Online school for 6th, 7th & 8th graders

This is about home schooling or online schooling for 6th, 7th and 8th graders, the pros and the cons. Worth reading.

The Q:

The state department of education has provided funding for an experimental online school. All of the classes will take place on the internet using email,online chat, and the world wide wed. The students taking classes at this new online school will never meet each other face-to-face . Do you think that 6th,7th,and 8th grade students should or shouldn't attend school online.

The As:

1) I did school online for my 8th grade year and even though you're at home and able to listen to music or whatever while doing school, I wouldn't recommend it. It was easy for me to get into a website and forget about it and hard for me to concentrate on a computer screen for so long. I didn't understand the material, especially math, that well and actually had to redo that year of math because I was so lost and confused. Overall I say, stick to the books.

2) Which curriculum will this school use - I assume K12 (virtual academies) or Calvert (Connections Academy)? I've used K12 as an independent HS'er for my son for over 4 years and it is an *awesome* curriculum - especially in the middle school years.Most virtual schools do have some "meet and greet" opportunities for students. They can also meet via virtual whiteboards. In addition, you can meet other HS students from local groups.This is a great option for many. So if it fits the family and student dynamic, it can be a *wonderful* experience.

So, you choose...

Responses about Online Schools (online schools)

Online Schools

While browsing the internet, i tried typing in this question at one of the Q&A websites :- DO ONLINE SCHOOLS REALLY WORK?

And here are a few of the best answers that I get:-

1) I am now attending an online school. I enjoy it so much. I have learned alot and am still learning. I have to say that that taking courses on line is a challenge because you have to figure things out on your own with basically no help. My classmates and I help each other a great deal. If time is a problem I would recommend on line classes.

2)I'd be really careful about online schools. If you want to get a degree online, you should definitely register with a college or university in your area. That way you know they are legitimate. Of course, taking that route, it's very unlikely that all the courses you need for a specific degree will be offered online, and since the courses you'll be taking would be online you'll probably be looking forward to a lot of report writing. In other words, it isn't neccessarily easier, especially when three classes want 5-10 page reports and they're all due at the same time! That said, I would consider where my priorities really lie. If you really want to go to school, if you're really looking for a better job, and a better future, either way you go, you may want to consider dropping that full time job, getting a part-time one, and doing without and sacrificing for those few years it will take to give you something greater in the end.

3)THE BEST ANSWER:-
I can most definitely answer this question. I've completed my Bachelor's Degree in Paralegal Studies via online school through Kaplan University. They are an online school as well as have a campus in Davenport, Iowa. You can also apply for FAFSA and PELL GRANTS through the Department of Education -- this online school takes federal funds so they are 100% legitimate. You don't have to put on your resume that you obtained your college degree via online schools. Online schools are the way to go and work full-time. However, I don't advise taking more than 2 classes a term. For undergrad, the cost of books is included in the tuition -- a cool feature. The terms are 10 weeks and you have almost a two week break in between terms. The class week starts on Wednesday and ends midnight Tuesday night (all assignments are due at midnight -- 5 points are deducted the first week the assignment is late and 10 pts for each additional week). If you know you're going to be late delivering an assignment, notify the instructor ahead of time and you might not lose any points. The online instructors are professionals who not only teach online, they also teach on land and some are practicing the profession. Yes there can be a lot of reading and writing --espeically within my degree, however, if you have good time management skills, you will do well. Some Kaplan courses are going to online text and you will receive numerous websites with so much information you don't have to read the text. You have message board questions that you have to answer and respond to at least 2 postings that have been left by your classmates. This number depends on the instructor, however, the more indepth your posts, the better points you will receive. Don't be afraid of the 5-10 page papers -- they are double spaced and the only papers that will be that long are mid-term and finals. Those exams will either be multiple choice and/or essay. The instructors have limits because they teach more than one class.

You will have a weekly seminar which you meet with the instructor and your classmates from your online school in real-time -- not a recorded video. Right after the seminar, you can download and save a copy of the transcript. The instructors do check their emails and will respond to any inquiries you may have.It is my belief that online school is great for anyone that works 40 hours a week. You can come home, relax, have dinner, do homework, be with your family and obtain a degree from your online school. Kaplan also offers credit for any work or certifications you've received. A computer class was in my curriculum, however, since I'm a CompTIA Certified PC Repair Tech, Kaplan gave me credit.

I hope that these answers from those who have first hand experience with online school could give us some picture about what to expect from online school. I will try to find more information about online schools, the pros and the cons etc. So stay tuned!!

