The Pros and Cons of Getting an Education Degree [Sponsored by Redlands]

So you what to be a teacher. Do you get a bachelor’s degree in Education or your favourite subject? Getting an education degree does have its benefits.

In the U.S., the minimum requirement to get certified is to have a B.A. But, in addition to that, you will also need to pass standardized tests, have field experience, and have a great first year as a teacher while you are undergoing evaluation.

Knowledge

By getting a degree in English instead of English Education, for example, you will be able to spend a lot more time learning about your subject matter. You will learn more about the subject you will end up teaching and be able to pass on that valuable knowledge to your students.

By getting the education degree, you will not spend all your time learning about English (or another subject you may end up teaching) because you will spend time learning about teaching itself.

But teaching is easy right?

As humans we are great learners and teacher, but there are specific techniques you can learn which will help your student acquire and retain knowledge. Teaching is not just about the subject you are teaching but it is also about teaching itself.

Tricks of the Trade

By getting a education degree, your professors will have had actual teaching experience which they can use to pass on valuable information to help you in your career. What do you do when you get a classroom with a loadmouth? How do you deal with a bully picking on another student?

Having the answer to these questions and knowing how to deal with these situations will definitely help during your first few years of teaching.

Passing the Bar

Sometimes you will be able to skip the certification exams in your state by having an education degree. If that is not the case, at least you will be better equipt to pass the exam without needing to do excessive studying on your own.

Job Placement

Many schools offer job placement programs both for your student teaching job, while you are still in school (to gain experience), and your post-graduation job. Job placement is a great way to save some time job hunting, though you will likely want to do a little of that on your own as well to make sure you get the best fit.

Are you in an education program? Share your tips in the comments below.

This post is brought to you by the California university, Redlands School of Education. Find out more about education degree.

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The Benefits of Business School [Sponsored by U of Redlands]

Everybody knows that business school has numerous benefits. In this article we outline some of the key benefits so you can decide if it is the right choice for you.

Career Benefits:

Increase in Pay

Last year, people who had a BA in business earned on average 35% more than those without a degree. Getting a business degree while already employed led to higher-paying jobs and raises.

Job Security

Most corporate jobs seek people with business or engineering degrees. Without one of these two, finding a job will be much more difficult. In addition, getting a business degree while you already have a job will give you more opportunities for advancement and improve your job security.

Personal Benefits:

Interpersonal Relationships

Sure, you might list ‘interpersonal skills’ on your resume, but business school can actually improve how you interact with other people. You don’t need a psychology degree to understand how people expect you to behave and what is appropriate, but business school does help.

Business Skills

Going to business school can teach you some great business skills (who would have thought?). You will learn teamwork, strategic planning, how to manage people, problem-solving, and about the realities of business. Those skills can be used during your career, personal relationships, or if one day you want to run your own company. Learning those skills on your own can cost you a ton of money and a bunch of time. Someone who’s been there could have easily helped you avoid making the same mistakes they have made.

It Can Be Fun

In business school you will be learning how to make money, how to manage people, and how to think like a business person. It’s not just about studying for your exams; it’s about having fun learning with your classmates.

Connections

Those same classmates can make great connections for the future. In business school, you will learn about networking and it is a great place to start. Many of your classmates will have similar aspirations and will be great people to know.

This post is brought to you by The University of the Redlands school of business. Find out more about business school.

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The 8 Best and Weirdest Gadgets for Students

Gone are the days when a plucky young freshman would turn up at college with little more than a chewed pencil behind his ear and a simple, honest willingness to learn. These days if it can’t be plugged in, it’s passé, and study is aided and abetted by a whole host of cool new toys.

We’ve been scouring gadget-land for our top five college-friendly gizmos – and the best part is they’re all investments that you can make without putting too big a dent in your keg fund…  

Must-have

A laptop is an essential bit of kit for anyone studying this century. The market is crammed with options, so have a click about on a site like laptopadvisor.com before taking the plunge. If you’re looking for a no-frills model then the Acer Aspire (from around $630) could fit the bill.

It boasts enough RAM to handle basic tasks plus media editing and gaming, and its eight hour battery should see you through a day of classes without breaking a sweat.

Shhhh!

Anyone with a roommate, housemate or indeed people living within three miles of where they want to study will appreciate the eyeball-peeling frustration that comes with noise pollution. Noise-cancelling headphones may sound like witchcraft, but they work by actively erasing lower-frequency sound waves. This über-cool technology can be yours for anything between $50 and $500. As with any gadget like this you get what you pay for, but the Sennheiser – PXC310 gets great write-ups and can adorn your head in exchange for around $300. Click to continue reading…

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Adobe Contest Winner: Costel Sandu

Costel just won $2,600 worth of Adobe software in the Adobe Contest that just ended.

For those that did not win, you can still buy all Adobe products at up to 80% discount if you are a student. Be sure to do it before you graduate to be eligible. Visit this link for more information: http://adobe.ly/kraybU

Here is Costel’s logo which will be the new logo for our Leafaholic network:

Did Costel’s logo deserve his win? Do you think another one of the logos was better? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Here are some of the participants:

Click to continue reading…

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Win a Free Version of Adobe CS 5.5 (Normally $2,599)

This contest is now closed. A winner announcement is located here.

Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 is Adobe’s latest software update to their entire CS collection. Whether you are a photographer, graphic designer, web developer, movie editor, book or magazine publisher, or just trying to create a professional-looking project on your own time, Adobe CS 5.5 is the best software for you. And we are not just saying that because Adobe was nice enough to let us have a version of their CS 5.5 Master Collection to give away. At Leafaholic, we use Dreamweaver and Photoshop almost daily!

So how can you get your hands on this awesome piece of software normally worth $2,599? Click to continue reading…

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