Future of Education: Going the Online Way!

No longer is education limited to just traditional 'brick and mortar' classrooms. Right from kids to adults, everyone is going the online way as far as education is concerned via a series of online classes and courses. These classes are offered either by experienced independent teachers or by schools and colleges that also conduct regular classroom-based teaching.

According to a survey conducted by the Sloan Consortium, over 5.6 million students took an online class in 2011, accounting to about 30 percent of the total U.S. college students. The number of students taking online courses has definitely increased compared to the 2009 Sloan Consortium survey report that showed just negligible 10 percent of students taking such internet-based courses.

Now, what can be the reason behind the increasing popularity of online classes? Let us find out.

Flexibility of Learning

Today, students prefer to learn at their convenience. With online classes, they can easily choose their time to study and likewise schedule time for other tasks like tuitions or sports. Many students find traditional classrooms to be hectic, as they need to sit all day long attending individual classes on a continuous basis. Breaks are short and the ongoing learning process can sometimes be quiet overbearing.

We Need Better Education to Train People for New Jobs, but Isn't That Corporate Welfare?

It is interesting that in the United States, all the politicians tell us that they are going to help provide more jobs for Americans. The first thing they point to is the notion that Americans are not qualified and trained, or educated properly for the new jobs in the new era of our growing economy and fast-paced innovative world. The reality is there is always new innovation, and the jobs do change, and therefore the training must also change. What bothers me about these podium pushing politicians that get up there and tell us these things, is that to pay for this, they wish to raise our taxes.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to pay anymore taxes, and I don't like the inefficient way that our state and federal government runs its affairs. It's a bloated bureaucracy and it is highly inefficient. Maybe the government needs to go back to training, and maybe the politicians need to get a life. Secondly, and I have another comment, and this one is more serious. Do you know why politicians whether Republican or Democrat always claim that the problem is education, and to get more jobs, we need more money in education?

It's simple, because the teachers unions are supported by the Democrats. And many of the corporations support the Republicans. The corporations would love to have all of their labor pre-trained and ready to work the day they start. And they would love for someone else to do it. The teachers of course would like to have lots of work, guarantee employment, and excellent benefits.

Online Continuing Education Classes Explained

Hundreds of thousands of teenagers, adults, and professionals are going back to school to further their education. Many of them are choosing online classes and online degree programs. Not every course or program is the same, but many of them have similar characteristics. Whether you are a professional completing your required continuing education training or a student looking to complete a master's degree online; there is a program available for you. Today we are going to talk about what to expect in an online course and how they can benefit you.

Most professionals have to complete a certain amount of continuing education every 1-2 years. Online classes are very popular for full-time working adults. They are easier to complete and very flexible. Depending on the school, asynchronous courses are usually the preferred method of online classes. Asynchronous means the student does not have to be online at a specific time. They can log in and complete their work whenever they want. Industries including insurance, legal, nursing, and real estate, all require continuing education classes. You can log in, read the textbooks, and then take an exam. That is your typical course when it comes to completing your education online.

An online class at a college or University can be very different. There is usually much more involved in their courses. There will usually be a professor and sometimes even a facilitator conducting the course. There is usually a lot of interaction between the professor and the students in an online course. Support is very important for online students to succeed. Also, in an online college course you will get a syllabus and due dates for your assignments. These courses may be asynchronous or not. If they are not, you will have to log in for live chats with your classmates throughout the week. These can actually be very beneficial even though they seem like an inconvenience. In a live chat you can network with your other classmates and also ask the professor questions. It is easier than sending an email and having to wait for a reply.

Special Education and No Child Left Behind: Mandated High Stakes Testing

Special Education and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) are related in several ways. Due to the requirements established in the 2001 NCLB law the vast majority of special education students are required to participate in your district and state annual assessments. This is not a decision the special education teacher has made or often condoned; it is required unless your child is extremely impaired and has not been exposed to the core content standards. There are very rigid laws regarding the assessment process so it is important to check the Accommodations and Modifications Section of your child's IEP to make sure your child has all of the needed testing accommodations.

You may have noticed a lot of talk in the media about state waivers for portions of the NCLB regulations. Many states have requested to receive a waiver that will allow for a little more flexibility in some of the regulations while increasing their accountability. One of the regulations where flexibility may be granted is in assessing students on multiple measures rather than on one test score. This is good news for special education students who often struggle with high stakes tests because they are being assessed on material that they have not learned or been exposed to due to their disability and their educational needs.

I remember a conversation I had with an Assistant Superintendent about this issue. I was trying to explain the educational damage (let alone the emotional damage) I was likely to inflict on one of my 5th grade emotionally disturbed students who also had extreme dyslexia when I put a 5th grade reading assessment in front of him and told him he had to complete it independently (because you cannot read portions of the reading assessment to children as you can for a math or a science assessment). I remember asking her, "What helpful information could possibly be gained from this endeavor?" and her response was, "Well if he raises his score under "Insufficient" he could be proud of that and we'd know you taught him something about reading". I know she was only doing her job, but she obviously did not understand that if he raised his score it was likely because he guessed well as he could not read any of the content or questions placed before him.