Online schools

FIND THE RIGHT ONLINE SCHOOLS (online schools)

Online Schools

Nowadays people everywhere are talking about online schools but what is online school actually? Online school is an online continuing education and it is a fast-growing market that is becoming more and more acceptable in the work-place providing the online schools are legitimate.

But how do you know which is the right online school for you? Here are the steps that you would want to consider before deciding which online school is the best for you.

Step 1: Verification
Verify that the institution is "recognized" through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's Web site at http://www.ncahlc.org. ("The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) database lists approximately 7,000 degree-granting and non-degree-granting institutions and over 17,000 programs that are accredited by United States accrediting organizations that have been recognized either by CHEA or by the United States Department of Education (USDE) or both.") Accreditation is compulsory for recognition by your employer as well as recognition by other higher education institutions (i.e., in case you want to pursue an advanced degree).

Step 2: The Cost
Make sure the price is right. Find out before-hand i.e. before you pay an application fee exactly how much tuition is and make sure that you have a full knowledge of all costs including any access fees, texts, other required purchases,etc. You have to be sure that you can afford the tuition costs. Bear in mind that many companies have strong tuition reimbursement options. Although online school is generally more affordable than a comparable campus-based education, it is not cheap, so make sure you get your money's worth and know exactly what you are enrolling for.

Step 3: The Teachers

Check out the teachers. Ask about their experience - either real-world or academic - and make sure they are capable of teaching you on the area you are pursuing. It is important that they have the knowledge necessary to do the job. As a point of reference, most associate or junior college teachers have at least a Master's degree in the subject they teach, and the majority of full college professors have a PhD. in their area of expertise. Your online schools teachers should have about the same levels of education.

Step 4: Student - Teacher Ratio

Make sure you will get any needed attention. Try and research at least a guideline for student-teacher ratios. Unlike classroom learning, it is possible to have an almost unlimited number of students in an online class, but obviously if the class size is enormous, you will not get the same sort of quality time with the teachers as you would in a smaller class. Making sure your teachers are not overburdened can help you get the education you deserve.

Step 5: Online School's History

Evaluate the history of the online school. Online schools build their reputations for creating quality students - who do their works superbly at the companies that hire them - over time, so we can say that, the longer the online school has existed, the better.

Step 6: Fellow Students

Evaluate your online schools's fellow students. What is the total online school enrollment and what percentage of students graduate? They should be able to tell you how many students are currently enrolled. A large number of students shows both stability and future name recognition in the job market. Also, a higher graduation rate is a great indication that students are very satisfied with the programs at that particular online school. Be leery if they do not share these data points with you.

Step 7: Resources Required

Determine what resources they will require you to have. Most online schools require that students have access to a computer and may require certain levels of hardware in order to adequately handle and run updated multimedia and word processing types of programs. They may also need certain levels of Internet access. So make sure your equipment is up and running, or that you are budgeted for buying new equipment. In terms of software, many online programs provide all the materials you need directly from their site, but some may require you to buy supplemental software on your own.

Step 8: Resources Provided

Determine what resources the online school provides to you. Top online degree programs offer great access to "virtual libraries" and other resources to help you through your education.

Step 9: Timeframe

Make sure the length of time needed to earn a degree suits you. The length of time required to earn your degree can vary widely in the online school world, so make sure you know exactly how long each program you are considering takes and determine which best fits in with your time frame. Some online schools will allow you to complete tasks at their own pace, while others require that students participate in virtual class sessions and have specific deadlines for assignments.

Step 10: Forms of Communication

Look into what forms of communication are available for you to get in touch with the online school/teachers. You want to know if all communications are done online or if you can also call if you need help or have questions. Some online schools even offer actual campus locations you can go to for certain classes, sessions or extra help. The more options available to you the better, but at least, the online school should have a valid phone number for you to reach them at.

After considering all the above, what you need to do is go to the links I provide and do your research. You can also join online school students group and have some discussions or just read their postings so that you can get a better idea of what online schooling is like. Good Luck to you and to me too!

Online School

Online Bachelor Degree Programs Go Mainstream

The Internet has seen an explosion in online bachelor degree programs in the last five to ten years and this trend should continue to expand rapidly in the future. In large part the increasing popularity of online bachelor degree programs is due to the now common acceptance of a bachelor degree from on online university as equivalent to what can be obtained at any bricks and mortar school.

When online classes first began springing up on the Internet in the 1980s, they were primarily focused on certificate programs or technical degrees. Some of the schools were started virtually overnight and did not have proper accreditation and the reputation of online schooling became tarnished as a result.

However, in the last decade there has been a significant turn-around. There are several reasons for this new attitude, due largely to the increasingly exceptional education that can be had through an online university.

