THANKS / GRACIAS !!!

As the semester closes down, I feel like a survivor. This is not only the end of a semester but the end of a long journey, the conclusion of a career, my career. An S.O.S. career. The end of one cycle and the beginning of another. Thank you teacher, the blog experience was more fulfilling that I could have imagine last January.

Conforme el final del semestre se acerca, me siento mas como sobreviviente. Este no es solo el final del semestre, es el final de un largo viaje, la conclusion de una carrera, Mi Carrera. La carrera de una S.O.S. El final de un ciclo y el principio de uno nuevo. Gracias maestra, la experiencia del blog fue mas enriquecedora de lo que pude imaginar en Enero.

ADULT STUDENTS: A DIFFERENT BREED/ ESTUDIANTES ADULTOS UNA ESPECIE DIFERENTE

Adult students are definitely a different breed. To go back to school when most people come back from work and lay down and watch T.V. while sipping beer, takes a different type of person. To mingle with kids half your age and twice your awareness and thrice your technologycal information takes guts.
To do this blog meant discovering that not all schools, professors and students are ready to welcome adult students, but like any other endeavor, also meant to meet friendly and helpful teachers, intelligent young students, and information about many options out there for people like me.

Los estudiantes adultos definitivamente pertenecen a otra especie. Volver a la escuela cuando la mayoria de las personas regresan a casa para sentarse a ver la television y beber cerveza, requiere de personas con otros talentos. Mezclarse con personas la mitad de su edad, con el doble de conocimiento y tres veces mas informacion tecnologica requiere de alguien con caracter.
Este blog significo descubrir no solo que no todas las escuelas, los profesores y los estudiantes estan listos para recibir a estudiantes adultos, pero como en cualquier otra empresa, tambien significo conocer maestr@s amistosos y dispuestos a ayudar, conocer estudiantes jovenes inteligentes, e informacion acerca de las muchas opciones que hay alla afuera para gente como yo.

Money-Saving Tips for Adult Students

Going to college is an important, expensive, and somewhat anxiety-provoking decision for anyone, but adult students especially face daunting challenges associated with school. If you are non-traditional student who is concerned about the costs of college in relation to all of the other obligations in your life, you are in good company. Nowadays, over 40 percent of college students are not recent high school graduates. In addition to family, work, and other monetary obligations, the other main difference between non-traditional students and the majority of traditional students is reflected in federal financial aid procedures. If you are over 24 years old, then you are considered financially independent from your parents. While this may seem intuitive, it also greatly alters the way that students of different ages pay for college.
Even though traditional college students and adult students necessarily face college costs differently, there also is a bit of similarity among all students in how to plan for college costs.
Just as is recommended for traditional college students, your first move toward financing your education absolutely should be filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Fill out the FAFSA as early as possible, even if you are not yet sure which school you will attend. Eligibility for aid is based partially on a first-come first-serve basis, and you might miss out on great opportunities by waiting. You especially do not want to miss out on potential grants, which do not need to be repaid. These include the Pell Grant, for which eligibility is based in part on one’s dependents -- which makes them ideal for many adult students, and the Workforce Improvement Grant, which is awarded specifically to adult students.
Traditional students often do not have to worry about planning for their college costs because they have few financial obligations elsewhere (and usually help from parents), but this is not the case with adult students. If you are a prospective adult student, you need to start planning for your expenses as soon as possible. Develop a budget if you have not done so already, and see where you can cut back to use the money towards your tuition. This is important because…
As an adult student, you do not want to take out any more in student loans than is absolutely necessary. In fact, your grant and scholarship search should be completely exhausted before you take out a loan. Whereas traditional students’ loans generally affect only them, your loans may affect the overall financial livelihood of your family. The fewer the costs that you must find a way to finance, the better.
Scholarships are not just for those students fresh out of high school. There are plenty of grants and scholarships to go around, and actually there are many with specific eligibility requirements that are most easily met by adult students. For example, there are many scholarships and grants available to individuals in specific occupations or with certain types of volunteer experience.
Do not pay any company for a scholarship search, because it simply is not necessary. In addition to books and websites full of scholarship opportunities, it may be wise to look right in your own community for financial assistance. Many community organizations, religious institutions, and social groups, as well as universities themselves, offer little-known scholarships for those individuals with enough initiative to find them.
Before you fill out the FAFSA and apply for other types of aid, consider using some money that you have saved for paying off other debts. The financial assets that you possess affect your ability to receive student aid, so now is a great time to relieve some other financial obligations.
Use your life experience to avoid taking unnecessary classes (and therefore, paying unnecessary tuition). Thousands of U.S. colleges give course credit to adult students who pass associated tests given through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). Ask your university if they are involved with this program, and/or if they offer alternative “life credits”.
Speak with your human resources department at work about reimbursements for your educational costs. Many employers choose to help out with educational costs because your advanced education is great for them, it because this system also helps with recruitment.
If you are a bit unsure about your decision to go to (or return to) college, consider taking a few classes as an at-large student first before making such a large financial commitment.
Online courses are a great option for adult students. Not only do they provide the obvious benefit of working on one’s own time schedule, but they also can save you a substantial amount of money in commuting costs.
If money is tight, ask a university representative about fee waivers for such expenses as application costs and lab fees.
If you plan to go for a four-year degree, it might make sense financially if you do your first two years at a community college. Community college tuition usually is much cheaper than tuition at four-year schools.As a final tip for those of you about to embark on a college career later in life, take advantage of a university resource that many traditional students do not utilize. If ever you have questions or concerns related to college expenses, meet with a financial aid officer at your school. It is his or her job to come up with a way for you to meet the financial obligations of your education, so do not let a few dollar signs get in the way of your academic goals. Best of luck in your college career!

