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Online College Courses – One More Option

June 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
internet

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Online learning, from high school to graduate achool courses, has become an important and growing part of education around the world. There are a large number of websites on the Internet devoted to helping students find schools and courses that meet their needs. Surprisingly, there are a number of online high schools offering high school and college level courses, including state sponsored programs, individual high schools and universities.

Other sites focus strictly on colleges and universities while other sites list career or para-professional online learning schools as well. The number of schools listed at websites varies varies from 210 to over 300.  However, it should be noted that many of these schools may not be accredited and in the world of higher education, proper accreditation is extremely important for the validity and prestige of the degree or certificate conferred.  With that fact in mind, it is important to ensure that any online college or university considered is fully accredited.

There are also advantages to taking college or career related courses online. The biggest advantage is convenience, especially for those who are working part or full-time. Online learning gives students the freedom to fit course work into time periods that do not conflict with work and exposure to students from other areas. Students can also pace themselves, depending on the course material. Online learning may be less expensive, especially in terms of travel and books.  Cost is an important aspect that needs to be checked out thoroughly before committing to a program. Most importantly, it is important to recognize that online learning requires good time management skills, discipline and commitment to be successful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Education, Student Teacher Reviews, Study Groups Tagged With: , ,

Experience Collaborative Learning with Interactive Whiteboards

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A student using an Interactive Whiteboard 

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In a traditional classroom setting the one basic piece of equipment you expect to see is a chalkboard or dry erase board. With the amazing technology of today, a new board has been created unlike anything from the past. It’s called an interactive whiteboard. This board is highly effective in collaborative learning for students.

Similar in both size and appearance to the dry erase board, it has the ability to combine not only a dry erase board but also computer technology. Teachers as well as students may use the pens that come with these boards to “write” on the surface of the board, but anything soft can be used as a writing tool.

Using the software provided with the board children are able to interact with other students as well as the teacher by seeing their lessons on interactive whiteboards. Students can manipulate images on the board and move them wherever they want them to go. Multiple students can manipulate the interactive whiteboard at any given time. This ability enhances collaborative learning for children and the kids will tend to be more engaged in the lesson because it is similar to a gaming experience. Each child is also able to see the different ways other students get the same answer.

These interactive whiteboards can be used with all subjects throughout every grade. Teachers can save work done by the class for future reference, repetition, or for students who were not in class that day. This allows all children in class to participate in the collaborative learning experience, even if they were not in school that day.

 

 

Filed Under: Education, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Avoid Problems with Online Peer Discussions

March 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Online forums can prove highly effective for students. Discussion forums, online classes and effortless communication are tools that enhance learning.
Using the Right Communication Skills
Online discussions encourage the use of respectful and formal language, while dissuading usage of slangs, abbreviations and other unacceptable language. Use of proper formatting, complete sentences, proofread responses and original content are also promoted.
Alternative Plans
Students need to remember that the online space is not free from last-minute troubles. The computer may crash or any other device being used may stop working just before the discussion. Students therefore, need to create a backup of their work, so as to not lose any of their valuable data. Some of the information may be left for the online teacher, school technical support staff or a classmate. Storing data on an alternate computer is always useful. Moreover, planning of assignments should be done ahead of the semester.
It is helpful for students to have online discussion available for viewing much before time, allowing students to make notes or take prints. Reponses may also be emailed to the teacher before the discussion, thereby creating another way of backing up data.
Students must use methods such as copying and pasting their response to a notepad or word document copying and pasting it to the discussion board to avoid technical errors.
It is advisable for students to revisit a discussion and check if their responses are posted or not. It is imperative to ensure teachers have seen their response.
Responses to Online Discussions
Students must learn to take online discussions very seriously and as a huge step toward building professionalism in the early years. This would go a long way in developing their personality and enriching their work behavior. In the nearer future, it would assist them in securing better grades and tackling complex situations better.

Online schools have become a dependable alternative place for education. It is very significant to choose a credible site such as earnmydegree.com to get the best education for your needs

Filed Under: Online Learning, Peer Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Maximizing the Benefits of Group Projects

March 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Students can learn much more than just class material from a group project, including team management skills, leadership, and creativity.  Here are several ways for maximizing the benefits of group projects for students.

