Organizational employees need some form of training on and off during their entire working career to enhance better skills and performance levels. According to experts, education should go hand in hand with training as professionals need to be educated to deliver better results at the workplace.
Studies have revealed how costly it is to have poorly trained or untrained employees. Training helps a person inculcate superior understanding of the workflow processes and increases his productivity over time.
Training programs help to
· Increase productivity and performance development
· Lower server loads and bandwidth costs
· Improve customer satisfaction
· Increase employee confidence and retention
· Enhance revenue
Education makes a man perfect and that is equally true for the corporate sector. By hosting a number of training sessions, you can educate your staff about updated corporate policies and how they can increase their working speed in less time.
Many industries require people with specific degrees or diplomas. These professionals bring with them various innovative ideas, information, theories, and expertise attained over a number of years by working on varied tasks and business goals. Educational training programs are also needed to gain knowledge on a specific subject matter. For example, when a new product is manufactured, the management needs to explain its features and technicalities to their entire working professionals as well as clients to get going with the process.
Education and training can help your professionals in a number of significant ways.
Reduce Costs
Organizations that arrange for training on a weekly or monthly basis can save company capital to a great extent. Through training, people achieve competency to use resources at a minimal costs.
Collateral Saving
Businesses can save expenses on bandwidth and servers via trainings. By storing documents and files in large shared databases, you can avert a good amount of money otherwise required for creating and maintaining local databases.
There are a variety of ways to organize training sessions
Onsite Training
It is the usual age-old way of conducting trainings and educational programs at a specific location. It involves booking a suitable venue, inviting prospective attendees and managing registration and payments manually.
Online Training
This is a more recent phenomenon where organizers conduct trainings over the internet via web conferencing facility. Registration, payment management, and emailing, everything can be done online. You as well as your participants need to have a PC with an internet connection to connect and complete the registration process to partake in the session.
Blended Training Option
There is this blended training system where you can open online registration yet conduct the program offline in a hotel banquet or in similar such places. It beautifully mixes both online and onsite methods to ensure greater success while educating professionals about the company and its products.
Jonathon is a professional Corporate Trainer. An increasing dependence on automated software to streamline processes is emerging via an online class registration, payment management, and student relationship management. Acteva is the market leader in providing class registration solutions at competitive price.
Wide discussions are held on the state and concerns of Indian higher education. What really is the issue here? Let us take a look!...
Though the problems associated with this sector are multilayer-ed, I had divided it broadly in to administrative and academic problems, with few subtitles under these as I feel that all other problems like, social, psychological etc. associated with this sector comes in the backdrop of these broad problems. Let us first look in to these problems before going in to the reforms required.
CONCERNS
I) ADMINISTRATIVE-
i) Reservation- Reservation and Privatization are perhaps the most debated topic in our higher educational sector, and hence I have listed it first in the list. Increased concern over reservation has negatively affected our higher educational system as it has taken away lime light from many other major concerns. Reservation in any sector (&especially I educational system), causes loss to society, as the brightest do not reach better institutes; but we still continue with it thinking it would bring more good to the society than its losses. Though the need for a reservation still exists it is time to think of its re-allotment for more effectiveness. Sam Pitroda, the chairman of National Knowledge Commission, "Reservation has probably set us back several years in our ability to carry out the reforms we need to."
The popular support that reservation gets had prompted many of our politicians to o on further with reservation (with a need for Supreme Court to intervene in the matter and cap reservation limit to maximum of 50 Percent). The social tensions faced by the authorities against this policy is mainly managed by increasing the total number of seats and also because many among the upper class pursue foreign education.
The proper implementation and gradual reduction of reservation in a democratic country like ours need strong political will, free of prejudices.
ii) Political intervention in universities- This takes place both in policy formation and implementation. Bureaucratic sluggishness, misconceptions and prejudices retard the growth of our higher education sector. The denial of visa for prominent global educationalists to come to India, the slow moving files in government offices on matters concerning collaboration of industry and institutes, the delays in allocation of new courses etc. are the finest examples of this aspect.
Among the policy matters too, the absence of Political visionaries had been a problem while there were 5 IITs established during Nehru's period, only 1 IIT was established prior to the recent establishment of5 new IITs. Unhealthy political among the teaching and the student community and the inefficient funding has also retarded the growth of this field. A prominent educationalist tells, "Our deans and administrators now hang on the spoken word of our politicians, and student unions and teachers beat to their drum. It's so entrenched that asserting independence in appointments and day to day decision turns you in to a radical, a rebel in the system."
