April, 2010
16
Apr 10
New Student Loan Legislation for the US
As tuition costs keep rising, it´s the students who are feeling the pinch. Under the old system in the United States, the government lent money to students for their studies through banks, who then collected interest from the loans. President Obama has now signed legislation that will reduce the cost of student loans by cutting out banks as the middle man and lending directly to students. This new move will not only benefit students, but the goverment will also save an extra $68 billion over 11 years, which they will put towards extending funding assistance programs called Pell Grants. These grants are given in small amounts to help students pay their tuition. The money will also be used to fund a $2 billion initiative to help community colleges, to provide education and career training programs for those who have been displaced from their jobs.
In other countries such as Australia, the government lends money to students without banks being in the middle of the money-chain. If it wasn´t for the financial breakdown, this change may not have come about, and it is critical that it did. Why should banks be able to take advantage of something as important as education? A country functions better when there is greater access to education, and this legislation is definitely a step in the right direction.
Obama was keen to highlight the success of getting the legislation passed, along with healthcare, which has drawn most of the attention. Opposers of the bill are quick to point out potential job losses for the private sector. We think that if the legislation stayed as it was, and students were forced to pay the salaries of people in the private sector, then it was definitely time for a change.
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons – AMagill
15
Apr 10
Australian Slang Mini-Course
If you have ever seen a Crocodile Dundee movie, you know that Australians can be hard to understand. Put the shrimp on the what? Luckily, Educaedu recently did a series of mini-courses on our Twitter account to help everyone understand their neighbors in the “deep south”. We wanted to give a comprehensive overview for anyone who missed a couple of the lessons. Studying abroad in Australia? These are for you:
Lesson 1: Q: If someone asks you to “pass the dead horse” in Australia, what are they referring to? A: Tomato sauce
Lesson 2: Q: If someone asks you “what´s the damage?”, what are they referring to? A: The price of something.
Lesson 3: Q: What is the “Dog and bone”? A: The telephone
Lesson 4: Q: If someone tells you “try not to do your lolly”, what do they mean? A: Dont lose your temper.
Lesson 5: Q: What is a googie? A: An egg.
Lesson 6: Q: If someone says they´ve “gone to the quack”, where have they gone? A: To the doctor.
Lesson 7: Q: If someone says “Wow, that´s ridgie didge”, what do they mean to say? A: That it´s very genuine.
Lesson 8: Q: What happened if “it was a ripsnorter!”? A: Someone had a really good time.
Lesson 9: Q: Where do you live if “you lives in the sticks”? A: You live a long way away or in the country.
Lesson 10: Q: If someone says “Put your trackie dacks on” what are they referring to? A: Your tracksuit pants.
14
Apr 10
More Schools Charging Over $50,000 in Tuition Next Year
Harvard Library (Flickr Creative Commons - Paul Lowry)
Next year the number of schools in the northeast part of the United States charging $50,000 or more for yearly tuition (including room and board) will likely more than double, according to The Boston Globe.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, Brandeis University, Wellesley College, Dartmouth College, Brown University and College of the Holy Cross will cost over $50,000 a year for the first time. They will join many schools that this year began charging over $50,000, including Tufts, Boston College (BC), Boston University, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College and Babson College.
Why this increase? Some college officials say the issue with the rising college costs lies in the inherent competition between schools to be the best. Many features that are valued in schools, like smaller classes, more student-faculty contact and more extensive co-curricular activities cost more money, and this causes tuition to rise.
A similar phenomenon is occuring in another part of the United States. Public univerisities in California have drastically increased their tuition, causing demonstrations throughout the state. These increases, however, are due to economic problems the state is experiencing. It is interesting to see that the same problem is occuring in two different places for completely different reasons. Either way, students will now have a harder time paying for college.
13
Apr 10
Such Tweet Sorrow – Shakespeare does Twitter
The cast of "Such Tweet Sorrow"
Online marketing company Mudlark and The Royal Shakespeare Company have teamed up to bring Skakespeare into the 21st Century of social media. They are using Twitter as a platform to tell a modern-day version of the classic play Romeo and Juliet, entitled Such Tweet Sorrow, where a cast of six actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company tweet their tales over a period of five weeks.