  • Creative format
    Group projects that involve creative media, such as film, art, or cooking, can often get students more excited about the project.  Even simple presentations can elicit more participation and involvement rather than a simple worksheet, paper, or poster board.  Having a more creative format can also shift students’ perceptions of what the project should be like; if the project resembles many individual assignments in the class, then students will default to individual work, rather than group work.
  • Time to work in class
    Often times, students are incredibly busy with extracurricular activities, sports, and instrument practice.  Allowing a few minutes of class time for the group to meet and organize the project will greatly benefit students, as it will allow them to develop and implement a schedule for themselves.  At the very least, it will give them a chance to set up another meeting time outside of class.
  • Student evaluations
    Having the students evaluate each other can be a very useful way to maximize the benefits of a group project.  It will give the instructor a better idea of how the group worked together, and it will give him or her a better understanding of the work distribution for the project.  Ideally, students should also be evaluating the project itself, giving feedback for what could be improved for the next year.

With these techniques in place, students are ready to get the most out of their next group project.

Filed Under: Education, Study Groups Tagged With: , ,

Benefits of Small Group Stations in Class

March 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Small group stations set in place in larger classes can give students more opportunities to participate, work as a team, and receive more personalized instruction.  Here are several benefits of starting small group stations or workshops.

  • Hands-on learning opportunities
    Small group stations afford students the chance to work with their hands with labs, small experiments, puzzles, and even physical activities.  A smaller group means that each student will have more of a chance to take an active role in the activity, and the station becomes a hands-on challenge for the students, rather than a demonstration by the instructor.  Students will generally remember what they learn through these stations better than if they had learned the same concepts from a demonstration because they are actively involved.
  • Group focus
    Small group stations are heavily focused on group work, which is very different than the traditional lecture-based format of the classroom.  Because of this setup, students will feel more motivated to involve themselves in their education, ask questions, and participate.
  • Peer learning
    Often, students who have enjoyed certain workshops in the past will revisit the class in later years and assist in leading a small group station, giving the new students a chance to learn from their peers.  This type of learning can sometimes be more effective, as many students feel more comfortable asking older peers for help or more detailed explanations.  The older students also have the opportunity to learn better teaching skills as a result.

These aspects of small group stations will ultimately provide students with a new and different approach to learning that could be highly beneficial.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , ,

Common Mistakes with Creating Group Projects

March 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Group projects are a great way for students to learn teamwork and leadership skills.  However, sometimes instructors can make these common mistakes when creating group projects for a class.

  • Not creating a project with enough team requirements
    It can be very tempting for students to just split up a group project into several individual parts.  Then, each student will complete his or her segment of the project at home, which greatly reduces the amount of group interaction and teamwork.  Instructors should make sure that enough focus is placed upon the actual teamwork of the project to maximize interaction between the group members.
  • Defaulting to “strong and weak” pairings
    Many teachers automatically assume that pairing stronger or more knowledgeable students with weaker or less knowledgeable students is the best idea.  However, this can frequently result in the stronger student taking on all of the work; while this might equalize the grading, the weaker student will likely not be learning as much as if he or she had more responsibility for the project.  Sometimes, pairing weaker students with each other and stronger students with each other can challenge the group more, but this will depend on the individual situation.
  • Assigning too many components
    Too many components to a project will encourage students to divide up the work to complete individually.  It can confuse and overwhelm students when there are many miniature assignments within a larger project.  Assigning one large and challenging task, rather than a number of smaller busywork assignments, can help students work together more.

If these common mistakes can be avoided, then the group project will be a much more successful learning experience for the students.

Filed Under: Education, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Troubleshooting Common Peer Facilitation Issues

February 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are a few common issues that might arise in peer facilitation workshops, including lack of participation, differences in student skill level, or an inappropriate difficulty of the material.  Here are some guidelines for resolving these issues to improve the effectiveness of the facilitation workshop.

  1. Lack of participation
    Sometimes students will not feel comfortable participating, either because they are shy or because they don’t feel like they have a good grasp of the course concepts.  Peer facilitators can help prevent this issue by conducting an ice breaker during the first workshop, in which all of the students get to know each other better.  Additionally, if there is silence or confusion during the workshop, the facilitator can ask individual students what their thoughts or concerns are with the material; this way, students will not feel pressured to come up with a specific answer.
  2. Differences in skill level
    Generally, each student is at a slightly different skill level, and this can create issues if there is a large disparity of skill levels within the group. Sometimes, more knowledgeable students can be paired with less knowledgeable students in an effort to teach or explain the material to them.  Other times, the workshop is more effective when students of equal skill levels are grouped together, which makes each student feel like he or she has a more active role.
  3. Too easy or too challenging group work
    Problem sets or discussion topics can sometimes be too easy or too difficult for the group.  Peer facilitators can work around these issues by breaking down tough problems into smaller pieces, or by asking deeper questions about simple concepts.

These tips should help improve the issues that can sometimes come up during workshops.

