In December 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced $12.9 million ed-tech grants for community colleges and remedial courses. According to the Gates Foundation web site, the recipient of the grants will:

• Work with community college educators to create cutting-edge virtual environments
that will support teachers and improve students’ academic performance.

• Create collaborative technology and social media tools to form virtual communities for
high quality educators to create a national certification program for teachers of
remedial education.

• Develop dynamic virtual learning labs, which can be freely accessed and used as open
resources.

EduCause, a non-profit organization, recently earmarked substantial funds for technology projects aimed at preparing students for college. One of EduCause’s goals is to combine online classes with traditional classroom curricula, where students can take basic, non-credit, supplemental courses for college readiness. The grants will also focus on postsecondary education by creating technology to track students’ academic performance in real time, as well as create open, virtual educational tools.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Education Technology Funds, ARRA EETT Competitive Grant Program supports efforts to improve students’ learning and academic progress through innovative uses of technology. Among other things, the government grant program seeks to foster online learning and instruction connected to students’ and educators’ development.

Today’s collaborative technology and social media tools are integral to keeping students and teachers engaged in the learning process. Why is it important to take fresh initiatives to integrate Web 2.0 technology in education to increase student retention and college retention?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor statistics, by 2016, fifty- percent of all U.S. jobs will require college-level skills.

Moreover, a recent research conducted by PayScale, an U.S. company that gathers information on salaries, shows college graduates from top schools earn nearly $1 million more than a typical high school graduate (source: Bloomberg Businessweek, June 28, 2010).

Based on specific variables, a comparative breakdown of the PayScale data shows a 30-year net return on college investment as follows:

• Ivy-League colleges = $1.4M

• Private College = $559.2K

• Non-Ivies = $384.4K

• Public colleges = $322.5K

The PayScale numbers also benchmark the average 30-year net return on investment of college education at 9%, only second to S&P 500 investment at 11%, and ahead of 30-year Treasuries and Gold at 4% and 2.6%, respectively.

In broad terms, college degrees will yield a high rate of return both in terms of skill-set development and earnings.

Initiatives to develop collaborative, online learning tools and virtual environments, funded by ed-tech grants, are steps toward creating modular, individually customized curriculum based on students’ needs, interests and objectives. This, in turn, will help students prepare for and negotiate college, and leave with degrees in hand.

-Lilly Golden, Examville Blog Contributor

Before you go out and start applying for student loans, you should pursue financing that doesn’t have to be paid back – i.e., grants and scholarships. It is definitely a good idea to work and study hard in high school. If you have good grades, you should qualify for some kind of scholarship at your school that will at least partially offset your tuition. Another area that can help you with scholarships is your extracurricular activities. Like it or not, you need to think of your high school career in terms of building a resume. The better your resume, the better your chance of getting scholarships. The more things you can do to get your tuition bill down to start with, the easier it will be to figure out how to fund the rest of it.

There are a number of different need-based grants, such as Pell grants, SMART grants, and SEOG grants. There are grants provided by the federal government and grants provided by the states. If you know where you are going to school, you should probably call or visit your school and ask for information about grants and other student aid. You can also find a lot of information by searching online.

The first step in applying for financial aid, such as grants, is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The FAFSA has a little over 100 questions that help the government and institutions get a good picture of your financial and academic standing. A lot of financial documentation is required to complete the form, so you should give yourself plenty of time. To make things as easy as possible, you should use the FAFSA4Caster, which is an online application that helps you estimate your eligibility for federal student aid. The information you enter in the FAFSA4Caster can also be ported to the real application, which will save you some time.

If you’re serious about graduating from college debt-free, then you want to avoid student loans. However, the FAFSA will also help you get student loans if need be. Many private student loans offer very good interest rates, so it’s definitely an option.

