Posts filed under 'School Tools'
Last night I had the pleasure of joining the Girl’s Night Out event (GNO) on Twitter. Hosted by Mom It Forward, GNO set lifelong learning as its topic, but discussion eventually covered everything from juggling school while handling children to getting your own kids into the college of their dreams.
Whether the participants were thinking about school for themselves or someone else, one thing was certain: GNOers love learning and they know that the conventional college answers may not be the right solution for every budding student. That’s why it’s important to take a look at all your options, from online schools and continuing education, to career schools and certification.
If you’re interested in checking out what the panelists had to say on all these topics and more, you can use Search.twitter.com to find all tweets marked with the GNO hashtag (#GNO). You can also check out the “Moms Back at School” page for more up-to-date info on bringing an education back into your life or head over to Mom It Forward and enjoy more discussion about last night’s GNO.
And if you’re not already doing so, make sure to follow us on Twitter!
– Genevieve M. Blaber
March 4th, 2009
Move over Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary, there’s a new user-generated knowledge database in town known as Leximo.org. Created and maintained by Ian Balina and Asad Mahmood, two juniors from The George Washington University (Washington D.C), Leximo.org is on a quest to amass the definitions of every word in every language with the help of users like you.
We’re not just building a community around it,” said Balina, a computer engineering major. “The number one thing people want to do online is talk to other people, so we’re basically trying to bring that aspect to Leximo and dictionaries because we think that people want to interact together, instead of just by themselves.”
– From GW University’s school paper, “The Daily Colonial”
In a system similar to the one used by Urban Dictionary, users’ submissions are subjected to review by other community members, allowing the accurate definitions to gain priority over the error-laden, or just poorly written, ones.
But with somewhere in the range of 475,000 to 600,000 words in the English language alone, and a little over 93,000 total words added to the site so far, Leximo.org has pretty far to go.
Want to make a contribution? Then head to Leximo.org and sign up.
– Genevieve M. Blaber
February 11th, 2009
This article is making fast rounds around blogs and social media networks, but it’s also stirring up a fair amount of discussion and criticism along the way.
According to the piece, an aspiring college student ordered a laptop from Dell and found out that it came with the Ubuntu operating system instead of the more widely known and accepted Windows. A salesperson supposedly convinced her to keep her laptop as is, only for her to find out that she couldn’t use her ISP’s Windows-only installation disc and couldn’t install Microsoft Word – which she says was mandatory for her courses. The result? She dropped out of college for two semesters because she couldn’t get online and couldn’t write her papers.
Except she could have if she had tried and done some research on her own. Not only did she not need the ISP installation disc to get online (a fact she would have discovered had she called the ISP company) she also didn’t need Microsoft Word in order to open and save Word docs. Ubuntu, as she even acknowledged in the video, came with OpenOffice.org installed – and one of the perks of OpenOffice.org is that you can use Word docs as you would with Microsoft Word.
So an aspiring college student lets a technical glitch get in the way of two semesters of school because she doesn’t stop to research the issue or contact companies and ask. No wonder everyone online is flabbergasted.
– Genevieve M. Blaber
January 15th, 2009
This week we welcome Robin Levinson, the content editor for CampusCompare.com, as our guest blogger. If you’re prone to procrastination, check out her college app tips now! Or later…
As college deadlines quickly approach, and you are one of those people inclined to wait until the last possible minute to send off your college applications, here are some tips for you to ace the essay, perfect the forms, and rock the recommendations in less than a week.
- Stay organized: Gather all your forms for applications, letters of recommendation, and financial aid, and put them in one folder. That way, when you’re short on time, you’ll know where everything is.
- Know your stats: Have your GPA, class rank, SAT or ACT scores, and address memorized. Also know what level of education your parents completed, and where their Alma Mater was. Not having to look up these common facts for each and every form will save you hours in the long run.
- Kill two birds (or 10) with one stone: Use a common application form, like the Common Application or Universal College Application to apply to multiple schools with one form. To save even more time, apply online through the Common App or through the school itself.
