A previous post, “Who Should Take Online Classes? (They’re Free)”, didn’t exactly gush over the limitless possibilities of online learning. I didn’t mean to obscure the fact that technological innovation should excite students and teachers. (I’m no Luddite – I even encourage students to use Wikipedia as first resource.) Technology can clearly enhance classroom, study, and research experiences. Newfangled teachers, myself included, have even created Facebook pages for each of their classes. It makes sense: students are already familiar with the interface; news stories, TED talks, and other trending information seamlessly enter the classroom through the page; and, students learn to write and argue better in contexts where they are already writing and arguing.  As political activist and philosopher Angela Davis […]

As mobile technology continues its expansion into the lives of everyone around us – you, me, your grandmother – businesses are starting to bring higher education to our collective pockets. Heather Huhman has four companies that you should be keeping your eye on. But here’s the telling line, and it’s in the introduction: …when the Class of 2016 graduates, nearly 90 percent of college students in the U.S. will own a smartphone. That’s a statistic that’s impossible for anyone to ignore in any market – not just in business or in education. Not only are businesses becoming more aware of this potential market, but campuses around the country are going to need to be in on, and ahead of, this […]

The amount of people using social media is staggering. Over 500 million people are on Facebook, and there are over 200 million tweets sent every single day. The barriers between individuals are crumbling, but with such an extended community able to interact on a personal basis, the need for a responsible online presence is paramount, especially for students. We’re not advocating that students should whitewash their online presence. Certainly, colleges are looking for students who have their own personality and who are cognizant of the world around them. That said, speech that you might consider inside joke between friends, when viewed from the outside, could be construed as offensive, and could be detrimental to your chances at acceptance. We encourage […]