Student

Second Life Can Provide Effective Learning

In the age of technology, collaborative learning has taken on a new atmosphere. Second Life can provide effective learning through its virtual class rooms and universities. For those who have to telecommute or engage in online learning, Second Life has become a useful forum for students and teachers.

Many universities have set up virtual campuses on the website. Business also use Second Life to conduct conferences and training sessions. Professors can teach their courses via this new technology. What makes it different from traditional online learning is that each participant has an avatar, or online alter ego, that is present in the virtual classroom. Where it isn’t the same as real human contact, it does take virtual learning beyond the simple webinar.

Second Life began as a social game where people could shop, interact and create an alternate universe to be in. However, it’s potential wasn’t lost on top educators who saw it as a way to create communities among students who wouldn’t otherwise be in each others’ presence. Even medical schools have experimented with using Second Life with their second year students to give them an opportunity to explore the workings of a real hospital and medical settings. To the wary, it’s important to know that these medical students will be expected to make flesh and blood rounds and do real life residencies before they are licensed to practice medicine.

However, the availability of learning opportunities for college students is certainly increased with the virtual college campus and classrooms. Some of the universities that are present in Second Life are Ohio State University, University of Wyoming, Clemson, California State, University of Texas, many international schools and many, many more U.S. colleges.

Courses of study can be anything from medicine, to design, to history or specific cultural studies. The list is large, and really does provide a new and refreshing angle to traditional teaching methods.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: Classroom, E-learning, Education, Ohio State University, Second Life, Student, University of Wyoming, Virtual education

Sylvan Learning’s Corporate Model is a Tutoring Option

If a parent has the resources Sylvan Learning’s corporate model can be a tutoring option for a child who is struggling in a particular subject. Sylvan is also an option for preparing for college entrance exams. Although it is expensive, it can definitely create positive results for the student.

Sylvan offers tutoring in math, reading, and writing. They also offer homework help as well as preparation for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. For those who do not have a Sylvan Learning Center near them, online tutoring is available, too. The Sylvan Learning Corporation has been around since 1979, and it became a publicly traded company in 1986. The additional funds allowed the organization to expand and reach more struggling students. It has since sold to new owners, and few of the original employees and founders are with the company.

The corporate model is good for spreading the educational help throughout the country in a consistent model. The problematic part of the Sylvan Learning model is that the local branches are franchises, and if they fall into financial trouble, the corporation is not obligated to help bail that local office out. If the office closes, the corporation will not refund the student’s tuition but rather offer online courses in exchange.

Not all children learn the same way, so offering one style of learning in exchange for another may not be a successful match for a particular child. With this in mind, any parent considering Sylvan Learning for his or her child should probably do plenty of research on the financial health of the local office. Parents should ask plenty of questions, get referrals, and ask about the general workings of the company. In a tough economy, expensive tutoring may be a bill people won’t pay. If that happens, then the office would have to close its doors.

With this in mind, it might be worth finding an independent tutor to protect the investment.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration, Workplace Collaboration Tagged With: Education, Entrance examination, SAT, Services for Hire, Student, Sylvan Learning, Sylvan Learning Center, Tutor

The Value of Alternative Secondary Education

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Although there are standard requirements for a secondary education in America, not all students are created equal when learning. There is significant value in alternative secondary education in America.

Where more emphasis has been put on academics in recent years; especially math and science, not all students are equipped to succeed in a technical world. Education systems that recognize this and offer alternatives that speak to individual interests and talents help guarantee that all young adults have a chance to be successful.

These alternative programs can range for science academies to performing arts schools. In some cases, the schools are designed for high achieving, highly motivated and academically advanced students. An example would be Thomas Jefferson in Northern Virginia. However, some schools are designed to enhance the area of interest that best suits the student. For example, The Performing Arts Academy in Dallas, Texas. A child who does not succeed in normal academics can feel successful in these specialized classrooms. It’s also possible to find schools that serve special interest groups, such as LGBT students who may have trouble adapting in a general population.

As long as the basic education criteria are met for a school district, alternative education is possible and even valuable to a community. Some parents choose to home school. Again, the education system will have standards set up that have to be followed in order for that student to receive a diploma.

For highly advanced students, some states allow secondary students to attend community college while still in high school so that they can get ahead in their post secondary education. Many bright students take advantage of this to get core courses out of the way and be better prepared to begin studying within their major when they actually enter college.

Whether the child is college bound or not, alternative secondary education can be the key to that person’s life success.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: Alternative education, Education, Education in the United States, LGBT, Northern Virginia, Secondary education, Student, Thomas Jefferson

The Peer-Led Team Learning Approach

The peer-led team learning approach offers a unique collaborative learning technique that allows groups of six to eight students to work on course study together. A student peer leader will guide the group. The individual who is chosen to lead is a student who has previously succeeded in the course.

