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What It Is

The JASON Project is headquartered in Ashburn, VA. Its mission is to inspire in students a life-long passion for learning in science, math, and technology through hands-on, real-world scientific discovery. It is named in the spirit of the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts.

For middle-grade students, JASON’s real-time, interdisciplinary science expeditions offer a unique opportunity to participate in real, standards-based, multidisciplinary research directed by leading scientists.

For educators, JASON provides the content and tools to effectively teach middle-grade science. The JASON Professional Development program offers accredited online professional development courses in science, math, and non-fiction literacy instruction as well as on-site workshops and coaching to help teachers become highly qualified and make the best use of JASON programs in the classroom. In addition to the award-winning JASON Science curricula, the JASON Professional Development offers educators a full array of online courses and onsite workshops to increase content knowledge. JASON Professional Development, supported by the National Science Teachers Association, enhances teachers’ content backgrounds and provides them with the tools to help students learn more effectively. JASON Professional Development offerings provide numerous classroom applications with demonstrations and hands-on learning activities.

JASON Math

Some of the many math expeditions led by the JASON project include the Mysteries of Each and Mars, From Shore to Sea, and Rainforests at the Crossroads. Each of these expeditions integrate mathematics concepts and skills with scientific themes. In addition the Math Adventures curriculum includes such activities as Geometry and Return to Titanic, and Proportional Reasoning and Disappearing Wetlands. These programs can be stand alone classroom projects or used to complement a corresponding JASON Expedition. Students will be introduced to real researchers and their work and have an opportunity to conduct similar engaging activities in the classroom and outdoors.

JASON is committed to giving educators exciting new ways to teach standards-based mathematics. As students use our hands-on approach to solving real scientific problems, the activities challenge them to learn important mathematics skills and concepts too.

JASON Science

Both JASON Expeditions and JASON Science Adventures provide teachers with a vehicle to implement new content and instructional practice in the classroom, and:

Make science real and relevant

Allow students to get to know and identify with real scientists

Introduce hands-on, technology-rich learning experiences

Help students ask better questions, and inspire an interest in science and a lifelong passion for learning

JASON’s award-winning supplementary curricula are designed by the world’s leading scientists and educators. The curricula provide rich learning experiences using a hands-on inquiry based approach that mirrors the work of real scientists. The flexible instructional design allows for cross-curricular integration or single-subject implementation across disciplines. Not only are JASON Curricula based on national model standards for science, math, social studies, language arts, and technology; but they are also correlated to each state’s standards for science. JASON is proven to enhance middle-grade student learning outcomes.

Participating Schools

Currently the JASON project includes:

26 Primary Interactive Network Sites (PINS) in the U.S., Bermuda, Mexico, and Panama

22 regional networks

Over 1 million students reached annually

12 Student Argonauts

4 Teacher Argonauts

6 host researchers

3 student hosts

3 guest researchers

HIV/AIDS is the global issue of new era of science and technology and we should know that the problem of widespread AIDS is challenge for human survival. Children and young people need to be equipped with the knowledge, attitudes, values and skills that will help them face these challenges and assist them in making healthy life-style choices as they grow. Education delivered through schools is one of the ways through which children can be helped to face these challenges and make such choices.

Providing information about HIV (transmission, risk factors, how to avoid infection) is necessary, but not sufficient, to lead to healthy behavioral change. Programs that provide accurate information, to counteract the myths and misinformation, frequently report improvements in knowledge and attitudes, but this is poorly correlated with behavioral change related to risk taking and desirable behavioral outcomes. Education can be effective in the more difficult task of achieving and sustaining behavior change about HIV/AIDS. The schools can either be a place that practices discrimination, prejudice and undue fear or one that demonstrates society’s commitment to equity.School policies need to ensure that every child and adolescent has the right to life education; particularly when that education is necessary for survival and avoidance of HIV infection.

HIV infection is one of the major problems facing school-age children today. They face fear if they are ignorant, discrimination if they or a family member or friend is infected, and suffering and death if they are not able to protect themselves from this preventable disease.

It is estimated that 40 million people, worldwide, are living with HIV or have AIDS, at least a third of these are young people aged 15-24. In 1998 more than 3 million young people worldwide became infected including 590,000 children under 15. More than 8,500 children and young people become infected with HIV each day. In many countries over 50% of all infections are among 15-24 years old, who will likely develop AIDS in a period ranging from several months to more than 10 years.

Studies have shown the enormous impact HIV and AIDS have on the education sector and the quality of education provided, particularly in certain regions of the world such as Sub Saharan Africa. Consequences of the AIDS epidemic include a probable decrease in the demand for education, coupled with absenteeism and an increase in the number of orphans and school drop out, especially among girls. Girls are socially and economically more vulnerable to conditions that force people to accept risk of HIV infection in order to survive. A decrease in education for girls will have serious negative effects on progress made over the past decade toward providing an adequate education for girls and women. Reduced numbers of classes or schools, a shortage of teachers and other personnel, and shrinking resources for educational systems all impair the prospects for education.

Effective HIV/AIDS education and prevention is needed in all schools for all children so that no one is left ignorant. Yet in many places schools are apprehensive about providing sex education or discussions of sexuality because of cultural demands to protect adolescents from sexual experience. Women often lack skills needed to communicate their concerns with their sexual partners and to practice behaviors that reduce their risk of infection, such as condom use, which is often controlled by men.