There is a growing trend in the U.S. of high schools offering classes to students to let them earn college credit before they even enter credit. This is FREE education that will reduce the number of hours you need to take in college to get your degree. You should definitely take advantage of this opportunity if it is offered by your school. The fewer hours of classes you need in college, the less money you’ll need to pay tuition.

If after applying for grants and scholarships, and getting as many credit hours as you can in advance, you still need money, there’s always the old fashioned way to get it: working for it. Possibly the most popular way for college students to make good money is waiting tables in restaurants. In a good restaurant, you could make up to $20 per hour or more. If you’re not the waiting type, you may need to think out of the box. Any job will do, but to pay tuition and living expenses, and still have some money left over, you will probably need to make more than you can make working for minimum wage. Some possibilities include buying and selling items on eBay or offering tutoring services.

Our final tip is to graduate early. You don’t have to spend four years to get your degree (and certainly not five or six, as some students like to do). If you take a heavy load every semester, you can graduate in three or three and a half years. Obviously, the fewer semesters you have to pay for, the less you’ll have to spend. Sure, you’ll be working hard and may not be able to party with your friends as much. But if you’re serious about graduating from college debt-free, then you’ll do what you have to do.

Scholarships tied to release of new title, Where’s the Map? Create Your OWN Guide to Life after Graduation

There is an emerging trend in the US of high school graduates taking a gap year before they enter college. The New York Times has recently published several articles about this trend, and Princeton University announced that it is developing a gap year program for incoming freshmen.

The Hoods encourage young people to spend time focusing on their goals and life plans before making any major college or career decisions, and they see a gap year as a perfect opportunity to give graduates a chance to take this necessary time to sort out these decisions. The picture seems ideal for many students who are not ready for college and need time to recharge their batteries, clarify their vision for the future, and explore the freedom of being on their own. But is taking time off a luxury only rich kids can afford?

“There is a stereotype from a previous era that pegs gap years as being frivolous globetrotting by children of the wealthy, at their parents’ expense. This is no longer the case. For years, the concept of a gap year has been encouraged in countries such as Canada, England, and Australia as a way for graduates to clarify their future goals, provide volunteer service, and become global citizens,” said James Hood.

Many gap years now involve internships, volunteer work, caretaking jobs, apprenticeships, or specialized training programs. There are opportunities available in the US and abroad that provide not only room and board, but also a stipend to participants. Some national service organizations even offer a living allowance, health coverage, and an education scholarship award after successfully completing a term of service. The Hoods both participated in a service gap year after college, building low-income housing with Habitat for Humanity through Americorps.

In support of such opportunities, James Hood said, “It’s easy to find scholarships for college, but pretty rare to find someone who will give you money to participate in a gap year. We’d like to start a new trend.”

For additional information about the Gap Year Scholarship Program or a free chapter of Where’s the Map?, contact authors Beth and James Hood, or visit wheresthemap.com. Applications for the scholarship are due August 1st, 2008, and will be awarded in September. Scholarships are available for high school graduates, college students and college graduates between the ages of 18-25.

•    The coordinator should estimate the number of students, parents, teachers and other faculty that will attend. See the seats available in the venue and order added seats if it’s not enough. The arrangement of seats is important in the kind of events and it should be properly organized and arrange.

•    Purchase a satin drape to cover the podium beneath the top platform. You can purchase from some commercial store or you can make your own caps and gowns for less according to your school theme color. Add some colored cord to accentuate and add more elegance to the handmade drape. This the most traditional way of decorating a college graduation ceremony with the use of college gowns.  

•    If the ceremony will be held in a venue with stage you can decorate the stage edges with different colorful garland. You may also hang some graduation materials like diploma caps, and caps and gowns for less. You can accomplish all these things by handmade or you can purchase readymade graduation hang from different party supply store. You have to create an atmosphere of a formal graduation ceremony.

•    Add some elegance by having red carpet that is being place at the aisle where the graduates will march down. Put additional runners on stairways and across the stage to complete the whole set up. This is the most effective way to decorate a ceremony. Most of you must be wondering where to buy graduation caps and gowns, there are guide on where you can find it.

