Making The Grade | College Act

Insights About Education Through Technology

Technology allows many different fields to evolve. For instance, hospitals used to keep files of 100 or more pages. Now, these records are stored in a digital format. Education has evolved too. Technology has changed how people are educated and the devices they use.

The Educational Process

Gone are the days when a student had to sit in a traditional classroom. Students can gain access to online classes through sites such as eLearners.com. Also, students can sit in a physical classroom and take a class via the Internet from a teacher who is hundreds of miles away.

Email

Email has changed education in many ways. Teachers can email lesson plans when they are sick; teachers can email students their assignments when they are ill as well. Coaches can email players about practice changes or camp dates in the summer time.

Smart Boards

Blackboards have advanced and now many classrooms use smart boards. These technological advanced blackboards are becoming standard in the classroom. Smart boards can show slides and Power Point presentations. They can also be used as a dry erase board. Smart boards are a great tool to show student athletes new plays.

Grade Books

Thanks to computer technology, grades are kept in an online grade book that can also track tardiness and absences. This technological advancement allows parents to monitor the progress of their children in school. Technology in the classroom has advanced dramatically over the years. It’s exciting to consider what the advantages will be in 10 years. Perhaps the advancements enumerated here will be considered “old school” by then.

Filed Under: Majors & Careers, Making The Grade Tagged With: Classroom, Education, Lesson plan

Making Up for a Hiccup in Life

Your college career is all about making sure your future is a lot brighter than it would be otherwise. Unfortunately, sometimes in life, you just cannot help but do things that you would rather not do in the moment in order to keep your future going on track. While every financial advisor will warn you about how dangerous payday loans can be, sometimes they are a part of life that can save you from having your situation go from being bad to being really bad. You can even use them as a short-term solution to keep yourself on track with your long-term goals.

For instance, sometimes your work schedule simply is not what you want it to be. If you did not get as many hours last week as you thought you were going to, this week might see you heading up to PayDay One to make use of its services. If your paycheck is just not enough to cover the cost of your tuition, then one bad week could end up spiraling out of control and take out an entire semester of hard work. While you might be able to rectify the situation for next year, you would lose a lot of ground on this one. A payday loan can be the difference between having a little hiccup in life and having a massive spasm that could derail many of your future plans and goals.

So, consider the possibility if you ever find that you have not gotten enough hours one week for your next bill. While ideally you would have ample savings, college students are not known to have much cash on hand. Sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do if you want to push through the short-term problems and build yourself long-term solutions. When it comes right down to it, your tuition is the lifeline of your future.

Filed Under: Benefits, Making The Grade Tagged With: Financial services, Loan, Payday loan

Most Satisfying Life Moments

: Image by Yelp.com via Flickr

Here are some of the most satisfying moments that anyone is likely to have in their life, and my brainstorms about how to get there.

1) Having a satisfying life work. The moment you realize that you truly love your job is pretty much beyond compare. No matter what, don’t give up till you find work that you love. If you need to get more education, get it; if you need to take a risk, take it. You spend a lot of your life at work, and you only get one life.

2) Finding the love of your life. Four words: keep looking, don’t settle.

3) Becoming a parent. Eh. . . see number 2. Also, I recommend finding a doula and giving your best shot at a natural birth. You want to be there for your kid from the start! You never appreciate your own upbringing until you’ve done it yourself.

4) Earning your degree. This can be a major sense of accomplishment. Dropped out? It’s never too late! Apply for your FAFSA, and check out sites like earnmydegree.com to see what options are available to you, even studying from home.

5) Traveling the world. Ok, so this is a bunch of moments instead of one, but truly, you get so many amazing life experiences when you travel. These are the moments you can’t pin down, when you notice all kinds of crazy details you never would have noticed before. Traveling makes you appreciate your home better, too.

6) Having a home. Creating a place that truly feels like it belongs to you, where you and your family can feel safe and interact happily, is absolutely priceless. This is another one that isn’t just one moment, but can make so many different times in your life feel special. Strong bonds with family can make your life special like few other things can.

Filed Under: Benefits, Making The Grade Tagged With: Doula, FAFSA, Health, Professions

Ways to Afford College Tuition and Fees

: Image via Wikipedia

It seems as if every year, colleges and universities all over the country announce that they are raising tuition and student fees. In the majority of cases, these increases in fees and tuition can range from $50 all the way up to $5,000. With these increases becoming a regular part of secondary education, any prospective college student needs to start budgeting for college tuition and fees before they even decide which college they’ll attend.