The school can either be a place that practices discrimination, prejudice and undue fear or one that demonstrates society’s commitment to equity. School policies need to ensure that every child and adolescent has the right to HIV/AIDS education; particularly when that education is necessary for survival and avoidance of HIV infection.

A UNAIDS review (1997) of 53 studies which assessed the effectiveness of programs to prevent HIV infection and related health problems among young people concluded that sex education programs do not lead to earlier or increased sexual activity among young people, in fact the opposite seems to be true. 22 reported that HIV and/or sexual health education either delayed the onset of sexual activity, reduced the number of sexual partners or reduced unplanned pregnancies and STD rates. 27 studies reported that HIV/AIDS and sexual health neither increased nor decreased sexual activity, pregnancy or STD.

The review concluded that school based interventions are an effective way to reduce risk behaviors associated with HIV/AIDS/STD among children and adolescents.

There are three main objectives for this paper to integrate the education effectively with the HIV/AIDS preventions and other health aspects related with it.

These are as follows:

Objectives:

1) Health education focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention.

2) Raising awareness about HIV/AIDS among educators and learners.

3) Stimulate peer support and HIV/AIDS counseling in schools.

The main focus of the paper is to give the importance to the HIV/AIDS precaution with the health education raising the awareness about it among all the students as well as their teachers also and provide the supportive environment for the HIV/AIDS education for all.

Need of HIV/AIDS education:

In area such as HIV/AIDS prevention individual behavior, social and peer pressure, cultural norms and abusive relationships may all contribute to the health and lifestyle problems of children and adolescents. There is now increasing evidence that in tackling these issues and health problems, a healthy approach to HIV/AIDS and sex education works, and is more effective than teaching knowledge alone. T

here are numerous studies indicating that providing information about issues such as sex, STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and HIV (transmission, risk factors, how to avoid infection) is necessary, but not sufficient, to lead to healthy behavioral change (Hubley, 2000). Programs that provide accurate information, to counteract the myths and misinformation, frequently report improvements in knowledge and attitudes, but this is poorly correlated with behavioral change related to risk taking and desirable behavioral outcomes (Gatawa 1995, UNAIDS 1997a). HIV/AIDS with health education can be effective in the more difficult task of achieving and sustaining behavior change.

Health education with HIV/AIDS is widely applicable:

This problems largely affecting men and women as well as older children and adolescents, both this age group and younger children also face a wider range of health problems where education can play a vital role in sustainable prevention and management. Health education with HIV/AIDS programs plays a vital role in preventing infections. This is done through promoting knowledge of areas such as symptoms, transmission, and behaviors that are specifically relevant to many infection in each community; attitudes such as responsibility for personal, family and community health, confidence to change unhealthy habits; skills such as avoiding behaviors that are likely to cause infection, encourage others to change unhealthy habits, communicate messages about infection to families, peers and members of the community (WHO, 1996).

 This kind of health education with HIV/AIDS prevention focuses upon the development of Knowledge, Attitudes, Values, and Skills (including life skills such as inter-personal skills, critical and creative thinking, decision making and self awareness) needed to make and act on the most appropriate and positive health-related decisions. Health in this context extends beyond physical health to include psycho-social and environmental health issues.

This approach utilizes student centered and participatory methodologies, giving participants the opportunity to explore and acquire health promoting knowledge, attitudes and values and to practice the skills they need to avoid risky and unhealthy situations and adopt and sustain healthier life styles.

HIV/AIDS – a critical need for health education:

HIV/AIDS is an area where the scale and impact of the problem is such that the urgency of implementing preventative measures, including health education, is critical. Health education programs are being increasingly adopted as means of reaching children and young people to help halt the spread of this crippling epidemic. Studies from African countries show that children between the ages of 5 and 14 have the lowest prevalence of HIV infection. Below the age of 5 they are susceptible to mother to child transmission and after they become sexually active, the rate of infection increases rapidly – especially for girls (Kelly, 2000). Children aged 5-14 need to be reached at this critical stage in their lives and offer the ‘window of hope’ in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.

 Health Education with HIV/AIDS prevention Does Change Behavior:

There is now strong evidence from an increasing number of studies that health education HIV/AIDS prevention applied in an appropriate context, changes behavior – including behavior in sensitive and difficult areas where knowledge based health education has failed.

For example: Sexuality and HIV education –USA:

This study was implemented in 4 schools in New York City with 9th and 11th grade students (867 students), in intervention (AIDS prevention program) and control classes (no AIDS prevention program). The program focused on correcting facts about AIDS, teaching cognitive skills to appraise risk of transmission, increasing knowledge of AIDS-prevention resources, changing perceptions of risk-taking behavior, clarifying personal values, understanding external influences and teaching skills to delay intercourse and/or consistently use condoms. An evaluation carried out three months after the end of the program found that the intervention group showed the following positive behavioral outcomes when compared with the control group: decrease in intercourse with high risk partners, increase in monogamous relationships and an increase in consistent condom use. (Walter & Vaughan, 1993).

