Monday, March 30, 2009

Pursuing a Career in Early Childhood Education

If you are a friendly person who likes to help people, a career in early childhood education might be a good fit for your personality. Teaching is both an exciting and rewarding career where you get to watch young people develop as a result of your teachings. With a teaching degree in early childhood education you can work at daycares, you can become a preschool teacher and sometimes can even qualify to teach kindergarten.

Because daycares typically limit the amount of children per adult, you are going to really get to know each individual child. This is a huge plus to many potential daycare owners as with the limited size of daycares you get an opportunity to really build a bond with each child. As a day care worker you can either work at an existing day care or you can start your own from the comfort of your own home. Being a day care worker provides great flexibility if you want to take care of your own kids but still generates an income. Not only will having your own daycare generate you an income, but it will also save you money by allowing you to take care of your children instead of somebody else who you would normally have to pay.

Becoming a preschool teacher is extremely exciting for people who love kids. In preschool you will be teaching your students the fundamental social skills they will need to be a functioning member in their future schooling. Since preschool is typically most children's first time attending classes with other groups of children, each day at school is a new adventure which not only makes it fun for the kids, but also for you as their teacher. Preschool teachers will provide basic education to their children, spend time creating interesting crafts and will help their students learn how to socially interact with one another.

While not all people with early childhood education diplomas are able to teach kindergarten, in some cases you may be able to. Kindergarten is one of the most rewarding grades to teach as you get to be the children's very first impression of what school is all about. You will teach the children the basics behind the alphabet, counting, and further their social skills. After a year with you in kindergarten, children will be prepped to learn how to properly read and write.

If you love kids, have patience and love to teach, take a look at the Early childhood education program

If you're looking to become a teacher but need to stay at home with your kids then find out how you can get your teaching degree online.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Choosing a Degree That Will Make You Rich

As a student or someone considering obtaining a degree or career change, you have a lot of options. Unfortunately too many options can create uncertainty and confusion, but ultimately you want to select a career path that you will enjoy and allow you to make a healthy income. Degree programs and particular schools are charged with recruiting as many people as possible to make their institution profitable. That means you have the challenge of tuning out the marketing gimmicks and pay close attention to what is best for you.

Just because you have a degree does not mean you will make money or that you will enjoy your job. For instance, you could spend years working towards a master's degree in social work. Social workers, however, on average make a relatively low income. On the other hand, you could spend many years studying to become a doctor or a lawyer, yet you may be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. So not only do you have a stressful career that consumes every waking moment of your life, but you're deep in debt.

Meanwhile, there are people making six-figure incomes and enjoying what they are doing by earning a certificate in information technology or automotive mechanics. Some people have an ability to motivate and make millions of dollars giving speeches as they travel the world. The bottom line is that there are many options for you, and you'll want to closely assess your skills, interests and goals before you decide on a degree. Your decision can make you a millionaire.

Find the highest paying careers before you spend your time and money pursuing a degree. Before you continue to invest in an education, don't make the fatal mistakes. Discover the best degree for you...

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

The Use of Podcasts in Education

Education researchers have discovered there is more to learning than meets the eye and that just telling or showing students information in the form of lectures and presentations may not produce as good a performance from them as finding a way to keep repeating that information without boring them to tears.

The basic premise is that when a student is shown information, they will absorb, at best, just 20% of the content. When lecturers, for example, combine showing information with giving the same information verbally, the retention rate rises to 30% but when students are able to return to that same information, over and over again, their ability to absorb it more than doubles to 70%.

With this in mind, a growing number of study courses, particularly those aimed at adults re-training or returning to the classroom are introducing Podcasts so that students can return, at their leisure, to lectures they have already attended or may have missed due to other commitments.

So what is Podcasting, according to Wikipedia a podcast is a series of audio or video digital media files which are distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers.

Many of the students who sign up for the intensive, year-long Postgraduate Diploma in Residential Landscape Architecture course are switching careers and juggling family and other responsibilities alongside their garden design studies so introducing "anytime, anywhere" access to "repeats" of information will now form a key component of the learning tools available to them.

We would be interested in any feedback from readers on their own experiences of this type of learning mechanism.

The tutors at the Oxford College of Garden Design, for example, are currently working on a comprehensive range of Podcasts that, in effect, capture all the lectures given on the UK's top-rated garden design course.

