I have selected 5 different articles for this weeks blog. The first one I found funny how they related the story to be a scandal like the movie "Easy A" The second and third I thought we could all find interesting due to the recent economic trends, and the third one especially helpful when doing out taxes. The fourth article discusses Bill Gates opinion on students being unprepared to enter college, and that he thinks that technology can help the them. The fifth, and final article has an interactive map on the measures colleges are rated. Please see the articles below:
Hester Prynne in the Internet Age http://chronicle.com/article/Hester-Prynne-in-the-Internet/124897/
Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop http://chronicle.com/article/Heres-Your-Diploma-Now/124982/
President Promotes New Education Tax Credit as He Calls for Making It Permanent http://chronicle.com/article/President-Promotes-New/124900/
Bill Gates To Pledge $20 Million To Education Technology http://blogs.forbes.com/stevenbertoni/2010/10/11/bill-gates-to-pledge-20-million-to-education-technology/
30 Ways to Rate a College http://chronicle.com/article/30-Ways-to-Rate-a-College/124160/
Reading the Hester Prynne in the Internet Age article was certainly interesting! Prior to today, I'd never actually heard of Karen Owens or Easy A. But, having read about both, I think that the article brings up a very interesting point about the fact that men are celebrated for the sexual prowess and women are condemned as whores. To be honest, I was having a hard time following how the article fit into education, but I think the general concepts are applicable. The moral of the story seems to be that there’s a sexual double standard. At the end of the day though, I don’t know what’s to be done to fix it and I don’t think anybody has a better answer.
The 30 Ways to Rate a College article was interesting because it really shows how little learning outcomes are considered when these publications rank colleges and universities. It seems that these "measurements" that they use are items that have little to do with the quality of education that an individual will receive at a school. I found it both funny and interesting that every single publication uses something different to rank schools. How are students to know what to look at and what to trust?
"Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop," is an interesting interview about career placement. I wonder if Fanning went to EMU's career center (assuming they have one). I also think that Fanning's situation shows the importance of co-curricular activities and learning outcomes. Had he been able to get some relevant experiences, he may have been more qualified for a job in his field. He says that he worked 30 hours/week during school, but doesn't say where he was working or what he was doing.
Great articles Laura and please wish Princeton a happy birthday for me!
First, if you haven’t seen “Easy A” yet, you should do so because it is actually pretty good! I also heard about Karen Owen from Duke on the radio a few weeks back. If you haven’t heard anything about that scandal and you are interested in looking into it, be warned it is pretty graphic in content.
Moving onto the Bill Gates article, I believe he is correct. American students that are entering college are unprepared to do so. I also think he is very generous in his $20 Million pledge, but how much is this really going to help students prepare to enter college. The information is already out there on how to do so and what I got out of the article is that he is going to do just that. The students will either look at it or they won’t. If we really want to make a difference we need to change our approach and I am not so sure this is it.
As I read the article about Bill Gates pledging $20 million to educational technology, I honestly feel that it is a good thing and will improve the postsecondary education performance in American colleges and universities. One of the current issues that I have been hearing about, as of late, in regards to USF, is the improvement of graduation rates. With money going towards online programs that would teach students the skills they need to succeed, it would hopefully provide students with an alternative opportunity to learn the curriculum that is being taught and better improve upon the low graduation rates.
I feel that Sam Fanning from the article “Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop” has a positive outlook for his situation. He is thinking about going to graduate school and having a job where the tuition would be free is a good deal. When he was job searching it was only locally and sometimes finding a job does require a move. If he continues his education he should look into using the career services center at Eastern Michigan, like Emily mentioned.
I was not surprised to read in "30 Ways to Rate a College” that the measure of graduation rates and retention rates was the most used of all measures listed. What stood out to me about the ratings were how many measures each of the six raters used and which categories the measures fell under. The different focus of each of these raters should be reflected in the actual rating list. The Kiplinger list is the Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10, so it make sense that three of the seven measures fall under the financial aid category and there was a link for “how we scored the schools.” What types of quantifiable learning outcome measures could be used for future rankings?
Laura, happy birthday to Princeton! I hope he got a bunch of beggin strips or greenies from you :)
Well well, looks like Duke is back in the headlines for another sex scandal. I read the article in the Chronicle than did my own research on the story and read portions of Karen Owen's powerpoint. Sounds like some view this simply as a woman turning the tables on guys after years of sexist behavior. I think it is a bigger issue since these students are athletes and more public figures. It also rasies questions about promiscuity on campus and college sexual culture as a whole and the loss of privacy in the internet age. In my opinion this chick seems to have had some serious spare time and might want to apply her skills in a more constructive way. Either way, I would bet that a book deal might be on the table soon, as she could be in the same mold as Tucker Max, who has sold tons of books based on "experiences".
I'd like to say I am a regular user of the internet but apparently I don't visit the right sites on a regular basis because I had no idea about this viral story of Karen Owen's Powerpoint presentation. So I did some searches and read a couple articles about the Powerpoint and actually viewed a couple slides from the presentation. I have said it before in an earlier blog but this just reinstates it, there are many things that America does well socially however this is one area where we need to take a note or two out of Europe's book. American culture does all but out right shun peoples sexuality. We make it this taboo subject and hide it away, which only emphasizes the negative aspects and continues to perpetuate it. Ralph mentioned that "The moral of the story seems to be that there’s a sexual double standard. At the end of the day though, I don’t know what’s to be done to fix it and I don’t think anybody has a better answer." I beg to differ though Ralph. There is something we can do, we can stop not talking about sex, stop hiding it and saying "no no no thats only for married couples"
The "Bill Gates to Pledge $20 Million to Education Technology" was really interesting to me. I agree with Gates that a vast percentage of high school graduates are unprepared for college, but I'm not so sure technology is the answer. Call me old-fashioned, but is it possible that technology is part of what is causing students to be unprepared for college? The current generation is so tapped into texting 24/7, playing online video games, surfing the internet, listening to their ipods, etc. When do they have time to do school work? Do any of them still read for...FUN?! Technology can do amazing things, but I believe there is something to be said for education that doesn't happen through a computer.
