Author Archives
5
Apr 11
The Value of Post-Secondary Education
There have always been sceptics about the value of higher education. The recession and the way that the information technology sector has shaped and opened up the job market have not exactly helped. The cost of tertiary study can be epic and when you add to this IT role models like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg who never completed university, things are not necessarily propelling people towards undertaking a 4 year degree.
But the message to emerge out of the current recession, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, is that if you want to keep your job, if and when it happens again, it´s better to be well-educated than well-paid. In 1973, only 28% of jobs required a post-secondary education, but in 2008 that figure was 59%. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce scholars say this number will increase to 63% within the next decade. In 2008, the median salary of a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts was $55,777 USD, compared with $33,800 for those who are only high-school educated. The figures for unemployment percentages follow suit, with almost double the number of high-school only graduates unemployed compared with college graduates.
Jobs in the IT industry increased by 4.3% in the last year, and while a select few made it without higher education, about 86% of the industry has some form of tertiary study behind them.
Bottom line: the odds are better with an education, and the IT industry is booming. Click here to view some courses you can study in the United States.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com
1
Apr 11
Corporal Punishment Still Allowed in US Schools
Image via mediadump.com
Disciplining students with a cane or “paddling” as it is commonly referred to, is still allowed in 20 of the 52 states in the US. A recent case in Wichita Falls, Texas, has brought attention to the issue, after an 11th grade student received a paddling that put him in the hospital.
According to The Center for Effective Discipline or CED, corporal punishment exists today mainly in the southern states, where it is ingrained in the customs and traditions of small communities. CED are committed to educating parents and children about the effects of corporal punishment on children and alternatives in giving discipline. Since 1998 the 30th of April has been dubbed SpankOut Day USA, to bring about an end to hitting children, and to promote their motto “Raising Responsible (Good) Kids Without Hitting”. CED highlight the fact that if students are hit at school, they think it is ok to be hit at home, and the cycle of violence continues.
The student from Wichita Falls is currently involved in a legal case which may help bring an end to the hitting of students in Texas. Recently, legislators in New Mexico voted to end the practice in their state, although it still needs the approval of the local governor before the law is passed.
Interestingly, St. Augustine High School, the only remaining catholic school in New Orleans who practiced paddling, have recently banned the practice, only to be met with protests from current students and the school community who want it reinstated. They say that being able to utilise corporal punishment has contributed to character building and higher graduation rates, and the senior students say they can tell the difference between the older students and the newer ones who have not been exposed to the same traditions.
If you are interested in finding out more about GED and what they do, check out their website here.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com and http://www.stophitting.com
29
Mar 11
Occupations of the Future
The job market is constantly evolving. As technology advances, it creates openings in new fields and makes others obselete. The saavy job seeker should be up to date with trends and forecasts, to make an informed choice about what to study according to the market and where it´s going.
Which occupations are likely to experience an increase in demand in the coming years? Here we share a few tips on the industries that are on the rise.
- Organic Food Farmer.
The organic market currently makes up 10% of the food industry, and the majority of growth has been in recent years. An increase in demand for organic food means an increase in demand for the farmers of organic produce.
- Genetic Counsellor
Genetic technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and parents may soon be able to choose certain genetic characteristics, such as the sex of an unborn child.
The continued growth and strength of the internet calls for IT professionals who can both protect websites and businesses, and help to patrol and stop hackers and other threats to computer systems.
- Social Media Manager
This job has really emerged in the last couple of years, with the global dominance of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. A mix between marketing and IT professions, companies both big and small are hiring social media managers to create and maintain the buzz around their brand.
As big business tries to become more eco-friendly and governments pass laws that aim to reduce our carbon footprint, the sustainability officer is the expert in working with new policies and procedures in this area.
Technology and demand to digitalise medical records is huge, and more people are going to be needed in this field to be able to deal with the workload.
- Mobile Application Developer
With the increase in the popularity of smart phones comes the increase in demand for application developers.
The Japanese have made a robotic carer to help with their ageing population and the demands on the aged care industry, and the increase in robots will require an increase in technicians to build and maintain them.
