The Latest Online Education

Jumat, 17 Oktober 2014

Taking Online Horticulture Classes Will Encourage Your Green Thumb

Are you a house plant killer with a secret desire to have a garden? Many people think that if they can't keep an indoor plant alive there's no point in trying to garden. There is one big advantage to a garden: an automated watering system. You can't put a house plant on a timer, but you can put a garden on one. If you've always wanted to try your hand at gardening, but don't know where to start and have been intimidated by your lack of knowledge, online horticulture courses are available to help.

The Beginner

When looking for an online class, look for a beginner or hobbyist level course. This will ensure that the information is prepared for those who do not have a background or experience in gardening. The other students will also be beginners which will give you the benefit of learning not only from the teacher but from the questions asked by other students.

You'll also want to make sure that there is an open forum available where you can post questions and receive answers outside of the class. Because people from all over the country sign up for these classes, and no one has the same schedule, it's easier for you to post at your leisure and then check back when you have time. It's also nice to check in and see if you can help out a fellow gardener.
Types of Classes

There are many different areas of gardening to learn about. You can study up on growing a vegetable garden using heirloom seeds, lawn care, flower selection, garden design, tree house design, and so much more. All it takes is 1-2 hours a week.

Once you've gone beyond the beginner level courses, you can move on to some of the more specialized classes. Perhaps you want to know where fruits and vegetables came from, how they moved across continents and oceans, and how they helped shape world cultures.

Or, maybe you're more interested in how plants are pollinated and would like to try keeping a hive on your property. Before you order your bees, you can take a class on beekeeping. You don't have to be a professional gardener in order to keep bees. You just need to have some time and enough space for the bees to gather pollen.

If you've recently bought a home and want to redesign the yard, you can take a class in architectural rendering for landscape and garden designers. These classes are a little more in-depth and often require you to download software. But, having the freedom to design your yard and then watch it come together is priceless.

Making Time

One of the biggest benefits of taking on stream course is that you can take the classes when it's convenient for you. When you sign up for the class, you're given a log in and a password. You can use these to access the class videos, notes, and enter the online forums. If the only time you have is Thursday afternoon, then that is when you take the class. Online classes make it easy to succeed.

Education articles for teachers and other educators. ... are selected for inclusion. Choose one of our latest articles below or choose a category from the sidebar. Pages in category "Online education". The following 88 pages are in this category, out of 88 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).

How Online Photography Courses Can Enhance Your Life

Education is an amazing thing to have in life. It can open a lot of windows of opportunity and can lead you to new horizons of experience. Art is an amazing thing to have in life. It can open your eyes to new perspectives and can show you new things about yourself that you never would have imagined. The combination of these two things through online photography courses can truly enhance your life in some really beautiful ways. You will have a new skill, will have more opportunities presented to you, will see the world in a new and more appealing way, and will have the ability to take a hobby and turn it into something more serious.

You Will Have a New Skill

The more skills that you have, the happier you will be. A person who can handle anything because of their knowledge and skills is someone that can overcome many obstacles in life. Taking advantage of online photography courses is a great way to gain a new skill while still having the freedom to do so from wherever you have a chance.

Opportunities Will Open Up to You

When you can learn the complexities of photography, graphic design, photo alteration, and other such important skills, you will be qualifying yourself for some pretty good promotions and advancements. The business world will see you as a more well-rounded investment, and your family will be able to benefit from your newfound ability to capture a perfect moment. Between your new job opportunities and the family bonding that will result from this, you will be getting some really amazing opportunities to improve your life from all angles.

You Will Have a New Perspective on the World

Sometimes what you really need in life is simply a new way to look at the world. Putting yourself in a classroom setting and looking through a camera lens are two ways to accomplish this. While your schedule may not allow for an actual campus experience, the opportunity to utilize the Internet to gain the skills you need to build a new perspective can do some amazing things for you in your life. As you learn to see the world through new eyes, you will also be gaining helpful feedback and important certification.

Turn a Hobby into Something Serious

As you learn more about what your camera is capable of and how to use the different software programs out there, your skills will be sharpened and shaped in all the right ways. With a natural ability tempered by education and critique, you can end up taking your hobby and making it a serious moneymaker for you and your home. These are just a few of the many ways that these kinds of classes can shape your life into something new and amazing.