- Stick with what you know: When it comes to writing a personal essay, don’t pick a generic topic just because you think it will be impressive. Unless your topic has sincerely made a big impact on your life, writing the essay will be a drag. Although feeding the homeless is a wonderful activity, if you just did it to fulfill a volunteer requirement your essay will show that your heart just wasn’t in it. Pick something unique, something that gets you excited. If you find yourself going on a tangent about Italian food or getting into debates over politics, chances are these are the subjects that you will be able to write about articulately and quickly.
Even with these deadlines looming ahead, if you put your mind to it you can still send out a killer application. Just in the nick of time.
Does anyone have any other last-minute application ideas?
– Robin Levinson
January 5th, 2009
It’s the one question that gets old fast: What do you plan to major in? Whether you don’t know yet, or just want an idea of what major would best suit you, take the “What College Majors Will Match Your Personality?” quiz. Considering the result it gave me actually was my major in college, this could be a fairly accurate prognosticator of your future in higher education.
As a bonus, About.com follows your quiz result with a list of articles that tie into your perceived personality and college interests.
– Genevieve M. Blaber
December 19th, 2008
You may have done your holiday shopping and picked out all your gifts with great care. You may have even sorted through everything and wrapped them all up. But have you filled the stockings yet? What can you do for last-minute stocking stuffer ideas? I’ve got the solution for you right here. Your college-age kids will love these simple, yet exciting holiday ideas.
Accessorize in Pink
It’s always necessary to protect your nice things, especially your electronics. That’s why Otterbox makes great heavy-duty products to protect important electronics, like your iPod Nano or iPhone. What’s even better about Otterbox’s Strength line is that the cases are pink (perfect for girls) and benefit the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade so 10 percent of the cost goes to breast cancer research. Do your part – protect and spice up an accessory, while doing good for others!
Where to buy: http://www.otterbox.com/avon-pink-cases/
Price: Cases range from $15-$49.95 in the Strength collection.
I’ll Tumble For Ya…
Running around campus is tough and exhausting. Be sure to keep your college-age kids hydrated with the Tervis Tumbler. This plastic bottle will keep any liquid safe from ruining all notes and textbooks in the case of some accidental spillage. There are lots of options with the Tervis Tumbler. You can pick different sizes, colors, and you can even have it personalized with initials, icons, or a variety of collegiate symbols.
Where to buy: http://www.tervis.com
Price: A 16 oz. tumbler with collegiate icon, lid, and set of straws runs about $18, plus tax.
Pick What You’d Like
When all else fails, you know your recipient will enjoy a gift card. With virtually every store issuing and accepting gift cards these days, they are the perfect stocking stuffer: small enough in size to fit in a stocking and big enough in quality to fit in your college-age kid’s life. The Gift Card Mall is the perfect place to get your gift cards. In December they ship for free so check ‘em out before it’s too late!
Where to buy: http://www.giftcardmall.com
Price: Depends on store and how much you want to spend. Usually priced in increments of $10 or $25.
Let There Be Light
For those late-night study sessions when the roommate is asleep, it’s best to keep roommate relations high by not causing a ruckus. Mr. Brightside is helpful for just that and is very convenient for computer usage as it plugs right into a USB port. Providing just the right amount of light to be able to see the keyboard, Mr. Brightside is compact and handy. It also comes in fun colors.
Where to buy: http://www.biggerandbrighter.com
Price: $8.99
For more holiday ideas, check out CollegeBound’s Holiday Gift Guide.
-Amanda Fornecker
December 16th, 2008
Back in the early 2000s, I only had three ways of boosting my calc grades: study group, teacher tutoring, and cable access programs. While I did manage to ace the class, it was only after I made significant changes to my schedule that allowed me to meet up with teachers and fellow students that my grades improved. If only there were some way that today’s calc students could amp up their GPAs when it’s convenient for them — a sort of Tutor-on-Demand system.
