Free Online Tutoring

The World Wide Web (WWW), or simply Web, is ubiquitous, all-pervasive and indispensable today. The influence of the web is felt in all aspects of human life – on-line shopping, e-ticket reservation, e-hotel booking and e-mail correspondence to name a few, and the domain of education is no exception. The advent of the web and the internet has brought a fundamental shift in the field of education. Education over the web, or On-line education as it is popularly referred to, is the buzzword today. A myriad of universities and educational institutions have resorted to means of providing on-line education owing to its growing popularity and increasing demand. The learning society has embraced the on-line education with open arms after carefully deliberating the numerous benefits it offers. On-line education has garnered widespread popularity and acceptance thanks to the myriad advantages it provides over the traditional classroom education.

Owing to the on-line education, the geographical barriers are removed and students have easy access to diverse educational resources on-line. One of the leading institutes, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has come out with its OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative thereby providing open access to its course materials – lecture notes, readings, tests and video lectures, for its 1800 courses (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm). The people who benefit out of this free on-line education are not only students but also college teachers, self-motivated self-learners and those who have the time, interest and quest to learn. There are no geographical barriers and the entire world becomes the virtual classroom. Such is the power and reach of on-line education.

There are lot of benefits in on-line education and the following, though not a comprehensive one is a suggestive list of key benefits.

1 Student-centric approach – On-line education is more student-centric. The “anyone, anytime, anywhere” concept works fine for on-line education. Anyone – refers to student, teacher, retiree, business professional or anyone interested in learning. Anytime – student has access to the on-line course materials 24 hours a day 7 days a week; also the student can access the course at a time the student feels comfortable and is mentally active and alert. Anywhere – the place of studies is no more an issue and the student can literally be anywhere – at home, office, college, or street. On-line education is fully centered on the comfort of the student and thus offers unimaginable liberty, flexibility and convenience to the students.

2 High quality – The global reach of on-line education has made it possible that the on-line instructors / mentors / teachers are of top-notch quality and belong to various parts of the world. An interesting example would be that of Mr.Gilbert Strang, who is a renowned Maths professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a specialist in Linear Algebra and has written many popular college textbooks. His Maths Linear Algebra course which is offered for free as part of the MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative is hugely popular and has been downloaded more than a million times. It is not only the few hundred students who attend the classroom in the MIT, are bestowed the privilege of taking Mr.Gilbert Strang’s course, but because of the global reach of on-line education, millions of students all over the world also have benefited from this elite Maths professor’s skills and course-ware.

3 Cost-effective – The good news is that on-line education can work out cheaper than traditional campus education. On-line education is affordable when compared to traditional education. It also saves quite a fortune in that one is saved from commuting in order to attend the classroom. Not only money, on-line education also saves the time and energy lost in managing a job, school and home. There is no dearth of free on-line education resources, of which a few are listed below:

3.1     http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses.php

3.2     http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/index.htm

3.3     http://itunes.stanford.edu/

4 Access to unlimited on-line resources – With many of the world’s top universities becoming part of the on-line education initiative and giving away their course-ware for free, on-line education students could have never asked for more. With the technological advancements, on-line education makes it possible to include resources in different media types – graphics, photos, audio, video and texts – thus going great length to captivate and sustain the interest of students. There is no time limit to access these on-line resources, whereas in a typical classroom set-up, the duration of a subject class is always rigid and fixed. The student can log into his virtual classroom anytime that best suits him and take his own time in going over the material any number of times until he has fully understood and is satisfied with it. Such a great degree of elasticity is possible only in on-line education.

Though the students are spoilt for choices in on-line education, the one thing that should be given due attention is that there is no face-to-face interaction with the tutor and that there is no one to closely monitor. There are lots of modes of interaction with the tutor – like chat, e-mail, forums etc., but the onus is more on the student to take care of his own studies and progress. But it is no cause to worry. This way, students become more responsible for them and become good in efficiently managing their time. Self-discipline and self-motivation is required in students to make on-line education a success, but the same holds good for traditional classroom education too. Last but not the least, factors like flexibility, accessibility and quality have all contributed greatly to glamorize and popularize the on-line education and there is no doubt in that the on-line education can deliver even greater benefits in the future.

REVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

BY PROF.M.S.RAO, ACADEMIC GUIDE, ICFAI UNIVERSITY, INDIA

“ Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it”, Martin Wright Edelman.

WHAT IS EDUCATION AND SOCIETY:

Education provides the man with information, imagination, knowledge, ideas, values, ethics, reasoning and over all makes the man complete man. Education brings refinement, adds to intelligence, and makes independent and confident man. It is only the human beings who can get armed and equipped with education, which is missing in animals. Education does not mean only reading and writing but also thinking, learning, reasoning, practical experiences and so on. Education is a learning process from cradle to grave. It is education that has brought out many changes in this world and transformed the entire civilization since time immemorial. Ariel and Will Durant quoted, “Education is the transmission of civilization”.

The growth of society solely depends on the type of educational system adopted. Education makes tremendous impact on the society. The quality of the society depends on the quality of educational system implemented. Some one correctly said, “Better institutions are essential if we are to lead better lives”. Right education makes the people build character, values, ethics, and prepares the society and country as a whole to catch up with the rest of the world. Right education is the legacy or the gift, which we pass on to our next generations. George Peabody said, “Education: a debt due from present to future generations”.

EFFECTS OF EDUCATION ON SOCIETY:

Kerala is the first state in India, which attained cent per cent literacy. It encouraged other states to contribute their best so as to attain total literacy. Rather Kerala has become a model state and ideal state to be emulated by the rest of the country in providing importance to education.

No nation can develop without proper education. And India too developed as a society and as a nation for the last 60 years. India has now vast human resources and it has the thirst highest technical manpower in the world. Although the effects of education in the society are tremendous, yet there are grey areas, which needs to be addressed. India as a nation has developed politically, culturally, economically and socially but yet much needs to be focussed in a right direction.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, said Nelson Mandela. It is very obvious that no weapon is superior to education. Apart from education, the influence of technology has brought out significant changes in the society. If technology is used in the right direction and if it is coupled with education, we can expect miracles in the society as a whole.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

“Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t”, said Pete Seeger. All human beings make many mistakes resulting in bitter and, of course, experience. If an individual is educated, he knows the things because he reads the fine print. He tends to make a few mistakes in his life. Where as if an individual is not educated he tends to make more mistakes because he does not know the fine print. An uneducated individual believes in trial or error method. If he succeeds in his trial, he pursues or else he drops. The uneducated man mostly believes in observation and practical knowledge. The success rate is far higher in educated man rather in an uneducated man. Education brings down the complexities in one’s life thereby making life easier, simpler and comfortable. John Dewey rightly said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”.

PROBLEMS IN PRESENT EDUCATION:

India is the second largest populated country in the world and unfortunately it is nowhere near in number qualitatively. It may be again due to huge population and the type of administrative and political system we have. There is stress on cramming, memory and mugging up. One who mugs up and puts in examination paper is treated as a meritorious candidate. It does not encourage imagination, creativity and originality. There is no effective emphasis on practical aspects of life. It is mostly beset with theoretical aspects and concepts, which any one can read even without going to institutions.

School children are loaded with many books and they find it highly stressful. Education, in fact, should be filled with entertainment and fun so that student can discover the joy of learning, which is missing now. Children find it horrible to go to schools because of too much of study. Even at home children engage themselves so much on school homework. Such things do not promote the relations between parent and child at home. Inadequate infrastructure and inexperienced teaching staff are another bane. Unfortunately, in India, both the primary and secondary level education is still struggling to survive qualitatively. The views and opinions of the students are not being respected. Students are always imposed whatever is there in the textbooks resulting in lack of imagination and innovation. R W Emerson rightly said, “The secret in education lies in respecting the student”. Only when students are respected and valued, they will try to think creatively, innovatively and out of the box. Students should be provided with more freedom of thought.

It is very unfortunate that the teachers are not paid handsomely. Best brains are pursuing other careers for monetary benefits and for better prospectus. It is a pity that those who stick to teaching profession either due to their aptitude and taste and temperament towards teaching or because there is no other alternative (TINA factor) career.