The next intake for the diploma course, which is run from the Oxford Brookes University campus in Oxford, will be October 2009 but before then, Duncan Heather will be running a series of four-day "taster" courses which gives prospective students the chance to see if they have an aptitude for design. The taster mini-courses this year will run in March, May, July and September.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Earning Your College Degree Online - A Better Option During a Recession

More students are expected to go for college degree through online education due to the economic recession. Seeing the demand of more students deciding their college degree online, more universities and colleges are starting to offer more online degree programs. Therefore, you now have more options to choose a college degree online that will fit your goals.

The economy crisis that causes the world to enter into a recession has no sign to recover in the short period of time. Following more and more announcements on the job cut decision by the companies, parents are facing great pressure in funding their children education cost with a tight budget. Online education as an alternative to traditional campus-based education has become a more popular option as it costs less comparatively.

If you are one of students who can't escape from bad economy situation, then earning your college degree online will help to cut your education cost down. Since, most online courses can be log on from home, you don't need to travel from and to the college which will save you in travelling costs that include transportation and car maintenance cost if you drive to school. In additional, most learning materials for online courses are in electronic format, which helps to save money in buying the printed books and reference.

For those students who want to work for any reason, earning their college degree online can be the best option as flexibility and remote login to the online classes are the two key advantages of online education that will benefit most working individuals who want to earn a degree. During the time of recession, job market and companies are becoming more selective, many people can't afford to loss their job, they need to stay competitive to keep themselves continue being hired. More working individuals are going back to study for a degree in their career related field to maintain at advantage edge, but most of them dare not quit their job just to go back to school. Hence, earning a college degree online becomes their best option that enabling them to pursue a degree without giving up their pay check.

There are students who are interested to pursue their college degree online but worry about the acceptance of online degrees in the job market. According to the various survey reports found, most employers have no concern where the degree is from, either online or campus-based college or university, as long as the interviewee shows that his/her degree is from a legitimate accredited school. Since the concern about the acceptance of online degree in the job market had been eliminated, earning your college degree online can be a better option, especially in the time of recession.

Summary

In the time of recession where everyone faces a tight budget in everything, earning a college degree online can be the best option for most students as it is a more cost effective while it provides various advantages that fit the students in a tough economy situation.

Find free information and resources about online degree programs offered by top accredited online colleges and universities at http://www.your-online-degree.info More tips about finding the best online education degrees are available at the website.

Saturday, February 07, 2009

4 Tips to Earn an Accredited Online Bachelor Degree

Nowadays, getting an online bachelor degree is common since online education has been recognized in the job market and become one of the popular options for students to pursue their degree. As long as you earn the degree from an accredited university or college, then you should not have any problem to start your career with the degree. However, there are a few considerations you should look into before you decide to enroll in your selected online bachelor degree program.

Consideration #1: Is Online Education Right For You?

Online education has been designed for flexibility and convenient for students to learn a degree or certification remotely from any place and at any time. It is a great option for students who don't like to follow the prefixed schedule of traditional classroom-based studying environment. The question you should ask yourself before enroll into an online bachelor degree program is: Is this option right for you?

Don't be one of the statistics for students who failed to complete their bachelor degree program. Assess your learning characteristic to see whether you are a person who can adapt to online learning environment. Self-motivation and good reading comprehensive skills are among the 2 important factors for students to success in earning a degree online. If you have these 2 important characteristics, then this will be a good option to benefit from the advantages of online education.

Consideration #2: Is Your Selected Online Bachelor Degree Program Offered By An Accredited School?

If you want to use the bachelor degree in your career, then you need to ensure that the online bachelor degree program you are interested in is offered by a school that get proper accreditation from an accrediting agency recognized by the department of education in your country. Beside that, the reputation of the school is an important consideration as well. Try to get more information about the school and its reputation from online forums or someone who was the student of the school before.

Consideration #3: What Are The Admission Requirements?

Don't waste your time to apply for a degree program offered by schools that have admission requirements beyond your qualification. In searching for an online bachelor degree program you are interested in, get the details information about it admission requirements from the schools. Only apply to the schools that offered the degree program you are qualified for.

Sometimes, you need to submit an admission essay together with your application, make sure you read the requirements of the essay writing. Remember to attached all the necessary documents before you mail out the application. If you submit your application online through the school's website, you may need to send the required documents by mail. Be sure to check with the school to ensure they have received your documents.

