How Online College Classes Work

How Online College Classes Work

by: Timothy D. Arnold

Itกs no secret that more and more people are looking to the internet for a convenient way to further their education. Online classes are a great way to obtain an accredited college degree from home and continue to work a full time job. Many times a student can attend classes from their computer and schedule those classes around their job. Some schools allow the student to login to a class at their convenience. Imagine taking a class from the comfort of your own home and not having to deal with parking problems, child care, lunch, or transportation expenses.

You can also get an online degree from top, accredited online colleges and online schools that may not be available in your local area. An online education is also a great option for nontraditional students, the handicapped, people in remote areas, and people with a fulltime job or a schedule that doesn’t allow for a traditional education.

Distance education can be delivered in several ways. We will examine two of the many ways education can be delivered via the internet.

One of the most common is through live media. In this type of online classroom, students typically login to a chat room type environment that allows not only for text chat but also live audio chat, similar to many of the popular ขinstant messagingข programs that are widely used today. The lecture can be heard through the computer speakers or through a set of headphones. The students communicate with the teacher and other students by text chat or simply by talking into a PC microphone. The teacher can also allow students to view him/her in a smaller window on the monitor via a webcam. The lecture can also be recorded and posted to the school website to allow students to listen to the lecture and review the material at a later time according to their schedule, and as many times as necessary. This type of online class makes it necessary to be at the computer at a scheduled time each day.

One advantage to this type of online college classroom environment is the student receives live instruction with structured classes. It is well known that students working within in a structured setting have a higher probability of success of finishing their degree. An obvious disadvantage would be lack of scheduling flexibility.

Another variation of the online classroom setting involves text messages such as email and message boards. Each class may share a group mailbox or a message board system, which becomes the กelectronic classroomก. The instructor generally posts lectures on the topic of study, posts the assignments, and provides discussion questions related to the topic. The student can view lectures, notes from the instructor and other students, and assigned projects. The student can also post messages or questions to the instructor and other students.

One advantage of this system is 24 hour access to course materials and the ability to work at oneกs own pace without regard to scheduling. A disadvantage would be lack of direct contact with the instructor.

In both scenarios students are expected to logon to the class site a certain number of days per week. Students also can contact the instructor via email to ask questions or receive answers. When assignments are due, students send them to the instructor online, where they are graded and returned. Students may also have access to their individual performance reports by logging in to a website where that information is posted. Test may also be taken online. Typically, online classes last five to six weeks.

Although the degree of difficulty is the same for the online classroom as in a traditional setting, the internet has broken down many barriers for people wanting to obtain higher education.

About The Author

Timothy D. Arnold has recruited college students for http://www.acit.com and also recruits students via his online college portal at http://www.allcollegedegrees.com

This article was posted on February 09

by Timothy D. Arnold

Make Artistic Graphic Designs

Make Artistic Graphic Designs

by: Lala C. Ballatan

Are you a student of graphic design? If you have taken time in extra reviews and put ขgraphic designข and ขdrawingข into any search engines, you’ll get almost the same result = descriptions of graphic design programs at many design schools. Baffled? Well, it’s like this: As a student interested in graphic design, you have to take drawing and not actually a degree in fine art.

The truth is, you don’t need to be able to draw sensationally, but your skills as a graphic designer would edge out if you have drawing abilities. Still it is possible for you to be a designer without having any drawing ability.

Putting art into your graphic designs can be done with your actual ability to draw. Here are several reasons why getting into a good drawing class can become a significant part of your graphic designing career:

Opens up your eyes to all details Drawing does not only entail the creation of beautiful art, it also triggers in us the ability to really look at a subject in a realistic view. Through drawing, we could look at the negative space and the positive space of our creations. It enables us to look perceptively at the white space in a design, its texts and graphics.

Makes you become sensitive and attentive to details – by getting us to really look at our drawing or design, drawing also awakes in us a certain sensitivity and attentiveness to particular objects that will truly turn out to be interesting subjects.

Teaches you about composition – getting into a good drawing class draws out knowledge about making good composition. Principles in good drawing compositions apply also to graphic design.

Gives you knowledge on color – drawing will teach you about tones and shades, even if you draw only in black and white. You’ll also learn some color theory that you could put to good use in creating graphic designs.

Gets you to distinguish good art – a single or couple of drawing class can never make a great artist out of you. But, abilities such as being able to distinguish good art can be honed in you after taking up a drawing class. As a graphic designer, you may eventually have to hire an illustrator and this ability of yours can be put to good use.

