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In olden times schooling was more of a household affair. The parents or family members schooled children at home. The times have changed now, but certain customs are still being followed. Even though there have been changes in the learning and teaching methods, people still prefer to homeschool their children

There are many advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling. This could mainly be because of the learning ability of the child and the syllabus followed. Moreover the teaching method also plays a major role in homeschooling.

Since the advent of the Internet, it has given rise to numerous learning and teaching options. Besides this, there are now more resources available to aid both teachers and students alike. However, some still feel that the traditional homeschooling method is comparatively better than online homeschooling.

If you happen to be one of those who would opt for the unconventional way of learning and teaching, here are some pros and cons of online homeschooling.

Pros of Online Schooling

Save time on traveling – Irrespective of whether you live in the remotest of towns or on the highest building in the city, you can always be punctual about your lessons. It also saves time on dressing up and commuting to school. Your home and school are the same with online home schooling.

Attending to home needs: For people who have to juggle between managing the home and school, homeschooling is the best option. One can prioritize household chores and lessons according to ones convenience, without having to be time bound to any fixed schedules.

No disturbance or undue distraction: When you opt for homeschooling it is evident that there will not be any kind of disturbance from other students. You study in the peace and isolation of your room in your home. This results in better concentration, and better results.

Cons of online home schooling

Job Competence- Crosscheck the authenticity of the online school. Make sure the online school is competent enough so that you can be assured of a job after completion of the course.

Personal competence – Not everyone has the ability to grasp whatever is taught, for which a teacher is needed to explain complex concepts. Online homeschooling entails individual effort, and no teacher is present to give personal attention. While some students do very well without a teacher, others cannot.

Learning Environment -The environment has a major impact on the students concentration. If there are other kids at home it would be difficult to study. Moreover, if the students residence is in a noisy area the distraction could hamper studies.

Of course, it is all up to each individual. If you think online homeschooling is what suits you, go ahead and enroll into a program. However, it is important to carry out some background research of all the choices available, and choose the one that suits you the best.

If you are a parent looking to homeschool your child online, it is important to guide them adequately. You could consult other homeschoolers who have opted for online homeschooling. Some schools are not recognized and it will be a waste of time, money and energy in opting for the courses offered by them.

Online homeschooling can be both rewarding and challenging. Before you set up the homeschool, ensure that the curriculum is according to the ability of the student. Regular monitoring is important to keep track of the progress of the student.

Kris Koonar
http://www.articlesbase.com/homeschooling-articles/the-pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling-online-106385.html

It used to be that education by way of online learning or what is called distance learning or distance education was implemented as a supplement to the brick-and-mortar classroom (or conference room) teaching and learning methods and materials. But technology as it is progressive and multi-beneficial–online high school and online college courses have become sometimes viable sources of learning, without the student having to ever step foot in a classroom.

Contemporary learners taking online college courses can benefit in a number of ways that they otherwise could not, having no way to get to school, for example, or having no desire to attend an institution of higher learning. They might have children, a home, and one or more jobs that keep them from physically enrolling in or attending classes at a campus that might be too far away.

These individuals can make use of online college courses that feature lectures, video, audio, email, IMs, instant messages, bulletin boards and chat rooms, and online study and research sources that all comprise the online college courses rather than serve as supplements to them.

For the home-schooled, the advanced placement high school student, for instance, who is now into levels that reach online college courses levels, the benefits of choice, segregation, or integration are available to those who prefer a particular curriculum that is religiously oriented or carefully monitored.

And for anyone, online college courses are equal opportunity for anyone of any race, creed, color, religion, location, learning ability or disability, or mindset can find the materials, sources, and lessons he or she needs or wants, many times accredited and transferable.

In the same respect, before applying, signing up, and paying, the learner who seeks legitimate online college courses should do a little background checking to protect him or herself from the beguiling and conniving that does sometimes happen. Some offering online college courses and other online courses are not qualified to do so. Some are not accredited. That is, if you are looking to use the online learning experience as credited coursework (to transfer, to get a job, to get a degree), be sure that the online college is one which meets the standards set by the states, provinces, or countries accreditation body, agency, or board. In the U.S., for instance, the Department of Education (the DOE) oversees and regulates American universities, though each state is responsible for its own higher learning authorization standards.

