Hi, my name is Elise Heilman and I am an intern at GradeGuru for the summer of 2010. I am a rising senior at Lehigh University, majoring in Marketing and Finance with a minor in Psychology. Being from the Midwest, this is my first summer in New York City and I could not be more excited about working with the GradeGuru team!

At Lehigh, I am the President of the Marketing Club and a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. In the past I have interned in the Marketing department at Medline Industries and the American Diabetes Association. I have three younger siblings and two yellow labs that keep me busy when I visit home.

This summer, I am looking forward to increasing awareness and membership of GradeGuru both on Lehigh’s campus and nationwide. Using tools such as campus outreach efforts and social media, students across the country will be exposed to what GradeGuru has to offer and take advantage of this collaboration forum. Most students already use social media, whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or blogs, but many do not realize the potential online communities hold for academics.  During my time as an intern at GradeGuru I hope to increase awareness of the site as a platform for students to work together and increase their level of engagement with their coursework.

My name is Elyssa Noblesala and I am a rising junior Mass Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations and an Interactive Media minor at the University of Delaware. I’m from Queens, NY and am very much looking forward to working in the City all summer!

This past spring, I worked as a Campus Brand Ambassador and learned a lot about social media, PR and marketing. I loved the balance of working individually and with a team that is both personable and proactive. I am really excited about joining the GradeGuru team as an intern, especially because I think GradeGuru is such a great resource for college students.

This summer, I am hoping to gain more experience in social media and PR, and help increase awareness of all that the site has to offer. Social media is a new, fresh way to enhance academic engagement and I look forward to utilizing tools like Facebook, Twitter and blogs, to increase understanding about how the GradeGuru network can help college students build a strong academic foundation.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our GradeGuru user survey! We appreciate your feedback as we strive to make the changes you want to see on GradeGuru a reality.

Survey 3 – $50 prize winners

(Awarded to every 100^th participant who completed survey 3)

Grand Prize Macbook Winner

(Awarded at random to a participant who completed survey 1, 2, & 3)

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Congrats Again Winners and thanks to all those that participated.

Angela Peng, Sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, recently scored an internship this summer through our GradeGuru Careers program- which connects are Silver and Gold Gurus with recruiters in their particular field of interest!

We asked Angela for some feedback and here’s what she had to say about getting her internship through GradeGuru Careers:

1. Why did you apply to a position through GradeGuru Careers? I applied for a position through GradeGuru Careers because the position was something that I was interested in and felt that I could learn a lot from. I saw it as a great opportunity to apply the skills that I have been learning in school to a great company like McGraw Hill.




2. How do you think an internship will benefit you in your major/field of interest? As I am currently undecided in terms of what I plan on concentrating in within my major, I felt that this internship would be a great way to further explore my interest in marketing to see if that is something I want to pursue.




3. How was applying to GradeGuru Careers different then applying to other internship and job opportunity sites? Applying to GradeGuru Careers was much easier than applying to other internship opportunities simply because the recruiters were all so helpful and responsive throughout this process.

Still looking for an internship/job? Find out how you can get connected with our corporate partners by visiting: Guru Careers Program

Congrats Angela Peng! And good luck Gurus with your job seeking endeavors!

Win an Apple iPad from GradeGuru!

How to Enter: (do any of the following steps using the links provided…but you increase your chances by doing all 5)

1. Sign up for GradeGuru  = 5 entries

2. Share your study materials on GradeGuru = 1 entry per file

3. Invite your friends = 1 entry per invite

4. Like us on Facebook = 1 entry

5. Post a link to your notes on our Facebook Wall = 3 entries

6. Follow us & retweet: ‘@GradeGuru is giving away an #GGiPad http://bit.ly/dk8JUd‘ = 3 entries

That’s it! This contest works like a raffle, the more entries you have- the greater your odds are of winning.  To make it simple, we’re tracking it all behind the scenes; so no entry form needed. iPad Giveaway Duration: The competition will begin April 26 and run through May 31^st.The iPad winner will be announced in early June. Your chances are winning are high, we promise!

P.S.  Don’t forget to retweet this: ‘@GradeGuru is giving away an #GGiPad http://bit.ly/dk8JUd‘

We know filling out surveys can be a bit annoying, thankfully this is the last one and to sweeten the deal we’re offering you the chance to win $50 and/or an Apple MacBook for taking 10 minutes to participate in ours (your odds for winning are good, promise!)*

This is how it works:

1. Click here and complete the survey in about 10 minutes




2. We will give $50 to 1 out of every 100 respondents, so your chances of winning are pretty high. Awards will be given out starting now through May 17, 2010.




