posted by Carleigh on Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Today, a problem celebrates 150 years of being unsolved.
Here's a problem you won't find on the Cramster Q&A board: The Riemann Hypothesis.
Proposed by mathematician Bernhard Riemann in 1859, the Riemann hypothesis has yet to be proven true.
Think you can do it? Get to work! The Clay Mathematics Institute is offering a cool million for the correct solution.
related topics: Math news
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posted by Carleigh on Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Missed us? Don't fret, the Cramster blog is back in action. Ready? Go!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, the blog is back.
Before the edtech and current event posts begin, I'd like to use this space to get everyone reacquainted with Cramster!
Tweet Tweet!
Are you following Cramster on twitter? You sure should be! Mention @Cramster in a tweet and you could win 50 karma points! That's right, you're less than 140 characters away from 50 kps.
Why Can't We Be Friends?
Oh, that's right, we can! Check out Cramster's facebook page and learn a little more about the Cramster team. We love our fans! If you want to be a part of the fanpage, and you have redeemed your karma points for an award, send a photo to evangelist@cramster.com and you'll get 20 karma points... and the fame of appearing in one of Cramster's facebook albums. Say cheese!
That's all for today, folks. Send us a shout out on twitter and facebook. See you tomorrow!
related topics: Just for fun
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posted by Carleigh on Thursday, September 17, 2009
Standardized testing procedures continue to underwhelm.
I dislike standardized testing. I've blogged about this before. Sure, it's a logical solution to test a large population of students and therefore judge them along the same standards, but that hardly means it is fair or accurate. But this is off topic.
Today's blog is about a shift in the standards of standardized testing. A shift for the worse.
In New York, state exams are becoming easier and easier to pass. No, the questions aren't being dumbed down. The required scores are.
In 2006, students needed to answer 60% of questions correctly to pass the state exams. Today, they need just 44% to pass.
Yikes.
I'm sure some students are stoked to take a test that is easier to pass. Who doesn't love a class curve? But passing students who are actually failing is a disservice to those students. They still need to learn, standardized test or none.
What standardized tests have you recently taken? What do you consider to be the pros and cons of standardized tests?
related topics: current events
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posted by kev1 on Saturday, September 05, 2009
Here is this week's brain teaser. Remember to post your answer to the discussions tab of the Cramster.com Facebook Fan Page!
Here's the latest brain teaser:
A circus juggler must perform a trick in which he crosses a narrow bridge juggling three balls. He weighs 80 kg and each one of the balls weighs 10 kg.
The bridge can only hold 100 kg before collapsing. The lion tamer said that as long as he kept one ball in the air, the bridge won't collapse. Is this true?
Know the answer?
First one to post the correct answer to the discussion tab of the Cramster.com Facebook Fan Page gets 10 karma points this week!
related topics: Brain teaser
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posted by Carleigh on Tuesday, September 01, 2009
It's Student Resource Center time!
When wallets are tight, deciding if/where to go to college and, more specifically, what to study is increasingly important.
Why not choose a major that can promise a little more return on investment? I blogged about this a few weeks ago in the post, A College Degree That Pays.
Now, experts are highlighting 5 emerging degrees that are gaining popularity among students. Among the 5? Forward-thinking areas of study like sustainability and service science.
Do any of the emerging areas of study appeal to you? Does your school offer degrees similar to those referenced in the article?
related topics: student resource center
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posted by Lynn and Jeremy on Monday, August 31, 2009
Cramster-favorite guest bloggers Lynn and Jeremy share some secrets to success!
The 16 Habits of Top College Students
Now that the semester is just about over, we thought we'd take a look back and see what makes some college students successful. Sometimes, it's a question of intelligence or insight. And sometimes, it's sheer good luck. But a lot of the time – unbeknownst to some students – it's a question of good habits: things you do on a regular basis that set you aside from the hordes of other, more scattered students. In the hopes of separating the sheep from the goats, here are what we've found to be the 16 habits of the most successful college students. You'll find that these folk:
1. Plan ahead. Not only do they know when the tests and papers fall in the semester, but they have a pretty good sense of what work needs to be done each week. Nice and balanced: no panic attacks or all-nighters come the tests or papers.
2. Divide up the tasks. Readings get broken up into manageable chunks (not 200 pages in one sitting). Quizzes and tests are studied for over the course of a week (not at 3 a.m. the night before). And paper ideas start gestating when the assignment is handed out (not two days before its due when you can barely formulate an idea, much less think through an issue).
3. Manage their surroundings. It's hard to do any real work without the tools for the job: a working computer with the right software, a printer, and even ink and paper to go with it. Not to mention the materials of the course: a full set of lecture notes, the textbooks and articles, and course handouts and assignments.
Likewise, hanging out with friends who don't know what courses they're taking – or why they're even in college – can create an environment so toxic that all attempts to study immediately wither and die. Pick your cohorts as carefully as you pick your courses.
4. Don't kid themselves. For instance, when you think you're studying but you're really tweeting about how you barely survived your bonfire-jumping last night. Or when you're alternating between reading the E-article and checking out your friend's Facebook page every eight seconds or so. Or when the only thing being studied in your study group is the other members of your study group. You're the easiest person you know to deceive. Don't.
5. Manage their feelings. It's difficult to excel in a course if you're feeling inadequate, bummed out, or doomed to fail. Students who know how to focus on their own positive achievements – rather than on what they got on the quiz that counts about 2 percent of the course grade – have a leg up on the rest.
