 The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS), the leading resource and research center for analysis and assessment of the German-American relationship in an evolving Europe and changing world, is pleased to announce the DAAD/AICGS Research Fellowship Program. The program is designed to bring scholars and specialists working on Germany, Europe, and/or transatlantic relations to AICGS, which is located in Washington, DC, for stays of two months each. Fellowships include a monthly stipend of up to $4,725, depending on the seniority of the applicant, transportation to and from Washington, and office space at the Institute. AICGS is now accepting applications for the next round of DAAD fellowships. The application deadline for spring 2011 (January - June 2011) is DAAD/AICGS Research Fellows will be expected to produce a short analytical essay that will be published on the AICGS website and distributed via the Institute's bimonthly email newsletter. Project proposals should address a topic closely related to one or more of the Institute's three research and programming areas:
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Deadline Approaching: Research Fellowship Program
For more details on project proposals and how to apply for the fellowship, please visit 
iPhones Each Day Keep the Instructor OK; Mobility and Place in American Academic Life
My essay on iPhones and American mobility was just made available on academiccommons.org. At a recent executive briefing that I attended at Apple's campus in San Jose attendees were promoting the growth in mobile learning. There's a lot to be said for learning-on-the-move and the 2010 Horizon Report brings the trend to light. But some types of learning are still facilitated by more place-bound activities. I explore these tensions in the essay.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Deadline Approaching for Australia's Endeavour Awards
The deadline is approaching for the Australian Government's Endeavour Awards: due July 31
The Endeavour Awards is the Australian Government's internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Europe and Americas to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. Awards are also available for Australians to undertake study, research and professional development abroad.
The Endeavour Postgraduate Awards cover up to two years for a master's degree and 3.5 years for a PhD.
US citizens (as well as citizens from other eligible countries) are invited to apply for the Endeavour Postgraduate Awards by 31 July 2010 for the 2011 academic year. Details on how to apply and eligibility requirements can be found at: http://www.deewr.gov.au/International/EndeavourAwards/Pages/Apply.aspx
Tutors Need Productivity Training.. A Very Important Aspect
But what about those tutors who are actually responsible for incorporating the best practice? ShouldnҀt we think of upgrading themselves with latest educational tools and training?
To stay competitive and survive in todayҀs market every educational institute must maximize the productivity and efficiency of all resources. The objective is very similar to an organizational development where employees have to go for rigorous improvement exercise and thus ensuring better output on every assignment.
Let us understand some possibilities and evaluate those:
A) Members of teacher associations can attend routine based training and brainstorming session in their institute premises. These must be self-service, role-based, and periodically accessible to tutors. The agenda could be analysis of studentҀs feedback on their tutoring approach or it may include grievances sharing, new thoughts or plan to incorporate. Productive discussion with a noble focus can lead to perfection while executing the revival plans.
B) Tutors can be a part of an online global community that renders unlimited access to free interactive training videos or the opportunity to participate in valuable chitchats. It is real worth staying up-to-date with industry news, educationalists interviews, expert profiles, and informative newsletters from different online resources like blogs, forums or news section.
C) Tutors must be allowed to master various educational softwares, their applications and thus learn with fun, intuitive, and hands-on projects.
D) Through conference, seminars, book fairs or educational mega-events, top-notch professorsҀ great personalities deliver communicative training. These are designed to increase productivity supported by proven timesaving tips and techniques. The objective is to upgrade skills to the next level using a unique training approach premeditated by industry professionals, university educators, and innovative researchers.
E) Our web introduces inherently measurable coaching methodologies that a school teacher or a private tutor can implement during their lecture session. For example, drawing out sets of observational data on studentҀs attention level, behaviour in respective classes may help in developing good tutoring strategy.
Thus, it is possible to make tutor time more fun and be more effective, improve learning relationships and enhance productivity.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
University of Chicago Essay Questions released for 2010-11
As you can see from many previous postings on the school, the University of Chicago has always been one of my top choices, and I couldn't agree more with the school's ancient academic philosophy. Recent additions to social improvements and amenities on all levels of the university, from re-introducing a football team (they used to be a member of the Big Ten!) to implementing the house system of living for undergraduates, have made that age old, gold standard, academic intensity more accessible and enjoyable for enrolling students. If you've not looked into the school, I would highly recommend it for those who prioritize "the life of the mind" (as the college's saying goes).
