Online movie rental pioneer Netflix is shifting its focus more and more to streaming video online through your computer, video game system or other streaming device. But did you know that among the thousands of movies and TV shows available on Netflix are scores of educational options on virtually all of the most popular college majors? Here are some examples. Now, if anyone busts you for “goofing off” on Netflix, you can tell ‘em you’re trying to earn your degree… (more…)

Several brick-and-mortar colleges have taken their application process online in one of the more unexpected locations: YouTube. Schools like Tufts University, The College of William and Mary, George Mason University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland have begun accepting video submissions in place of (or as a supplement to) written application essays. The purpose is for students to show more of who they are — live and in living color — and based on some of the submissions, who they are is a bit scary. Here is an assortment of some of the more oddball videos. Perhaps you’ll gain some inspiration for your own application…or maybe you can learn from their mistakes. (more…)

Ah, webcams. Believe it or not, they aren’t just for lip synching, insane rants and stripteases that will come back to haunt you when your kids are old enough to surf YouTube. There are webcams stationed all around the world that can prove to be valuable educational resources, showing vivid, live-action details that bring textbooks alive and transport viewers to the other side of the globe — because it’s more powerful to see things than to read about them.

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This video has been around for a while, but it’s still a powerful and engaging argument for the increased use of technology in classrooms. Although it’s aimed at teachers and school administrators, the potency of the message isn’t lost on the rest of us, and while not all of the suggestions might be feasible, it’s this sort of out-of-the-box thinking that will hopefully fuel education in the 21st century. Plus, it’s got purty music.

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Choosing a college is hard enough without the hassle of traveling halfway across the country for a campus tour — only to discover within the first five minutes that you hate the school and it smells like wet potato chips. Now, there’s a site to help you get a sense of what student life is like at hundreds of US college campuses without leaving home (sadly, descriptions of smells aren’t included).

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