Adult Education As a Key to Improving Your Situation
secondary education

Adult Education As a Key to Improving Your Situation

- by Mary Lebowitz

The world is still feeling the effects of the global financial crisis as tens of thousands of people in the developed economy have been left without a job. And while we wait for a recovery, a new study about adult education in Ireland suggests that flexible learning could be the key to improving your situation during the recession.

Over the past thirty years, education reform has transformed higher education in Ireland by making it more accessible for the general public. During this time, the needs of adult students have also dramatically changed. In order to remain relevant, institutes offering adult education in Ireland have been forced to adapt in order to become more flexible to cater for the needs of their students.

Educational institutions that offer flexible part-time courses provide adults who want to further their education with real opportunities for increased choice, convenience and personalisation when it comes to their studies. This allows the learner to choose when, where and how learning occurs. Flexible learning also recognises that different students have different learning preferences and requirements based on their unique circumstances.

Why do adults in Ireland choose Further Education?:

There are many reasons why more adults are choosing to further their education by signing up for flexible part time courses at various educational institutes throughout Ireland. Some have turned to adult learning as a way to upskill and stand out in a competitive job market after losing their job due to the current economic climate. Other students might still …

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Education is Strength, Education is Opportunity - He said
education reform

Education is Strength, Education is Opportunity – He said

- by Mary Lebowitz

One day I found an attractive man sitting and drinking coffee at Starbucks; we talked about the stupidity and challenges of various people on Wall Street and in our political leadership, and he couldn’t say enough spiteful things about Republicans in Washington DC, and people on Wall Street, claiming that they were the ones who robbed people of their opportunities people to work for living wage and be successful in life. Then he made blanket statement that:

“Education is Strength, It’s Opportunity.”

Well, I think I completely disagree. Not because knowledge is unnecessary or that education is “way” or perceived way to get that knowledge, nor is it the fact that solid education will definitely help on resumes for certain types of job positions, sure it’s quite true, at least in our period now, however, one can also say, well I would specifically say that:

“Higher Education and Student Loans, Towards Economic Slavery,” or that “Higher Education has Introduced So Much Political Accuracy into Our Society that Basically Pirates the American Way of Life,” and see the results today, right now. Is this good enough? Is this the best and “final” answer to advanced and modern civilizations? Student loans of $ 100,000 or more, and textbooks of more than $ 250 per year for information that you can get in free online lectures, or from WikiPedia?

Furthermore, I will tell you that because the ratio of job applications for open positions is very high, many employers need more substantial education, …

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Education in Our Networked Future
general education

Education in Our Networked Future

- by Mary Lebowitz

As we enter the Connected Age, our education systems are increasingly falling short. We have carefully crafted and refined the education system, schools, vocational colleges and secular universities, but they are edifices of different age.

There are three reasons why I say so.

First, we have moved from time of information scarcity to information abundance. Today’s challenge is not to access information, but to check its credential and to be able to use it in context. But our prescriptive education is mostly about ‘knowing’ things rather than ‘discovery’. The school system is designed to discourage inventiveness and questioning. The students are still required to write memorized answers rather than Googling the facts and building independent or collaborative coursework.

Moreover, the education system today is built as Value Chain systems. The focus is on the Process, and the whole ideis to add value to student who turns up at the beginning of the semester so that she can meet the end-Semester requirements. But such standardized processes are, by definition, inflexible to accommodate diverse learning preferences of individuals. The mass produced education also discriminates against niche subjects and special interests. This education system fails to meet its societal need – because making accountants out of artists does not sound like smart ideany more.

Finally, today’s learners come to college after seeing computer at home for their entire lifetime, having their mobile phones since their school days and most, if not all, have their best friends on Facebook or Orkut. They come from …

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How to Write a Tutorial That Makes Your Readers Smarter
general education

How to Write a Tutorial That Makes Your Readers Smarter

- by Mary Lebowitz

One of the most shared types of content online is the tutorial. Teaching your blog’s audience to complete a task not only establishes you as an expert, it also makes your readers smarter and more loyal.

How-to articles are only useful if they’re understandable, though, so let’s talk about how to write amazing tutorials.

Start With the Very Basics

Bloggers make the mistake of assuming their readers know where to start. The result is a tutorial that’s too complicated for beginners to understand, or that is unhelpful because it starts in the wrong place.

Pretend that your reader is an absolute beginner on your topic, and start with the very first step needed to achieve a goal. For example, if you’re writing a tutorial about using WordPress, start with logging into the WordPress admin dashboard and go from there

A good proofreading technique it is to pretend that you’re explaining the process to your mother.

Be as Thorough As Possible

Your tutorial will always make sense to you, but the key is for every step to be clear to your readers. Don’t skip around or breeze through parts that seem “easy.” Slow down and describe every key action in detail. Users who truly “get it” will just scroll past those. Beginners will be thankful for the extensive advice.

Use Screenshots Images to Guide the Reader

A lot of people are visual learners, so use screenshots to illustrate the process you’re trying to teach. These pictures don’t have to be  can …

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How To Find The Best Accredited Online Degree Programs
adult education

How To Find The Best Accredited Online Degree Programs

- by Mary Lebowitz

Today, there is no shortage of online schools. Most offer students a much greater level of flexibility and control than traditional educational establishments. If you are to invest funds and energy into studying for a degree, you should ensure that the school you are planning to enroll in has been accredited by a recognized agency. Accreditation is only provided to those schools and colleges that have met specific standards in terms of quality of education and access to facilities.

Finding an accredited online degree program is actually quite easy. If you were to search online for just ten minutes, you will be provided with countless options. It is not so far fetched to suggest that in the near future, there will be more online schools in operation than bricks and mortar establishments.

It can be useful to develop an understanding as to the different types of accreditation institutions. To keep up to date with the latest information on accrediting agencies in your state, visit the Department of Education website. As of 2011, there are no separate accrediting bodies that specialize in online programs, it is the same organizations who assess all schools and colleges.

As there are literally hundreds of net based colleges that have now received accreditation, determining which institution would provide the best education is not always straightforward. You can use your own criteria to help shortlist a few interesting options. We all have different ideas as to what factors are most important when choosing a degree program.…

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