I also examined the “30 Ways to Rate a College” diagram and was surprised to see that beyond “Alumni salaries”, there really was nothing else to indicate what a student can expect from an institution beyond their college years. And even still, this measure was only mentioned on one scale (Forbes, no surprise). I agree with Ralph, “How are students to know what to look at and what to trust?” What about first generation students, who have no adult relatives who can give them guidance. Perhaps this spider-web is meant only to consider how currently enrolled students can gauge their experience. This is problematic as some of these measures could only be solidified after a few years of being enrolled, so transferring to another school might become out of the question financially or academically for many students.
I read the article, "Here's your dimploma, now here's your mop". This is a telling tale of what I assume has happneded to many recent college graduates in these economic times. Many graduates have not been able to find jobs in their field of study and are settling for what is the next best option. It is encouraging that Fanning is using the opportunity to use the job benefits towards his master's degree. Thinking outside of the box is something many of our students will have to do in order to reach certain goals and I applaud Fanning for his willingness to take that job in the process of trying to further his eduation.
The first article I read was related to the President's educational tax relief. What I liked about the article is that the government is acknowledging two things: 1) our economy is struggling and those in school are at an economical disadvantage when it comes to income, and more importantly, 2) education is important! It's not that these two nuggets come as a surprise, but it is good to see that an effort is being made.
The problem I have with it, however, is that it still isn't enough. Of course, nothing will ever be enough. The cost of education is going through the roof, the demand for education is steady and yet we will never see enough support to help pay for education in this country. It is a sad situation, but we must keep it all in perspective - as citizens of some countries can't afford a pair of clothes to wear to school.
In the article about 30 ways to rate a college, I have to comment about a few things. First and foremost - I hate college rankings. As a former Admissions Representative, they worked to my advantage at times, and worked against me at other times. But that never mattered - I still hate college rankings.
Let's look at it this way: If you were to ask 10 high school students from 10 different high schools in 10 different states, I would be willing to wager that a few of them might repeat the most important category from which they will select their school - but the others will vary.
Here's another thing. The top three reasons students choose their college: 1) Cost 2) Location 3) Academics. Something bizarre like "International Faculty Ratio" does not matter!
Do these things contribute to the overall feel of the school? The reputation? The sense of pride? Sure. But do they all contribute in the same way? No. Students at one school might think their university is not diverse enough for their needs while students at another school's students might think "why isn't anyone here like me?"
One last comment. Who do you think read these rankings? Parents. Who do you think is the single greatest influence in a student's life and their college decision? I met more students whose parents made decisions for them than I would have ever imagined. These adults need to let their students make their own decisions - they have to live with it. To play devil's advocate to my own point, however, many of those same parents were paying for the education so they wanted some say in the decision.
So, at the end of the day, the rankings are fun to look at - when I was in high school I glanced and did my research - but they're not reliable to base a decision upon.
I always told my students to make their decisions based on what they want. That's the single most important thing to me.
First off, I must say that Bill Gates is very generous, creating foundations that benefit individuals. Also, it is commendable that he see a problem that exists; people do not come into college being prepared. The problem, however, isn't a lack of educational technology. It is a lack of education and practice. Our world has become encrusted in everything that is technology, and people have lost the true message in teaching and in learning. An individual is not going to learn how to read and write through a computer program. It has to be taught in some form between a teacher and a student. Also, technology won't solve the issue of future college students not taking initiative to meet with their professors or take their own responsibility for their action. They also have to be learned in some way. Now, technology may help in aiding the learning process, but it is not the solution to the problem of students not being prepared for college. A word to the high school student-keep on reading, writing and practicing your arithmetic :)
As for the article on the New Education Tax Credit, it is great that President Obama wants to put money in our pockets. However, where is this funding coming from? What is the main purpose of having this tax credit? It is one thing to give away free money simply because you can and/or want to, but there is more of a meaning of giving in this form when there is a reason or purpose behind doing it. Knowing that the country is in an economic crisis and credits like these are being given, as a whole, wherever money is going needs to be reevaluated.
In the article "Bill Gates To Pledge $20 Million To Education Technology" I found a couple interesting points. First the University of South Florida has just finished researching student success and it has become a hot topic in most of the departments around campus. I found it interesting that the article also made the connection to student success. The task force at USF uncovered the need for a cultural shift in the institution. It could be beneficial to initiate a technology based program at the university that reaches out to high school students to prepare them for the transition. Not only would it communicate a cultural message but could be used to send the message of student success, similar to a UE course.
Second, I noticed (similar to Corey) that one of the goals listed: "our investments are aligned with proven or promising practices," seems to deviate from the online technology. It seems that more and more is talked about the inefficiencies of online courses. While they may work for some, the students that are in question are the ones at risk for not transitioning to college. Those students might need that connection with a professor to know available resources or might need friends in the course to help them stay on task. Unfortunately in online courses the opportunities to make lasting impressions is few and far between.
The last point I would like to make, is that the 20$ million could be used to create engaging curriculum instead of online systems. While those may be more sustainable, students will need to develop some skills while in college to transfer to the work environment and those skills are more often developed through experiences. A engaging summer program such as Summer Stampede, in my opinion, provide more captivating experiences for first year students.