In 1996, Baz Luhrmann propelled Romeo and Juliet into the modern era with his film adaptation, featuring lots of guns, tattoos and action, while retaining the old-fashioned dialogue. 14 years later, Such Tweet Sorrow finds a way to modernise R&J yet again; this time the setting is modern Britain and many many tweets of up to 140 characters.
If you havn´t already checked it out, you can still follow all the action and catch up on what you have missed on the website. There is a live timeline, the story so far, and a section to read about the actors who are bringing the play to life. So far, Susan Capulet died in a car crash, Juliet tweeted away on her new netbook before and after school and Mercutio lost his mobile phone. If you prefer the classic version you can always do a Master in Shakespearean Studies, but why not build on that love of Shakespeare in a different way? It could be a fun way to get high school kids into Shakespeare, and schools could utilise it in the classroom and even participate or interact with their own versions.
12
Apr 10
Course of the Week – Private Investigator Course
Maple Academy, a distance education school in the UK, has a wide variety of courses available, but we were quite intrigued by one of them. They provide a Private Investigator Course to learn all the techniques that classic detectives, like Sherlock Holmes, have made famous.
Students will learn how to trace missing persons, surveillance techniques, do process serving, and handle matrimonial and domestic cases. The great thing about this course is that it allows for a variety of jobs like debt collecting, security, and general detective stuff. Before you know it, you will be just like Dog the Bounty Hunter (who has his own reality TV show, btw). All the courses at this school are distance programs, which means you can complete it in your own home.
8
Apr 10
India Prioritises a Child’s Right to Education
Photo: A.M Faruqui
India has joined a growing list of countries legalising the right to free and compulsory education. They have passed a law ensuring all children between the age of 6 and 14 have access to free and non-discriminatory education. There are an estimated 8 million Indian children and young people between 6 and 14 currently out-of-school, the majority of whom are girls.
UNESCO´S 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report states that there are about 135 countries that have legalised a child’s right to free education. However, despite the legal standing there are reports that many countries are still charging for some things, and that there are really only 13 countries that provide education without any fees at all.
This may come as a surprise to some people, but Chile comes in on top of the list, offering 15 years of free schooling from the age of 6 to 21. Back in 1990 Chile was near the bottom, but since then they have seen great improvements with the implementation of better education systems. There are seven countries including Germany, Belgium, Italy and Norway that offer free compulsory education to children covering their entire schooling period.
There are still over 50 countries, including the US, Malaysia and South Africa, which do not have any constitutional provision to provide free and compulsory education to children, but hopefully they will take inspiration from the majority and look at adopting some standards of free education too.
The report also recognises the extraordinary progress in the number of children dropping out from schools, which has declined by 33 million worldwide since 1999. Let´s hope this trend continues.
Source: The Hindu
8
Apr 10
Tips For Saving Money While Studying Abroad
Tight budgets may have some students fearing that study abroad opportunities aren´t in the cards during their university years, but many students who spent time studying in another country would tell you that it was the best investment they have made. There are plenty of ways to cut back on costs and still have an amazing experience. Here are a few money-saving tips:
Have an open mind about your study abroad destination. Many students from various parts of the world flock to European countries or the United States, but there are many amazing places in the world that can offer you an excellent education (in and outside the classroom) that won´t cost a fortune. Think Central and South America, as well as Asia and Africa. Education and living expenses in these regions tend to be more affordable than in Europe and the U.S.
Do your own thing. It is tempting to buy the complete package and live on campus or through a university housing system but chances are you will be paying more. Do some research on housing and find out what locals pay or see about living with a family. It is usually a cheaper option and will definitely give you a unique perspective as well as integrate you into local culture.
Explore independently. Programs and guides geared toward foreigners are usually always more expensive. Don´t rely on guide books to tell you where to eat, shop or sleep. Ask a local.
Cook. It is tempting in another country to go out to eat all the time but it can drain your savings pretty quick. If you are set on getting your fill of foreign flavors that is great. Invest in a cook book and invite some friends over. Even if it ends up being a group effort you will learn, laugh and even save some money.
