Amazon Kindle Lightens Textbook Load, But Flaws Remain

Amazon wants to adapt the Kindle to academia, where it could reduce the notoriously high cost of textbooks. The Kindle DX, with a larger screen than the regular model, costs $489, but digital books can cost less than half what physical ones do.
While it might be the future of textbooks, Amazon or any other e-reader company has a long way to go to make it happen — even for a technology-saturated generation that should be more receptive to the shift.
USA Today

International call expenses reduced EP Lines helps students far from home connect

Thinking about the situation that international students must deal with, Nahum Avila, accelerated MBA student, developed EP Lines, a broadband phone company that helps serve as a link between students and their families.
EP Lines uses the Voice over the Internet Protocol to make a high-speed Internet connection serve as a regular phone line. The company provides each customer an adapter, which turns analog audio from a phone into digital audio that can be transmitted through the Web.
Students may get a line for their home in El Paso and another line for their parents in their hometown. As a result, calls will be charged as local calls without long distance fees. UTEP international students who currently use EP Lines to call their parents come from many different countries including Korea, India and Mexico.
The Prospector
The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

ECU named top business school

For the third year in a row, ECU's College of Business has been ranked among the Princeton Review's top business schools. The Princeton Review released their latest edition of "The Best 301 Business Schools," listing ECU among them. In the book, ECU's College of Business is given a two-page profile complete with an analysis of career and placement opportunities for graduates and excerpts of student opinions of the college.
...In addition to their innovative and outstanding academic success, the Princeton Review also specifically recognizes ECU's College of Business for their superb distance education program....
East Carolinian
East Carolina University

GI Bill applicants experience delayed payments

When senior Michael Jenkins started his summer vacation, he did not know how to pay for his last year of college. Two days before classes started, the government informed him that it picked up the bill.
Jenkins, a kinesiology major and Navy veteran, said he applied for the post-9/11 GI Bill in May because his old GI Bill ran out. About 16 weeks after he applied, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officer informed him that he qualified for 100 percent of the new bill's benefits.
....Because the number of applicants for new GI Bill benefits resulted in delayed government payments to veterans, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki announced an emergency payment plan for eligible veterans in a press release Sept. 30. The plan went into effect Oct. 2 and allows veterans to receive checks at regional offices or to make an online request for immediate funding....
Daily Skiff
Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX

Making the Grade Isn't About Race. It's About Parents.

My students knew intuitively that the reason they were lagging academically had nothing to do with race, which is the too-handy explanation for the achievement gap in Alexandria. And it wasn't because the school system had failed them. They knew that excuses about a lack of resources and access just didn't wash at the new, state-of-the-art, $100 million T.C. Williams, where every student is given a laptop and where there is open enrollment in Advanced Placement and honors courses. Rather, it was because their parents just weren't there for them -- at least not in the same way that parents of kids who were doing well tended to be.
Washington Post

Overcrowding Impacts Nursing Students

Student enrollments in nursing programs in California have increased over the last few years, but shortage of well-trained nurses remains a problem because of budget cuts to higher education.
California colleges and universities will need to graduate more than 40,000 nurses within the next decade to meet projected demand, according to a report from the Legislative Analyst's Office.
However, because of the budget crisis, funds needed to expand or maintain nursing programs in state universities and community colleges are either cut or unchanged, said Sara Bachez, consultant for the Assembly Budget Committee.
The State Hornet
California State University

ECU Named Top Business School

For the third year in a row, ECU's College of Business has been ranked among the Princeton Review's top business schools. The Princeton Review released their latest edition of "The Best 301 Business Schools," listing ECU among them. In the book, ECU's College of Business is given a two-page profile complete with an analysis of career and placement opportunities for graduates and excerpts of student opinions of the college.
...In addition to their innovative and outstanding academic success, the Princeton Review also specifically recognizes ECU's College of Business for their superb distance education program....
East Carolinian
East Carolina University

President Obama Simplifies the FAFSA for You

In a statement today, the Obama Administration announced sweeping changes to the FAFSA. Families filling out the FAFSA will no longer have to go through such a painstaking process just to see if they qualify for aid. With the new changes, the online FAFSA will see a drop from 30 screens of questions to 10, according to CNN.
FastWeb

Fitting Instructors' Need For Order More Using Sign Language to Manage Class Without Disruption

Sign language has become a saving grace -- a way to communicate without interrupting instruction -- not just in her classroom but in schools around the Washington area and across the country. Students sign the letter "B" for bathroom, "W" for water fountain, "L" for library -- and Nadel, who devised the silent system when she was student-teaching four years ago, replies with a nod or by pointing .
"Sign language is the ultimate multitasker's tool," she said. "It lets you tend half the class's bodily needs at the same time you're helping a small group learn."
Washington Post

FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Three-Step Action Plan to Make ‘Music Education For All Students’ a Goal in Your School District

Combine a struggling economy with rigorous academic accountability and you’ve got a challenging mix, one that leaves many arts programs and children hanging in the balance. Now is the time for everyone to raise their voices and ask their school district to make music education for all students a priority and an achievable goal. This past summer, I used a simple three-step plan to encourage school board members in my community to take positive steps to support music education for all 23,000 students in our district
Support Music

Teaching Students to Go Green

Simple Lessons That Show Students How to Protect the Environment
Today’s students will decide the future of the planet, yet they only celebrate Earth Week once a year, and then return to their regular routines. Teachers need to show that environmental education is just as important as reading and math by using these simple lessons to instill the importance of the environment on the next generation.
Protecting the environment needs to be a subject taught year round. Students need to understand their role in protecting the environment, and teachers need to show how.
Suite101/Joanna Szeto

Using Recycling to Raise School Funds

Alternatives to Traditional Fundraising to Increase School Budget - Green is the new gold when it comes to raising funds through recycling efforts. Recycling fundraisers are very attractive because they cost the contributor nothing except their trash and leave donors feeling good about adding to the school budget and making the planet a little greener. Green fundraising possibilities include traditional recyclables such as paper, cans, and cardboard, and not so traditional items such as printer cartridges, cell phones, and drink pouches.
Suite101/Bridgett Ann Calia

Carbon Footprint Calculator: What's My Carbon Footprint?

Use The Nature Conservancy's carbon footprint calculator to measure your impact on our climate. Our carbon footprint calculator estimates how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases your choices create each year.
The Nature Conservancy

ASU Meets Global Challenges

"Today, we must direct the full measure of our academic and research strengths to meeting global challenges, concentrating on the topics and regions of the world in which we can most readily expand and apply our capabilities as a socially relevant institution, and returning the results of this engagement to the benefit of the local communities in which we live and work," says Anthony "Bud" Rock, ASU's vice president for global engagement.
The Chronicle of Higher Education

Going 'Green': ASU Gives Sustainablity Mass Roots

Arizona State University's efforts in sustainability are garnering support on a level of hundreds at a time. Call it a "mass roots" effort that starts at the top with President Michael Crow pushing ASU forward in the field by making sustainability a universitywide priority. Crow also has played a visible role in advancing sustainability nationally. For example, he was intimately involved in formulating the recent American College and University President's Climate Commitment.
The Chronicle of Higher Education

American schools were always violent

Four boys assault their teacher, who later dies of her injuries. Across the country, newspapers compete to unearth the most lurid details of the episode. It seems the boys were annoyed at being detained after school.
So they threw rocks and other debris at the screaming teacher, until she couldn't scream anymore.
Philadelphia Inquirer

WITI -- Women In Technology, International -- and Thomson Reuters Announce Global Partnership Agreement

Women In Technology, International -- the world's leading professional organization for tech-savvy women, is proud to announce a partnership with Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. The partnership is designed to leverage the WITI platform "Powered by WITI," raise the visibility of, and awareness for, development opportunities available to women in Thomson Reuters.
StockWatch

Facebook 'cuts student drop-outs'

Social networking websites such as Facebook are helping to reduce college drop-out rates, it is claimed.
Gloucestershire College says social networking is used to keep students informed and in touch with staff.
BBC News

On Campus: UW-Madison dean takes role in Obama administration

The dean of UW-Madison's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has been appointed to a senior position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to university officials.
Molly Jahn will serve as deputy undersecretary of research, education and economics, where she will be responsible for leading three units within the USDA.
On_campus Uw-Madison
College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences

The Power of US News & World Report Law School Rankings

If you ever were to doubt how much power is wielded in the law school world by Bob Morse and the other staffers at U.S. News & World Report, let the following article convince
you otherwise, reports the WSJ Law blog.
According to a George Washington University newspaper, the GW Hatchet, the university’s law school “took significantly fewer evening students this year in an attempt to combat an eight-place drop in the U.S. News and World Report Rankings.”
Lawfuel

'OBAMA EFFECT' AT SCHOOLS: Black parents volunteer, expect more

A new survey suggests that President Obama's victory last November had a positive effect not just on the academic expectations of black Americans it may have raised parents' interests in volunteerism.
The "Obama Effect," documented last winter, showed that Obama's rise during the 2008 presidential election helped improve African Americans' performance on skills tests, which helped narrow a black-white achievement gap.
USA Today

