Online Education and Distance Learning Discussion Forums & Blogs

Changes to the GI Bill

WheelCipher — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

The GI Bill is a very valuable recruiting tool for the military. It is also a very nice benefit for members of the military. In a perfect world, an individual would join the military, usually separate from the service around age 22 and go to college to get their education. That’s becoming harder and harder now with the rising costs of education. The current benefits offered by the GI Bill don’t cover as much education as it used to. Now, some of our elected members of Congress is trying to change that. It should be a no-brainer, but there are some issues to be worked out.

The current proposal provides a full-ride scholarship to an in-state university. I think this is great! The hang-up is that the Democrats want the benefits to kick in after three years of service, and the Republicans want them to kick in after six years. As someone who has been in the military, I can absolutely understand the perspective that three years is way too short. This whole GI Bill proposal is very expensive, and I would want to make sure I was getting a good return on investment if I were the government (or the taxpayer).

I think that a 5 year commitment would be a great compromise. This allows for the service member to get the normal 3-4 year term under their belt to see if signing up for another short stint is worth it to them. If they feel like putting forth the extra effort, they payback can be enormous. Then again, based on the length of contracts in the military, there would really be no difference between a five or six year agreement. The service member would still have to sign up for the first time, then re-enlist when that initial term is over.

With the rising costs of school, this program is as good as gold. At the same time, there is a real recruiting and retention tool for the military. If the government and the Pentagon can come to an agreement on this, I see no downside. But I do agree with the Pentagon that the term should be more than three years as proposed by Congress.

Inflation Is Taking A Bite Out Of My Education Pt. 3

Cat — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:47:00 GMT

In the past few months I've noticed that I keep throwing away uneaten fruits and vegetables. I buy them with the intention of cooking them for dinner...breakfast...whatever, but that doesn't always work out. Planting a vegetable garden is a lot of back breaking work, and since I've already got a broken tailbone...lets just say this isn't an option for me.

Lately it seemed that every time I wanted to make fajitas or tacos, I'd have to throw out the lettuce and buy another head of it. Now you might think the smartest thing to do is just to buy the produce when you need it, but that can nickel and dime you to death. I've tried saving money from my grocery budget to pick up fresh items as I needed them and I found myself spending more money than I wanted and I still threw a lot of it out.

For months I've seen this infomercial that really caught my attention. Some woman name Debbie Meyer came up with a product that can keep your veggies fresh for longer periods of time. The first time I saw this add I thought, who in their right mind would spend $10 on ten plastic bags. The second time I saw the commercial I noticed that they were giving you twenty bags for $10 and I actually thought about buying them, but I couldn't bring myself to spend that much on plastic bags. After seeing the commercial about a million times I began to crave these bags. They became a fantasy object for me. I guess you could say I thought of them as an indulgence, yet I never caved in and bought them. Last month my husband and I took a little trip to celebrate our anniversary and went into an As Seen On TV store. My heart pounded as I asked the clerk, "Do you have Debbie Meyer's Green Bags?" She answered yes and took me to them. They cost $14.99 for twenty bags, but it was still less than ordering them off of TV due to shipping and handling. I walked around that store for twenty minutes with those bags clutched in my grip, but when it was time to leave the store I just couldn't see myself buying them. Who in their right mind would spend $15 on a bunch of plastic bags? I put them back on the rack and walked to the exit when suddenly I heard this little voice inside my head say, "But what if they really do work? Think of all the money you'd be saving on produce." I am happy to say that I am now the owner of twenty Debbie Meyer's Green Bags (https://www.greenbags.com/?cid=501127).

I've been using the Green Bags for a month now, and I still have heads of lettuce that are as fresh as the day I bought them. You do have to do some maintenance though. You must wipe out the condensation from the bags because everything has to stay dry, but other than that the bags are a dream come true. I am saving a ton of money of my produce because I no longer throw away unused broccoli, or tomatoes. I no longer have to replenish these food items every time I go grocery shopping because they went bad. If we didn't use all of the celery, oh well... I know that they're still fresh as a daisy in my Debbie Meyer's Green Bags.

Saving money on the fresh items I need to use for my catering course has now turned into a fun little hobby for me. I no longer worry when I buy fresh produce because I know that my three week old green peppers are holding up just fine. Using fresh herbs whenever I want to will also be a blessing. Now all I have to do is figure out how to make olive oil and I'll be set!