If you have always enjoyed tinkering with your camera, but are ready to really take the next step with it, then My Photo School http://www.my-photo-school.com/courses/ are the perfect way to do just that. As you enroll in online photography courses you will be able to see a bright perspective in life.

What Can Benefit You From Learning Online

Today's classroom is changing rapidly. In fact, today's classroom is not necessarily a room filled with students, or even a class held at a certain time. With technology advancing at a rapid rate, opportunities for nontraditional learning opportunities are ever present, and they are becoming more attractive and affordable all the time. So, what are the benefits of online learning, and how can online schooling work for you? The following article outlines the benefits, so if you are ready to get started with an online photo course, enroll today.

The Benefits of Online Learning

The stigma surrounding online learning has decreased significantly over the years. Most online learning programs have found ways to use technology and pedagogy in order to set high standards of learning and an academically rigorous courseload for their students. Learning through the internet is also much more interactive and supportive than in previous years. Online learning is more accepted and encouraged than ever before, and you too can take advantage of this opportunity. Here are some benefits of online learning:

On Stream learning is affordable: Not only is tuition for online classes typically more affordable but you will also save money in several other ways by going to school online. You will save money in textbook costs, parking passes and other commuting costs, and you will also be able to keep your job and go to school during the hours you choose. Higher education used to be only for a select few, now everyone with the motivation and determination to gain training and a degree can do so online.

Through Internet learning is convenient: Most type of this learning courses allow you to proceed through coursework at a pace that is acceptable to you. In addition, there is rarely a set time for class to take place, so you can do your coursework after work, or even after the kids have gone to bed. Those with busy and demanding schedules can now work on furthering their education from the comfort of their homes during hours of their choosing.

Learning on stream is gaining acceptance: This type of learning programs were once thought to be for those who could not get into a traditional university. This mindset is no longer prevalent in higher education, and students are now encouraged to sign up for online classes and even online programs in order to gain the education they need to be successful in their careers.

On Stream learning is evolving: Courses like this used to be sterile, isolating learning experiences that left students scrambling for the motivation and support to finish the course. This type of experience in an online learning course is very rare today. Technology has allowed for a revolution in this type of learning, and a typical online course is now interactive, stimulating, and rigorous in nature.

Pros and Cons of Online Photography Classes

Becoming a photographer is a great profession for those that are self-motivated, inspired by the beauty they find in the world, and passionate about photography and learning all that they can about the profession. If you think you would be a good photographer, you now have a few decisions to make regarding training. While there is no formal program or degree required in order to make a living as a camera-person, the more skilled and professional you are, the more successful you will be. In order to receive your training, you can take classes in person at a local college or through local seminars. You can also take courses online to receive your training. The following article outlines the pros and cons of online photography classes such as online portrait photography courses in order to help you determine which type of training is best for you.

Pros and Cons of Online Photography Classes

Photographers have an interesting, creative, and diverse career in which they are constantly learning and changing their technique. If you would like the become a photographer, the following list outlines the pros and cons of getting trained through online photography courses.

Pro: Online classes are more convenient. In most cases, an online photography class can be taken whenever you have time. If you have a strict schedule and can only work on the course at night, that is not a problem and will not affect your grade. Those that previously could not switch careers now have the flexibility they need through online schooling.

Con: On stream classes are less interactive. Learning an art form such as photography may be difficult to do online, as you are less connected and have less face time with professors and other students in the class. Those that learn best through interaction with their peers and one-on-one discussions with their professors will have a hard time learning with an online format.

Pro: Online classes are more affordable. The affordability of your photography training really depends upon your level of commitment. If you plan on simply taking a few classes through a community school, you will not have to pay much to get your basic training accomplished. If you want a degree through an accredited university, however, you will end up spending thousands for your education. For those that are looking for an education that falls somewhere in the middle, an online photography program is a much more affordable option.

Pro: On the internet learning meets the needs of diverse learners. Not all students learn well in a traditional classroom setting, conversely, not all students learn well in an online environment. Before you commit to an online program, you need to think carefully about several factors that are key to online learning: your commitment level, your time availability, and your motivation to complete the work with little or no support and encouragement from others.

Pro: Ability to access a wider selection. If your community does not offer a wide selection of photojournalist courses, an on stream selection will provide greater access to and the like.