 HIV/AIDS prevention-Nigeria:

Health education programs are being implemented in many schools in Nigeria to increase levels of knowledge, influence attitudes and encourage safe sexual practices among secondary school students. A study to evaluate one such program was conducted comparing 223 students who received comprehensive sexual health education with 217 controls. Students in the intervention group received 6 weekly sessions lasting 2-6 hours, with activities including lectures, film shows, role-play stories, songs, debates, essays and a demonstration of the correct use of condoms. Following the intervention, students in the intervention group showed a greater knowledge and increased tolerance of people with AIDS compared to the control. The mean number of sexual partners also decreased in the intervention group, while the control group showed a slight increase. The program was also successful in increasing condom use (Fawole et al., 1999) Above mentioned studies shows that health education with HIV/AIDS prevention does change the behavior of students especially adolescents.

 Method for implementing Health Education with HIV/AIDS prevention:

Although there is strong evidence that HIV/AIDS prevention is effective when properly applied and supported, implementing this approach and achieving this success on a larger, countrywide scale is one of the greatest challenges to be faced.

To be effective, HIV/AIDS prevention programs must address the following areas:

•Reassure stakeholders that these messages are beneficial:

Talking and teaching about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS issues does not result in earlier initiation of sex or promiscuity. The evidence suggests that well implemented skills-based programs, conducted in an atmosphere of free discussion of all the issues, is likely to lead to young people delaying the initiation of intercourse and reducing the frequency of intercourse and number of sexual partners (Kirby et al. 1994, UNAIDS 1997a).

•Provide support to teachers: The lack of support for implementation of new programs is one of the most important factors affecting success. For most teachers both the content and methods of HIV/AIDS prevention programs are new and perhaps sensitive, and yet the approach has great potential to assist teachers both in their work and also their personal lives since HIV/AIDS is, of course, also affecting teachers. Sufficient support, training, practice and time needs to be available to teachers, in both pre- and in-service training sessions and workshops, to facilitate reflection and development of their own attitudes, and to motivate them to apply their new knowledge and skills, rather than continue with the more didactic, traditional teaching methods, which are often focused on information alone (Gatawa 1995, Gachuhi 1999). In addition, sufficient time and an appropriate place must also be given in the curriculum so that all students have access to HIV/AIDS prevention.

•Start early: As well as targeting adolescents, programs need to be targeted at children at an early age, with developmentally appropriate messages, before they leave school (Gachuhi 1999, Partnership for Child Development 1998). Because younger children are generally not sexually active, these programs will address the building blocks for healthy living and avoiding risk, rather than the very specific issues related to sexual relationships and HIV/AIDS which are progressively introduced to programs for older ages. However, the large number and diverse age range of children within primary schools is an enduring challenge, especially when addressing sensitive issues. Active and self-directed learning methods which are commonly used in education can be helpful in overcoming these classroom management issues to some extent.

•Provide a supportive environment: Schools need to have strong policies and a healthy supportive environment in terms of behavior of students towards each other, teachers and school personnel. Sexual abuse can occur in schools, with both boys and girls reporting abuse by school staff (Kinsman et al. 1999, Lowensen et al. 1996). Programs need to address this potential problem by training and supporting teachers, so that they can become role models rather than neutral or adverse figures in relation to sexual behavior.

•Respond to local needs: Many of the models for HIV/AIDS prevention have been developed in western, developed countries. The available evidence from developing countries, although more limited in scope than the studies from non-developing countries, supports skills-based health education for HIV/AIDS and reproductive health (Hubley, 2000). The main issue is that wherever programs are to be implemented they must be shaped to meet the local socio-cultural norms, values and religious beliefs, and need to include ongoing monitoring (Kirby et al 1994, UNAIDS 1999, Kinsman et al.1999).

Elements of a Health Education for HIV/AIDS prevention:

Reviews of school-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs (23 studies in the USA (Kirby et al. 1994), 37 other countries (reported in UNAIDS 1999) and 53 studies in USA, Europe and elsewhere (UNAIDS 1997a) have identified the following common characteristics of successful programs:

1.Focus on a few specific behavioral goals, (such as delaying initiation of intercourse or using protection), which requires knowledge, attitude and skill objectives.

2.Provision of basic, accurate information that is relevant to behavior change, especially the risks of unprotected intercourse and methods of avoiding unprotected intercourse. 3.Reinforcement of clear and appropriate values to strengthen individual values and group norms against unprotected sex.

4.Modeling and practice in communication and negotiation skills particularly, as well as other related “life skills”.

5.Use of Social Learning theories as a foundation for program development.

6.Addressing social influences on sexual behaviors, including the important role of media and peers.

7.Use of participatory activities (games, role playing, group discussions etc.) to achieve the objectives of personalizing information, exploring attitudes and values, and practicing skills.

8.Extensive training for teachers/implementers to allow them to master the basic information about HIV/AIDS and to practice and become confident with life skills training methods.

9.Support for reproductive health and HIV/STD prevention programs by school authorities, decision and policy makers, as well as the wider community.

10.Evaluation (e.g. of outcomes, design, implementation, sustainability, school, student and community support) so that programs can be improved and successful practices encouraged.

11.Age-appropriateness, targeting students in different age groups and developmental stages with appropriate messages that are relevant to young people. For example one goal of targeting younger students, who are not yet sexually active, might be to delay the initiation of intercourse, whereas for sexually active students the emphasis might be to reduce the number of sexual partners and use condoms.