•    Some uses a theme for their yearly graduation day. This theme is place in front of the stage with the use of big cut out letters. The letters is made from foam and colored papers that is being cut out individually.

•    Graduation day is typically held within the school premises. This is a nice idea and can make the graduation day less expensive compare to having your graduation day outside your school premises. You can also make use of the schools own flowers and drapes to make nice graduation ceremony.

Where to buy graduation caps and gowns is not a prime concern because there are lots of shops these days that cater to this need of the people.  In fact, you can make it look nice and elegant without using too many decorations. It should be simple make it more appropriate for a formal event like this.

Now parents are looking for cheap graduation gowns that fit their kids and the theme of the whole function. In case so, then you will have to give guests with list of the local hotels. You will as well have to reserve location for reception before of time, as the graduation weekend books up quickly. You might as well want to think having party following week in town. Have the pictures from ceremony that is available for all guests who cannot make that to actual event. The turnout can be greater in case you select to do that in this way. Depending on graduate’s preference, and there are many different kinds of the themed parties to select from. For elegant celebration, and have party that is catered or else in nice restaurant. If you are also looking for the right deal, then it’s the graduation cap and gown that can bring you more good results. There are several online stores on the Internet that can bring you right deal on these unique collections.

And decorate with the sharp colors and black is traditionally part of college graduates cap & gown. Make use of black as staple color & add touches of school colors and serve champagne & offer toast to graduate. For the informal celebration, you can hold party at residence and in this setting; feel is anything, from the BBQ or else buffet style to any other theme that your graduate likes. As the guests celebrate the accomplishment, it is good to have look back at your graduate’s journey. These online stores deal in college graduation caps and gowns and offering great discounts on these educational attires. These are the special types of educational attires that are now offering more values for any College  graduation day. All you need to opt for the online stores now and get your desired gown within an affordable deal.

Help your incoming college teen freshmen reach their dreams, judge situations wisely, and determine the best way around every obstacle by giving them unique college gifts. Finding cool college bound gifts isn’t going to be too tough. After all, most incoming freshmen need practically everything to help them cope with university life.

For the most part, college-bound kids need things they’ll get good use out of – practical items to help them get settled in their spanking new college campuses. College students also need comfortable things to keep them from being homesick students.

There’s plenty of college bound gifts that you can consider when shopping for your incoming college freshman son or daughter. However, if you’re stumped for an awesome college gift idea, consider the ones listed here.

Warm winter wear – Kids headed off to biting cold college campuses require warm winter apparel for those lengthy treks around school. Gift certificates – Consider gift certificates to electronics stores, restaurants, clothing shops and bookstores. Laundry gift baskets – These will make perfect going away to college gifts. Fill one laundry basket with fabric softener, a roll of quarters, laundry soap, dryer sheets and directions for separating laundry. This college gift idea has the incoming freshman’s name written all over it. Jewelry – For the parents who want to be around their college-bound kids 24/7, these sorts of college bound gifts will do the trick. These could be necklaces, rings, bracelets, a pair of earrings or a locket. Friendship stones – If jewelry pieces are too pricey college bound gifts, try giving friendship stones as going away to college gifts. The most popular of these is the Tiger’s eye semiprecious gemstone. It is believed to make its owner think clearer and convert negative perceptions into positive energy. With this college gift idea, your connection with your children won’t be broken. The stones will always remind them you’re close by if they need you.

Whatever college bound gifts you wind up giving your loved ones, just be sure it’s something tied to their interests. The Internet has a ton more options on unique college gifts. Check out a few college gift idea websites, but asking your friends for suggestions also wouldn’t hurt.

The best among several college student gift ideas is a basket full of fresh-baked cookies that will remind of the good old times he or she spent at home with parents and family. You can also personalize it by sending some memorabilia along with the basket.

