Online Education and Distance Learning Discussion Forums & Blogs

Teachers Making Extra Cash Selling Their Lesson Plans

AndriaL — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:58:00 GMT

...and not everyone's happy about it.

According to a New York Times story, teachers have started selling lesson plans online, much to the annoyance of school boards and administrators. The argument against this practice is that it cheapens the student's experience and some school districts feel they're missing out on some of the profits made on content that, they believe, belongs to the schools.

Some teachers are just using the cash to make home improvements or pay bills, but others are actually using the money to make classroom improvements.

Unfortunately, with the planning, creativity, and certifications involved in becoming a teacher and the notoriously low pay, many teachers consider their profession to feel thankless at times, and this is just one way of feeling valuable and earning some extra cash.

In my opinion, I don't really like the idea of being taught with lesson plans a teacher bought, but I don't think the schools should forbid teachers from selling their lesson plans or lay any claim on the teacher's work. What do you guys think? Should teachers be allowed to sell lesson plans?

Explore online education degrees, or read the original article here (registration required).

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Icing on the Cake

jodipalmer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:05:00 GMT

I've had a really long week/month, to put it mildly. Today marked the official last day of non-stop "stuff" going on, things should be winding down for the most part. I will have more mental energy left at the end of the day to focus on school work and not be exhausted. Just the right way to kick off this short season of non-busyness was a trip to my brand new baby niece's house for a night of sweet babysitting. My girls came with me and were just delighted at the sight of their new cousin, they couldn't help but just grin at her and sing sweet songs to make her happy. I brought some homework that needs to be finished up but happily kept it in my bag. (I'm not sure why I brought them really, it hasn't been that long since mine were that young!) There is still a hint of the "baby smell" on me. Nothing sweeter than a precious little newborn, especially one that is only my responsibility for a couple hours at a time! Just to keep these good vibes going, I think I'll keep my books in the bag until tomorrow!

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From the Plagiarism Department

WheelCipher — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:30:00 GMT

Being on vacation does not mean I am not keeping up with the trends in distance education. In fact, I found an article that made me quite angry. “Case of the purloined term paper” from USA Today touches on something that can be a black mark on distance education. People who buy term papers from the Internet are cheaters. End of story. These papers are offered by an underground operation that seeks to make money at the expense of others. If you read further into the article, you will read one example where an on-line student from University of Phoenix found her paper available for sale and she did not even know how it was ‘leaked’ to these people.

I am not sure what to make of the people who offer the papers for sale. Other than finding one with YOUR paper for sale, I am not sure what, if any legal action might be taken. It may be legal, but it is certainly unscrupulous. In my opinion, students who buy papers from these unprincipled vendors are doing two things: Cheating themselves out of an education and the appreciation hard work and dedication will bring. Also, they are essentially supporting these people by purchasing the product. I think if people took responsibility for their own work and had the integrity that is expected by every institution, people who sell term papers would go out of business.

I don’t like to preach. You are free to do what you want. But believe me when I say cutting corners because you are too lazy to do the right thing is a bad deal. You are cheating yourself. If you didn’t really want an education, why are you spending all the money? Take some time to reflect on this. We have heard the old saying, “nothing is free”. Academic work is no exception. By purchasing and submitting someone else’s work, you are cheating yourself.

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An Easy Way To Save a Buck...Or Four

Cat — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:58:00 GMT

With winter fast approaching, I’m sure your outdoor plants are now dying if they’re not already dead. So what do you do about that herb plant that looks like death warmed over? Well don’t throw it away!

Spices that are sold in stores start off as fresh herbs and when your fresh herbs begin to dry out on their own then it’s time to just let nature take its course. If you’re unable to bring these plants into your home and keep them alive then let them die, but prior to tossing out the plant carcass take a large bowl and place it underneath the stems of the plant and pull the dried herbs off. You can place these dried herbs in marked Ziploc bags and use them instead of buying them in a grocery store. As a matter of fact, I was looking for a spice in the store the other day and I couldn’t believe how expensive they were for the tiniest containers. I simply couldn’t bring myself to spend $4.00 on a tiny little container of Cumin.