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Cajun has a learning disability...a confession

Cajun — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:25:00 GMT

I don’t think I’ve ever really said much about it before but I figured that since I blogged about 2 guys who were diagnosed as having learning disabilities and being “notable failures” in history I would go ahead and make tonight about my own personal learning disability. My learning disability has been officially labeled as Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. I know, I know, everyone thinks they have this to some extent or another but imagine what life would be like if for example you simply could not focus upon any one thing more than 2 minutes without concerted and absolute deliberate willpower and even then it can be a struggle. This has affected every aspect of my life from personal relationships to professional work.

A little history on it first. I was first made aware of my problem when I used to play guitar in a band. My drummer or someone would be talking to me and I would be looking right at them, like I was there with them but mentally I was a million miles away. They’d get done talking and I say something to the effect of “I’m sorry but what did you say?” As you can imagine people became very frustrated with me very quickly. It got so bad that I would have to ask the same person to repeat themselves over and over again. In the classroom I made D’s at best and usually pulled a C off if the class didn’t entail a lot of lectures. A 3 hour lecture class was a complete waste of time for me. Instead I’d simply read the textbook from cover to cover and tried to rely on my ability to retain the information that I’ve read. I am still very strong in this area but not because I’m any smarter than anyone else, I’ve just had a lot more practice than most people.

Towards the end of my first year of college I began to learn how to study in what works for me personally. My method of study is very regimented but seemingly chaotic at the same time. For example I set aside an hour to study a chapter and will do so in 2 minute intervals on complicated material and 5 minute intervals on stuff that I am actually into. I would normally never recommend someone check their email or shop online for a minute or so between reading an assignment but I have found that through multitasking I am able to focus so much better. If I have 7 irons in the fire I do much better than if I am simply focused upon one task at a time. I have found this to be true at work as well. The good thing is I’ve developed an ability to do a surprising amount of work at an alarmingly fast rate. The bad thing is not every situation, training or classroom is geared towards my unique learning needs and there are times that I just simply cannot concentrate.

Distance learning has been a boon for me as traditional classrooms simply do not work for someone like me. It’s not an excuse and I don’t consider my “disability” to necessarily be a weakness, instead it is just part of what makes me unique as an individual. My ability to concentrate on boring people saying boring things is diminished but most people have no way to keep up with me in multitasking. Because of my disability I have learned to be able to retain a surprising amount of information through reading however in conversations people need to make it quick. I have learned to use my “disability” as a tool when it comes to tracking overtime, scheduling personnel, writing this blog post, checking my email, answering forum questions and talking to my wife on the phone all at once. I have learned what it takes for me to be successful as a student and a professional and I understand that I have limitations that others do not have as they have limitations that I do not have. It’s a tradeoff.

Some of you may be asking then how come I know so much about effective study habits and such. Well, let me tell you. Before I fully understood my condition I subjected myself to a small library of self help books on being an effective student, I sought counseling, I saw a medical doctor but was reluctant to get on pills and lastly I sought professional learning advisors. I tried every known method I could find to learn only to learn that I need to simply do what works for me so I learned to work with and around my disorder. Maybe one day I’ll write a study guide on learning strategies with Adult ADD but for now, to anyone who has ADD I’d like to say this to you.

1.) It’s not your fault, you didn’t ask for this and it’s not something you choose to do. Sure it can piss people off but honestly they have no more business being pissed off at you for having ADD then they should be at a guy in a wheelchair moving too slow in the grocery store.

2.) Recognize that having ADD is not a one size fits all condition. Some people have it far worse than you, some experience lighter symptoms. Some people need medication; some people (like me) don’t really have it bad enough to warrant drugs. At least I don’t in my opinion.

3.) This condition can become a strength if you learn your learning style and learn to use it to your advantage. AADD people often are able to multitask better than other IF you can learn to control it or at least work with it well enough to stay on task. Try to keep a big picture and schedule accordingly, for instance if that report is due at the end of the day, break it up and work on it in short bursts.

4.) Don’t let it affect your self image. I was a marginally passing student in high school. I mean I barely made it. My first year in college was positively dismal and I dismissed the idea of going to school altogether. But once I learned my learning style and developed a method that works for me, well, let’s just say graduating with a 4.0 GPA in a very challenging MBA program is very possible for me at this point. And I was the guy that the high school counselor told “college isn’t for everyone” and “have you considered just getting a trade instead?” I was the kid nobody thought would be college material and now I am strongly considering earning my doctorate degree. I’m not a genius, I’m not even terribly smart (just ask my wife) but I am tenacious and I do know what I am capable of despite years of people telling me the contrary. If you haven’t found what works for you yet, seek professional advice from those who understand your condition and don’t be ashamed.

