Overcoming Disadvantages of Distance/Virtual Learning

Distance learning allows students to learn from the privacy and convenience of their own homes. Many people who are balancing jobs and family with school enjoy the freedom of being able to schedule their classes around their lives. Most online programs allow people to work at their own pace, which means that students may take longer to complete assignments if they need extra time or can speed through material that is easy for them.

Navigating the distance learning world can be tricky. While distance learning provides more people an opportunity to attain higher education, it is not all advantages and benefits. Distance learning has costs, requires compromises and self-motivation is essential for success. However, when you acknowledge and understand these disadvantages, they are easily overcome.
Numerous studies have found distance learning courses as effective as traditional classroom training - or better. Almost a third of academic leaders recently surveyed felt online education outcomes were superior to those in traditional learning environments. However, there are challenges to be overcome for anyone who opts to learn through distance learning. As you continue your journey through the maze of virtual learning, save yourself some hassle by getting familiar of some of its disadvantages:
Self-motivation is required. Because distance learning is flexible, you need good organization, planning and work to make it happen. Students need more discipline to succeed in online courses. Though the instructor is not seated in front of you, you still need to complete your assignments on time. Like all other forms of learning, there are deadlines to be met, "fixed-time" exams to be taken and assignments to be completed before the "Drop Box" closes. There are no compromises and you can easily get a zero! Distance learning is best suited for mature motivated learners who cannot afford the time to participate in a traditional classroom. Problems arise when students have the leisure of completing classes at their own pace. Many students never finish their degree because they lack the self-discipline and motivation to sit down and get their work done on a daily basis. If you’re prone to putting off work, set some definite goals for yourself and stick to them. Many students have found it beneficial to create a deadline for receiving their degree and set smaller monthly, weekly, and daily goals that will allow them to reach that deadline.
No direct access to your instructor. Some students fear the loss of the personal touch with an instructor, such as asking questions after class. However, distance learning often gives you an opportunity to email your instructor any time or chat online. It is normal to fear the loss of human contact offered in a traditional classroom until you commit yourself to this mode of learning and communication.
Learning is isolated. Although you are in a virtual classroom full of students, the dynamics of interaction change with online education. You may feel detached or lonely when you pursue a distance learning program but there are opportunities to send emails, post to message boards and engage in online group discussions. At first you might miss face-to-face contact with your instructor and other learners, but web collaboration can fill this void for many students. One of the most rewarding experiences in education is learning through collaboration. Forming meaningful relationships with your peers and professors can allow you to learn more, stay motivated, and have an outlet to express your own understanding of subject matter. Don’t let yourself miss out on the benefits of these relationships just because your classrooms are online. Stay connected through message boards, chat rooms, email, and other virtual resources.
Need for constant, reliable access to technology. Students need total access to the equipment necessary to fulfill course requirements. For example, online courses require a computer with Internet access. For a course with material on CD or DVD, you need to have a multimedia player. Technical requirement may be difficult to meet for some students who may feel overwhelmed and challenged if they are not completely computer literate. Technical glitches and dealing with an unfamiliar learning environment can cause stress and frustration, but there are many ways to overcome these barriers.
No immediate feedback. In a traditional classroom setting, a student's performance can be immediately assessed through questions and informal testing. With distance learning, a student has to wait for feedback until the instructor has reviewed their work and responded to it. There’s a lot of online material available to help out students; make sure you know where you can get the help you need. Be aware of general resources such as virtual dictionaries, research help, and online books, as well as resources that relate to your specialized subject matter. Finding these sites from the start will save you money on books and help you find success in your studies.
Limited courses online. Students pursuing a specific certificate or degree program may not have all the necessary courses available through distance learning so it is not suited for all subjects. For example, you can study a history lesson completely online but you cannot perform nursing clinicals online. For some courses, physical classroom attendance will be mandatory to complete the course. You don’t have to start from scratch when you begin learning online. If you have credit from previous schools, make sure to have transcripts sent to your online university and have the counselors check for course equivalency. Even if equivalencies are not granted automatically, you may be able to petition to receive credit. (Just make sure you do a good job of stating your case). A few schools will allow you to receive credit for life experience, based on testing or portfolio reviews. Check with your school’s counselors to see how you can get credit for what you already know.
Specific employer acknowledgment. Although most employers do acknowledge distance learning, certain employers do not. Students who want to work for a specific employer upon graduation should be sure of that employer's perspective about online education. More and more people are recognizing the validity of online education. However, be aware that it is not completely accepted by all people. Some potential employers may see warning signs if you announce that you earned your degree through the internet. A lot of people are still ignorant of the advances online education has made in recent years and fail to recognize the difference between legitimate degrees and “diploma mill” certificates. Even if you attended a reputable school, avoid calling attention to the fact that your studies were done online. It may not make a difference, but it may end up saving you a lot of hassle.
Hidden costs. If you work for the military and you are on the ship, learning material may need to be mailed in advance thus incurring extra shipping and handling costs. The sad truth is that school is pricy. You’re probably not going to get your education for free, but make sure that the future rewards will outweigh the cost of the debt you accumulate now. You don’t want to find yourself making a $30,000 teacher’s salary while paying back a $100,000 student loan. (unfortunately, this case is not all that uncommon). However, an MBA from a reputable school may be worth a significant student loan in the long run. Whatever you choose, make sure you only take loans for what is absolutely necessary and try to save in other ways. Books and supplies can often be found at significantly lower prices (or even for free) if you know where to look and most computer and software companies offer huge discounts for currently enrolled students.
Accreditation required. You take a serious risk when you pursue distance learning programs that are not accredited because they may be issuing fraudulent, invalid degrees. Not all distance learning is legitimate - there are many "degree mills" colleges that are not accredited. This is probably the most important factor to check before you enroll in a distance learning institution. Selecting the right school is the most significant challenge distance learners face. “Diploma mill” schools charge unsuspecting students thousands of dollars for worthless degrees, whereas credentialed, trustworthy schools are able to give their students diplomas to be proud of. Before you enroll in an online school, make sure it has the appropriate regional accreditation and do some research to find out what type of programs, resources and support will be provided.
Less opportunity to work on oral communication skills. Students in distance learning courses do not get the practice of verbal interaction with professors and other students. However, online communication through email, VOIP, telephone, instant messaging maybe introduced or developed as a more efficient technological means of getting one’s message across physical barriers.

