Archive for the ‘News and Announcements’ Category
Tablet Use Increasing in High School Classrooms
A US News and World Report published last week stated that tablet devices are increasing in popularity in high schools, overtaking laptops and computers as the most common technology used in the classroom.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was surprised by the increased rate of use, telling investors, “Education tends to be a conservative institution, but we’re not seeing that at all on the iPad. The adoption of the iPad in education is something I’ve never seen in any technology.”
iBooks is a new technology that is competing with printed textbooks in the college classroom. With tablet use on the rise in high school classrooms, students will be well-equipped to conform to the new iBook technology when they pursue higher education.
Michael Singleton, head of social studies at Florida’s Orlando Science Schools, believes that tablets have caused increased motivation in the classroom. In this day and age, students respond well to technological advantages when preparing to leave for college. “I would say an iPad will one day be the same as a book bag or a ruler or a pencil. I think that the iPad will be an essential component to schools, it’s certainly something we can’t ignore as a school—we need to embrace it,” Singleton said.
Schools are also using tablets as an incentive for strong performance in the classroom. Students will be issued the devices for use in school and at home, a privilege that will only remain should the student maintain a specified GPA. Educational experts believe the use of tablets will transfer some learning responsibility from the teacher to the student.
Amidst the growth, there are still those who do not think that the technology is suitable for the classroom. Tablets are harder to type on than laptops, and provide more options for students to get distracted, like playing games, while teachers are trying to teach. Proponents of the technology believe that students and teachers will adjust to these problems.
Joel Klein, an education professional, explained in a press release, “It is our aim to amplify the power of digital innovation to transform teaching and learning and to help schools deliver fundamentally better experiences and results.”
With technology taking over every facet of life in modern society, it’s only a matter of time before students are required to bring tablets to school, where teachers will utilize the numerous features in their lesson plans.
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Do Colleges Need to Change to Stay Relevant?
It’s not uncommon to ask a recent college graduate what their next step in life will be, and hear them reply with, “move back home and pay off my debt” or “find a job–any job!” As an increasing number of college graduates find themselves back at home with their parents and working jobs they could have obtained out of high school, the value of a college degree has fallen under some serious debate. But these criticisms of higher education have not fallen upon deaf ears. Earlier this month, The Society for College and University Planning held a conference in Chicago with a focus on how colleges and universities can change to be more relevant in today’s society.
Scott Carlson’s article College Planners Discuss How They Push for Change includes the podcast interviews of three individuals who gave speeches at this conference.
Sanford Shugart, the president of Valancia college in Florida, indicates that change is vital for numerous reasons, including the cost of college being an inadequate fit for the current market, and academic results not being as high as they should be. Shugart believes that in order to change college education, change needs to happen within the culture. He identifies the culture as being the millions of decisions made on a daily basis by students, faculty, and staff. Obviously, that’s a pretty major change, but Shugart, having identified the roots of higher education being eight-hundred years old, says it will take a change that scale to counter what is in our history.
Associate Vice President of the University of the Pacific Robert Brodnick, introduces his idea of “design thinking,” a concept that combines analytical thinking and creative thinking to produce a product. His theory is that analytical thinking to solve problems is overrated, and that by using intuition and emotion in all fields, as many of the creative fields already do, change can happen amongst not only college institutions, but corporate America. He says it’s these two areas that will need to change the most for our jobs to stay relevant.
The final podcast, which is an interview with Ira Fink, a college planner, indicates that change needs to happen in the way colleges think about money. Just as airlines increase their rates during the holidays and summer months, and decrease their rates during slow seasons, colleges need to consider how their space is used, and what the cost is for that space, in order to make a profit. He identifies Apple as being a company that can successfully think about their business in this sense, and believes it would be wise for education to consider doing the same.
It’s evident something about college education needs to change, but what that something is exactly can be hard to pin point. Is the educational system broken, or is the job market broken? Does the cost of college need to go down, or do jobs need to pay enough for students to able to afford their debt?
Cappex helps students apply for scholarships to pay for college.
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Innovative Website Launches to Connect First-Generation and Underrepresented Students with Colleges and Scholarships
College Greenlight helps underserved students and community-based organizations connect with colleges and explore financial opportunities
College Greenlight, a nationwide online portal for first-generation and traditionally underserved students to research and connect with colleges and scholarships, unveiled its website today at the National Partnership for Educational Access annual conference.
