As students around the world return to school, ccLearn blogs about the evolving education landscape, ongoing projects to improve educational resources, education technology, and the future of education. Browse the “Back to School” tag for more posts in this series.
Today’s predictions about the future of learning might eventually seem as preposterous as early 20th century predictions of flying cars and robot butlers. But what we sometimes forget is that our vision for the future today will ultimately shape the outcomes of tomorrow–not in a causal, deterministic way, but in an enabling way. By sharing our hopes and dreams for an open future for learning, we foster an environment in which it can happen.
At ccLearn, we strongly believe that the future for education and learning is one that includes technical, legal, and social openness.
The spaces in which teaching and learning occur are increasingly moving towards technical openness by running open source software, integrating machine readable metadata, and adopting open formats. Schools, colleges, and universities involved in open courseware, wikis, and other organizations engaged in online knowledge delivery are beginning to embrace RDFa and metadata standards like ccREL, open video codecs, open document formats, and open software solutions. More open technology continues to be developed, and there is no indication that this will stop or slow down.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
online high school education
High school is the name used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Northern America, and Oceania to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education. The actual term "high school" originated in Scotland with the world's oldest being the Royal High School (Edinburgh) in 1505, and spread to the New World owing to the high prestige enjoyed by the Scottish educational system. (In the eighteenth century, Scotland had the world's most literate population.) A number of countries engaged Scottish educators to develop their state education systems.[citation needed]
The Royal High School was used as a model for the first public high school in the United States, the English High School founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1821. The precise stage of schooling provided by a high school differs from country to country, and may vary within the same jurisdiction. In all of New Zealand and Malaysia along with parts of Australia and Canada, high school is synonymous with secondary school, and encompasses the entire secondary stage of education.
The Royal High School was used as a model for the first public high school in the United States, the English High School founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1821. The precise stage of schooling provided by a high school differs from country to country, and may vary within the same jurisdiction. In all of New Zealand and Malaysia along with parts of Australia and Canada, high school is synonymous with secondary school, and encompasses the entire secondary stage of education.
benefits of online education
Distance learning, also known as e-learning, is any type of education that is completed outside of the traditional classroom setting. It could be a correspondence course to learn a new skill, or a course of study that is completed totally via the Internet. Today, online education makes it possible to earn an Associate, Bachelor, Master, or even a Doctorate degree. In addition, business training and development programs, career training diplomas, foreign language courses, and even K-12 home schooling programs are all available via the Internet and distance learning.
Interactive technology has moved the classroom to the student in the distance learning situation. Top tier universities and colleges now offer the same degree programs that they offer on campus through online distance learning programs, with the same curriculum, taught by top faculty members. This has been a boon for continuing education for busy professionals. Now career oriented individuals may continue to meet their work and personal responsibilities, while continuing to earn a degree which will help them to take their career to the next level. One of the benefits to distance learning are that they are self-paced - so students can work in their own time, anywhere and anytime they have access to a computer with an Internet connection. Due to the number of well-known and well established universities now offering online degrees, employers have a high rate of acceptance of these distance learning degrees. A recent survey shows that 85 percent of employers surveyed responded that they would employ someone with an online degree. With this high level of acceptance, online distance learning degrees are becoming more popular than ever.
Interactive technology has moved the classroom to the student in the distance learning situation. Top tier universities and colleges now offer the same degree programs that they offer on campus through online distance learning programs, with the same curriculum, taught by top faculty members. This has been a boon for continuing education for busy professionals. Now career oriented individuals may continue to meet their work and personal responsibilities, while continuing to earn a degree which will help them to take their career to the next level. One of the benefits to distance learning are that they are self-paced - so students can work in their own time, anywhere and anytime they have access to a computer with an Internet connection. Due to the number of well-known and well established universities now offering online degrees, employers have a high rate of acceptance of these distance learning degrees. A recent survey shows that 85 percent of employers surveyed responded that they would employ someone with an online degree. With this high level of acceptance, online distance learning degrees are becoming more popular than ever.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Colleges, elementary and middle school yearbooks
Elementary and middle schools may have a designated staff member who is in charge of putting together that school's yearbook, with or without the help of the students. These books are usually considerably smaller than a high school or college yearbook.