My Photo School ( http://www.my-photo-school.com/courses/ ) offer online photography courses from some of the world's top photographers. Learn all about online portrait photography courses via our virtual classroom with inspirational video tutorials direct to you desktop.

Online Teaching and the Modern Educator: Student-Centered Instructional Strategies

There is little question that the field of distance learning is a viable option for students and there will be continued growth as a result of the number of traditional and non-traditional universities that offer online classes. However, questions concerning the quality of online courses will persist and what it means for the field is that there is a growing demand for someone who is more than a competent online instructor. This is a time when a highly proficient and highly skilled Modern Educator is needed, someone who is capable of communicating within a technologically enabled virtual environment. The initial appeal for instructors who wanted to teach online classes was the flexibility and convenience provided. Instructors were often hired because they were working in their subject field or they were subject matter experts. But this is no longer enough as the Modern Educator must be adept at digital communication and skilled in the art of developing student-centered instructional strategies.

Student Interactions in a Virtual Environment

Everything interaction that an online instructor is involved in is based upon their one-dimensional posts, which can include interactions in the discussion board and email exchanges. What is being communicated to the students is done without visual representation, verbal clarification, or support of nonverbal cues. Once the message is sent or posted it will be subject to interpretation and possibly misinterpretation. Digital communication relies on perceptual factors that include a perception of the meaning and tone of the message. What the instructor intends to state may not be the message students receive if it is interrupted by a negative tone, wording that lacks clarity, or poorly constructed and written sentences. The instructor's attitude and disposition about their students will always be evident in how they write what they intend to post. This does not mean that an instructor needs to be afraid of communicating in this environment and instead they should view communication as a collaborative process that requires follow-up and follow-through whenever there is a possibility of miscommunication.

Online Students and Learning

Students are always going to be working on their own and accountable for their performance in class - even if the instructor has created the most engaging classroom environment. An online student must be self-motivated to take control of their involvement in the learning process and responsible for completing all required activities. They must also possess the required academic skill sets and be academically prepared to function in class. Students are constantly challenged to be adaptive to changes in their classes, work with different instructors, learn new procedures, and develop new methods of studying and learning. Instructors cannot see their students to gauge how they are progressing in class, which means they must be on the lookout for virtual indicators as students are actively involved in the learning process. Instructors who are not monitoring the involvement level of their class may soon find students who have disengaged after it is too late to initiate a successful intervention.

Student-Centered Online Learning

Anyone who has taught an online course knows that it is challenging to balance the mandatory requirements, such as deadlines for feedback, while maintaining a focus on each student's individual developmental progress. For an adjunct this time challenge becomes even greater because they are likely working full-time and teaching on a part-time basis. No matter what conditions the online instructor is working within they must always develop and maintain a student-centered mindset and approach towards teaching. This is not just about putting every student first and foremost - is about considering their progress and development with every aspect of every learning activity or requirement. This requires an instructor to be monitoring class conditions, receptive to questions and concerns, and responsive to students when they interact with them. An online instructor who makes a commitment to meet the minimum instructional requirements will likely find that adequate work performance is not enough to produce a student-centered focus that encourages individualized learning and personalized feedback.

Student-Centered Strategies

#1. When you commit to teach an online class make it a priority in your daily and weekly schedule rather than something that is done at the end of the day when there is little time left to work with students. If you are feeling hurried or rushed that may be reflected in the perceived tone of your messages or online posts.

#2. As an educator you should never stop learning yourself. A degree is not the end of your own learning and you should always consider the necessity of ongoing professional development, whether it is done formally in a training workshop or informally through an online webinar. Most online universities offer classes and workshops, and there are also numerous associations that you can consider joining for additional options.

#3. Develop a mindset that you see the potential and value in everything that you do as an online teacher. You are not teaching just to provide instructions and point students to the syllabus. Every interaction that you have with your students has the potential to help them learn and/or work on the development of academic skills they need to succeed. Consider how you can add value to everything you post or communicate with your students.

#4. Hold your students to an expectation that promotes their academic growth and causes them to expand their capacity for learning and development. This does not mean you are making demands that are so far beyond what your students are capable of doing that they disengage from the class. It is an opportunity for you to expect that your students will do well, be involved in their own development, and develop or refine their academic skill sets. What is absolutely required for this strategy is your ongoing support and guidance.

