Update: the below poll is closed & here are the finals
You may vote once per day. Voting closes at noon pacific on November 28rd.
Want to know who writes which blog? Please check out all the blogs here.
Due to heavy server load, comments are closed on this post. You may comment on the post announcing the finalists here.
Here are the finalists in alphabetical order by first name, along with links to their blogs:
You may vote for The 2012 Blogging Scholarship here & comment below. Comments are moderated & approved periodically throughout the day.
Successful students understand the importance of serious study skills. Studying involves the act of reviewing information learned in the classroom; however, students neglect to consider other factors that separate outstanding academic performers from the rest. Studying means knowing when and where to make the best use of time. Many students fool themselves by half-studying and half-socializing, eating, watching TV, or listening to music. This can cause many problems for students when it comes time to take quizzes, tests, and final exams.
Students who commit themselves to studying will still need to manage their time wisely. Students can become distracted by loud noises in the evening. In addition, students may lose concentration if they decide to study late at night. Students should study when their body feels most alert, usually right after school in a quiet, secluded room. To avoid cramming or feeling fatigued from extended study periods, students should reward themselves with five-minute breaks every half hour. This will give them time to stretch and get their blood flowing to their brain by walking around. Students can choose to study in short intervals right before bed to promote unconscious “studying” while asleep. If this causes the student to fixate on studying, then he or she should discontinue this practice.
Studying hinges on the student’s ability to choose the right venue. For instance, if the student chooses a dark, noisy, cramped and uncomfortable spot to review learned material, then he or she will likely not retain any information during their study session. Instead, students should choose a well-lit, quiet, spacious, distraction-free, and comfortable study environment. Many times students choose a work desk located in their room, because it grants them control over their environment. However, this also means that students can succumb to the temptations of using their cell phone, lap top, TV, computer, or bed. Other drawbacks to studying at home may include distractions from friends, noisy roommates, or siblings. Many committed students choose the library.
Students may feel motivated to study if they bring a partner. Bringing a friend can prove advantageous if both students remain committed to studying. For instance, both friends can encourage each other to study when one feels unmotivated or distracted by external stimuli. In addition, a study partner can help test retained knowledge without the temptation of deceiving one’s self. However, students should not falter to only studying with friends. The sole purpose of studying revolves around independent dedication to learning the course material. Students who become dependent on their friends to study have a harder time adjusting to future classes without their friends. In addition, group study becomes more effective when students study at home and arrive prepared to reinforce information learned while in private seclusion. As a result, friends who grasp the information more than others can explain certain key points. This merges unique perspectives on the core curriculum and makes it easier to understand the subject matter.
Follow these links to learn more about effective study habits:
Heading to college is both an exciting and frightening time for all students. This is a time when students cross the threshold from teen to independent adult. One’s success and failures during this time can directly affect his or her future. When a student has a disability, there are additional concerns that must be confronted and addressed. Where parents may have played a large part in a person’s education through high school, the student must take on that responsibility for his or herself while in college. A person with disabilities will have different needs than students without disabilities. Meeting these needs is necessary in order to receive an equal educational experience. To do this, the student must take the right steps before and during his or her time in college.
Students with disabilities are protected by certain laws. These laws are meant to ensure that a student is not discriminated against because of his or her disability. It is important that students understand these laws so that they may ensure they are receiving the education that they deserve. One of these laws is section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This law states that colleges and universities that receive federal funds must make modifications within reason to their regular procedures in order to accommodate qualified persons with disabilities. Another law that students with disabilities must be aware of is The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person’s disability, regardless of whether the school receives federal funds or not. This applies to public institutions, however, private institutions with the exception of fully owned religious organizations, must also comply with The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If a student feels he or she is a victim of discrimination, the disability services office should be contacted. If the school fails to resolve the issue, a complaint may also be filed by the student with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
Prior to college, preparation is fundamental to future success in college. A student must be prepared for the basic differences in study habits, teaching style and atmosphere. In addition, a student must also be ready for the changes that he or she will face as a person with disabilities. The student should take a closer look at his or her disability and how it has affected school performance. Understanding both one’s weaknesses and strengths will help prepare the student to confront them while attending college. Because the student will experience more independence while in college, he or she should be comfortable discussing their disability and any concerns. While in high school, learning how to self-advocate and express one’s needs is crucial.
When choosing a college, families should thoroughly research their options. Most schools have some form of disability services office. This office can help explain how the specific school meets the student’s disability needs. They will also help arrange for special accommodations and services if needed. Touring college campuses and meeting with a member of the disability services office will help determine if the school fits the student’s needs. Students must also provide paperwork that verifies their disability. When taking college placement tests, check to see what disability services are available, such as extended time or special accommodations, and if there are any eligibility requirements that must be met. Prior to starting college, the student must apply for financial assistance if needed. In addition to federal financial aid, students should research options from private sources. Different colleges or universities may also have scholarships available for students with disabilities.