The ADA recognizes AADD as a disability and as such have made certain benefits available to people who have been medically diagnosed with AADD. Personally I’m not nearly bad enough that I want a handout and personally I do not feel that it is anyone’s business at work but my own. However if you have it worse than me and are still looking for ways to control it, be aware that you have certain rights.

That’s about it for now.

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How Do I Know How Much I've Borrowed?

ter — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:57:00 GMT

Students will often call our office asking how much that student has borrowed while attending college. If the student attended my college only, it's easy to add up the loans from year to year. However, if the student attended more than one college, it's more difficult to get a total. Several years ago, a national database was created to house all federal student loans a student has received.

The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is available to all students who have borrowed a federal student loan, regardless of whether the loan has been repaid, in repayment, or deferred. When clicking on the link, you will be taken to the home page. Click on Financial Aid Review. Next is the privacy statement. If you agree with the information provided, click Accept. The next screen is a little more complicated because it asks about your encryption settings. If you're not sure about your status, click Accept. I use the standard version of Internet Explorer and it works fine. If clicking Accept doesn't work, click on the Browser Information page link in the paragraph for additional help. After clicking Accept, you'll be taken to the sign-in page. Most of the information is self-explanatory. The PIN number is your FAFSA PIN number.

After entering your sign-in information, the list of loans that have been processed will be displayed. Before analyzing the information, I strongly encourage you to look at the Glossary of Terms in the toolbar. This information will help you to read the information provided in the loan detail. From the Glossary of Terms, you can select Financial Aid Review from the toolbar to return to your list.

What's listed is a general detail of each loan that has been processed. By clicking on the number in the blue box to the left of each loan, you can get specific details about that loan. Review this information and make sure it is current. If you see anything questionable, use the contact information for that particular loan. I recommend contacting the current servicer first.

This website is a very good way of tracking your loans, especially when lenders are dropping out. Chances are, you may have more than one lender before you complete your education. This is also an excellent way to track your aggregate amount, which I'll discuss in my next post.

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Group Project

WheelCipher — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:22:00 GMT

The bell tolls! Can you hear it? Listen closely! That's the sound that tells me that we're near the end of Managerial Finance! Six days and counting and it could not have come soon enough. We're doubling up our workload in the final week with our group project AND our final exam. I look at this as a cheap parting gift for the class that I dislike so much.

The professor was great. My classmates were great. I just do not like finance. I feel like I have spent the last three months in a void. Starting up again in a couple of weeks with a class that I like will not only be a refreshing feeling, but it will also get me back into my routine. The absolute onslaught of numbers and calculations has my head spinning.

Doing a group project in a distance learning environment is a difficult thing. Last term, my team was able to handle everything through e-mail. This term was a little different. Being a very complex topic, we took the bull by the horns and actually had (and are continuing to have) conference calls with the team so that we're all on the same page. We're getting a lot done this way. We're able to identify everyone's strengths and weaknesses and assign work accordingly.

The major part of my assignment includes financial strategy. This is where we lay out alternative financial objectives and strategies for the company we’re examining. For example, I might suggest that they move ahead with a retail growth strategy; devise a strategy that involves more active initiatives in other areas, or sell divisions or assets.

After Saturday, we'll have our traditional week between classes. I want to spend that week doing a lot of nothing. I will be 1/3 through my MBA program at that point. It's a pretty good feeling. In the mean time,

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Inflation Is Taking A Bite Out Of My Education Pt. 2

Cat — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:41:00 GMT

With the rising cost of food in our country I knew I’d have to take some serious measures so I could afford to continue my catering course. Fresh herbs such as Rosemary, Thyme and Basil are used in so many of the dishes I’ll need to create, but the cost is ridiculous. When you purchase these from the store you get one little plastic container filled with a handful of herbs, and I just can’t bring myself to buy them at $4 a pop.

My son and I went to Home Depot yesterday to pick up a couple of things I needed for our lawn. While I was there I wanted to find some flowers to plant around my mailbox. As I was searching the massive garden section I came upon the fresh herbs and decided to start my own herb garden. I bought a few large plants, rosemary, basil and flat leaf parsley to start off with, as well as some arugula. Yes I know that’s not an herb, but I will be using arugula quite often so why not try to grow it.

The quality of soil in Oklahoma isn’t the greatest so I knew I’d have to do something about that. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, but then my husband came up with a great idea. Take a large tub, drill drainage holes in it, and use store bought soil. This will not only help the plants to grow, but it will also give me the ability to bring the tubs indoors when it gets colder outside and have a supply of the herbs during the cooler months.

