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If you are the average person living in the United States you are probably watching about 19-20 hours of television each week. If we just turned off our televisions we could be so much more productive. Many people would find other ways to waste that same amount of time if they weren’t watching television. So the real question is: Just how bad is it if you spend too much time in front of the television?

Probably the most important reason to stop watching television or at least to cut down the number of hours that you watch is related to your health. Both adults and children that watch several hours of television each day tend to be overweight and in poorer overall health than their counterparts who are not watching. This is because television viewing is a sedentary activity that requires no physical exercise. You are also more likely to eat more while you are in front of the television. Many people are surprised to learn that they have consumed so many extra calories while sitting in front of the tube. With the emphasis on eliminating obesity in both children and adults in the United States, cutting down on your viewing is probably a wise decision. Instead of watching for an extra hour go for a walk and spend some time talking to your friends and family.

Another reason to watch less is that your relationships suffer when you are focusing your attention on the television instead of the people around you. Decide when you will turn off the television and spend time together with your family members without any distractions. Some families chose to turn off the television for a half hour before they eat dinner and not turn it on again until a half hour after everyone has finished eating and everything has been cleaned up and put away. This gives you time to talk to each other and deepen your relationships with each other. Television shows are about other people’s lives, not yours. Learn more about what your family members have been doing all day and what they think and care about in the world.

Television viewing is seen by some to be a relaxing activity but studies show that watching certain programs can be very stressful. If you are getting your news strictly from viewing it on television the graphic nature of how it is presented can be harmful to your emotional well being. This is especially true of children. They can be negatively affected by seeing crimes and fighting on television. Try to get most of your news from reading about it in the newspaper, magazines, or on the internet instead of viewing it directly.

See if you can agree with your family to only watch one hour of television each day for a week.

• Record the shows you want to see so that you can eliminate the commercials. You may find that you will not have any interest in seeing shows you have recorded after a day or so has passed.
• Make it a rule not to eat snack foods while sitting in front of the television.
• Let each family member choose one show to record and have the entire family watch that show together. Use it as a time to discuss the issues that arise during the show.
• Spend time together as a family in front of the television without turning it on. You may have become so accustomed to turning the set on that it has become almost like a friend. Wean yourself away from that behavior.
• Play cards or board games in front of the television without turning it on. This will help you get to know each other and to listen to what the other person is saying.

After a week or two of limiting your television viewing habits you may find that you don’t miss it as much as you thought you would. But remember that watching television is a habit that you can easily fall back into. Remind your family regularly about what you have all agreed to do regarding the television and help each other to remember your rules.

By making rules about watching television and strictly adhering to them, you and your family should benefit by having more time together, eating less snack food, having more to talk about to each other, and feeling more relaxed in your daily life.

Connie Ragen Green is a motivational writer, speaker, and mentor who turned off her television more than a year ago. To find out more visit her at http://greenhouse.typepad.com/law_of_attraction

If you are the designer type and take pleasure in adding exclusive expressions in your house, you are perhaps elated regarding the prospect of including interesting elements in your child’s playroom or room. In effect, if you are not expert with designing distinctive styles, you can do minor adjustments for having that enduring effect within your kids room. When it comes to personalization and customization, the choices are endless. You can put wallpapers or paint for extra patterns and color. Among all, the most essential element is adding modern kids furniture in your child’s room.

There is a wide variety of options available in modern children furniture, such as beds and nursery, tables and desks, shelves and storage, activities and toys or my pet lamps for your children room. To select the right kind of kids furniture, there are certain points to consider, such as adaptability, fun and durability.

When picking modern kids furniture, durability is of utmost importance. Children play rough and it is feasible to purchase sturdy kids furniture for both boys as well as girls. You surely want something, which will stay for a longer period of time. Even if the kids do not share a room, the bunk bed is a good option, since it provides them more room to play with friends. Bunk bed can also be a great place for storing some belongings. These beds are generally built better because they are essentially meant to hold years of hiking in plus out of them.    

In addition, adaptability is a good consideration while buying children furniture. There are various convertible cribs, which are flexible enough to be converted into kids beds, twin beds and day beds, with support braces and mattresses. Fun is essential to children. There is numerous imaginative unique kids furniture accessible like the cars shaped beds, P’kolino clothing tree and EVA MINI foam chair.