I think the article “Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop.” And “30 ways to Rate a College” kind of tie into each other in a way. First of all, I would like to applaud Sam Fanning for turning his situation into a positive one, but I must also agree with Emily. I wonder if he did seek out other resources or if he is limiting himself on purpose. This is a problem that the majority of recent college graduates are facing right now. I have many friends that graduated before me and they are still working at restaurants because they just can’t seem to find a job in their field. When I read the article “30 ways to rate a college” I did agree that all these factors are very important and high school students need to take all of that into consideration. But what also came to mind was although ‘alumni salary’ and ‘graduation rates’ were listed, where are the ratings of graduates that find employment after graduation? Especially with these growing concerns in our society this should be information that students consider when looking for a college.
I found the first article "Hester Prynne in the Internet Age" very interesting and entertaining. Also, very true in American society.
The second article I read was "Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop." which really hit home for me! As most of you know I worked perviously at Walt Disney World. I was luck enough to receive an internship at Casting, within professional recruitment, which turned into a full time job. I thought everything was perfect, I would work my way up in Disney and had dreams of being a recruiter, then a director. However, all my dreams were taken away once the economy went south and all my hard work and overtime was for nothing when I (and half of my department) was laid off. So there I was, a college grad with work experience in HR apply for anything I could get my hands on and never received a call back! I ended up working as a hostess at a restaurant in disney for minimum wage once my severance package was up. Like Sam in the article I looked in to Grad school and could not be happier now. But I know how hard it is and can defiantly relate!
After reading the Bill Gate’s article, I also have some similar questions that have been brought up. How effective will a technological approach to this issue be? I agree with Anthony that this approach may be more sustainable, but I would be very curious to see how exactly how this aid plays out. The article also mentioned that the pledge would support performance based scholarships. This may be one of those “proven practices” that aid student success, but just begins to skim the surface. This pledge looks like it is trying to do the most good with the amount given, which will be great for those who feel its effects.
When I read “Hester Prynne in an Internet Age,” I thought it was creative how the author made so many connections. Perhaps the double standard will be eased as the sexual behavior topic becomes less taboo, as Karen suggested.
The article “Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop”, it does appear that Mr. Fanning needs to be more assertive with his job search. It is respectable that he is working currently, but he may want to be more strategic with the next steps. Rather than earning separate certifications, a graduate degree may be more useful and the certifications may be a component of the graduate program. In his situation going back to school would be beneficial. It would help delay his loan payments and the free tuition while working at the university would be good. Also his job search skills may not be as strong as he needs; clearly he has not had a very broad job search. He should most certainly begin using the services of the career center at his campus. Very often students think that their college diploma, even in a competitive program like IT, will lead to instant job offers; this is never the case.
"Here's Your Diploma, Now Here's Your Mop," is an article that hopefully opens people’s eyes. Sam Fanning can be anyone, including myself. When I read that article it just shows me that going to school and taking classes is important, but so is what you do outside of it. I have always felt that I have gotten to many great points in my life through making connections and honoring people that have gotten me to that level. I think people should remember that books and research papers are great ways to learn, but so it going out there and simply talking to people in the area of work your in and getting in touch with them at an early stage.
I could definitely relate to the article about the undergrad not being able to find a job with his degree. After graduating college for my undergrad, I thought I was a shoe-in for a teaching job. Unfortunately for me so did many other people. One job I went to had over 20 applicants...that's a lot of people applying.
I think CJ makes a valid point in discussing networking. Networking is one of the most essential aspects of being able to get a job. Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know.
I am now even more confused about college rankings. I have not put much thought into college rankings in a while but, after seeing this breakdown, I know enough not to believe most of what they are trying to sell. I guess it is important to remember that magazines and other media services are in the business of selling their product. They are certainly not in it for the education of the general public. If the first company that rated colleges picked their 10 measures, then the next company would have to use different measures to make them unique. The idea that a university can be summed up in a ranking is ridiculous anyway. For a school the size of USF, the value in education is not reflected in the sum of the parts. As students, we will only be touched by a small piece of the school. Different majors will share the core courses and then the athletic teams and parking lots. Other than that, what would we have in common from school?
I thought the article about easy a was interesting but very repeated. We know there is a double standard and we know it hasnt ever changed! We have heard the arguement its not fair and this that and the other reason as to how we are going to change it but I don't see that happening any time soon. Women and men are different when it comes to sex and sexual urgency I think we should stop worrying about who is doing it and focus on protection and prevention of pregnancy and STD's
I thought the Hester Prynne article was really good, especially with bullying and harassment making headlines recently. It raises some really good points as well as some good things to be aware of. Plus as a former English major I love a good Hawthorne reference The “now here’s your mop” article is also interesting considering we just heard from the career center about all of the ways the job hunt is changing for recent grads. I have a lot of friends from undergrad who are still looking, living at home, or are still working at their waitressing/college jobs. None of them were bad students either; it’s just a really tough time to find a job. It sort of ties into the “how to rate a college piece” how much of a colleges reputation should be based on the school’s ability to place graduates in their career field of choice? Especially in today’s economic climate.
A couple of articles caught my eye. The "Here's Your Diploma Now Here Is Your Mop" article seems to be easy to relate to for a lot of us in the program. A lot of us just recently graduated from our undergraduate colleges and chose to go to graduate school for various reasons. I know that I was considering taking some time off before going to graduate school and getting a job. However, I changed my mind when the only job offerings I was receiving were entry jobs or jobs that I could get without a degree. Its pretty discouraging that a degree now a days does not guarantee a job. Plus a lot of people are gaining a lot of hands on experience during there undergraduate years or just recently being out of school and it is very competitive atmosphere surrounding decent job openings.