I priced some of the tubs at a few stores today and found a large, plastic, rectangular shaped container on wheels. The bottom of the tub is about an inch off of the ground so drainage won’t be a problem, and it was spacious enough to let the arugula and parsley spread out, plus I’ll have room for other plants. The basil and rosemary have very long roots so they will need to be planted inside of something deep. Fortunately I found some deep, large, round pots at Wal-Mart that would work well for them.

The cost of all of this is going to be less than $35. My plants were only $3 apiece and the tubs and soil will cost me about $20. After making two recipes, my herb garden will have paid for itself.

Years ago I tried planting a vegetable garden, but I was unable to keep on top of it due to health reasons, so growing my own produce isn’t going to be an option for me, but in my next blog you’ll see what I’ve done to save money on fresh fruits and vegetables and how I’m making them last.

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Inflation Is Taking A Bite Out Of My Education Pt. 1

Cat — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:01:00 GMT

Let’s face it; we’ve all seen our cost of living increase a lot over the past year. My family’s grocery budget has more than doubled. Foods like steak, shrimp and bacon are a luxury these days. You wouldn’t think that this would effect my education, but when you’re studying to be a caterer, it not only effects my education, but my business as well. After pricing certain foods that I’d be needing to use in my upcoming text, I realized that I was going to have to do something to help keep the costs down or my education would have to come to a grueling halt.

As I was walking through the produce aisle of my local grocery store, I priced some of the fresh herbs and spices they had available. I realized that buying these fresh items were going to put a serious dent in my grocery budget. I wouldn’t mind spending the extra money if I knew that I would use all of products, but the fact is, when you buy something like fresh basil, you don’t use the whole package. You put a great deal of it back in the fridge and watch it go bad. This is not an option for me.

One of the other things I’ve noticed is how the cost of produce is skyrocketing, and the quality is diminishing. A year ago I could buy a few bunches of broccoli for a dollar or two and now I’m spending more than five on them. Needless to say throwing fresh produce away is killing me inside. You can plan out a menu and buy only what you need when you shop, but that doesn’t always work. Being disabled, I have good days and bad days. When I have a bad day my husband does the cooking. He usually asks me what I was planning on doing for dinner and when I tell him, his usual response is, “Yeah. I can’t cook that.” Since we don’t always follow my menu to the letter, we can throw out quite a bit of produce.

I have recently taken some steps to remedy this wasteful situation. If I’m going to be a caterer I will have to use fresh products more often than not and since the cost of these items have gotten out of hand, I’m taking steps that will help me to control costs now and in the future. In my next blog I will let you know what actions I am taking and how they are working out.

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Fear Failure? Here’s a list of some notable failures in history

Cajun — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:29:00 GMT

When I first started my MBA program I was terrified of the mathematics portion. In fact on my very first quantitative methods exam I made a 30%. That’s a 30% out of a 100%. I felt so crappy and so much like a failure I actually discussed dropping out of the program with my wife in lieu of simply settling for an MSM degree which didn’t include any sort of mathematics at all. As it turns out that would have been a huge mistake as I am almost complete with my program and as of this writing still maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I simply knuckled down, studied hard and did my best which as it turns out, was good enough in this case. But just in case you are like I was and fear failure I’ve compiled a list of some people who have experienced some decisive failures in life but who eventually pulled through to do something worth while.

So as promised in the forums I present Cajun’s list of notable failures in history:

1.) Thomas Edison. One of the world’s greatest inventors has seen plenty of failure as he pretty much experimented by having an idea, failing at that idea until he succeeded once. We don’t know anything about the 1000’s of times he was wrong, except for what is reported perhaps on wikipedia about him being fired for spilling acid on the desk of his boss but he eventually succeeded in many of his goals.

2.) Abraham Lincoln. One of the greatest Presidents and leaders the United States has ever known, was not too talented on picking quality generals during the Civil War. Not only that but when he was elected multiple states seceded from the United States of America. Talk about a rough crowd. Though Lincoln was probably one of the least popular Presidents in history during the time of his tenure in office, history remembers him fondly.

3.) Albert Einstein. That’s right, one of the smartest men who ever lived failed when he tested to enter the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, Switzerland. He couldn’t make it past the entrance exam due to poor language skills, etc. I sincerely doubt this was his only failure however this was the only academic failure that I know of. Eventually however he was lauded as one of the greatest minds of all time.

