Online Learning

Part 2

More Tips

Finally, look beyond the article for more clues.

·        Read the website’s home page and the About Us page. Look for a mission statement to learn more about the site, its purpose and the organization sponsoring it.

·        If there is an author listed, look for a biography that discusses the author’s education, profession and other relevant background. If there is no bio on the site, search for one elsewhere on the Web.  

·        Check the date. Facts can change over time, so see if the site shows when it was last updated.

·        Presentation counts; look at everything from design to spelling. A clean, well-organized site shows a certain degree of professionalism.

·        Avoid sites that are pornographic, vulgar, inappropriate, below par, suggestive, and falsifying.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT!!!

Online Learning

Part 1

Read Between the Lines

Make a judgment about the site’s reliability based on your own analysis of the site and the information it contains. Here are some ways to do this:

·        Look for facts you know or can check with a trusted source. If the site gets those facts right, it’s more likely that the other facts on the site are also accurate.

·        Study the language used. Is it angry, satiric or overly impassioned? This may indicate that the site is biased.

·        Consider whether the arguments are logical and backed up by evidence, and whether the site presents only one point of view.

·        Check the links to the sources that the author acknowledges. Scholarly writing, whether in print or online, should include a bibliography.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT!!!

Distance Education: Is a Virtual Classroom for You?

Part 4 of 4

Emphasis on the written world

Most of the communication, as well as the course work, in distance-learning classes is written. That’s a plus, because the focus on the written word gives you the opportunity to develop as a writer—and strong writing skills are essential to academic success. However, if writing is a serious weakness for you, virtual learning may not be the best educational option until you improve your skills. Yes, most of distance education is the written word; therefore, you need to be a good reader, love to read, and love writing also. Most of your assignments will be written and submitted to the instructor in the written format. Your penmanship needs to be excellent, spelling great, sentence structure above average, vocabulary extraordinary. You need to have online access with reliable equipment. If your Internet communications at home isn’t working, you can’t do online education from home and will need to go to someplace where you do have access to the Internet.

Decide Whether It’s Right for you

Distance education isn’t for everyone, but it just might be for you. You really should seek it out and give it a try. You never know until you try. You might even fall in love with distance education. While distance education may be the perfect alternative for some students, it’s not the right choice for everyone. So carefully consider your unique needs and interests and give distance education a try; then, decide it is right for you.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT!!!

Distance Education: Is a Virtual Classroom for You?

Part 3

Challenging Aspects of Distance Education

·        Lack of in-person interaction: Some educators argue that both teacher-student and student-student contact are essentials to learning. in a distance-learning classroom, you may be able to participate in class discussions online in chat rooms, message boards or Web conferences—but it’s not the same as being with other students in a classroom.

·        Different levels of quality: Many distance-education programs supply an excellent learning experience, but others may not. Research ant program before signing on to make sure it’s rigorous enough. If you are choosing your own program, look into its accreditation before enrolling.

·        The need to self-start: Distance education lets you make your own schedules. If you have a hard time getting motivated, this might not be the ideal educational setting for you

CHOOSE THE RIGHT!!!