As a peer leader, the student receives valuable experiences that can have a huge impact on professional growth. The leader is not there to give answers, but to provide guidance, support, motivation and constructive criticism. This style of teaching helps provide timely assistance when the group encounters a problem, brings new techniques and ideas to problem solving and keeps encouragement in the forefront.

There are six critical components that make peer-led team learning successful. First, the workshop has to be a regular led course that students are expected to attend. The teacher has to be closely involved in the workshop and its leaders. Naturally, the peer leaders have to be well trained and closely supervised. The workshop materials have to be challenging and conducive to collaborative learning. The space, time and other organizational factors have to be optimal for group learning, and finally, the school has to support the peer-led learning approach and it’s innovative way of guiding students.

For those interested in exploring peer-led team learning, there is a website that helps explain and guide, as well as offer current news and publications. It can be found at http://www.pltl.org. The FAQ section of this website is very comprehensive and can answer the questions that even the most critical educator may have about this style of teaching and learning.

What is most important to understand is that the peer leader is not the teacher. He or she is a guide and a support. The experience is about the group, not the individual.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration, Team Building Tagged With: Collaborative learning, Education, FAQ, Learning Through Collaboration, Methods and Theories, Peer group, Student, Teacher

The Internet Makes Online College Classes Available

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It’s a familiar scene at many libraries and coffee shops; two people walk in, search for and find the other, and sit down to collaborate on a project or study for an exam. Collaboration has been the key to the success of many people over the years that education has allowed such a thing. We’re a very long way from one room schools where students of all ages and grades, as well as academic ability, were stuffed into the same room to endure the taunts of the oldest and biggest kids. Since leaving such a seemingly barbaric, unenlightened format behind, education has vastly improved as talented kids are noticed and given additional encouragement in their academic pursuits.

And while books seem likely to forever remain as the backbone of knowledge, the Internet has changed everything. This is obvious as one looks around at all the Internet has touched. Music players now handle music that requires no trip to the store, only to the online site that sells the music. Automobile tires are purchased online after the purchaser reads a few brief descriptions and compares speed ratings and different grip qualities. The way that knowledge is transferred from one person to another has now changed as well.

Online college classes have changed the physical arrangement involved in higher education, but the basic premise has always remained the same. By presenting a selection of classes to the aspiring student for study on their own time-frame in the comfort of what location they choose, doors have been opened for years with what might be called alternative educational routes. However, learning from an online format is akin to home schooling in that it provides a personalized learning experience without exposure to the distractions of a classroom. For those students who struggle to concentrate when other things are going on in a room, online classes offer a real solution.

Filed Under: Virtual Collaboration Tagged With: Academic degree, Distance education, Distance Learning, E-learning, Education, Higher education, Online Courses, Student

Using Technology to Teach

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Using technology to teach has more to do with creativity and organization than it does with newfangled gadgets. The electronics and computer products are out there and easily accessed. It’s the teacher who knows how to use these tools effectively that will have success in the classroom.

One of the biggest complaints teachers have today is the discipline of the students. Uninvolved parents, varying learning ability among the class, and boredom can be a formula for a very disruptive classroom. Technology itself won’t solve the problem. However by using technology as a downtime tool, it can certainly smooth things out.

Look for creative and challenging online games and programs that can occupy students’ time after their work is complete. Some teachers have gone as far as allowing students to use iPods and smart phones in the classroom to keep kids quiet. Simply letting the student play with the device won’t teach them much. Make it mandatory that these educational tools be used during downtime.

Use tools like twitter and facebook to connect to parents. Ask them to friend you and use that as a daily communication tool. A facebook professional page can insure that your private life stays separate from your professional life. Even so, facebook can make or break a young teacher. You’re no longer a free spirited college kid. Your online persona has to reflect that if you expect parents to support you.

Try interactive games and programs that encourage the students to collaborate. Even a Second Life setting could be fun and educational. Use websites, like http://think.com to set up a place where students can create personal web pages. They can put likes, dislikes and activities there, and you will begin to understand each child as an individual. It can really help you help all kids succeed in your class.

Filed Under: Virtual Collaboration Tagged With: Classroom, Education, Educators, IPod, K through 12, Parent, Student, Teacher

Use a Blog to Enhance Learning

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Blogs are everywhere. People use them to share their personal lives, their opinions, ideas, news, and just about anything else you can think of. There is so much information out there, and so much to share, that it might be useful to use a blog to enhance learning.

WordPress and Blogger are easy programs to use to create blogs. You can create multiple blogs at each. It could be that you want to create a page to share professional information, as well as a page to instruct your students. Make the blog required reading. Put videos, photos and relative links there. Allow the students to comment to create lively online discussion. By this strategy, you can use the blog to guide students in the positive benefits of web communication.