Pandit Nehru’s policies and Kothari commission have brought some significant changes in the education but still there is no healthy and constructive impact. There is commercialization of education, and a few fly by night operators entered into this sacred field and spoiled the standards.

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO OVERCOME:

Teaching faculty must undergo regular training to update and upgrade their skills and abilities. Encouraging regular workshops or seminars or courses related to teaching methodologies can enhance and sharpen their skills. Such seminars will encourage the teaching faculty to exchange and gather more information.

“He who opens a school door, closes a prison”, Victor Hugo. Children from the age of 6 to 14 are to be admitted in schools to provide education, as this is the best age to tune them for creating interest in education. Child labor has been abolished but unfortunately it is not enforced effectively. Children should be encouraged by various innovative ways and means to get into educational institutions.

Content and curriculum in the educational system needs to be addressed. Streamlining the educational system on national basis from Kashmir to Kanyakumari will raise the educational standards. There are disparities in the educational system in various states and efforts must be made to fill those gaps.

Govt. levies 2 per cent educational cess and authorities must ensure that the funds go in a right direction to create strong educational infrastructure. Nobody is against the levy of 2 per cent cess but the right application and mobilization of the resources will bring right results rapidly.

Focussing more on vocational education is the need of the hour. Presently there is a vast gap between industry and academics. Infosys has come out with ‘Campus Connect’ initiative to bridge the gap between the industry and academics and it is a step in right direction. The corporate leaders have a vital role in funding the educational system. They make money for themselves, pay handsome salaries to their employees and paying dividends to their shareholders and all the people who are involved in the business are earning one way or the other. But what are they contributing for the education and society? It is a well admitted fact that the helping hands are far better than praying lips. Corporate, whether big or small, can wholeheartedly come forward to contribute their best for bringing Indian educational system on par with global standards.

It is essential to bring reforms in education from time to time as the tools and techniques involved in teaching are changing rapidly due to the influence of technology.

For professional qualifications like engineering, management, medicine, computers etc., the students should be engaged in the practical education and project works from the first year itself. Such activities will build more confidence in the minds of the students as they grasp the needs of the industry and thereby fine-tuning as per the industry expectations. Fee structure needs to be rationalized and the deserving students should be provided with scholarships.

Providing interest free educational loans will help the deserving and poor students. Also, it is desirable to encourage non-professional degree holders to get vocationalized. “Education is not filling a pail, but the lighting of a fire”, said William Butler Yeats. Education must ignite the minds of the students and it must move the students from comfort zone to effective zone. The students in the comfort zone will not achieve as much as that of in effective zone.

CONCLUSION:

There is a strong need to streamline the present educational system. The problems in the educational system need to be addressed immediately. Education should focus on ethical, social, vocational and academic aspects. Education builds man and man in turn builds nation. A strong nation can be built only when there is a strong character education. Abraham Lincoln aptly said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing”. Hence the essence of any education is the strong character. The evolutionary approaches and revolutionary changes in the present educational system are the need of the hour. We must build a nation where youngsters have a vision to think beyond their geographical boundaries. There should be scope for the students to expand intellect, reinforce mind and make them to stand on their own feet.

MESSAGE:

Education and character are two sides of the same coin and one without the other is meaningless. Money may come and go but it is the character that counts from beginning to the end of life. Any individual when equipped with character education can excel in any part of the world. To put it in the words of Martin Luther King Jr. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically . . . . . intelligence plus character . . .. That is the goal of true education”.

T H E E N D

as possible. … child development develop developmental behavior disability disabilities behavioral childhood children recognizing problems early detection health issues kids growth normal signs baby babies delay delayed delays disorder disorders autism learning learn brain parents milestones measure potential CDC ACTEARLY intervention medical treatment program birth defects full screen screening ADHD school help assistance recognize monitor mothers fathers son daughter education …

A degree in educational administration and supervision is usually offered at the masters or doctoral level. It can be considered as one of the few degrees that provide the opportunity to have both academic and practical knowledge in relation to public relations and matters in relation to school administration. Apart from all this, as a qualified individual with an Educational Administration degree you can make a career as education leader in public and private institution or may even enjoy position like principal, mid-level administrator, assistant principal, instructional supervisor and superintendent. Today career in education administration may have its share of challenges, but it even offers tremendous rewards, job satisfaction along with best salary range that can be beyond any comparison to any other profession.