Once in college a student will want to make the right moves to ensure academic success. Working with the college’s disability services office is critical. Another way to do this is to meet with the instructors. This allows the instructor to get to know the student, and helps him or her better understand the student’s disability and what is needed to aid the learning process. It will also give the student insight on each of the instructors, their teaching style, what can be expected of the class, and the opportunity to request special accommodations if necessary. Making use of assistive technology, if needed, is also an important factor in ensuring one’s success while in college. Even after all of the disability needs have been met, the student will still need to adjust to the college lifestyle. Learning and practicing good time management, study, and listening skills are also mandatory for success.
Developing a solid strategy for college entry presents a challenge for many students. Colleges and universities generally require scores from standardized tests to determine a student’s readiness for college-level coursework. In the United States, two of the most used tests are the ACT (formerly called American College Testing) and the SAT (formerly the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test). For many students, the idea of wrangling with difficult questions in a timed atmosphere causes anxiety, but using the appropriate study and preparation techniques can instill confidence and potentially raise scores. In addition, understanding the purpose of the tests can help students select the test that best suits a student’s test-taking style. This creates a much more pleasant experience.
Choosing the right test for a student’s learning style, subject mastery and test-taking techniques can improve the standardized test experience. Colleges and universities will accept both test results, although some students perform better on the SAT than the ACT, and vice versa. Questions on the ACT appear more straightforward than questions on the SAT. Consequently, students who respond better to questions that require less figuring during the question-reading phase might fare better on the ACT. In contrast, the ACT tests higher-level math skills, so students who struggle in math may fare better taking the SAT. In addition, the ACT tests science, the SAT does not. The ACT examines a student’s overall performance on the test; it looks at the “big picture,” which can help boost weaker scores in one area if the student performed well in others. The SAT, on the other hand, examines how well a student performs on each section, which works well for students who have mastered each subject area.
Preparing for both the ACT and SAT requires planning, time management and excellent study skills. First, students can take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) or ACT COMPASS tests to determine their current understanding of reading, mathematics and other subjects. Armed with this information, students can connect with resources, such as tutors or supplemental courses, to develop knowledge in weak subject areas. Afterward, taking online or paper-based practice tests develops a student’s understanding of how the tests are administered and structured.
For additional information about the SAT and ACT tests, visit the following links:
Who Should Win the Blogging Scholarship in 2011?
Total Votes: 49,591
Loading ...You may vote once per day. Voting closes at noon pacific on November 30th.
Want to know who writes which blog? Please check out all the blogs here.
Hi Everyone
The new voting page is here. Please ignore the below voting script on this page.
Our site had 2 polling scripts installed & it looks like this year the one that was enabled was the one that didn’t have all the anti-cheating features working. In years past some people would complain about cheating (whoever was behind) and then someone else would get in the lead (often a person who said someone else was cheating!) and then they would be labeled a cheater, however we were not able to detect any significant amount of ballot stuffing. This year with the wrong polling software it was far too easy to manipulate the results & some folks did.
Eek, A Penis!
Get More: SOUTH
PARKmore…
We have spent the past couple days testing out & verifying an alternative solution, which uses AJAX, does result order randomization, tracks IP addresses, and sets cookies. We are satisfied that it adequately protects the competition from cheating & are starting the vote from scratch using it.
Here is a picture of the old results before we erased that poll
What makes us certain some folks were vote stuffing? Well numerous finalists had over 60,000 votes & the whole site has had less than 60,000 unique visitors since voting began.
[updated: confirming how absurd the above was, here is a example of what happened to web traffic after we changed out the poll
notice that while the number of unique visitors didn't change much from day to day, over 100,000 fake pageviews disappeared overnight]
To make up for this problem we are doing the following:
We realize that the vote stuffing may not have even been done by any of our finalists, but by some friends who wanted them to win. Thus we are not really blaming anyone for this issue other than ourselves for using the wrong voting script. The new one has been rigorously tested. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Want to know who writes which blog? Please check out all the blogs here.
Voting ends at noon pacific time on November 23rd. Voting has been extended 1 week.
Here are the 2011 Blogging Scholarship finalists. You can vote here
Delana Lefevers Gajitz
David Shiffman Southern Fried Science
Brian McElhinny Raise The Jolly Roger
Ben Swanson Rufus on Fire
Philip Tanedo Quantum Diaries
Carlos Hernandez Carlos Eats
Camille Beredjick Gay Writes
Miraj Patel Miraj Patel.com
Shannyn Allan Frugal Beautiful
Ray Sanders Dear Astronomer.com
Taylor Marvin PROSPECT
Mark Lamprecht Here I Blog
Emily Steen Emylibef
Ariel Norling An Educationin Education
Heather Cohen Escaping Anergy
Jacquelyn Gill Contemplative Mammoth
Kendra Lay Kendra Lay.com
John McAuliff Road Trip of Passage
Kevin Flora EdMatics
Chelsea Long Pilgrimage.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the union protests that are spreading throughout the country like wildfire.