This can be an arduous task by itself: unscrupulous and greedy money mongers can be “licensed” to run a business (in this case, the business of running a degree mill, a fake college)–because every state has different ways of regulating standards, and because con artists and scammers claiming to be legitimate e-universities will link their pages to the real sites of DOE or of the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), so when you are looking for an online degree you might be tricked.

You might read the website’s claim of being accredited or will infer from the official links or the way the text is worded, in lies, or implications, that the institution is accredited when it is not will pay unreasonably high fees, will sign the necessary and official-looking documents, but then will be required to do very little work and will graduate online with a bogus degree.

So if you are looking into online college courses, the best way to go is through a legitimate college. And even then, if you are unsure, look for the distance learning college accreditation info. Or ask directly about it. When the said distance learning institution names an accreditation agency whether it is DOE or CHEA in the U.S., The British Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in England, a named Private Colleges Accreditation Board in Canada, or any other Authoritative body’s contact that named agency and check to see that the college is in fact accredited, NOT just licensed to do business.

Albert Alexander
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-education-articles/online-degree-alternativeseducation-beyond-brick-and-mortar-257714.html

Do you wish to visit Italy? Do you live near or in Italy as a permanent resident? Are you a resident of place near to Italy? Do you dream of enhancing your cooking skills or learn how to cook?

Have you ever heard of Italian cooking classes? These Italian cooking classes would help you cook delicious and world famous Italian recipes with ease. If you are a tourist and is planning a trip to Italy then you should consider including Italian cooking classes in your trip. For more details go to: www.book-of-cookies.com this would not only be an enhancing activity that is wonderful but would be beneficial for you all your life. What could be better than learning Italian cooking classes in Italy? There are people in Italy who are proficient in preparing Italian food and can hence provide you with greatest techniques and tips.

If you live in or near Italy then you should not miss this wonderful opportunity. This could be your new hobby or interest that would benefit you all your life. If you dreamed to become gourmet Italian chef in any phase of your life then Italian cooking classes are the best solution for all your needs and requirements. You would get what you are searching for in Italian cooking classes!

If you are searching for information on Italian cooking classes then you can use internet for the same. Various websites or blogs are there on the internet to assist you in this task. You get various types of information that includes list reviews, student satisfaction and cost comparisons. Some also undertakes the responsibility to inform you of class curriculums. For can visit to: www.chow-chows-secrets.com you can also view the information about the professors and their accomplishments or experience. In any of the case, you would be endeavored with informative activities or about the open house learning.

It is worth exploring your desires, interests and dreams. You cannot ascertain the benefits of attending Italian cooking classes in Italy. Some join these cooking classes to impress their friends or family by their extraordinary dishes while others take it as a passion of their life. There are people who just want to join a new activity to spend some time with their loved one or a friend and some take is seriously as their career. Whatever are your needs or requirements from Italian cooking classes you would definitely be able to accomplish that.

There are people who do not believe in Online Classes and wish to attend a class physically. For such people it would be an opportunity to meet wonderful people who also share the common interest for Italian cooking. This could be one of the best ways to make friends of common interest. You can share your experiences and learn a lot from your colleagues or friends. If you are a novice just like them then you can easily struggle with recipes and adjust to the environment easily.

Preeti Dutta
http://www.articlesbase.com/crockpot-recipes-articles/join-these-cooking-classes-to-impress-their-friends-or-family-by-their-extraordinary-dishes-729058.html

A study by TNS Research in August of 2006 shows that 87% of online shoppers are concerned with credit card fraud and 85% of online shoppers are concerned about identity theft when providing their credit information online. As an online retailer, you must work to gain trust of your customers in order to enable success of your e-commerce business. It certainly won’t do if 65% of your site shoppers discontinue their orders before paying because of the check-out process!

How do you gain the trust of your online shoppers? Most online customers have learned to check for the “https” in the URL address as well as the little closed padlock graphic of the VeriSign Secured Seal. There are other security companies providing secure transactions online, but other studies have shown that 79% of United States online shoppers recognize the VeriSign Secured Seal, which is much higher than any other secure mark. In addition to the “https” and closed lock image, the newest web browsers are also able to support the green address bar whenever an authenticated certificate is detected- to give shoppers yet another method of verifying a secure website for online shopping.