The other article/graph that I thought was interesting was "30 Ways th Rate a College." I remember commenting awhile ago about college ratings on another article we blogged about. I just think it is crazy how raters don't have any set criteria on the different measures and have biased opinions. It's basically up in the air. Also, I found it interesting that a lot of the raters find it more important to rate retention rates and experiences over graduation rates and job outcomes.
The article that discusses Bill Gates pledge of $20M to education is amazing. Is there nothing this man, or more specifically his foundation, is not willing to help improve in America? I thought Anthony brought up an interesting point of putting that money towards a curriculum, but then some of that money would have to be put towards the instructor to teach those courses. If I understand it correctly, this would be like a library of speakers and lectures from various fields and topics. It could be student driven or faculty at any institution could then use this medium to teach. I think it's a great idea and a positive step forward. If only there were more Bill & Melinda Gates' Foundations to help out with issues like this!
The other article that caught my eye was the "30 Ways to Rate a College." I have always wondered about the U.S. News and World Report rankings and wondered what those were based on. To me, it just seems like a marketing tactic that colleges can pick and choose what they did well on and then put that on admissions brochures and on their website for bragging purposes.
Bill Gate’s 20M pledge to improving education was encouraging. I am all about money going into developing education. I’m curious to see what will come about as a result. However, if he’s only going to get more classes online, then this may note help very much at all. I am sure there is more to his plan than what was written in the article. The 30 Ways to rate a college article makes me think that there really is not a good way to rank a college. Since everyone has different values and expectations of college, the best way to find a good college that fits the expectations of an individual is some individual research. What Forbes and the Washington Post value is probably not what every student values when applying for college.
I enjoyed the diploma/mop article. It really hits a personal story and putting a face to the current economic recession, and the struggles many college students are facing today. It is interesting to me because a bachelors degree is becoming the new high school diploma. It no longer is an assurance that you will get a job. The masters degree is now the next step that is almost necessary to advance yourself in the work force, to give you that extra experience or edge over other candidates. My on question for this particular student from the interview is, what did he do to set himself apart from other candidates? Did he get involved in other experiences outside the classroom? Did he not interview well, or does he not have the proper connections or career service help to assist him with his job process? I think the key question students need to consider is, what can I do to stand out and make myself that much better than other candidates applying for this job? Go out and make connections and get experiences
I enjoyed the article Hester Prynne in the Internet Age. I think that it is unfortunate that Karen Owen made this powerpoint and it went viral, but honestly it is a double standard. If this would have been one of the athletes that she slept with, making a list of women they had "relations" with ...no one would care. I think it is quite funny that they compared the story to the movie Easy A. It's exactly how people will look at Owen from now on, a loose girl. I do agree with Lisa though, we should ignore who sleeps with who and focus on more prevention, because the truth is no matter male or female, the amount of partners is constantly rising.
Well I just got done reading Karen Owens' powerpoint and I am totally shocked, borderline amazed, for several reasons. It seems I'm shocked daily by how technology has been used as a tool to ruin or end someone's life. Then we have the Bill Gates' article on increasing technology to juxtapose this article with. Returning to Owens, she literally wrote a thesis! Like Aron noted, How much time did she really have on her hands? She's a pretty good writer and it's a shame that now she may not have the opportunity to put her skills to better use due to the fallout. As a writer myself, I know the energy it takes to write in the length and detail she used in this "thesis." Generally there is some strong impetus that keeps you going, whether it be passion for the subject or a requirement...What drove her to go into such detail? Was this intended to be a joke or was there deeper meaning? I think as we move further in this new technology age that it's IMPERATIVE that we begin educating students early on about the potential dangers of technology and its misuse. It's no longer just cute AIM notes,email, or computer games. Now people are committing suicide, cyberbullying, prostituting, ruining their reputations and others'... I don't think the true implications are being discussed openly and honestly the way they should be. I disagree with Ashley's comment that "no one would care" if it had been an athlete making the video. People are getting hurt now; it's beyond the college rumor mill, these things are now international scandals! I'm less concerned with the long-standing social phenomena and ideals than with the real-life implications of the power technology has given us to do real good and real bad in ways before unthinkable.
The article on Bill Gates drew my attention because I like to fancy myself an "educational technologist" at times, specifically regarding secondary education. While I agree that education, especially moving forward, is a powerful vehicle to help move students into better preparedness, greater knowledge etc...too often these types of pledges are viewed as panaceas to issues with multiple causes and multiple ramifications. For example, a lot of my research in educational technology centered around the "Opportunity Gap." A play on "Achievement Gap," the opportunity gap is the gap in access to technology between the haves and have-nots that prevents those who need these technologies the most (for the purpose of gaining education, accessing resources that can help pull them out of poverty, introducing students to worlds beyond their own neighborhoods) don't have access to them. More focus needs to be put on getting these technologies to the places that need them the most. Another issue regarding increased technology access and use is, Are we educating students adequately on the proper uses of these technologies? Or we just giving them more/better/quicker access to their Facebook accounts and popular blogs, entertainment and gossip sites? A big part of my focus was educating other educators on all the millions of resources out there (that most people don't know about) that they can use for productive aims. The reality still is, most educators don't know how to use appropriate/relevant technologies themselves! These things need to be addressed before we start throwing millions around all willy-nilly to fund this stuff.
In regards to the article about recciving a diploma and working as a custodial, I think it is a true reality check for us all as a society. Recent graduates not only have to compete for jobs now, there are limited job positions. I am amazed that the aminitrators didnt say he was "over qualified"!