4.) Saint Peter. One of my favorite Apostles in the Bible had a bit of a problem in running off at the mouth, losing his temper and a surge of faith followed quickly by a lack of faith. I can relate. However Saint Peter was eventually called the rock upon which the church would be built by Jesus himself, despite his notable and repeated failures. Not bad, eh?

5.) Mickey Mantle. For those of you who are sports fans, you may already know that Mickey Mantle struck out more than any batter in baseball until another notable failure, Reggie Jackson. However as we all know, things turned out well for him (and Reggie) eventually.

So are you still afraid of failure? If you are then look at it like this, if you fail at least you’re in good company.

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Procrastination!

steve — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:37:00 GMT

Both of my teenage girls have left traditional brick and mortar high school in favor of earning their high school diplomas online through the Penn Foster High School. On the one hand, that situation has certainly lent us a lot of flexibility as a family, and mornings are MUCH easier these days since we don't have to struggle to beat the clock in order to get them off to school on time. Neither of them, especially my oldest daughter, are really what you'd consider "morning people," so prior to enrolling them in Penn Foster it was tough at times to get them started in the early morning hours. To be perfectly honest, I still find it a bit ridiculous that school starts so early that students have to wake up at 5:30 AM in order to get ready and make to school before the bell.

If you have teenagers, you probably already know that keeping them focused on anything serious can be difficult. Right now, that's our biggest challenge with them: keeping them focused on their school work. When it comes to school work, they both run sort of hot or cold. Either they're really into it and plow through their assignments one right after the other, or they tend to leave their work lay around a while so they quickly find themselves falling behind.

I've tried to explain to them that doing a little bit at a time is a lot easier than getting behind and finding themselves facing a big pile of work. That big pile can be daunting on the surface, which makes it even more difficult for them to motivate themselves to kick it into gear. I mean, that sort of reaction to a large amount of work is really just human nature, isn't it?

Now that's great advice I'm giving to my teenagers of course, but to be honest I'm as big a procrastinator as they are. So while I'm handing them that advice, I also have to remind myself of the same thing. I hope that I learn that lesson for myself, but I really hope they learn that lesson so that they don't fall into that trap later in life.

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So What Next?...a soon to be grad ponders the future

Cajun — Sat, 10 May 2008 04:51:00 GMT

My last blog post was all about how I have 19 weeks left in my MBA program before I’m done. Truth be told, as of Tuesday next week, I have 18 weeks. I am looking to go into the job market full time in the search for new employment as soon as I graduate but as far as academically I’m just not sure what is coming next. I don’t feel like I’m done. I don’t feel ready to stop working academically and I am certainly going to miss writing in my humble little blog but I don’t know what else to do.

I looked at a link that Pepper sent me with the University of London and truth be told I have always been highly interested in earning a degree from there, particularly in information security. I’ve also been very intrigued by Liberty University’s Master of Arts in Human Services with an Emphasis in Executive Leadership or Master of Arts in Christian Leadership.

I have also given a strong look at Harrison Middleton University’s Doctor of Education degree and they now have an even more tempting offer of a Doctor of Arts http://www.chumsci.edu/pages/degree/doctorarts-overview.asp. I’m not sure what one does with a Doctor of Arts degree but the great books teaching ideal combined with a doctoral liberal arts degree emphasizing almost anything of the student’s choosing is just too much goodness to pass up, if I only had the money to do so. The capstone could be anything from a portfolio of paintings to the recording of a composition or even an album (possibly) which I would LOVE to pursue and will do so whether earning credit for doing so or not. OR the student could write a book, something else I have intended to do. That would keep me busy until I’m about 33 years old.

Another program I have given some serious consideration to is the Southwestern College (my alma mater) Master of Science in Leadership. Probably one of the more well rounded leadership degrees I have ever seen if not the best. But again, what exactly would I do with this credential other than simply enjoy the process of getting it? Maybe if I were already established in an executive position or something. Grand Canyon University’s MSL looks good too, but what a price tag, yeesh!

Lastly I looked at Fort Hays State University’s Master of Liberal Studies. I seem to have a thing for liberal arts and leadership studies don’t I? And hey, as a program this is about as inexpensive as they come.

I will definitely pursue the certificate of completion in accounting from LSU, but not necessarily because I’m passionate about accounting or finance but simply because there is a hole in my skill set there. I would hate to get a managerial position only to screw up the financial aspects of the job, that would be unforgivable especially for someone who has been minted an “MBA”, at least in my eyes. It’s the hard skills that separate the MBA from something like an MSM. So I suppose there is that, right?

Who knows, maybe I’ll just hang up the cap and gown for a while and just write my book. Any suggestions anyone?