DANCING AND BONDING WITH YOUR CHILD

Music is a universal language. It imbeds our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. Very hardly would any one abhor it. Even if we don't mind about all the different forms and genre of music, there is music we all find to be powerful, comforting, poignant, joyful, etc. As a father, you have to make the most of every opportunity to bond with your child as you possibly can. The first, most essential physical aspect of bonding is touch. You need to pick your daughter up and carry her around. Let her fall asleep on your chest and dance.

However, if all you are doing is holding her, you are not making the most of this valued time with your baby. It may be difficult to believe, but the infant you are holding now will disappear in a wink. This is a great time to dance with someone who won't criticize your lack of rhythm. You have rhythm? Well, then, you're not using your talents to impact your baby in a positive way.

Play on some music and dance. If you're really good, sing to her while you dance. Don't rush it. Invest the time to make this dance the best dance you'll ever have - each and every time you do it. Music is a natural channel for emotion. We all bond on some level when we listen to music together. Dancing employs many of the critical bonding mechanisms you need to grow your bond with your child.

Dancing engages touch, sound (music), rhythm and emotion. And if you sing or talk to your baby while you dance, she is connecting to your voice. It really doesn't matter whether you can do cha-cha, swing or foxtrot. All that is important is that you expend the time to make a connection with your child.

A lot of people advocate talking, reading and massaging your baby while she is still in her mother's womb. As long as Mom is up to it, take her dancing while she's pregnant. Start early. Remember, a good, strong bond with Mom will do nothing but help your bond with your baby. Once your baby is born, keep this connection going. Lose yourself in a soulful dance with your precious baby.

In these frenzied times, we hardly take enough time to loosen up and experience the joys life has to offer. I believe all of us would like to give our children a less intense world. That won't happen unless we take the time to show them how to be happy in simple, basic ways. High-end electronic gadgets won't and can’t do this for us. We, as fathers, must step up on the floor and dance.

I suggest that you, as a father, dance with your daughter for the rest of your life and with your son as long as he will allow it. Bond with your children with the aid of music and dance. The music of Luther Vandross entitled “Dance with My Father” speaks so. The beautiful lyrics are here below:

DANCE WITH MY FATHER

Back when I was a child
Before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high
And dance with my mother and me and then

Spin me around till I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved

If I could get another chance
Another walk, another dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end
How I’d love, love, love to dance with my father again

When I and my mother would disagree
To get my way I would run from her to him
He’d make me laugh just to comfort me, yeah, yeah
Then finally make me do just what my mama said

Later that night when I was asleep
He left a dollar under my sheet
Never dreamed that he would be gone from me

If I could steal one final glance
One final step, one final dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end
‘Cause I’d love, love, love to dance with my father again

Sometimes I’d listen outside her door
And I’d hear her, mama cryin’ for him
I pray for her even more than me
I pray for her even more than me

I know I’m prayin’ for much too much
But could You send back the only man she loved
I know You don’t do it usually
But Lord, she’s dyin’ to dance with my father again
Every night I fall asleep
And this is all I ever dream

Five Simple and Economical Ways of Transforming Bathrooms into Luxuriant Havens

Do you feel hassled and frazzled? Well, the most proximate relaxation sanctuary is right in your very own bathroom. Believe me, it’s quite simple and economical to transform your grimy old potty span into a luxuriant personal space - free from occasional disrupting interludes. So, even how immense or undersized, your bathroom can be a break-out from all the hampering drama in your life. But before you slump into your soak – here are few suggestions to put in some serenity to your bathtub and its surrounds.