As political elite and the government receive benefits of these negative aspects, they prefer a status-quo. Thus, in our higher educational system, we have this uncomfortable condition, as Nandan Nilekani puts it "the state interferes, rather than guiding; (play) politics rather than policy".
iii) Regulation- In the regulatory aspect of higher education, we have a dual problem. On the one hand, we have a confusing array of different regulatory bodies like UGC and AICTE and on the other hand, neither the government, nor UGC or AICTE has an effective control over our Universities. The rating system of the UGC and AICTE is also one with many loop holes.
Due to absence of good legislation, UGC and AICTE had reduced to regulatory bodies that stand helplessly by, as India's university system crumbled, and thus half of India's expanding colleges, as a Vice-chancellor remarked, "are intellectual and social slums".
iv) Funding- India spends only 1.9 percent of its GDP on higher education, the lowest among any nations with GDP higher than $500 billion. Its spending on research activities at universities is also very low compared to both the developed and the emerging nations. Even the funds that are presently allotted are not efficient enough. But, it should be noted that higher funding or investment in higher education can lead to better results only with reforms in the total system.
II) ACADEMIC-
i) Quality of the Higher education- India is the 3rd largest in the number of higher educational institutes after China and USA and is one of the largest degree producers in the world.
But, quality of these is quite unsatisfactory. No worthwhile invention has been made here. Rote learning can identified as one of the factor behind this. India's engineering and medical colleges, management schools and universities are facing a serious shortage of quality academic faculty by about 20 percent. Global competitiveness of Indian students is comparatively small and is still smaller if the top 10 institutes of India are taken out. India does not have more than 5 universities in the top 500 bracket of the academic ranking of world universities.
ii) Number of Institutions for higher education- Though India is one of the largest in terms of number of institutes for higher education; it is still short of them. This shortage is expected to be more by 2015, thanks to the efforts to improve the enrollment ratio. By 2015, we need at least 1500 universities, against 350 we have today.
iii) Research- The research standards of our country has been poor, both in terms of quality and quantity. If we consider a particular area, say Computer Science, where we are assumed to be strong, we can see that annual PhDs in this field in our country is 25, while it exceeds 800 in USA and 2500 in China. IIT is granted 3-6 patents in a year, where as it is 64 for Stanford and 102 for MIT! We haven't seen any technological adaptation after 1970s and 1980s and not a single major invention emerged from India over past 50 years!!!
iv) Employability- "75 percent of the Indian graduates are unemployable for the work they are trained for", was said by Shri. Narayana Murthy of Infosys. Many people prefer sub-standard engineering degree than good vocational skills, where as 90 percent of the employment opportunities require vocational skills. McKinsley estimates that only 10 percent of Indian students in arts and humanities and only 25 percent of Indian engineering graduates are globally competitive. 12 percent of the 41 million unemployed are either a graduate or a postgraduate!
REFORMS
It is an agreed fact that reforms are required in the area of higher education. Many suggestions on this matter address many of the problems mentioned earlier. Some of them are a panacea for more than one of those problems.
A 'super regulator' which forms a single independent regulatory body would eliminate the confusion prevailing over multiple arrays of regulatory bodies. This would also bring more transparency, setting up of uniform controls and better quality in higher education. We need independent regulatory body free from government or political intervention.
Private participation, if properly propelled can bring out both qualitative and quantitative improvement in our higher educational sector. It is neither possible nor sensible for the government to invest the huge amount that is required for, in our higher educational sector. Private participation, from both inside and outside the country should be encouraged to make more institutes in our country. This will take away the deficit between the demand for higher education and the availability of institutes. This will avoid the instances like that which happened in Delhi University this year, when a 100percent cut-off was announced in a college under the university. Institutes like TISS, BITS, Lady Sriram College, Sriram College of Commerce, Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), CMC Vellore, St. Stephen's College, etc. has taken away our doubts on the quality of private institutes.
The interactions between industries and institutions should be encouraged, taking necessary precautions, as this can increase the employability of the students.
Reforms have taken in our country when visionaries came in to action, like it happened during Nehru's times. When visionaries like M.S. Swaminathan, Vikram Sarabhai, Sam Pitroda, Verghese Kurien etc. acted, reforms required happened with direction. In the higher educational sector of our country, we have "a Niagra of reports and a Sahara of actions". Reforms required in higher educational sector requires controversial steps, as we are in a democracy. In fact, the market economy has been pushing us to the necessary reforms, to an extent. The question is, whether India can bring about these reforms fast enough to avail the opportunities that the country has today- domestically and globally???
Fiction throughout its history has embraced many subjects, and viewpoints. It is a potent tool of education, but, 'educational fiction' is a field waiting to be studied and accepted. This commentary will propose a rationale for considering 'educational fiction' as a genre.
