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by: Samuel Murray
There are a number of benefits to entering a distance learning program to earn your online degree. You get to learn at your own speed in the comfort of your own home and you can work at your kitchen table or on your back porch if you have a long enough extension cord.
But you also get the opportunity to learn again, which for many of us is really a great gift. Some of us are stuck in low-paying jobs and careers that are stifling our creativity and intellect. Others simply want to experience the natural high that comes from pursuing a life-long interest.
With hundreds of schools, universities, and colleges offering accredited online degree programs that opportunity and those benefits are waiting to be picked like low-hanging fruit. Enroll in an online degree program and let distance learning help you harvest your share.
Even though most of your online learning is done in the solitude of your own home there are many resources available to assist you progress towards your online degree. A virtual and real army of teachers, advisors and counselors are waiting to help. Some institutions even provide you with your own academic advisor who will help you navigate through course outlines and curricula in order to select the study program that meets your needs.
One of the major benefits to getting an online degree is almost guaranteed pay raise. Your current employer should be given first chance to reward your efforts by giving you a new job or assignment or by adding to your pay envelope. But if that is not possible then the marketplace will reward you for your specialized training with further opportunities to increase your earning power.
But perhaps the biggest benefits of getting an online degree are actually the intangible ones. The pride and boost to your self-esteem that you will feel from finally graduating is worth any amount of money.
The respect and admiration of your family and friends is also priceless. Even people at work may start to treat you a little different as you become more knowledgeable in your work and you may find that you are sought out for advice and guidance.
To realize your dreams is really the purpose of life and the elation that you feel as a result of achieving yours will last and endure for a long, long time. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
by: Ryan Larson
Distance learning can be defined in many different ways. Distance learning can be classes taken over the Internet, Web TV, cable TV, correspondence course, audio conferencing, CD-ROM, videotape or any other mechanism that allows a student to learn without traveling to a traditional classroom. These programs were first developed to assist people in remote or rural areas have access to the same education as people living in the major centers.
Today people of all ages and from every area of the country are involved in distance learning because it allows them to learn from home at he same time as they carry out their other responsibilities in life. Homemakers, veterans, even senior citizens are joining teenagers and young adults in these new and non-traditional learning programs.
There are is as much of a variety in distance learning programs as there are people who wish to advance their education. Most are associated with a regular school, college and university, and that allows them to offer accredited online degree programs. Others are completely separate companies that have been formed for the express purpose of providing distance learning programs.
You can take a course in the basics of plumbing from a technical institute or an advanced course in quantum physics. It really depends on your interest and aptitude to learn. Very, very few distance learning programs are free of charge, but some offered by community colleges are significantly lower in cost than the major colleges and institutions.
In distance learning like so many other things in life you pay for a brand name, like a prestigious university program, and you also get what you pay for you.
Some programs advertised through mass e-mails or by direct marketing are really very basic courses dressed up to look like more than they are. One quick way to determine the value of a distance learning program is to check if they have been approved and accredited by one of the national or regional accreditation agencies.
Distance learning is a great way to learn, but if your online degree is not accredited at the end of your studies then it may not be worth what you think it may be.
Look for the accreditation stamp of approval before you sign on the dotted line. Then take your time to review all of the options and find one that will not only get you an online degree but one that will open the doors of opportunity to you and your family.
by: Terry Lowery
In order to learn at home in a distance learning program we first must learn to avoid the distractions. They are the things that will keep us focused and motivated on learning and studying and if we don’t find a way to avoid or eliminate them we can find ourselves not accomplishing what we set out to do.
The first step to reducing distractions to our distance learning program is to identify them. They may include everything from our family and friends, although we certainly don’t want to eliminate them, to noise from both inside and outside our home. They may also include the constant intrusion of the telephone or our cell phone to the master distracter, the television.
Once we have identified the sources of our distractions we can then develop a plan to deal with them. Like most things that need to change we need to go first. Start by developing a study plan and a timetable of hours that you will devote to your distance learning program. Next determine which space in your home would be the best place to your studies and organize it so that it is comfortable, and hopefully separate from the rest of your household activities.
Then talk to your friends and family and advice them of your plan and timetable. Ask them for their cooperation during this period of time and to respect your need for time, space, and quiet to do your work. You may need to remind your kids that they need to keep their music a little lower from time to time and to tell your friends to drop over for coffee at another time, after your studies are complete.
