There are any number of actions the White House can take to enhance Americans competitiveness and secure a better future for American people, but few of them will make as much of a difference as improving the way we educate our child. Offering American children an outstanding education is one of our most fundamental — perhaps our most fundamental obligation as a country. And whether the White House meets that obligation not only reflects who we are as Americans, it will shape our future as a nation. Countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow, and President Obama refuses to let that happen.

The Race To The Top Of Education

The race to the top of education is a national competition among states to improve schools. Over the past few months, the White House has seen such a positive response that today, the President is announcing a new intention to make a major new investment. the new investment into Education Reform is more than $1.3 Billion dollars.

After months of planning and preparation, the first round of Race to the Top applications is coming due today (January 19, 2010). And it’s a sign of how much states and schools believe this initiative will benefit them that the White House expects a significant increase.

Race To The Top Guidelines

Last year, President Obama set aside more than $4 billion dollars to improve schools. That’s one of the largest investments in reform in our nation’s history. States must compete for these funds. And it’s the competitive nature of this initiative that the White House believes helps makes “Race To The Top — Education Reform” work so effectively. The White House has laid out a few key criteria and said if you meet those test, the White House will reward you by helping you reform your school.

• First, states must adopt more challenging standards that will actually prepare American kids for college and their careers.
• Schools must adopt better assessments (not just one-size-fits-all). It should be a true measure of what kids know and what they are able to do.
• School districts must have excellent principals leading the schools and great teachers leading the classes by promoting rigorous plans to develop and evaluate teachers and principals by rewarding their success.
• States are to use cutting-edge data systems to track children progress throughout their academic career, and to link that child’s progress to their teachers.
• States must show a strong commitment to turn around some of their lowest-performing schools.

Four-eight states have now joined the Race To The Top Education Reform partnership.

Race to the Top Education Reform

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Did you know you can submit a free FAFSA (Federal Student Aid) application online. At FAFSA.ed.gov you can fill out and electronically submit a free FAFSA application. I will provide a link at the bottom of this post to FAFSA.ed.gov. But, before you electronically submit your free FAFSA application maximizing your eligibility.

There are dozens of tools and tips to maximizing your eligibility. First let’s project your college cost with this free calculator.

College Cost Projector – Free Calculator

Now that you know the projected cost for college view other calculators:

College Flat Contribution
Expected Family Contribution and Financial Aid Calculator
Loan Calculator

Let’s not forget about scholarships. There are people giving away scholarships often called “Scholarship Lotteries”. Community based scholarships are available for volunteering your service. Organizations like National Service, and AmeriCorps often offer community based scholarships.

Filling out the FAFSA form – To submit your free electronic FAFSA go to FAFSA.ed.gov

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President Obama introduces an investment plan for our community colleges. This initiative will help prepare graduates for jobs of the future. Studies predict over 5 million students will graduate from a community college within the next decade. So, how will this community college initiative help and what is the initiative?

The community college initiative will help by students to compete in the global workforce, not to mention that by year 2020 this college initiative goal is to put Americans back at the top of “highest — portion of graduates” in the world. One of the first steps of this college initiative was to raise the Pell Grant by $500 dollars. There has also been a $2,500 tax credit added for four year (against college tuition). Students financial aid application have been simplified. There’s a new GI-Bill to help soldiers enter college. The college initiative has also invested in school libraries, and other facilities. The President is calling all of these steps the “American Graduation Initiative“. The American Graduation Initiative will form and strengthen community colleges from coast to coast. The American Graduation Initiative will not add to the deficits — The plan will be paid for by ending the wasteful subsidises giving to the banks and private lenders. By ending this wasteful government spending that money will be the money used to the American Graduation Initiative.

Studies show that jobs requiring an Associates Degree will double.

American Graduation Initiative Recap

• Pell Grant increased by $500 dollars
• $2,500 Tax Credit
• Financial Aid Application Simplified
• A New GI-bill
• Investments into School Libraries and other Educational Facilities ($10 billion)
• Government Competitive Grants
• Integration with Colleges and Employers
• More studies by the Research Lab (Government studies)
• Money to track student progress
• Online – Virtual Clearing House of Courses to reach more students

What do you think about the American Graduation Initiative?