- Stem Cell Researcher
It´s still controversial but growth in this area is set to soar.
- Simulation Engineer
Simulators are used in many industries, such as in aviation and medicine, and as this specialist technology develops so too do the jobs.
Source: http://jobs.aol.com
23
Mar 11
A History of the E-book
Reading a book electronically instead of on paper has become more common in recent years with the help of the Kindle, and even more recently with the iPad and Google eBookstore. In 2010 Amazon reported that sales of e-books outnumbered hard copies for the first time. But despite the recent growth in the e-books area, digitised books are not a new phenomenon. Did you know that they have been around in some form or other now for 40 years? In 1971 Project Gutenberg was launched with a digitalised version of the United States Declaration of Independence. The same year, the first email was sent between two host computers. Today, Project Gutenberg is a website that offers 33,000 books that anyone can download for free.
Graph via http://ebookfriend.ly
Some key moments in the history of the e-book:
- In the year 2000, Stephen King made his novella Riding the Bullet available exclusively online, and 400,000 copies were downloaded in the first 24 hours.
- In 2002, publishing houses HarperCollins and Random House began selling digital versions of their books.
- In 2007 Amazon launched Kindle in the US, with 90,000 books available for purchase.
- The same year, Apple launched it´s first generation iPhone.
- From here, the digital book boom soars; Apple releases the iPad with the iBooks application, and Google releases the eBookstore with 3 million titles. At this moment, the global e-book market is worth $900 million.
Regardless of personal preference, e-books are continuing to grow in number and popularity and are changing the way that people learn and access information.
Source: ebookfriend.ly
21
Mar 11
Written Exams to Become Outdated?
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons ccarlstead
Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation in England, believe that written exams are becoming outdated because so many students today are using computers. Isabel Nisbet, the chief executive of Ofqual, said that written exams are becoming less relevant in our tech-savvy society as many students learn, explore and study more on computers than with conventional methods. Computerised exams would revolutionise the examination process and make it easier to correct and revise the exams.
While two other exam boards supported the idea, there has been some backlash from teachers and others in the education community, who say that it will facilitate cheating, contribute to the decline of handwriting and generally undermine educational values.
These days exam papers are often scanned and digitally marked, but last year some students mistakenly received lower grades and even missed out on their first university choice because of a computer error with the marking system. Referring to this incident, Miss Nisbet said
“Factors that contributed to the marking error included limited piloting of the new on-screen marking system, a lack of effective risk assessments and deficiencies in the role and training of examiners on the new system.”
With sufficient training and systems in place, computerised exams could be the new face of education, but perhaps not just yet.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk and http://www.ofqual.gov.uk
23
Feb 11
Fashion Week in Buenos Aires
Fashion Week Buenos Aires
This week in Buenos Aires it’s Fashion Week, from the 22nd until the 25th of February. Established local designers show their collections for the upcoming winter season, and the who’s who of the local scene gather to watch and be seen. The great thing about fashion week here is that anyone can buy a ticket for 30 Argentine Pesos and attend a show, you don’t have to know someone who knows someone on the inside. Are you a budding designer looking for some inspiration? A student of fashion design finding your own style? Someone who has a cool blog and wants to document the scene on and around the runway? Even if you are none of the above, fashion week may just give you the push you need to get creative in your own life, and what with all the energy buzzing around the main event, some may just rub off on you.
Are you adept at picking the next big thing? Do you think you can create a buzz around a brand, and create a cool image? A course in Cool Hunting may help you to sharpen your skills, as you analyse fashion trends and look at what is to come and what is happending on the streets where you live.
If you already have experience working with fashion design, illustration or textiles, or have an undergraduate degree, a Master of Art in Fashion could give you the refinement and direction to establish yourself as a designer. University of the Arts in London who run the course, help students with placements in companies such as Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Gucci. Excited at the prospect? Fashion design could be for you!
21
Feb 11
Google Art Project
Source: http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl
Last week Google unveiled its latest initiative Google Art Project, in which a selection of high-resolution images of famous art works are available online on a new website.
