Five or six months ago, the definition [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

Turning Around Troubled Schools

Signs of how Education Secretary Arne Duncan plans to fix failing schools, via his work in Chicago
Source: usnews.com

By: Eddy Ramirez

For years, the Julia Ward Howe School in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood was beset by discipline and academic problems. At one point, only 20 percent of the students at the K-8 public school were meeting state academic [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

Videoconferencing hits the big time … for real

Source: nytimes.com

By: Johna Till Johnson

It feels like 1989 all over again. Wacky haircuts are back (I think I saw a mullet the other day). “Alternative rock” sounds a lot like what used to be called “new wave.” Big shoulders are back. And we geeks are waxing rhapsodic about the wonders of videoconferencing.

Yes, that’s right: Videoconferencing [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

Mining for Concise Tech Tutorials on wikiHow

Source: nytimes.com

By: Samuel Dean

In a recent post “5 Free Online Answer Sites for Tech Questions,” I discussed sites that can provide you with quick, good responses to tech questions at no cost. These can be valuable for people who don’t work out of a central office or have access to an IT department. I’ve been [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

Google Shows New Communication and Collaboration Tool

Source: nytimes.com

By:Miguel Helft

Jens and Lars Rasmussen, the two brothers who created what would become Google Maps, have spent the last couple of years holed up in Google’s offices in Sydney, Australia, dreaming up a new tool for communicating over the Web. On Thursday, at a Google conference for developers in San Francisco, they showcased the [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

Web Site Lets Parents Track Data on Students

Source: nytimes.com

By: Javier C. Hernandez

After several months of delays, a Web site that offers an interactive portfolio of public school students’ test scores, grades and attendance rates will be available for all parents by the end of June, the Department of Education said on Thursday.

The announcement came at a critical moment for Mayor Michael R. [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

China Quarantines Teens, Teachers From Md.

Source: washingtonpost.com

By: Daniel de Vise

Twenty-one students and three teachers from a Silver Spring private school who flew last week to China for a weeklong tour have been confined to their hotel rooms, quarantined for possible exposure to swine flu during their flight from the United States.

The group arrived in Guizhou province in southwestern China on [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 29th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments

Push Seeks to End Need for Pre-College Remedial Classes

Source: nytimes.com

By: Sam Dillon

After Bethany Martin graduated from high school here last June, she was surprised when the local community college told her that she had to retake classes like basic composition, for no college credit. Each remedial course costs her $350, more than a week’s pay from her job at a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

Ms. Martin [...]

Posted by Melissa on May 28th, 2009 under Current Events  •  No Comments