When making a themed room, consider adding modern kids furniture [http://www.themodernkid.com] in fusion with other pieces for supporting the main kids furniture, such as kids table, kids chair or kids bed. It chiefly constitutes wall décor, wallpapers, my pet lamps or art, which will make the kids room appear cohesive. For instance, you can include an angora, piggy or a nautical lamp to a room with pirate theme. 

For small girls, the princess life can take a totally novel meaning with the modern kids room furniture. A P’kolino toddler bed and matching Bebe 2 Dresser with 5 drawers or Bebe 2 Cabinet with Shelves or canopied bed with vanity could work wonders and offer great fun play time to your small princess.

 

As your child grows, certainly so will the styles of modern kid’s furniture. Luckily, the modern children furniture comes in a huge variety of styles and designs for the adult kids too.

With considerate planning, the parents must always ensure safety guidelines for any equipment or modern kids furniture to which the kid will have access. When picking child furniture for your home, make sure you remember your kids interest as well as lifestyle. Select a bed and kids room furniture, which can grow with your child over time and can also be handled to their little sister or brother.

Ruth A Ford is an experienced interior designer. With her focus being on the use of modern kids furniture [http://www.themodernkid.com].

More and more young people are choosing non-traditional education to start and advance in their careers while completing and furthering their formal education. “Typical distance learners are those who don’t have access to programs, employees who work during scheduled class hours, homebound individuals, self-motivated individuals who want to take courses for self-knowledge or advancement, or those who are unable or unwilling to attend class” (Charp, 2000, p. 10). Three key elements surround the online learner: technology, curriculum, and instructor (Bedore, Bedore, & Bedore, 1997). These elements must be keenly integrated into one smoothly and operationally functional delivery tool.

While an online method of education can be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature, self-disciplined student, it is an inappropriate learning environment for more dependent learners. Online asynchronous education gives students control over their learning experience, and allows for flexibility of study schedules for non traditional students; however, this places a greater responsibility on the student. In order to successfully participate in an online program, student must be well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course. For these reasons, online education or e-learning is not appropriate for younger students (i.e. elementary or secondary school age), and other students who are dependent learners and have difficulty

assuming responsibilities required by the online paradigm.

Millions of students use e-learning solutions in over 140 countries: corporations such as Kodak and Toyota and education providers like ExecuTrain, New Horizons, the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS), Phoenix University amongst the hundreds of schools and colleges.

Studies have shown student retention to be up to 250% better with online learning than with classroom courses. Several recent ones have helped frame the debate. The Sloan Consortium published a widely distributed report titled “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ that examined the growing prevalence of online education across U.S. institutions.

In addition, a study conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm Eduventures found that, while about half of institutions and more than 60 percent of employers generally accept the high quality of online learning, students’ perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective online students said that they perceive the quality of online education to be “as good as or better than” face-to-face education. Ironically, 36 percent of prospective students surveyed cited concern about employers’ acceptance of online education as a reason for their reluctance to enroll in online courses.

But what actually drives quality? A March 2006 report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education identifies six quality indicators: mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student and academic services, planning for sustainability and growth, and evaluation and assessment.

The debate rages on while the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today’s international students are constantly analyzed to determine if this type of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results.

The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) is one institution which uses this type of delivery system. ENOCIS enhances their learning experience by offering many other “value added”, cost reducing benefits to students. Online pupils can apply for scholarships available to students of excellence and other financial aid programs like the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), with attractive interest rates. They also provide convenient payment facilities, on line banking, Western Union Quick Collect, bank cards and a student who is granted a loan can start repaying it after two months if they have a corporate guarantor.

Pros of Online Education:

The key advantages of the online education experience are briefly explained below:

1. Cheaper: Online courses may be more affordable than those offered at colleges or trade schools. You may also save on transportation costs like gas, bus passes, and parking permits because you don’t need to commute to school and there are no housing or meals plans to worry about since you do not need to live on or near a college campus. Housing expenses and other costs associated with living expenses are usually the most expensive aspects of a college education, so by taking an online course you could save quite a bit of money.

The best part of online education is the absence of travel and immigration problems. Some students may prefer not to pursue traditional on campus education, as it involves traveling to attend lectures. With online education, an applicant does not need to travel. Courses simply require accessing the internet in order to begin the learning process.