7
Apr 10
Educaedu’s Spelling Bee
Everyone has blind spots for some words or word types. Even when you proofread an essay or something someone else has written, these errors pass you by. You should be aware of common mistakes so that you can be prepared for them when they occur. Spell checks work great, but they are not always reliable. And what about when you are writing an important email? Do you take the time to spell check everything?
This means it might be good to find out how well your spelling has stood the test of time – and where your blind spots are. Take a look at the following list of words and see if you can tell if the spelling is correct. If it isn´t, try writing out the correct spelling (or at least your best guess). Avoid using the dictionary because it is important to focus on what your memory tells you is right or wrong.
Which of these words are spelled incorrectly?
harrassed
embarrasment
liase
supersede
truely
batchelor
imposter
sieze
concensus
miniscule
fuschia
irrepairable
expatriot
dessicate
seperate
Now have a look at the correct answers. If you are surprised by the results, use this as an opportunity and focus on the words you hear every day. Find a dictionary when you hear something that you can’t immediately visualise in written form. This type of practice will keep you on your feet and prepare you for any surprise spelling bees that come your way. If you got most or all of the words correct, maybe you should think about a career in editing and publishing, where attention to detail is a must.
The correct spelling:
harrassed – harassed
embarrasment – embarrassment
liase – liaise
supersede - the only one that was correct
truely – truly
batchelor – bachelor
imposter – impostor
sieze – seize
concensus – consensus
miniscule – minuscule
fuschia – fuchsia
irrepairable - irreparable
expatriot - expatriate
dessicate – desiccate
seperate – separate
6
Apr 10
Unpaid Internships Are on the Rise
Reference: CollegeJolt
With the job market in a slump following the economic crises, unpaid internships for university students are becoming more common, and authorities are concerned. Officials in Oregon, California and New York have begun investigating as the trend violates minimum wage standards, and some employers have already received fines. It is difficult to ascertain the number of unpaid internships being undertaken because the interns are hesitant to come forward, worried that they will be become known troublemakers in the field where they hope to gain employment.
Lance Choy from Stanford University has seen a big rise in the number of unpaid internships advertised at the university. Employers posted 643 unpaid internships on their job board this academic year, compared with 174 posted two years ago. He attributes it to employers wanting to keep costs down, and students wanting to improve their resumes.
In 2008, the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 83 percent of graduating students had held internships, which is 9% more than in 1992. This equals hundreds of thousands of students undertaking internships each year, and some experts estimate that up to half of them are unpaid.
This problem is not just limited to the US. Anywhere that the demand for employment is greater than the number of jobs available, unpaid internships are going to be an issue. Many students travel to Argentina to learn Spanish and undertake internships, a high number of which are not paid. The popular website Craigslist lists jobs that are available mainly for English speakers, and there are often people leaving warnings about companies who offer interships that are really just an excuse for free labour.
Internships are a great opportunity for students or recent graduates to gain valuable experience, and it can be rewarding for a company as well. Hopefully employers can find a balance and reward interns for the work that they do, as it would be a shame to see companies stop offering internships due to legal issues.
Source: New York Times
5
Apr 10
Course of the Week – Gladiators!
This summer twenty students from the University of Regensburg in Germany plan to try and live in the style of Roman gladiators and stage a battle for scientific research. Over the next few months, the participants will be preparing for the unusual project that concludes in a multiple day non-stop Gladiator course.
The student warriors, who are all studying various disciplines at the university, won’t be eating pizza or hamburgers during their training. Instead they’ll have berries and white beans on their plates as recommend by the ancient Roman doctor Galen.
“From the gladiators, we know almost nothing,” says the historian and project manager Joseph Löffl. He jokes that it is difficult to learn anything from the images of the stage coach races from “Ben Hur”. Löffl and his research colleagues intend to look at things like learning to fight wearing bronze helmets that weigh almost five kilos. The participants will not be allowed girlfriends, showers, or washing machines. We forsee it will be a real challenge. We wish them luck!
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