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Avoid On-line Education Scams

On-line education is a reality.  Students across the country and around the world can attend an accredited college or university without leaving their home.  For students with families and full-time jobs, on-line education is often the only answer.   Unfortunately with the abundance of on-line education offerings, it can be difficult to distinguish the legitimate schools from the scams.

Here are some signs that the program may not be legitimate.

  • Get a college degree for your life experience. Any school that offers you a degree based solely on your life and work experience is not legitimate.  Some accredited schools, however, may offer you some credit for your life and work experience towards a degree.  The accredited schools would then require course work to complete the degree.
  • Get your college degree in 30 days. No legitimate college, school, or university can guarantee you a degree, let alone in 30 days.  If it sounds too good to be true.  It is.  Education takes time.
  • 50% off tuition if you pay in thirty days. Legitimate schools have fixed costs.  Tuition is based on course hours.  Faculty salaries are fixed.  Institutions that offer a huge discount for paying quickly are rarely legitimate.

The United States Department of Education hosts a list of accredited schools across the country.   The schools on the list are accredited by nationally recognized accrediting agencies.  Before you begin an online course of study, take the first step and check with the Department of Education to determine if the school is accredited.

Three Reasons to Consider an Online Education

More and more employers are requiring a college education for entry-level jobs. If you are one of the millions of Americans that are looking for work, you’ve run up against this door time and time again.  Getting past that closed door requires a college education. Yet, the entrance competition for local and national colleges and universities is stiffer than ever and rising tuition is often out of reach for many students.  One alternative to education at a brick and mortar institution is attending an on-line college or university.

Here are three reasons to consider:

  • Cost. Tuition at on-line colleges and universities is often less expensive than traditional institutions.   This is due, largely, to a huge reduction in over-head.  On-line universities don’t have dorms, grounds, sporting facilities, etc., to maintain, thus they can pass the savings on to the students in the form of lower tuition. In addition, students save the cost of commuting.
  • Flexibility and Pacing. On-line programs allow the student to flex their schedule around their other commitments, such as work and family.  Many programs are self-paced, which means the student progresses as fast or as slow as needed to complete the program.  For some students, this means they will be able to complete the coursework for their degree in less time than if they had attended a conventional program.
  • Networking. On-line programs connect students from around the country and around the world.   In addition, on-line programs can and do facilitate guest lecturers and professors to enhance the student learning experience.

A college education is now within the reach of most Americans, particularly when you factor in the availability of on-line colleges and universities.  On-line programs offer both, pay-as-you go and financial aid packages.

Modern Education In The Classroom

Smart Board Technology in Jay's Classroom

Image by Mr. Jay Yohe via Flickr

There is a new educational sheriff in town, and it called technology. The technology in classrooms today has created a learning environment for students that is hands down the best that our classrooms have ever seen. The technology allows students to be active participants in their education, and allows them an opportunity to take ownership of what they do with their work, how they learn, and how much they learn. This is an important aspect for education, as teachers strive to have children recognize and appreciate education. However, there is nothing more powerful than a new game, gizmos, or gadget to get kids interested in school again. Many students are under the impression that school is about fun and games, because the technology has made the modern classroom a mecca for thriving.

Some of the modern advancements that are helping students learn are the new computer programs that are available. The days of listening to lectures, or reading boring textbooks are over. Students are now able to get tutoring help via games and songs. This is all made possible by the many desktop and laptop computers that are stationary in each classroom. The other feature of the modern classroom is the Smart Board. This board allows teachers to instruct from any point in the classroom and can even allow students to take over and work with the class for a collaborative assignment. This would have been an unheard of challenge a decade ago. The other aspects are reading tablets. The day of heavy textbooks are gone, and now students read from an over sized PDA. This is saving districts valuable time and money, and students could not be happier. These also help to keep the classroom organized and neat, as there is no need for bulky books laying around the room anymore.

Online Course Advantages

There are many course advantages for classes that are held online. For starters, the classes tend to be more accommodating which means for the busy student or individual, classes can be held during a time that works best for him or her. This also means that class work can be completed on a schedule that works best for the student. While there are some time frames in which to compete work, the general rule of thumb is that it just needs to be done in a certain amount of time, and within a window. For most online programs they allow you to work for a complete session on a course and they require that you submit for the course completion before the due date which is usually within six months.