The project utilises the Street View tool, usually reserved for exterior landscapes, letting users take a virtual 360 degree tour of 17 of the world’s most acclaimed museums such as MoMA in New York, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid or the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Users also have the ability to view individual pieces that have been photographed at a high resolution, enabling art fans to see the full details of the selected works (imagine being able to see an almost microscopic view of the brushstrokes of Van Gogh’s paintings!).
The web site also offers you the chance to create your own personal gallery, where you can save your favorite works, add comments and then share it with anyone.
For fans of art, museum lovers and for those who enjoy cultural activities in general, this initiative is a great opportunity to access museums and works of art that may have otherwise been out of reach. And in terms of art education, while nothing can replace the gallery, this sort of accessability can only be a good thing.
16
Feb 11
New Facebook App – Admission Splash
Applying to university can be a long process, and a new social media application is here to help . The Facebook application Admission Splash allows students to see their chances of being accepted to a university, based on certain details they provide. Students enter their address, test results, major selection and other such information into the application, which then predicts the likelihood of the students’ acceptance, on a scale from very poor to very good. The questions are based on the admissions data that each particular school uses.
While the application is not designed to be the determining factor in the choice for higher education, it´s definitely a fun way to see how your data possibly rates at different schools. Co-creator of the application 19-year-old student Allen Gannett, says that for now the app is free, but that eventually he wants it to be a channel between students and universities. If someone ends up with a good chance of getting into say, the University of Southern California, they could choose to receive a brochure from them, and the school would get the connection with a potential student.
Two interesting things about the app: it doesn´t take into account extra-curricular activites, essays or special abilites, and of the 75 students tested who were admitted to ULCA and New York University, it accurately predicted admissions chances in 90 to 97 percent of the cases.
Source: http://blogs.edweek.org and http://mashable.com
14
Feb 11
Learning a Second Language Improves Your Mother Tongue
Recent studies undertaken by the UK and the Ministry of Education in Spain show that learning a second language has a direct impact on the improvement and enrichment of the mother tongue. This research, carried out in 120 bilingual schools in Spain, highlighted an improvement in the written use of Spanish by the students, especially in the areas that relate to the understanding of the structure of grammar.
Argentine experts have confirmed the same, using the example of public schools in the city of Buenos Aires that have a multilingual program. Teresa Davis, Executive Director of the University Language Center at the University of Buenos Aires, began the multilingual initiative, and as a result of the project said: “There are proven benefits. Sometimes in the first year, students begin this reflection that allows them, for example, to discover the order of the adjective and the noun. These activities are used to make comparisons and develop the plasticity to move from one language to another. “
It was also found that the benefits of learning a second language have been shown not only through teaching English but also with French, Portuguese and Italian.
11
Feb 11
Valentine’s Day, a History
Photo: whollyroamincatholic.com
As the 14th of February approaches many people find themselves thinking about roses, handmade cards, perfume, boyfriends, romance…and the list goes on. But where did this notion of romance and gift-giving come from? You may have heard of a Saint Valentine that the day was named after, but what is the real deal? Well there isn´t one story or person that this day traces back to, but rather a couple of figures from Roman Catholic history and some romantic legends that have possibly been embellished by big business.
Although there are thought to be three, the two principal Valentines associated with the date of February 14th are Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. Both were Christian martyrs, the fomer a priest, the later a bishop, and were burnt at the stake around 100 and 200 AD. The 14th of February was officially the feast day of Saint Valentine until 1969, when it was removed from the General Roman Calendar, apparently because there was little known about Saint Valentine.
The legend that stems from this, reveals Valentine as a priest under the rule of a Roman Emperor who forbid his soldiers to marry, and Valentine would wed young couples in secret. After being caught and sentenced to death, the story continues that he wrote a note to his love the night before his execution and signed it from your Valentine…
If uncovering the history of events such as this tickles your fancy, how about taking a course in history? Or if your interest is religion and the way it has shaped our world, check out some courses on offer in the UK here.
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