12.Gender sensitive, for both boys and girls.

 Conclusions:

 Health Education with HIV/AIDS prevention offers an effective approach to equipping children and young people with the knowledge, attitudes and skills that they need to help them avoid risk taking behavior and adopt healthier life styles. The scope of health education means that it can be applied to a wide range of areas, especially STDs and HIV/AIDS prevention, but also including violence, substance abuse, unwanted situations such as early pregnancy and all areas where knowledge and attitudes play a critical role in promoting a healthy lifestyle for children and young people growing up in the 21st century. We can sum it in following points- •The constitutional rights of learners and educators must be protected equally.

•There should not be compulsory disclosure of HIV/AIDS status.

•No HIV positive learner or educator may be discriminated against.

 •Learners must receive education about HIV/AIDS and abstinence in the context of life- skills education as part of the integrated curriculum.

•Educational institutions should ensure that learners acquire age and context appropriate knowledge and skills to enable them to behave in ways that will protect them from infection.

•Educators need more knowledge of, and skills to deal with HIV/AIDS and should be trained to give guidance on HIV/AIDS.

Suggestions for implications for policies and programmes:

•Male and female condom promotion efforts need to recognize, identify and address gender issues including sexual and other forms of violence, that inhibit condom use.

•HIV/AIDS, peer education, and sex education programmes for adolescents that incorporate gender equality issues into their framework should be fostered. Such programmes should enable a better understanding of how norms related to masculinity and femininity may increase risky sexual behaviour, and help young people begin thinking about how to work towards equal and responsible relationships.

•Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) services should take into account the risk of violence and other adverse consequences when evaluating different approaches to disclosure. For example, patients can be given the choice of counsellor-mediated disclosure if that would help minimise adverse consequences.

•Both men and women should be involved in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMtCT) programmes. Antenatal services can educate men about sexuality, fertility and HIV prevalence to raise their awareness and sense of responsibility. This would avoid reinforcing the belief that women alone are responsible for pregnancy and for HIV transmission to the infant.

•Community Home Based Care (CBBC) approaches need to include a special effort to promote the role of men as care-givers in the family and community, and to provide adequate support and guidance to enable male participation. At the very least, such programmes should acknowledge that reliance on “home care” is, at present, largely reliance on “women’s care”.

References:

1.Fawole, I.O., Asuzu, M.C., Oduntan, S.O., Brieger, W.R. (1999). A school-based AIDS education program for secondary school students in Nigeria: a review of effectiveness. Health Education Research – Theory & Practice, 14: 675-683.

 2.Gachuhi, D. (1999). The impact of HIV/AIDS on education systems in the Eastern and Southern Africa region and the response of education systems to HIV/AIDS: Life Skills Programs.

3.Gatawa, B.G. (1995). Zimbabwe: AIDS Education for schools. Case Study. UNICEF Harare Zimbabwe.

4.Hubley, J. (2000). Interventions targeted at youth aimed at influencing sexual behavior and AIDS/STDs. Leeds Health Education Database, April 2000.

5.Kelly, M.J. (2000). Standing education on its head: Aspects of schooling in a world with HIV/AIDS. Current Issues in Comparative Education. 3(1).

6.Kinsman, J., Harrison, S., Kengeya-Kayondo, J., Kanyesigye, E., Musoke, S. & Whitworth, J. (1999). Implementation of a comprehensive AIDS education program for schools in Masaka District, Uganda. AIDS CARE, 11(5): 591-601.

7.Kirby, D., Short, L., Collins, J., Rugg, D. et al. (1994). School-based programs to reduce sexual risk behaviors: a review of effectiveness. Public Health Reports, 109(3): 339-361.

8.Lowensen, R., Edwards, L. & Ndlovu-Hove, P. (1996). Reproductive health rights in Zimbabwe. Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC).

9.UNAIDS (1997a). Impact of HIV and sexual health education on the sexual behavior of young people: a review update.

10.UNAIDS (1997b). Learning and teaching about AIDS at school. UNAIDS technical update, October 1997.

11.Walter, H. & Vaughan, R. (1993). AIDS risk reduction among a multiethnic sample of urban high school students. JAMA, 270(6): 725-730.

12.WHO (1996). Preventing HIV/AIDS/STI and related discrimination: an important responsibility of health promoting schools. WHO series on school health, document six.

Many people think that studying subjects such as mathematics and sciences can be tricky. It is not as convenient as other subjects could be. Not everyone is comfortable with the concepts and inner learning of scientific and mathematical theories and need greater skill and hard work to get the bets results. In fact, mathematical and scientific concepts are rather easy to learn and convenient to get through. All you need to learn the basic understanding of these concepts and strategies so as to extend your potential provides excuses and limits our possibilities. In this article, we’ll talk about top five concepts about math education:

Guide Student:

First of all, you need to guide students to get the basic concepts correctly in a convenient manner. Find a math tutor who can direct kids to learn the process rather than searching for the solutions.

Teach Concepts:

One of the tutoring goals would be teaching concepts and strategies rather than enforcing tem to find the correct answers for the mathematical problems. Tutoring goal should be to help students become an independent learner.