Don’t give me a line about some people that can never learn to draw even as they have the graphic design skills… Early on as kids, all of us have expressed ourselves by drawing anything. So now that we have the complete and matured mental faculties, all of us can learn how to draw. Time and practice are all it would take. Great talents and skills are always the result of never – ending practice. By learning to draw, we could also get the most essential elements of creating artistic graphic designs.30

About The Author

Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 yearold Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a nongovernment organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Book reading has always been her greatest passion mysteries, horrors, psychothrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns imagined and observed, to bear witness.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.digitalprintingcompany.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 14

by Lala C. Ballatan

Teacher Websites A Studentกs Perspective

Teacher Websites A Studentกs Perspective

by: Robert Fuess

I have been a student for many years. I even took the 7year plan to go through college for my Bachelorกs degree. Every so often I still take another course. Since much of my studies and background involve webrelated stuff, I tend to notice other peopleกs websites. (My wife who owns a little hair salon always notices peopleกs hair.)

My colleges have normally been well supported, and in my last one the teachers had their own web page on the campus website. It included a onepage description of the teacherกs credentials, a picture and some contact information. I found this very useful since I could find the email for the teacher (especially since I tended to loose handouts that were given a month ago). It also helped me get to know a little more about the teacher.

Unfortunately, these pages were seldom (if ever) updated. Eventually they disappeared with budgetary restrictions.

Lately I have noticed on the web that there are a lot of teacher websites around. Elementary schools, high schools and colleges all had teachers with their own web pages. Many are funded by the school district or by the college campus administration. But few teachers tended to fill this out. I talked with some of the teachers and only a few had the skills or web tools to build their own web pages. Of those who did, there were varying degrees of utility in the pages. Some were very good with useful information organized in a way to be helpful to students and parents. Others were rather sparse with little information and a couple of class pictures but who could blame them? These teachers are normally very busy and the fact that they took the initiative to start one is admirable. Any teacher who took this kind of effort must really love his or her students. (Most teachers don’t have one.)

Here is one teacher who did an outstanding job creating her own website: http://pfinck.tripod.com

I have found a few websites that are focused on providing teachers already built templates in that are nicely organized and useful to the students and they have webtools to help the teacher put the information in so they don’t have to be webmasters. They just have to be teachers. Hurray!

This is a TIME SAVER and a valuable information tool for the students (or their parents). All of these listed do not require the teacher to know HTML!

ALSO: Students who have learning disabilities such as dyslexia or ADHD may have difficulty remembering or copying down homework, especially if it is given in the last moments of the class period. Websites that tell the homework and projects can be a very helpful tool – especially for these ones.

WEBSITE #1: http://www.inetteacher.com

ANNUAL COST: $24.95

There is a 30 day free trial available.

This is a very nice template site. I would definitely recommend this for teachers who have only one class.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Place to put information about the teacher or class

contact information

calendar of events

ability for students to check grades

homework calendar

materials list page

student work page (to view studentกs work)

EASILY CUSTOMIZE the look and feel (colors/backgrounds)

Ability to add other pages as needed

DRAWBACKS:

This site seems to be designed for those who ONLY HAVE ONE CLASS. There is only one page for class news, one for class policy, one calendar of events, and one homework calendar. If a teacher had more than one class, students from the different classes could easily get confused about what information applies to them.

FAVORITE FEATURE:

My favorite feature here is the student work page. This is an innovative feature that I haven’t noticed on the other sites. I think that having a studentกs work posted on the website can be a great moral booster.

WEBSITE #2: http://www.schoolandteacher.com

ANNUAL COST: $19.95

There is a 1 YEAR free trial available. (There is a link on their home page for this.)

This too is a very nice template site. I would highly recommend this for any teacher.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Place to put information about the teacher or class

contact information

calendar of events FOR EACH CLASS

homework calendar FOR EACH CLASS

projects calendar FOR EACH CLASS

exams calendar FOR EACH CLASS

quick view FOR EACH CLASS (todayกs homework, next exam, next project) This is automatically generated for each class based on the current date.

files to download (for homework lists and such)

Email signup to get email reminders for homework or projects or exams

EASILY CUSTOMIZE the look and feel (colors/backgrounds)

DRAWBACKS:

I didn’t notice any drawbacks. I would like to see a student work page on this site though. (Who knows, they might add this feature this soon.)

FAVORITE FEATURE:

I have 2 favorite features for this website.

My first is the email signup for the homework reminders. I have 2 daughters and wish my teachers would have this service just for this particular feature. That way I could get daily emails on what my kids have for homework. I wouldn’t even have to browse to the website.

My second favorite feature here is quickview. For students in a hurry, this is an awesome thing to check. In one page, you can see all the current data for your class.

WEBSITE #3: http://www.myteacherpages.com

ANNUAL COST: $39.95

There is a $10 off the first YEAR subscription available.