You can buy inexpensive spices at stores such as Walgreens and CVS as they regularly have sales that are 2 for $1.00. Now that’s my kind of price, but you probably won’t find anything but your basics there. My suggestion would be to check out Dollar stores or (what my mom used to call) the Five and Dime stores. Many places such as Big Lots get overstock products and can provide you with that bottle of cumin at a fraction of the cost. As for myself, I checked out the Hispanic markets and found a wonderful assortment of spices (including saffron flowers which can be ground up into saffron with a mini chopper) for less than a dollar a package.

Make sure you do your research before buying your next spice off the rack, and definitely save those dried herbs. By doing these few things you can save quite a bit of money on your grocery bill.

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Gates Foundation awards Memphis City Schools...

JaynaB — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:38:00 GMT

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are known for caring deeply and actively for education. This Seattle-based foundation saw fit to award three school districts and one charter school, grants ranging from 40-100 million dollars, to promote effective teaching methods and professional training. Memphis City School system is among the lowest graded public school system in Tennessee, but with a $90,000,000 grant, Memphis can recruit and and reward effective teachers to raise the score.

Eighty-three percent of the 109,000 students that attend the Memphis City Schools are eligible for free lunches; that is the biggest percentage out of the schools awarded the grants. As you may or may not know, Memphis City School is mostly African American students. As a product of the Memphis City School system, I can honestly say that help couldn't come at a better time. Memphis' educational system surely needs teachers with great technological knowledge and implement methods that will keep students engaged, interested, and longing for more learning. This is what can carry over in their post-secondary goals. Students want to learn and feel like their teachers care about their future. But it starts at home. Parents have to be more responsible for their children's education.

And since students are away for 8 hours of the day with one or more teachers, those hours have to have stimulation and creativity involved. When graduation arrives, these students will have established meaningful mentorships and connections, and feel empowered.

I am sooo happy the Gates Foundation have sent a blessing to my city. I hope to see our children grow and become fruitful citizens of Memphis and this country.

For more on this great story, visit: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/11/19/13gates.h29.html?tkn=QVSFg34gg06FK2R5AIL%2F7xEzBGjTtSW1YVJ%2B

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Seattle - Day 2

WheelCipher — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:29:00 GMT

Today was a great day! The intentions after breakfast were simply to drive around and see what kind of trouble we could stir up. We ended up driving up the base of Mount Rainier, one of the tallest mountains in the USA. We got up to 3,400 feet before roadblocks stopped us. Foot traffic is allowed beyond that point, so we are going to try that on Friday. Connecting with nature is a good thing. It clears out the mind and brings perspective on many levels.

The wind at 3,400 feet was pretty harsh. I took over 150 photos today and there will be more when we head back up the mountain. As soon as I get home and process them, I will post a link to them on my blog. The unfortunate part about the trip is that I think a visit to Gonzaga University, my newest institution of higher learning is going to be out of the question. The weather is not optimal and the trip is actually longer than I originally thought. At the end of the day, it would be about 8 hours of driving round trip and I am pretty sure I don’t want to stay in a car that long.

I will miss not being able to visit Gonzaga. Perhaps I will catch it next time. There is so much to see and do here that it is hard to make a schedule. The weather cleared up a bit tonight and the temperature rose to a very balmy 60 degrees. That is good news. With any luck, we will be able to head up the mountain unimpeded.

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India turns to distance education due to teacher shortage

Cajun — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:07:00 GMT

It looks as if India is looking at distance education as a way to cope with a severe teacher shortage. They will utilize technology to increase teacher accessibility, probably in much the same way we use distance education here in the U.S. One has to speculate however if they will be soliciting any instructors from abroad, such as the good old U.S. of A. I have to wonder because we seem to have so much stiff competition for online teaching gigs here in the U.S. whereas China and especially India seem to be suffering from a shortage. Given the respect shown towards U.S. universities and colleges outside of our nation, I wonder if India will look across the seas in an effort to fill their gaps yet keep costs at a reasonable level?

