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Jul 31st, 2008
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A growing number of colleges offer free, non-credit courses online. Although these classes won't show up on your transcript, I've always believed that opencourseware is a great way to learn the basics of a subject or give online learning a risk-free try.
CollegeDegree.com recently published a list of over 70 free online classes, applications, and other resources. They explain:
"While you can't get college credit for taking open courseware classes, you can make the most of the information and education they offer both in personal and professional aspects of your life. After all, even if you're not working towards a degree, taking the same courses as those in the ivy league can't possibly hurt you and may even be able to better keep you informed and on the cutting edge of what's going on in your field."
See if there's a subject you want to study this summer.
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Jul 31st, 2008
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If you're looking for the latest thoughts in education, check out this list of 50 Must-Read Teacher Blogs from TeacherTips.com. They explain:
"Both established bloggers and those new to the game like the bloggers listed here can offer some interesting and sometimes entertaining reading material for anyone involved in the education field. Check these new bloggers out the next time you're looking for something educational to read."
Among the links you'll find blogs about technology, online tools, and e-learning.
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Jul 31st, 2008
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, David Franklin
For years, I've used del.ico.us to organize my bookmarks and online research. Now, the site has a new domain, Delicious.com, as well as improved features. They explain:
"The new Delicious is just like the old del.icio.us, only faster, easier to learn, and hopefully more delightful to use and to look at…
We've completely overhauled our search engine to make it faster and more powerful. Searches used to take ages to return results; now they're very quick. The new search engine is also smarter, and more social: you can search within one of your tags, another user's public bookmarks, or your social network. Now it's easier to take advantage of the expertise and interests of your friends, not to mention the Delicious community at large."
If you haven't used this site before, give it a try. It's the easiest way for online learners to organize the many sites they need to visit.
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Jul 31st, 2008
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Amanda Rohde
Some Massachusetts students may have difficulty securing student loans this year. The New York Times reports:
"The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, which secured more than $500 million in educational loans last year, announced Monday that it would not offer loans for the coming academic year.
The self-financing state authority, known as MEFA, was unable to secure financing for the 40,000 students it services, said Tom Graf, the authority's executive director, in a statement. The authority offers fixed-rate loans to students who live in Massachusetts or attend school there.
Mr. Graf said disruptions in the capital markets were why the financing authority could not obtain money."
If you're depending on Massachusetts student loans for the coming semester, check with your lender about availability.
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Jul 30th, 2008
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Valerie Loiseleux
If you haven't read the OEDb's Online College Rankings for 2008, take a look. They're the first organization to systematically rank online colleges based on accreditation, acceptance, retention, graduation, and other factors.
They explain:
"Online higher education is growing, but a lack of transparency is preventing it from reaching its full potential. Even though online colleges are now receiving increased respect from top employers, diploma mills and the like limit the prestige of a legitimate online degree. We think more transparency is a good thing; a set of objective, quantitative rankings – however imperfect – should help shed some light on the relative attractiveness of the most popular accredited online colleges."
Check it out before choosing an online program. The list is updated annually.
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Jul 30th, 2008
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According to recent statistics, private online colleges are booming in Florida. RedOrbit explains:
"They cost more and often get less respect than public universities and community colleges, but corporate-run colleges are finding a growing niche in Florida's higher education market.
The number of for-profit, degree-granting institutions in Florida has grown from 238 five years ago to 313 this year, according to the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools & Colleges, the schools' professional organization. Enrollment was about 135,000 in 2006-07, a 23 percent increase over the previous year."
Credibility is growing for accredited online programs. As prices become more reasonable, these private online colleges will become a serious contender in the Florida higher education marketplace.
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Jul 30th, 2008
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If you need extra cash for online college, consider asking your boss. Many employers are happy to pay for online degrees that will help their workers excel in the office place.
My About.com article explains the basics of employer tuition assistance programs:
"Employers have a vested interest in making sure employees have the knowledge and skills that will help them succeed at work…
Many employers know that education is the key to on-the-job success. Thousands of companies offer tuition assistance programs. Even if your employer does not have a tuition program in place, you may be able to convince him or her to pay for your schooling if you can present a compelling case."
Check out the full article to learn more.
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Jul 30th, 2008
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Grzegorz Lepiarz
After months of private testing, Google has finally made its Wikipedia competitor, Knol, available to the public. Now, users can post articles and even receive compensation based on ad clicks.
eSchoolNews reports:
"The service, dubbed "knol" in reference to a unit of knowledge, had been limited to an invitation-only audience of contributors and readers for the past seven months.
Now anyone with a Google login will be able to submit an article and, if they choose, have ads displayed through the internet search leader's marketing system. The contributing author and Google will share any revenue generated from the ads, which are supposed to be related to the topic covered in the knol."
Knol articles are not anonymous and are not open to instant user edits. It will be interesting to see how this site develops as a resource for online students.
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in
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Jul 29th, 2008
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Laurin Johnson
Do you feel comfortable taking a fingerprint scan before doing online coursework? Do you mind being watched by a webcam while taking a virtual test?
Online students may be required to submit to security procedures if the Higher Education Act is renewed this year.
If you're concerned about these new measures, take the time to investigate the issue and talk to your state representatives.
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Jul 29th, 2008
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Sean Locke
Apple may soon have an improved software program for displaying video lectures. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports:
"Apple already runs a free service called iTunes U that helps colleges around the country manage online offerings, and several companies sell software that helps capture lecture video and slides as well. One unusual feature described in the new patent application, though, is the ability to determine automatically when to run video footage of the professor speaking and when to splice in images of lecture slides. As the patent application puts it, the software would determine "a time to switch the first and second streams from the event data."
While some believe the video lecture is an outdated form of online learning, combining lectures with multimedia such as slides is certainly a step in the right direction.
