Education tips and articles » Traditional Education

Essential Tips For Choosing Homeschooling Programs

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:44:45 +0000

With the rising popularity of homeschooling, parents have many choices when selecting commercially provided homeschooling programs. Having a balance of structure and spontaneity is important when designing a homeschool curriculum, and like a restaurant menu, many homeschooling programs provide both a full course or an a la carte option. Parents will need to make some decisions about which type of program to pursue.

Curriculum material can often purchased separately and then combined to create a cohesive program. Usually, the more curriculum materials that are included, the more expensive it will be. Many homeschooling programs will include weekly lesson plans, grade record sheets, an attendance log, an activities agenda, reading list forms, and other tools, such as awards or certificates. Many programs also come with an online interactive element, where the child can do many of their lessons online, or use as a basis for further exploration in their subject area. A successful homeschooling program combines elements of a traditional education with other types of unstructured learning exercises, and hands-on activities, such as field trips.

Specific learning objectives for a particular unit or subject are also an important consideration in choosing a homeschooling program. It is usually best to define specific learning objectives for each subject or topic being covered. This allows children to learn at their own pace, and even excel at a subject at a more rapid rate than they might in a traditional school setting. Having learning objectives also allows for creativity in meeting the objectives with different materials and learning experiences.

In addition to specific educational content, homeschooling programs may also emphasize certain values in their curriculum. Many homeschool programs are based on the Christian faith, which is often incorporated into the material, but there are also many programs that convey a humanist or non-religious perspective. It is important that parents review the underlying messages in any program or curriculum they choose, and make sure it is agrees with the values they want to impart to their children.

When choosing a homeschooling program, a parent will have many resources available, and by being clear about their intended outcome, will find the material that best serves their child. They can commit wholeheartedly to a since program, or pick and choose out of many models that will meet their children’s educational needs. With so many resources available, they will have assistance every step of the way.

By: Amy Wells

Is Traditional Education Better Than Technology-Based Education?

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:00:33 +0000

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding education. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about education.

On-line education is in trend nowadays. In the future, students may have the opportunity to study at home with computers rather than go to traditional schools like what we are used to doing. And in some cases online education is the only way available.

The most common on-line form of education today is English tutorials. As of now, students and tutors use IM (instant messaging), headset and web camera as the path of communication and of education. Is this the better option?

People must prefer the traditional way because in a classroom setting, students can learn and socialize with their peers. Also, from the instructor, he or she can teach students many valuable lessons of life which cannot be learned through technology. It is like the question of doing research through the library or the internet. Both have advantages and disadvantages but traditional education has the numerous advantages over on-line education.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of education is no exception. There are always fresh and new ideas about education.

Students learn better socially and academically in a classroom. Students are mostly young-aged. Therefore, they are generally interested in meeting and being with their peers. As they interact, it makes it easier for them to pay focus and learn. As social creatures, one could not just stay secluded and educate his own self. That is impossible! We live, grow, learn and succeed with people along the way.

Besides lecture materials, a classroom instructor teaches many other important life lessons. Students can learn and develop punctuality and good study habits. A teacher serves as a guide through education process which is a big part of life. Another important mission is to direct youth out of trouble. There is this bond between the instructor and the students which could not be built on-line. As the source of education, a teacher is not around just to introduce books and exams but also, he or she is selfless enough to share the lessons life taught her or him.

We must prefer to study at traditional schools and let us send our children there. It is because being around other people of our age or different ages gives us the opportunity to socialize and learn not only from the internet or books but from the society and from life. We could also learn other things which are important to education such as study skills. On-line education or any form of technology-based education is convenient. However, let us not risk quality. Long-term goals must always be prioritized.

And of course the other thing would be peer pressure and the competitive spirit of being the best in the classroom. A little competition is always good.

No matter how advanced technology would be- there will always be these things that would stay best if they would be maintained as is. One of these things is education.

Is there really any information about education that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. The bottom line remains the same. I still believe that in my honest opinion, traditional education is the best, and always will be. But the most important thing is to get more education, any way that you can. Your learning process should be ongoing–the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others. Your life will improve for you and your loved ones.

By: Bob Willoughby

Pros and Cons of Online and Traditional Education

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:56:20 +0000

By:

Internet and Education

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:52:28 +0000

One of the quiet revolutions to accompany the Internet has been a change in the role and stature of correspondence college. Although some of the older institutions have probably been around since the time of the first matchbook, most people look somewhat askance at distance learning. Schools that offered degrees by mail have been considered suspicious shortcuts, at best; at worst, some have been outright scams.

Using the Internet

Distance learning is quickly becoming “Internet learning” in the most popular form of non-traditional education delivery. Online communication between students and teachers has somehow legitimized the process and at the same time altered the cast of players. Students are typically professionals and working adults but also include senior citizens and others who could not regularly travel to a campus for classes. Perhaps most importantly, the names of the educational institutions have changed–from specialized training schools with names like “Lucky’s Art Institute” to respected universities and colleges with long-standing campus degree programs.

To be sure, some online learning programs have simply replaced the U.S. Post Office with the Internet, conducting a rather sterile transfer of documents via e-mail. In many other cases, though, digital libraries are being made available to off-campus students, and cutting-edge technology for data sharing, collaborative research, and group conferencing are becoming invaluable resources, not mere gadgets.

Online college courses extend the scope of students to invalids or students who live and work outside the institution’s home state or virtually anywhere in the world. They also improve educational quality by offering access to famous lecturers (e.g., Gore Vidal, George Gilder, or Nicholas Negroponte). Some argue that classes that include skilled professionals, foreigners, and an overall broader cross-section of people have greater value than the homogeneity of many American college campuses.

Not all distance learning serves the completion of a college degree. The delivery of training materials via the Internet offers tremendous potential savings for corporations, especially in areas like Information Systems in which change and retraining are frequent. In some cases, online skill training takes place under the guidance of a college or professional training provider, but companies are also recognizing the value of offering internal employee training through private intranets.

Problems

There are problems yet to be solved in deploying distance learning, of course. Equipment remains costly, although the increasing ubiquitousness of PCs, both in universities and in the hands of students, is reducing the significance of this issue. Communications speed is another; overall Internet bandwidth is in high demand, and students generally are at the short end of the online stick, using modem connections that are too slow for satisfactory real-time audio or video transmissions.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the wider use of distance learning is a lack of understanding, and, in some cases, a reticence on the part of college faculty. Many college teachers view online education as a threat to their positions. Those who accept the new technology may struggle to understand it and wonder how it can be used and what special policies should be in place for students.

How it works

There are two common models through which online education is usually implemented. In the first, students gather in a place removed from the teacher’s location. The boundaries of a familiar classroom setting are then expanded by incorporating satellite, cable, and other networking technologies to bring the teacher and students together in real time. With the second model, the student works more as an individual, using a PC to supplement traditional course work, engage in directed study at his or her own pace, or “attend” a class that is in session within a networked environment.

The result is a more project-oriented mode of learning that may require a higher degree of discipline. The advantage, though, is that students can complete a course around their own schedule, yet it’s still an experience directed by the facilitator, with the potential for group interaction. This model is well-suited to a person who may not be able to access a classroom due to a disability, scheduling conflicts, or geographic location. The use of e-mail and electronic bulletin boards can also increase class participation by encouraging students who are normally too shy to speak in a group to contribute.

By: Mathew Simond