2. More Convenient: By taking courses online, you’re able to decide when you study and for how long. You are also able to schedule your studying around your work or social schedule.

Since you’re not bound to a classroom, you may do your work wherever you have access to a computer and the internet. You’ll be able to set your own pace and decide exactly how fast you want to go over the material.

Take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. You can learn when you need it (Just-In-Time) A course is as close as a computer with an Internet connection.

3. Flexibility: with no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan. The online students can carry out their private or official work, along with the online education. As it provides the convenience of time flexibility, a student can login and logout as per his desire whereas, the traditional education do not provide such flexibility in learning.

Flexibility of online education allows the student control over their studies. They can allot more time in the topics, which they feel comparatively hard and vice versa. The speed of learning depends solely upon the students.

4. Technology: With the help of the scientific technology, students can do their online education at any place. The only mandatory pre-requisite is the availability of computer along with an internet amenity. Side benefits include the learning new technologies and technical skills

5. Availability: distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.

6. Accessibility: with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access. Your learning options are not constrained by your geographic location. The new virtual classrooms have created a myriad of learning opportunities for global learning and education center. On line education is a new era experience adapting to the needs of the world citizen.

7. Self-Directed: you set your own pace and schedule, so you control the learning environment.

8. Time Spent in Classroom: now you can take a course on just about any subject without ever having to be in, or travel to, a classroom so you have very little wasted time. Note, however, that some distance-education programs still do have an in-class component and normally to receive a fully accredited US university degree an international student must spend one or two semesters on campus.

9. High Quality Dialog: Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner is able to carefully reflect on each comment from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise loose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

10. Student Centered: Within an online discussion, the individual student responds to the course material (lectures and course books, for example) and to comments from other students. Students usually respond to those topics within the broader conversation that most clearly speak to their individual concerns and situations resulting in several smaller conversations taking place simultaneously within the group. While students are expected to read all of their classmates’ contributions, they will become actively engaged only in those parts of the dialog most relevant to their needs. In this way, students take control of their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time take away a unique mix of information directly relevant to their needs.

11. Level Playing Field: In the online environment learners retain a considerable level of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual’s ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.

On line adult education can be more effective and better for certain types of learners (shy, introverted, reflective, language challenged, those that need more time). Distance education courses are often better for people who learn through visual cues and experiential exercises.

12. Synergy: The online format allows for a high level of dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process as each individual contributes to the course discussions and comments on the work of others. The synergy that exists in the student-centred virtual classroom is one of the unique and vital traits that the online learning format posses..

13. Access to Resources: It is easy to include distinguished guest experts or students from other institutions in an online class as well as allow students to access resources and information anywhere in the world. An instructor can compile a resource section online with links to scholarly articles, institutions, and other materials relevant to the course topic for students to access for research, extension, or in depth analysis of course content material in the global classroom.

14. Creative Teaching: The literature of adult education supports the use of interactive learning environments as contributing to self-direction and critical thinking. Some educators have made great strides in applying these concepts to their on ground teaching. However, many classes still exist which are based on boring lectures and rote memorization of material. The nature of the semi-autonomous and self-directed world of the virtual classroom makes innovative and creative approaches to instruction even more important. In the online environment, the facilitator and student collaborate to create a dynamic learning experience. The occasion of a shift in technology creates the hope that those who move into the new technology will also leave behind bad habits as they adopt this new paradigm of teaching. As educators redesign their course materials to fit the online format, they must reflect on their course objectives and teaching style and find that many of the qualities that make a successful online facilitator are also tremendously effective in the traditional classroom as well.