Oh, that’s right! There’s YouTube. Yes, YouTube. The bane of many an office and college with its nearly endless supply of irreverent videos and songs, YouTube has become a private tutor to today’s students. Rather than keep their academic prowess to themselves, teachers and pros in the know have been taping lessons and explanations so that students wide and far can benefit from at-your-pace learning in the comfort of their own homes.
One such budding tutor is Salman Khan, the mind behind the one-man not-for-profit Khan Academy, which has posted well over 600 videos on everything from trigonometry and physics, to the credit crisis and SAT prep. With an academic record that includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Khan has become a scholastic sensation over the last two years. His minimalist videos (Khan uses MS Paint to work through equations) have amassed more than 100,000 views and his hits keep climbing thanks to word-of-mouth and recent coverage in various news outlets.
If you’d like to check out some of Khan’s tutorials, check out his site www.KhanAcademy.org that links back to YouTube.
– Genevieve M. Blaber
December 12th, 2008
While no one can knock all the features that Microsoft Office has to offer, there are alternatives around that will grant you some of the same options (or more) for free.
Though this list doesn’t cover all of the writing software that’s available on the Internet, it will clue you in to some of the more interesting ones and who they’re best suited for.
Join the Dark Side
Designed for the PC and PC/Mac/Linux, respectively, the Dark Room (they.misled.us/dark-room) and JDarkRoom (codealchemists.com/jdarkroom) are distraction-free writing zones where the document takes up your entire screen and refuses to show pop-ups of any kind. No toolbar, no desktop, just you and your words. It’s the perfect solution if you have a hard time concentrating. Both Dark Room and JDarkRoom are free to download and use, and boast customizable colors.
If you feel like putting down a little bit of cash you can purchase WriteRoom (hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom), the software that inspired Dark Room and JDarkRoom, for $24.95.
Perfect for: Easily-distracted students, minimalists, hackers, anyone who misses MS-DOS
Drawbacks: When I say distraction-free, I mean it. There’s no spell-check or grammar-check, so once you’re done writing you should import the document to another program for a double-check.
Open Your Mind to Possibilities
What if you could have something that sort of looked like MS Office but without the $100+ price tag? OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice.org) is what you need. An open source office bundle designed for PC/Mac/Linux, OpenOffice.org features free alternatives to Microsoft staples like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. There’s no worrying about compatibility either thanks to the ability to save in multiple file formats.
Perfect for: Students on a budget, computer science majors/minors, anyone who hates the latest version of MS Office
Drawbacks: The dictionary doesn’t seem to be as comprehensive as MS Office’s, so you’ll have to do some old-fashioned dictionary flipping if you see a red squiggle underneath an uncommon word. (To be fair, though, MS Office regularly accuses me of misspelling “dialectical.”)
Shakespeare Says Celtx Rocks
Just because Shakespeare had to put up with quills, messy ink, and the occasional bout of writer’s block, doesn’t mean you have to. While Celtx (celtx.com) can’t save you from a lack of inspiration, it can help when it comes to formatting plays, screenplays, and comics — and, like most other programs on this list, it’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux .
There’s no more fine-tuning MS Office to indent just so and overriding green grammar squiggles when it takes issue with the screenwriting staple of “INT. BOB’S ROOM – NIGHT,” because Celtx gives you preformatted templates that take into account the difference between writing a term paper and the next Sundance Film Festival must-see.
Perfect for: Budding filmmakers, playwrights, comic artists, and more
Drawbacks: If you’re really into using a quill and inkwell then you’ll never like it. Sorry, Shakespeare.
– Genevieve M. Blaber
October 16th, 2008
Join U.Got It? in welcoming our new guest blogger, Barbara Bellesi. She’s an expert from CampusCompare.com, who’ll be dropping by once in a while to share some thoughts on the process of choosing a college.