Of course this isn’t just at the college level though I assume that will be a large portion of the concern. India as a whole is striving for 90% literacy for example. I’m not sure how online and distance education will work without literacy so this is absolutely vital. Reading and writing comprehension is the foundation upon which distance learning is built, without strong reading and writing skills I don’t think it’s possible to do much. I have several coworkers from India, one of whom is also an adjunct professor in computer programming at a local university. So I think next time he is available for lunch I may pick his brain a little to see what he sees happening. Who knows, he may very well have Indian contacts who could answer more definitively.

See http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sci-tech/distance-education-could-address-dearth-of-teachers-sibal_100277178.html

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A Minnesota Christian College that Knows Adult Education Joins eLearners.com

AndriaL — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Crown College is a Christian college based in Minnesota with a passion for adult learning. You might even call it "'adults-only' learning" — the minimum age to apply to online programs at Crown is 23, which makes it more likely that students are on similar footing when beginning their careers as e-learners. Crown College offers a large variety of online programs, which you can view by scrolling to the bottom of this post. Undergraduate courses are held in five-week sessions with rolling start dates through the semester, so the start of a new section is never far away. Graduate courses are slightly longer at seven weeks, but any way you look at it, you're finishing an entire class in less than two months!

Program Listings:

Associate

	Associate of Arts in General Studies
	Associate of Science in Christian Ministry

Bachelor

	Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication
	Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
	Bachelor of Science in Christian Ministry
	Bachelor of Science in Nursing, B.S.N. Completion

Master

	Master of Arts in Christian Studies
	Master of Arts in Educational Leadership
	Master of Arts in Intercultural Leadership Studies
	Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership
	Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership

Continuing Education

Bible Certificate

A Note about Accreditation

Crown College is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission/North Central Association (30 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60602; 312-263-0456), and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

The nursing program at Crown College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington, D.C. 20036-1120; 202-887-6791) to award undergraduate nursing degrees.

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Bloggers and Press Freedom

SteveFoerster — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:12:00 GMT

“The casual conversational tone of a blog is what makes it particularly dangerous.” — Daniel B. Beaulieu

Recently I came to the defense of Kareem Amer, an Egyptian blogger who has been imprisoned in his native country for the last two and half years supposedly for having defamed Islam, but in reality for having insulted Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak. Fair is fair, however, and in my opinion a recent news event shows that bloggers are not always in the right.

Down in Ave Maria, Florida, not far from Naples on the Gulf Coast, there's a new Catholic institution called Ave Maria University that was founded by Tom Monaghan, the billionaire who founded Domino's Pizza. As the name suggests, Monaghan and his partners didn't just found the university, but also the town around it, on a large tract of previously undeveloped land deeded to them by Collier County, Florida.

The founders had a very specific vision about what they wanted in founding the university, specifically an institution that was completely faithful to conservative Catholic teachings. Their intention was to build a community there that supported those ideals, and they did so in an empty piece of land that displaced no one.

Now, knowing that much is enough for me to know for certain that Ave Maria, Florida is not the place for me. They own the property and they want to use it in a way that doesn't interest me. Live and let live. But others don't necessarily see it that way. Recently Ave Maria University had to enlist the help of the county Sheriff's department to bar a critical blogger name Marielena Montesino de Stuart from their campus.

The bit in that article that sort of got me was when after having been banned from campus she issued a statement saying, in part, “This is another way in which the university’s administration silences public opinion, which is a violation of our constitutional rights.” Now, I've read the constitution, and it's very clear on freedom of speech and of the press (if one considers bloggers to be journalists, which I guardedly do). Nowhere have I see it say that it's okay to go anywhere you want, even if the property owners don't want you there, nor to consider yourself invited to any event, even one that's billed as a press conference. So even though personally the Ave Maria folks strike me as being kind of out there, I'm with them on this issue — they have the right to stick to themselves and keep those whose mission is to criticize them off of their property. In fact, I'm a little irritated with Ms. De Stuart because when someone drops a bomb like “constitutional rights” card when it doesn't apply, it just weakens it for when real censorship rears its ugly head.