If you have an online store or other retail site that accepts online orders and credit cards, you definitely want to provide a secure shopping environment for your shoppers. Using SSL technology protects your web site while helping customers trust you. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and what it does is encrypt the customer’s information and credit card data as it is sent over the Internet, while at the same time the SSL certificate contains unique information that is authenticated by an authority to verify the identity of the owner of the certificate.

When a website accepts payments without the SSL encryption, information submitted by the customer is sent in a way that people might be able to access it. It would be like sending cash through the mail inside a translucent envelope! You might have a few honest people who just send it on its way, but all it would take is one person to see the cash inside the clear envelope and take it out before it reaches it’s destination. The other part of SSL technology- the verification of the owner’s certificate is how online shoppers can be assured that the business they are shopping from is real, and therefore can be trusted. Without third-party verification, asking customers to shop your site is like asking for someone to send their banking details without knowing who they’re giving the information to- it isn’t going to happen because there is no reason to trust them!

Some online retailers have reported that their sales have risen about 10% after placing the VeriSign Secured Seal on the payment pages of their website in comparison to the sales achieved prior to the placement of the seal. This is proof that customers recognize and trust the seal as indication they are shopping on a secure, trustworthy site.

As stated previously, there are numerous providers of SSL technology, however, VeriSign is by far the most popular with over 93% of the Fortune 500 companies using VeriSign for SSL protection on their websites, and 40 of the world’s largest banks using VeriSign for internet security issues. Not only is VeriSign trusted by the largest corporations and banks, but it is recognized by online shoppers which is the first step to providing customers with a trusting shopping environment. Additionally, VeriSign will work with many Internet browsers- including some that are older- to the extent of 99.9% of web site visitors receiving either 128 bit or 256 bit encryption.

Debbie Dragon
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/securing-online-payments-88250.html

How will the master online special education degree equip those teachers who want to make a difference? The answer is straightforward – in the USA, currently there are over 6 million students who have enrolled in these special programs.

While schools – public and private, preschool to secondary – struggle to identify and deploy qualified teachers to address these 6 million students, nobody knows for sure how many million students more need to be identified for special classes, so that they can better cope with their learning disabilities, or physical and mental handicaps.

At the same time, successive Federal and State Administrations since 1975 have sharpened their focus on creating complex systems for identifying, formulating, and delivering a highly-individualized education program to each eligible student. The cornerstone of these legislations, programs, and licensures is the highly qualified teacher.

A Master’s degree in has thus become a must for aspiring teachers, and with many of them already employed as regular teachers, master online special education degree has become the most convenient route to this profession.

What It Involves

Master online special education degree involves distance or online learning that leads to graduate degrees like Master of Education (MEd), Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA), or any of the specialized master’s degrees in various sub-domains, such as dyslexia, attention-deficit, etc.

Master online special education degree courses will last upwards of one year, and might involve significant on-the-job training under an experienced special educator. Most states also require that aspiring teachers pass a licensure test, before starting their career.

Why Special Education?

On an average, teachers in this field don’t earn much more than regular teachers. On the other hand, the job responsibilities of these teachers are more demanding – they can even include defending oneself and the school’s program in court, if dissatisfied parents of challenged students opt for litigation, as has happened numerous times in various states!

Still, about 450,000 educators have opted for and currently work as special education teachers in the country. What must be the attraction?

Teachers in this field are very unlikely to encounter unemployment in the short-term or long-term. But that alone can’t be the lure to enter this profession, where sheer hard work, difficult coordination between many, and uncertain outcomes from the part of students, make life stressful.

The answer can, hence, be only that there are hundreds of thousands of teachers out there who want to make a genuine difference to the lives of these challenged students. And it is indeed a huge difference. According to estimates, four in five challenged students used to be excluded from the US education system, as near as three decades back. Official figures, tabulated around 1975, put this at 1 million students, who missed the bus.

Why Master Special Education Degree?

Teachers in this specialty are still in significant short supply. Because of this, some states have still not made it mandatory for them to have a master’s degree. In such states, bachelor’s degree holders appear for professional licensure exams and work as special education teachers.

However, more and more states are opting for a master’s degree as the minimum qualification, for a simple reason. A special ed. teacher should be capable of interacting effectively with professionals like psychologists, disability therapists, educational evaluators, educational lawyers, supervisors from the school district, regular teachers, and, of course parents of disabled students. It takes a master’s degree holder with significant on-the-job training to confidently undertake this.