Twitter Study Calls GWU 'Most Active' Campus

About 58 times a day, some university staff member sends a message in 140 characters or less, telling students about free depression screenings or flu shots, Foggy Bottom Metro closures, grant application. Officials at GWU Are Ranked 'Most Active' for Twitter Use: Twitter Study Declares
Washington Post

Letters: Good Teachers See the Benefits of Technology

Good teachers see the benefits of technology Ulysses Weldon - Hyattsville, Md. In USA Today's article about college technology, my eyes were drawn to William Rankin's statement that "the rule is you need
USA Today

Exclusive: Starwood's Loyalty Program Launches Twitter, Facebook Strategies

....Stats about its loyalty members and booking patterns tell the story. Starwood Preferred Guest members are generally active social media users, and of them 50% indicate frequent involvement, according to Starwood stats in its press release. And it's the group of frequent social media users who tend to book Starwood hotels and stay more frequently, according to Starwood. Also, members who belong to social networks are nearly 20% more likely to book a Starwood hotel than other SPG members - and those who create blogs are nearly 80% more likely to book....
USA Today

THE ANSWER SHEET : A School Survival Guide for Parents (And Everyone Else)

Here are excerpts from The Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post's new education blog. It isn't exactly scientific, but a trove of letters and e-mails written by children each year reveals important information about their concerns. Kids worry about everything, especially tests and homework, but don't want to tell their parents about it.
Washington Post

Self-Doubt Sends Students to Universities

VietNamNet Bridge Many students are not self-confident enough to follow their career dreams and may go to universities instead, according to survey results announced at a workshop on students awareness and attitudes toward the future held in Hanoi on October 9.
VietNamNet

American International School of Vietnam Selects Champion of IDEAS from Ballard

Ballard & Tighe, Publishers announced today that the American International School of Vietnam (AIS) has adopted Champion of IDEAS to teach their high school students the English language. The school will also continue to use the IPT Testing System to identify, place, and redesignate students based on the most up-to-date demographic norming data.
Reuters

Motorola's Turnaround Effort Includes Facebook, Twitter

Motorola has been a wayward friend to mobile phone consumers for the last few years. Now the company is embarking on an ambitious turnaround effort, hoping to make new friends and win back old ones -- on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Motorola Inc. is the latest in a line of companies delving into social media to tap into word-of-mouth and reach consumers in more direct ways than advertising. Corporate marketers believe that because brands naturally come up in the conversations taking place on social networking sites, they can be part of the discussion.
Chicago Tribune

Cold Turkey For a Facebook Addict

Facebook became 'demanding and anti-social' for Caroline Hocking It's become a daily ritual for millions, but what happens when you deactivate your Facebook account and go cold turkey? Caroline Hocking - a self-confessed obsessive - finds out.
BBC

Open Text: Wikis, Blogs, Collaborative Document Management and Twitter Drive Enterprise

Findings from independent IT industry analyst research firm, Hydrasight, confirm that a growing number of organisations in the Asia Pacific region have already adopted enterprise web 2.0-based solutions. Almost a third of respondents to the online survey conducted in September 2009 indicated they already have enterprise web 2.0 implementations in place....
...The study reveals the top three enterprise web 2.0 applications are wikis, blogs and collaborative document management. Twitter is also cited as a significant tool based on its potential marketing value. Given these approaches are all publishing related, the preliminary report suggests that organisations are continually looking for ways to streamline content production, knowledge availability and information dissemination. Organisations also appear to be more aware of, and interested in, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of their information management practices....
Individual

More Colleges Develop Classes on How to Treat War Veterans

Universities are creating classes to train students in how to treat combat veterans and their families suffering from war-related mental health problems.
As psychologically wounded troops return from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the initiatives range from workshops to semester-long graduate courses, such as one on military culture next year at the University of Washington-Tacoma. The University of Southern California is starting a master's program in which students will interact with holographic images of troops in distress.
USA Today

Hispanic Students Aspire to Higher Education but Face Barriers

Nearly nine in 10 Hispanics say it's "necessary" to get a college education to get ahead in life — more than any other ethnic or racial group in the USA. But Hispanic students' plans to get an actual diploma fall well below those of other groups, a survey finds: Fewer than half of Hispanic 18- to 25-year-olds say they plan to get a bachelor's degree, well below the 60% of all young people who say the same.
USA Today

College Technology 'Catching Up' with Students

Abilene Christian University freshmen receive more than the usual campus map and lists of required books when they enter the Texas university.
For the past two years, they've also received an iPhone or iPod Touch from the university before they begin classes.
USA Today

Education Secretary Stresses Need For Strong New Teachers

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan appealed Friday for a new generation of extraordinary teachers, calling education the civil rights cause of our time.
The Associated Press