The Student Loan/Healthcare Bill Two-for-One Special

March 16, 2010 by Joel Milani

As if there wasn’t enough already riding on the healthcare debate taking place in Washington, the folks at edweek.org recently posted this blog.

There is currently a discussion in Congress over whether to include legislation in the healthcare bill that would modify the way students borrow money for college. According to their report, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated $87 billion in savings over ten years from a change in the student lending system. Under the new system, students would borrow directly from the U.S. Treasury, rather than from third-party institutions, whose loans are subsidized by the federal government.

The benefit of combining healthcare and student lending into one bill would be to compensate for the projected high cost of healthcare reform with the anticipated savings of student loan reform.

Also included in the bill are measures to reform the Pell grant system:

“If the student loan change isn’t passed, there will be a major shortfall in the Pell Grant program, a senior administration official told me. In fact, the maximum grant would go to $2,150 from $5,300.”

Although there is potential for many students to benefit from the incorporation of student loan legislation into the healthcare bill, push-back against healthcare reform could jeopardize the chance for that potential to be realized.

Photo courtesy of Warren H via Flickr

Juicy Career-Focused Education Blog Links (Part II)

March 15, 2010 by Paul Richlovsky

Below is our second installment of education blog links with notes. Please check these out and check back here soon for the next batch.

• The Financial Aid Blog
  

All things related to college financial aid, founded by a former recipient of Stafford Loans and Pell Grants who had to drop out of college for financial reasons.

• Student Loans.org Blog

Although its posts aren’t date-stamped like a typical blog, useful information on FAFSA, loan consolidation, and obtainable loans for college students with bad or poor credit can be found.

• OnlineEduBlog

Plenty of articles with practical online-education tips for students and teachers alike. Top-ten lists abound (e.g. “Top Ten Resources for Online Teachers”).

• Student Lounge

A frequently updated blog from New York School of Interior Design professor Judith Gura and students in her design theory class. As Professor Gura writes, the blog “gives the students a chance to air their views about design and the design world, without any connection to school, classes, or their own projects.”

• Maidstone Graphic Design: Staff/Student Blog

As the name indicates, this blog comes from teaching staff and students of the BA (Honors) course in Graphic Design: Visual Communications at the University for the Creative Arts at Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom. The topics are  mostly confined to campus lectures/events, but there are some interesting bits about what current jobs previous students have, as well as a link to the course gallery.

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Did you enjoy these blog resources? See “Juicy Career-Focused Education Blog Links (Part I)” and Part III.

On Web-based Education, Technology and “Teaching Naked”

March 12, 2010 by Paul Richlovsky

As far back as 2000, education was recognized as a driving force on the Web. An essay by Donald Beagle—”Web-based Learning Environments: Do Libraries Matter?” (PDF)—credits Tim Berners-Lee with noting that Web-based education is one of four major areas that are “driving commercial participation in the World Wide Web Consortium” and “collectively are becoming ‘key to the development of the Web.’ ”

Translation: Web-based education not only impacts education, but also the Web.

Published by the Library & Information Technology Association, the essay explores strategies that allow libraries to have more influence on the development of Web-based learning environments. Another revelation in this essay is how web-based learning was already distinguishing itself from its “traditional” place in distance learning. While most distance learning may be web-based, the converse is certainly not true as web-based learning becomes increasingly popular on college campuses. Furthermore,

“The lines between on and off-campus students and courses are indeed blurring as technology is incorporated into all aspects of education.”

Technology adoption and exclusion

Adapting technology to educational programs is relevant to all types of students. The emergence of technology in the academic world is so significant, in fact, that a backlash has come in the form of the “Teach Naked” movement (started by Southern Methodist University’s José A. Bowe), which encourages professors to leave technology out of the classroom in order to stimulate student attention.

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Related reading
See a March 9 post from this blog, “Go to School in Your Underthings: The Future of Education.” Also see this Google Scholar search for more thought-provoking articles and book titles related to Web-based education.

Michigan Posts 50 Hottest Jobs in an Effort to Slow Unemployment

March 11, 2010 by Joel Milani

Fighting a declining economy and some of the highest unemployment figures in the country, Michigan recently posted a list of the 50 hottest jobs (PDF) in the state. The list is comprised of higher-than-average paid jobs with consideration paid to future growth potential and a projected number of annual openings.

Included in the list are engineering managers, which hold the top spot, physician assistants and personal finance advisors. A large number of the jobs are related to the health and engineering industries.

Michigan governor Jennifer M. Granholm emphasizes the importance of continuing education after high school, stating:

“There is a direct link between learning and earning. That’s why it is critical that everyone pursue education after high school, which could include a vast array of opportunities including apprenticeships, associate’s degrees, and bachelor’s degrees.”�

Granholm’s statement drives home the point that nearly every job on the list requires some form of postsecondary education.

50 Hot Jobs is an initiative to promote employment in Michigan along with the Michigan Career Portal, a forum where employers and job-seekers can contact each other, and No Worker Left Behind, the mission of which is to double the amount of trained workers in three years to 100,000.

Unemployment in Michigan is currently about 14% compared to the national average, 9.7%.

