Author Archives
29
Nov 10
Tea Design: Course of the Week
Do you like tea? But, REALLY like tea? Do you give it a sniff and a swish, pretending its wine, while guessing the flavors and origins? Well if so, this week´s Course-of-the-Week may be just for you. A “tea designer” is someone with the artful knowledge of blending and creating tasty tea infusions. Tea blends may include, but are not limited to, spices, flowers, leaves, fruits and chocolates.
Legend has it that around 2737 BC Emperor Shen Nung was resting next to a wild tea tree, when a slight breeze stirred the branches of the tree, causing some leaves to fall into the water that he was boiling. The resulting infusion seemed delightfully refreshing and restorative, and that’s how tea was discovered.
This weeks course is offered at the Escuela Argentina de Tea, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is aimed at the general public (so you do not need prior tea knowledge) and offers a certificate of completion.
Enjoy.
27
Aug 10
This Year´s Mindset List: Class of 2014
Class of 2014, you may or may not know who this is...
Every year professors from Beloit College put together a list of characteristics to descibe the incoming university student (this year it is those born in 1992). This list, known as the Mindset List, aims to reflect current and past popular culture shifts, and to give us all an idea what reality our current young adults are living in. The list highlights key cultural and political changes that have shaped this year´s generation, and reminds us how quickly references become dated. If you can believe it, the class of 2014 is a “post-email” generation; they don´t email because it is just “too slow.” Our recent high school graduates live in a world of fast technology and extreme multi-tasking. This list, while not scientific by any means, is a fun tradition at Beloit College to mark differences in generations, which when we stop to observe, pass us by in the blink of an eye.
Here are a few items from this year’s incoming freshman college students (born in 1992) that made the list.
1. Few in the class know how to write in cursive.
12. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.
17. Trading Chocolate the Moose for Patti the Platypus helped build their Beanie Baby collection.
18. Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.
19. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.
26. Unless they found one in their grandparents’ closet, they have never seen a carousel of Kodachrome slides.
27. Computers have never lacked a CD-ROM disk drive.
31. The first home computer they probably touched was an Apple II or Mac II; they are now in a museum.
46. Nirvana is on the classic oldies station.
50. Toothpaste tubes have always stood up on their caps.
For this year´s complete Mindset List click here.
20
Aug 10
Back to School: Postgraduate Programs Gain Popularity in the UK
Unemployment statistics for young university graduates have risen significantly in the UK between 2008-2010, with 1 in 10 UK graduates currently jobless. The Higher Education Policy Institute said that unemployment among graduates below age 24 rose by 25%, from 11.1% in December 2008 to 14% in December 2009. Male graduates have shown to have a harder time getting a job compared with their female counterparts, however men still earn on average more than women once employed. The rise in unemployment could be attributed to cutbacks in the public sector where many recent graduates seek jobs upon entering the work force.
Because there are fewer jobs, many young adults have decided to go back to school, or in the case of recent graduates, continue their studies. Postgraduate programs are receiving an increased number of applicants, many of whom are young adults who have turned to education to improve their chances of gaining employment. In 2009, institutions like the University of Glasgow and Sheffield Hallam University have seen more than a 50% rise in postgraduate applications.
For those of you who are heading back to school, share your story with us in the comments section.
Reference BBC UK
16
Aug 10
Food Photography – Course of the Week
Photo by ccharmon
The title of this week´s Course of the Week leaves little guess-work as to the flavor of this course… have you ever driven past a huge billboard with a big juicy hamburger where you can actually see the pearls of dew on the taunt perfect skin of a ruby-red sliced tomato? Oh and the crisp lettuce that is so brilliantly green you can imagine the crunchy sound it would make as you…
Time to exit?
Visual images of food are so powerful that with the right tools food can be transformed into more than a life-sustaining grouping of carbohydrate, lipid and protein molecules…it can be art! With this course in Food Photography offered at the Brooks Institute in California, you will learn how to capture food at its best angle.
Photo by ccharmon
Blueberry muffin anyone?
12
Aug 10
Tips: Dorm-Decorating on a Budget
Photo by Kevin Blair / The Collegian
It´s that time of year again when new university students are leaving home and moving into apartments and college dorms. Decorating your college dwelling can be a fun way to define your new life and create a comfortable space that will be your home away from home. Although you are a student and thus living on a budget, decorating your new space doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are some decorating suggestions to help you get started:
- Go vintage! Check out local garage sales, resale shops or junk yards for pieces that could be easily revamped. You may have to wade through a lot of trash but sometimes you can find treasures that can give your room some style.
- Craigslist.org. Most people these days have heard about the website Craigslist but for those who haven´t you should definitely check it out. People who want to sell furniture (among other things) post a description with pictures and prices. Sometimes these items need to be sold very quickly and the seller is willing to drop the prices significantly to get rid of the items as soon as possible. Check the site daily for deals and steals!
- Revamp stuff you already have! Old and ugly furniture can usually be revamped if you have a place to work on it and the time to give it a little love. Think refinishing, painting, recovering. Plus, if you get creative, your old furniture not only gets a new life in your new space, but also becomes a conversation piece among your new friends and dorm-mates.