Educational fiction arguably began with Geoffrey Chaucer (1340 -1400): J. D. Rolleston in a Lancet article 'Chaucer and Medieval Medicine (1932)' argues that Chaucer's works - notably The Canterbury Tales - are as concerned with medical conditions (plague, leprosy and malaria) as with literary innovation.
Medically trained Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) could be termed the 'father' of modern education fiction. Medicine and medical instruments feature heavily in his novels, from the cataract knife in 'Silver Blaze' (1892) to the obscure poison of 'The Lion's Mane' (1926). His interest in ophthalmology appears in Round the Red Lamp, a 1894 collection of short stories; one of these, 'The Doctors of Hoyland' describes an iridectomy. Laura Synder's article Sherlock Holmes: Scientific Detective credits Doyle and Holmes with reawakening the public's interest and trust in forensic science. In 1932 the Lancet in an editorial The Sherlockian Method in Epidemiology commented that Sherlock Holmes' methods of deduction were widely used in epidemiology.
Doyle's Sherlock Holmes inspired many scientist-writers who recognised fiction's educational power. Jonathan Kellerman, a psychologist, has penned several bestselling novels incorporating psychology themes. When the Bough Breaks (1985) explained the mind's workings in layman's terms and received huge critical acclaim. The novel's reception, and Kellerman's continual success, demonstrates that the public is willing to be educated in conventionally academic and medical topics.
Any line of work now has a fresh angle to approach the public. The radiographer and radiologist are a crucial part of diagnosis, yet few are acquainted with their roles. The American College of Radiology commissioned research into exactly this problem in 2008, resulting in a 'Face of Radiology' campaign. However in 2009 Gunderman and Mortell examined scripts from several TV programs. They found that radiologists were either portrayed negatively, or missing. Perhaps the 'Face' campaign's repercussions had yet to filter through print and film media - but it could also be argued that, had an established writer penned an edufictional novel with a radiologist as a main character, the results could have been more dramatic. Education fiction is not simply about incorporating technical language into a novelistic format.
Current readers of fiction are more inter-disciplinary in their tastes than their Holmes-era counterparts, perhaps due to widespread multimedia and increasing university attendance. So we need a standardised classification of fictional books with accurate references under the genre of 'education fiction' (abbreviated to 'edufiction'). A reader of an 'edufiction' would be assured, perhaps, of a bibliography to verify some of the assumptions it makes. Any specialist terms could be explained in a glossary, and an appendix would include recommendations for further reading. I propose the following generic definition:
"An edufictional novel intends to educate its reader, and may also seek to promote awareness about its chosen topics. Although the narrative is fictitious, all its references are verifiable, and all its assumptions plausible in the light of current thought."
David Kennedy in his article Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Plagiarised Paper (2010), published in Nurse Education, offers an alternative explanation: 'Narrative Pedagogy ' is '... the telling of a "story" for the purposes of enabling learning'. We live in an age of fast communication, and abbreviated words. 'Narrative Pedagogy' is not a genre term, as 'edufic' could be. 'Edufiction' or 'edufic', follows a trend seen in English vocabulary: the one-time neologism 'docudrama' is now an accepted word defined in the Oxford English Dictionary ('A television film based on a dramatized version of real events').
Edufiction opens up the possibility of interdisciplinary discussion. A foreword by an authority on the edufiction's technical subject/s could enhance the story and possibly attract a readership that may have bypassed the novel. In the educational market, teachers could encourage students to read edufictional novels, examine the quoted references, and verify a text's assumptions, thus developing research skills.
A bibliography would act as a defence against plagiarism, offering prima facie evidence of where the references were obtained. Several bestsellers have fallen foul of plagiarism, notably in the case of Alex Haley, who was penalised for lifting large portions of his novel Roots (1976) from Harold Courlander's The African (1967)
This reflective commentary has focused on fiction's educational role in the health professions, however, edufiction\edufic can embrace a wide range of subjects and themes. It's just waiting to be explored.
If you've decided to study in a foreign country, it would be to your benefit to research the educational opportunities offered by Japan. Think about being educated in the country that has made the most economic progress since World War II. You can enroll in courses or participate in a research project using the same technology that has elevated Japan to the top of the world's economy.
In Japan, the old and new have been able to coexist creating a culture that values ancient eastern philosophies, while adopting capitalism and western business practices. If you become a part of this culture, you will gain a well-rounded experience. You can visit some of the oldest temples in the world and then complete your work or class assignments using state-of-the-art technology, all in the same day.
Japan's educational reputation speaks for itself, as many of the world's leaders have studied there, and a number of Japan's scientists and writers have recently been awarded a Nobel Prize. The most popular fields of study are electronics, Japanese literature, medicine, and international business. It is a goal of all the educational institutions to provide a quality educational experience supported by research, computer, and library facilities.