Electronic accessories are always a hit among college students. Latest gizmos, from Xbox to iPhones to iPods to digital cameras to laptops to even external storage devices, like Flash-drives and portable external hard drives that are extremely beneficial in their academic pursuits as well, are much in demand.

College life could be extremely stressful. So while you are scanning through the college student gift ideas, spare a thought for your son or daughter who is under constant pressure of performance. The college students usually cheer any kind of gift that takes the stress away. These gifts may take the shape of portable massagers, yoga instructional DVD’s, herbal teas, and even a stress relief gift basket.

A gift certificate or tickets to their favorite sports event or movies or rock concert are just as welcome from the college students as any other thoughtful gift. Undoubtedly, out of hundreds of college student gift ideas, there are only handfuls that can be realistically termed as appropriate for college students. The idea is to identify and go for the appropriate ones and eliminate the inappropriate ones from your list.

When May rolls around, the stores start filling up with decorations and Graduation Invitations, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com If you’ve got a teenager leaving high school or a young adult preparing to finish college, then it might time for you to start focusing on the graduation invitation and thinking not only about planning a great party but also on choosing the right present to show how proud you are of their accomplishments. Below are some gift ideas you might want to consider and might be good to pass on to people who receive your invitations for graduation.

High School Graduation Invitations, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com/high_school/cards/productlisting-2-16.htm & Gifts

When teenagers finish high school, they usually already have some idea of what they will be doing next. If your graduate is planning to head for college, then you might want to look for gifts that will be practical for them. For example, a laptop computer can be an excellent choice. Your son or daughter will definitely need one while attending college. Other traditional ideas, such as a car or money, may also be a good idea.

For people who have received your commencement invitation, you might want to recommend gift cards to stores where your son or daughter can purchase items for their dorm. Gift cards to the college bookstore are a nice idea as well. If those invitations graduation reach people who want to purchase something practical and personal, then they might want to get some type of engraved item, such as a pen or keychain. Digital photo frames can also be a nice gift.

If your high school graduate isn’t planning on heading to college, then money is always going to be a useful gift. For a student who already has plans to move out on his or her own, having everyone who receives graduation stationary pitch in cash to cover the first and last month’s rent will provide the former student with a great start to an independent life.

Gifts for College Graduation Invitations, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com/college_university/cards/productlisting-1-11.htm

Finishing college is an even greater accomplishment than completing high school. After all, your student had to work very hard to achieve this goal and that work should definitely be rewarded with a wonderful present. Since the majority of college graduates leave school with a degree and plenty of debt, giving money is always one of the best choices. You don’t necessarily have to hand over a wad of bills either. Instead, pay off one of the student’s credit cards. He or she will definitely appreciate having one less bill to pay.

Another idea is to ask anyone who gets one of the discount graduation invitations in the mail to pitch in so that you can all send the college graduate on a wonderful trip somewhere. Having a great vacation with some time to relax before starting a new career or heading off to graduate school can be one of the nicest presents possible. Of course, if you can’t afford a big vacation, consider something a little less fabulous, such as a day at the spa or a shopping spree for professional attire. Just remember to keep all of these suggestions off the Graduation Invitations, http://www.cardsshoppe.com/graduation-announcements/graduation-invitations.htm and share them only when asked by guests.

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Graduation Wording for Graduation Announcements and Invitations

After you pat yourself on the back for accomplishing a tremendous feat by graduating, you can start thinking about how to share this amazing event with the people closest to you in the world. Generally, you will do this with some type of mailing and that means you’ll need to think carefully about the Graduation Wording, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com/wording.php. Here are some pointers.

Graduation Announcements vs. Invitations

Your first decision is what type of mailing you want to choose. If you plan on asking friends or family members to attend the graduation ceremony itself or to come to a party thrown in your honor to celebrate your big day, you should mail graduation invitations. Of course, you may not be able to invite everyone you want. In that case, you’ll probably want to choose announcement stationery instead. The main difference is that it shares the good news but doesn’t extend the invitation.

