GeekSugar

College Claims Facebook Reduces Dropouts

GeekSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:30:44 -0700

In general, people seem to agree that Facebook can be a big time-waster... even causing some students lower grades than their less-frequent Facebook-using friends. Now, the BBC is reporting on a Gloucestershire College claim that Facebook is actually cutting down on student dropout rates. They claim that the social aspects of Facebook - allowing students to bond with each other and with professors and faculty members - is helping to create a closer-knit community at the school.

Media-focused classes use closed Facebook groups to get assignments and seek help from fellow students or teachers. The benefit: the school is using an accessible and familiar platform to connect students instead of requiring them to learn a new program. Mobile technology also means that students are able to stay connected even when they're away from their computers, encouraging even more participation.

Another college in England says that Facebook is a useful tool in reminding students of deadlines and due dates. I wish my college professors had done the same! I'm fairly certain that I would have paid more attention to a Facebook notification informing me that my English paper was due the next day than the note scrawled onto the dry-erase board hanging beside my desk.

Geek Tip: Plan Ahead For College With Embark

GeekSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:05:11 -0700

Are you a high school junior or senior (or related to one) and need some advice about when to start prepping for college? Of course a trip to your school counselor is in order, but check out Embark while you're at it. Embark gives you a detailed time line about when you should start looking at schools, start taking college prep courses, when to apply for financial aid, and tons of other details you might forget during your whirlwind junior and senior years of high school. You can also search for colleges based on your major, location, preferences, and even by which school you'd qualify for based on your GPA and SAT scores.

Plus, set up a free account and you can start tracking your to-do list on a calendar and receive updates and reminders throughout the school year. Trust me, when you're busy cramming in study sessions in the middle of prom season, these reminders and guidelines will come in handy!

NYU to Start Offering Degrees in Video Games

GeekSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:02:10 -0800

And your parents said all that video game playing would get you nowhere! If you really take your gaming seriously, you could take it to college - New York University is going to start offering degrees in video game design, research, and development.

Higher education has never seemed more appealing; gaming doesn't just have to be something you do in between classes.

Next Fall, NYU's course load will increase to add classes like The History of Donkey Kong and Feminist Theory: Princess Peach's Resistance. Just kidding about those course titles, but a girl can dream.

In the meantime, would you major in video games?

Source

Dorm Room Gadget Essentials

GeekSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:00:12 -0700

Heading back to school this Fall? If you're going to be shacking up in a college dorm room, then you already have a long list of things to bring with you, but I've got a great slideshow of things you can't forget - your tech! Check 'em out with a checklist in hand! Source

View Slideshow ›

Would You Take A College Course on 'YouTube'?

GeekSugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:00:38 -0700

After realizing most of the videos on YouTube are low quality and plot-less, Alexandra Juhasz, who is a media studies professor at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, decided the phenomena needed to be studied.

Juhasz has created a course she calls "Learning from YouTube," which allows Pitzer students to take a better look at the content posted on the site. Professor Juhasz and her students meet in a real class room, but most of the content of the course is available virtually on its "Learning From YouTube" channel. YouTube is "a phenomenon that should be studied," student Darren Grose told Newsvine. "You can learn a lot about American culture and just Internet culture in general." I think it's a fun idea, but do you think any of the content on YouTube is really college credit worthy?

College: Wikipedia Not A Source For Papers

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:00:23 -0800

All you college students better start thinking twice when looking for research sources online! The AP recently reported that Middlebury College history students are no longer allowed to use Wikipedia in preparing class papers. Apparently, the school's history department recently adopted a policy that says it's OK to consult the popular online encyclopedia, but that it can't be cited as an authoritative source by students.

The policy says, in part, "Wikipedia is not an acceptable citation, even though it may lead one to a citable source." For those of you that don't know, wikipedia is a user-generated free content, multilingual encyclopedia.

Blogging: New Criteria For College Admissions?

GeekSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:04:31 -0700

If only blogging was as cool as it is now when I was in college...but then again, who knows how much studying I would have done! A recent USA Today article suggests that more universities are joining a growing trend of posting "an interactive online diary and several other unfiltered student blogs directly on their homepages as a recruiting tool." What universities are hoping for, is that prospective students can get a true glimpse of campus life from other students blogging about it. Rather than just visiting links related to admissions, courses, and athletics, potential students can check out other students' opinions and thoughts pertaining to the University.
What do you think about this? A good way to help high school students pick prospective schools? Or a tad too much Girls Gone Wild for your liking?

Cool Capture: Photography Class Collection From ladyisadorable

Geek Community — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:13:05 -0800

Reader ladyisadorable recently added some stunning shots to the Cool Capture group:

I love the repetition of the lamp posts in this picture. I just wish that I had backed up more so the top of the lamp hadn't been cut off. This was taken at the University of Georgia. I used to live in Athens and my friends and I would wander around campus even though we weren't in college and just hang out. This was taken with a Vivitar v3800n.

View the rest of ladyisadorable's Photography 1 class photos in her Cool Capture slideshow.

Do you have a photo you absolutely love? Create a PopSugar Account or login to your account. Then join the Cool Capture group and share your image, the model of camera used to take the photo, and a little about the image or moment you captured and it could be featured on GeekSugar. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

The Webby Awards Name Top Internet Moments of the Decade

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:10:28 -0800

The 2000s were an important decade for the Internet. It was a platform for endless amounts of innovation, a ton of new ideas and content, and it brought lots of change. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to whittle down all of the important things that have happened into a list of only 10. Thankfully popular awards organization the Webby Awards took the initiative to do it themselves and released a list of the Top 10 Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade.

Among them: Craigslist's nationwide expansion in 2000, music-sharing site Napster's shutdown in 2001, Facebook opening to non-college students in 2006, and the Iranian election protests (a.k.a. "The Twitter Revolution") earlier this year. The list is pretty comprehensive, though I think they should add "the launch of GeekSugar" in 2006! The full list includes some major high-profile announcements as well as some that set the stage for further development and change.

David-Michel Davies, the executive director of the Webby Awards told CNN:

"Maybe in twenty years we'll look back and some of these might change. Something might become more important. I think history and time always gives you more insight into what moments or sites or companies shaped the landscape."

Indeed! It's fun to look back at the moments that shaped Internet history over the past decade, and exciting to think of what's to come in the next 10 years.

I'm in Love With This Pacman Necklace

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:13:11 -0800

Attention anyone looking to fill my stocking this holiday: this necklace is one of the cutest I've seen! The Arcade Parade Necklace ($45) features one of my favorite arcade game characters, Pacman, being chased by ghosts Blinky, Pinky, and Inky. The necklace is made from brass, so its sheen will age naturally over time, and it comes with a canvas pouch for safekeeping.

Pacman was one of the first video games I remember playing, and my favorite college pizza joint had a Ms. Pacman arcade game, so this piece of geeky jewelry is already close to my heart.