#5. To be successful as an online instructor and Modern Educator you must teach by example. Students are aware of your involvement and this can assist or hinder their engagement in class. If you want students to be highly engaged and responsive in class discussions, then you must lead the way through your active and visible presence - with substantive contributions in everything you post. If you want students to improve how they write and develop their papers, you must provide them with tools and strategies they can use and then offer feedback that prompts their ongoing development.

Transformational Learning

There are many words to describe an online instructor and it may include a facilitator or adjunct; however, at the heart of an online class is the work of a teacher. This does not mean that you stand and lecture or you are a guide on the side. You have an ability to bring a one-dimensional virtual class to life through your instructional strategies and teaching methods. You are not just facilitating process as some online schools have told their instructors. I have been significantly involved in online faculty development and what I have observed as a faculty peer-reviewer and trainer is that every online instructor is teaching self-development, self-improvement, self-motivation, and personal self-empowerment. If your approach to online teaching is not student-centered it will become a generic class that will likely fail to connect with students on a personal level. And while they may finish the course with an adequate knowledge of the subject they studied they may not have gained the full advantage possible of an environment that has the potential to stimulate their growth. Always put students' needs first in every interaction and you will find that you are a Modern Educator who is capable of creating a transformational learning environment.

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson is an online college professor, faculty workshop facilitator, faculty mentor, faculty peer reviewer, career coach and professional writer. Dr. J authored four books, including Be Prepared to Teach Online: Strategies from an Online College Professor and APPRECIATIVE ANDRAGOGY: TAKING the Distance Out of Distance Learning.

The Top 10 Lies That We've Been Told - Lie 7 - America Needs to Pay for Its Past Sins

I have trouble believing that this lie has actually gained traction. However, in a determined effort to rewrite history, today's school students are being told how unfair America has been throughout its existence. As a result of this unfairness, we are also being told that America's rich need to redistribute their unfairly gotten wealth.

With regard to redistributing wealth, I recently asked my 12 year old grandson what he would do if he were to become a multi-millionaire. His response was that he would give almost all of it away. I wasn't too surprised by his answer because he had always been a very generous and giving boy. I then asked why he would do what he said. His answer was -- "So that everyone would have the same amount of money." As a result of this answer, I then asked him how much money would everyone have if all the richest people in the world redistributed their money? Since he was unable to answer the question, I gave him an example. The example was -- what if Bill Gates gave away all of his 50 billion dollars to today's population of 7 billion people -- how much would each person have? He quickly understood my point. The problem is, you can't enrich the impoverished by impoverishing the rich. In fact -- when you take away money from the rich you destroy the mechanism that can create wealth for everyone -- free market capitalism.

With that being said, let's begin by admitting that America has done some things in its past that we can't look back at with pride. However, from my perspective this dark segment of our past represents growing pains that have helped us mature as a nation. In the past we learned that slavery and discrimination were wrong, and women should vote and have equal rights. We learned that the cost of freedom comes at a high price, and we're now in the process learning -- the hard way -- the importance of free enterprise and how government can't spend its way to prosperity.

On the other hand, there's a bright side to our past that shouldn't be obscured by feelings of guilt. After all -- if we hadn't done our part to win World War II what do you think the world would look like now? How would you like to live under a dictator like Hitler, or bow to the emperor of Japan? If you like your freedom, thank the American's who died so that you can have it.

But, that's not the whole story. While our children are being taught to think the worst of America's past history, they aren't being taught the near miraculous events that have allowed America to come into being. If one were to examine each of these events in detail, it would be difficult to not come away with a feeling that there might have been some kind of divine intervention. And, I won't -- at this point -- rule out extraterrestrial intervention.

Since the maximum length of this commentary doesn't permit several pages that describe events that, in some ways, appear to be miraculous; I'll instead mention just one -- it's the life of George Washington. The miracle that impresses me the most is when Washington was shot at point blank range by Native Americans, early in his career, but still survived. The reason why I'm so impressed by this miracle is because of a recount of the story by the Indian Chief who led the attack and who travelled a long distance to visit Washington fifteen years after the event. The Chief said that during the battle, he commanded his warriors to shoot the officer in charge. After many shots were fired, the Chief noticed, that the officer in charge could not be killed. It was at this point that he told his warriors to stop firing at him, because he believed that the "Great Spirit" was protecting the officer for some greater purpose. In spite of four bullet holes in his coat and having two horses shot beneath him, Washington had no wounds on his body. The Indian Chief further recounted that one of his braves said "I fired seventeen clear shots and couldn't bring the officer to the ground."