I have selected 5 different articles for this weeks blog. The first one I found funny how they related the story to be a scandal like the movie "Easy A" The second and third I thought we could all find interesting due to the recent economic trends, and the third one especially helpful when doing out taxes. The fourth article discusses Bill Gates opinion on students being unprepared to enter college, and that he thinks that technology can help the them. The fifth, and final article has an interactive map on the measures colleges are rated. Please see the articles below:
ReplyDeleteHester Prynne in the Internet Age
http://chronicle.com/article/Hester-Prynne-in-the-Internet/124897/
Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop
http://chronicle.com/article/Heres-Your-Diploma-Now/124982/
President Promotes New Education Tax Credit as He Calls for Making It Permanent
http://chronicle.com/article/President-Promotes-New/124900/
Bill Gates To Pledge $20 Million To Education Technology
http://blogs.forbes.com/stevenbertoni/2010/10/11/bill-gates-to-pledge-20-million-to-education-technology/
30 Ways to Rate a College
http://chronicle.com/article/30-Ways-to-Rate-a-College/124160/
Reading the Hester Prynne in the Internet Age article was certainly interesting! Prior to today, I'd never actually heard of Karen Owens or Easy A. But, having read about both, I think that the article brings up a very interesting point about the fact that men are celebrated for the sexual prowess and women are condemned as whores. To be honest, I was having a hard time following how the article fit into education, but I think the general concepts are applicable. The moral of the story seems to be that there’s a sexual double standard. At the end of the day though, I don’t know what’s to be done to fix it and I don’t think anybody has a better answer.
ReplyDeleteThe 30 Ways to Rate a College article was interesting because it really shows how little learning outcomes are considered when these publications rank colleges and universities. It seems that these "measurements" that they use are items that have little to do with the quality of education that an individual will receive at a school. I found it both funny and interesting that every single publication uses something different to rank schools. How are students to know what to look at and what to trust?
P.S. Happy 1st Birthday to Princeton!
ReplyDelete"Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop," is an interesting interview about career placement. I wonder if Fanning went to EMU's career center (assuming they have one). I also think that Fanning's situation shows the importance of co-curricular activities and learning outcomes. Had he been able to get some relevant experiences, he may have been more qualified for a job in his field. He says that he worked 30 hours/week during school, but doesn't say where he was working or what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteGreat articles Laura and please wish Princeton a happy birthday for me!
ReplyDeleteFirst, if you haven’t seen “Easy A” yet, you should do so because it is actually pretty good! I also heard about Karen Owen from Duke on the radio a few weeks back. If you haven’t heard anything about that scandal and you are interested in looking into it, be warned it is pretty graphic in content.
Moving onto the Bill Gates article, I believe he is correct. American students that are entering college are unprepared to do so. I also think he is very generous in his $20 Million pledge, but how much is this really going to help students prepare to enter college. The information is already out there on how to do so and what I got out of the article is that he is going to do just that. The students will either look at it or they won’t. If we really want to make a difference we need to change our approach and I am not so sure this is it.
As I read the article about Bill Gates pledging $20 million to educational technology, I honestly feel that it is a good thing and will improve the postsecondary education performance in American colleges and universities. One of the current issues that I have been hearing about, as of late, in regards to USF, is the improvement of graduation rates. With money going towards online programs that would teach students the skills they need to succeed, it would hopefully provide students with an alternative opportunity to learn the curriculum that is being taught and better improve upon the low graduation rates.
ReplyDeleteAnd happy birthday Princeton! ☺
I feel that Sam Fanning from the article “Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop” has a positive outlook for his situation. He is thinking about going to graduate school and having a job where the tuition would be free is a good deal. When he was job searching it was only locally and sometimes finding a job does require a move. If he continues his education he should look into using the career services center at Eastern Michigan, like Emily mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI was not surprised to read in "30 Ways to Rate a College” that the measure of graduation rates and retention rates was the most used of all measures listed. What stood out to me about the ratings were how many measures each of the six raters used and which categories the measures fell under. The different focus of each of these raters should be reflected in the actual rating list. The Kiplinger list is the Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10, so it make sense that three of the seven measures fall under the financial aid category and there was a link for “how we scored the schools.” What types of quantifiable learning outcome measures could be used for future rankings?
Laura, happy birthday to Princeton! I hope he got a bunch of beggin strips or greenies from you :)
ReplyDeleteWell well, looks like Duke is back in the headlines for another sex scandal. I read the article in the Chronicle than did my own research on the story and read portions of Karen Owen's powerpoint. Sounds like some view this simply as a woman turning the tables on guys after years of sexist behavior. I think it is a bigger issue since these students are athletes and more public figures. It also rasies questions about promiscuity on campus and college sexual culture as a whole and the loss of privacy in the internet age. In my opinion this chick seems to have had some serious spare time and might want to apply her skills in a more constructive way. Either way, I would bet that a book deal might be on the table soon, as she could be in the same mold as Tucker Max, who has sold tons of books based on "experiences".
I'd like to say I am a regular user of the internet but apparently I don't visit the right sites on a regular basis because I had no idea about this viral story of Karen Owen's Powerpoint presentation. So I did some searches and read a couple articles about the Powerpoint and actually viewed a couple slides from the presentation. I have said it before in an earlier blog but this just reinstates it, there are many things that America does well socially however this is one area where we need to take a note or two out of Europe's book. American culture does all but out right shun peoples sexuality. We make it this taboo subject and hide it away, which only emphasizes the negative aspects and continues to perpetuate it. Ralph mentioned that "The moral of the story seems to be that there’s a sexual double standard. At the end of the day though, I don’t know what’s to be done to fix it and I don’t think anybody has a better answer." I beg to differ though Ralph. There is something we can do, we can stop not talking about sex, stop hiding it and saying "no no no thats only for married couples"
ReplyDeleteThe "Bill Gates to Pledge $20 Million to Education Technology" was really interesting to me. I agree with Gates that a vast percentage of high school graduates are unprepared for college, but I'm not so sure technology is the answer. Call me old-fashioned, but is it possible that technology is part of what is causing students to be unprepared for college? The current generation is so tapped into texting 24/7, playing online video games, surfing the internet, listening to their ipods, etc. When do they have time to do school work? Do any of them still read for...FUN?! Technology can do amazing things, but I believe there is something to be said for education that doesn't happen through a computer.