Image courtesy of Brett Lider

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10 Things you can do to improve your marketability

Cajun — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:20:00 GMT

I believe I’ve written a post similar to this in the past but I’ve been asked to write on this again. A reader noted that in my blog and often in the forums I write about education being just one facet of the overall makeup of someone to be hired or potentially hired for a job. I was asked what are some areas people can improve in to increase their marketability to prospective employers. Well I am going to go ahead and break this into two categories, getting the interview and what to do during the interview to increase your marketability.

Getting the interview:

1.) Earn a degree if at all possible. Higher education says more about you than what you “know” or have done, it says a lot about your work ethic, ability to follow instructions, ability to see long term, to accomplish goals, etc. Also having a degree qualifies you on paper to many opportunities that would otherwise be closed to you. So get that degree and get that interview. Advanced degrees are especially helpful when looking for professional positions.

2.) Read the job posting, look for key words and skills and pepper these throughout your resume. In fact, write your resume to the job request. Yes this takes more time than spamming out a general resume to thousands of job postings but on the bright side, 10 really well written resumes are going to be a lot more effective than 1,000 poorly written resumes.

3.) Learn to write a cover letter, then use the cover letter to sell yourself. Think of a cover letter as a way of announcing yourself to someone from a professional standpoint. Highlight experience and accomplishments in a cover letter then explicitly tell the potential employer why you feel this ties into exactly what they are looking for.

4.) Industry certifications certainly help in two ways, 1 it turns you into a more knowledgeable candidate and 2 it shows on paper your advanced knowledge, don’t confuse these two as what you know and what you can prove you know are two very different things. For example if applying for a project manager position a PMP certification would really help.

5.) Understand the general concepts and language of the industry and/or field for which you are applying. No I don’t mean use a bunch of shop talk, but be familiar with the concepts. For example if you are applying for an information security analyst position, be current on encryption methods, various commercial products available and some industry trends. Then use this knowledge in your cover letter and where applicable on your resume.

After getting the interview:

1.) Practice your speaking skills. Slang, cursing, etc. just will not cut it. If at all possible learn to pronounce words correctly such as “specifically” rather than “pacifically” or “mine” (individual ownership) rather than “mines”. I know this sounds obvious but you’d be surprised. Also when speaking speak confidently, succinctly and clearly. Avoid mumbling, talking under your breath, using words you don’t quite understand or are unsure of and if you can help it, don’t say “um” a lot, instead practice taking short pauses when collecting your thoughts. It makes you appear more thoughtful and careful rather than someone attempting to prattle on, of course this may be regional in nature as people in New York may just think you’re slow versus people in Texas, so be aware of your cultural surroundings as well.

2.) Dress to impress but be appropriate. Guys, I always recommend a suit and tie. Even if you walk into an environment where your boss is wearing a Hawaiian shirt a suit and tie says “professional” and “I’m taking this seriously”. Even if you somehow feel a tie is absolutely wrong, fine wear the pants and jacket with the tie off, it’s a little more “casual” though I personally would advise keeping the tie. Don’t know what to buy? No problem, go to your nearest men’s clothing store, look at the mannequin and buy whatever that thing is wearing. Hey I don’t have fashion sense and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Retailers pay big bucks to people with taste to pick that junk out, so why reinvent the wheel right? Just remember the kind of jobs we are likely looking for will be in professional environments. Women, I’ve seen the kinds of magazines on the racks and the big box mart stores and they’re filled with articles on how to dress so I won’t reiterate that stuff here suffice to say, be conservative, professional and try to resist the urge to wear any outfit where the color of it can be likened to a fruit (don’t be flamboyant).

3.) Make good eye contact and listen to the interviewer. You might be surprised at how many people look almost bored in an interview or who constantly fidget and look at everything but the interviewer. I for one understand that this is nervousness but some of my less than enlightened fellows may look at this as you are being deceptive, you are not paying attention, you are bored, you are distracted, you are simply waiting on your turn to talk, etc. Practice attentive and active listening skills. Need a primer? Google “active listening” and you’ll find a ton of tips.

4.) Be friendly. Seriously this should go without saying but practice small talk (not politics or religion and nothing personal) and smile, be happy that you’re there and excited for the opportunity to interview. I know that this is high stress but you want to be approachable and likeable during these brief moments, not a nervous, stressed out wreck.