I recommend that you read about Washington's life to fully understand how the "Great Spirit" had protected him and allowed America to come into existence. You will learn that British General Howe had assembled 32,000 troops against Washington's 8,000, yet Washington escaped because of a miraculous fog. You will learn that at the battle of Yorktown, British General Cornwallis was about to receive reinforcements, but a miraculous violent storm caused their ships to be blown down river and divide his forces. Later that day Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. And the list goes on from events that happened at Valley Forge to his crossing the Delaware River. The miracles surrounding George Washington's life are a strong indication of divine -- or extraterrestrial -- intervention. As mentioned there are many more miraculous events in our history -- like the Battle of New Orleans or the D-Day invasion of Normandy -- that you should check out if you're still a skeptic.

If you were to believe that there has been divine or extraterrestrial intervention behind America's existence, you should also be compelled to ask why. Since I've already mentioned our influence in winning World War II, is there something else that America has yet to accomplish? Are we being selected by outside forces to accomplish something as great or greater than winning World War II in the future. The fact that almost all of the great technological and medical advancements have occurred during the rise of America, makes me think that there is reason for this to be happening now. But, at this point, I'll leave it to you to guess why.

How to Prepare for CMAT Exam

The CMAT

The CMAT features questions, which are quite similar to those in other typical MBA Entrance Tests. The test is conducted in the online mode now without any change in its style or content. The CMAT is used by MBA institutes to shortlist candidates for Group Discussions and Personal Interviews before final selection. Like other MBA entrance tests, the CMAT also gauges one's acquired skills in four major areas I.e. Mathematical and Data Ability, Language Comprehension, Reasoning and General Knowledge.

1. The CMAT features 25 questions in the mathematical and data ability part. These are based on everyday mathematics e.g. profit and loss, simple interest, compound interest, discounts, time and calendar, and numbers. In this part, one can also find test items based on graphs and pie charts.

2. The CMAT Language Comprehension is designed to assess the candidate's language proficiency with test questions on Reading Comprehension, Sentence Correction, Jumbled Paragraphs and Vocabulary. This part lays great emphasis on one's proficiency in reading.

3. The Reasoning part has questions based on assertion and reasoning, inferences, critical reasoning, true and false statements, linear arrangements, strong and weak arguments, statements and assumptions, series, coding and decoding and cause and effect.

4. The General Knowledge part covers History, Polity, Geography, Economy, Business, Science, Prizes, Global Affairs and Current Affairs etc.

PREPARING FOR THE CMAT

Successful preparation for the CMAT requires planning, focus and sufficient practice with Practice Tests. The preparation time varies in terms of previous preparation and one's proficiency in Reasoning, Mathematics, General Knowledge and English. The plan also varies with familiarity, time available and other constraints. Here are some general, time tested tips for test preparation:

PREPARING FOR LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

To prepare for the Language Comprehension part, read good books, newspapers and periodicals daily. Never miss the editorial pages of your daily newspaper. Make efforts to expand your vocabulary by learning a minimum of 20 new words daily with help from a standard dictionary.

PREPARING FOR MATHEMATICS

To brush up your mathematical skills, revisit your school books for class 5 to class 10. Review the basics and try to solve the questions given in the book. Mental calculations can help you save time in the test. Work on tables, fraction to decimal conversions, squares and cubes to save time in the test.

PREPARING FOR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Read at least one national newspaper to keep abreast of the latest developments in politics, business, economy, sports etc. Use a reliable guide book to learn the basics of science, Indian history, geography, economy and constitution etc. Keep a watch on important developments by reading good magazines and watching TV news channels.

PREPARING FOR REASONING

You can improve your Logical Reasoning by working with popular puzzle books.

PREPARING FOR DATA INTERPRETATION

To hone your skills in this area, you should try to observe data carefully to derive relevant inferences. Work on approximations, decimal to fraction conversions and percentage to enhance your score here. As we rarely need to get an exact answer here, cultivating these skills can benefit you.

If you're preparing for CMAT, then you might find CMAT Preparation strategies very useful.
For free mock tests and their analysis, visit CMAT free Mock Tests.
We wish you all the best for your preparation.