onlinephdprogram.org http://onlinephdprogram.org Online PhD Program Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:13:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 10 Trusted Learning Tips for PhD Students http://onlinephdprogram.org/2013/10-trusted-learning-tips-for-phd-students/ http://onlinephdprogram.org/2013/10-trusted-learning-tips-for-phd-students/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:18:48 +0000 Contributor http://onlinephdprogram.org/?p=688 Continue reading →]]> If you’re a PhD candidate, you’ve been in college long enough (hopefully) to know how to avoid mistakes freshman commonly make. Nonetheless, there is an inherent learning curve for any new experience and going after the most prestigious accreditation a university can give is no different. The following tips will help set you up to succeed in your PhD program.

  1. Get Enough Sleep.

    2. It will certainly be harder than your time as an undergrad to get the appropriate amount of sleep, but it is even more crucial. Sleep deprivation inhibits everything from attention, alertness, concentration to reasoning and problem solving.

  2. Relieve Stress as Often as Possible.

    3. The effects of stress ripple into other areas of your life more than just about anything else. Stress contributes to sleep deprivation more than alcohol, caffeine, or using electronics late at night.

  3. Don’t Be a Perfectionist.

    4. There are some commendable habits that just don’t transfer well to working on a thesis. The sum is more important than the parts and students very often find themselves so fixated on small details, they lose scope of the bigger picture.

  4. Understand There Will Be Failures.

    5. Working on a PhD requires a rewiring of the brain. You are no longer cramming for texts and exams, your goal is not as tangible as time as an undergraduate. Going after a PhD means presenting at least some sort of new insight to human knowledge. You must realize that you’re chasing the abstract, you’re attempting to go beyond what is already known. This is not a process that happens overnight, nor will there be a grand transformation. It will take time and the more readily cognizant you are of this, the better you will be in the long run.

  5. Find People with Whom to Socialize.

    6. If you’re new to an area, it is so crucial to find others with similar interests as you. A thesis is so time consuming that you need activities to look forward to that are not connected to it.

  6. Stay Organized.

    7. As much as many people hate large midterms and finals in undergraduate studies, they do enforce a fairly stringent routine of progress through college. PhD programs have largely undefined standards as to achieving the desired end. Keeping calendars and an organizer is something you may have brushed aside as an undergrad, but it will definitely be much more crucial when chasing a PhD.

  7. Take Advantage of Resources Around You.

    8. Graduate students have so much more access to working with professors and various materials. If you expect to get through your thesis, get advice and use what is available to you. It is likely you will never be surrounded by so many esteemed professionals again.

  8. Take Time To Find Your Own Way.

    9. As you get further into your PhD program, you may start to encounter questions that even professors and advisors don’t have the answers to, but remember- that is why you came to grad school.

    Your goal is to try and answer questions that people don’t currently have answers to.

  9. Be Less Concerned With Grades and More Concerned with Learning.

    10. The focus of a PhD program is not rooted in the grades that you get, it’s centered around gaining valuable insight on the subjects you’re studying. Getting a B will not affect the quality of your thesis and it will allow you to focus on the issue at hand- your thesis.

  10. Truly Consider If This Is What You Want To Do.

    11. It’s hard to imagine being 3-4 years into a PhD program to just realize that it isn’t for you. It is a completely different mindset from anything else you’ve ever done in your life and, for many, this will be the most life-defining achievement they will have. Just as it will be the biggest achievement, entering into a PhD program will be the biggest decision.

    ]]> http://onlinephdprogram.org/2013/10-trusted-learning-tips-for-phd-students/feed/ 0 Top 25 Education Technology Sites in 2012 http://onlinephdprogram.org/2012/education-technology/ http://onlinephdprogram.org/2012/education-technology/#comments Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:57:48 +0000 admin http://onlinephdprogram.org/?p=83 Continue reading →]]> Top 25 Education Technology Sites in 2012

    At every level of education, from primary school through doctoral studies, technological fluency is becoming essential to success. Though the education industry has not always been an early adopter of new technologies, the ubiquity of high speed internet connections and mobile communication devices now is leading some teachers, especially those who instruct young children, to embrace new tech in their classrooms. The following sites are some prime examples of ways that educators have integrated technology and education to enrich their students’ learning experiences.

    1. Cool Cat Teacher Blog

      Cool Cat Teacher Blog is all about “teaching students with new tools, enthusiasm, and belief that teaching is a noble calling.” The blog features links to other educational resources online, including free ebooks and other downloadable content.

    2. The Innovative Educator

      Lara Nielsen, the author of The Innovative Educator, advocates for the use of technology in education, and she has given lectures and contributed to numerous blogs. She is also the author of the book Teaching Generation Text.

    3. eLearning Blog: Don’t Waste Your Time

      This blog confronts misconceptions about eLearning and discusses various technologies and trends in the digitization of learning.