ReplyDeleteI also examined the “30 Ways to Rate a College” diagram and was surprised to see that beyond “Alumni salaries”, there really was nothing else to indicate what a student can expect from an institution beyond their college years. And even still, this measure was only mentioned on one scale (Forbes, no surprise). I agree with Ralph, “How are students to know what to look at and what to trust?” What about first generation students, who have no adult relatives who can give them guidance. Perhaps this spider-web is meant only to consider how currently enrolled students can gauge their experience. This is problematic as some of these measures could only be solidified after a few years of being enrolled, so transferring to another school might become out of the question financially or academically for many students.
ReplyDeleteI read the article, "Here's your dimploma, now here's your mop". This is a telling tale of what I assume has happneded to many recent college graduates in these economic times. Many graduates have not been able to find jobs in their field of study and are settling for what is the next best option. It is encouraging that Fanning is using the opportunity to use the job benefits towards his master's degree. Thinking outside of the box is something many of our students will have to do in order to reach certain goals and I applaud Fanning for his willingness to take that job in the process of trying to further his eduation.
ReplyDeleteThe first article I read was related to the President's educational tax relief. What I liked about the article is that the government is acknowledging two things: 1) our economy is struggling and those in school are at an economical disadvantage when it comes to income, and more importantly, 2) education is important! It's not that these two nuggets come as a surprise, but it is good to see that an effort is being made.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I have with it, however, is that it still isn't enough. Of course, nothing will ever be enough. The cost of education is going through the roof, the demand for education is steady and yet we will never see enough support to help pay for education in this country. It is a sad situation, but we must keep it all in perspective - as citizens of some countries can't afford a pair of clothes to wear to school.
In the article about 30 ways to rate a college, I have to comment about a few things. First and foremost - I hate college rankings. As a former Admissions Representative, they worked to my advantage at times, and worked against me at other times. But that never mattered - I still hate college rankings.
Let's look at it this way: If you were to ask 10 high school students from 10 different high schools in 10 different states, I would be willing to wager that a few of them might repeat the most important category from which they will select their school - but the others will vary.
Here's another thing. The top three reasons students choose their college: 1) Cost 2) Location 3) Academics. Something bizarre like "International Faculty Ratio" does not matter!
Do these things contribute to the overall feel of the school? The reputation? The sense of pride? Sure. But do they all contribute in the same way? No. Students at one school might think their university is not diverse enough for their needs while students at another school's students might think "why isn't anyone here like me?"
One last comment. Who do you think read these rankings? Parents. Who do you think is the single greatest influence in a student's life and their college decision? I met more students whose parents made decisions for them than I would have ever imagined. These adults need to let their students make their own decisions - they have to live with it. To play devil's advocate to my own point, however, many of those same parents were paying for the education so they wanted some say in the decision.
So, at the end of the day, the rankings are fun to look at - when I was in high school I glanced and did my research - but they're not reliable to base a decision upon.
I always told my students to make their decisions based on what they want. That's the single most important thing to me.
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ReplyDeleteHappy Belated Birthday, Princeton!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I must say that Bill Gates is very generous, creating foundations that benefit individuals. Also, it is commendable that he see a problem that exists; people do not come into college being prepared. The problem, however, isn't a lack of educational technology. It is a lack of education and practice. Our world has become encrusted in everything that is technology, and people have lost the true message in teaching and in learning. An individual is not going to learn how to read and write through a computer program. It has to be taught in some form between a teacher and a student. Also, technology won't solve the issue of future college students not taking initiative to meet with their professors or take their own responsibility for their action. They also have to be learned in some way. Now, technology may help in aiding the learning process, but it is not the solution to the problem of students not being prepared for college. A word to the high school student-keep on reading, writing and practicing your arithmetic :)
As for the article on the New Education Tax Credit, it is great that President Obama wants to put money in our pockets. However, where is this funding coming from? What is the main purpose of having this tax credit? It is one thing to give away free money simply because you can and/or want to, but there is more of a meaning of giving in this form when there is a reason or purpose behind doing it. Knowing that the country is in an economic crisis and credits like these are being given, as a whole, wherever money is going needs to be reevaluated.
In the article "Bill Gates To Pledge $20 Million To Education Technology" I found a couple interesting points. First the University of South Florida has just finished researching student success and it has become a hot topic in most of the departments around campus. I found it interesting that the article also made the connection to student success. The task force at USF uncovered the need for a cultural shift in the institution. It could be beneficial to initiate a technology based program at the university that reaches out to high school students to prepare them for the transition. Not only would it communicate a cultural message but could be used to send the message of student success, similar to a UE course.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I noticed (similar to Corey) that one of the goals listed: "our investments are aligned with proven or promising practices," seems to deviate from the online technology. It seems that more and more is talked about the inefficiencies of online courses. While they may work for some, the students that are in question are the ones at risk for not transitioning to college. Those students might need that connection with a professor to know available resources or might need friends in the course to help them stay on task. Unfortunately in online courses the opportunities to make lasting impressions is few and far between.
The last point I would like to make, is that the 20$ million could be used to create engaging curriculum instead of online systems. While those may be more sustainable, students will need to develop some skills while in college to transfer to the work environment and those skills are more often developed through experiences. A engaging summer program such as Summer Stampede, in my opinion, provide more captivating experiences for first year students.