Today's online bachelor degree programs rival traditional university classes. Colleges and universities that had already established reputations as traditional schools long before hitting the Internet now offer these online programs. Employers know that the curriculum is identical whether the course is online or in a classroom, so the education is top-notch in either case. In fact, there is often more one-on-one attention with an online bachelor degree program because each student can regularly communicate directly with the professor by email to get feedback and direction.Good online bachelor degree programs are now accredited by the same agencies that accredit more traditional colleges and universities.

Three accreditation organizations that are recognized by the Federal Government as high quality indicators are the U.S. Department of Education, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Any online universities accredited by one of these councils offers a program recognized as at least equal to a bachelor's degree program at a traditional post-secondary school. In fact, if you graduate from an online bachelor degree program today you will receive a diploma that is no different from the one that students attending the residential college will receive. You will have completed the same curriculum, including taking core requirement classes, and will graduate with the same knowledge.

When applying for jobs, employers will not know whether you attended traditional classes or online classes because it is no longer acknowledged on official transcripts or diplomas.Employers favor online bachelor degree programs for their employees. Employers have always known the value of allowing employees to pursue a college education. In the past, this was usually done through night and weekend classes and the employer sometimes reimbursed costs. Unfortunately many class schedules aren't flexible and employers began to realize the expense of university classes in both money and time.

An online bachelor degree program has become the ideal solution for employers who encourage an education for employees. They can set their own pace and work schooling around their work schedule. The cost of online classes is generally less than the classroom setting as well, making it attractive for company reimbursement programs. Finally, employers appreciate the additional opportunities that an online bachelor degree program can offer. Because individuals do all of the work online, location is not an issue. If a computer salesman with an associate's degree would like to focus on a Bachelor's Degree in Management Information Systems, for instance, he can look for an online university anywhere in the United States that offers this specialized degree. With everyone from accrediting agencies to employers giving them high marks, online bachelor degree programs have firmly arrived in the educational mainstream.

4 Important Steps in Choosing an Online Bachelor Degree

There are many types of online bachelor degree programs offered by online universities. The same programs offered by different universities may different in term the courses and total credits to complete the bachelor program. If you are deciding to pursue your degree online, it is best for you to take some research and consideration. Here are 4 important steps that you need to go through in selecting an online bachelor degree that best fit your needs.

Step 1: Choose the Type of Degree to Earn

Before you go and search for bachelor degree programs offered by various online schools, you must first understand yourself what type of degree that you intend to earn. What are the purposes of earning the degree? Are you going to use this degree for your career advancement, job promotion or just for your own knowledge improvement? Outlining your subjects of interest will help you narrow down your choices.

Step 2: Ensure The Online School Is Fully Accredited

Once you have chosen the type of degree to earn, the second step is to find an online bachelor degree of your choice. There should have many online schools offering the same program. While short listed out the schools that offer the degree of your choice, it is important to confirm that the schools are fully accredited by the accrediting agency approved by Department of Education. This is to ensure any future employers or schools will know that you have completed a quality education. Once you have the accreditation information confirmed for your listed schools, then you can request these schools to send you the detail information your selected degree.

Step 3: Consider The Tuition Cost

Each degree program that you are interested in will have different requirements for credits, and each school has it fee structure that price the credit accordingly. While choosing the online bachelor degree program that contains the courses which match your requirements, you may want to check the fee charged for each credit to save costs on your tuition bill.Beside the tuition cost, if you are looking for financial aids to support your study, then you need to check with the schools on their financial aids packages which you are qualified for.

Step 4: Learn About the Admission Requirement

The final step of finding the appropriate online bachelor degree program is to understand the admission requirements. You may need to submit the SAT or ACT score and prepare an essay for admission application. Most online schools have online chat available where you can directly chat with the admission officer if you have any question. You can also send your inquiry via email or directly contact the admission officer through the phone. Once you have all the information in hand, then you can prepare the application of the program offered by your selected school.

Summary

You need to take some research and consideration of the online bachelor degree program you are interested in. The 4 important steps will guide you to look into every aspects of consideration during the process of selecting your degree of choice.

What Is School Accreditation?

In general terms, accreditation is the means by which a school is officially recognized as a provider of a satisfactory education that public institutions (i.e. employers) can trust. It is a voluntary process that requires the school to meet minimum requirements that are established by various regional accrediting agencies.

The lack of one official accrediting agency creates an opportunity for sub par online schools that are trying to obtain students through any means possible. In other words, just about any organization can say that they are an accrediting agency, so potential online school enrollers should do their research before signing up for classes at a particular online school.