    4. Ask A Tech Teacher

      This blog covers a combination of homeschooling and technology topics. The author offers tech tips, homeschool lesson plans, and advice on how to integrate technology into education.

    5. Primary Edutech

      This site is dedicated to primary teachers and aims to provide info and advice about technologies that can be useful in primary classrooms, such as interactive whiteboards, iPads, and blogs.

    6. Ozge Karaoglu’s Blog

      Many of the posts on Ozge Karaoglu’s blog highlight useful technologies for a particular activity that could be used in a classroom or other educational setting. The blog mainly features tools that are useful for teaching very young students.

    7. iLearn Technology

      iLearn Technology is presented as “An EduBlog about integrating technology into the classroom.” The author cut her teeth working in actual classrooms with elementary students, and then moved into freelance technology training and consulting.

    8. Teaching Literacy in the Early Years

      This blog offers “practical ideas, strategies and resources for teaching literacy skills in the classroom.

    9. Langwitches Blog

      This blogger’s international background (born in Germany, raised in Argentina, lives in the U.S.), gives her a unique perspective on globally connected education systems empowered by technology, especially when applied to the learning of language.

    10. Creative STAR Learning

      The STAR in “Creative STAR” is short for Support, Training, Advice, and Resources,” which is what the blogger on this site aims to provide. Juliet Robertson provides education advice, especially relating to outdoor learning, through various venues.

    11. Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog

      This blog chronicles the educational adventures of Mrs. Yollis, a second and third grade teacher with a master’s degree in integrating technology in the classroom.

    12. Teaching Generation Now

      This blog reviews tech tools for teachers and general educational tools that can be useful for parents and students as well.

    13. Prof. deBock’s Innovator Network Blog

      Prof. deBock describes this blog as an “outreach to teachers, students, and just about everyone else who wants to feel empowered (not overwhelmed) by the wave of new technologies that is emerging everyday.”

    14. THE EDUBLOGGER

      This blog is dedicated to help educational bloggers with emerging technologies. It is set up through the Edublogs community, which helps educational bloggers share their experiences and promote the blogging medium.

    15. CristinaSkyBox

      Cristina Pratas, the blogger at CristinaSkyBox, writes about the intersection of education and technology, while highlighting resources for all types of learners.

    16. Thumann Resources

      Lisa Thumann blogs here about her many endeavors in building and promoting education technology tools. Thumann works at Kean Universities School for Global Education & Innovation.

    17. Educational Technology in ELT

      This blog is all about tech tools that can enhance language-learning. The site features games and general info for teachers and students of the English language.

    18. Teaching… My Calling

      This blog, written by a 4th grade teacher who is also a school technology coordinator and webmaster, offers advice on how to introduce new technologies to elementary aged students, as well as other tech advice for educators.

    19. Technology Tailgate

      This site has sections about all kinds of educational technologies, including interactive whiteboards, mobile devices like iPads and iPhones, and free online guides to help students and teachers connect using technology.

    20. Margaret A. Powers

      This blog is the professional resumé of a professional educator and tech coordinator for schools, and the blog features a healthy mix of personal experiences and professional recommendations for teachers using technology, especially with young students.

    21. Mr. Riley’s Blog

      Mr. Riley’s Blog is “a place for teachers who are using technology in their classrooms to find age appropriate lesson ideas and technology news.”

    22. From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning

      This site’s focus is quite specific: “A conversation about integrating student cell phones into classroom curricula.”

    23. Virtual School Meanderings

      This blog is mostly focused on distance learning and virtual education in the K-12 age group. The blogger, who also puts out a podcast, discusses K-12 academic learning in a variety of contexts.

    24. Ed Tech Ideas

      Ed Tech Ideas is a place for busy teachers to find ideas about ways to integrate teacher-tested technology into their classrooms.

    25. Friday Flash

      This is the blog of a retired teacher who “rewired” and continues to provide technology/education integration support in the Forsyth County School System in Cumming, Georgia.

    ]]>     http://onlinephdprogram.org/2012/education-technology/feed/ 0     20 Best Sites for Helpful Dissertation Tips http://onlinephdprogram.org/2012/20-best-sites-for-helpful-dissertation-tips/ http://onlinephdprogram.org/2012/20-best-sites-for-helpful-dissertation-tips/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:06:41 +0000 Contributor http://onlinephdprogram.org/?p=41 Continue reading →]]> If writing a dissertation was as easy as making a grilled-cheese sandwich, no one would write about it. But, search engines show thousands of entries focused on dissertation tools, tips, and guides. You’ll also find dissertation writing groups as well as psychologists who are willing to help you get that writer’s block removed from your head. The dissertation is the most important component of the doctoral process, including the proposal, the proposal defense, years of research and writing, and the dissertation defense. You can find sample papers online, including sample proposals, and we’ve included a link for the latter in this list. The blogs, articles, and tools listed here are the twenty best tip sites for helping you write your dissertation and what to expect from your PhD program.