Cons of Online Education:

Briefly explained are some factors that could negatively affect your success with distance learning courses:

1. The Technology:

a. Equity and Accessibility to Technology: Before any online program can hope to succeed, it must have students who are able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether it be for economical or logistics reasons, will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course. This is a significant issue in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods and educating the underserved peoples of the world. Furthermore, speaking from an administrative point of view, if students cannot afford the technology the institution employs, they are lost as customers. As far as Internet accessibility is concerned, it is not universal, and in some areas of the United States and other countries, Internet access poses a significant cost to the user. Some users pay a fixed monthly rate for their Internet connection, while others are charged for the time they spend online. If the participants’ time online is limited by the amount of Internet access they can afford, then instruction and participation in the online program will not be equitable for all students in the course. This is a limitation of online programs that rely on Internet access. Equity of access to learners of all backgrounds and parts of society

b. Requires New Skills/Technologies: if you’re not computer-savvy or are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you. The online students are required to learn new skills, such as researching and reviewing the internet. For the online students, they need to learn the techniques of navigation on an online library for necessary information. Technical training and support of learners and instructors

c. Computer Literacy: Both students and facilitators must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment. For example, they must be able to use a variety of search engines and be comfortable navigating on the World Wide Web, as well as be familiar with Newsgroups, FTP procedures and email. If they do not possess these technology tools, they will not succeed in an online program; a student or faculty member who cannot function on the system will drag the entire program down.

d. Limitations of Technology: User friendly and reliable technology is critical to a successful online program. However, even the most sophisticated technology is not 100% reliable. Unfortunately, it is not a question of if the equipment used in an online program will fail, but when. When everything is running smoothly, technology is intended to be low profile and is used as a tool in the learning process. However, breakdowns can occur at any point along the system, for example, the server which hosts the program could crash and cut all participants off from the class; a participant may access the class through a networked computer which could go down; individual PCs can have numerous problems which could limit students’ access; finally, the Internet connection could fail, or the institution hosting the connection could become bogged down with users and either slow down, or fail all together. In situations like these, the technology is neither seamless nor reliable and it can detract from the learning experience.

2. The Institution: Many online education facilities are relatively new with many courses and hence, lack in modern instructors for instructing the new curriculum. Estimates show that there is still a need for an increase of more 50% of qualified instructors for online education.

b. The Administration and Faculty: Some environments are disruptive to the successful implementation of an online program. Administrators and/or faculty members who are uncomfortable with change and working with technology or feel that online programs cannot offer quality education often inhibit the process of implementation. These people represent a considerable weakness in an online program because they can hinder its success.

3. The Facilitator :Lack of Essential Online Qualities: Successful on-ground instruction does not always translate to successful online instruction. If facilitators are not properly trained in online delivery and methodologies, the success of the online program will be compromised. An instructor must be able to communicate well in writing and in the language in which the course is offered. An online program will be weakened if its facilitators are not adequately prepared to function in the virtual classroom.

4. Perceptions/Reputation: while slowly changing as more and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to distance education to the student’s interaction in the online education. Some of the students believe that, there are few opportunities with regards to face-to-face interactions and feedbacks.

5. No Instructor Face Time: If your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

6. Little Support: students are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments and exams, which is empowering for some, but daunting for others.

There is little support and limited guidelines provided in online education system. Online students are required to search as per their own imaginations for completing exams and assignments.

7. Lacking Social Interaction: while you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or off line get-togethers.

If you enjoy meeting new people and learn better while you’re interacting with other people, you may want to reconsider online education.

8. No Campus Atmosphere: part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit, but you have none of that with distance-education courses.

Since you’re not on campus or in classes, you may lack opportunities to meet other students. You will not have many opportunities to interact face-to-face with your professors, so they may not have a real sense of who you are as a person.

9. Making Time: if you are a procrastinator or one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes. On line learning requires new skills and responsibilities from learners

10. Academic honesty of online students: requires a new mindset to online assessment. Most education experts agree that rote memory testing is not the best measure of learning in any environment and new measurement and evaluation tools are evolving.

11. Types and effectiveness of assessments: The importance of outcomes in online learning cannot be over emphasized. Does the program have measurable results? Are students learning what you say they should be learning? Then there are institutional outputs: course completion rates, job placement rates (if that’s the goal of the institution), graduation rates, student success on third-party tests, and student satisfaction scores.

These factors, both the pros and cons, contribute greatly to making an informed decision about the direction of your career path and how you are going to accomplish your goals: on line, in the classroom or a combination of both.

Institutions and companies that use continuing education to meet their needs also face similar decisions. Institutions that deliver online education are confronted with a series of challenges, including the search for good faculty, use of technology, and provision of adequate student services.

The Sloan Consortium report “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ found that 64 percent of chief academic officers and faculty believe that it takes more discipline for a student to succeed in an online course than it does in a face-to-face course.

