A recent article in the Chicago Tribune brought to light a growing American problem and put it’s finger on the cause – Many adults can’t research and write and overcrowded high-schools are to blame. According to the Tribune,
“Several Chicago-area high schools have dialed back the paper’s length requirements and instead emphasize the research process and weighing of sources, a critical skill in the digital era, teachers say. Others skip the extended assignment entirely in favor of shorter, intermittent papers, while some allow students to showcase their research with PowerPoint presentations and Web pages.”
The root of the problem rests in time and resources, not in relevancy. Teachers, particularly at the high school level, are overworked and have class sizes that are far to overwhelming to adequately grade and examine in-depth research papers. The Tribune article pointed out that while the 15 to 20 page senior high school research project use to be the norm, it is no longer bothered with in light of easier, less time-intense projects. The tragic result of this… Read more…
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Use the cute kitten method of catching a reader's attention in research papers.
At the onset of YouTube, one of the most frequently downloaded videos was the “Mean Kitty” video by Cory Williams. Cory set off a wave of kitty videos that could make even the most ardent cat fan want to cough up a hairball. YouTube then got its share of “dead puppies” or at least dogs playing dead. When you think about it, neither of these phenomena in nature really warrant the plethora of video channels that exist for the tenderly touched voyeur but never the less, the general population loves them. The lesson to be learned for you and your research paper? Professors can also be lured into the cute kitty or dead puppy syndrome. With a few simple tricks of rhetoric, you to can produce the academic equivalent of cute kitties in any research paper you write. Read more…
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The Cloud is perfect for a college student's music.
College students have a particularly difficult time with keeping music organized, synced and accessible on all devices due to the large amount of music the typical college student has, the wide variety of devices to play music he or she owns and the transient nature of being a college student. I myself have an iPad, iPhone, MacBook and an old iPod (Sick, I know, but not uncommon at all) and I use them all depending upon where I am or where I’m going or what I want access to. To have all my music synced over all 4 devices is a fantasy I cannot get my head around. However, it looks as if it’s going to be a reality, thanks to cloud computing. Cloud music services are perfect for college students in many ways. Read more…
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Facebook and Google Face-off in Privacy War
Students beware! Google and Facebook are at each other’s throat with a war on privacy issues that is so ugly it wouldn’t surprise me if one of them accused the other of harboring weapons of mass destruction. Facebook was caught this week “leaking” e-mail correspondence critical of Google’s privacy practices. What Facebook did was hire a public relations firm to target Google’s privacy practices to amp up public perception and speculation on their privacy practices. Not a new tactic but, according to the Wall Street Journal, a highly unethical and sophomoric attempt at mudslinging.
The privacy war is very transparent for those that understand both companies are greedy for the public’s private information to enhance their advertising leverage and domination of search. Facebook as a search engine? Facebook is the 2nd most searched entity on the Internet. There are billions of dollars to be had and the stakes are high to make the public believe their information is safe. So who do you believe and what does this mean for college students? Read more…
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Over and over, the college students we help with research papers at Paper Masters tell us how they don’t get how to cite MLA, APA or various other types of citation standards. Not surprising, since there are over 3000 different ways to cite research, with most of these being variations on the main three (MLA, APA and Turbian). Microsoft Word and various other word programs offer basic citation help within the program but it is often incorrect and not updated with newer standards. What is really needed is a way to organize research and in a push of the button, have it cited within the text of your research paper and then saved to be put in the bibliography. Finally, several great programs have been released that do just this – Papers 2 for the Mac OS and Mendeley for both Windows and Mac users. Read more…
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There is a temptation to look at the news and be angry at what is happening in Japan with the nuclear reactors. I’m located on the coast of California and the gentle pacific breeze blows smog and factory filth from Japan every day. And now it looks like we will be adding a bit of radiation to the mix. How dare you Japan! But alas…in the future, when radiation level postings become part of the weather.com informational postings, just beside the smog alert and allergy levels, I’ll be slapping myself for my apathy. Nuclear energy is a glorious, short-sighted energy alternative, much like oil. Humans are parasitic, apathetic, instant gratification orientated and worst of all, capitalistic driven monsters. But we’re cute, sexy, smart and very persuasive. We can convince an entire globe that a nuclear reactor on an island, under a huge fault line is a good idea. How brilliant was that Oppenheimer!