This is a very nice template site. I would definitely recommend this for teachers who have only one class.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Place to put information about the teacher or class

contact information

calendar of events

homework list

EASILY CUSTOMIZE the look and feel (colors/backgrounds)

Ability to take a survey

Slideshow of class pictures

Form Creator tool to create feedback forms

DRAWBACKS:

This site seems to be designed for those who ONLY HAVE ONE CLASS. There is only one page for class news, one for class policy, one calendar of events, and one homework calendar. If a teacher had more than one class, students from the different classes could easily get confused about what information applies to them.

FAVORITE FEATURE:

I have 2 favorite features for this website.

My favorite feature is the Form Creator. I realize that there can be special circumstances where a teacher wants the students to fill out a specialized form. The other two websites don’t offer this.

I also think having the ability to take an online pole is a nice idea.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

All three of the above tools offer some very nice features and all would be of great value to teachers and students. You must choose what features are most important to you.

If you are teaching more than one class, then I would recommend the http://www.SchoolAndTeacher.com website.

If you are teaching ONLY one class, then any of them will do. (I REALLY like that signup feature on http://www.SchoolAndTeacher.com for the homework and projects. That has such value added that I tend to favor this one on this feature alone.)

Take some time. Do a little research. The cost is not to much to start out. If you don’t like the first choice, then at most you will loose $29.95.

About The Author

Robert Fuess is a veteran webmaster who focuses on building dynamic, editable, data driven websites.

If you are interested in a website that you can edit please email [email protected] or

call (805) 7200789. http://www.Spiderweblogic.com.

This article was posted on August 29

by Robert Fuess

Blackboard Learning in the TwentyFirst Century

Blackboard Learning in the TwentyFirst Century

by: Nick Smith

My grandmother likes to remind me that to her it seems like yesterday that she attended college something virtually unheard for women of her generation to do. In fact, she and I went to the same university, even studied in the same buildings. But despite those college experiences we share, something makes me think that the way college works now is remarkably different than the way it did when she was there. It seems that the old adage of ขReading, Writing, and ‘Rithmeticข should be reworked to say ขDownloading, Typing, and eBay.ข

If you find yourself wondering about what changes might have come about since you yourself attended college, allow me to explain one tool that has been developed to take advantage of new technologies to help teachers teach better and help students learn better. It’s what could be called ขBlackboard Learning.ข

Features of Blackboard Learning

Blackboard technology is an online resource where teachers and students may exchange resources, interact, and find information regarding courses in which they are enrolled. When a student enrolls in a course making use of Blackboard learning, they are given access through their university or college’s website to a customizable portal page that lists the courses they are enrolled in. Each course includes several separate online resources that students can use to succeed in the course.

In the past teachers either had to make copies of all their handouts to give to students or put whatever the students needed to know up on the blackboard and students were responsible for copying it down. The former option is a waste of paper and ink, while the latter is a waste of time. Blackboard technology now allows teachers to upload digital copies of handouts which students can download and, if they choose, print. Class notes, PowerPoint presentations, video and audio clips, pictures, and other resources can be made available to the entire class simply by uploading them to Blackboard. This virtually eliminates the problem of students losing the syllabus or other important class document because there is always a copy online that they have ready access to.

Blackboard learning includes an online grade book. Professors simply update the students’ grades each time a new quiz, test, or assignment is graded, and the tallied scores are made available to the students. This feature allows students to keep tabs on exactly where they are throughout the semester, and the teacher saves time from having to answer questions about what students got on homework assignments. The grade book also allows students and professors to double check their records to ensure the proper grade for each assignment is recorded.

Between classes, homework, extracurricular activities, and road trips, students can’t always find a time to meet on campus and study or work on group projects. Online forums, discussion groups, and chat rooms add a humanistic touch to Blackboard learning. Students make post questions they have about different assignments or concepts, and other students or the professor can respond. Professors may lead outofclass discussions online to help round out the lectures given during class time.

Why Blackboard Learning?

If you were to turn in a handwritten financial report or used a hand drawn graph in a sales pitch, you very likely would not receive the same response as if you had typed the report or designed the graphic with a computer. Whether we like it or not (personally, I like it!) technology is not only here to stay but it is fully integrated into nearly everything we do – and education is no different. Papers are typed. Research is done online. PowerPoint has replaced overhead projectors.

Students and teachers have to take advantage of technological advances in order to stay afloat in the information age. Blackboard Learning is a resource that helps students stay organized and succeed.

About The Author

Nick Smith is a client account specialist with http://www.10xMarketing.com – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For software that allows you to take Blackboard Learning on the go, check out http://www.gobinder.com/blackboardlearning.aspx

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 14

by Nick Smith