High school yearbooks generally cover a wide variety of topics from academics, student life, sports and other major school events. Generally, each student is pictured with their class and each school organization is usually pictured. A high school yearbook staff consists of students with one or more advisors; who also hold another position for the school. The yearbook staff can be chosen in a variety of ways, including volunteer-only (its own extracurricular organization), as an academic class, or it could be assigned to the entire senior class.
Colleges that publish yearbooks follow a similar format to high schools[citation needed]. Some include detailed recaps of football and basketball games. College yearbooks are considered by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) to be a form of journalism. ACP holds the annual Pacemaker competition for college yearbooks as well as other collegiate media outlets. Classmates.com is planning to digitize the yearbooks.
High school yearbooks generally cover a wide variety of topics from academics, student life, sports and other major school events. Generally, each student is pictured with their class and each school organization is usually pictured. A high school yearbook staff consists of students with one or more advisors; who also hold another position for the school. The yearbook staff can be chosen in a variety of ways, including volunteer-only (its own extracurricular organization), as an academic class, or it could be assigned to the entire senior class.
Colleges that publish yearbooks follow a similar format to high schools[citation needed]. Some include detailed recaps of football and basketball games. College yearbooks are considered by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) to be a form of journalism. ACP holds the annual Pacemaker competition for college yearbooks as well as other collegiate media outlets. Classmates.com is planning to digitize the yearbooks.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Online degrees
The term online degrees refers to college degrees (sometimes including high school diplomas and non-degree certificate programs) that can be earned primarily or entirely through the use of an Internet-connected computer, rather than attending college in a traditional campus setting. Improvements in technology and the increasing use of the Internet worldwide have led to a proliferation of online colleges that award associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Accreditation
The goal of educational accreditation, according to the U.S. Department of Education, is to ensure that programs provided by institutions of higher education meet acceptable levels of quality. [citation needed] In the area of online education, it is important to avoid diploma mills that offer fake degrees at a cost. Students seeking valid online degrees should obtain proof of accreditation from a regional or national/specialized accrediting body in the United States. Online colleges that are fully accredited have earned a widely recognized form of university accreditation from one of six regional accreditation boards.[6]
Each of the six geographic regions of the United States has a non-governmental, regional agency that oversees and accredits degree-granting institutions headquartered in their areas. There are six regional accreditation boards:
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Western Association of Schools & Colleges
The Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognize the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) as the accrediting organization for distance learning institutions and education programs that offer online degrees
Quality of Learning Online
people, soldiers and those living abroad, and stay at home parents to mention a few. There is fundamentally little difference between physically sitting in an auditorium listening to lectures versus watching a webcast video of the professor.
The recognition of the quality of online degrees compared to on-campus degrees varies. While most major online colleges are regionally accredited, the public perception of their quality is in dispute. Some experts argue that degrees in certain fields are more accepted online than in others, while some programs are less suited for online-only schools.
A survey by the Distance Education and Training Council found that 100 percent of employers who responded felt that distance education program graduates performed better on the job as a result of their degree (as compared to their previous performance). Additionally, employers felt that an employee receiving a distance education degree compared favorably, in terms of knowledge learned, to someone with a resident degree. On the other hand, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in January 2007 on a Vault Inc. survey that found 55 percent of employers preferred traditional degrees over online ones. 41%, however, said they would give "equal consideration to both types of degrees."
The Sloan Consortium, an organization funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to maintain and improve the quality of distance education, publishes regular reports on the state of distance education in the U.S. In its 2006 report "Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006," it stated that "in 2003, 57 percent of academic leaders rated the learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face. That number is now 62 percent, a small but noteworthy increase."
In some instances, an online degree may be no different than a degree earned in a campus-based program. The instruction is often exactly the same, and the online degree contains no special designation. An example of this is the degree offered to Columbia University students who earn a degree through the Columbia Video Network (CVN) versus the campus-based program.
Prevalence of online education
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted a distance education study based on the 2001-2002 academic year at 2-year and 4-year Title IV (Federal Student Aid)-eligible, degree-granting institutions. The study reported that 56 percent of all institutions surveyed offered distance education courses. The study also found that public institutions were more likely to offer distance education than were private institutions.
