Thursday, January 29, 2009

Benefits of Getting an Online Masters Degree

There are lots of ways that you can go about getting a master's degree nowadays. Most people choose to go to one of their local colleges, but they only do that, because they think that it's their only shot at getting their master's degree. After all, if they do not have enough money to go to college out of state, then they have to settle for what is close by. However, that is not the way that it has to be anymore. You can very easily get a master's degree online from any school located around the world. This is something that a lot of people use to not think about. However, with the internet taking off like it has, a lot of people are starting to look a little bit more closely at their online options, and it's a good thing that they are. It's the best way to go about getting a master's degree.

So what is so great about getting a master's degree online? After all, it is the same kind of degree that you can get at a traditional school. The best part about getting your master's degree online is the fact that you can set your own hours. This makes it possible for everyone to be able to get a master's degree. A lot of people who think they can not get a master's degree think that, because they do not have enough time. Well, if they find out that they can set their own hours online, then they will soon find out that there is nothing holding them back from getting the degree that they have always wanted. Not only that, but getting a master's degree online is going to save you a ton of money. Mostly because you do not have to drive back and forth everyday to go to your college classes, but also because you get to live at home instead of having to live on campus.

Of course, there are more good things to getting a master's degree online than meets the eye. When you think about it, when you have to get a master's degree from a local college, they may not offer the master's degree in the programs that you want to take. That means that you may have to end up getting a degree in something that you do not want, just because they do not offer what you want. However, that is not a problem when getting a master's degree online. That is because you can attend any school no matter where it is located. Pretty much, this means that you no longer have to worry about what schools offer what. If a school does not offer what you want, then you can simply look for another one. No matter where that school is located, you are able to take classes from home!

Overall, it's pretty easy to see why you need to get a master's degree online. It is going to save you time, money and even make sure that you get the degree that you have always wanted. In the end, the choice is clear. You have to look for degrees online. The internet has opened the door that allows everyone to get the degree that they have always wanted.

Kelly Hunter owns and operates http://www.best-masters-degree-online.com and writes about Master's Degree Online

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Social-Constructivism - The Importance of Forums, Blogs and Wikis to E-Learning

There are many specific ways that online degrees and e-Learning courses facilitate the learning of students via computer technology. Traditionally, video tutorials have offered instruction in a similar manner that a lecture would, and online chats have allowed synchronous seminar-like discussions to take place. In recent years though, the rise of social web platforms have become included in distance learning (as well as traditional higher education courses) to aid peer assessment; and, arguably, to enhance adaptation into an increasingly electronic world.

The idea of constructivism theory is accredited to Jean Piaget who noted the internalisation of knowledge in learners, and now his ideas inform much of the way education is taught. In basic terms Piaget theorises that experience stimulates knowledge, and today it is generally regarded that, for example, baking a cake would be a better way to learn the process than reading a book and being tested on it. Social-constructivism in e-Learning refers to participation with others to better the learning experience, and forums, blogs, and wikis are increasingly used to achieve this.

Internet forums have been a popular social web tool for many years. This has no doubt been due to the communal nature of their design, and their simple and informative layout. Consequently, forums are particularly important to online education because they are easy for new computer users to get used to and they offer an almost instant community feel. It is then very quick and convenient for students to post work, discussions, links to texts, or anything they deem necessary for their peers to see. There is also the added benefit of forums being asynchronous to allow students to post and respond at any time they like to.

Blogs, again, are simple to begin and maintain for a user who is relatively new to the internet. In an e-Learning environment blogs can give a student an opportunity to show work, document their time on the course, or to focus on a subject outside of the curriculum. Subsequently blogs are also a great introduction to getting used to the workings of the web and how to succeed online. Learning how web content travels and what subjects are popular on the internet is now as much of an important after-effect of e-Learning as the most basic IT skills - and becoming of increasing importance to potential employers.

Wikis are increasing in popularity among courses and learning establishments such as colleges and universities. Akin to the inherent community feel of forums, wikis allow all users to edit the content of a collection of web-pages. In the same way that Wikipedia allows everyone to edit and re-write a continually evolving encyclopaedia, educational wikis can be easily set up and run by teachers and course leaders to allow students to upload content that can range from, for example, niche subjects such as photography, or e-Learning in the establishment itself. Arguably unlike forums and blogs, there is more of an incentive for students to uphold the standard of informative quality when contributing to a wiki.

Sarah Maple writes about adult education and distance learning.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Making the Grade - The Advantages of a Distance Learning School

Today's homeschooling parents have many services available to help support the education of their children. By far one of the most important services used by today's homeschooling parents are those provided by distance learning schools. An increasingly popular option for parents that homeschool their children, distance learning schools have grown both in reputation and quality over the past few years and are now in direct competition with traditional public and private schools.

Although some parents may be weary of allowing an external source to contribute to the education of their children, there are many benefits to making the decision to include a distance learning program in an existing homeschooling curriculum. Among the many advantages to the idea of distance learning schools are their flexibility, their ability to be individually tailored, the individual attention they give students, and the high rate of college admission that is associated with them.

Officially Accredited - For most parents, the idea of homeschooling comes from a belief that traditional schools simply cannot provide their children with a proper education. For parents who are concerned about the quality of the education their children receive, distance learning schools, especially those that are fully accredited, can provide just the right curriculum that they are seeking. Having official accreditation makes distance learning schools legitimate, to the point where they now compete directly with traditional schools.

Extremely Flexible - In addition to being accredited, distance learning schools also offer the benefit of flexibility. Unlike traditional schools that are required to operate in a specific manner, distance learning schools can be individually tailored to the needs, cognitive or otherwise, of the students they serve. If a student has a particular deficiency, or a specific learning style that works best for him or her, a distance learning school has the freedom and flexibility to tailor the education and the curriculum to each individual student.

Individually Tailored - Unlike the curriculum at a traditional school, the curriculum at a distance learning school can be individually tailored, both for the content and for the pace. If a student is particularly proficient in a subject, a distance learning program can allow him or her to move through the material at a faster pace in comparison to a traditional school where students have to follow a particular pace, regardless of proficiency.

Personal Attention - Whereas a traditional school may not have the time or resources to provide individual and personal attention, a distance learning school can. Since programs of study are individually designed for one student, help is always readily available, unlike traditional schools where classrooms might contain 30 to 40 students.

Higher SAT Scores - The individual attention, personally tailored programs, flexible scheduling, and accredited curricula all add up to increased success in the classroom and on standardized tests. In fact, some accredited distance learning programs have successfully produced students whose test scores are significantly higher than both the state and the national averages.

To learn more about a quality, distance learning program please visit Laurel Springs School. Laurel Springs School is an accredited, college prep private school offering distance learning programs and teacher services for students in grades K-12. Laurel Springs uses web-based communication tools, a standards-based curriculum,