More and more major business and industry is turning to on line continuing education as a viable and cost effective resource for training its personnel. Hilton Hotel has 380 hotels worldwide and is represented in 66 countries.

When you weigh the benefits and advantages of on line adult continuing education the cost of study and flexibility of scheduling tip the scales of programs like the Enoch Olinga College, Capella and Phoenix University’s distance learning program on line adult continuing education is becoming a world wide respected form of education.

However, as with any situation, there are both pros and cons with the concept of online education and the benefits of the virtual or global classroom. You may want to evaluate both before you decide on an online education program. By examining the advantages and disadvantages, you will be able to make a more informed decision. But, at the end of the day, online learning is independent learning. A lot of structure has been put into online programs, but it still comes down to a learner sitting in front of a computer by him or herself. The knowledge you receive or the benefits it will generate either in development of self esteem or increasing earning capacity will depend sole upon you the student.

David W Morris is an international development specialist with The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) [http://www.enocis.org] and author of several publications on socio economic development. David is a regular contributor to online article sites on the topics of on line education, underserved peoples, scholarship and educational excellence, continuing education programs and on line TOEFL and language development. David W Morris is also a successful online adviser of ranking blog site http://www.enocis.blogspot.com

Winter’s grip has lightened. Spring school break has already passed. Every kid scratches and itches to finish this year’s schooling and be released into the summer! But, for parents 2007 summer camp realities are already here.

Choices Galore. Besides sifting through the menu of summer camp program possibilities … from outdoor summer camps with wilderness focus such as Outward Bound or National Outdoor Leadership … to team sports camps like summer tennis camps, lacrosse summer camps summer golf camps summer cheerleading camps and more … to arts and academic programs including summer acting camps, summer dance camps, summer art camp … to special need summer camp programs including ADHD summer camps and even weight loss summer camps combining healthy living and moderate exercise.

Paying The Tab – Cost Saving Tip #1. “Early bird gets the worm” may be the operative cliché to describe what parents need to do, which is pick your summer camp program as early in the year … or even register in the previous year if possible. What do you get? Not guaranteed, but most camps reward early registrants with significant contract discounts of up to 15% or more. Why the discount? It’s all about business, money, knowing their future summer camp program revenue stream, so that their summer camp counselor jobs levels can be determined and the right kids selected.

Picking your summer camp program early may also “save money” not because you’ll get a discount, but that you’ll save real money and a lot of headaches if you fail to get your child a camp spot, and then have to scramble … you could end up literally spinning your wheels and paying 50% more in some make-do situation.

Cost Saving Tip #2 – Think Locally For Great Programs And Lower Overall Costs. The greatest cost factor “variable” may be travel and transportation costs. Living in Maryland and then sending Johnny to Montana’s Glacier Park wilderness may sound cool … but you’re looking at serious money. Yes, you want the “experience of a life time” for Johnny … but money doesn’t grow on trees so if you decide on a distance camp … then you must hustle onto the Internet travel sites and buy your ticket as early as possible, before the “prime time” season rates lock in.

Simple solution? In virtually every State and region … across America and Canada … families can select from a wide range of cool, exciting, challenging summer camp programs, all within 1-day’s drive distance.

Ask For Scholarship Aid – Cost Saving Tip #3. If you have modest means … if you’re a single parent … if both parents work full time and can’t afford either time off or extra money, then you need to ask your target camp whether they’ll accept your child at a discounted price! The key here is to “offer” something in exchange for a lower price. All summer camps’ owner-managers try to lower costs while eking out an income over the short summer months period. Be direct. Ask whether your child can join the camp, but … also work for the camp. Cleaning up, preparing food, chopping or carrying wood, doing laundry, drying dishes, whatever. It’s all about creating a value-exchange that means something for your family and the residential summer camp.

Controlling “Sundries” Expenses – Cost Saving Tip #4. Day trips … canteen snacks costs … rentals … any of the normal “temptations” on hand could represent a significant “hidden cost” that parents need to investigate.

Refunds And Sick Child Early Departures – Cost Saving Tip #5. Reputable camps will have clear standards for assisting families who pay “early deposits” then have a change of mind. Make sure that any deposit moneys will be refunded in whole or in part before you make payments. Also, families may save significant money, in the event that your child become ill while at camp, by ensuring that the camp refund policy covers sickness early departure without penalties.