Sadly, a number of online schools create false accrediting agencies in order to make candidates think that they are trustworthy and established. To avoid this conflict, be sure to check whether or not an online school is accredited by one of the six major regional accrediting agencies. These include the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA), Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA), Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU).

If your online school is accredited by one of the above agencies, your degree will be seen as legitimate by most employers. However, if your online school is not accredited by one of the above agencies but by a false accrediting agency, your degree may not be acceptable to most employers.

Web-Based Tools for Finding Online Schools

The first step to take while researching your educational options is to browse an online degree resource like the website World Wide Learn where you can find programs right from associate degrees to PhDs.

You will find that, because of the growing demand for online education, many of the non-traditional universities and colleges, such as the University of Phoenix, among many others, are offering quality programs that are on par with the regular campus based ones.

Another resource, such as the website Get Educated, gives you rankings for online colleges, thus enabling you to see who offers the top MBA program or a Nursing program from among hundreds of options.

Also depending on your learning skills and requirements, choose an online college than gives you the flexibility to complete your education without altering your routine. This way, you can earn your degree without having to leave your job and even enjoy the benefit of equipping yourself with a degree that will help you further your career.

Wherever you may reside in the world, an online college degree resource will help you find that right course you are looking for in a college of your choice. Simply explore the online resource sites, and you will be able to target the ideal school that suits your needs.

How to Choose your Online School for your Career

A good education background is essential to ensure you get a smooth start on your career and online education can provides you with a fast track to achieve your career goal, but choosing a right online career school requires you to do litter homework. Your decision of selecting a right career school is important because getting a right degree from a right career school determines a smooth start on your career path.

Here are some tips on choosing a right online career school that best fit you.What You Want To Be? Before you start searching for any of online career schools, you need to decide what you want to do upon graduation. What's career field you want to involve? Do you want to involve in teaching, business, health care? Or any specific career field that you are dreaming for?You need to know what you want to be, only that you know what type of degree you are looking for. Search for Your Degree Program.

Next, you have to spend some time to search for online degree programs offered by various career schools. You can utilize the power of internet to search for all related online degree programs offered by online career schools. There are too many online career schools available. It would be very time consuming to search one by one. The best way to get the information fast and effective is by getting free service help from various online school directories. What you need to do is fill up one simple form that includes the type of degree programs you are looking for.Those online school directories are partnered with various online schools; with the information you provided, they will do a matching based on your requirement and within a short period of time, your requested information will be arrived at your mailbox. It's easy and save you a lot of time and you can use your time to review those online degree program offered by your selected online career schools to ensure the courses offer in the programs are meeting your career goal.

Refining Your Search. As you begin to refine your career school search, you should be prepared to ask a lot of questions. A-must-ask questions include: whether the school is accredited, and which accreditation agency that perform the accreditation process? how the online classes being conducted? do you need any specific software to attend the online classes? who are the qualify instructors and what kind of a degree, certificate, license or job-placement assistance you will receive upon graduation? You will also want to know the total cost involve in order to completing the degree and the type of financial aids offer by the school to their students.Once you prepared all your questions, get your questions answered by calling the admission offices of your selected career schools. Some career schools have their admission officer standby online to answer your enquiries. You must clear all your doubts and get your questions answered before you come to your final decision to choose the right online career school that best fit you.

In Summary Although it takes time to do all online school search and contact the admission offers to get all your question answered, but it should be worth the efforts as you can be sure that the career school you choose will be exactly the right one for you.

Advantages of Online School. Author: Barney Garcia

A child lives inside all of us, isn't it? We often secretly wish to go back to those fun filled childhood days. And as you think of childhood, the first thing that crosses your mind is those colorful school days! Can you remember the thrill of going to school on the first day of a new academic year and the excitement over the worldly possessions like new books, new shoes, new lunch boxes, pencil case and so on! And above all the curiosity about the new things that are going to unfold before us in the new class! Most of us secretly wish to regain the excitement of joining a school and learning new things, isn't it? Well, there is no need to think that you can no longer join a school and add a new chapter to your learning experiences. The online schools are there for the adult people just like you who want to continue with studies but can not give up the current profession to pursue a course by attending classes regularly. Then even if you managed to wrestle out a study leave from your employer, have you thought of the cost of the course? The cheap online courses may be the ideal solution for your thirst for knowledge.
Are you a staying at home parent longing for accumulating more knowledge? Just think about it, if you can study at your home you do not have to bother about hiring a baby sitter and you will be able to keep a vigil on your baby while you study. You can further save on the conveyance expenses as well. In most of the cases you will also not require to buy expensive text books; you get most of your study materials online.
One of the greatest advantages of the online education is that they allow you to pursue the course at your own pace. You do not have to rush to the university to attend a lecture. Instead you can receive the course-materials, complete assignments, and clear the exams as and when you feel you are completely prepared. It does not matter what your other occupations are, you are allowed to create and maintain a study routine that is suitable for you.
Online degrees have come to be recognized as valid and valuable alternative in most of the organizations.
Thus you find online courses come with a number of advantages and these are the reasons behind their growing popularity in the recent years.