Encourage Students to Attend Class:

Some students are in view that attending a math class won’t do any good and they go for personal tutors to find their solutions. In fact, attending a class will help students to get the concepts clearly. Students having difficulty in math must realize time spent with a tutor is additional to classroom time.

Talk About Math Anxiety:

Math anxiety is one of the major concerns in students. Usually, students face varying kinds of anxieties related with the subject, which need to eliminate by the tutor. Get an online tutor to get the best results and help students.

Clear the Confusion:

Many a times, students are very much contused about the concepts and strategies applied in the subject. You as a tutor need to tell them what is the reality and how it can be removed.

By following these above mentioned points, you would be able to teach mathematics in proper way. Find a West Virginia tutor or get other information by visiting www.orbitutors.com any time and get the best help.

Our educational system is a mass of contradiction. It is peopled by smart, dedicated professionals at every level. It has access to jaw-dropping technology and is supported by massive amounts of money from local, state and federal agencies. It has every reason to be the best educational system in the world. Yet the plain truth is, nationally the system is failing. Too high a percentage of our students are failing because, in spite of all of this, we are failing our students.

There’s no point in citing the statistics; we’ve all heard plenty about falling test scores, dropout rates and teen illiteracy. When we hear such things, it hurts. And it hurts more because we have the money, the knowledge and the people we need to succeed. So although there are high-achieving schools and school districts, compared to what we should be achieving nationally, the system is failing.

Nearly all educational professionals are clear on the results they’d like to see: students interested and involved in learning, higher academic achievement, lower absenteeism, and improved discipline. But, statistically, we can all see that things are getting worse—not better.

Pinpointing the Problem: The “How-To” Gap

Our teachers are usually well-schooled in academic subjects, child psychology and educational theory. They graduate from college full of knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm. But when they get to their first day of school, they find that they have little idea how to apply what they know in the classroom. They don’t know how to connect the theories they learned to the results they want to achieve. They don’t know which tool to use to accomplish which task. There literally is a “how-to” gap.

Experienced teachers, feeling the pain of this gap, take seminars and workshops, only to wind up with notebooks on the shelf and the same old frustrations in their classrooms. The frustration comes in realizing they “know” 90 percent of what they need. They’ve been taught theories and methods, yet they’re missing the final ten percent of what they need to “reach” the kids. They’re missing the delivery—the things that spark the kids’ interest in a subject, help them learn, make the subject meaningful and get them excited about it. The “how-to” gap remains.

Closing the “How-To” Gap

To close this gap, universities must teach future teachers how to deliver content in ways that reach their students. Graduate schools of education must do this too. Yet, for the most part this is not done. A professor in the graduate school of education at a major university told me how difficult, if not impossible, it is to get courses on “how to teach” included in the curriculum.

Closing the “how-to” gap will also require that experienced teachers learn these important attitudes, skills and techniques. True, they are taking in-service workshops and seminars, but most simply do not offer what the teachers need in order to deliver that final ten percent.

I’ve been in this field for over 25 years, and in that time I’ve seen some great teaching. I’ve seen students at every level, from primary grades to adult education, become engaged, excited and positively enthusiastic about learning. I’ve seen attendance soar, test scores rise and discipline problems disappear. I have seen what works put to work in the classroom. It’s not magical, it’s not difficult, and it’s not expensive. Some teachers discover it for themselves.

But just imagine if every teacher were able to bridge the “how-to” gap. What would school be like if teachers were able to “reach” their students consistently? What if everything they did was on purpose, interesting and engaging? What if every student found learning exciting? What if they got the message that they are bright and capable and bound to succeed? What if teachers knew what they needed to do in the classroom so that the students actually learned and retained what the teachers were trying to teach?

When taught how to effectively deliver content to get the outcome they want—joyful, engaged, successful learning—rookie teachers say, “This is what I thought I’d learn in college but never did.” Veterans say, “That’s what I’ve been trying to do my whole career. That’s why I got into teaching in the first place.” We must teach teachers how to deliver content in a way that “reaches” students and makes the content meaningful and relevant to their lives.

It All Starts Here and Now

Yes, we’re failing our children, and closing the “how-to” gap is an answer to this horrific problem. Every minute we delay in filling the “how-to” gap, that’s one more child we’ve failed—one more frustrated teacher with passion and heart, standing before a class frozen, wanting badly to reach students, and not knowing how. Learning ABOUT teaching, but not HOW TO teach is not okay. We cannot afford to wait any longer. We have to make a start—here and now.

There has been a huge increase in online schools and colleges across the United Kingdom, North America and the United States in the past couple of years, which shows that there is an increasing popularity of online education and learning. However, jumping into online education without doing the groundwork can be dangerous, as educational needs of students do vary quite a lot depending on their levels of intelligence and social and economic status. Therefore, the student’s parents and tutors must ensure that the students weigh all the pros and cons of an online education and prompt them to decide the best course of action. The aim of this article is to educate the student’s on some of the more major advantages and disadvantages of an online education.

The Advantages of an Online Education

Accessibility: The Distance from a university campus is no longer a barrier in the education of students. Today’s generation have the advantage of utilizing time effectively, since there are numerous choices in distant online education for them. For the student to access online education, all he or she needs is a personal computer with internet access with which he or she can find the desired courses online and enrol. The online education systems ensure that the student’s put all their energies into studies.