Special Needs Education - A Must For Every Student

Special needs is a very broad term. So before we can start to identify which of our students have special needs, we need to first identify some of what the term entails.

Usually the term would refer to a student who has a disability like blindness, deafness or who suffers from a specific mental disability. But the term should be used a lot broader than it is being used at the moment.

Description of a teacher who teaches special needs students:

    Every teacher in the world.

Now you may say that this is not true. I agree that there are teachers who specialize in this field and who are trained to specifically deal with students with very obvious special needs. These teachers do an incredible job. But if you look at the description of a student with special needs, you will understand that the need for special needs educators are so high that it is impossible to limit it to the handful there currently are.

Description of a student with special needs:

    Any student who is unable to learn and succeed at the same level as the majority of other mainstream learners.

Now there may be many different reasons as to why a student is not able to perform at the same level as his/her peers. Some of the most obvious ones are of course the physical and clear mental disabilities some students suffer from. In a class where mathematics are being explained in the old chalk-and-talk style, it is obvious that a blind learner will have trouble following along with the rest of his classmates. Everybody also accepts that a learner with Down's Syndrome will have more difficulty absorbing information than the learner with no form of mental disability.

Early Childhood Education Planning Tips

While no child is alike and each family is unique, a common tread run deep in the heart of every home - the desire of parent is to give their children the BEST education possible and see them grow into their full potential. However, life is full of unplanned surprise and the path to achieving this desire may be a convoluted one. That's where a sound investment strategy comes in. With flexible planning and a suite of investment options that are available, you may help put your child on the journey to a valuable college degree. Here are a few TIPS that may help kick-start you planning:

1. CREATE A FINANCIAL PLAN WITH AN END IN MIND.

First, make an estimate of the costs that will go into your child's education. Your cost should take into account inflation over the investment or saving period. With the estimate as a guide, start piecing together your investment plan. There are many education planning option, each with its own risks and benefits, which you may use alone or simultaneously to achieve your goals:

a. AN EDUCATION SAVING PLAN is a good place to start as it aims to offer payout when your child enters college. Some education savings plan may also provide protection benefits to the child and or parent.

b. PROPERTY may provide rental yields and capital appreciation to fund your child's tertiary education. Rental yields may be used to top up your child's education fund savings or pay for your child's tuition. Should the value of your properties appreciate, it may be sold to obtain capital gains. Investing in property has its risks too as the property market may fluctuate in the future and you may not be able to get the selling price you hope for.

c. UNIT TRUSTS and STRUCTURED INVESTMENTS can be added to your investment plan, if they fit your risk profile, time frame and target goal for your child's education.

d. AN INVESTMENT LINKED PLAN can be tailor-made to grow your wealth with the flexibility to choose the type of funds suitable to your risk profile and goals. Your child may be nominated to receive protection benefits, should the unforeseen happen to you. Usually, you would have the option to make regular contribution or a single contribution in line with your financial standing.

2. SET UP AN AUTOMATIC SYSTEM TO INVEST REGULARLY

Set in motion action plan that makes savings or investing automatic. Many savings, investment linked plan and unit trust funds often regular monthly, quarterly, half-annually or annual contributions option. By investing regularly, you will also benefit from Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) which average out the high and lows of an investment and possibly lower the total average cost per share of the investment.

3. REVIEW THE PLAN

Regular reviews of the plan will help you stay on track with your target goals. Review it at least annually and with every major life change such as new child, career advancement or move to a bigger house. Find ways to top up if it is not up to speed in reaching your investment goal.

4. TOP UP ANNUALLY or WHEN YOU CAN

You could consider increasing the amount of contribution annually or top up your regular contributions when your income increase such as when you receive a bonus or get a pay rise, in order to meet your target earlier or achieve an even large fund.

5. NO DIPPING INTO THE FUNDS

Choose a plan that locks in your funds for your children's education till they are ready to leave for college. If it is easy to cash out the education fund, chances are you may be tempted to use the money for other emergencies or needs that may crop up in life.

6. ENCOURAGE CONTRIBUTION FROM FAMILY MEMBERS

Encourage grandparents or relatives who shower your children with gifts to consider opting for a cash contribution towards their education fund instead.

7. MAKE IT A TEAM EFFORT

Get your children involved in saving for their education. When you are reviewing your investments for their education fund, talk to them about it and make them aware if the challenges and commitment you face in saving for their education. If possible, let them contribute a small portion of their allowance to their education fund too. And before they leave for university help them develop good money management habits to help them live within their means.