Normally, you would use the announcements when you only have a limited number of tickets for the ceremony or when you have out-of-town friends or family members you know will not be able to attend.

Graduation Wordings, http://www.cardsshoppe.com/graduation-announcements/graduation-wordings.htm for Invitations

If you’re planning how to word the invitations, the choice depends on what you are inviting the guests to attend. If you want them to come to your graduation ceremony and to attend a small party at home afterward, the message below would be a good choice:

Miss Arianna Masters Invites You to Attend Her Graduation Ceremony at Clark College in the Liberal Arts Hall on May 18th at 3 o’clock

A reception will follow at her parents’ home immediately after.

You may also want to include a map to the college and to her parent’s home to make things easier for the guests. An RSVP number would also be appropriate. If tickets have been handed out for the event, you can either mail the ticket with the invitation (if tickets are unlimited) or you can arrange to meet at a central location so everyone can collect their tickets before heading to the event. Obviously, if no reception is held afterward, you can leave that line off. For an invitation to the party instead of to the ceremony, you can use standard party wording for your graduation wording.

Announcements & Graduation Wordings, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com/wording.php

The example below provides some information that would not be needed in the invitation. You can see this in the same below.

Mr. Alex Salvatino Proudly Announces the Completion of His Bachelor of Science in Accounting From Acme University On May 3, 2008

In addition to the content above, you could mention if she had graduated with honors, had been a member of any Greek organizations or college clubs, her GPA, or her future plans following graduation. Any of this information would have been a good addition to the Graduation Announcements Wording Verses, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com/wording.php for the announcement. Remember not to include any details about gifts on either the invitations or the announcements.

One of the proudest moments of your life might be the day you drop those College Graduation Invitations, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com/college_university/cards/productlisting-1-11.htm in the mail. This is a moment you’ve been working for and you want to share it with everyone who is close to you. Of course, you’ve probably not had the chance to mail College Graduation Announcements, http://www.graduationcardsshop.com/college_university/cards/productlisting-1-11.htm before so you may need some pointers to help you stay organized and to give you the guidance you’ll be needing as you send out those cards.

School Graduation Announcements

If you family is going to be paying for your graduating college announcements, you probably won’t have to worry about the cost as much. However, if you are making the purchase and are still living on a student’s salary, you’ll probably want to steer clear of the cards sold through your college that are generally higher.

If you purchase the cards through an online vendor, however, you might be able to save money on the cards and on the shipping. You can often find college graduation cards, http://www.cardsshoppe.com/graduation-announcements/college-university-graduation.htm available for a lot less and the shipping costs tend to be more reasonable.

Another way to lower your costs for college graduating invitations is by purchasing invitations that you use on your own printer at home. You’ll create the message on your invitation using your existing computer software then that message is printed directly on the invitations. This style of college graduation card isn’t blank though – it usually includes some type of graphic and by shopping online you’ll be able to find more choices.

No matter whether you are printing your own College University Graduation, http://www.cardsshoppe.com/graduation-announcements/college-university-graduation.htm or having them printed professionally there is some basic information you need to include. The details you should include are your degree, your name, your university, and other information about your school commencement. If you’ve earned other designations during your college career, you shouldn’t be shy about adding these to your college commencement cards.

College Graduation Announcements Party

When you send out your colleges graduation information, you may want to include “Reception to Follow” on the announcement so guests know you will also be having a celebration afterward to which they are also invited. Generally, anyone you invite to the graduate commencement should also be invited to attend the party. The only exception would be if the party is strictly for your fellow graduating students.

Leave off any information about gifts from your college graduation announcements. Make sure you let your family know if there are any gifts you might want to have, such as cash or luggage or even a nice pen and pencil set. Gift certificates are always a nice present, too. Your family should also know about your post-graduation plans that might help guests figure out the best present for this special occasion.