A new service of industry-leading college search site Cappex.com, College Greenlight makes it possible for first-generation and underrepresented students to discover, apply to and attend their best-fit colleges and achieve better college outcomes. Students who create a free profile on the site can find colleges that are the right fit academically and socially, as well as pinpoint campuses that provide support programs to aid in their success once enrolled.
College Greenlight helps expand the college network available to students and provides an engaging environment for learning about and connecting with colleges.
“Too often, students from under-resourced backgrounds find their options for attending college limited,” said Jonathan April, general manager of College Greenlight. “College Greenlight expands the universe of opportunities available and helps students discover colleges that match them academically, socially and financially, greatly increasing their chances of success.
“In addition, colleges across the country are seeking to increase their level of diversity. College Greenlight is the first site of its kind that has the active involvement of colleges, helping them find students from a variety of backgrounds that will be successful on their campuses.”
Another unique attribute of College Greenlight is that it will provide a hub for community organizations and mentors to support their students throughout the application process as well as to monitor their success throughout their college careers. Through the site, mentors will be able to keep track of key outcomes such as applications per student, FAFSA completion rates, college acceptances, graduation rates and financial aid received. The site will be free to community-based organizations and the students they serve.
College Greenlight has selected Chicago Scholars as its first Premier Partner. As a Premier Partner, Chicago Scholars will provide the service to its more than 800 students mentored from the college selection and application process through college graduation and beyond. “We think College Greenlight is a game-changing platform, helping to level the playing field for our students,” said Karen Foley, president of Chicago Scholars.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Carleton College, and Oberlin College will be the first three universities to use College Greenlight to connect with students.
“As the largest university in the state, we are committed to serving the diverse students in Illinois,” said Stacey Kostell, University of Illinois director of admissions. “We are looking forward to connecting with high-achieving students through College Greenlight to help us meet that mission.”
About College Greenlight
College Greenlight is an online portal for first-generation and traditionally underserved students that makes it possible for them to discover, apply to and attend colleges that fit them academically, socially and financially. In addition, it provides high school counselors and community-based organizations a free platform to provide support to those students throughout the college search and admissions process. College Greenlight is a service provided by Cappex.com, a leading college search website that has relationships with hundreds of colleges nationwide and more than five years of experience helping millions of students achieve their college dreams. It is committed to the belief that all students deserve to attend a college that will allow them to succeed to their fullest potential. For more information, visit http://www.collegegreenlight.com.
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Cappex.com Announces Rock Star and College Pro Scholarship Winners
Two high school seniors, Maria Zilberman and Walter Chang, have been awarded Cappex’s newest scholarships, the Rock Star and the College Pro, worth a combined $7,500.
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Rock Star Scholarship Winner: Maria Zilberman, from North Miami Beach, Fla., plans on attending college this fall to study pre-medicine.
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College Pro Scholarship Winner: Walter Chang, from Houston, Texas, will attend college in the fall to study engineering and musical performance. |
Zilberman and Chang qualified for the scholarships by playing the “Cappex Cap Challenge,” where students collect virtual “cap” badges for completing key activities in their college searches. After earning at least 10 badges in the Cap Challenge, students become eligible to apply for special Cappex-sponsored scholarships. Examples of virtual badges include:
- Leader (Abe Lincoln hat) : For sharing leadership examples
- Artsy (beret): For providing accomplishments in the arts
- Volunteer (halo): For detailing how you’ve helped your community
- Yeeehaw!!! (cowboy hat): For representing a western state
- Road Warrior (roadster): For using the “Cappex Campus Visit Planner” to plan a college road trip
- College Reviewer (fedora with press pass): For providing a college review
Zilberman, of North Miami Beach, Fla., qualified for the $5,000 Rock Star Scholarship by collecting 25 badges, but it was her outstanding leadership in founding her high school’s international humanitarian club that won her the scholarship.
“The Cap Challenge guided me to explore colleges, which allowed me to learn more about them through student reviews, seeing my chances and organizing my application,” Zilberman said.
Chang qualified for the College Pro Scholarship by earning 10 virtual cap badges.
“Cappex.com improved my college search process tremendously, with all the key facts of each college compiled into one page and several student reviews to provide further perspective,” Chang said. He was awarded the $2,500 scholarship for his dedication as the school orchestra president who helped fundraise over $30,000 to help the school purchase a new grand piano.