A Flexible schedule: The good thing about an online education is its effective use of time. As a student of online education, you have the ability to maintain a flexible schedule, which is of particular help when you are working simultaneously.

Student-Centred Learning: As a student of online learning, it is you who dictates your learning experience. As your tutor will not be teaching you all of the time, you can prioritize your schedule and complete any and all assignments accordingly. You will also be given the choice of which learning methodology you wish to use, such as audio, visual, or oral components.

Fair Playing Field: Online education is in vogue also as it provides a level playing field for all the students. Learning online provides a situation where decision-making is not based on the candidates’ gender, ethnicity, physical appearance, or race. Instead, the evaluation is only based on your performance. The provision of this fair-playing field has significantly contributed to the popularity of online education. read more about information education school click here now

Disadvantages

Employment: Not many industries will acknowledge an online professional degree.

Oral Communication: Since, the majority of online learning systems encourage communication through e-mails and text chatting only, the student’s may be deprived of the ability to improve their oral communication skills.

Fraud: A large number of online courses are not accredited and hence are not valid.

Courses: Not all of the courses which are available elsewhere are available online.

Moreover, online learning requires a complete dedication and patience from the students to ensure they achieve superb results. It is most advisable that the students first, patiently and persistently familiarize themselves with online learning technology. Additionally, they need to always keep themselves abreast of the latest updates within the online education system, since there will be no instructor to turn to in this respect.

. For those thinking of a teaching career there are many choices as to which area you can go into. Teachers have the ability to mould young minds, encourage students to make their own choices and become successful. The majority of people who choose to go into teaching do so for the love of it, to work with young people and to help society.

Being a teacher isn’t all easy, there are a lot of reports and other paperwork to be completed, planning and teaching can be stressful and teaching children exhausting. However there are just as many positives, for example the long holidays offered, a job that is motivating, and the pleasure you get watching an uncooperative child blossom.

Deciding on the kind of student you would like to teach, elementary, secondary, college, foreign students, etc. can be confusing. Volunteering or helping out at a summer school or your local nursery could give you a hint and some guidance. There is a huge difference teaching kindergarten to high school but they can both be gratifying in their own ways.

Once you have decided on the age level you would like to teach, you will need to find out the qualifications you need for teaching this group. Qualifications for teaching young children is quite different to secondary age and the last thing you want to do is to waste your time getting qualifications you can use.

Working in a high school, you generally need to specialize in a certain subject, such as math or history. Each state has different requirements so check with your local authority as to what qualification you need to gain for the area of work you are interested in and if previous experience can gain you credits.

Getting some experience as a teacher’s assistant is a good way to experience a typical teacher’s workload before venturing on this path yourself. You can see how the teacher interacts with their students and learn a lot from the opportunity. It can help you gain confidence and offer teaching opportunities that will develop your teaching style as well as looking impressive on your resume.

For teachers with qualifications and skill there will always be positions available. Teachers have to be able to think quickly, to capture the attention of a class of students and to motivate. It is important you know your subject and if unsure of any area you are teaching it will be necessary to revise yourself the night before or you will lose the confidence of your students.

Motivation and good communication are the key aspects to any good teacher. If the class is boring the student will very soon ‘switch off’ and learn nothing. Your aim is to make them want to know more about the subject you are teaching. You will find lots of colleges and universities offering courses that can provide the training you need to become a teacher.

There are also lots of opportunities to learn to teach online, or if you are already a teacher to further your career in this area. An online education degree can get you that job you want, and give you a better sense of worth as well as earning you a considerably higher income.

Online education degrees are offered at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate levels. If you are interested in a special certification or certificate, these can also be obtained at certain online schools. Go online and find teaching courses as well as teaching material and homework resources

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Avail Online Learning Programs in India

With the vast use of the internet as well as modern technologies, online learning programs are gaining popularity day by day. Online learning programs with far-reaching broadband accessibility provide strong communications to initiate a new and effective model of education across India. In other words, online learning programs are premium education programs that are aimed to enhance the knowledge of students as well as individuals by using modern technologies and guidelines of skilled teachers. That is why students are getting more acquainted with online learning programs in India.

Why do Students go for online learning programs in India?

In fact, in India students gather knowledge through traditional education system. But in the age information technology, students give more preference to computers, which in turn allow them avail multimedia technologies to procure materials for their studies. With the growing demand of online media as a necessary source of information, students now seek online assistance to get customised relevant data. In short, online learning programs is known as online education or e-learning that has a number of benefits including:

•    Flexible- you can set your own study time table in tune with your needs.
•    Learn from the comfort of your own home
•    Accessibility of updated study materials
•    Online tests
•    Experts available round-the-clock
There are also added benefits of online learning programs

Added Benefits of Online Learning Program In India

Online learning programs are different from traditional education systems and there is no need of a classroom and face-to-face interaction with teachers. In other words, you can understand online learning program is a way of “learning while working”.  Putting your name down for online learning programs will allow you to participate in online classes from the major institutions as well as universities throughout the India and also around the world. Online learning programs in India offer:

•    No need to actually live on campus or near the university
•    Great flexibility in the type of course you choose to study
•    A wide range of online programs to choose from  

High quality online learning programs are being developed in India not only used by students but also many companies for their employees. It is a fact that with the rising group of well qualified individuals, the significance of online learning programs in India cannot be ignored. Students across India are not only saving their time and money, but also they can procure authentic information and knowledge about their topics. With the help of online learning programs students are gaining higher education without any expenses including on travel, accommodation, food, high tutors’ fee and many others.