1. Flora - Since bathrooms harbor a humid environment, plants and flowers must be wisely selected. Try plants that are verdant and require very little maintenance. Vines are preferred too, but if you fancy for something more exotic, orchids (which need more light) are a wonderful fit.
2. Aromatherapy – The float of engaging scents are always convivial. Smells and aromas are actually capable of inducing nostalgic memoirs – both pleasant and grim. So let’s stick with the fine recollections and kindle some fresh, clean, floral or warm-scented incense or candles to get our brain waves into the dream-weaving mode.
3. Extras - Take time to consider what else you might want to add to your aquatic paradise to make it as promising and feasible: a lush bathrobe, fragrant soap, loofah, terry slippers, eye gels, a bath, pillow, you favorite bath salts, gels, soaks, after bath body oil or lotion. Also bring out the kid inside, and add a hint of child play to your peaceful playground with some colorful toys.
4. Water – A soothing soak is a pleasure. It is a docile way to kick off the day or a lavish send-off before going to bed. And while steamy bath feels soothing, be sure the water is not too hot, or you’ll find yourself feeling worn-out and washed-out afterwards. It’s best to start with a warm bath and gradually add hot water as your body fine-tunes to the heat. When your water starts to cool down, you’ll want your environment to be warm and cozy, so keep a comfy room temperature that suits your senses.
5. Pamper - Just breathe. Bath time is any time. It’s a time of solitude. The bathroom becomes your personal property for the next 30 minutes. So put down your to-do list. Turn off your phone, let yourself luxuriate in this watery retreat and watch your worries wash down the drain … including deadskin.

Mind-Over-Mood Techniques of Well-Being

Everybody gets angry, if not bored, occasionally. Feeling awful may be a normal phenomenon and anger may be alright, but what happens and what you do when you are angry and downcast make a big difference. Your anger might be so strong that the feeling gets out of control and causes you to act in ways that are unacceptable and hurtful. Or, the anger might be too subdued and incessant that you become overwhelmed with stress, fear, fatigue, anxiety and self-pity.

The goal is to calm yourself down and try to solve whatever problem is bothering you. You have to accept the fact that living in the world, you have to face many different things, some are good and some are bad. Even the good things may come in different forms to you. There is a good saying says that everything is a best arrangement. The secret is that the good will come sooner or later if you have seen them and if you have set your mind for them. The following simple mind-over-mood techniques could help you feel better and calmer:

Stay In the Present. Focus on things that are going on in your immediate environment. Often times worries and stress are a direct result of focusing on things that have happened in the past or being concerned with things in the future. Staying in the present can be accomplished by making a decision to focus on the simple pleasures in life, like a cup of hot chocolate, or a warm bath. You don't have to spend that much to achieve these.

Use Realistic Self-Talk. It is easy to tell ourselves that things will never get better, that there is no reason for hope, or that life is unfair. These things are simply not the case. Things may feel like they will never get better, but the fact is they usually do. It is a valuable mind over mood tool to be able to talk back to our negative inner voices and remind ourselves of reality.

Laugh. Laughter can be the result of a decision to engage in behavior that makes laughing likely. This can be implemented by watching comedies, listening to comedians on tape, or scheduling some time with a friend who makes you laugh. Using it in this way it becomes a mind over mood tool that can increase resiliency to stress and help counteract negative feelings.

Picture a Favorite Place. Using mental imagery to control our moods is nothing new. Many of us as kids, if we were unable to fall asleep at night, were told to picture something pleasant. Now, as adults, we can expand on this idea to create more control over our moods. Think of a place that makes you feel relaxed. Close your eyes and focus on this for a few minutes at a time, once or twice a day. After you have done this for several days you will find it easier to use in stressful situations, where the benefits of picturing a relaxing place can be most evident.

Practice Relaxation Techniques. There are many ways to relax. One way is to listen to music that is calming. Another is to flex each muscle, one at a time, and then relax it. A third way is to take deep breaths and allow your stomach to rise and fall, which is a way to calm your body, and can counteract our tendency to take short, shallow breaths. Whichever method used, relaxation techniques are a good way to start the day and end it, in addition to any time where you need to relax.