Whether you’re a college student, home-maker or blithering idiot, rethink your own values and priorities. Get active and if it sounds like a bad idea, tell someone. Show some concern for the earth, for your health, for humankind and come out from under the shell of “what can little ‘ol me do” and get active. Particularly if you’re a college student. College students have a powerful network and voice in the world because they are the future businessmen and thinkers of tomorrow. And remember, if it sounds like a bad idea – Hey, don’t do it.
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Perfect for College Students - Dodo Case
As we all know, the iPad is a must have for the serious college student. But as handy and convenient as it is, a case is as much of a must have as the iPad itself. And one particular case stands alone… the Dodo case.
The Dodo case binding looks like a journal and is crafted by hand in San Francisco. Inside, the iPad is snuggly encased and protected by bamboo. The fabric on the inside cover comes in 7 different stylish color choices. There is even a mock library card inside with an individual number for your particular case. You can flip the cover around to slant the iPad as you use it on a flat surface, making the case as functional as it is attractive.
Using the Dodo case gives a student the feel of reading a real book with classic binding. The cover is regal almost and the inside is classy. It is so well made and the reviews are great. Check out this Youtube review and the video and how the case is hand made in the book binder shop at dodocase.com.
While the case may be a bit pricey it doesn’t seem to matter. Once you have seen the classy Dodo case, no other case compares. The different colors offer the buyer the opportunity to individualize the inside of his case. He can choose from red, blue, green, dark-blue, purple, yellow, white, orange, pink, grey and charcoal. The beautiful bamboo just adds to the beauty and experience of the Dodo case for the iPad. So if you’re writing research papers or researching or studying on your iPad.. you are going to want to case this in the Dodo case.
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The Written Journal Critique is approached in a similar manor no matter what area of study or discipline a college student is from. The following is basic but fool-proof formula (we all know I love formulaic writing!) for writing a journal article critique.
- Select an article from a current academic journal (2000-2009) that deals with gender issues related to criminal justice (this may be interdisciplinary). An academic journal is not a magazine, a book, newspaper, etc. Examples of acceptable academic journals include: Criminology, Social Forces, Criminal Justice Education, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Black Psychology, etc. Topics of selected articles should focus on a theoretical explanation of criminal behavior. NOTE: Academic journal articles may be obtained from electronic journals found on the internet.
- Provide a full copy of the article as an attachment when the critique is submitted for grading.
- Each student should have her/his selected article approved by the instructor.
- Read the article.
- Write a critique of the article selected. The written critique should include the following:
- An overview of the article.
- Description of the research problem.
- Research methods used to study the problem.
- Conclusion and/or recommendations from the author(s).
- Summary of the article (does it contribute to the current state of knowledge?).
Caution: Remember not to plagiarize the author’s work – this will result in an automatic failure.
The length of the written critique will vary according to the article and topic selected; however, a rough estimate would be 2 to 5 typed pages (double-spaced). The journal critique must be typed and the article must be included with your written paper. Length and Format of the Academic Peer-Reviewed Journal Critique: Written Journal Article Critiques must follow the basic guidelines, format, and style of the American Psychological Association (APA), including a cover page (same as for research papers), in-text citations, and a reference page. The length of the written journal article critique will vary according to the topic selected.
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TurnItIn.com begins Admissions Plagiarism Check
TurnItIn.com has been huge in preventing plagiarism at colleges and universities across the country. With a database of millions of research papers and access to all internet based sources, their ability to find plagiarism is virtually flawless. In an effort to expand their services, TurnItIn.com has begun collecting admissions essays. This database will be for college admissions departments to submit a perspective student’s admissions essay and check it for plagiarism. However, there are a few problems with this type of service…
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College Students Working at Oil Spill
It goes with out saying that the majority of Americans are extremely upset about the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. College students are being looked to as long-term resources for helping to clean up the ecological disaster from Florida to Louisiana. Especially during these summer months, when many are off until the end of August, many environmental groups are calling for students to help at a grass roots level all across the south. Just a few groups hoping the College Students will help out are: Read more…
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