The Japanese government has set a goal of increasing foreign student enrollment from the current 140,000 to 300,000 students by the year 2020. This provides you with a unique opportunity to be recruited by a graduate or undergraduate institution, a junior college, or a specialty training school or college of technology. The type of institution you choose will depend on your educational and career goals.
Undergraduate education generally lasts four years at one of the national, private, or public universities with the option of continuing on to one of the graduate schools to obtain a Master's or doctoral degree. At a junior college, you could study education, sociology, and the humanities over a two or three-year period. Finally, the specialized training schools provide vocational skills training, while the colleges of technology offer five-year programs to junior high school graduates.
Before enrolling in one of the above institutions, most foreign students spend one to two years in a Japanese language school. There are also multiple immigration procedures to follow, the details of which are coordinated by the immigration information center. Don't be discouraged by what might seem like red tape, however, because there are many schools from which to choose and a variety of financial aid to support your venture.
You could apply for funds from the Japanese government through the embassy or one of the foreign universities or be supported by one of the many aid programs sponsored by your country of residence. There are many who privately finance their education and seek support only for lodging and incidental expenses. To cut costs even further, some study as exchange students, studying abroad to learn the language and experience the culture, while still enrolled at home.
There are widespread employment opportunities if you choose to stay in Japan since most of the major companies have set a goal of innovation through diversity. The key to success for these manufacturers is to focus on a global perspective, and that philosophy has propelled them into leadership roles in the areas of telecommunications and office automation. Sounds like a win-win situation for someone looking for an exciting challenge. Study abroad programs in Japan are a great way for students to become more cultured. Even a short summer semester abroad can be a great experience.
The coming election in 2012 has brought up concerns about our educational system, and how it needs to revolutionized and transformed. The future of education is highly debatable, but five key trends remain. Read on to find out the five future trends for education in the upcoming years.
While many reports and surveys pretty much predict the same thing - the popularity and increasing acceptance of online education, the better employment rate, and the age of technology encouraging more access to education for all, there are some projections that have not been discussed as of late. Looking in depth and analyzing many factors contributing to the development of academic progress, we have aggregated 5 key trends to the future of education.
Year after year, America continues to be "#1" in one sector - higher education. Though the American educational system is lagging behind those of Asia when tests are administered to primary and secondary school students, our Universities prove to be ranked at the top year after year. Higher Educational Universities are able to attract the best, the brightest, the most ambitious students from around the world for this reason - we outshine the global competition when it comes to higher education. The very idea and concept of an "Ivy League" School will continue to be a Staple of American Education, and in the future, will remain a unique sector of the American Educational System.
Secondly, with so many new emerging markets predicted to expand the economic system, more and more programs will be catered to new technology and entrepreneurial, as well as innovative programs. Top Universities and online colleges will have to face incorporating new classes that maximize on today's current technological advances and issues that present themselves. This new coursework will better prepare students for real - life business operations and make the transition to employment smoother.
The third trend we predict for education is that there will be significantly higher number of graduates in 2012 who will find employment. Apparently the hiring rate is 9.5 percent higher, but in very specific sectors of employment. According to several news sources, the job industries that look the most promising and with high demands are called "STEM" fields, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Fourth, new teaching methods are being developed and improved. There has been emerging research on psychology, and how the brain learns and processes information. This new study will provide a framework for developing new ways of classroom interaction, and incorporating things like music and new study processes into the educational system.
Lastly, we all have predicted that education cannot be confined to the walls of a classroom, but rather expand to a digital classroom - even digital university, with access at our very fingertips. New accredited online colleges will open doors to education to many people who were not able to attend years before. With the help of public -private institutions and online prestigious colleges, new technological breakthroughs in education will provide a learning process that is on par and more flexible, affordable with the same reputation as traditional colleges. The future for education is looking grand and limitless.
Free-lance writer with a passion for Writing and Research. Amanda Rodriguez Top Online Colleges Guide
There are endless numbers of people who claim that we don't place enough emphasis on education in the United States. However, we spend more in the United States per student than just about anyone else in the world. Perhaps we aren't allocating our resources properly into the classroom, rather we are spending so much money on political correctness and administration. I'd say as a taxpayer we are spending too much on education, and we are not getting what we're paying for. Indeed I'd like to discuss this with you for a moment.
Okay so, is the charge really true that; the US does not place enough emphasis on education?
You see, I think we place plenty of emphasis on education. In fact, it seems like often that's all we talk about. If kids want to learn, they will, if they don't, they won't. There's no sense in throwing good money after bad, where someone like me who has no kids paying huge amounts of taxes to educate everyone else's kids.