Creating Lifestyle Changes That Work. Explore the practical side of 2007 summer camps … costs … family strategies … plus the many exciting and challenging summer camp program choices opening up around the country and world.

Summer Camps for Teens: http://www.wise4living.com/kidcamp/ Or Sports Summer Camps: http://www.wise4living.com/kidsport/

Author Robin Derry is publisher for http://www.wise4living.com/ a specialty knowledge site that gives insights and solutions for families committed to summer camps, body health, home and gardening projects, unique gift designs, HDTV and home entertainment systems, technology gifts, household, sport, travel, footwear, education, and family legal needs.

Step One: Finding an Agent

When it comes to shopping for a Real Estate Professional, there are many places to start. As of December 2006, there were over 2 million Real Estate Agents across the United States. With approximately 75% of people turning to the Internet to start their Real Estate Search, you go to your favorite search engine and depending on your search results you have to sort through the clutter of hundreds or thousands of Real Estate Websites. All the Web sites start looking the same and you quickly become bored or even frustrated. So how do you sort through the confusion to choose an Agent that’s right for you and understands your specific Pet Friendly needs?

Getting to know the specialties of a Pet Friendly Real Estate Agent is an important, but sometimes a difficult thing to do. This all comes down to the Agent’s ability to set themselves apart in the competitive Real Estate market and be the expert in their area of specialization. There are few “Pet Friendly” Agents in today’s market that are marketing themselves in the most effective way. It is even more difficult to find a Pet Friendly Agent who specializes in your town or city.

If pets are an important factor in your Real Estate decisions you need to find a Resource that is dedicated just to Pets and Pet Friendly Real Estate. http://www.PetRealtyNetwork.com is a good example of a Pet Friendly Real Estate Website – dedicated to Pet Friendly Real Estate and Pet Friendly Real Estate Agents. You can meet other Pet Friendly Agents in your town, across town, or even across the Country and even obtain information about other Pet Resources such as relocating with your pet or submitting your pet’s photo.

Step Two: Selling a Pet Friendly Property

When preparing a Pet Friendly property for sale, you have a big task ahead of you. It is important to make any property for sale as attractive as possible, but a Pet Friendly property can have a few more challenges. Pet hair has a tendency to find the deepest nooks and crannies in a home and if a home has a distinct pet odors, potential buyers may skip on the property. Your Pet Friendly Agent may suggest a few simple everyday maintenance chores that that can add to the appeal of your property.

o Vacuuming and cleaning your carpets and even your furniture on a regular basis will remove pet hair and dander and is a quick and simple step to keep your home looking neat. To reduce the amount of hair to be vacuumed, make a habit of brushing your pet regularly, which will also keep your pet’s coat healthy.

o Keep up on your ‘Doggy Duty’, which means keeping your yard clean at all times! To a potential buyer a dirty yard could equate with a dirty home.

o Keeping litter boxes clean and covered. Cat urine is a very distinct and difficult smell to eliminate. Keep the litter box in a well ventilated area, clean the litter box often, and consider an odor-reducing kitty litter.

o Have a plan for open houses or scheduled showings of your home. Some people are terrified of animals or even allergic. It is best to remove the pet from your home during a showing or an open house. If that is not possible, or would be stressful for your pet, consider keeping your pet in a crate or ask a friend or relative to pet sit.

o De-clutter your home, including pet toys, pet beds and crates and pet photos. Remember that even if you are Pet Friendly, a potential buyer may not be.