Imagine working at a school where you rarely have to use your disciplinary skills, the students are motivated to succeed and lead well-rounded lives by participating in sporting and creative activities. Even better, imagine a parent-teacher conference where the parents respect you and your profession and, your professional development is of concern to the school’s administration. These are the kind of benefits I have reaped from my move into an international teaching career.

Prior to securing my position as an international teacher in Thailand, I worked for more than three years in the United Kingdom. While I enjoyed my time there and learned a lot from my colleagues, there were parts of the job I didn’t like, and at times found a little soul destroying. That’s one of the reasons I now teach at an international school.

When I was teaching in England, I often found that I spent a considerable portion of my time on discipline. This was time that was taken away from my role as an educator and affected the chances of my students excelling. In my role as an international educator, I don’t have half or even a quarter of the discipline issues I had when I was teaching in England. It’s not because I teach less students, I still teach classes of 23 to 25 students. The reason I spend less time on discipline is because teaching is a respected profession in Thailand and therefore teachers are treated very well by the whole community.

Here in Thailand the majority of students are motivated to succeed academically. The whole school has a culture of rewarding success; academic successes, sporting successes and creative successes. This is in part because we are in Thailand, but it is also an integral component of the educational philosophy in the International Baccalaureate Organization’s (IBO) curriculum. In the UK I was constantly giving of myself to keep my students motivated and believing that they could achieve well if they put in the effort. After a while this became draining. Now I can concentrate on delivering content and opening my students’ eyes to the wider world around them because they are so motivated to learn.

I really feel that I am part of the community of my international school. My students greet me when I walk into school in the morning and they will greet me and stop to have a conversation with me whenever they see me on the street. There is a strong parents’ association that I can call upon for assistance if I am running an event or need extra adult supervision for an activity. The majority of my students have aspirant parents who support them in their studies, sporting and creative activities. In the UK parental support was not always forthcoming and nor were the students always polite.

One of the keys to being a great teacher is continuing to invest in your own education and development. That’s why many of us have professional development guidelines written into our contracts. From the school I taught at in the UK I received two days training that was aimed specifically at me or my subject area in over three years of teaching there. While this wasn’t the only professional development I received in that time I can honestly say that the only other training that was specifically targeted to meet my needs were courses that I found and paid for myself. Teaching abroad, I now have a professional development budget in excess of $US300 per year. Last year I attended a 3 day workshop in Singapore on the IBO curriculum, and this year I have attended a 4 day summit. Should I choose to do a Master’s degree, my school will pay part of the cost, and give me a salary increase once I have completed it.

You can experience many benefits from teaching overseas. I feel more enthused about being an educator now that I am teaching here in Thailand, and while I wouldn’t like to say that I will never teach in a state school again, I would certainly think carefully about any position offered to me.

If you are not feeling the passion for education that originally inspired you to become a teacher, perhaps you should be looking at moving overseas. An additional benefit is that they salary is better than I was getting in the United Kingdom as well!

This paper deals with the question: Why is the shift toward online education happening? This is a complex issue that involves questions of educational access, paradigms for teaching and learning, competition and globalization among universities, the development of new and better online technologies, and the financial pressures facing higher education. A huge transition is underway. The same networking and computing technology that has revolutionized global commerce, and many other facets of modern life, is now being targeted at education. Partnering the Internet with modern course management systems makes it possible for universities to offer online coursework on a global basis. The critical task that lies ahead is to create and disseminate curricula of high quality that students can embrace and educators can sustain. For more details visit to www.guardadsense.com .The overall objective of José’s Online Education Forum is to examine the realities of college and university online teaching, and the processes of education using today’s information technologies. Collectively, the authors of this paper have taught over a hundred different university-level courses online, both graduate and undergraduate, mostly using the Internet. The issues and insights discussed in this Forum will provide educators with important tools and the understanding needed to effectively embrace the world of online education.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Sloan Consortium

In a Sloan-C survey of 1170 Provosts and Academic VPs, more than half indicated a belief that online education would be ‘critical for the long-term’ in higher education. Surprisingly perhaps, the same percentage said that they believe success in achieving learning outcomes is already equivalent between online and traditional teaching methods. And there was also a consensus of opinion among these respondents that the quality of online courses would continue to improve, with a third of them believing that online teaching quality will soon surpass the quality typical of conventional teaching. These opinions may be surprising for many of us in the teaching profession, coming as they do from such high level and influential administrators. They signal a fundamental change in perceptions about the potential of online education in the immediate future.

1.2 Overview

The objective in this paper is to investigate and assess why this shift to online education is happening. Several factors can be cited beginning with improvements in access to educational services using online technologies and changing paradigms for teaching and learning that integrate well with these technologies. Other factors include heightened educational competition and globalization, the ongoing and often dramatic improvements in online systems capabilities, and the underlying economics of providing online education versus conventional means. The following sections of this paper explore each of these factors individually.