Besides that, what we are teaching kids in the classroom, we don't necessarily teach them the things they really need to know like financial literacy, the real history, capitalism, and things that will really affect their lives and careers. It appears to me that so often we are just turning all of our students in elementary school, junior high, high school, and college into a bunch of socialists, complaining about everything, and demanding more free stuff, then they go and vote and look what happens, it's just ridiculous.
If that's what our school system is creating, we don't need it, it's a net negative for the future of our country. If asking for more emphasis on our school system is only going to promote more socialism and political correctness, I'm not sure that's wise for the ongoing viability of this great nation.
I'd say we place plenty of emphasis on education in the United States, but I would say we are not so great at allocating the resources into the right places. Now then if we are talking about emphasis on education from the family perspective, then it is quite possible that American families are not pushing their kids hard enough to learn. But that wouldn't be the school systems fault, nor should be my problem as a taxpayer.
Lastly, throwing more good money after bad into our school system is probably the wrong way to play it because there is a total divergence of what our schools should teach, and how they should teach it. Emphasis on our school system and the amount of tax dollars funneled into our school system are not mutually exclusive. And we must separate the two to have this debate and discussion. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/
In Wisconsin, children who qualify for special education and their families are caught in the middle of a legislative battle over an introduced bill called AB110. The bill is similar to many private school voucher programs for special education students that are being endorsed predominantly by Republicans in state legislatures throughout the country.
One of the most misleading bills introduced by Wisconsin legislators, AB110 mandates that the option of a voucher be given to special education students for the purpose of using it for tuition at a private school or for the value of their special education services, whichever dollar amount is less. Once the family of a special education student accepts a voucher, however, they waive any rights the student has to receive a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, also known as IDEA.
This means that Wisconsin bill AB110, by requiring public schools to cover the expensive tuition of private schools, ends up funding privately-run schools that tend to offer inferior instruction to special needs students that is neither free nor appropriate. As already stated, the the right to FAPE will be forfeited when the family accepts the voucher.
Further, if the voucher scholarship isn't enough to cover the cost of a private school, or the public school is no longer obligated to cover the costs because the family opted out of a FAPE by accepting the voucher, the family has to cover the remainder of the cost or the cost altogether.
Essentially, what all of this does is suck money out of public schools (taxpayers) and parents, and fills the pockets of private school operators, most of whom, ironically, operate schools that don't offer provisions for special needs students and basically discourage the participation of special needs students as a result of a lack of services.
What bills like AB110 end up doing is segregating disabled children from their peers, setting back laws that have supported mainstreaming in regular classrooms for decades. Since it has been implemented, mainstreaming has repeatedly been proven to benefit both disabled and non-disabled kids alike.
Another frightening aspect of bills like AB110, is the aspect of them that cover the audit of these special education voucher programs. AB110 states that the legislative audit bureau shall contract with one or more researchers who have experience evaluating school choice programs.
What this means is that outside contractors who have experience evaluating vouchers will be used to evaluate the program. It doesn't mean that experts in special education will be called upon to evaluate the actual efficacy of the private school program as it pertains to meeting the needs of disabled children.
In other areas of the country, specifically Florida, where special education scholarship vouchers have been implemented, outright disaster has ensued for participants. Riddled with fraud and abuse, these programs end up doing harm to the most vulnerable children. For more information about how these Florida programs have failed, check out Miaminewtimes.com to read their article about McKay Scholarship Programs. Based on what little these voucher programs have to offer special needs children, a majority of disability organizations in Wisconsin have opposed them.
Even when faced with mounting evidence that these programs are not only expensive, but that they also fail to address the needs of disabled students, legislators continue to endorse and pass bills that support them. Unfortunately, in doing so, they end up sacrificing the rights of the most vulnerable citizens in the process.
Where motherhood, tenacity and advocacy meet. Alphamomfia.com is a blog written by Julie Harris, who left a successful career in sales to advocate on behalf of one of her sons, who battles with anxiety. She muses about life, children and gardening and also provides a resource for parents wanting to advocate on behalf of their own children. Funny, insightful and irreverent, Alphamomfia is worth checking out! Alphamomfia represents a whole new breed of Alpha Mom.
Education is just one of the priceless possessions one can have. However, as the world age and the technologies advance, this value slowly depreciates. Today, people say that education is no longer important so long as you have the skills, you know how to use it, and you know how to improve it. The importance of education is redefined and disregarded. People should think again before deciding to go with the flow of this spoiled modernization.
That is a challenge to those who have totally shut their understanding to the importance of education. Now, let us discuss and re-establish the importance of education.