Step Three: Buying a Pet Friendly Property

You can expect your Pet Friendly Agent to be the Pet Friendly Real Estate expert. That means being knowledgeable about everything about a Property from the fenced yard to the local pet parks and Veterinary clinics. After all, you are not just looking for a home is suitable for you but for your whole family – pets included. A Pet Friendly Agent will start by asking you some initial qualifying questions: Are you a dog owner, cat owner, horse or farm owner? The following are examples of a few other topics you can expect that your Pet Friendly Agent will discuss with you:

o Pet Restrictions. You will commonly find pet restrictions in condominiums or deed-restricted neighborhoods. It is critical that you and your Pet Friendly Agent know ahead of time what those restrictions are, if any. They may include the number of pets, size of pet, breed restrictions (even for mixed breeds!) or parking restrictions for horse trailers.

o Veterinary Clinics, Specialty and Emergency Hospitals. In the event of an emergency, it is critical to be close to a 24 hour Emergency Hospital. Luckily, an increasing number of Emergency Hospitals also double as Specialty Hospitals. With the advancement of Veterinary Medicine, you can now provide the very best care for your pet if he or she requires specialty or emergency care and the convenience of a local Hospital may mean life or death for your pet.

o Pet Amenities. The everyday conveniences of safe walking or horse trails, stables, doggy pick-up stations, grooming and boarding facilities, and fenced in exercise areas are great examples of what makes an ordinary property a Pet Friendly property.

o Evacuation. If the potential property you are interested in purchasing is in a natural disaster Evacuation zone, would you have an Evacuation plan for your pets? Evacuation involves a great deal of preparation, especially for horses, and there is usually little notice of an impending disaster. You must be willing to prepare a solid Evacuation plan in place to ensure the safety of your pets.

Step Four: Moving Day

You have found your perfect agent, sold or purchased your Pet Friendly Property, and now it is time to pack up and move. Whether you are moving across town, across country or from another country – you have a big task ahead of you. Preparation is key to a successful move, keeping your pet’s safety in mind:

o Identification. Rule #1 in moving with your pet is properly identifying your pet with an identification tag and sturdy collar. Make sure your pet’s tag includes your destination location and telephone number and a mobile number, so you can be reached easily. Your prior address or telephone number will be useless if you have already moved.

o Medications, Food, and Veterinary Records. Keep a current copy of your pet’s vaccinations in a convenient location and not packed away in the moving truck. If traveling is stressful for your pet, consult your veterinarian about ways that might lessen the stress of travel. Depending on your destination, your pet may also need additional vaccinations, medications, and health certificates. Keep at least one week’s worth of food and medication in case of emergency.

o Crates and Containment Systems. There are many different types of travel crates on the market, and many are lightweight and collapsible just for traveling purposes. Make sure your pet is familiar with the crate you will be using for transportation by gradually introducing him to the crate before your trip. Be sure the crate is sturdy enough for stress-chewers or he could make an escape.

o Traveling by car It is best to travel with your dog in a crate, but if your dog enjoys car travel, you may want to accustom him to a restraining harness. For your safety as well as theirs, it is ALWAYS best to transport cats in a well-ventilated carrier. Never keep your pet in the open bed of a truck, or the storage area of a moving van. In any season, a pet left alone in a parked vehicle is vulnerable to being injured, harmed or stolen. Plan ahead by searching for pet friendly hotels to find overnight lodging during your move, and have plenty of kitty litter and plastic bags on hand for Doggy Duty.

o Keeping your pet secure. Pets can feel vulnerable on moving day. Keep your pet in a safe, quiet place, such as the bathroom on moving day with a PETS INSIDE sign on the door to keep off-limits to friends and professional movers.

o Air Travel. If traveling by air, first check with the airline about any pet requirements or restrictions to be sure you have prepared your pet to be safe and secure during the trip. Give yourself plenty of time to work out any arrangements necessary including consulting with your veterinarian, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

o Preparing your new home. Keep in mind that your pets may be frightened and confused in new surroundings. To reduce the chance of escaping due to fear, or pure excitement to explore the new territory, prepare all the familiar and necessary things your pet will need from day one including food, water, medications, bed, litter box, food and water bowls.

Molly Pavolino and The Pet Realty Network™ Team have a combination of over 20 years of Real Estate experience in the United States, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and Europe and expertise in the Pet industry and can therefore offer a unique perspective about Pets, Real Estate, and everything in between.

When did man first talk out loud to a group? Adam and Eve may not count as more than one on one speaking unless you include the snake. The skill does date back to nearly the beginning of time though. Motivational public speaking was apparent as the early war leaders urged their troops to battle. While the barbarians didn’t spend a lot of time trying to improve their communication skills, they also didn’t suffer public speaking panic attacks, but that’s the only attack they didn’t suffer from.

