Online Education Is A Great Advantage Of The 21st Century!
June 4, 2010 by Michelle Conner
Filed under Online Colleges
There are many people out there who got their educations the old fashioned way. They got up every morning, commuted to their brick-and-mortar college and eventually did walk out with some sort of degree. Now they are realizing that an Associate or Bachelor degree just isn’t enough, and the only practical option is to continue their education online. The thing is, when it comes to a computer – from the desktop to the iPad – their eyes start to glaze. They really don’t know the difference between Internet Explorer or Flash.
In fact, they wonder if their computer will have whatever it needs to let them get online and take their courses. What they don’t realize is learning online is as simple as learning to swim. You just dive in and you’ll get it. There is an abundance of information about online certification programs on the web.
For starters, online colleges have now been at it for several decades. Over this time they’ve learned how to make accessing their resources as easy as possible for their students, and are more than willing to help. One of the ways they do this is by simplifying their procedures and how class work is done. This includes one’s hardware and software.
Whatever computer you use should have a modem that has DSL or Wi-Fi. This is standard for any computer, even refurbished ones, out today. Their sites are also readily accessible to any online service you care to use, whether it’s America Online, ATT Universe or MSN. It also doesn’t matter if your system is PC or Mac.
The thing that might give the online rookie the most problems is actually getting onsite and navigating the school’s website. Most virtual schools primarily use one of three “virtual learning environments”, eCollege, Blackboard or Moodle. It may take a few minutes to learn how to use them, but the schools usually come with fairly comprehensive FAQ’s that should solve these issues. If not, the schools also have personnel on hand.
The other key thing is almost all lessons are written in either Microsoft Word or Adobe. All PC’s come with Word. As for Adobe, if you don’t have it, it’s free to download. Both of these software’s are also easy to learn, as both have also been around for decades. Although, believe it or not, there will be times when you do have to crack open a real book. Even the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, admits he still reads them! There is an abundance of information about online classes on the web.
The one thing that online classes do have way over brick-and-mortar schools is its utilization of streaming video and audio podcasts. This is where DSL, Wi-Fi or something similar, becomes important. You need that kind of speed if you want to read your lessons at a proper pace. Slower modems will feel like they take forever.
As it happens, online colleges realize that making their systems as user-friendly as possible, not only will they have more students, but the students will have a much greater educational experience. They’ve made it so one doesn’t have to be a computer scientist to complete online certification programs and for the student the payoff is tremendous.