Chicago has long been defined by its quirky, intellectual essay questions, mentioned in a few previous posts. If you want to get a head start on Chicago's application for the 2010-11 application, the just released essay questions are as follows:
Essay Option 1: Find x.
Inspired by Benjamin Nuzzo, an admitted student from Eton College, UK
Essay Option 2: Dog and Cat. Coffee and Tea. Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye. Everyone knows there are two types of people in the world. What are they?
Inspired by an alumna of the Class of 2006
Essay Option 3: Salt, governments, beliefs, and celebrity couples are a few examples of things that can be dissolved. YouҀve just been granted the power to dissolve anything: physical, metaphorical, abstract, concreteŀ you name it. What do you dissolve, and what solvent do you use?
Inspired by Greg Gabrellas, A.B. 2009
Essay Option 4: ӀHonesty is the best policy, but honesty wonҀt get your friend free birthday cake at the diner.Ԁ - Overheard in the city of Chicago.
Does society require constant honesty? Why is it (or why is it not) problematic to shift the truth in oneҀs favor, even if the lie is seemingly harmless to others? If we can be Ӏconveniently honest,Ԁ what other virtues might we take more lightly?
Inspired by Eleanor Easton, a second-year in the College
Chicago has long been defined by its quirky, intellectual essay questions, mentioned in a few previous posts. If you want to get a head start on Chicago's application for the 2010-11 application, the just released essay questions are as follows:
Essay Option 1: Find x.
Inspired by Benjamin Nuzzo, an admitted student from Eton College, UK
Essay Option 2: Dog and Cat. Coffee and Tea. Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye. Everyone knows there are two types of people in the world. What are they?
Inspired by an alumna of the Class of 2006
Essay Option 3: Salt, governments, beliefs, and celebrity couples are a few examples of things that can be dissolved. YouҀve just been granted the power to dissolve anything: physical, metaphorical, abstract, concreteŀ you name it. What do you dissolve, and what solvent do you use?
Inspired by Greg Gabrellas, A.B. 2009
Essay Option 4: ӀHonesty is the best policy, but honesty wonҀt get your friend free birthday cake at the diner.Ԁ - Overheard in the city of Chicago.
Does society require constant honesty? Why is it (or why is it not) problematic to shift the truth in oneҀs favor, even if the lie is seemingly harmless to others? If we can be Ӏconveniently honest,Ԁ what other virtues might we take more lightly?
Inspired by Eleanor Easton, a second-year in the College
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Application Process Begins for the Class of 2011
As you might imagine, I have been waiting several years to get to the point of applying to college myself and I am feeling very confident so far that I can remain in control of the system, not the other way around. I will be blogging about my own application process as I experience it, hopefully before my blog's guests so that any advice can be of use.
This is the real thing; we rising seniors are just months away from sending out thick envelopes into which snippets of our very souls have been poured. However, as goes my very strict policy whenever I counsel people - no freaking. Period. Even though many consider me to be a college fanatic, I'm seldom "stressed" by college admissions because I understand the process well and think of the process and of myself as an applicant, fairly objectively. I seriously condone "feeling a school" or using the term "whatever" or "whim" in conversation about admissions. Your applications should be deliberate and the schools to which you apply should truly match your expectations and personality. This doesn't mean that reach schools are out of bounds (I love to see them), it just means that you either do an application 100% or you don't do it at all, no matter what the school. Many applicants get lazy and use the excuse that there are no right schools for them or that they are indifferent about where they go. These applicants have not looked hard enough for the school or schools right for them. If you are experiencing confusion into the late fall, contact a counselor or myself for some direction.
Thinking about the process ahead of time is incredibly important. Even though applications to most schools aren't due until January 1st, this doesn't mean that whatever you are thinking on December 31st should be what determines a large part of your future. I have gotten into the habit of producing a personal list of colleges almost every day, whenever I think about college. This way, I find my mind clear of college clutter, and I'm able to capture that important detail that made me (on that particular day) favor one college over another. After several weeks (or years in my case) of these notes or scraps of paper, you will have better insight into the way you think about the process and about what you really want. For example, I have always liked Bowdoin College in Maine, but it has never been on the forefront of my mind and has never really been my top choice college. However, after going through many notes, I was able to trace my attachment to a variety of different factors that I soon discovered defined much of my impression of that school. Even though it has seldom been my top choice college, I noticed that it has been my number two or three consistently for over two years, thus making it a really important school on my list, since I have unwittingly become rather attached to it.