“We started the Cappex Cap Challenge to give students a fun and new way to discover colleges and find matching scholarships,” said Chris Long, Cappex president. “Maria and Walter took on the challenge and also clearly demonstrated their accomplishments improving their respective communities. We were thrilled to award our Cap Challenge scholarships to these deserving students.”
Interested in the Cappex Cap Challenge? Make your own Cappex profile now.
Looking for scholarships? Find more here!
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Recent Cappex Scholarship Winners!
Cappex.com is very excited to announce our most recent scholarship winners from Spring 2011. These students have proven that with their leadership and volunteer activities, they can make a difference in the world. Congratulations!
You can be a scholarship winner too by making a Cappex profile! Your profile will then be used as your “application” for the Cappex scholarships, like, say, these two coming up:
A GPA Isn’t Everything and I Don’t Want to Pay for College.
That’s exactly what these two superstars did to win their scholarships:
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“A GPA Isn’t Everything” Scholarship – Winter II Scholarship Winner: Rebecca D. from Mt. Prospect, Ill., will be attending college next fall. During her high school career, she served as a member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and eventually its President for two school years. The program was recognized as one of the best programs in the state and won grants from the Operation Teen Safe Driver for its success. Rebecca was also a peer tutor and a member of her school’s service organization which works to better the community and help with special needs schools as well as the elderly.
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“I Don’t Want to Pay for College” – Spring Scholarship Winner: Matthew J., from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is currently a college student with a broad background in volunteer and service with his church and Boy Scouts including canned food drives, making care packages for the 101st Airborne and community clean up. Matthew’s a talented student who channeled his passion for music and science into an awesome project where he designed, produced and then performed with two homemade instruments. |
Want to see past scholarship winners? Check them out on our Facebook page!
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What’s Hot and What’s Not in Digital and Mobile Communications for College Admissions in 2011
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New Study: 6 Trends in Digital and Mobile Communications for College Admissions in 2011
With the pervasiveness of social media, location-based tools, and mobile communications, it can sometimes be a challenge for admissions professionals to keep up.
The new white paper provides insights into 2011 and 2012 high school grads’ college search preferences and where colleges are actually focusing their resources.
Findings show that mobile and video are on the rise, though traditional channels such as mail and e-mail remain the cornerstone of admissions communications. Above all, getting it right in the mobile space will be of utmost importance in 2011.
View the white paper to find out about the 6 trends.
A picture’s worth a thousand words!
View these trends in our new infographic.
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Mobile makes its way into students’ college searches, though e-mail continues to prevail
A new study by Cappex.com shows that students are researching information on college websites from their mobile devices, though traditional channels such as email are still relied upon most to keep students on track during their college searches.
The Cappex study of more than 2,000 class of 2011 and 2012 high school students, as well as 82 college admission officers, also shows that videos are more popular for college searching than blogs on college sites.
Specific findings from the study include:
- 86 percent of 2011 high school grads prefer e-mail for initial contact from colleges
- Just 19 percent of 2011 high school grads want initial direct contact from colleges by cell phone, though 32 percent prefer to continue a dialogue with college admissions reps by cell phone
- 77 percent of 2011 high school grads prefer using a mobile-friendly version of a college’s website, while 23 percent would prefer to download an app from a college
- Class of 2012 high school students are somewhat more receptive to apps: 35 percent would prefer to download an app
- 34 percent of colleges surveyed said that they have created a mobile-friendly version of their website. Of those that have not yet created one, two thirds plan to create one this year
- More than 85 percent of 2011 high school seniors prefer to learn about colleges through video tours and student videos, while just 6 percent are interested in reading college blogs during their college searches
“When it comes to communicating with colleges, students are more open than ever to using their mobile devices and cell phones, though colleges need to understand their preferences,” said Chris Long, president of Cappex. “For instance, students may not want to download an app from every college they are looking at, but they will visit a college’s website using their mobile devices.”
“Colleges need to be sure to set up mobile versions of their sites to cater to growing mobile use among students,” Long added. “Additionally, colleges should continue using tried and true methods such as e-mail to make it easy for students to keep track of their interactions with colleges.”
The white paper summarizing the study can be found at http://bit.ly/irOAhX.
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