UNCG Online Blog

Infographics are everywhere, covering everything from space missions to internet connectivity to depletion of natural resources to the relative trustworthiness of beards.

Like it or not, 95 percent of college students use Facebook, usually for several hours each week. More than half use Twitter. You can resist that trend, banning laptops in class. But why not leverage the force of social media for educational good?

My oldest son is a kindergarten teacher. His mother and I are extremely proud of him and like to think we had a little influence on his choice of professions. Every day he helps shape all the learning that will ever come after for boys and girls just beginning their formal education. It is truly a labor of love for him.

How much do you love an A? When I was in graduate school, I was pretty much obsessed with As. I would go so far as to say that, in my mind, any grade other than A was F. In undergraduate school, not so much. But, I always felt that I earned my A - I was a diligent student who made sure to understand the teacher's demands and rise to the challenge of scholarship.

This is the first in a series of four posts on love and education here at the UNCG Online Blog. 
Love of learning, learning for life, lifelong learning–do any of these sound familiar? In my world (higher education), these words are so common they don't hold much meaning for me anymore. Lately I've been thinking about how to imbue "lifelong learning" again with that spark, that excitement I feel that education promises.

If the concept of learning via a computer once carried a stigma, then tens of millions of students and educators have since changed their minds.

First, let’s deal with the elephant in the room: yes, you CAN learn basket weaving online. But there’s more to continuing education online than learning arts and crafts. A whole lot more.

When you're younger than twenty-something, you can't imagine it'll ever happen. But one day you wake up and discover I'm an adult! Yikes! Where did time go and why didn't I take advantage of my opportunities? Is it too late to get my education?

It's a new year and for most folks, that means resolutions. So let's kick off 2012 with a roundup of links for self-improvement you can do online.

1. You can take music lessons online via Skype.

2. You can find a better job. 

3. You can take a few free classes online or better yet, go back to school.

4. You can pick up a new hobby. 

5. You can work on your personal fitness.

6. You can learn a foreign language.

7. You can get organized at work and at home.

   Did you make any new year's resolutions? Are you using any online tools to help you achieve them?

That’s changed. Now your dog might have his own social media accounts. And based on your search queries and shopping habits, the Internet has probably recorded his eating habits and preferences in toys, (or in the case of my cat, eagerness to play fetch like a dog).