Get your College Essential From Amazon –College Essentials

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The University of Delaware (UD) have increased it tuition rates up to nearly 9 percent (9%). Reports from UD indicate the tuition increased was caused by the demands on financial aid.

It’s going to cost more this fall to attend UD (University of Delaware). In state UD students tuition has nearly double over the last decade.

For Delaware Residents – Tuition for the 2009-2010 Year

• Tuition $8,540
• Room $5,466
• Board $3,600
• Health Service $484
• Comprehensive Student $234
• Student Center $228

That is a grand total of $18,552 or $356 per/credit

For Non-Delaware Residents – Tuition for the 2009-2010 Year

• Tuition $22,240
• Room $5,466
• Board $3,600
• Health Service $484
• Comprehensive Student $234
• Student Center $228

That is a grad total of $32,252 or $927 per/credit

Having a hard time paying for college? Here are some additional resources:

Ways to Pay For College

Great Graduation Gifts For High School Students

Living Frugal

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On March 8 2009 don’t forget to spring your clock forward one hour for Daylight Savings. Extended in 2005, the Energy Policy Act changed Daylight Savings Time to spring forward the second Sunday in March and fall back on the first Sunday in November.

Daylight Savings Time Forecast:

March 8 2009 spring forward – November 1 2009 fall back

March 14 2010 spring forward – November 7 2010 fall back

March 13 2011 spring forward – November 6 2011 fall back

March 11 2012 spring forward – November 4 2012 fall back

March 10 2013 spring forward – November 3 2013 fall back

March 9 2014 spring forward – November 2 2014 fall back

March 8 2015 spring forward – November 1 2015 fall back

For more information on Daylight Savings go to Time in the United States

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A new research conducted by State University of New York suggests that use of a podcast, downloaded to an iPod, can product better grades vs. the traditional lecture hall instruction.

Can iPods replace the classroom experience?

Psychologist Dani McKinney, lectured to 64 students — Half were given printed materials the other half were instructed to download a podcast to their iPod. A week later the students instructed to download the podcast to their iPod performed better on a test.

Why do you think Ipod podcast helped the students in the study?

• Could it be that the students were able to listen to the lecture as many times as they need?
• Could it be that the students were able to listen to the lecture where they wanted?
• Could it be that the students were able to listen during a time that they were more alert?
• Could it be that the lecture seemed more one-on-one?

Whatever the reason for this new development with podcasts and iPods — don’t let your student go without one.

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The real question is why?  Why give a laptop to a child who may have no electricity or even running water?  That’s a very good question.  But if you substitute the word laptop with education the answer becomes clear. You don’t stop education until all other challenges are solved. You do them at the same time, because education is the foundation of the solutions. That’s why OLPC has designed the XO laptop to work in the places that need it the most.  Rigid, because these are kids — after all, and kids are kids.  Low cost, so OLPC can make a lot of them for very little.  Low power, so even in places with no electricity the XO laptop can be charged with alternative sources, like solar power.  Connected, so kids can access the Internet and share files with each other and collaborate on projects.  The XO laptop also has a screen you can read in direct sunlight, because many of the kids OLPC reaches go to school outdoors.  The XO laptop comes with a built in web cam for pictures, videos clip and a ton of other educational focus software.    

All these features and many many more add up to one incredible result.  When the XO laptop comes to a classroom or village, kids get engaged and inspired.  They go to school more often and stay there longer.  They draw pictures, play music, watch movies, and write stories.  They figure out how to do new things and teach each other — even their parents.  With the XO laptop kids learn how to solve their own challenges, and one day they might even help us solve ours.   That’s how OLPC will change the world — and that’s the best answer to why give a laptop.

So, give a laptop — change the world!

Amazon.com/XO

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The ACT Test is a college entrance exam that has a selection of 215 questions in Math, English, Science and Reading with an optional essay. The
ACT is scored by a range of 1-36 and is given to high school juniors and retaken by high school seniors.