    Dissertation Blogs

    1. Dissertation ChapterDissertating: This blog is filled with great advice and some fun, too. Although entries haven’t been made recently, the blog is advertising a dissertation boot camp and workshop for this spring. The blog is maintained by students from Claremont Graduate University.
    2. Dissertation Diva: After a brief hiatus, the Diva is back again — helping students read the goal of PhD with real-world advice. Her archives go back to 2006, so you can find plenty of tips, advice, and ideas from this blog. You also can ask questions, and find information through the resources section and a section filled with Q&As from recent PhDs.
    3. Dissertation Proposal Writing: This site focuses on tips to writing a dissertation proposal and earning a doctoral degree. This is a fairly new blog (2011), but there are already 134 pages filled with tips. The site is part of a dissertation writing service, but you don’t need to order services to read the blog.
    4. Dissertation Research: This updated blog, offered by the Regents Center Library, University of Kansas Libraries, provides tips for research, resources, and online expertise to support their students in the fulfillment of their educational goals. But, anyone with a computer can gain access to their ideas and techniques. They also include links to slideshows and handouts.
    5. Fragment/Framework: Kathryn Trauth Taylor is a doctoral student in rhetoric and composition at Purdue University, where she teaches introductory composition and business writing. While she is focused on multi-modal, cultural, and digital literacy studies, the mission behind her blog is to explore approaches to teaching composition and to richly and interactively reflect on the ideas, theories, and practices that shape rhetoric and composition.
    6. Phd Tips and Dissertation Advice: A Biblical studies PhD student offers tips on writing dissertations and on making it through a doctoral program. This blog includes processes, organizational resources, software programs, software tips, links, and the like that this student found useful and beneficial in the research and writing phases of his dissertation. Blog entries include tips on finding dissertation topics, and how to focus when writing.
    7. ProfHacker: This blog, edited by two professors, can provide you with the best advice you’ll ever have as a PhD student. Learn about tips, tricks, and tools that can help you get through your degree and your dissertation.
    8. The Thesis Whisperer: Although this blog is about theses, the planning, research, and time barriers are the same as dissertations. The blog is edited by Dr. Inger Mewburn of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia and has contributors from around the world.
    9. To Do: Dissertation: The author started this blog in spring of 2010, but has since completed her dissertation and started a full-time job in the Spring of 2011. Rather than leave the blog to languish, she chose to edit and publish the tips and suggestions that she created over time in ebook form. At the same time, she’s kept guest posts and reviews, blog carnival posts, and website recommendations on the site. She also still accepts guest posts. The writing tools are free to download from the site.

    Articles and Other Tools

    1. DissertationThe Writing Center — Dissertations: This article approaches the topic of procrastination and ABD students (those who have completed All the requirements of their programs But the Dissertation). The article is good, and the links for tips and resources are even better. If you cannot bring yourself to write a dissertation, this article is for you.
    2. ABD Survival Guide: Now that you know about the ABD student, sign up for this newsletter. It’s free, and you can gain access to an archive filled with past issues, too. As a subscriber, you’ll receive once a month (or a little more often) a succinct article devoted to practical strategies for successfully completing your doctoral dissertation. The writers focus on ways to overcome the inevitable obstacles you’ll face along the dissertation marathon including the “twin devils” of all dissertations: writer’s block and procrastination.
    3. Dissertation Tips: This essay was written by the authors of the book, Surviving Your Dissertation. Although the focus is on writing a doctoral dissertation in the social sciences, the challenge is the same across the board.
    4. Dissertation Proposal Tips: This article, provided by the University of Massachusetts, provides some solid advice on how to write a dissertation proposal.
    5. Sample Dissertation Proposals: When your advisor says you’re ready to write a proposal for your dissertation, don’t get stumped. Take a look at a few of these dissertation proposals ranging from programs such as arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and engineering.
    6. Oxbridge Dissertation: Although this site originates from the UK, the advice is the same worldwide. This site tackles the dissertation outline, proposal, writing, and tools for helping you finish a stellar dissertation.
    7. Dissertation Writing: Tools and Work Habits: This article proposes several tools to help write the dissertation, including Googledocs, Dropbox, Zotero, and much more. This blog, the Alternative PhD, is interesting, too.
    8. Pages for Grad Students: This list includes articles with advice to PhD students, including an article that contains some great advice about how to defend a thesis or a dissertation.
    9. Defending Your Dissertation: This article, written by Sonja Foss and William Waters, provides some solid preparation advice for that dissertation defense. This article is part of the GradShare blog, a grad student community.
    10. Process & Parameters: Michael Watts, from the Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley, offers a bit of advice about the dissertation proposal. Other links lead to ideas about the dissertation, style, examples, and resources.
    11. PhD2Published: This blog is filled with practical academic publishing advice for first-time academic writers. This is valuable advice for people who want to publish a thesis or dissertation, or for those who have graduated and who want to keep their resume fresh with published academic articles.
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