Education Assistant » Education Online

E-Communities – The Advanced Phase of Online Education

admin — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:09:06 +0000

Community means integrated body of individuals. Therefore learning communities could be defined as a unified body of individuals whose purpose is focused on learning. Learning communities can be brought together in a variety of ways. Schools, colleges and universities are a good example of communities. But there are some communities slightly different from the traditional communities which we see in colleges or university, and are called virtual or e-communities (electronic) or online education communities.

Here the question of address is what makes up an e-community, the theories that help those communities boom, the strong effect that those communities have on the participants, and the issues involved in developing an online community.

E-communities: There is an important difference between diverse types of online education and online learning communities. E-communities or virtual communities are not physically seen but exists in the cloud of internet. E-communities that meet mainly in cyberspace are emerging. Online education cannot be stated plainly by the use of technology since there is usage of different degrees of technology during education. An online course could be web-based, flexible of 1 to 29% of learning taking place online, blended/hybrid, comprising of 30 to 79% online education, or purely online where 80% or more learning takes place online. A recent study on online education shows that 11% of all U.S. higher education students, over 1.6 million people, registered in at least one of their courses online. Today, 57% of academic leaders understand that the learning result for online courses is equal to or better than face-to-face instruction.

With these online communities there is a significant difference because e-communities can grow in any of these circumstances, but internet is a tool and just having the tool would not help in sustaining relationships needed in making a community. The being community-ness of e-communities develop when there is interaction – sharing collective wisdom. This switch-over of ideas, knowledge, and imagination takes place between the learners and facilitators and makes up a mutually entertained experience rather than an experience that is just shared. This exchange of ideas takes place from learner-to-learner or learner-to-facilitator.

E-communities can be successful if there applies the constructivism and adult learning theory. The other element of its success is technology. Constructivism means learners must share knowledge actively and build new ways through which the real experienced based knowledge is shared. In addition, the role of the educator is also a key that will be act as a developing an environment that will promote real life experiences that lead to learning. Besides, educators have also placed an emphasis on the social aspects of constructivism, the collaboration of learners during knowledge acquisition and problem solving. Whereas adult learning theory is an important hypothetical reflection of study since people go for online education mainly after the completion of high schooling.

An obstacle to promoting e-community-based learning there is the complete absence of face-to-face instruction which is practically non-existent. The other obstacle may be the geographical and time-zone differences that hinder the learners from being communicative to other individuals of the e-community.

Technology and instructional design are the other two critical elements of designing an e-community based education. Technology based learning and communication is composed of video, audio, and text programs which could be of synchronous or asynchronous type. There should be some on the lookout consideration that explains which medium for this learning is suitable, when it will be used, and how it should be used be supposed to be included into the instructional design process. Other issues that should be considered in the instructional design process include how constructivism and adult learning theory contribute to making significant the function of the instructor and how they contribute to the sustainability of the e-community.

In conclusion it is obvious that the future of e-communities is certain. In simple words the medium used today for teaching will transform into another form whereas theoretical basis will remain comparatively the same. When there is more data on the effectiveness of various mediums as they connect to learning theories, the design of instruction for e-community learning will become a more precise science. Learner will get the rights to use the best instruction available, irrespective of geographical or time constraints and this will become more of a reality. Students will also be able to make choice of instructors/facilitators that they believe will fit with their learning styles and thus creating a more focused and dynamic model for instruction and learning.

By: Ismail Ahmed Alhashmi

Is Online As Good As Traditional Education? The Truth Exposed!

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:59:45 +0000

Since online education classes are a new education format, it also does not possess many of the known support systems that we can find inside a traditional school structure. This process is usually done with your classmates in a traditional school system but because of the nature of online education, you really do not have classmates in the traditional sense. However, there are people who fear that online courses may not give students the same benefits that traditional courses do.

Earning an educational qualification from the comfort of one’s home or workplace is an idea that is appealing to a large number of people who do not have the time to enroll for a traditional classroom-based course. Before you sign up for your first online course you might find the information presented in this article useful.

Courses are offered in a sequence, and students can complete each course in about five to six weeks. Offered by many accredited colleges and universities, this method of distance learning can help you earn a degree that is every bit as valued as the one you’d get if you were physically attending courses on the campus of a major university. The distance learning programs offered and degrees available through online education or correspondence courses (yes, some do still do it the old fashioned way) vary by school, so it is best to research the school you’re interested in to be sure that the degree you’re interested in offers the program that you are looking for.

This liberation of education has truly revolutionized the way we as individuals and professionals can attain additional knowledge and skills. With an online education – gaining knowledge has been freed from the confines of a school building and has now entered the domain of the individual in whatever place or time that is convenient to him. Many people find that helping students achieve knowledge is one of the most rewarding careers available because of the unique challenges and the often surprising results.

In this age of global education and the need for current knowledge and skills, this is a fast delivery system that will bring all the technological advancement right into your living room instantaneously.

It is up to you to set up a convenient schedule for study. Most online driver education courses do not have any fixed schedule or time line for completing the course, which means that there is no pressure at all. There isn’t even a need to ever meet the teachers or other students and you can do it at any time of the day so it won’t interfere with your work schedule or your life in general.

Determine your goals, make a plan, stay committed and never give up. To determine whether or not online education is right for you, you need to be honest with yourself and ask the following questions. If you are ready to succeed, take some time to determine why this is a great thing for you.

By: Derek Dexter

Elementary Education Online – It is Possible to Do This Today

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 08:01:29 +0000

There are a lot of people who want to teach at elementary school. Traditionally, you will need to pursue your education offline at some colleges or universities. Nowadays, due to work or family commitments, some of these people can choose to get this elementary education online. This is now possible because a lot of the colleges and universities understand how popular this is becoming nowadays. They are now making it possible for you to get the elementary education on the internet.