Consideration #4: How Much Is The Tuition Cost & Is Financial Aid Available?

The tuition cost of the same online bachelor degree program may vary from one school to another. More expensive does not mean better. You should pick the one with the tuition cost the meet your budget. If you need financial aid, then prioritize on the schools which offer scholarships and study loans for their students.

Summary

Online education provides you a good option to earn a bachelor degree, but you need to consider a few factors above to ensure you get the best accredited online bachelor degree.

Amelia Turner, an educational article writer for http://www.your-online-degree.info You can find more details information and free resources about Best Online Education, financial aids and other accredited online education programs that can help you to make decision to earn your degree online.

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,

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

How to Get an Online Bachelors Degree

A bachelor's degree is a distinctive achievement. It is a degree conferred to a successful graduate in subject like business and science. In fact most universities offering the bachelors degree classify them into, arts and sciences, Information technology, criminal studies and other major faculties. This allows students to choose from which the list and pursue a degree in that particular subject. However, accredited online institutions including universities have also begun offering online bachelors degrees.

This is a God send boon to most of us who are busy and constrained in both time and resources. It is easy how one can get an online bachelors degree today in spite of the previous hurdles like time and resources. To understand a bachelor's degree one first needs to have an overview of what it IS. The correct definition of a bachelor's degree is a degree awarded after undertaking a major that takes an average of four years to complete. This is a highly coveted achievement by scholars. Two, your overall performance during your study time is gauged and your degree is classified into the category of your merit. It can be an honor or something else, sometimes some people don't get it at all and referred back to do it again.

A bachelors degree online is not different from this university classroom scenario, in fact this is just the same as doing the degree course from the institutions since all the study material, course program, duration and also the panels of assessing are all the same. However, an online degree is more attractive in terms of times and resources. It is quite easy to undertake even when you are still working. The hours of learning can be got from your free time and when you are not busy at work. The program fees are affordable since they are minus both boarding and tuition fees and other major expenses which render pursue ring these degrees perilous.

As such, it is now easy and affordable to earn your bachelors degree. Either it is a BA, AB, BSc, BBA and any other, all you need is to enroll for a program from an accredited university and start your studies at your own free time.

Are you looking forward to online bachelor's degree, check out our detailed review and recommendation of online degree providers that would make the application process easier for you at http://www.education-degreeonline.com/

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

How to Make Education Online More Effective

A new article by Jonathan Wainright, of FCG Consultancy, was published yesterday highlighting certain methods to ensure that modern e-learning is operated and works as effectively as possible. For many years writers have been striving to understand how online courses can achieve what they set out to do - to equal that of traditional courses in a virtual context. By comparing the writings of Leonard Presby (from William Paterson University) in 2001, and Wainright's article, how can education online be made more effective today?

First, it is important to note that Wainright's influence stems from questions posed by The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. They found that of the UK organisations surveyed, they believe less than 25% of employees take up any eLearning opportunities offered to them. Whilst 95% of respondents believe that eLearning is most effective when combined with other forms of learning.

In 2001 Presby published his Seven Tips for Highly Effective Online Courses. His first point is echoed by Wainright today and is impressive for its simplicity: Choice, 'Students should be given choice as to how they learn, as long as they learn'. Wainright goes into slightly more depth. He states, 'it should be learner-centric, giving individuals control over their learning experience. eLearning should be flexible so that learners can choose when and how to engage with it. It should also accommodate individual learning needs and you must make sure it has visual impact.'

Presby's second point seems less important today but its subtext is still relevant. He highlights the need to keep compulsory reading up to date, and recognizes that text books can often be out of date. With the progressive importance of the internet and digital news media, it would seem today that its synchronization with online education would be more natural. Yet, of course only fully realized if Presby's last related idea is adhered to - that students should be tested on this most up to date information.

A specific modern idea that Wainright poses is the notion that the organization of the modern day online course should be as continually improved as the achievements of the students. This 'evolutionary stance' is important for the future of the course, and stimulates an equal - and close - interrelationship between student and institution.

Lastly, as if building upon Presby's tip that students should be offered the opportunity for virtual company tours (to satisfy their thirst to see how things work up close), Wainright recommends the inclusion of a learning portal. This can add an instant link to resources and discussion groups, as well as diagnostic elements for students (i.e. a learning pathway to track development), and a means for chatting, blogging, social networking and podcasting.

Sarah Maple writes about adult education and home learning