Choosing an education administration career does not mean having to live economically. The profession is one of the most demanding professions in the United States and may let you enjoy a decent salary. In fact, as per the recent analysis conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the median annual earnings for elementary and secondary school administrators were at a very comfortable $77,740. The statistics even reflected a salary range of $67,735 paid to assistant elementary principals while an average salary for high school principals may reach up to $92,965. Moreover, preschool and childcare center administrators may earn an average of $35,700 a year. Besides this, as per the recent study conducted by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, median annual salaries for selected administrators in higher education are as follows:

Chief academic officer- $140,595

Academic deans:

• Business- $135,080

• Graduate Programs- $120,120

• Art & Sciences- $121,942

• Education- $117,400

• Occupational studies/vocational education- $83,000

Nevertheless, it is important to note that the salaries of education administrators also depend upon the several other factors, including the location and enrollment level in the school or school district. Enjoying a profession of educational administration also let you enjoy the position accompanied by generous benefit packages. Most of the generous benefits include comprehensive health and pension plans along with four to six weeks of vacation and performance-based bonuses. Moreover, many universities and colleges also offer tuition waivers for employees and their families.

In next few years the employment opportunities for educational administrators are expected grow at an average rate. Tough the opportunities may vary by region of the country, but with the increase in job opportunities and ratio of educational administrators the salary range is definitely expected to boost in next few years in the United States.

All of us dream of getting into an education program or school that is our heart’s desire. Remember that the best things in life don’t come easy. However, it is not impossible either with the right kind of prepara-tion and foresight. Here are a few points that can help you in your preparations.

Start early
Most students begin belatedly with their preparations. Don’t be one of them. Aim for a head start on the competition. Importantly, you will be more confident and thorough.

Get good grades
All preparatory work can serve no purpose if academics don’t support them. Work towards good grades through dedication and commitment.

Participate in extracurricular activities
All work and no Play makes Jack a dull boy. Reputed schools expect students to participate actively in extracurricular activities such as sports and debating events. Don’t be a laggard in this area.

Balance studies and activities
Maintain a balance between studies and extracurricular activities. Don’t go overboard on either of them.

Decide your career path, program and school
Most students are unsure of their career path and lumber along uncertainly. This is a sure recipe for dis-aster. Be clear what you want to do, where you want to, what you want to study and what you want your future to be.

Research requirements and tests
The hallmark of an organized student is research. Do your homework well on program requirements, qualifying tests and expected scores.

Invest in training materials
If you want to get into top programs and schools, it makes sense to invest in good training and materials. Remember, a diamond is just a piece of stone until it is polished. It applies to high potential students too.

Prepare well – make every second count
Be organized, utilize time effectively and apply hard work and dedication to ensure your preparations are on the right track.

Network, network and network
Networking can’t be underrated. Make the right connections with senior students studying in the schools that you want to join in. Sync with the academic community consisting of professors. Work actively with your counselors. Seek out since advice through online and offline modes. Networking pays off in the long term through any recommendations you need for your target school.

Be strategic
Preparing for the program or school you wish to join in, is much like preparing for battle. Think out all as-pects and be strategic in your preparations.

Check out scholarship programs
Be economic and don’t’ waste money. Research for scholarship programs and the like. Prepare for getting accepted into a scholarship program.

Start application process early
Don’t wait till the last minute to begin the application process. Apply to multiple schools [4 to 6] to increase your chances of getting accepted.

These tips are only a few of the points that you need to be aware to ensure your preparations are effec-tive. By seeking out advice, you can add to the list as appropriate.

When it comes to getting a college education, financing is one of the most important considerations that you will need to make. Unfortunately for far too many it is one the last considerations that is made when it comes to the educations of our children. If you are a parent you owe it your child and yourself to plan ahead and plan carefully in order to cover the cost of your child’s education. There are fortunately, a few great ways in which you can do this.