When you get an elementary education online you will be qualified to have a career in teaching elementary and high school students. Getting your elementary education degree online is also known as distance learning. By getting your degree online you are able to obtain the education that you need at your own convenient pace and from the comfort of your own home. You can also continue to work at your current place of employment while you do this.

In order to be able to teach at the elementary or high school level you will need to have a Bachelor’s degree that has an emphasis on elementary education. This is the minimum requirement necessary in order for you to be able to teach. One of the first things that you will need to do is to get an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science Degree. This is the first step that you need to take. Once you have done this you will need to continue your education to get the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

Once you have the Bachelor’s degree for elementary education, you can go a step further and advance your career by getting a Master’s degree or a Doctorate (PhD) degree that has an emphasis on Elementary Education. With the Master’s degree or the Doctorate degree you will be eligible for a career in elementary schools as well as being qualified to work in higher education institutions.

There may be some extra classes that you may have to take at a college or university but this is something that you will have to check up with the relevant authorities. With most of the elementary education online it is very possible to accumulate one hundred percent of the required credits that you need for your elementary education degree.

There will always be a need for teachers at the elementary level and the high school level. So you need to make sure that you check into all of your options when getting your degree. An elementary education online may be just what you want to do. It is very possible to get your elementary education degree online if that is what you choose to do. You just need to make sure that you check into everything before you decide what to do.

By: Lester Lee

A Brief History of Online Education

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:56:38 +0000

The internet has given us many gifts throughout the years – from music and video game codes to not so G-rated material. Therefore, it is no surprise that e-learning has made such a big splash in the web world. Within the past ten years, online education and internet training has provided many people with a new incentive to learn.

During the early 80′s, e-training was just starting to become a potential creation. Companies and educational institutes were strictly hiring instructors to train their students. This was because computers were only beginning to grow, therefore making it difficult to come up with any other plan. These instructors were great at the time because it allowed training to be very hands on, especially since students were able to interact with their classmates and visually see the lessons. However, the problem with having just instructors was that there was a lot of blank time in between. Students were not being able to learn the material on their own time, thus difficulty set in when training with hoards of other people.

Luckily, as the computer industry started to expand, e-training was becoming a reality. For the next ten years, multimedia was at everyone’s fingertips. Companies were just starting to use PowerPoint; a program that allowed people to create visually enhanced presentations. Video games and other multimedia programs were also popping up, thus resulting in a technology overhaul. As these advances continued, online education was only a step away.

The first type of online education was in the mid 1990′s. This was when the internet was a great success, and multimedia was being taken to another level. The first few e-training companies dedicated their services to mainly businesses who did not want to hire trainers. Although the online education courses were great for new employees who needed training, it was only the beginning of an uphill process. Education online was very slow, as pictures were small and the entire course was text based. Nevertheless, it was beginning to catch the eye of many.

As the 1990′s quickly ended, the millennium marked an entirely new period for technology. E-learning was finally on the map as online education courses were now very popular at colleges and businesses. Great streaming media, online video access, and fast web site servers made it possible for online education to make quite a splash. Students were also now able to learn from their homes during their own time, since working a job and going to school was quite a difficult task.

Today, online education has come a long way. Instructors are now being hired to solely teach online, which usually consists of being filmed for lesson videos. Companies are also hiring these online education programs, since a training session can not only be quick, but also be accessed at any time of the day or night. For many, it is a great opportunity because it gives us all more knowledge. We not only are able to get college degrees through this type of e-learning, but we also can have a life, without having to stay at the office overnight just to learn some material.

By: Natalie Aranda

Reality Check – Education in the US

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:54:36 +0000

An online teacher poll of the week asked the following question: Do you feel appreciated by your students? Yes 60.0% No 40.0% Out of a total of 435 votes, only 60 percent of the teachers believed they are appreciated by their students. This is really sad.

The most recent U.S. Census Bureau says that about 33 percent of women in the United States that are of the ages between aged 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s degree or more education in 2007. This was compared with 26 percent of their male counterparts.

In a report called the Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007, among adults 25 and older, the stats said that men remained slightly more likely than women to hold a bachelor’s degree at 30 percent which is compared to 28 percent. The percentage for women rose between 2006 and 2007 up from 27 percent, but for men, it remained statistically unchanged.

It would appear from research that more education continues to pay off as adults with advanced degrees typically earn four times more than those with less than a high school diploma.

The report also shows that in 2007, 86 percent of all adults who were 25 years and older said that they had completed at least high school; 29 percent had bachelor’s degree. About 52 percent of Asians, more than half, who were 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree, compared with 32 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 13 percent of Hispanics and 19 percent of blacks.

The proportion of the foreign-born population with a bachelor’s degree or more was 28 percent, compared with 29 percent of the native population. But the proportion of naturalized citizens with a college degree was about 34 percent.

Workers 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $56,788 in 2006, while those with a high school diploma earned $31,071.

Among those whose highest level of education was a high school diploma or equivalent, non-Hispanic white workers had the highest average earnings at $32,931, followed by Asians at $29,426 and blacks who made $26,268. Average earnings of Hispanic workers in the same group was $27,508.

Asians made $88,408 among workers with advanced degrees, while non-Hispanic whites made $83,785, which is higher average earnings than Hispanics at $70,432 and $64, 834 for blacks.

Statistics also prove that as outside groups gets involved in a child’s life, assisting with their schoolwork, or family issues, there is a much greater appreciation for school, education and teachers as well.

SOURCE: Data is from the 2007 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

By: Kristin DeAnn Gabriel