Focus.com recently posted a similar info-graphic, a “Best Jobs in America” list, reaffirming the need for individuals with postsecondary education. Learn more about career-specific education on our website and become qualified for jobs in high demand.

Photo courtesy of Chi King via Flickr

Pittsburgh Public Schools Propose Big Step Towards Career-Focused Education

March 10, 2010 by Paul Richlovsky

Recent news out of Pittsburgh indicates that its public schools are paying increased attention to career-focused education. According to a recent article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, a $38 million plan would offer Career and Technical Education programs in three regional clusters.

Each cluster would accommodate specialty courses, such as:

Go to School in Your Underthings: The Future of Education

March 9, 2010 by Joel Milani

You’ve seen the commercials, and it’s official: we are truly an advanced society. We can attend school in our pajamas. Long-distance space travel must be just around the corner.

The implications of this development might seem trivial, but I assure you they are anything but.

Web-Based Education

Online education is a relatively new idea that takes students out of the classroom and places them in front of a computer. Assignments are turned in electronically. Tutoring is done via email correspondence. Lectures are given in a variety of ways from two-way video conferencing to pre-recorded class sessions. No human contact between teacher and student need ever take place, and the student need never stray from the warm, soothing glow of the computer screen.

Bending Space and Time? Not a Problem

Online education means re-thinking the way we learn. Imagine a lecture hall filled with 10,000 students who meet three times a week. It’s not possible with traditional brick and mortar campuses, but it happens through online education.

The beauty of the Internet is truly in its ability to bridge great distances. Those distances could be geographical, or simply the space between you and a useful piece of information. Online education utilizes that inherent quality to provide access to higher education at a fraction of the cost of traditional college. Students in Australia can take a course from a Canadian professor while corresponding with their classmates in Scotland. Time zones aren’t an issue because the professor can pre-record lectures, post PowerPoint presentations, or provide a system of online assignments and testing.

Learn More

There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding whether online school is right for you. Check out these websites and continue to read our blog to ensure that you make a well-informed decision.

How do Online and Traditional Colleges Differ?

Cost of Online vs. Tratitional Colleges

First-Hand Experience of an Online Student

Photo courtesy of Qtea via Flickr

Juicy Career-Focused Education Blog Links (Part I)

March 8, 2010 by Paul Richlovsky

Hello, everybody. Looking for other great blog resources (besides our own) for career-focused education? Add the following to your bookmarks/feed readers:

• Higher Education Weblog

Plenty of instructive articles for students, recent graduates or career changers: “Finding the Right Internship,” “Best Jobs for Perks,” “Turn Hobbies into Careers.”

• AidScholar Blog

A student-focused blog with strong financial aid content, e.g. “18 Useful Scholarship / Financial Aid Resources“.

• Career Education Blog

Not updated recently, but still contains some helpful career- and adult-education-themed resources like distance-learning links.

• Design Education Updates

Very infrequent postings, but some interesting articles related to various types of design: fashion design, graphic design, interior design, web design, etc.

• GraphicDesignBasics

Design school info, contests, and tips for applying to graphic design jobs.

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Did you enjoy these blog resources? See “Juicy Career-Focused Education Blog Links (Part II)” and Part III.

Be sure to check back again in the near future for the next installment of great career-focused education blogs.

A Move for Higher College Completion Rates

March 3, 2010 by Joel Milani

Although we’re still in the process of bringing YSGTS.com to its full potential as a powerful education resource, we will be providing relevant higher education information in the meantime via this blog. Be sure to bookmark us, or subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up-to-date on any new developments.

The Problem of College Completion

Many people are under the impression that once accepted to a college or university, finishing a degree or certification is simply a matter of course. This turns out to be very far from the truth, as was made evident by information gathered by a group called Complete College America, a nonprofit organization founded by Indiana’s former commissioner for higher education, Stan Jones. According to the website, and the New York Times, less than half of students who begin some form of higher education will receive a diploma. This is a troubling statistic considering that the website also states that within ten years, over 60% of jobs will require some form of postsecondary education.

The Solution

Complete College America, the joint effort of 17 states and several philanthropic foundations, aims to change those statistics by fundamentally altering the way that higher education is perceived and implemented. One area of concern that is central to the group’s mission is the array of confusing and intimidating financial aid programs. We will be providing resources on this website that will help navigate those options to ensure that every available opportunity is utilized. Another key factor will be career-focused education, which is designed with a clear vocational goal in mind (graphic design programs, nursing programs, etc.). This is in contrast to the traditional higher education model which is focused on acceptance to rather than completion of an academic program.

With the bleak state of the current job market, there’s never been a better time to invest in a career-focused education program. Check out the resources on our website, and improve your chances of success in the education world.

Photo courtesy of Dimitry V. via Flickr

The Search for Higher Education Made Easy

March 2, 2010 by Joel Milani

Welcome to the YouShouldGoToSchool.com blog. Finding the program that will best fit your needs is often the most difficult and frustrating part of the education process (including finals). This website is designed to be a place to find answers to questions like, “Where do I find an excellent graphic design program, and how can I pay for it?”

Career Focus

Financial Aid

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