5.) Lastly be aware of verbal and non-verbal cues of what the interviewer likes on your resume and about what your saying. If you see that they say or indicate that they like something you’ve mentioned expand on that and drive it home. For example if you are interviewing for a general management position and say “at XYZ company I helped develop employee benchmarks for merit increases” and the interviewer says something in return like “we are looking at doing that here” or “we could use that here” then you need to reply with something like “well I would be happy to help you do that in any way I can” and maybe give an anecdote or two of some things you did that may help their cause so to speak. In other words, look for opportunities to be helpful, find common ground where you can and leave the interview with them thinking they’ve learned something or can learn something from you if at all possible.

I hope that helps.

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Seattle - Day 1

WheelCipher — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:59:00 GMT

I have finally made it to Seattle. I am kind of glad I dropped out of Walden, which was the original purpose for this trip. I am not sure how much fun I would have been able to experience had I been tied down with academic work. My plane left Austin at 6:30am. I arrived in Seattle at 10:30am (west coast time). My hotel is right on the waterfront, and as you might expect, it is cold, windy and raining. That’s Seattle!

I am not sure if I will be making the trip to Gonzaga this week. It all depends on the weather. I hope the rain calms down a little bit so that I can make the trip. I have been walking around downtown most of the day and saw some things. I am getting some great photos that I will process and share when I return. In the mean time, I will be sitting here in the hotel room trying to get some homework done so I do not fall behind.

Speaking of photos, I did want to share some with you. Last weekend, I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival. See the first slide show at http://bit.ly/242eVc. These turned out pretty good. The best of the bunch was a series of shots I took of one of the entertainers there. She was a great subject for a photo shoot. You can see that slide show by clicking http://bit.ly/4z7yzM. I hope you enjoy my work.

Anyway, I am off to get some homework done. I can’t let a little vacation separate me from the Gonzaga Experience.

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Anyone else do this?

jodipalmer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:31:00 GMT

Do you ever go on and on complaining about something, and know inside you should quit even while the words are coming out of your mouth (or in my case, fingers)? I just earned an 'A' on those weekly study questions I wouldn't shut up about the other day. I really needed the good news too. I was feeling pretty defeated and felt like giving up.

What is kind of bizarre is that the assignment I just received an 'A' on had been turned in before I saw the critique for the work I got a 'C' on...

Earlier today I found a just-because card in the mailbox from a good friend, coupled with this tiny bit of good news I am feeling very encouraged! It really makes me consider the huge affect our words can have on people. I wouldn't consider myself particularly sensitive and yet I can think of several instances my life has changed course because of things people said, sometimes good and sometimes not so good. This should be a reminder to me to carefully consider what I will say, and also to not hold back kind words I am thinking!

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...and on the bright side of things.

Cat — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:49:00 GMT

The news finally came and I will not need to have surgery on my right foot. As a matter of fact the bone spurs that were causing so much pain are actually getting smaller. I do have a very large stress fracture that's going from the top of my heel to the bottom of it, thus causing mucho quantities of pain. My specialist will be putting me in a high fashion boot to keep my foot immobile and I'll be stuck in the wheelchair for a few more weeks, but I'm looking at the bright side.... NO SURGERY!!!

Now all I have to do is continue to get my family to help me in the kitchen. Granted this week I'll be stuck in the bedroom with the flu, but after that my plan is to work any and everyone that graces my doorstep to the bone. I mean hey.... I've got to live vicariously through them so why not have them make a gourmet meal while I bark orders from a wheelchair in the corner of the kitchen?

My oldest son will be going out of town for Thanksgiving this year so I guess that means I'll have to abuse my youngest son and husband regarding the preparation of the bird. Sadly I'm going to have to live with boxed stuffing (another story in itself), but the family wouldn't dream of having canned cranberry sauce so I'm sure someone around here will volunteer to make the fresh stuff.

All I know is that I can't wait to get out of this chair and back into my kitchen.

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Is Harvard Extension School Really Harvard?