2. ACCESS TO EDUCATION

2.1 Access for the Masses

The ability to use information technologies effectively is one aspect of achieving success in today’s society, both for individuals and for organizations as a whole. The current job market requires educated workers who are capable of changing and adapting as business and cultural realities shift and evolve in today’s fast-paced, global economy (Kantar, 2001). Information technology is enabling the development of this kind of economic world structure. For more information logon to www.instant-adsense-dollars.com .It is also making possible the education of the workforce that this new economy requires by providing new capabilities for teaching and learning online.

Online education offers the promise of increased access to high quality education for the masses. Exactly how this is going to occur is not clear yet, but there is no doubt that online education is rapidly becoming an established modality. The development of the modern world economy demands an educated workforce. Places like the three It’s (India, Indonesia, and Ireland) and more recently China, are finding that the need for an educated workforce is overwhelming the capabilities of their traditional educational systems .In America and Western Europe, the same economic and political pressures associated with ‘equality of opportunity’ contribute to demands for equal access to a quality education for all who seek it.

Paper presented at the official launch and mini-conference of the Journal of the University College of the Cayman Islands. (JUCCI) Thursday October 16th 2008

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. 

The need to recruit teachers into Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) is a worldwide occurrence. However, for the Caribbean region, the challenge is made worse when looked at in light of the fact that trained Caribbean teachers are being recruited to serve in other countries and regions.

Mike Baker, the British Broadcasting Cooperation’s (BBC) education correspondent in his 2002 article entitled United Kingdom ‘poaching’ Jamaican teachers, pointed out that between 2001 and 2002 six hundred teachers (600) left the island to work abroad, mostly in the United States and  the United Kingdom. During that same period, the United Kingdom government issued six thousands (6,000) work permits to teachers from outside the European Community.

The global demands for teachers including those from the Caribbean, offers the region both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge in that new teachers need to be attracted, recruited, educated and trained and an opportunity, in that, trained teachers who seek economic independence can achieve it by practicing their craft in an economically buoyant community.

While there are many strategies for encouraging the recruitment of persons into ITET, given the social, cultural, political and educational context of each Caribbean state and, in particular the Cayman Islands, it is not easy to discern what will and will not work. Therefore, the contribution of the paper I have written and published in the Journal of the University College of the Cayman Island, is an analysis of relevant recommendations resulting from research, which sought to address the problems of teacher recruitment not only in the Cayman Islands, but also in the Caribbean region.

In that published work, recommendations and results of two studies were analyzed; the 2006 Organisation of American States Sub-Region Consultant Study Report concerned with the challenges of improving the quality of teacher education, recruitment and selection, initial education and training, professional development and evaluation of teachers in countries of the Caribbean. And, the 2001 report of the committee set up to examine the conditions relating to the recruitment of Caymanians into the teaching profession.

What are specific ways of encouraging the recruitment of teachers into ITET in the Cayman Islands? Some thoughts follow. There is the need to:

1. Undertake innovative and strategic approaches to policy development in the area of ITET. Policies are needed that would direct actions and guide innovations, thus boosting people’s trust in the process and product of ITET.

2. Formulate policies to address the nature and kinds of academic qualifications offered and the standards at which local teacher education and training institutions operate.

3. Develop policies on the process of recruitment into ITET and on the promotion of teaching and the identification of appropriate target populations for recruitment.

4. Offer a competitive and internationally recognized bachelor’s programme in education. (this is happening right now at the University College)

5. Develop a clearly articulated alternative paradigm for career structure and its underlying values in the Cayman Islands, coupled with efforts to improve the economic status of teachers.  Morris and Williamson (1989) reveal that in Japan and Taiwan, among other countries, where teaching is thought of as extremely important, teachers are relatively well compensated hence teaching is viewed as a relatively well-paying job, the supply of new teachers is high and there is a low level of attrition. The writers go on to state that additionally those countries place high value on their peoples remaining in a profession or a post for the duration of an entire career.

So my point is, what is required, (in addition to marketing strategies and advertising campaigns), is a paradigm shift or change in the way we think about teaching,  not just for the Cayman Islands but for the Caribbean region.

6. Enable ITET programmes to be framed in a reflective model of teaching which encourages the development of skills and knowledge in content areas, professional studies, and practical teaching, grounded in the real world of the school and classroom.This model of teaching presently guides the teacher education and training department here at the University College of the Cayman Islands.

For more details, please consult  my article entitled “Encouraging the Recruitment of Teachers into Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) in the  Cayman Islands published in the  Journal of the University College of the Cayman Islands Volume 2 August 2008, pp.65-78. Copies of the journal are on sale at the main entrance to the auditorium.

Thank you, the floor is now open for questions and discussion.

Reference

Baker, M. (2002). UK “poaching” Jamaican teachers. BBC education correspondent, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 15 March 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1871706.stm (accessed 2 October 2007).

McLean, G. (2001). The report of the committee to examine the conditions relating to the recruitment of Caymanians into the teaching profession. Ministry of Education, Human    Resources and Culture. Cayman Islands. 29th June.

Mark, P. (2006). Organization of American State Hemispheric Project Draft Harmonized Policy for Teacher Education (Summary Document) Caribbean Sub-Region Consultant Report (Unpublished).

Morris, P., and J. Williamson. (1998). Teacher education in the Asia-Pacific region: A  comparative analysis. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education and Development 1: 17–27.