One of the recommended ways for a student to be able to afford college is to try to get as many scholarships as possible. There are millions of scholarships available to students all over the country. Some are general scholarships provided by the school for students who are just attending the college, while others are corporate funded and can range from the factory in a city providing a scholarship to the local classic car insurance company providing a scholarship. Scholarships are the best way to fund college as any money received from scholarships does not have to be paid back.

Another way a student can pay for college tuition and fees is through the use of government grants. Most government grants require that a student either meet an income requirement or follow some specified course of study. There are dozens of grants available for students and just like scholarships, grants do not need to be paid back.

The last way to pay college tuition and fees is through the use of student loans. Unlike the other two options, student loans need to be paid back after graduation and usually incur interest once the student graduates. However, for college students who don’t have the savings or enough scholarships and grants to pay for a college education, student loans are a lifeline to their future.

Filed Under: Benefits, Making The Grade, Online Learning, Sports Tagged With: College tuition, Fee, Higher education, Pell Grant, Scholarship, Student, Tuition, United States

Types of University Degrees Available Online

: Image via Wikipedia

Many people now seek university degrees online to upgrade their skills or to change careers. Increased competitiveness in the job market has reinforced the importance of knowledge management. The current climate demands that employed persons and job seekers alike take advantage of available educational opportunities.

The Appeal of Online Learning
Originally, distance learning was the only channel by which people could study from home. The Internet has facilitated a boom in distance learning and has, in fact, revolutionized the way in which it is done. Now many people explore university degrees online as a first option for the following reasons:

• Flexibility: Courses can often be done at any time of day or night.
• Convenience: Students can access courses and study material from any location that has Internet access, regardless of where they are.
• Lower cost: Online learning is sometimes cheaper since some administrative charges may be lower. Also, because the need to travel to and from classes is non-existent or infrequent, transportation costs are much lower.

Types of Courses Available
There is an online equivalent for almost every course of study in existence. Some of the more popular courses being sought by prospective students include:

• Business administration
• Nursing
• Criminal justice
• Public administration
• Project management
• Information technology

It is possible to obtain Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees at online universities. It is important to realize that not all such courses carry the same level of accreditation. Some online schools are not recognized by the business or academic community. Some due diligence is therefore required on the part of the prospective student to find accredited institutions online.

In fact, many established universities now offer their programs online. It also pays to be aware of what are called diploma mills and online school scams. Either of these can mean incurring serious costs with no educational benefit.

Filed Under: Majors & Careers, Making The Grade Tagged With: Administration (business), Criminal justice, Distance education, Distance Learning, E-learning, Education, Online Schools, Virtual school

Benefits of GMAT Prep Courses

If you’re looking at a career in business and plan to further your education, then you’ll need to take the Graduate Management Admission Test, known as the GMAT. What better way to prepare than by taking GMAT prep courses?

The Graduate Management Admission Test is an extensive test that covers math and English and is required in order to receive admission to a business school. This test uses a computer adaptive format that means the test questions adapt to your skill level, becoming easier or more difficult depending on how you are doing.

It is important to take GMAT prep courses so that you know what you’re in for with this test and can pass it the first time. The prep courses allow you to practice in helpful ways, such as having a test pacer training system, tests that are in the computer adaptive format and course materials that are comprehensive in nature.

With all of these helpful advantages, you can learn more about the actual Graduate Management Admission Test and how to pass it successfully. With the GMAT, you can’t get into business school, which means you can’t graduate with your MBA.

Another advantage of a GMAT prep course is that it gives you a refresher on things you may have forgotten over the years. If it’s been a while since you were in school, the prep courses can give you a heads up on what kind of questions will be asked of you so that you can study or at least have a working knowledge of what to expect.

The point is, this is your career. Why wouldn’t you want to do whatever is possible to ensure that you’ll pass the most important test of your career? With a GMAT prep course, you will at the very least have a good idea of what to expect.

Filed Under: Making The Grade, Online Learning, Training Tagged With: GMAT prep, Graduate Management Admission Test, Master of Business Administration