The other advantages for online courses is that many of the course can be given assistance on a short notice and many do not require that there is any payment for tutoring services or learning materials. This means that the cost effectiveness of the course is exponentially better than that of a traditional class that could cost significantly more in the long run. The cost ration between the classes can range from a difference of nearly $500 dollars per class, and traditional classes do not even support the extra learning help without a fee. The learning materials for many of these classes can also cost hundreds of dollars, and all of this is done on a scheduled basis with many people struggling to find room in the classes. With online programs, the days of standing in line to get textbooks you dreaded carrying around are over. Welcome the new educational approach of allowing students to call their own shots.

College Is Fun for Life

Students at Washington High School at class, t...

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

So you’re starting college. Talk about a major life change! Whether you’re attending a traditional college campus or an online university, these will be some of the most formative years of your life. What you study, the friends you make and the experiences you have will shape your future. No pressure, right?

Really, it’s not. Relax, and enjoy your college years. For starters, you have to understand that college is not high school. What you did in high school, who you were friends with—none of that really matters any more. College is your chance to get a fresh start and explore what makes you who you are. Do you enjoy basketball but were never quite good enough to make your high school team? Join an intramural team at your school. Are you interested in art but could never fit the class into your high school schedule? Take an evening art class or join an art club. The options are unlimited. Look at online resources such as EarnMyDegree.com to learn more about your choices.

Beyond these experiences, college is your opportunity to prepare for the real world after graduation. That may seem serious and daunting, but think of it like this – there are very few experiences in life where you get to do a trial run before it really counts. Think of college as your trial run for life. The organizational skills you develop to keep track of your assignments will serve you well the rest of your life.

If you’re living away from home, you’ll also learn all those skills you need for daily living—things like laundry, cleaning and maybe even grocery shopping and cooking. These things may not sound like fun, but they are necessary.And of course, you’re going to college to learn. So go with an open mind and experience what might be the greatest joy of all – absorbing all that wonderful knowledge.

Benefits Of Education

There are countless benefits to having a good education, and many of them come in the form of great job opportunities. This seems to be the most appealing to students that are entering college and daydreaming of the jobs that they will one day have. The other benefits to have an education is simply that, to say that you are educated is a proud thing. Finally the other benefit to having a good and solid education is the fact that during the process you were able to grow as a person, as an independent thinker, as a member of society. This is by far the most rewarding aspect of education as this changes who you are as a person, and your ideologies. This means that who you were when you began college is not the same as who you are when you leave. For many, they are able to experience what is called a paradigm shift. This is when a persons thinking and belief systems change to accommodate a new process. This can be very exciting.

The phrase that was made popular by professors says that more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. This is essentially what a major mental shift can do to a person. They realize through opening their eyes, and realizing certain facts that they really did not know much to begin with, and now they know even less. This can be an exhilarating realization, and for some help drive them to continue on with their education to fully indulge in all that there is to learn in life. While it is impossible to learn everything, many find the task to be a challenge, and therefore become life long learners. This is a fantastic state to be in, and aside from the employment benefits of being educated, many people find the personal development to be the greatest benefit of education.

Preparing to get More out of Life

Getting more out of your life can come in all different forms. You could go to the gym and pump up until you start to look like the Hulk. You could run around the track until your muscles pop out like an anatomy chart. You could go to the club and work on your game until Don Juan starts calling to ask you for advice. You could even go to business school and get yourself an MBA. While the last one might not sound as impressive as the other three, it’ll most likely get you more money than being buff, being lean or being a player will.

But while the other three basically just involve showing up, going to grad school for your MBA is a bit of an ordeal, just to get in. For instance, they have an entrance examination known as the GMAT. Luckily for those aspiring to get in and breeze right past the GMAT, there is a GMAT class online you can take, to prepare you for acing the test itself. After all, you’ll have plenty of work to do once you’re in all those challenging MBA courses. There’s really no sense in giving yourself any more difficulties than you’re already facing.