MYTHS THAT KEEP ADULTS FROM GOING TO COLLEGE

Myth: I can’t afford it.
Reality: Many people believe they will never be able to go to college
because they don’t have the money to pay tuition and other
costs. In fact, most students receive financial aid in the form of
grants, scholarships, and loans. Find out about financial aid
before you close the door to higher education.
Myth: I was a lousy student in high school, so I won’t do well in college.
Reality: Even though your grades and test scores may not have been
great when you were a high school student, what’s important
is who you are now. When considering you as an applicant,
colleges will look at letters of recommendation, community
activities, special talents, past job experiences, and the enthusiasm
or special interest you might show in an interview.You may be
advised to brush up on certain academic skills, but the fact is
that colleges look at the whole person.
Myth: I need to get a job and make money before I go to college.
Reality: In today’s job market, more and more high-skill, high-wage
jobs require a college degree. Studies have shown that a college
graduate earns significantly more during his or her lifetime
than an employee with only a high school diploma.
Myth: No one in my family has ever gone to college, so I probably won’t be
successful.
Reality: Being the first in your family to attend college can be challenging.
You will need to select, apply to, and enroll in a college, and
also apply for financial aid.
Myth: I’m too old and am afraid I won’t be able to succeed as a student.
Reality: Many adults feel they won’t be able to keep up with younger
students in classes. It’s not true. Half of the students in college
programs across the country are 25 or older. They are quite
successful in the classroom, bringing rich life experiences that
enhance discussions and provide strong motivation to learn.
San Diego State has an Enrollment Services Podcast Central that can further answer and disperse myths and confusion.

Adult Education Theorists and their Methods and Techniques/Teóricos de Educación para Adultos, sus Métodos y sus Técnicas

Paulo Freire and Malcom Knowles are two educational theorists who are more frequently mentioned in relation to theories and approaches to adult learning.
Dr. Freire, who was a professor of education at the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil, in particular, "advocated adult education as an empowering process, enabling men and women to define their own world and to make their own decisions." He saw basic adult education as "a political and potentially empowering phenomenon;" especially in Brazil.
In his book, entitled Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he calls traditional, formal, didactic education the "banking approach," which is represented by teachers who seat students in rows, are somewhat stern in announcing or listing the objectives and methods, talk extremely fast, and immediately proceed to testing for comprehension.
He promotes the "problem-posing approach" which considers adult learners as decision makers. This approach is based on using four open-ended questions which will stimulate discussion. These questions get the adult learners to (a) describe a situation; (b) analyze it; (c) apply decisions to solve it; and (d) implement decisions to address the same.

Teóricos de Educación para Adultos, sus Métodos y sus Técnicas

Paolo Freire y Malcom Knowles son dos teóricos de la educación que se mencionan más frecuentemente en relación a las teorías y la manera de abordar la educación para los adultos.

El doctor Freire fue un profesor de ecuación en la Universidad de Sao Paolo en Brasil, y para el abogar por educación para los adultos significaba un proceso de habilitación que le permite a hombres y mujeres definir su propio mundo y tomar sus propias decisiones.
El veía la educación para los adultos como un fenómeno de habilitación política, principalmente en Brasil.

En su libro titulado Pedagogía del Oprimido, el llama a la educación tradicional una forma de educación en la cual los estudiantes son sentados en filas esperando de manera pasiva a que se lees den los objetivos y métodos a seguir, los profesores hablan rápidamente, para proseguir inmediatamente a practicarles un examen para ver su grado de comprensión.

El profesor Freire en cambio promueve la fórmula de presentar un problema determinado y dejar que los estudiantes encuentres la solución. Esta manera de abordar un problema es a través de cuatro preguntas abiertas que estimulan la discusión. Estas preguntas hacen que los estudiantes adultos a) describan la situación b) analicen la situación c) tomar una decisión y aplicarla, y finalmente implementar las decisiones necesarias.

FRIENDS UNIVERSITY/ LA UNIVERSIDAD FRIENDS

Thinking of moving to the Midwest but want to continue your studies?
For more than 100 years, Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, has been providing a Christian-based, liberal-arts education for students of all ages and denominations.
Friends University has developed a unique blend of a strong traditional program with that of strong nontraditional undergraduate and graduate programs for adults who work.
Friends offers several nontraditional undergraduate and graduate programs that deliver programs in a unique way to adults who are employed. Friends was one of the first educational institutions to offer these types of programs in Kansas. Adult students in the programs meet during the evening or weekends to complete their coursework for an associate, bachelors or masters degree during a specified time period. They are able to attend classes while they continue to work.
Pensando en cambiarse al centro de los Estados Unidos para continuar sus estudios?
La Universidad Friends localizada en Wichita, Kansas, provee desde hace cien anos una mezcla de programas de estudio tradicionales y no tradicionales a niver licenciatura y posgrado para estudiantes adultos que trabajan.
La Universidad Friens ofrece diferentes cursos no tradicionales de una manera no convencional y dirigida a personas que trabajan. La Universidad Friends fue una de las primeras intituciones educativas que ofrecen este tipo de programas en Kansas. Estudiantes adultos en estos programas acuden a clases en las tardes o los fines de semana para completar sus asignaturas para carreras cortas, licenciaturas, o maestrias en tiempos preestablecidos. De esta manera pueden atender sus clases sin desatender sus empleos.