Online Schooling : Can It Work For You?

Isn't it amazing how education has changed over the years? Who would have thought that online schooling would become an option? And a perfect option it is for many people.
Just imagine that you are an older person for example who needs to work to support your family but would really love to gain that degree that you have always wanted to ensure a promotion or perhaps a new job. Well now you can do that by using online schooling. I suppose in a way it is like night time study except you can do it in your own time without actually having to attend classes and lectures.
Many people for many varied reasons have not been able to fulfill their dreams by going to university or school to obtain the education that they long for. Now with this type of option the sky is the limit.
You can obtain degrees, bachelors, and masters and so on this way. In fact you can study for just about everything and anything this way. There are many universities worldwide that offer this educational option. Perhaps you are looking for that added certificate to ensure you of the job you want or perhaps you want a change in occupation all together.
You will find options for qualifications in Arts, Sciences, Medicine, Education, Trades, and much more. Just imagine studying like this and being able to free yourself from traveling time and expenses. That in itself is a bonus.
What you do need to do first is to make sure that the educational facility offering you this type of schooling is accredited to do so. There are many scams out there that offer these degrees so do your homework first. You don't want to hand over your money to obtain what you think is an accredited certificate for a degree to only find out that it is worth nothing.
Once you do sign up with an accredited university and start your course you will soon see how convenient and efficient it is to gain a high standard of education online. Just remember that there will be people who disagree with this type of education but as long as you are going through an accredited university or school then your certificate will be held in the same respect as any other.

The Secrets To Finding The Right Online School

Do you want to complete and online degree? Obtaining a degree online can seem like a dream come true. You can improve your education (and chances for a better job), while learning from the comfort of your home.

But how do you know what program or university is right for you? Picking the best Internet university may seem like a daunting task, but in truth it can be broken down into a few easy steps. Let's get started...

Like the standard college or university, an online degree has a high level of standard. So the first step is to ensure that you meet the academic requirements. To do this, you must see if you can match or exceed the minimum GPA, courses taken and a high enough score from the appropriate standardized test.

The next step is to look for a school that is accredited from a recognized educational body. Most of the time, it will be obvious if an online university has an accreditation. This is because the online degree course will be part of a well-known institutional body. To help you out the Department of Education has six different accrediting bodies that you can use to research your potential school.

Thirdly, you should check out the degree program that you will be focusing on. You need to find out if this particular program is right for you. So talk to your prospective professors, check out their educational background, and ask to talk to current students. Also find out what some of the alumni are doing, and if their lives were enriched by receiving their online degree. By doing this, you are getting an idea of how the online college operates.

The final factor is if you can afford to take an online course. Some of the costs include tuition, books, special online fees and admin costs. Sometimes, you can end up spending more then you would at your standard university. So it is important to analyze your finances and see if you can afford to pay these fees.

By paying attention to these factors, you will find it easy to avoid the prevalence of so-called diploma mills. You will receive a degree that both you and your employer will be proud of.

How to Choose an Online School

When you go to the Internet to do a Google search you will come up with several thousand answers to your online education Universities request. One reason for doing a wide search like this is to find more than one accredited college that offers complete Internet programs.

Most of the colleges and schools today are offering more and more programs with complete Internet tuition to make it easier for students. There are also schools that offer certificates that are not accredited.

While the information is valid and helpful to you getting your career started, accredited schools and colleges are not going to recognize these courses. This may matter later down the road when you are seeking a degree program for your career.

When you are choosing online education universities you will want to make sure it is accredited just in case you wish to return to school later on for a different degree or a higher level of degree. This is where your first option is going to come in.

Your second option is going to be whether the Internet College has the degree program you are interested in. Right now most Internet tuition centers are on technology, business, healthcare, education, and sometimes law.

Once you have found the Internet tuition programs you are looking for at the colleges, you will want to apply to at least three of them. Most often you will be accepted to all of them if you have the proper requirements for those colleges, such as GPA, SAT scores and the like.

At this point you will be able to choose the online education university that you want. This could be based on your financial resources, if they have a campus near you, and whether you like the technology they use for your online degree program.

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