Thinking about college?

It's the end of the year, and college is right around the corner, right? Okay, maybe it's a long four-year corner, but you've got to start thinking about how you're going to pay for it sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

Check out my article on Pell Grants  called "Your Pal the Pell Grant" at collegepiggybank.org to start learning about the Pell Grant! Read it, and you'd better like it, too. Seriously: Click the Facebook "Like" button at the top of the article.

I got a Pell Grant to help me through my teaching credential--it's a sweet deal to start off your financial aid. If you thought you had to start off your college career crazy in debt, think again.

Good Clean Fun

When I think of trip to the pumpkin patch, I picture hayrides, petting zoos, and maybe a few inflatable bounce houses, slides, or climbing gyms. Perhaps a spooky maze through a cornfield for the older kids. Kettle corn, BBQ, lemonade...so wholesome. It makes me hearken back to the days of...

The electric chair?

 

That's right, for a measly 50 cents, you and your children can give the skeleton a sustained, jaw-clenching surge of electricity. Push the "Last Request" button for a personal connection.

Social Media Ruins Lives

At least that's what happened with "The Sad Story of Jessi Slaughter." And who would have thought an out of control 11 year old would have something in common with professional sports stars? It seems that the Internet in general, and social media in particular, is showing no mercy: It's taking down tweens and trash-talking celebrities at the same time.

The LA Times ran a story this morning about how pro athletes (Reggie Bush, Dwight Howard, Rashard Mendenhall) are making fools of themselves using Twitter. Sports attorney and agent Ralph Cindrich had this to say:

"A good percentage of [athletes] went to college and never graduated....You're looking at a gap at education and also a gap in propriety of knowing what is appropriate or not." 

I could be wrong, but it seems Cindrich is suggesting that some pro athletes are too stupid to know what not to post on Twitter. Do you really need to finish college to know what you should and shouldn't post online? And what about all the college graduates that  get themselves in trouble by saying what they shouldn't on the www? People sometimes make bad choices, college education or not. Shoot, I've probably posted something on this blog that, looking back, probably wasn't the best idea.

So I guess we could all do well to take a step back and remind ourselves of some "do and don'ts" when it comes to social media. Here are some common sense reminders from the appropriately named website "Common Sense Media" :

• Think before you post or text -- a bad reputation could be just a click away. Before you press the "send" button, imagine the last person in the world that you’d want seeing what you post.

• What goes around comes around. If you want your privacy respected, respect others' privacy. Posting an embarrassing photo or forwarding a friend’s private text without asking can cause unintended hurt or damage to others.

• Spread heart, not hurt. If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online. Stand up for those who are bullied or harassed, and let them know that you’re there for them.

• Give and get credit. We’re all proud of what we create. Illegal downloading, digital cheating, and cutting and pasting other people’s stuff may be easy, but that doesn’t make it right. You have the responsibility to respect other people’s creative work -- and the right to have your own work respected.

• Make this a world you want to live in. Spread the good stuff. Create, share, tag, comment, and contribute to the online world in positive ways.

Here is my question for you, student bloggers and anyone else who cares to weigh in: What do you do to keep social media from ruining your life? How do you use it for good? How do we avoid pulling a "Jessi Slaughter," or a Reggie Bush, or a Dwight Howard? Maybe the answer is to just pull the plug altogether. It might be a lot easier. Post your thoughts on your blogs, and in the comments.

How to Be a Successful Student

 Here are a few tips taken from Larry Ludewigs "Ten Commandments for Effective Study Skills." I'll share a few with you, and then offer my thoughts.

Successful students learn that a student and professor are a team....Join forces with your professor--they are not the enemy.

Successful students don't sit in the back....Students want the best seat available for their entertainment dollars, but willingly seek the worst seat for their educational dollars.

Successful students talk about what they're learning.

Successful students know that actions affect learning...Act like you're bored, and you'll become bored. Act like you're interested, and you'll become interested. So the next time you have trouble concentrating in the classroom, "act" like an interested person: lean forward, place your feet flat on the floor, maintain eye contact with the professor, nod occasionally, take notes, and ask questions.

I think these are all solid pieces of advice. I'd never thought about sitting in the back as comparable to taking the worst seat at a concert or sporting event, but I guess the same reasoning applies. The closer you get to the front, the less you have to interfere with the experience.

"Acting" like an interested person is another good one. This works for almost anything. Act like you like someone, and you'll end up liking them. Do nice things for people, and you'll feel better about them. "Act" like a person who cares, and chances are you'll start caring.

While most of these appear to be aimed at college students, I think the principles apply for students of all levels--including teachers. Sometimes we need to take our own tips when it comes to being successful students.