Approximately 70,000 people flooded to Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison this past Saturday to protest a proposed bill introduced by Wisconsin’s Republican Gov. Scott Walker. As part of a budget repair bill, which was introduced on February 11th, Walker’s proposed changes would restrict a worker’s right to negotiate better pensions, salaries, and health benefits.
President Barack Obama has publicly stated that taking away a union’s bargaining rights was like “an assault on unions.” Even Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine/the Nightwatchman has spoken out to support the protesters, claiming that “Madison is the next Cairo,” and Walker is the “Mubarak of the Midwest.” (Morello has been a long-time supporter of unions because his mother used to work as a teacher in Illinois).
You as an intelligent American citizen should be
Whether you are a high school graduate or a college freshman, as an intelligent American citizen you should be concerned about what is going on in Wisconsin, and here’s why:
1. It affects freedom of thought and expression in classrooms
Because good teacher contracts essentially “protect academic freedom,” this new proposed bill could limit what is discussed in classrooms, what textbooks are used in schools, and whether evolution should be taught to students.
Not only that, the proposed bill will also impact class sizes, teacher workloads, curriculum planning, and so much more.
2. It could affect your future career
Even if you don’t plan on becoming a teacher, the proposed bill will affect all sorts of union workers, such as policemen, postal workers, pilots, administrators, nurses, firefighters, state troopers, etc.
Because collective bargaining helps unions determine various conditions of employment and pay rates, this could have a negative impact on decisions regarding sick leave, promotion, retirement, grievance procedures, and work rules.
Union officials have also stated that collective bargaining helps protect workers against racial or age discrimination. Or, for example, if you are a union worker and your employer doesn’t like you, your rights as a union member will protect you from being laid off from your job.
3. The domino effect
Ever since the news broke of the new proposed bill in mid-February, anger has trickled over state lines and has impacted much of the Midwest.
And to make matters worse, Republican lawmakers are already in the process of introducing anti-union and anti-worker legislations in states such as Idaho, Indiana and Ohio.
Also, in what is being called “A Rally to Save the American Dream,” MoveOn.org and 45 other groups known for supporting Democratic candidates, called for union supporters to protest in 50 different states on Saturday, February 26th. (Click here to see photos of the rallies).
4. It needlessly tests the beliefs and values of teachers 
Some union workers and Democrats believe that the proposed bill is “an attempt to cripple union support for Democrats.” The co-president of Madison’s Teaching Assistants’ Association, Alex Hanna, has spoken out against the bill stating that it is “undemocratic and obviously politically motivated.”
The proposed bill has rubbed teachers the wrong way, especially those who feel strongly about their personal values or beliefs when it comes to politics and religion. Instead of the sole issue being about worker’s rights, the issue has sparked a political debate and has forced a polarization between those with differing political opinions.
For example, some conservative-minded individuals believe that by giving teachers more freedom to choose what to teach in classroom, students could be used as pawns to support the goal of unions. Students may be taught to stand up for unions which could be seen as a subversive way to get around government actions through legalized curriculum.
5. The rich get richer and the middle-class get poorer
Union supporters also believe the proposed bill will have a devastating impact on the working and middle class. With Gov. Walker’s proposed bill, state employees will soon have to start making payments towards state pensions and health insurance, thus the wallets of the working class will be affected the most.
One major underlying issue that angers protesters is the fact that they are sick and tired of seeing big corporations take money away from the working class. By taking away a teacher’s rights to negotiate the terms of their employment, there will be less middle class values in the educational field.
6. The times are a-changing
Many believe that the protests in the Middle East have been a driving force for Americans to take to the streets and speak up for the rights of union workers.
In this current economic state, the last thing teachers want to hear is that they need to pay more money out of their pockets. Despite the fact that the rights of union workers has been an ongoing issue for years, the recession has forced the situation to a boiling point.
And to make matters worse, this new bill will be turning back the clock for many unions who have been working to provide “round-the-clock” emergency medical services coverage which took years to develop.
It’s time to move forward and demand change, not take a step backwards.
But let’s not forget that these protests aren’t just about teacher’s rights, it’s about putting the education of students first.
The Missouri Gaming Association is awarding two $1,500 scholarships and four $1,000 scholarships through their annual Project 21 Scholarship competition. In order to win a scholarship, Missouri high school seniors are being asked to write an article or create a poster or video which addresses the issue of underage gambling.
Scholarship info and requirements
Each article, poster or video will be judged on originality, style, content and educational value. The focus of each submission should touch on how to “deter” young people who are under the age of 21 from gambling, and/or discuss the “ramifications” associated with underage gambling. Students are also being asked not to confuse the topic with anti-gambling or compulsive gambling topics because they are not the same.
Here are the qualifications for the entries:
High school seniors working as part-time casino employees are eligible to apply if he or she works less than 32 hours per week, and children of Missouri casino employees are also eligible as long as they are not a child of a Missouri Gaming Association officer or a Missouri Project 21 Executive Committee member. If the applicant is under the age of 18 then his or her parent/guardian must sign the application form.
Click here for the scholarship application form and to read up on the various other rules and requirements for the competition.
The application deadline is March 4, 2011.