6. Challenge themselves. Successful students are intellectually energetic. So when they read, they think actively about what they are reading. When they go to class they don't zone out or text (at least most of the time). On tests and papers, they pounce on the questions and answer them directly and fully. (This distinguishes their work from their cohorts trying to BS their way through the question.)
7. Are consistent. Tired or hung over? "I'm still going to make it to that 9 a.m. lecture." Late-night review session? "Like the owl, I do my best work at night." Three-hour final? "I'll stay to the bitter end. Maybe I can touch up my essay and collect a few extra points."
8. Are persistent. In some courses, some of the work is tough. Maybe it's a problem set that needs really hard thinking, or a paper that has to go through a number of painful drafts, or a presentation that has to be rehearsed repeatedly. The successful student doesn't flinch at the extra effort needed or the uncertainty of the result. His or her motto is: I'll get this right if it kills me. (Which it usually doesn't.)
9. Are open to feedback. While it's easy and more fun to toss away your graded papers and exams, or conveniently forget to pick them up, the best students carefully study the comments and go over any mistakes they've made. And then when the next graded piece of work rolls around, they take another look at the previous set of comments to see if there are any mistakes that they can correct on the new piece of work.
10. Ask when they don't understand. Look, you've got a mouth. So when you don't get something in the reading, in the lecture, or in the homework, ask someone who might know. Like the prof or TA, for example.
11. Engage the prof. No, not in preparation for marriage but by demonstrating a genuine interest in learning the material that the professor has devoted his or her life to mastering. Like going to an office hour, talking to the professor before or after class, or even sending a short E-mail asking some erudite question. People like someone who shares their interests.
12. Keep themselves in tip-top shape. Never underestimate the value of sleeping and eating right. As basic as it may sound, staying healthy is a crucial part of a successful semester. For some reason, being sick as a dog just isn't conducive to mastering topology, Russian history, or international finance.
13. Look out for No. 1. While some students are willing to blow off a week of school to satisfy the needs of others – for example, a demanding boss during busy season or an Uncle Dick who schedules his third wedding two days before finals – successful students know that college is their job and make doing well their highest priority. Especially during the college busy season, the last month of the semester when those big-ticket items like the term paper and the final exam roll around and 2/3 of the grade is won or lost.
14. Visualize success. It always helps you achieve a goal if you devote some time to visualizing yourself achieving it. Not just vaguely daydreaming, but seeing yourself as a success and experiencing the feelings that go with success. This will give you the motivation to go out and do what you have to do to make it happen.
15. Learn from experience. Instead of coming unglued if something goes wrong in a course – say, bombing a test or paper – the best students view any setbacks as learning experiences that, in the end, teaches them what they need to know to do better in this course -- and all their other courses too.
16. Aim high (or at least to a decent level). In college, simple regurgitation of the basics doesn't cut it. Top students know that doing the minimum gets a B minus -- at best. And that, in many courses, a B minus puts you toward the bottom of the heap.
Dr. Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S Hyman are co-authors of the book Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College-- tips
that work from the ones who know. You can download a free chapter here, or e-mail Lynn and Jeremy a question or comment here. We'd love
to hear from you!
©2009, Professors' Guide LLC. All rights reserved.
related topics: College know-how
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posted by kev1 on Friday, August 28, 2009
Here is this week's brain teaser. Remember to post your answer to the discussions tab of the Cramster.com Facebook Fan Page!
Here's the latest brain teaser:
Carleigh has a large collection of pets. 1/3 of them are cats, 1/4 of them are dogs, 1/5 are hamsters and the rest are goldfish. If Carleigh has 39 goldfish, how many pets in total does she have?
Know the answer?
First one to post the correct answer to the discussion tab of the Cramster.com Facebook Fan Page gets 10 karma points this week!
related topics: Brain teasers
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posted by Carleigh on Thursday, August 27, 2009
I'll admit it: I am a multitasker.
Do you multitask? Are you good at it? Some wear it as a badge of pride, boasting of their multitasking abilities.
But this study may cause you to reexamine your habit.
Researchers found that multitasking can actually hinder productivity, as it may be more difficult for heavy multitaskers to focus on one task or efficiently switch between tasks.
Are you a multitasker? Do you feel this research reflects your multitasking experiences?
related topics: Effective studying
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posted by Carleigh on Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Today I present a tale of Facebook failure.
A few months ago, Ohio State released a study pointing to Facebook as the cause of poor student performance. Skeptics (like me) were quick to point out that the study was flawed, and did not prove that Facebook actually causes lower grades.
So Facebook can't be singled out as the cause of student failure... but could it be a determining factor? Recently two students were caught cheating... thanks to Facebook.
No, the students didn't cheat on or via Facebook, but they did use the social networking site to brag about it. The Facebook conversations were used as evidence, and the students got big fat zeros.
Cheaters. Never. Prosper.
related topics: current events, technology in the classroom
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posted by Carleigh on Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Yet another short and sweet Student Resource Center. Today it's all about making eco-friendly choices.
This topic has graced the Cramster blog before-- last Fall, my pal Peter got the discussion started and shared some resources for buying green school supplies.
This fall, as college students pack up and move into the dorms, here sites with green dorm ideas:
>> Project Green Dorm hopes to inspire high school and college students to live green.
>> Dorm Delicious offers some eco-friendly decorating tips.
>> Trend Central provides some insight on current waste and suggestions on how to combat it.
What is your school doing to encourage students to be eco-friendly?
related topics: College know-how
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