ACT Tip 1 – The ACT Test is a timed exam. Don’t spend too much time on harder questions. First answer as many questions that you know first, and come back to the ones that are more diffcult.

ACT Tip 2 – The ACT Prep test doesn’t penalize for wrong answers, it only counts correct answers.

ACT Tip 3 – You can retake the ACT Test in your senior year. Think of the first test as a practice ACT.

Looking for a Free ACT Study Guide! go to http://www.studyguidezone.com/pdfs/actteststudyguide.pdf

ACT Tip 4 – The Act Test is a multiple choice test.

To see a practice ACT essay sample go to http://www.actstudent.org/writing/sample/index.html

Act Tip 5 – Sevices are avaliable for students with disabilities. For more information go to http://www.act.org/aap/disab/policy.html

Additional ACT Prep & Practice Test Resources

The Real ACT Prep Guide: The Only Official Prep Guide From The Makers Of The ACT

Increase Your Score In 3 Minutes A Day: ACT Reading

McGraw-Hill’s 10 ACT Practice Tests, 2ed (McGraw-Hill’s 10 Practice Acts)

ACT Prep & Practice Test Software

Kaplan SAT/ACT/PSAT Platinum Edition

The Video Math Tutor: Basic Math: Lesson 6 – Fractions (PAL)

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Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination current scores are listed at http://www.act.org/mpre/services

The standard score scale has a range of 50 to 150, 100 being average.  The MPRE test takes approximately 125 minutes and has 60 multiple choice questions.  The test is geared to measure your knowledge and understanding of ethics as it relates to the law.  All states required the MPRE as a prerequisite to the bar examination.  However Connecticut and New Jersey have waived the MPRE requirement for those who have received a “C” or better.

Other MPRE Resources

Professional Responsibility Examples & Explanations, 2e (Examples & Explanations)

Supreme Bar Review MPRE Review, Revised Edition (Book & DVD)

Strategies & Tactics for the MPRE (Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam)

PMBR Finals:MPRE Professional Responsibility (Paperback) Copyright 2006

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How Computer Viruses Work

Computer viruses can cause damage to your PC and cost consumers billions of dollars.  Viruses have the ability to multiple.  When you run an infected program the virus loads itself into your memory and system exe file.  From there it’s able to affected other programs.  Once your PC has been infected, if you “file share” with a friend — that friend will be infected too.

Most viruses come through email, however there are new viruses that are embedded in links on websites.  For example — Koobface. 

Koobface is the latest computer worm affecting Facebook users.  To remove the Koobface from you system exe file go to REMOVE KOOBFACE.

Tips to Avoid Infecting Your System.exe With A Virus

• Close all running programs when downloading a new program.  Closing all running programs will also help you avoid missing files.
• Download only from trustworthy sites.
• Don’t download Adult material.  Many of these site contain viruses.
• Peer-to-Peer file sharing is dangerous.  10% of viruses are spread by sharing files.

Different Computer Viruses – Trojans vs. Viruses

Trojans are programs that are installed on your system (usually batch with another program) that is running unknown to the user.  Trojans are like gateways that allow others to access information stored on your computer. Trojan access to stored information includes copying files, moving files, executing and installing other programs etc.

Viruses are destructive in nature. Meaning viruses can damage your hard drive.

Other Types of Computer Worms and Viruses

Spyware is similar to a trojan.  However, spyware usually does not execute or install other programs, but your information is being send to another.  Some spyware is authorized.  When you authorize another to watch your computer activity be aware that they are seeing what you are doing on your computer. 

Adware is just a pop-up ad.  Although it is not destructive or spying on you — adware is annoying.

Other Terms Associated With Computer Viruses That Can Infect Your System.exe

• Black Hat
• Worm
• Malware
• Spam
• Hoax

Other  Computer Virus Resources
 
How To Manually Remove A Computer Virus

Who Creates Computer Viruses

I really can’t say who creates computer viruses, but why they do is something different.  One of the latest viruses “GreenScreen” forced users to purchase antivirus software.  How funny, they infect your computer and then charge you to get it off.  Nevertheless, as new technology is created you can bet new viruses, worms, malware, adware, spyware and trojan will appear.

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