Hello everybody and welcome back to word search Friday. Do you feel the brain cells growing? Here’s out last word search installment: a variety of words commonly found on college admission exams ranging from Q to W. For some reason X, Y and Z don’t appear as often. Zowie! Wondering what else you might use them for? Picture yourself dropping one or two (no need to go overboard) in your next job exam or maybe a whole string of them at a cocktail party this weekend. A robust vocabulary is a great way to show off the sagacity you’ve earned while getting your degree.
Here’s this week’s words:
QUERULOUS
RANCOROUS
RECLUSIVE
RECONCILIATION
RENOVATION
RESTRAINED
REVERENCE
SAGACITY
SCRUTINIZE
SPONTANEOUS
SPURIOUS
SUBMISSIVE
SUBSTANTIATE
SUBTLE
SUPERFICIAL
SUPERFLUOUS
SURREPTITIOUS
TACTFUL
TENACIOUS
TRANSIENT
VENERABLE
VINDICATE
WARY
by kate on January 26, 2012
My life is a juggling act. I go to school online, and have two young children. I worry that they will have low self-esteem or something because I’m so busy.
-Anne
Anne, worrying about a child’s self-esteem is common concern for many parents. You are giving your kids so much by your example. Showing them that education is a priority is great parenting. And we can all improve. It is easy to get lost in the static of busy-ness, and kids can get stressed from living that way.
Carve out quality time. That high-level frantic pace can make it harder for kids to learn, and leave them feeling insecure. Lot’s of parents are so busy that they give only half their attention, a sort of distracted parenting. Manage your time so that you are giving your ... undivided attention for brief periods on a regular basis. Most likely, you will get more homework done in less time, too. Read More
One of the schools at which I teach most frequently is located in Seattle, a city known for salmon, software, clouds and flying to pieces when it snows. Snow is relatively unusual in the Pacific Northwest but it’s a safe bet to expect 3-5 inches of snow more winters than not. The city is full of steep hills, owns few plows and generally shuts down when the white stuff falls. Unfortunately, this includes the city’s schools.
While no one expects students to venture out into the bumper-car craziness of a snow-closure, there’s no reason why classes can’t continue without interruption. Even if instructors don’t have fancy interactive learning modules on-ground classes can be smoothly transitioned to online sessions with just a few minutes of preparation.
... Read More
by kate on January 24, 2012
What’s the difference between a regular textbook and an e-reader version? Seems like digital books are so boring when other electronic media is a lot more interesting. I’m an online college student and some of my classes offer e-textbooks as an option, but I’m leery of buying them when I’m not sure if its what I need.
-Nyla
Extra cool e-texbooks are on their way, Nyla. Apple’s new and improved version of the electronic textbook sounds like it’s got all the bells and whistles; note-taking made easy, supporting videos embedded, and interactive graphics could make this kind of textbook reading a rather enjoyable experience for college students.
For the most part you are correct, e-books (e-textbooks included) have mostly been exactly like paper books, just translated into digital form. Maybe that has helped some readers make the transition to reading a book on an electronic device. Much of the sensory experience is already changed, the feel and heft in your hands, the texture and even the smell of the ink and pages, all gone. At least the image of the page looks, and acts, pretty much the same. ... Read More
We’re back for vocabulary word search Friday. How’ve you been doing with them so far? This week, we plunge into the exciting (and larger than usual) range of H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O and our friend, P. The rarity of commonly testable words in this range should tell you something about how to budget your study time. That’s an important skill to practice, especially if you’re an online learner and make your own schedule.
Now, onto the game! Here’s this weeks words:
hackneyed
haughty
hedonist
hypothesis
impetuous
impute
inconsequential
inevitable
intrepid
intuitive
jubilation
lobbyist
longevity
mundane
nonchalant
opulent
orator
ostentatious
parched
perfidious
pragmatic
precocious
pretentious
procrastinate
prosaic
prosperity
provocative
prudent
by kate on January 23, 2012
I have a hard time concentrating for very long when I’m studying. What can I do to focus and get into the study “zone”?
-Sy
I assume you have ruled out causes like ADHD, or medical conditions, Sy, that would be interfering with your concentration? Think about the Feng Shui, or flow of energy in your study space. Wild superstition aside, some of the Feng Shui principles resonate with sound psychological sense.