The Sloan Consortium, based on data collected from over 2,200 colleges and universities, reports that nearly 3.2 million students took at least one online course during 2005 (a significant increase over the 2.3 million reported in 2004). According to the same report, about two-thirds of the largest institutions have fully online programs.
Sites like and provide guidance for prospective students interested in pursuing an online degree. These websites have reviews and ratings on various programs allowing students to make educated decisions. However, users should note that these sites are a means for advertising by the online schools like University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, and many others
Financial aid
Until recently, students enrolled in online degree programs were not eligible for federal student aid unless at least half of their program was campus based (a law established in 1992 and known as the 50-percent rule). In February 2006, that law was repealed and now federal student aid in the form of federal loans, grants, and work-study is available in the U.S. for students enrolled in an eligible online degree program at an accredited Title IV-eligible institution
Online Associate Degrees
Accreditation
The goal of educational accreditation, according to the U.S. Department of Education, is to ensure that programs provided by institutions of higher education meet acceptable levels of quality. [citation needed] In the area of online education, it is important to avoid diploma mills that offer fake degrees at a cost. Students seeking valid online degrees should obtain proof of accreditation from a regional or national/specialized accrediting body in the United States. Online colleges that are fully accredited have earned a widely recognized form of university accreditation from one of six regional accreditation boards.[6]
Each of the six geographic regions of the United States has a non-governmental, regional agency that oversees and accredits degree-granting institutions headquartered in their areas. There are six regional accreditation boards:
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Western Association of Schools & Colleges
The Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognize the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) as the accrediting organization for distance learning institutions and education programs that offer online degrees
Quality of Learning Online
people, soldiers and those living abroad, and stay at home parents to mention a few. There is fundamentally little difference between physically sitting in an auditorium listening to lectures versus watching a webcast video of the professor.
The recognition of the quality of online degrees compared to on-campus degrees varies. While most major online colleges are regionally accredited, the public perception of their quality is in dispute. Some experts argue that degrees in certain fields are more accepted online than in others, while some programs are less suited for online-only schools.
A survey by the Distance Education and Training Council found that 100 percent of employers who responded felt that distance education program graduates performed better on the job as a result of their degree (as compared to their previous performance). Additionally, employers felt that an employee receiving a distance education degree compared favorably, in terms of knowledge learned, to someone with a resident degree. On the other hand, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in January 2007 on a Vault Inc. survey that found 55 percent of employers preferred traditional degrees over online ones. 41%, however, said they would give "equal consideration to both types of degrees."
The Sloan Consortium, an organization funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to maintain and improve the quality of distance education, publishes regular reports on the state of distance education in the U.S. In its 2006 report "Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006," it stated that "in 2003, 57 percent of academic leaders rated the learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face. That number is now 62 percent, a small but noteworthy increase."
In some instances, an online degree may be no different than a degree earned in a campus-based program. The instruction is often exactly the same, and the online degree contains no special designation. An example of this is the degree offered to Columbia University students who earn a degree through the Columbia Video Network (CVN) versus the campus-based program.
Prevalence of online education
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted a distance education study based on the 2001-2002 academic year at 2-year and 4-year Title IV (Federal Student Aid)-eligible, degree-granting institutions. The study reported that 56 percent of all institutions surveyed offered distance education courses. The study also found that public institutions were more likely to offer distance education than were private institutions.
The Sloan Consortium, based on data collected from over 2,200 colleges and universities, reports that nearly 3.2 million students took at least one online course during 2005 (a significant increase over the 2.3 million reported in 2004). According to the same report, about two-thirds of the largest institutions have fully online programs.
Sites like and provide guidance for prospective students interested in pursuing an online degree. These websites have reviews and ratings on various programs allowing students to make educated decisions. However, users should note that these sites are a means for advertising by the online schools like University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, and many others
Financial aid
Until recently, students enrolled in online degree programs were not eligible for federal student aid unless at least half of their program was campus based (a law established in 1992 and known as the 50-percent rule). In February 2006, that law was repealed and now federal student aid in the form of federal loans, grants, and work-study is available in the U.S. for students enrolled in an eligible online degree program at an accredited Title IV-eligible institution
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