SteveFoerster — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:35:00 GMT

“I won't say there aren't any Harvard graduates who have never asserted a superior attitude. But they have done so to our great embarrassment and in no way represent the Harvard I know.” — Derek Bok, President Emeritus of Harvard University

For many years I've seen people mention the Harvard Extension School as a possible way for eLearners and others to earn a Harvard degree at a reasonable price. HES is one of thirteen schools that make up Harvard University, along with Harvard College (the campus-based school for undergraduates), Harvard Law, Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical, and others. HES offers evening and online courses that apply to certificate programs, as well as Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degree programs.

The primary difference between HES and Harvard University's other twelve schools is that anyone who meets basic eligibility criteria is welcome to enroll in HES courses, and if one does well enough in those courses, to apply them to a degree. Unfortunately for eLearners, degree programs from HES require at least one semester in residence taking courses on campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Still, for those who live in the Boston area, or who might conceivably live there for a few months, it's an enticing possibility.

Now, over on the forum, the subject of HES has come up again. This time, though, someone has referred to an opinion piece by an IT consultant named Don Burleson on HES and its relationship to Harvard University. Now, I've seen some whoppers in my time, but I have to say that this piece ranks as one of the most poorly-informed screeds I've ever read about higher education. Basically, Mr. Burleson believes that people who earn degrees from HES have not only not earned degrees from the "real" Harvard, but are liars and frauds for saying that they have!

As pretentious as this shows this fellow to be, before we summarily dismiss him as a crank, why not get it from the horse's mouth and see what Harvard University itself has to say? We can start with the About Us page on the HES site, which offers this:

As Harvard University's primary resource for continuing education for a century, Harvard Extension School offers an open and comprehensive academic curriculum, with courses and programs to meet the interests and needs of a diverse public. Explore a subject in depth. Gain advanced training for a career change. Earn specialized field credentials. Whether you take a course or work toward a degree, we have options for you.¹

That's clear and concise, but since that's merely on the HES part of Harvard University's web site, maybe it's just part of the vast conspiracy of fraud that has Mr. Burleson so upset. Fortunately, for those who want more, there was also a lengthy article just three weeks ago in the Harvard Gazette celebrating the centennial of HES. Since the Gazette is an official university publication, it's undeniable that HES is not only part of Harvard University, but an integral part of which they have long been very proud indeed.

The underlying issue here is that some people, for whatever reason, just can't accept the idea that a program that is open access could possible also be rigorous. And that's nonsense. It is the coursework, assignments, and examinations that determine whether a course or program is rigorous. In no way does it diminish that rigor just because a school's policy is to let anyone who want to find out if they can handle that course or program give it the old college try.

So basically, when it comes to whether a degree from Harvard Extension School is really one from the "real" Harvard, we have two choices. Either we can believe an elitist curmudgeon who, as it turns out, never even went to Harvard, or we can believe Harvard University itself. I don't know about you, but that's the easiest thing I've had to decide all day.

Next up, bloggers and freedom of the press.

Photo of John Harvard statue courtesy of Tim Sackton

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College Grads get a huge slap from employers...

JaynaB — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:29:00 GMT

Oh, the song of Pomp & Circumstance is bellowing from the orchestra pit. Your family and friends have traveled across the state(s) to come see receive an honor. You see your mom with her tissue dotting the tears, as she waves at you from the seats. You have newly creased and crisp black robe with your tassel flipping in and out of your eyes that are probably filled with tears. Not because you're happy that you have finished years of academic study, internships, or studying abroad, but because you have not received not one single interview out of the thousands of jobs you've applied for in the past 6 months!

CNNMoney.com, one of my sources for business, educational, and economical affairs of this country, has a story that will probably light your fire if you are a college graduate of 2009-2010. New college grads have had 40% fewer job opportunities and offers, but 2010 may be a little lighter.

Good news for the PhD, jobs for you are projected to jump 20%, makes me re-think the doctoral process?? (just kidding)

MBAs? You are looking bright too with job opportunities rising up to 11%!