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President Signs into Law . . .Read Clarifications

ter — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:42:00 GMT

On Wednesday, May 7, President Bush signed bill H.R. 5715 into law. My post on Tuesday outlined the bill's properties, but I have received some additional clarification which may affect many of you. Most importantly, the loan increases are for both Stafford Loan and Direct Lending students. The new law goes into effect for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2008.

I realize this may be confusing, as I know I have been confused by the legal wording, so let me break it down. Subsidized loan limits have not changed. Unsubsidized limits have changed as follows:

Freshman loan limits:

Dependent student: borrow usual $3,500 plus an additional $2,000 in Unsubsidized loan for total of $5,500.
Independent student: borrow usual $3,500 plus option for additional Unsubsidized loan of $4,000 plus another $2,000 Unsubsidized for a total of $9,500.
Dependent student whose parent is denied the PLUS loan: same as the Independent student.

Sophomore loan limits:

Dependent student: borrow usual $4,500 plus an additional $2,000 in Unsubsidized loan for total of $6,500.
Independent student: borrow usual $4,500 plus option for additional Unsubsidized loan of $4,000 plus another $2,000 Unsubsidized for a total of $10,500.
Dependent student whose parent is denied the PLUS loan: same as the Independent student.

Junior & Senior loan limits:

Dependent student: borrow usual $5,500 plus an additional $2,000 in Unsubsidized loan for total of $7,500.
Independent student: borrow usual $5,500 plus option for additional Unsubsidized loan of $5,000 plus another $2,000 Unsubsidized for a total of $12,500.
Dependent student whose parent is denied the PLUS loan: same as the Independent student.

Remember, these are loan limits for each academic year. Your school will determine your class level (freshman, sophomore, etc.) based on their definition of class standing. Also, you may or may not qualify for the limit depending on the costs at your college.

You may also notice I haven't mentioned graduate students. The bill did not include any loan limit increases for graduate students, so limits will remain at usual $8,500 and option for additional Unsubsidized loan of $12,000. The Department of Education is still sorting through the bill to determine how students are impacted who are taking preparatory coursework or teacher certification.

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Education Tools: HP2133 Mini-Note

WheelCipher — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:30:00 GMT

As you all know, I don’t do many product reviews. I think this is my second one. I do like to buy gadgets and tools that help me be more mobile and complete my school work. When I find one worth a write-up, you can bet that I am impressed enough to share the information.

The mini-notebook market is new. It all started with the Asus eeePC several months ago. I bought one of those and if I remember correctly, I wrote a review of it here. Well, HP has come out with a new product that makes the eeePC look like something you’d buy at Toys R’ Us.

The HP 2133 Mini-Note is the latest computer specifically geared toward the education market, but is going to be snatched up by every market from home and personal use to corporate and small business.

I won’t go into a huge review of why it’s better other than to say that for a couple hundred dollars more than the cost of the best eeePC, you can get a “real” computer that is optimized for us distance learning students. If you are like me, you like to be able to go away and find some peace and quiet to get your work done. Carrying along a normal sized laptop might be cumbersome. With the new Mini-Note, I have all the functionality of a full size laptop in a package I can carry around in my hand.

Screen: Nice, glossy wide screen measuring in at 9”

Keyboard: The keyboard is nice! Unlike the eeePC, this one is almost full size and a pleasure to use. The keys on the eeePC are simply too small for people like me with big hands.

Processor: At 1.6gHz, it’s almost twice as fast as the eeePC

The wireless is fast as one would expect. It comes with Windows Vista, but also has Windows XP drivers for those who prefer to use XP.

Hard drive: The Mini-Note comes with a 120G hard drive. This is a LOT better than the 8G solid state drive in the eeePC.

I can’t say enough about the functionality for a distance learning student. This is why HP (and other manufacturers of these small PC’s) is targeting the education market! They are affordable and work well.

If you are into being mobile while doing your school work, I would suggest one of these! I originally ordered one directly from HP, but there was a 3-week wait time. I canceled the order when I found that out. A week or so later, I found them on Amazon.com and got it the next day (with overnight shipping).

There is a lot of positive news about this new product. Check it out!

Scott is also active on LinkedIn.

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19 Weeks to go before graduation...