I think the article “Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop.” And “30 ways to Rate a College” kind of tie into each other in a way. First of all, I would like to applaud Sam Fanning for turning his situation into a positive one, but I must also agree with Emily. I wonder if he did seek out other resources or if he is limiting himself on purpose. This is a problem that the majority of recent college graduates are facing right now. I have many friends that graduated before me and they are still working at restaurants because they just can’t seem to find a job in their field. When I read the article “30 ways to rate a college” I did agree that all these factors are very important and high school students need to take all of that into consideration. But what also came to mind was although ‘alumni salary’ and ‘graduation rates’ were listed, where are the ratings of graduates that find employment after graduation? Especially with these growing concerns in our society this should be information that students consider when looking for a college.
ReplyDeleteI found the first article "Hester Prynne in the Internet Age" very interesting and entertaining. Also, very true in American society.
ReplyDeleteThe second article I read was "Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop." which really hit home for me! As most of you know I worked perviously at Walt Disney World. I was luck enough to receive an internship at Casting, within professional recruitment, which turned into a full time job. I thought everything was perfect, I would work my way up in Disney and had dreams of being a recruiter, then a director. However, all my dreams were taken away once the economy went south and all my hard work and overtime was for nothing when I (and half of my department) was laid off. So there I was, a college grad with work experience in HR apply for anything I could get my hands on and never received a call back! I ended up working as a hostess at a restaurant in disney for minimum wage once my severance package was up. Like Sam in the article I looked in to Grad school and could not be happier now. But I know how hard it is and can defiantly relate!
After reading the Bill Gate’s article, I also have some similar questions that have been brought up. How effective will a technological approach to this issue be? I agree with Anthony that this approach may be more sustainable, but I would be very curious to see how exactly how this aid plays out. The article also mentioned that the pledge would support performance based scholarships. This may be one of those “proven practices” that aid student success, but just begins to skim the surface. This pledge looks like it is trying to do the most good with the amount given, which will be great for those who feel its effects.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read “Hester Prynne in an Internet Age,” I thought it was creative how the author made so many connections. Perhaps the double standard will be eased as the sexual behavior topic becomes less taboo, as Karen suggested.
The article “Here's Your Diploma. Now Here's Your Mop”, it does appear that Mr. Fanning needs to be more assertive with his job search. It is respectable that he is working currently, but he may want to be more strategic with the next steps. Rather than earning separate certifications, a graduate degree may be more useful and the certifications may be a component of the graduate program. In his situation going back to school would be beneficial. It would help delay his loan payments and the free tuition while working at the university would be good. Also his job search skills may not be as strong as he needs; clearly he has not had a very broad job search. He should most certainly begin using the services of the career center at his campus. Very often students think that their college diploma, even in a competitive program like IT, will lead to instant job offers; this is never the case.
ReplyDelete"Here's Your Diploma, Now Here's Your Mop," is an article that hopefully opens people’s eyes. Sam Fanning can be anyone, including myself. When I read that article it just shows me that going to school and taking classes is important, but so is what you do outside of it. I have always felt that I have gotten to many great points in my life through making connections and honoring people that have gotten me to that level. I think people should remember that books and research papers are great ways to learn, but so it going out there and simply talking to people in the area of work your in and getting in touch with them at an early stage.
ReplyDeleteChance Wilson
ReplyDeleteI could definitely relate to the article about the undergrad not being able to find a job with his degree. After graduating college for my undergrad, I thought I was a shoe-in for a teaching job. Unfortunately for me so did many other people. One job I went to had over 20 applicants...that's a lot of people applying.
I think CJ makes a valid point in discussing networking. Networking is one of the most essential aspects of being able to get a job. Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know.
I am now even more confused about college rankings. I have not put much thought into college rankings in a while but, after seeing this breakdown, I know enough not to believe most of what they are trying to sell. I guess it is important to remember that magazines and other media services are in the business of selling their product. They are certainly not in it for the education of the general public. If the first company that rated colleges picked their 10 measures, then the next company would have to use different measures to make them unique. The idea that a university can be summed up in a ranking is ridiculous anyway. For a school the size of USF, the value in education is not reflected in the sum of the parts. As students, we will only be touched by a small piece of the school. Different majors will share the core courses and then the athletic teams and parking lots. Other than that, what would we have in common from school?
ReplyDeleteI thought the article about easy a was interesting but very repeated. We know there is a double standard and we know it hasnt ever changed! We have heard the arguement its not fair and this that and the other reason as to how we are going to change it but I don't see that happening any time soon. Women and men are different when it comes to sex and sexual urgency I think we should stop worrying about who is doing it and focus on protection and prevention of pregnancy and STD's
ReplyDeleteI thought the Hester Prynne article was really good, especially with bullying and harassment making headlines recently. It raises some really good points as well as some good things to be aware of. Plus as a former English major I love a good Hawthorne reference
ReplyDeleteThe “now here’s your mop” article is also interesting considering we just heard from the career center about all of the ways the job hunt is changing for recent grads. I have a lot of friends from undergrad who are still looking, living at home, or are still working at their waitressing/college jobs. None of them were bad students either; it’s just a really tough time to find a job. It sort of ties into the “how to rate a college piece” how much of a colleges reputation should be based on the school’s ability to place graduates in their career field of choice? Especially in today’s economic climate.
A couple of articles caught my eye. The "Here's Your Diploma Now Here Is Your Mop" article seems to be easy to relate to for a lot of us in the program. A lot of us just recently graduated from our undergraduate colleges and chose to go to graduate school for various reasons. I know that I was considering taking some time off before going to graduate school and getting a job. However, I changed my mind when the only job offerings I was receiving were entry jobs or jobs that I could get without a degree. Its pretty discouraging that a degree now a days does not guarantee a job. Plus a lot of people are gaining a lot of hands on experience during there undergraduate years or just recently being out of school and it is very competitive atmosphere surrounding decent job openings.