It seems like to me is that the jobs will exist for those with advanced degrees. Because most of these projections are targeting the advanced credentials and up, which is not a bad thing. Most of us who took advantage of the downturn and went back to school are two steps ahead of the game.

Consulting services, food service, environmental services, nonprofit sectors are projected to come up in a good way. So, human service professionals? It's looking kinda good for us you guys!

Champagne and Jobs for everyone!!!!

For the full story, feel free to read: http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/17/news/economy/college_graduates_jobs/index.htm

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Are we for sale?

Cajun — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:50:00 GMT

Recently I was talking to a friend of mine who likened his job to “mortgaging my life away in exchange for a paycheck”. He hates his job, doesn’t have any heart for what he does for a living and basically only goes to work so that he can get a paycheck to pay the rent, provide for his family and maybe for a few hours during a weekend go have a little fun before repeating the cycle all over again. He feels like he’s shaving days and hours off of his life in exchange for a sum of money that in the end just won’t amount to what he feels his life is worth, it’s sad really.

I spoke with him briefly on getting into school and doing something that he really wants to do for a living but his counter argument was twofold. First, he doesn’t feel that in this economy that a career change is feasible or advisable and due to that does not feel that investing further into his professional life (spending yet more time away from family and fun) just isn’t appealing. Secondly he feels that he only has in his words 10 to 16 years before he can “realistically retire”.

I didn’t push the point but in my eyes, doing 10 to 16 years of something you can’t stand, working with people you don’t care about for a boss who barely knows you exist if at all sounds more like a prison sentence than a “life”. Yes, getting a degree costs money and time, yes that amount of time can add up to years and yes it is a big decision and investment. But say for example it takes four years of work, that four years is going to happen anyway, but at the end of the road do you have something to look forward to or not? Have you done anything to change your tomorrow? Have you done anything that can cause a paradigm shift in your life?

It kind of makes me wonder how many of us really mortgage off our irreplaceable time for something as paltry as a paycheck. How many of us are really for sale?

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There's an app for that...

tcord1964 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:41:00 GMT

It never ceases to amaze me the many different ways that distance learning programs are using technology to deliver their programs. I have seen distance learning courses delivered online, via PDA and, more recently, witnessed by son's girlfriend doing her high school homework and submitting her answers with her cell phone. Now, Thomas Edison State College has come up with a new way of delivering courses: USB drive.

According to an article at PCWorld, Thomas Edison is loading entire courses and the associated applications on USB drives and sending them to students, who can then access all of the materials and do their homework. What started as a pilot project with 100 students is expected to be expanded to dozens of courses that will be offered to 17,000 students.

While some students still prefer to hold a "dead tree" (book) in their hands while they do their homework, I personally like how portable education has become. The USB drive delivery has some great potential benefits. If a student is in a remote location with unreliable Internet access, being able to access the USB drive for coursework would be a great alternative. Military service members serving overseas could also benefit greatly from having their courses self-contained on a USB drive.

I thought being able to access my courses on my laptap was highly portable and convenient, but I can foresee a time when colleges and universities may more fully adopt social media and communication technology to make their courses event more accessible. Many universities already offer lectures on ITunes. Why not make courses available on ITunes and charge students for the materials, just like textbooks? How about creating an IPhone application which can deliver coursework? Instead of logging into a message board and chatting with instructors and other students in a class, how about allowing students to do this via a social media site like Facebook? The possibilities are endless.

Of course, these course delivery methods will only advance as quickly as schools can ensure that students are doing their own work, and there must be a method of assessing the student's knowledge, either through exams or written papers, but I believe that making education as accessible as possible to as many students as possible can only be a good thing, and will help keep distance learning institutions, and the U.S., competitive in the global marketplace.

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No Motivation Today: Graduates help me out!

JaynaB — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:28:00 GMT

Today, I had plans to sit down and read my materials. That went totally out the window when I got home from work. I did the laundry, gave my little diva a bath and watch television with her, watch TV with the hubby for a while, talked to my mother on the phone and hear her ramble, and fixed dinner for the family. I am exhausted and it's 9:33pm. My daughter is in the bed and I'm in mine's. Where are my books, you might ask? In the family room stashed in my Capella University duffle bag that was sent to me Spring quarter of this year.