Cajun — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:48:00 GMT

I can hardly believe it. Here I am looking at the schedule for my next class and realize that I have only 3 courses left. Including this week which is half way over I have 19 weeks left of school and then I’m home free. I am wondering about the commencement ceremony though. It will be in mid December in Iowa. I can drive 14 hours to get there or pay between $250 to $700 a person and fly to a major city nearby (within 2 hours of a drive) and rent a car to drive the rest of the way in. I’m thinking about just driving there, but then I’ve grown up in Louisiana and Texas my whole driving life and have never really been subjected to an Iowa snow. So road conditions are a concern. Either way I guess I’ll be doing some amount of driving though.

Or I suppose I could put on a cap and gown, head down to a local pub and attempt to set the world’s record in downed Irish car bombs in a 4 hour span with some of my closest friends in tow. But then who would want their parents to watch that? As for the pictures…

19 weeks really doesn’t feel like it is that far away. Okay I realize I have an entire summer’s worth of work still left to do, but after 7 long, long, long years of college, realizing that you only have 19 weeks left in the foreseeable future just feels so soon. I wonder if I’ll suffer that post partum depression type of thing after I finish up? I remember after my BS the first 2 weeks that I didn’t have coursework to do I was seriously so anxious that my wife almost had me put on medication. I just felt like I had to be doing something but didn’t know what. Has anyone else felt like that?

I can say one thing; this is the closest I’ve ever been to a graduation date without plans to keep going to school afterwards. I’m a little freaked out about the whole thing actually. But hey, the very day I complete my last assignment I will be ending every single email with my name and “MBA” at the end. Only for a week, but hey, I’ve got to be a little obnoxious or I just wouldn’t be being me.

I do plan on doing one thing if I do nothing else, I’m writing a book on distance education or more specifically getting a degree online. I’m planning on filling it with practical yet entertaining advice, maybe a little story here and there and even perhaps an interview or two with HR type people. Whatever it is I’m not going to try to rehash everything Dr. John Bear has written on over the years but instead try to write on things from the viewpoint of the student experience. Who knows? Either way I’m going to attempt something.

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Unintentional Plagiarism: It Could Happen To You

susan — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:30:00 GMT

By Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.

Every day, all around the globe, a number of online students receive the dreaded message, "I'm sorry, but your paper has been flagged by our plagiarism detecting program as having problematic content."

It's a deliberately vague statement, intended to protect the institution and the instructor, but the meaning is clear.

Imagine for a moment that the recipient of that message was you. Your first reaction is shock and disbelief. Something is terribly wrong with your paper. Wrong? How could that be? You feel your heart pound and your skin tingle. What happened? You tried very hard with this paper. You were very careful to do outside research for this paper, as required by the instructions. When searching for information for your paper, you went to your favorite places on the Internet, and they looked very good to you. You listed the URL at the end of the paper. Further, you were very careful to use five or six sources, not just one. What went wrong?

Students often unintentionally plagiarize when they write their term papers. The ways that this happens are numerous; it is important to recognize each one. It is also important to understand how popular plagiarism detecting programs like turnitin.com work, and how and why the results they yield can be illuminating and frustrating.

Varieties of Unintentional Plagiarism

Here are a few:

1. Patchwork Quilt

After students have completed their online research and have written annotations for their bibliographies, it is tempting to weave them together to create one's paper. While it is always a good idea to use references and outside sources, the problem with using too many block quotes is that the integrity of the paper can be compromised. The result can be a patchwork quilt of block quotes, with as much as 90 percent of the paper consisting of material gleaned from sources. This will register as plagiarism. One should never have more than 15 to 20 percent of direct quotes or block quotes.

2. Wikipedia — "Wiki-cosis"

Wikipedia should never be used as a course in an academic paper. The information is not reliable, and it can be incomplete and biased. It is amazing how many people consider Wikipedia to be authoritative. Granted, it is a good place to start, but it should be used as a point of departure. The over-reliance on Wikipedia can lead to something one could consider "wiki-cosis" — toxic levels of incomplete and inaccurate information derived from Wikipedia. It is easy to spot a paper that has information that has been copied and pasted from Wikipedia. The block of text will have a pale blue background.

3. Link-Only Citing — Insufficient Citation

Some students think that it is sufficient to simply create a list of links at the end of the paper. They may or may not set off their quoted material in block quotes, and they may fail to put quoted phrases or sentences between quotation marks. Needless to say, this will be flagged as plagiarism.

4. Block Paraphrasing — Word Substitution

Realizing that they cannot just copy and paste entire sections of papers, some students simply substitute certain words and create close-to-the-original paraphrases. Often they fail to cite the source using in-text citations and a reference at the end of the paper. While summaries and overviews of a work or a source can be useful, to copy the structure and argument of the block, and to change the wording only slightly is not considered academically appropriate.