3. This questionnaire is part 3 of a 3-part survey study. Upon completing all three surveys, you will be eligible to win an Apple MacBook. This machine will be in the hands of one lucky student by July 10, 2010.

The goal of this survey is to better understand your study needs and behaviors, allowing us to develop new tools and applications to best meet your academic needs.

Thanks!!

Join us this week for our Spring Forward Giveaway. We’re giving away Free Starbucks just for sharing your study materials!

From Monday March 22^nd – Sunday March 28^th, GradeGuru will be giving out free Starbucks Gift Cards to every 10^th person that shares their study materials.

Things to keep in mind:

• We’re looking for study guides, chapter summaries…anything you’ve created that can help others.
• Students that share work created by their professor like tests, PowerPoints, etc. and images/information from the internet will not be eligible to win.
• Limited one gift card per student

Tell your friends, tell your classmates and most importantly – share this link: Starbucks Giveaway on Facebook or Twitter to get the word out.

Follow winners on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Hey Gurus,

My name is Mary Claire Kilmer-Lipinski and I am the new student blog editor and social media intern for GradeGuru. I am a senior Strategic Communications major with a Marketing minor at Miami University in Ohio. Last semester, I was a Campus Brand Ambassador for GradeGuru. This semester I decided to switch over to editorial and social media and provide a student perspective to GradeGuru’s digital presence. I am excited to connect with current and new readers.

Throughout the semester, I will be blogging about different trends related to college students, learning, and educational technology. I will also be inviting professors and students to participate in the conversation and contribute thoughtful articles. Blogs have always been an important source of news in my professional and personal life. Previously I worked with Time Out Chicago, Zig, and Delta Zeta headquarters. At Time Out Chicago, I was in charge of researching and learning about social media and how to implement a social media strategy for Time Out Chicago using Twitter and Facebook pages. While juggling the social media project, I was also working at Zig, an advertising agency in Chicago.

In my free time, I live in a house with ten girls and enjoy being a second semester senior. Most of my time is consumed by job searching but if I have some time to spare, I love watching reality TV. As trashy as it can be, it is interesting to see how the dynamics of television has changed with these TV shows; plus the characters are great entertainment.

Hopefully this post lets you know who I am and where I come from. I am excited to see where this semester takes us. Let the blogging begin!

Are there any specific topics you’d like me to cover this semester?

Are you a graphic designer, interested in graphic design or know someone who is? submit your application for the GradeGuru Design Challenge and enter to become our next freelance designer.  The winner of the competition will earn $100, have their design implemented as part of McGraw-Hill Education’s first web startup (nice for your portfolio) and then become our ongoing freelance design consultant  at a rate of $20/hour. The Deadline is March 8th, 2010.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR DESIGNS

There are two ways to enter the competition:

1. Design a GradeGuru Facebook Page

One of the first projects for our design challenge winner will be to redesign our Facebook page to include a multi-page, user-friendly layout that communicates the GradeGuru brand and motivates users to become fans. For the submission, we would like to see how you would design the landing page of Facebook.com/gradeguru.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Include the GradeGuru logo and brand identity
• The goal of the landing page is to capture the attention of new viewers, turn them into fans, engage them with our content
• Don’t worry so much about the copy
• The page should include the GradeGuru logo, buttons

Fan pages we like: AT&T, Pringles, Adidas

2. Design a stylish GradeGuru t-shirt for a national online giveaway contest

Design styles we like: American Apparel, retro athletic jerseys, Japanese pop art, urban pop art (graffiti inspired)

Brand assets

• GradeGuru Blog
• GradeGuru Blog About Page (logos included)
• GradeGuru Privileges
• GradeGuru Vimeo Video Channel

GradeGuru was just announced as a finalist for the 2010 CODiE award for the “Best Educational Use of a Technology Device”!

About the Award Category: The Best Educational Use of a Technology Device category awards the best educational software solution, either curriculum or administrative, designed for technology hardware devices, including handhelds, PDAs, tablets, laptops, interactive white board or integrated hardware/software solutions.

Judging is based on:
• Appropriate for users in diverse instructional settings
• Appropriate use of a technology device
• Overall visual/program aesthetics
• Provides information and support for users
• Software design successfully targets designated student or educator needs

About the CODiE Awards: The CODiE Awards, originally called the Excellence in Software Awards, were established in 1986 by the Software Publishers Association (SPA), now the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), so that pioneers of the then-nascent software industry could evaluate and honor each other’s work. Since then, the CODiE Awards program has carried out the same purpose – to showcase the software and information industry’s finest products and services and to honor excellence in corporate achievement and philanthropic efforts.