Education is a National Treasure. The future of a country, its growth and development, and its successful relationship with other countries, relies on the minds of its future.
• Now, imagine an uneducated leader ruling one, or the people of its administration. How can they carry on a country's heritage, or even govern the country? Can we say then, as long as you have the skill to govern and know how to use and improve it, you can effectively become a president? You don't learn the ethics, principles, governance, politics, etc., by just reading resources from the internet; education is the only way to realize a potential leader.
• What about the Nation's economy? Can you simply count 1 to 10 and boost it? You will need to learn problem solving to make a progress.
• How can you turn unemployment into more job opportunities for people? You will need to develop businessmen, economists, industry leaders, and innovators to overcome unemployment, and much more, poverty.
• How can a Nation realize peace, justice, and equality? If there is no rule, no law, no ordinance, then imagine complete chaos and total disaster. You can't just impose a rule or a law on someone and make him follow.
• How can a Nation protect its resources and environment? Imagine a derelict jungle, that's a nation without leaders to protect its resources and environment. Survival of the fittest does not work in real human life, everything and everyone needs to be regulated.
• How about discovering a cure for cancer? Can we say that it flows naturally from within and you can simply create one in the kitchen? Or to discover a disease and its cure can be easily diagnosed by just looking at a person who's been affected? Again, you don't learn that aside from being educated.
Education is an investment. This is a regularly unrecognized fact about the importance of education.
• You build and secure your own future through education.
• A person who gets the privilege of an education is free to choose his career and professional path. Where do uneducated ones go? They scavenge job listings, compete with a more suitable applicant, go find other jobs, compete again, so on and so forth. They do not have much option but accept whatever is available.
• A stable job. A person who invests in education will be secured to land a stable job. Companies and firms prefer people who are knowledgeable rather than those who just completely rely in instincts.
• Financial security. Stable job means stable income, opportunities of pay raise, and retirement pay.
With those importance of education discussed and stated above, who will dare to say skills are just enough?
Jana Reese is a blogger and educator for 10 years and have written hundreds of both on and offline articles based on her experience. She has dedicated a lot of time and effort to promote the importance of education. She highly recommends Education Acceleration to people who wish to learn more tips and tricks on how to get a degree easier and faster.
Collaborative learning can be viewed as a joint effort between students or between students and teachers together. Through collaboration, students develop knowledge by sharing ideas, joining forces to search for meaning and solutions to problems. With trends shifting towards collaborative learning resulting in the education model become more versatile, so has the technological tools used to facilitate it. In recent years there has been an exponential growth of what has been termed as "social software" referring to technologies that facilitate group communication. Internet discussion forums, social networking sites such as MySpace all allow people to represent and create social relationships, and can all be seen as social software. Weblogs that facilitate conversation across many weblogs through comments on posts, social bookmarking, and wikis are other forms of social software that have recently seen growing popularity.
The possibility of transforming learning has been greatly enhanced by use of these technologies. With the rise of social media, education can be delivered in many versatile ways. One such media "wikispaces" have received interest from the education sector. In education, wikis has gained a reputation as being one of the most effective tools for collaborative learning. Wikis are online websites which allows content to be created and edited by the users themselves. Perhaps this shift towards collaborative learning holds true to the philosophy that the knowledge of a group is greater than that of the individual.
The dominant rise of wikispace as a tool to facilitate collaborative learning might owe its success to the change in the attitude of developed society where there is a move away from the traditional industries to a more knowledge based society. During the last 20 years or so, there has been significant amount of technological innovation and a rapid shift towards knowledge based economy means it is necessary that members of society have the ability to adapt to these changes. It would appear therefore that knowing how to learn and participate in creating new knowledge are necessary life skills. With a focus on learning life skills i.e. "learning to learn" and knowledge creation in a knowledge economy, it appears that the use of wikis in education is being recognised as being capable of imparting those life skills.
Wikis are one way in which technology can help groups come together to share and create new knowledge and so may be a useful way of learning skills important to participation in a knowledge economy. The practices of participating in wikis, and social software more generally, could potentially provide a structure supporting a community of practice model of learning as individuals come together, and develop a repertoire of shared practices, bringing new experiences to the group and learning from the existing practices of the group.
Education is the only option as it is a generally accepted axiom that ignorance is a disease. If it is assumed that education is very expensive the cost of ignorance is better imagined. A place populated by the ignorant is no go area for the educated person. He will appear to be on island. He will need to get some people to listen and listen real before he can make any sense.