5. Encyclopedia Article Template

Some people turn to online encyclopedias for their term papers. For example, they may select the life and times of William Shakespeare as their topic. They then go to Encyclopedia Britannica or another online source, and they copy the structure, reproduce the argument, and paraphrase the ideas without giving any credit at all, except for perhaps a listing at the end of the paper. Why is this not acceptable? A paper written by the student should contain the student's own ideas and own analysis.

6. Son of Son of Source

Many blogs and news sources regularly copy material from wire sources (Associate Press) or from each other. The student may not realize that the citations are incorrect, and that it appears that they are deliberately obfuscating or masking the original source of ideas. When looking for information and checking out sources, try to find the provenance of an idea or a citation. Peer reviewed journals will more clearly present idea provenances than will newspaper articles or blogs.

Dirty Tricks that will Ping Plagiarism Detecting Programs

1. Peer reviews. This could be unintentional.

Depending upon where the discussion boards occur, and whether or not they are password protected, individuals work and drafts could end up in search engine results. Since plagiarism detection programs spider the Internet, it is likely that a draft or paper posted there as a part of a peer review process will show up. It is possible it would appear to be authored by someone else, if the peer reviewer is the one doing the posting.

2. Frenemy. Have a friend who is into playing tricks, "punking" you?

You may have an enemy/friend whom you have emailed your paper. You may have asked them to take a look at it and comment on it. You may simply have wanted to share. Whatever it was, if they took your paper and posted it on their blog, on the Web, or somewhere else, it's possible it would show up in search engine (and plagiarism detection) programs. Your instructor will think it was written by your frenemy if there is no specific information attributing it to you.

In conclusion…

It is possible that a large percentage of online learners have inadvertently created documents that could be flagged as problematic by plagiarism detection programs. Thus, it is very helpful to know the pitfalls, as well as the proper procedures for citing materials in research papers.

Download the accompanying podcast on this topic: "Unintentional Plagiarism" (5.3 MB).

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"Inside eLearning by Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D." Podcasts are Available for Download

susan — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:59:00 GMT

Listen to the following podcasts read by Dr. Susan Smith Nash:

Enjoy!

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The MBA and resiliency in the face of a changing economy

Cajun — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:55:00 GMT

I was reading a USA Today article this evening about the graduates of a particular university from 1998. I found the article interesting primarily because in 1998 the economy was booming, IT was in high drive and tech businesses were leading the economic charge towards the future. Apparently this class of MBAs from a Tier 2 school, I assume that is what the author meant by “next tier” anyways, were highly recruited by many large companies and consultant agencies because most Tier 1 grads were being swept up by up and coming technology upstarts. Of course as we know the Dot Com bubble blew up in all of our faces and the economy took a downturn. Many of these MBA grads soon found themselves pounding pavement looking for new jobs as a result.

Again, September 11^th hurt the economy and once again some MBA grads were looking for work. I find this interesting now because it appears that we are in something of a recession now, despite the fact that the Fed, some politicians and the media at large seem to largely be downplaying the toll that the mortgage and sub prime lending market seems to be taking on our economy. It seems that once again we are entering into turbulent waters and I find myself somewhat empathizing with those who graduated B-school with an MBA just in time for an economic down turn.

The thing that I found interesting about the article is that on following up with these graduates they asked them what they had learned. Almost to a man (or woman) they all espoused patience in some form or another. Patience, resiliency or an ability to stick it out and not make rash short term decisions seemed to be the repeating theme. Of course a couple people went with the old “do what you love” bit, but it seemed that most of those offering advice talked about just being patient and viewing your career over the long term.

That’s what an MBA is really about anyways, isn’t it? I mean, it’s not like when I graduate businesses will be beating down my door trying to recruit me. Certainly there is no shortage in my area of MBA credentialed professionals. It seems I drive past at least 3 to 4 billboards a day talking about the virtues of a TCU MBA or hear on the radio about Concordia University’s ability to make your dreams come true or SMU Cox School of Business which runs a very Lexus announcer guy type of advertisement trying to convince the listener that by attending their MBA program you’ll be in the business elite. Somebody must be going to those programs and graduating. Certainly there is competition out there and in an economic downturn, what’s a guy to do right?

For now I guess I’ll be patient, see what comes my way and play to my strengths. I am certain I have some talents and skill sets that many of my MBA peers do not or will not have when I graduate. Who knows, maybe I’ll be looking back in 2018 giving the same advice as those 1998 grads are giving now.

For more on the article see http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-05-07-mba-grads-olin_N.htm

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