Just think of all the great things you can go on to accomplish with your business degree. You can get a great career, where you can afford to get into the best clubs (and work on your game). You’ll also be able to afford memberships to the best gyms (so you can turn your body into a work of art). And if that wasn’t good enough for you (you’re learning), you will also be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I have a terminal degree. There are many people in the world who have not gone further with their business education than I have.”

Disadvantages Of Higher Education

We are all under the impression that the more education that we have, the better off we are, the more employable we are, and the more valuable we are. However, there are some career paths where having too much education can actually make getting a job harder to do. This is usually because employers are not ready to pay higher salary for higher education level for a college graduate that is still considered inexperienced. The cost involved in the training for a new graduate can be a lot for a company and combined with a high salary, it is not fiscally sound for the company. So here is what many college graduates and post-graduates do to avoid the problem.

This might not sound like what you want to hear, but may be necessary in a bad economy like the Great Recession. Many graduates do not include all of their education. This is especially true of teachers who have finished college with a Bachelors and Masters degree, but have never taught. Schools are always looking to save money, and teachers are paid on a scale that combines their education and years of experience. Schools know that new teachers have a lot to learn, and therefore are not willing to spend more for a teacher that has high education when they know the training for a new teacher with a regular Bachelors degree is going to require the same amount of attention. What many of these new employees do is keep quiet about the amount of education, and then about a year to two into their job, reveal the education. This would allow a candidate to be considered for higher pay, they would have established themselves, and also make them eligible for promotions based on higher education. While this is not the choice for many, students are not wanting to sacrifice their higher educational goals, and therefore are needing to find creative ways to have the job and the degree at the same time.

Preparing to get More out of Life

Getting more out of your life can come in all different forms.  You could go to the gym and pump up until you start to look like the Hulk.  You could run around the track until your muscles pop out like an anatomy chart.  You could go to the club and work on your game until Don Juan starts calling to ask you for advice.  You could even go to business school and get yourself an MBA.  While the last one might not sound as impressive as the other three, it’ll most likely get you more money than being buff, being lean or being a player will.

But while the other three basically just involve showing up, going to grad school for your MBA is a bit of an ordeal, just to get in.  For instance, they have an entrance examination known as the GMAT.  Luckily for those aspiring to get in and breeze right past the GMAT, there is a GMAT class online you can take, to prepare you for acing the test itself.  After all, you’ll have plenty of work to do once you’re in all those challenging MBA courses.  There’s really no sense in giving yourself any more difficulties than you’re already facing.

Just think of all the great things you can go on to accomplish with your business degree.  You can get a great career, where you can afford to get into the best clubs (and work on your game).  You’ll also be able to afford memberships to the best gyms (so you can turn your body into a work of art).  And if that wasn’t good enough for you (you’re learning), you will also be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I have a terminal degree. There are many people in the world who have not gone further with their business education than I have.”

Modern Education

SMART Board - Installed and in Operation

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

Modern education is a new term today that is all inclusive of mainstream classrooms and online supplemental. This also includes new technology in a classroom, like in the case of computer tablets replacing text books. This is a new phenomena and since technology is changing so quickly, and being incorporated into the classroom so quickly, many teachers are finding that they are in need of constant training to stay on top of all the changes occurring. This is not a bad thing, and in fact, test scores are proving that the new technology that is being promoted is drastically aiding students with special needs, higher education students, and help for average class work.

The modern class has taken a different shape since the days of overhead projectors and pull down white screens. Today, if there is a chalk board in a classroom, it is a sight to see because they simply are not present in today’s classes. Instead, they have been replaced with Smart boards. Smart boards looks like white screens, but you write on them through the use of tablet, and you can be anywhere in the room to do this. It looks like a giant computer on a wall, and teachers can access it using a laser pen, or the tablet. Students are not forgotten in this equation, as they are usually provided laptops in every class. Students can also access printers and from any room, and text books are looking like a thing of the past. With new gadgets like the Kindle, or Nook, students are able to download their textbooks, and use the tablets instead. The days of lugging huge science books are looking like another thing from the past. Another technologically savvy thing that you might see in a modern class these days are laser projectors. These projectors are based via WIFI and can accept a signal from any computer. This means that if there is a class project that is to be presented, students can do so from their seats, while transmitting their work onto the front of the class via the WIFI projector.

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