Filed Under: Peer Reviews Tagged With: ,

Guidelines for Peer Facilitation

February 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Peer facilitation workshops can be a great way for students to learn effective skills for working in groups and teaching others.  Here are some guidelines for students looking to pursue a peer facilitator role in the classroom.

  • Relax
    The first thing to do is simply relax!  The peer facilitator role can be challenging, but ultimately peer facilitation workshops are designed to get all students involved.  It will not be like a presentation or teaching class for the day; but rather, it will be a way to make sure that the discussion and group work is flowing smoothly, and that all students are learning.
  • Guide the discussion
    This aspect of peer facilitation can sometimes be the most difficult.  When students ask the facilitator about confusing concepts, the peer facilitator should direct these questions back to the group.  Let others contribute their ideas; if no one knows the answer, encourage them to work it out on their own.  The idea is for the students to turn towards the group with questions first, before asking an authority figure, such as the peer facilitator or the teacher.
  • Avoid giving out answers too quickly
    Similarly, it can be tempting to hand out the answers when the group is stuck, but the peer facilitator should avoid this as much as possible.  The goal of the workshop is not to get all of the answers correct, or even finish all of the problems; instead, the goal is to improve teamwork and actively participate in learning the material.  Sometimes this will happen through finding the answers, while other times the greatest learning will come from working through mistakes.
  • Be honest
    Lastly, the facilitator should be honest if he or she doesn’t know the answer; admitting limitations is important so that students have the correct information.

These simple strategies should help student facilitators grow into effective leaders during their time in peer facilitation workshops.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: ,

How to Implement Peer Facilitation in the Classroom

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Peer facilitation can improve students’ leadership and problem solving abilities inside and outside the classroom.  This technique can be easily integrated into a class’s normal curriculum with these steps.

  1. Introduce active learning workshops
    Students should become familiar with the style and feel of active learning workshops before they begin leading their own workshops.  Begin by conducting one or several workshops in class using the basic setup of a peer facilitation workshop.  Split the class into small groups of between 5 and 7 students and give them a task, such as a problem set, worksheet, or discussion topic.  You should act as the peer facilitator, demonstrating the proper techniques for good facilitation during this time.  Avoid lecturing or tossing out answers until after the workshop is over.
  2. Make sure the class is at the proper level of participation
    In order for a successful peer facilitation workshop, students should all be prepared to contribute, both as the peer facilitators and as the group members.  Make sure the class feels comfortable speaking in front of the group at least part of the time; generally, students will participate much more in smaller groups.
  3. Outline the goals
    Make the students aware of the goals of peer facilitation.  Explain to them the importance of active learning and guided discussion techniques so that they are prepared to lead the workshops and contribute.
  4. Solicit feedback following the peer facilitation group work
    After you have conducted your first peer facilitation workshop, solicit feedback from the class about their experience.  Did they enjoy working with each other?  What was the most enjoyable and the most frustrating aspect of this type of learning?  Which facilitation strategies worked best, and which were the least effective?  Asking for feedback will help streamline the experience for the next workshop or for the next class.

These steps will help create a smooth transition into using peer facilitation in the classroom.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: ,

Benefits of Peer Facilitation

February 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Peer facilitation is an active learning technique that is often found on college campuses.  During this setup, a group of students works together on a problem set, lab, discussion, or other challenging problem.  This group, which is usually a small group of less than ten students, is not led or taught by an instructor, but rather facilitated by a peer.  The peer facilitator does not lecture, present, or even deliberately teach; instead, he or she guides the group through the workshop.  This method can benefit students in several different ways.

  • Increased participation
    Having a student lead a workshop will increase participation all around, as the other students will be more motivated to contribute.  The setup of the peer facilitation class is geared towards teamwork and problem solving, rather than note taking and listening to a lecture.
  • Leadership
    Rotating which student is the peer facilitator provides each student the chance to improve his or her leadership capabilities.
  • Active learning
    Students are actively involved in their learning, as they must be the ones to find the answer by working through the questions.  In traditional methods of instruction, the teacher provides the answers or works examples in class, while in peer facilitation, the peer facilitator does not provide the answers but guides the group.
  • Problem solving skills
    Learning in this manner provides students with additional problem solving skills that they might not otherwise develop from a more traditional, lecture-based class format.  Additionally, the peer facilitator will develop a new set of leadership and problem solving skills, as he or she must direct questions back to the group, avoid giving answers directly, and avoid too much explaining.  Instead, the peer facilitator should be helping the other students figure things out on their own.

The value of peer facilitation is gradually becoming recognized as more and more institutions begin implementing this technique.

Filed Under: Collaboration, Peer Reviews Tagged With: , ,
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