The simplest of issue is made complex by an ignorant person. If assume that convincing someone who is ignorant by choice then you have got something else coming to you. Let the educated mind walk into a place and declare that "light cannot be seen but causes a sensation of vision". It will require forever to convince the trained ignorant to make any sense from such a deduction from the concept of light. But the enlightened mind will eventually see that God is light. Light is invincible since God is invincible. That is the story told to a group of educated ignorant kids. The adult educated mind who has spent a while assimilating this concept and ends up with this deduction is on an island. He had better get some of these kids to his side of the divide as fast as possible. What am I inferring here?
There are a lot of educated ignorance buried in us when we prefer ignorance to education. The only obvious cure to ignorance is seeking enlightenment. Light can only shine into darkness if there is an opening. For the darkness of ignorance to vanish the ray of educated light must shine into the mind.
TYPES
Education is either secular or religious. Christianity, Islamic or other religious beliefs abound. It's a free world and choice is ours to do whatever we are at ease with as long as no crime is committed. So long as we do not interfere with the freedom of another person in our choice of what we do, we are at liberty to do those things. As long as what we do brings peace to the world, I am of the opinion that it is okay.
There is so much to learn when we are able to access knowledge. The knowledge could be in the field of science, art or the humanity. Whichever area of knowledge we choose to be engaged in there is enough to keep us busy for a life time. Knowledge is exhaustible.
NATURE
Let us take the sciences as case study - physics, chemistry and biology - are the basics for scientific study.A lifetime of one hundred years is not enough for the genii to cut across the three. Studying the behavior of living and non-living things, their structure in its normal or defective form, uses to which man and other living things makes of them are lifetime activities.
In the humanities we are actively engaged in the study of the ability of man to apply himself to various tasks he comes across. This cuts across the male and female gender. In roles assigned each gender set out to outdo each other. But there are roles purely for the male and others purely for the female.
CAPABILITY
The weaker sex syndrome relegates the female to the background. But there is saying that what the man can do a woman can do even better. In the arts creativity is the essence of education. The arts exposes the inner mind. Art can be in writing, drawing or audiovisual displays.
Here again the male and female strive to bring their creativity to the fore. The male again take a larger chunk of the recognition. Is still the weaker sex syndrome? In every area of human endeavor with a a few exceptions the female battles for recognition.
MORAL
Other interesting areas of human education are moral and sex. My interest in commenting on them is based on their implication for human development and creating a visible peaceful world. I think that there is a deep psychological impact on these two. Psychological behavior has a background in homes. A well grounded home produces persons with balanced psychological makeup.
A moral person is sure to know wrong from right and easily withdraws from wrong. Sex can be a destroyer as much as it has its role of enabling procreation. Sex education in most cultures is a taboo. The consequences of not educating the girl child about her sexuality are daunting, the result of the ensuing ignorance not almost all the time palatable for the individual involved, her family and the society at large.
The consequences of the female sexuality and the implications of wrong interpretations gained from peers rather the home is the same question of moral decadence and deprivation. Where a morally grounded home exists peers won't be the sex educators. No matter how complicated the materials of study are it is the willingness to overcome ignorance that inspires learning. what I am educated in leads to extra desire to know.
CONCLUSION
In attempting a conclusion I saying the education is the only sure means of wiping out ignorance. Informal or formal the human mind must be enlightened to
What is the human mind most occupied with when not being educated. The answer is idleness. The idle mind is the devils workshop. Education engages the mind. All who have the capacity to provide education and qualitative moral knowledge must apply their talents tirelessly. It is a gift to gain knowledge of any kind. The transference of this gift to others with requisite intelligence is a necessity that any man able is choice-less in terms of implementing. Ignorance of any kind will destroy the world faster than schedule. The world as we presently know it is passing away.
Heaven and earth will pass away but God, His Word and all that is in it remain forever. We can trivialize this knowledge because we do not understand God's Word. He was misunderstood by the Jews. The whole world is coming to a knew realization of Jesus. He is the One that will come to take everything to Himself and handover to a unified Kingdom of the Father who He is One with in union of the Holy Spirit.
When our education is built around the Master we become more enlightened. The sciences, the arts and humanities are created by Him. In Him is found all knowledge. In Him all things are created. Visible and invisible. He is Light that brightens a man and chases away darkness. He is over everything and the earlier man acknowledges Him vanity disappears. Humility takes over and He lives there. He is humble to not clinging to His equality with the Father even to accepting death on a cross. His is the Cross of Salvation. Any man who looks up to is saved from the darkness of sin. He is the Giver of life. Life in an everlasting Kingdom of Glory.
Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand. (Chinese Proverb) That is exactly what Android apps for education are doing.