Pat My Back for a Breeding Hack

“Have you seen my childhood?” Michael Jackson sings these lyrics with sheer emotion, somehow grimacing with the pain of lost childhood. Not everyone can handle the distress when they connect the dots in their own lives. Some suffer in silence, others cry out in disillusionment because there is such a twinge of mislaid or bungled childhood. Though we’ve always been advised to shake our heads and get over it, we could not deny the obvious impression of childhood woes (or wows) in our lives especially during adolescence. And this girl is no different...

She would show up like a placid river with that gentle flow of painful releases. She was ignored and bruised to leaving her abode or shall I call it quarters? She said she threw her clothes in her 1 ½ bags and immediately set to come back to her former place, for a vacation maybe. Here, all her childhood prodding took shape. She had a family then and much more complete without her real mother ... and father. Her grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins were physically all around her. She had the material things she needed. Everyone, in his/her own little ways, influenced her life. She thought she was the favorite, well, by her grandma perhaps. She practically grew up with her and the old woman loved her…very much. But she was taunted and mocked unwittingly by everyone else – nobody realized this somehow. She would then search for the social nod that would push up her person over her peers. And then, this placid lake (did I say river?) swirled. The inner turbulence of confusing values ran out of control. Her grandma could no longer manage her. The old woman died and at 13 she had to go to and live with her real mother.

After more than a year or maybe two, she showed up with her 1 ½ bags of clothes. She sobbed and cried out her pain and frustrations. She doesn’t want to be like her brother, she will continue with her studies with us. I had the chance to feel her soothing gentle massages over my head for that migraine smack. Of all the children I’ve met, she was the only one who could last 30 minutes (or more) of hand pressing over my aching head. She hasn’t changed and when I asked her to stop and rest, she said “call me again uncle…”. But she couldn’t last the bore of staying home for good. She thinks her friends and boyfriends are better options for filling the void in her. She left the next day midmorning without a message and came back home at midnight. If that is the arrangement she wants for her life, we have to let go.

Now, she is struggling to find her own niche. Will she rumble back to where she left? Will she blame us all for what we made of her? Have we tried our best to help her in her dilemna? Maybe we confused her, we hacked her breeding. Maybe not, pat my back … ask her mother…

Look Younger through Stress Management & Exercise

The knowledge of looking younger initially entails facing and controlling stress in your life. Stress disrupts sleep which will have an adverse effect on your health, making you look more washed-out and worn-down. Too much stress can lead to high blood pressure which can swell your risk of life shortening conditions such as heart disease and strokes.

Try meditation which has been acknowledged through decades or centuries to reduce anxiety and stress. Activities such as tai chi and yoga can also have a encouraging effect along with exercise. There is nothing like a good workout to reduce stress and make you feel more affirmative and motivated. Often, increasing your self-confidence with exercise puts a feather in your rhythm and makes you look younger.

Cardiovascular exercise and resistance training will help speed your metabolism and improve your overall fitness. Not only will these make you lose weight and look younger, but will also reduce your risk of life threatening diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases.

Knowing how to look younger will require certain lifestyle changes. Without exception, the biggest cause of premature aging is smoking. So if you are a smoker your first important step is to stop. Managing stress and aiming towards a more natural healthy lifestyle will not only make you look younger but will also help you live longer and disease free. And, imagine the boost to your self confidence, when people remark that you look ten years younger than you really are!

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Studying for Work

Learning for its own sake sounded reasonably grand for many people. The learned and the thinkers wallow with this credence that knowledge, in whatever form, makes a man better and makes life greater. Yes, humanity and the whole world should rise to confirm this truth. We have gone too far and even faster nowadays. The lurching continuum between physical and cyber space makes the effect of learning unimaginably feasible everywhere... well, for its own sake.

That's the macro wisdom, and it has carried the human race to this level. But for aspiring individuals in developing countries where subsistence and competition dictate the course of education and training, the game is like chalk and cheese. The initial move and the underpinning motive for these people is gainful employment. Leaning for work's sake is much more suitable.

Survival in this highly competitive modern world is guaranteed by competencies that are required by and within the standards of industries and companies. People now get hired because they are competent for the specific available job. It is how successfully you do and produce things that count. Education and training now follow this lead and the convention of general education cannot catch up with the requirements for employment. Study for work through the acquisition of specific skills - that's competency-based training (CBT) . This CBT should now sell like hotcakes for the practical learners. When you are able to get through the competition for decent jobs, when you start reaping the rewards of your competencies, go for the genuine gold in life - knowledge for its own sake. Lifelong learning could be much more rewarding with such trend.

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