Carrie Schmelkin : Gossip from the Hallways
Carrie Schmelkin
Web Editor, TMC

September 2011

You are browsing the archive for September 2011.

The Rise of Cyberbullying Puts Greater Emphasis on Anti-Bullying Assemblies

September 30, 2011

When I was a reporter in Connecticut covering the education beat, one of the most touching moments during my two years of scouring the news in suburbia was when I attended an anti-bullying assembly at New Canaan High School called “Names Can Really Hurt Us.”

The program, created by the Anti-Defamation League, asks upperclassmen to undergo weeks of training to lead underclassmen through one of the most powerful programs I have ever seen. As the assembly begins, seniors take to the stage to act out an incident that touches upon bullying. In so doing, student leaders hope to convey the message to underclassman that the biggest threats in school are not actually bullies but those that sit by and watch others get victimized – bystanders.

Admissions Counselors Hiring Facebook as a Spy?

September 27, 2011

So you visited Johns Hopkins University last weekend to see if you could see yourself there and took to Facebook that night to update your status to read: “The interviewer was a gray-haired freak with a lazy eye… sounded like Kermit the Frog.”  Sounds harmless enough right?

Mistake. Big mistake.

According to a recent press release, student recruiting firm TargetX is now making it possible for admissions offices to rely on a teenager’s best friends – Facebook and Twitter— to find out how prospective students and parents of prospects treat them in cyber world.

Do Teachers Want Help with Homework? Skype Thinks So

September 22, 2011

It’s a common site in any elementary school, high school or college – hoards of students clustered around tables with their backpacks messily strewn about with their notebooks (or laptops) and textbooks flooding the table. After all, two heads are better than one and four heads are certainly better than two when it comes to completing school assignments, right?

Well not unlike students, teachers are looking to get in on the power of collaboration and thanks to Skype, it looks like teacher collaboration just got a whole lot trendier.

Recently, Skype, the educational technology platform that currently has 16,448 educators signed up from 171 countries, announced a number of improvements to its free online education resource which is designed to help teachers create projects and collaborate with other instructors.

All Aboard My Education Nostalgic Train

September 20, 2011

I have a confession to make:  I am one-half Russian, one-fourth German and one-half nerd.

When I think about all the students who get to buy new notebooks and pens (Velocity for sure), sit through hour-and-a-half lectures about how one finds the moral fortitude to challenge company policies,  or enjoy a 40-minute high school period about symbolism in “Emma,” I get nostalgic. While others might actually miss the high school prom, beer pong, and formals instead (and yes I miss that, too), call me crazy, but I actually miss the learning part more.

In the spirit of nostalgia (and as I sit here fantasizing about what I would be doing at 2:30 p.m.

What did you Major in? Social Media?

September 13, 2011

West Virginia University is taking academia world by storm as the school recently announced that it is offering students the chance to receive a certificate in “Social Media for Business,” a certificate which one could argue is quickly becoming more valuable than a BA.

To obtain the “Social Media for Business” certificate, which is available after completing online courses, students must complete a variety of courses including “Introduction to Social Media,” in which participants learn about the foundation of social media, making goals and how to measure and apply them; “Marketing Using Social Media,” in which students learn how to use social media methods to get a message out about their company; and “Integrating Social Media in Your Organization,” in which participants are taught how to create their own social network, the basics of using video and mobile, assigning roles in their organization and time allocation.

While West Virginia University is certainly not the only school to offer such social media certifications, the college is certainly paving the way for other colleges who have yet not made a splash in this space.

Although colleges are taking the right step in offering social media certificates, they ought to take it a step further and make it possible to major in social media as an undergrad.

Who's the Most Popular Kid in School?

September 8, 2011

Move over you pre-adolescent girls who are sporting the best Juicy Couture outfits and you boys who have season tickets to the Yankees. There is a new cool kid in school – the Edison Township School District.

The district is about to earn some pretty nifty bragging rights as it will become the first in the state of New Jersey to implement a full algebra curriculum on iPads by introducing HMH Fuse: Algebra 1 app to students. The year-long pilot program kicks off Monday Sept. 12.

Back to School: I Can Smell the Sharpened iPads

September 6, 2011

In addition to getting to know new students, teachers and school layouts (for all those incoming middle and high school students), the tens of thousands of students who are headed back to school this week will also be greeted by new education technology innovations. From SMART Boards and iPads to Kindles and online educational systems, back to school is bound to be more interesting than ever before.

This year for example, the Millville Public School District is amping up its use of computer software and handheld devices to monitor how students are taught. Specifically, the McREL Power Walkthrough technology, installed on a range of handheld devices, makes it possible for administrators and teachers to sit in a classroom and quickly create a database on how a class is run.

Survey Sheds Light on Technology in Higher Education

September 1, 2011

The typical upcoming college freshman asks himself a variety of questions before selecting a university: “What percentage of students get hired right after graduation?,” “How many coeds double major?,” “Does this college have sororities and fraternities?,” and even “What is the school spirit like?”

Surprisingly, one more question has made the list. Students nowadays are asking “What is the technology like on campus?” before forking over the tuition money.

According to CDW-G’s 2011 21st-Century Campus Report, 87 percent of college students surveyed said they considered their institution’s technology when selecting their college.