The next step is to reduce the noise level so that you can concentrate on your studies. Find a quiet place in your home so that you are not disturbed by the regular noise of your kids playing, the neighbors mowing the lawn, or people having heated discussions or debates that sometimes grow loud with their arguments or laughter. Use headphones if you have to, but create that quiet space that will help you learn.
Finally, turn off the outside world. Shut off your e-mail program and turn off your personal digital assistance and pager. Unplug the telephone to avoid interruptions. Last but not least, turn off the television, the master distracter. You can tape the latest episode of your favorite television show and watch it later, but don’t try and do both. One will suffer and it almost always be your distance learning program.
Stay focused, stay motivated, reduce and eliminate distractions, and study hard. You will have your online college degree in less time than you think.
by: Shaan Randow
There will always be con artists, people trying to make a buck on the shady side of the street. They prey on the unsuspecting and the ill-informed. Every year thousands of Americans are hoodwinked by direct mail scams that offer them great prizes and vacations. Some of these victims, many of them elderly or senior citizens invest their hard earned savings with unscrupulous crooks who fleece them of their money through promises of exorbitant returns. The bottom line in business is to know who you are dealing with and check them out if things they say or do raise concern.
Unfortunately these scammers have found the Internet to be a great and anonymous way to select new victims. One way they do this is by creating fake universities and colleges that grant bogus degrees.
A bogus online degree is one that will be worthless to you in the future and will not be accepted as proof of your credentials by any other institution or employer.
Some experts say that there are at least thirty “universities” offering bogus online degree programs and they are willing to sell you a degree, even if you never plan to attend classes. Be forewarned, a degree without the proper accreditation is only worth the piece of paper that it is written on and no one will give you any of the respect and rewards that you think you may deserve with a bogus degree.
The process of accreditation is supervised by a set of regional accreditation agencies across the United States. They examine all aspects of the online degree program to ensure that it meets or exceeds nationally established standards. They look at the curriculum, the instructors, the course material and the quality control processes that the institution has in place before they agree to accredit the program. This ensures that an online degree granted by one institution is as least as good as all of the rest and it protects students, the school and prospective employees from embarrassment or disappointment later.
There are over 750 online degree programs that are accredited and open to the public across the United States. Some are very small and highly specialized; others are the giants of the university world and offer online degree programs in every program that you can imagine.
If you are going to the trouble of getting your online college degree, make sure that you avoid the bogus scam artists. Look for the accreditation seal of approval so that you will reap the rewards of your studies.
by: Steve Bishop
Remember high school gym class? You played volleyball, ran a mile on the track, and ducked before being hit in the face during a vigorous game of dodge ball? Physical education has been part of the educational scene for nearly 200 years. It is vital that students participate in physical education to keep their mind and body in peak learning condition. Currently, the childhood obesity rate is dangerously climbing to epidemic levels. Therefore, the focus on physical education is more important then ever before.
The question is how should physical education be conducted? First, take a look at physical education history. Physical education has evolved over the years. Physical education is defined as “instruction in the development and care of the body ranging from simple calisthenics exercises to a course of study providing training in hygiene, gymnastics, and the performance and management of athletic games (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).” This definition is broad because you can learn several topics ranging from the rules of basketball to sex education. It depends on the school policies of your state educational system.
Physical education was officially recognized in the United States in the early 1800’s. Colleges and Universities began to offer physical education programs throughout the 1800’s. Finally, in 1866 California was the first to mandate physical education. Many states followed this mandate within the next 30 years. The importance of training the body as well as the mind became prevalent in the educational system.
The 20th century brought varying levels of physical education to each state. Presidents such as Eisenhower and Kennedy promoted physical education and fitness. Children took the Presidential Fitness test each year to assess their physical fitness level. This arose from the need for U.S. students to be as physical fit as their European counterparts.
Controversial issues have played an integral role in physical education history. For example, in 1972 Title IX banned sexual discrimination in schools regarding sports and academics. This allowed female athletes to actively participate in team sports other than cheerleading with the financial and emotional support of the school system.
Another controversial issue is sexual education. It has been the subject of intense debate for many decades. Each state has specific guidelines about what will be taught and whether students can opt out of the sexual education program. Some states allow students to watch a video of a child being born while other states only discuss abstinence.
The official employment of physical education programs has a 200 year history which has become home to controversial issues, social reform, and overall child well being. Physical education will continue to evolve as the needs of the student population changes, societal attitudes fluctuate, and the flow of educational funds towards physical education is maintained.