There is more to Android than Angry Birds. Whether you are a student or someone just seeking self-improvement, plenty of android apps are available to enhance your skills and knowledge base. Technology has tremendous application in education and technological advancements have considerably changed the way education is disseminated. Computers and digital note taking devices are fast replacing traditional text books. Virtual classrooms have started replacing brick and mortar structures that we used to call schools.
The latest trend to revolutionize education is app development. Apps or applications are computer based software programs decided to perform certain tasks. For instance, the Android app called Algebra Tutor makes learning algebra faster and easier by giving step-by-step instructions.
All operating systems have apps designed for them. There are apps for Windows, iOS and Android. What makes these apps all the more popular is the ubiquitous nature of Android phones. Millions of them ship each month. The best part of using these apps for education is that they are highly cost effective. Many apps are available for free download. You can access these apps on all smartphones and tablets running Android. If students use these apps for educational purposes, they can even eliminate the need for text books and private tutors. They can access ebooks on their tablets and smartphones. It will reduce the cost of education and save trees.
Nowadays many schools and educational institutions have made Android apps an integral part of the teaching system. Because of their multimedia nature these apps allow students to learn new concepts pretty easily. For instance, an Android app like the Flash Card Maker Pro can teach young kids' skills like reading and elementary math. With its advanced gesturing and text-to-speech capabilities it provides a fully interactive experience for students of all ages.
Digital apps make use of all pathways of learning simultaneously in order to enhance memory and learning. They make learning faster and more convenient. What's more, students can move to the next level of learning without having to wait for assistance from a teacher or parent.
So what are the right apps for your unique education needs? Well, Android app developers are the right people to answer that question. They can advise you what apps you need and how you can install them.
Joseph Davies is SEO of Bestappideas.com, a unique global platform for iPhone or android apps investors and individuals who have great ideas for iPhone or android apps development.
We all have individual learning styles. There are visual learners,who learn mostly through seeing, there are Auditory learners who learn mostly through listening,and there are also Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners: who learn through learn through, moving, doing and touching.
Learning and understanding your learning style, may help you to learn more effectively.
According to a recent report published by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 20percent of all college students experienced some kind of online instruction.
The volatility of the global economy have necessitated retraining for a large number of people. the act of balancing work,family,civic commitments,and school can be arduous. Online education allows students to to address professional needs with flexibility. This is may part of the reason that online enrollments are flourishing.
We are continually learning and in almost every situation, we are absorbing and processing new information. If you are among the millions who access the web, your are involved in learning online. The leap to a more formal world of online education that involves pursuing an online degree or continuing education in a virtual classroom is not extensive
One of the key indicators of online education success is the motivation of the student.Online students tend to be more motivated as they have a deeper appreciation of why they are engaged in the process and the expected outcomes. The other main ingredient is often designed and supported online educational program.
Advantages of online education
The popularity of online degrees have been steadily increasing over the last couple of years. The following may been seen as beneficial attributes
Flexibility:You can work around and when it fits your schedule. With an online course, you can login and work when it's suitable to you.
Accelerated learning; Many online programs have accelerated a traditional semester long course into eight weeks which may a bit more demanding.
Save time and money by not commuting: Not having to travel, even it is just five miles away can save an enormous amount of time and expense when you study from home.
Non physical contact can be liberating to some people.Many people are conscious and concerned of their physical appearance or mannerism.This becomes immaterial in the online world.
Online degrees may not be for everyone, but it is definitely a wave of the future. A few different formats may be adopted and the method in which the information is presented must be first examined to determine which is most suitable.
The most common design may involve reading materials, engaging in online discussions with classmates and submitting papers or projects at term end. The work is completed at your convenience, but with some established guidelines. Other methods include simply reading the material and taking the test with little interaction with others.
Instruction delivery in online education is now evolving and also includes reading materials, logging into a real time Web conferences to interact with instructors or peers. This method is becoming popular, but requires adjusting your schedule to accommodate the class.
There is some self assessment necessary in order to determine if you are a suitable candidate for an online degree.
1) Are you a self starter? Procrastinators may be at a disadvantage
2) Are you persistent? Computer crashes, lost data, broken fingers must not be able to stop you.
3) Can you work alone? Even though a lot of online work is done in groups, the majority of your time online will be independent. The ability to think independently will be of primary importance.
4) Do you manage your time well? Online education will require effective time management skills.
In addtion to the above mentioned requirements it is important to know your learning style and how it can be applied in your online education.
The internet is constant evolution as is education.
The benefits and advantages afforded by the internet are now being adopted in the education arena to create a paradigm shift in the way we learn...
The information superhighway is real
visit http://degreesonet.com/ to find how you can dramatically improve your education and prospective lifestyle at your convenience.
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allows students to to address professional needs with flexibility. This is may part of the reason that online enrollments are flourishing.