We don’t have to fling ourselves into astronomy to realize there are connections between humans and the universe. Without getting all mystical we can recognize that our physical environment, and the sensory experiences we get from it, changes our moods. ... Read More
This could be what tomorrow's Internet looks like
SPECIAL: The word scramble will appear on Monday the 23rd rather than today due to recent events in the news.
The Stop Online Piracy Act sounds like a good idea, but in actually, it gives large corporations to effectively pull the plug on Web sites against whom they have a copyright claim. The way the bill is structured, the potential for abuse and the impact on online learning is disturbing.
To get a clearer idea of how SOPA takes free-speech in Universities off-track, we need to know a little about where that idea came from.
The history of free speech in Western society is directly tied to the rise of Universities. Prior to this new type of institution emerging, there really was no such thing as free speech. The idea of a school of higher learning as a setting which was autonomous from standard law dates back to about 387 BCE, to an Academy founded by Plato as a sacred sanctuary dedicated to learning. The school and those that followed were not immune the law (as demonstrated in 529 CE when the Emperor Justinian forced them to close) but they had a broader range of freedoms when it came to inquiry and discovery. Could this Congress be the Emperor Justinian of online learning?
... Read More
by kate on January 19, 2012
You offer some great information regarding job openings (ask kate|what’s new for jobs?)! What kind of degree do SEO employers look for?
-Paul
There’s not just one answer for your question, Paul. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is a curious blend of tech, writing, and psychology. There are also many aspects of SEO with different associated job positions. Take SEO copywriting as an example. Every website has to have content, hopefully meaningful, informative, maybe even entertaining writing to give users something to see when they get there.
SEO copywriters have to find a good balance between readability, and SEO concerns. A tricky proposition, I may tell you. A degree match for that type of SEO job might be a Bachelor in Journalism. Throw in a minor in Web Design Technology, and now you’re cookin’
If you want to go for something more along the lines of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), then you might consider an online degree in ... Internet Marketing, eCommerce, or Advertising. Education in Statistics, or Math might be better if you want to work in Search Engine Strategies (SES). You might find employment with titles like Analytics Consultant, or Online Marketing Consultant. Read More
The US Department of Education has been buying back many student loans and the entire industry has made a radical shift away from the private sector and back into government. However, for about 25 million of us, Sallie Mae has become an intractable presence in our lives and in our checkbooks.
Even still, some people don’t know that Sallie Mae is a private, for-profit company. This may seem a little foreign when we talk about education which is traditionally thought of as a non-profit, altruistic venture. Sallie Mae is a corporation. They were previously trade on the New York Stock Exchange but back in November of last year, they shifted to the NASDAQ. They issue stock and (when they can) they deliver profits to their investors in the form of dividends.
Now that isn’t a big secret or conspiracy but there’s something slightly galling about Wall Street making millions off hard-working folks just trying to get an education. I am not a proponent of “occupying” anything, nor holing up in the woods with a shotgun and a manifesto. Instead, I’m suggesting something painful but effective: pay off your loans as early as you can. It’s all about interest.
Now remember, Sallie Mae and other private loan companies have absolutely no incentive to send you away. They really will work with you to make your student loans as easy to pay as possible. But those low-low payments have a high-high hidden cost; you’re going to pay more in interest. Yes, that interest is tax-deductible but that’s not the same as not having to pay it at all, now is it? These companies are out to make a profit. They’re doing it fairly and legally but unless you own a ton of shares, that’s money coming out of your pocket.
Compared to credit-cards, student loans are a steal; right now an education is about the only outflow that pays you back. However, you have to be smart.
... Read More
by kate on January 17, 2012
At 54 years am I too old to go back to college? I would love to go back to school now that I have the time. I don’t care about “fitting in”, I’ll probably take online classes so who’ll even know my age? What I’m worried about is keeping up. I can be a bit absent-minded.
-Winton
A resounding, You’re not too old for college, Winton! I don’t know what the cut-off age could possibly be. As long as a person’s brain is in good shape, which does not include the random forgetting where the car keys are, or names of acquaintances, you are good to go. Now if you frequently space out names of people close to you, that’s another matter. “Hey, you!” doesn’t go over very well with your spouse, does it?
But if we’re talking run-of-the-mill middle-aged brain forgetfulness of minor details, you can let that go. Your brain is working better than ever. It can handle planning and organizational issues fantastically, and find the global picture faster and more thoroughly. Even elderly brains (read: way past 50) can be totally up for learning. ... Read More