Here is an example of my college list, which has gone pretty much unchanged over the course of the summer. Especially for those applicants considering Early Decision or Early Action programs, as I am, it is a great idea to write out lists to see where your priorities lie and which schools would be good early application choices for you. It's okay to get strategic here. After you have been indecisive about a number of schools, it's fair to say after a certain point that you would be happy at any of them, and it is okay to apply Early Decision I to a reach school and Early Decision II or Early Action to a somewhat less selective school just in case your reach doesn't work out. Make lists. Make lists. Make lists... And stay posted for college visits I will be doing on day trips from Harvard: Amherst, Boston College, Tufts, Dartmouth, Brown, and Yale will likely be covered in addition to Harvard itself!
This is the real thing; we rising seniors are just months away from sending out thick envelopes into which snippets of our very souls have been poured. However, as goes my very strict policy whenever I counsel people - no freaking. Period. Even though many consider me to be a college fanatic, I'm seldom "stressed" by college admissions because I understand the process well and think of the process and of myself as an applicant, fairly objectively. I seriously condone "feeling a school" or using the term "whatever" or "whim" in conversation about admissions. Your applications should be deliberate and the schools to which you apply should truly match your expectations and personality. This doesn't mean that reach schools are out of bounds (I love to see them), it just means that you either do an application 100% or you don't do it at all, no matter what the school. Many applicants get lazy and use the excuse that there are no right schools for them or that they are indifferent about where they go. These applicants have not looked hard enough for the school or schools right for them. If you are experiencing confusion into the late fall, contact a counselor or myself for some direction.
Thinking about the process ahead of time is incredibly important. Even though applications to most schools aren't due until January 1st, this doesn't mean that whatever you are thinking on December 31st should be what determines a large part of your future. I have gotten into the habit of producing a personal list of colleges almost every day, whenever I think about college. This way, I find my mind clear of college clutter, and I'm able to capture that important detail that made me (on that particular day) favor one college over another. After several weeks (or years in my case) of these notes or scraps of paper, you will have better insight into the way you think about the process and about what you really want. For example, I have always liked Bowdoin College in Maine, but it has never been on the forefront of my mind and has never really been my top choice college. However, after going through many notes, I was able to trace my attachment to a variety of different factors that I soon discovered defined much of my impression of that school. Even though it has seldom been my top choice college, I noticed that it has been my number two or three consistently for over two years, thus making it a really important school on my list, since I have unwittingly become rather attached to it.
Here is an example of my college list, which has gone pretty much unchanged over the course of the summer. Especially for those applicants considering Early Decision or Early Action programs, as I am, it is a great idea to write out lists to see where your priorities lie and which schools would be good early application choices for you. It's okay to get strategic here. After you have been indecisive about a number of schools, it's fair to say after a certain point that you would be happy at any of them, and it is okay to apply Early Decision I to a reach school and Early Decision II or Early Action to a somewhat less selective school just in case your reach doesn't work out. Make lists. Make lists. Make lists... And stay posted for college visits I will be doing on day trips from Harvard: Amherst, Boston College, Tufts, Dartmouth, Brown, and Yale will likely be covered in addition to Harvard itself!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Online study revolutionizes modern education system
Online study programs, courses and structure are very different from the normal contemporary classes. The most important feature of online study is that the students do not have to attend the class yet they can surf the notes of their study materials via online stored in their inbox. They can easily access their inbox at what so ever time of the day they feel like. The examinations are also held online and the students do not need to reach the examination hall. Also the registration for enrolling their name in the admission form, the students can fill online. The online study course fees are also paid via online banking systems. The most advantageous benefit of the online study programs are that the students can also pursue any extra curricular activities side by side of their online education if they want, because the study period of the online notes are not very long and the students and start and end them at any desirable point of time.
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