Teachers must continue to learn to be good teachers. Encourage other teachers to create blogs, and use them to share information about things you’ve learned or opportunities to learn more. The blogs can become excellent learning tools and professional discourse applications among teachers.

If you have a personal web page, build a personal blog into it. You might even invite students to be guest bloggers. Assign essays or reports and reward those who produce quality work by posting their report on your blog. Being recognized in the blogospere may mean more to a child than an A+. By doing this, you’re also encouraging life long academics for the child.

Blogs fall into their own kind of collaboration scheme. As bloggers network and communicate they are, in essence, working together to solve problems, share knowledge and enhance learning in the technological age.

Link the blog to twitter and facebook accounts so that students, contemporaries and parents can stay up to date and interactive with your work. By involving everyone, the education of the kids can only benefit.

Filed Under: Virtual Collaboration Tagged With: blog, Blogger, Daily Blog Tips, Directories, Learning Through Collaboration, Student, Teacher, WordPress

Use Technology to Get Kids to Participate

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Every teacher has the challenge of kids who won’t participate in class. Some are very quiet and simply try to disappear in their seats. They may have excellent grades, but very poor social skills. Some are disruptive, but not involved in the lesson. Technology can provide access to what makes these kids tick. It’s there. Use technology to get kids to participate.

Almost every kid has a facebook page. If you friend them, you can watch their activity and see how they view the world. You may begin to see likes and dislikes. You may see that the child is bullied or is bullying. If they post photos, you’ll start to see how the student see themselves and the world around them.

As you learn about children, you can use that insight to connect in a way they are comfortable with. Children want to matter. Based on what you know, change your communication approach to the non-participatory child. Would this child do better communicating via technology? Are they too shy to speak out? You could then give the child a presence online to help others see them for who they really are and also encourage them with a new found identity.

As for the disruptive child, technology can be a great damper to acting out. Find challenging educational games that the student can be engaged in. Pay attention to the child’s online persona. Give extra attention in the social networking atmosphere. Often, a disruptive child is really looking for positive adult interaction. Without spending valuable classroom time on the youngster, you can give him or her a little nod online.

In many ways, the crush of technology seems to inhibit social skills. Certainly, a teacher needs to guide kids on how to move through a flesh and blood world, but don’t ignore that technology is bigger than the classroom, so it might be your best avenue to getting some kids to participate.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: bully, Child, Education, Gossip, Student, Teacher, Technology, University of Washington

Taking Online Classes

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If you have never taken an online class before, you are in for a treat. These days many students as well as continuing education students are taking online courses in order to further their education. Onlinembarankings.com shows you the best schools that would work for you if you are interested in online courses. Taking a class online can be fun as well as easier on you.

First, you can take the class from the comfort of your own home, or wherever else you choose. If you want to take your course at the local coffee shop around the corner, you can do so.

Another advantage of online learning is that you can go at your own pace. While you will still have assignments to complete, you will be able to work slower if you need it. On the other hand, if you find that some classes move too slow for you, you can work ahead and complete assignments as you feel the need.

Online classes are great for class discussions as well. Usually the instructor will have a chat room or message board set up so that students can converse with the teacher as well as other students. If you are stuck on a problem, you don’t need to wait until the next class session to get help; you can just ask around in the chat room or message board for an answer to your question.

People are now obtaining degrees through online learning. Going to class has never been easier. Did you ever think that you would be able to attend class in your pajamas?

Online learning may not be for everyone, so if you are interested, take one class at a time so that you can see what it’s all about.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: E-learning, Education, Student

Collaborative Learning Techniques for Preschoolers

Do you have plans to take the GMAT? Are you struggling with paying for your books and finding the time to get all your studying done alone while accommodating your other commitments. Why not consider collaborating with other students? You can share books and have someone to be your accountability partner and ensure you get your study time done. Even if you are going to take GMAT prep courses, you need to review your study guides and textbooks as well as put in the time studying. So what is collaborative learning and how can it be adapted to your GMAT preparation?
As part of the learning process, students can work together in groups to compete against each other. You can form collaborative teams, work towards a goal and then take sample tests. The group that does the best on the test is the winner. This competition makes learning more fun. Group reading is another technique used as part of collaboration learning. A study leader can read the material from the prep course. They then can ask questions of the groups. And then the study groups can ponder the questions and collaborate to come up with the right answers.
Studies have shown that students, who learn in a collaborative learning environment, develop skills that help them succeed in their studies and the classroom. The social aspect of collaborative learning will help make studying more enjoyable. It will foster a competitive environment which will help students prepare harder in order to win the competition with their peers. In the end, this collaboration will help you achieve better GMAT score.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: Education, Preschool education, Student