The most common is to begin by opening up an educational savings account for your child (under the age of 18). When you open up an educational savings account for your child, you can contribute up to $2,000 per year per child. This is a combined total contribution however and includes the contributions of grandparents, friends, and family in addition to your own personal contributions. The money from these funds can be withdrawn tax-free as long as they are used for educational purposes.

Educational expenses in this case include books, tuition, fees, supplies, and college room and board provided that your child is at least a part-time student. If you do not use all the funds for your child there are options as far as what to do with the remaining funds in the account. The first option would be to leave the funds in the account and allow the account beneficiary to withdraw them up until the age of 30. There is a penalty involved and the beneficiary will be required to pay income tax on those funds. You could also elect to roll those funds over to the next child under the age of 18 who will have educational expenses in the future.

The money you set aside in these accounts to cover the cost of the education of your child or children is not tax-deductible however, it is a great way to begin saving money and investing in the future of your child. If you begin investing the maximum amount $2,000 per year upon birth your child should have a nice nest egg to help cover educational expenses. If your child is fortunate enough to qualify for scholarships and other sources of financial aid you can turn the funds over as a graduation gift or save it for the next college student in your family that comes along. Either way you’ve saved yourself a good part of the worry that goes along with providing for your family by having this fund set up for your children.

You can sign up for programs like Upromise in order to subsidize your contributions with donations from corporate sponsors as their way of thanking you for buying their products or using their services on any credit cards that you, your friends, and your family members have registered to go into your child’s account. Every edge you give yourself when it comes to investing in the education of your children is an edge worth having. College tuition rates are rising at an alarming rate while corporate expectations of college degrees are rising at the same near lightening speed. This means that a college degree is more critical for our children than in any past generations.

Take the time now to check into securing the future of your children by establishing an educational savings account. Let friends and family know that any gifts they are planning to give your children that involve money would be appreciated if they instead invested in the future of your children rather than the now. You can also ask your friends and family to sign up their credit cards with Upromise in order to provide a little bump in donations to your child’s college savings account. These little steps add up to significant savings over the course of 18 years. You just might find that the investment you are making is adequate to cover the costs of your child’s tuition in full.

Educational software is a concept that we are seeing more and more of in our society today. This concept is one that is mainly computer based and comes in a wide range. Educational software is something that allows students to grasp things that they previously couldnâ??t get their head around and one thing is for sure; itâ??s going to change the way that we learn. Google â??21st Century Classroom Presentationâ?.

Every student and child has their own pace of learning; some may pick things up faster than others but this doesnâ??t necessarily mean they are more intelligent; it could merely mean that they grasp that way of learning more than the other child. It is because of this that there needs to be more than one way of delivering subjects, which is where educational software comes into play.

Some examples of the categories that educational software comes under are as follows:

Classroom aids â?? one main example of this is when a lesson or certain aspects of the learning process are projected onto a large whiteboard, which is placed at the front of the class. Classroom aids can also be used on a network of computers that are placed in a classroom

Computer games with learning value- these were originally designed and developed for adult use as well as older children all of whom may have potential learning difficulties; however they have now also been developed for younger children too. It is believed that computer games with learning value are so successful due to the fact that they provide simulations of different kinds of human activity, which allows players to explore a variety of social, historical and economic processes. 

Courseware â?? this concept is used as additional educational material intended as kits for teachers or trainers or as tutorials for students, usually packaged for use with a computer. Can refer to when an entire course is used online or in a computer format.

As you can see from the above the main forms of educational software have been strongly influenced by the idea of computer games. This basically means that the educational software is designed to be fun as well as being educational. It is used to provide an alternative teaching method, which is extremely helpful if a child or student has difficulty understanding more traditional methods of teaching. Educational software provides a teaching method that some students may be able to understand better plus this way of teaching allows students and children to get more involved in the learning process, which will more then likely mean they will be able to remember what they have been taught better than if it had just been read out to them.

Some of the most popular forms of educational software are reading intervention and math intervention software programs as well as English Language Learning (ELL) and English Language Development (ELD). The list of educational software really does go on meaning you have a good range of choice when selecting the educational software that will most benefit students and children of all learning levels and stages.