E-readers Fill Up Classrooms and Empty Backpacks
Published August 7, 2012 | 
One major change this past school year in classrooms around the country was due to the suddenly affordable e-readers. I love to read so even before e-readers were popular I owned an original version of one. It made sense for me to pay a bit more for my e-reader when it offered much less expensive book prices, and in some cases free books. Now, thanks to the level of competition for e-reader companies, they have had to greatly lower the prices of their devices so as not to lose customers for their books altogether. This means that this past holiday season many happy book lovers found e-readers in their stockings. When I returned to school from winter break, almost everyone in my english classes had one, and those that didn’t professed their undying love for traditionally bound books with textured pages and the smell of inked paper. I love traditional books too, but buying an e-reader gave me many important advantages that I could not let pass me by.
E-readers are especially important for students of all ages, because suddenly required texts are not as expensive as they once were. As an English major, you can imagine why not having to pay the regular price for all my books was a blessing. Also if texts were somewhat old, but not classics they tended to be less than a dollar to purchase. There are some downsides of course, and one of these was that you couldn’t sell your text back at the end of the course. You may have gotten a discounted price, but you had no chance of making that money back. This is still better than the many websites available for renting books because for those books you pay a price and are left with nothing. Some of my textbooks were worth having copies of so I didn’t regret getting them. The other more frequently mentioned issue is that readers do not have the availability of books that a bookstore does, because ebook databases are still catching up. This is only a small problem in my opinion, because since I bought my first e-reader there has been a major improvement in the availability of the books I want. I rarely ever find a book that I cannot get some version of online.
As far as the upcoming school year, I think the amount of e-readers in classrooms is only going to increase with time. They are a great way of cutting down long term expenses and their many pluses outweigh their few negatives.
IT Support After College
Published August 7, 2012 | I just graduated from college and one of the things that I will miss most about living on campus is the free computer support. It’s not just that it was free, it was also incredibly convenient, with staff members that I could trust. If I had a problem I knew that I could easily drop my laptop off on campus or have someone look at in in the IT office. This was very comforting to me when I had twenty page papers to write and powerpoint presentations to create. The only downside was that sometimes in order to get real help I had to go through students who didn’t know a thing about computers. I didn’t blame them though, because I knew they probably just got stuck working in IT for work study. No matter what I always made it to someone who could help me, and since it was free I could not have asked for more. Now that I no longer have the safety net my school once provided for me, the choice of where to go for computer support is somewhat disheartening. There are so many places to choose from and it’s hard to decide which ones are reliable. I hear so many horror stories from friends who pay a fortune just to have their laptop looked at in store, only to find out these “professionals” can’t actually help them at all.
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MentoringMinds – Review of Great Education Services
Published July 31, 2012 | A good education is one of the most important things that a child can have. Preparing your child for the future is the greatest thing that you can do for them, and without the proper tools to succeed, they may fall behind.
With the help of companies like MentoringMinds that offer resources for your child’s academic and behavioral needs, they can help to improve your child’s critical thinking and vocabulary development. With a wide array of products in a number of different categories including card sets, flip charts, Spanish, and classroom management, your child is on their way to a successful start. Continue reading “MentoringMinds – Review of Great Education Services” »
Posted in Education, Math, Science | 
education, education products, mentors, professional development, tutoringForget the Volcano – Not Your Average Science Fair Experiments
Published July 31, 2012 | 
Science Fair fun.
As a child, I was never really into the whole science experiment scene. I instead found that my most important goal as a child was to make it through Girl Scouts and survive annual camping trips with my family. But a part of me feels as though I have missed out on the quintessential childhood experience of participating in a science fair. I decided to Google some of the most interesting and creative experiments, and these are what I found. Continue reading “Forget the Volcano – Not Your Average Science Fair Experiments” »
Posted in Education, Science, Technology | creativity, fun experiments, humor, science, science fairsKeeping The Playgrounds Safe
Published July 24, 2012 | If you’re an educator who supervises time on the playground, it’s important that you consider how safe your school’s equipment is. Safety of the students should always be a priority, but that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on them having fun, either! To prevent scraped knees or rough play, first check out the equipment that the kids will play on to make sure it’s still in working order. This can mean the difference between a great recess and a trip to the nurse’s office.
The Secret to Mini Golf – Between the Geometric Lines
Published July 17, 2012 | 
Use simple geometry to win any mini golfing game.
Although school may be out for summer, there are still plenty of subjects that can be applied to summertime activities. Everyone loves a good game of mini golf, but using the rules of geometry can give you a leg up on the competition. Continue reading “The Secret to Mini Golf – Between the Geometric Lines” »
Do Well in Any Math Course
Published July 17, 2012 | 
Keeping focused and motivated in a math class can be hard for people who aren’t necessarily blessed when it comes to working with numbers. However, it is still possible to do well in a math class, even if you don’t consider yourself skilled or talented in the subject. I attended a college with core requirements, so I was forced to take a math class in order to graduate. At first, I was quite annoyed – I had a bunch of other classes to worry about, and I knew that this math course was going to take up a lot of my time if I wanted to do well in it. However, in the end, taking that calculus course taught me a few valuable lessons that I carry with me to this day. Continue reading “Do Well in Any Math Course” »
Science Experiments for Summer – Fun, Fast, and Easy
Published July 17, 2012 | 
Fiz up your Lemonade.
Often times we find ourselves posted up on a beach or laying out by the pool during the hot summer months. There are plenty ways to keep your brain working with simple and easy science experiments that are perfect for any summer day. Continue reading “Science Experiments for Summer – Fun, Fast, and Easy” »
The Usefulness of Math
Published July 10, 2012 | 
Here’s something I’ve heard a million times before: “why do I need to study this? It’s not like I’m ever going to use these skills I’m learning again.” To be honest, I was one of the people who complained like this in high school. I never thought I’d have to know much about science, math or history unless I intended to study these subjects further in college. But after I grew up, I started to appreciate how important having a well-rounded education is. Unfortunately, most people still don’t understand why it’s important to do well in math and other subjects that are “useless” unless you pursue them in college or for your career.
Educational Products: Mentoring Minds
Published July 10, 2012 | 
Nowadays it’s easy to find educational products. If you walk into your local bookshop, you can probably find how-to guides and workbooks dedicated to helping you improve test scores and grades. But how do you know which is the best when a lot of these products are made just to make money and not to actually help? You should definitely consider checking out products made by companies that put a lot of research into their products.