Master’s degree holders in this field have also another booming avenue – they can work as instructors in colleges and universities that deliver specialized programs, and these institutions are rapidly increasing in number. They are also eligible to work as supervisors or administrators in the school districts.

A small but significant proportion of educators go for ‘ degree, so as to progress to doctoral degrees, which are also offered by more and more universities, these days.

Lastly, though special education teachers don’t earn much more than regular teachers on an average, the highest salaries drawn by special educators exceed the highest salaries drawn by regular teachers by $3,000 to $8,000. It goes without saying that almost all of those highest paid special educators are master’s degree holders.

Why Master Online Special Education Degree?

Those planning to take a master’s degree in this field are almost always regular teachers who have developed a fascination for this field. Others include psychologists, counselors, learning disability therapists, etc. Since both teachers and these professionals already hold full time jobs, it is a master online special education degree that is more suitable to them.

Secondly, only an exceptionally good regular teacher can hope to be an effective teacher of special students. Because of this, aspirants enter the regular teaching profession to garner some years of experience before attempting to study special ed. Master online special education degree perfectly fits this scheme.

Thirdly, a significant component of any education master’s degree is on-the-job training in a special school or a regular school’s special education department. Those working teachers who opt for a master online degree can thus modify their school work itself for the on-the-job training part.

Where to Study Master Online Special Education Degree?

Hundreds of universities and colleges across the country offer master online degrees in special ed. They include state or public universities, and private or independent universities. Some of the courses have small components that require occasional campus visits, while almost all require on-the-job training at a school.

Working teachers who opt for master online special education degree generally prefer studying in their own state, if not their city. Another reason for local preference is that some universities incorporate that state’s licensure requirements as part of the course. Due to strict licensure requirements, it is also important to go for an accredited course.

State or Public Universities Offering Master Online Special Education Degree

At least 12 state university systems offer master online degree in special ed. They include Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Aspirants in states like Alabama, Florida, and Kansas, are especially fortunate, with multiple public universities offering the course. Florida perhaps tops the nation with its three public universities offering this degree. Some of the prestigious state universities offering the course across the nation are:

ALABAMA: Auburn University, Auburn, University of South Alabama, Mobile
FLORIDA: Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of West Florida
INDIANA: Ball State University
KANSAS: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University
KENTUCKY: University of Louisville, Louisville
MICHIGAN: University of Michigan, Dearborn
MISSOURI: University of Missouri, Columbia
NEBRASKA: University of Nebraska, Lincoln
NEW JERSEY: New Jersey City University
NORTH CAROLINA: University of North Carolina
PENNSYLVANIA: Clarion University of Pennsylvania
TEXAS: Texas Tech University

Private or Independent Universities Offering Online Degrees

At least 10 well-known private or independent universities in 8 states offer master online special education degree. These states include Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Arizona and Iowa top the list with two private universities each, offering the course. Florida and Pennsylvania are perhaps the only two states that have both public and private universities offering the course. Some of the well-known private schools offering online degrees are:

ARIZONA: Grand Canyon University, University of Phoenix
CALIFORNIA: La Sierra University
FLORIDA: Nova Southeastern University
IOWA: Graceland University, Kaplan University
MINNESOTA: Bethel University
VIRGINIA: Regent University
WASHINGTON: City University

What to Expect From Master Online Special Education Degree, in the Future?

The high performance expected from special edd teachers will ensure that a master’s degree in this field becomes an absolute must in all states. As it is working teachers who are more likely to go for a master’s degree in this subject, and because the course itself is dominated by on-the-job training, college degree master online might even upstage regular courses in the subject, in the near future.

Recent stricter regulations from the part of administrations regarding expected student performance, and better awareness about learning disabilities from the part of parents, will make sure that more and more students will be presented for evaluation. This scenario will drive the demand for qualified and trained special educators, giving further momentum to master online special ed. degree courses.

The most likely change in course content will be super-specializations in special education, with probably different master’s degrees built around different learning disabilities or handicaps.

Jim Zorn
http://www.articlesbase.com/tutoring-articles/master-online-special-education-degree-for-teachers-who-want-to-make-a-difference-125561.html

I’m talking about several universities/colleges on the graduate/masters level (in NYC.) It will be my first time applying to any school online.

Each school has its own rules about it. You can compare their rules and students feedback here – colleges.mywebcommunity.org