11
Aug 10
Study Abroad Trends – The Middle East
According to reports by the Institute of International Education more and more American students are choosing study abroad destinations in the Middle East. While there are still a lot of students spending a semester in the UK, France and Italy, over the last 10 years destinations like Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have become increasingly popular. Since 2002 the number of American students that went to study in a Middle Eastern country is up six-fold. This increase is due in part to the Critical Language Scholarship, a government initiative started in 2006, to encourage students to learn Arabic and 12 other languages spoken in Middle Eastern countries.
Photo by Cathyse97
Students who have decided to study abroad in places like Beirut and Cairo say that they came to the Middle East because they wanted to learn about Muslim culture and to understand the conflicts that exist today. Many students feel that a study abroad experience in the Middle East is more relevant in today´s building of international relationships and policies, and believe that their experience studying in the Middle East will help them secure important internships and jobs after college.
Read more about this article, here
Reference New York Times
6
Aug 10
The Art of Walking – Course of the Week
Have you ever needed a moment to take a stroll and sort out a problem or reflect on a decision? Sometimes when we have something that puzzles us it is good to take a step back and think. This week´s Course of the Week is a philosophy-based course that encourages and practices walking as a way to help open the mind and reflect, while experiencing the surrounding natural beauty. The Art of Walking is offered at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, USA.
Photo by Prakhar Amba
Ken Keffer, the professor and creator of this course, focuses mainly on Immanuel Kant’s philosophy. To prevent students from falling asleep and detaching from the conversation, he started taking them for walks. Through these walks he realized the students were more engaged and reflective. He noticed that they openly conversed on the subject material and the walking helped their thoughts flow.
Students are given required reading assignments as well as required walking assignments, which aim to help them reflect on what they have read at home and heard in class.
As Keffer explains, “Kant teaches intelligible and sensual design in inner and outer nature, his main theme is natural beauty. Our walks take us to that beauty—where we really meet ourselves.”
***
26
Jul 10
Education and the Price of Crime in the UK
- The government in the UK is calling for better education in prisons. According to the BBC, prisons in England are under review by parliament in an effort to improve the educational programmes in prisons across the country. Skills minister John Hayes told reporters that effective education is vital to the justice system because education improves the chances that an inmate will find employment upon being released. Being able to offer a skill and find a job is “essential” in preventing criminals from committing a second or third crime, and to help them create positive role models for their families. In the UK, half the men and more than 70% of the women have no job qualifications at all. Two-thirds do not have a literacy level above the age of 11.
Complications in effective education plans for prisons in the UK arose in part due to job cuts and pay freezes for education staff. As a result, teachers have more work and less pay which has caused senior leaders to find work elsewhere. This meant the loss of mentoring support for those teachers with less experience.
The price of crime is not only high for the delinquent but also for the state. Functioning prison facilities cost tax- payers roughly £60bn a year in England, with £9bn as a result of re-offending. Mr. Hayes was quoted as saying, ¨the last thing society needs is people reverting to crime because they are, or feel they are, capable of nothing better. That is not good for society and it is not good for the offender. But we must have value for money – the review I am undertaking will look at current courses and where they can be better tailored to social needs.”
Reference | BBC
21
Jul 10
Collaborative Editing Program, Useful for Students
Got a paper due and not confident in your editing skills? Notapipe, we recently discovered, is a web service that allows you to upload a draft or document to be edited by multiple users in real time. The document can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection and the program is compatible with web browsers for both PCs and Macs. Just think what this means for group projects! Every connected user can edit text, and changes are updated for everyone. Revisions to the document can be saved at anytime and there is no limit to the number of modifications that you can make. Students working in a collaborative atmosphere should find this much easier than making photocopies and marking up changes in red pen.
As far as pricing goes, Notapipe has a free plan option, however, it is a bit limited. To get a SSL connection (a secure connection) one must pay for the premium plan which is around 20 USD.
Recap:
- Cool service that allows for a document to be edited by various people.
- Can see changes made in real time.
- Access the the document anywhere there is internet.
- Free, basic and premium plans
- Secure connection can only be achieved through premium plan
- Not sure if the good old eraser and white out still sell, but who needs them?
19
Jul 10
Exercise Said to Improve Grades of College Students
Researchers are saying that college students who exercise tend to have better grades than those who do not exercise. A study done by Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan studied 266 undergraduate students to see if or how exercise influences Grade Point Average (GPA is on a 4 point scale, 4 being the highest grade, an A+). The study took into account the following factors that might also influence GPA apart from exercise; gender, study time, college sports and area of study. The results showed that students who vigorously and habitually exercised had a 0.4 point higher GPA than students who did not exercise.
Now, many argue that exercise and good grades do not have a cause and effect relationship, but are correlated because those who have the discipline to exercise probably have the discipline to study and manage their time better. That may be true, but it is important to note that exercise releases endorphins, which has shown to improve attitude and boost energy, both fundamental in being a successful student.
A similar study was conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine. The purpose of the study was to “assess the association between study time, grade point average (GPA) and meeting current recommendations for vigorous and moderate physical activity in college students.” Results showed that students who spend more time studying are more likely to exercise. A student who studies three or more hours per day is four times more likely to exercise vigorously than students who study less than one hour per day. And students with a GPA of 3.5 or above are three times more likely to exercise vigorously than students with a GPA below 3.0.
Verdict:
Exercise is healthy for both body and mind and may help students get on track to getting better grades.
What do you think?
Read more about this article, here.
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