I have such an issue this quarter, with motivation and that's why I know it's because the end is near. I mean it's been 2 good years and now the end of the journey gets hard, because when the storm hits. Your mind is on everything but the right thing. Graduates of masters and the Phd's, do you get my drift or is it just me? For some reason, I didn't feel this way senior year in undergrad. I was so motivated to graduate, it didn't make sense on how ready I was!

But now, I guess since I have more responsibilities, it's been pretty tough. I just cannot keep my momentum going. I even put it on my calendar, "Jay read chapters 12-13". My hubby stopped and got dinner and I cooked it. Now I am knocking on the door of dreamland. It's crazy how that is.

So my question to graduates of Master programs and Doctoral programs, am I living a fantasy world? Being lazy? Is my lack of motivation normal? With 3 weeks to go, what can I do as a student to rev myself up?

I gotta get it together...

Happy Learning (or just try to be),

JaynaB

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Open Educational Resources and Open Learning Management Systems

SteveFoerster — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:10:00 GMT

“Alternatively, let this be a call to arms to develop [open educational resources] broad enough and deep enough to make situations like this moot in the future.” — CWE

So for the last few days I've been talking about the present and possible future of Learning Management Systems (LMS), those online classroom systems with which eLearners quickly become very familiar. And before that I touched on the reasons why open educational resources (OER) are useful, not just because people don't have to pay to use them, but because they can be adapted by anyone for any purpose without payment or permission.

The need now is to find better ways to fit all the pieces together. My friend Wayne Mackintosh, the founder of WikiEducator, remarked recently, “Education is an act of sharing knowledge freely. So where are all the free education materials that we can adapt, modify and reuse without restriction? Why has humanity taken so long in achieving a free knowledge base for us to share for the common good of education and society? Why are the majority of our global population under served when it comes to education?”

Fortunately this is happening. For some time now there have been efforts to build free educational resources, but now there is effort not just in developing content, but also in making it easier for fellow educators to use. I think one of the best ways to facilitate this, and it's something we're not doing that well yet, would be to put together packages of free educational content that fit seamlessly into Learning Managment Systems. I'm especially referring to Moodle, as it's the dominant open source LMS.

This isn't an original idea. Pearson, the academic publishing giant, bought an LMS called eCollege, and their strategy for marketing it seems to include making it very easy to drop in pieces of Pearson's vast supply of content. Indeed, many textbook publishers have related content that they make available to instructors who can then drop it effortlessly right into their online courses. In this way they make both their own textbooks and their LMS more attractive, so that the odds improve that either or both of those resources will be adopted.

Those of us producing open educational resources should get better that this. For example, MIT gets a lot of attention for its impressive OpenCourseWare project. It's possible to access materials from nearly two thousand courses on their site. Wow! But it's one thing to make lots of content available, and another to make it easy for others to adapt to specific use. They do tend to make their courses available in a format that's easy to import into an LMS. But just imagine if everyone out there producing free content did the same thing, so that educators who were willing to try Moodle, or to try OERs, would know that each would work well with the other. By packaging that content in such a way, its value would be that much greater, and the appeal of the overall system would be multiplied.

I do realize that there are some who are doing this, like MIT. Sites like MoodleShare offer course archives that can be used as is. But we need more of this — a lot more! The better that content people and delivery people cooperate, the sooner we can fulfill the dream of a complete set of free curricula that can be used the world over.

Next up, is Harvard Extension School really Harvard?

Image courtesy of geishaboy500

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This WILL be a better day!

jodipalmer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:33:00 GMT

I hope I haven't been leaving too ugly of an impression on people!!

Today will be better. I woke up early before any hint of the sun warming us up here in Texas, got to the gym and back home before any of my family rolled out of bed, catching up on some reading (for school of course:). I have decided that the world will still turn and no one but me cares if I have a 4.0 grade point average, I have my salvation, my peace, what else matters? I did not establish the goal of earning my B.S. in Religion (am I the only one who thinks that looks funny?) so I could be an honors graduate. Feel free to check me on future whiny attitudes and point me back here!

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