As a college-bound student, it seems as though everyone’s got advice for you. From your parents to your guidance counselor to even your dentist, people are lining up for their chance to weigh in on your college decision. Thanks to websites like CampusCompare, you’ve also got tons of college students clamoring for your attention, ready to share their points of view on college life. But here’s a question that you won’t find on the ACT or the SAT: should you pay attention to student reviews?
College reviews are not like movie reviews. You might still pay the 10 bucks for admission even after the movie you want to see gets panned by the critics. College, on the other hand, carries a much heftier price tag and you certainly don’t want buyers’ remorse. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable—and advisable—to make student reviews part of your decision-making process.
Notice I said part. There should be many factors that determine your final college pick, and student reviews can be an integral part of the equation. Here are some ways that you can use reviews to your advantage:
1. Consider the source. Let’s say you read a scathing review from a student at University X who says her professors are the worst ever. Well, are they truly the worst, or is she saying that because she just failed half her midterms? We’ve all had terrible days and have sought opportunities to vent our feelings, which is what some college students are tempted to do on review sites. Remember that while many bad reviews are justifiable, there are some that come from having bad days.
2. Check for consistency. Did everyone who posted a review about a certain school rave about the cafeteria? Sounds like the food could be really good. What about social activities on campus? Is everyone saying that there’s nothing to do, or is it just one bored student? Remember, one review—negative or positive—does not make or break a school. A student complaining about dorm size at Harvard won’t bring down the reputation of that hallowed institution.
3. See for yourself. Reviews are merely opinions; therefore, in formulating your own ideas about a school, you should check out the features that are being reviewed. CampusCompare allows students to post reviews in more than a dozen categories—from academics and financial aid to campus safety and dorms—but don’t let that stop you from scheduling a campus visit. Take a class. Eat at the cafeteria. Hang out on the quad. See if you agree or disagree with the reviews.
Most of us care what other people think more than we’d like to admit. When it comes to choosing a college, that might not be such a bad thing after all. As long as you take other factors into consideration as well, hearing from actual college students is a smart move.
-Barbara Bellesi
October 15th, 2008
Once you get in to college, you probably think you’re done reviewing all the ridiculous education rankings. Not so for those looking ahead to grad school.
For law school and b-school hopefuls, however, the rankings review might not be as bad as you think.
The hot-off-the-press 2009 print and online editions of “Best 174 Law Schools” and “Best 296 Business Schools” may appear daunting at first glance. But The Princeton Review’s annual guidebooks are chock full of fun lists that are mostly based on student input. It’s kind of like having a grad school insider give you the scoop on what each school is really like. Each guidebook lists the top 10 schools in 11 categories.
So if you’re interested in the best business school for career prospects, you would click on Stanford University (Stanford, CA). Or if you want to be aware of the toughest law school to get into — the only ranking in the books based entirely on school-reported 
data — you would take note of Yale University (New Haven, CT).
Both books include lists of schools that are the toughest to get into and that present the best career prospects, best classroom experience, and most competitive students.
The b-school ranking categories also include best administered, best campus environment, best campus facilities, best professors, greatest opportunity for minority students, greatest opportunity for women, and most family friendly.
The law school categories also include best environment for minority students,
best quality of life, candidates for Center for American Progress Fellowships? (or, students lean to the left), candidates for Heritage Foundation Fellowships? (or, students lean to the right), most diverse faculty, most welcoming of older students, and professors rock (legally speaking).
Remember, the schools are ranked from their students’ perspective. So the guidebooks can serve as a sort of shorthand for you. Say you’re a minority student interested in Badabing U., but it didn’t make the list of the top 10 schools for minority students. That’s your cue to follow up with the school and get your questions answered directly.
It can be dangerous to take grad school rankings at face value. But if you take the guidebooks and online listings for what they really are — a guide — you’ll have a valuable tool to determine how various schools rate in the areas that matter most to you.
For those looking toward law school or b-school: Do you plan to review the rankings first?
-Robyn Tellefsen
October 8th, 2008
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