ReplyDeleteThe other article/graph that I thought was interesting was "30 Ways th Rate a College." I remember commenting awhile ago about college ratings on another article we blogged about. I just think it is crazy how raters don't have any set criteria on the different measures and have biased opinions. It's basically up in the air. Also, I found it interesting that a lot of the raters find it more important to rate retention rates and experiences over graduation rates and job outcomes.
The article that discusses Bill Gates pledge of $20M to education is amazing. Is there nothing this man, or more specifically his foundation, is not willing to help improve in America? I thought Anthony brought up an interesting point of putting that money towards a curriculum, but then some of that money would have to be put towards the instructor to teach those courses. If I understand it correctly, this would be like a library of speakers and lectures from various fields and topics. It could be student driven or faculty at any institution could then use this medium to teach. I think it's a great idea and a positive step forward. If only there were more Bill & Melinda Gates' Foundations to help out with issues like this!
ReplyDeleteThe other article that caught my eye was the "30 Ways to Rate a College." I have always wondered about the U.S. News and World Report rankings and wondered what those were based on. To me, it just seems like a marketing tactic that colleges can pick and choose what they did well on and then put that on admissions brochures and on their website for bragging purposes.
Bill Gate’s 20M pledge to improving education was encouraging. I am all about money going into developing education. I’m curious to see what will come about as a result. However, if he’s only going to get more classes online, then this may note help very much at all. I am sure there is more to his plan than what was written in the article.
ReplyDeleteThe 30 Ways to rate a college article makes me think that there really is not a good way to rank a college. Since everyone has different values and expectations of college, the best way to find a good college that fits the expectations of an individual is some individual research. What Forbes and the Washington Post value is probably not what every student values when applying for college.
I enjoyed the diploma/mop article. It really hits a personal story and putting a face to the current economic recession, and the struggles many college students are facing today. It is interesting to me because a bachelors degree is becoming the new high school diploma. It no longer is an assurance that you will get a job. The masters degree is now the next step that is almost necessary to advance yourself in the work force, to give you that extra experience or edge over other candidates. My on question for this particular student from the interview is, what did he do to set himself apart from other candidates? Did he get involved in other experiences outside the classroom? Did he not interview well, or does he not have the proper connections or career service help to assist him with his job process? I think the key question students need to consider is, what can I do to stand out and make myself that much better than other candidates applying for this job? Go out and make connections and get experiences
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the article Hester Prynne in the Internet Age. I think that it is unfortunate that Karen Owen made this powerpoint and it went viral, but honestly it is a double standard. If this would have been one of the athletes that she slept with, making a list of women they had "relations" with ...no one would care. I think it is quite funny that they compared the story to the movie Easy A. It's exactly how people will look at Owen from now on, a loose girl. I do agree with Lisa though, we should ignore who sleeps with who and focus on more prevention, because the truth is no matter male or female, the amount of partners is constantly rising.
ReplyDeleteWell I just got done reading Karen Owens' powerpoint and I am totally shocked, borderline amazed, for several reasons. It seems I'm shocked daily by how technology has been used as a tool to ruin or end someone's life. Then we have the Bill Gates' article on increasing technology to juxtapose this article with. Returning to Owens, she literally wrote a thesis! Like Aron noted, How much time did she really have on her hands? She's a pretty good writer and it's a shame that now she may not have the opportunity to put her skills to better use due to the fallout. As a writer myself, I know the energy it takes to write in the length and detail she used in this "thesis." Generally there is some strong impetus that keeps you going, whether it be passion for the subject or a requirement...What drove her to go into such detail? Was this intended to be a joke or was there deeper meaning? I think as we move further in this new technology age that it's IMPERATIVE that we begin educating students early on about the potential dangers of technology and its misuse. It's no longer just cute AIM notes,email, or computer games. Now people are committing suicide, cyberbullying, prostituting, ruining their reputations and others'... I don't think the true implications are being discussed openly and honestly the way they should be. I disagree with Ashley's comment that "no one would care" if it had been an athlete making the video. People are getting hurt now; it's beyond the college rumor mill, these things are now international scandals! I'm less concerned with the long-standing social phenomena and ideals than with the real-life implications of the power technology has given us to do real good and real bad in ways before unthinkable.
ReplyDeleteThe article on Bill Gates drew my attention because I like to fancy myself an "educational technologist" at times, specifically regarding secondary education. While I agree that education, especially moving forward, is a powerful vehicle to help move students into better preparedness, greater knowledge etc...too often these types of pledges are viewed as panaceas to issues with multiple causes and multiple ramifications. For example, a lot of my research in educational technology centered around the "Opportunity Gap." A play on "Achievement Gap," the opportunity gap is the gap in access to technology between the haves and have-nots that prevents those who need these technologies the most (for the purpose of gaining education, accessing resources that can help pull them out of poverty, introducing students to worlds beyond their own neighborhoods) don't have access to them. More focus needs to be put on getting these technologies to the places that need them the most. Another issue regarding increased technology access and use is, Are we educating students adequately on the proper uses of these technologies? Or we just giving them more/better/quicker access to their Facebook accounts and popular blogs, entertainment and gossip sites? A big part of my focus was educating other educators on all the millions of resources out there (that most people don't know about) that they can use for productive aims. The reality still is, most educators don't know how to use appropriate/relevant technologies themselves! These things need to be addressed before we start throwing millions around all willy-nilly to fund this stuff.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the article about recciving a diploma and working as a custodial, I think it is a true reality check for us all as a society. Recent graduates not only have to compete for jobs now, there are limited job positions. I am amazed that the aminitrators didnt say he was "over qualified"!
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