The art of public speaking was certainly not lost on the Egyptians and Greeks. They loved to pontificate in front of thousands of listeners who had no choice but to laugh at all of their public speaking jokes. In America, Abraham Lincoln received his public speaking training while chopping down trees. Yet he never was worse the wear for it, and everyone loved his down home approach to effective public speaking. Although no tapes exist for us to critique his delivery. So I think we all agree that public speaking has been around for a long, long time. So when did we get so obsessed about it? That’s a much better question, and much harder to answer.

The first books on public speaking skills date back to the mid 1800′s. If self help books are any indication of popularity, then we could pick that date. However, there weren’t a lot of books back then, and they were very expensive, so that might not be the best answer. Prior to the mid 1800′s, other than politicians, who would be publicly speaking anyway? You didn’t need many presentation skills to work in a factory, or farm a field. So when did people really need and use communication skills, and have a real interest in public speaking? The answer is the period between the 1900′s and today. It was during this period that our nation began to promote the use of sales and presentations, and this was the key factor to improving communication skills. Nothing makes you more interested in improving your communication skills than cold, hard cash. With careers and jobs at stake for the first time, public speaking became an important skill after 1900.

If you read a lot of public speaking books, as I do, you will notice that there is a definite tie between the theme of these books and the rise of our nation. As we become more of a business power, we also become more of a public speaking power. Almost all of the public speaking self help books today originate in the U.S. Probably no nation in the world cares more about public speaking than our country.

So be proud that you are afraid of public speaking. The growth and power of the U.S. has caused your speaking anxiety, and we have only been working on how to cure this anxiety for about a century or so. If you lived in Spain, you would not have this problem. You could get better paella though.

For more articles on public speaking click here.

Frank Rolfe, author of One Day Master Speaker has spent over 25 years teaching public speaking classes at the college level.

He developed his method while teaching a five day immersion course on public speaking. Rolfe noticed that by focusing on the most important building blocks and eliminating minor items that few people use, he could get outstanding results from students extremely quickly.

Rolfe also developed unique “tricks” that students can use based on real-life shortcuts professionals use to improve the impact of their speaking. Some of these shortcuts are so simple and easy, but the impact is enormous.

Rolfe believes that anyone can speak confidently by following his system. And he should know. He has taught 1,000′s of executives and professionals these concepts.

Frank can be reached at: frank@fasterspeaker.com

When you have a pet it always seems that there are some type of pet supplies that you are in short supply of. For many pet owners the filling of these supplies are pleased by whatever store is nearby to them. This is a fine answer for comfort shopping but their assortment doesn’t always represent the best solution for your pet. Most stores either dedicate one aisle or four foot section where they stuff in generic toys, food and pet supplies for all pets. This really restricts what you can get for your pet which may not be the very best path to follow concerning the wellbeing of your animal.

For the several pet owners who understand the limitations they are finding from local stores the best option to access the very best pet supplies is with the net. The low cost generic supplies aren’t chosen in these stores for the high quality product pets require but for their low cost in order to produce impulse buying. If you’re actually seeking the best products available for your animals, the internet can provide you with a wide variety of both generic and excellent products that will permit you to make the choice on what is best for your pet instead of having to select from only what is available in a store.

If you are in search of dog supplies, the internet offers a huge variety of all types of goods. Regardless of whether you are seeking a shelter for them to live in, the right products to entertain your pal or the finest food to keep your dog fit, you can feel confident that you are accessing the widest variety of dog supplies for your best friend. This is true for any pet supplies you’ll discover that you need so as to keep your pet happy and healthy. Additionally, when you access the internet to gather your pet supplies you will have the chance to access the most knowledgeable sources of info available to the general public. This opportunity far surpasses the familiarity of the random teenage associate you will find working in those random stores of convenience.

Of course the net is a wide network of businesses and not all businesses represent your best option to discovering pet supplies. This is why its necessary that before you make any purchases on line that you discover the best options available to you. A quality pet supplies site will cater to all animals, providing you a large array of products, rates and quality that would provide you with the chance to choose the finest pet supplies for your animal.

Renel Jean is an owner of a wide variety of online specialty shops that offers various dog supplies. His goal is to make the shopping experience as customer focused as possible, and to offer the very best customer service. His site http://www.AprilsWindow.com offers the best Pet Collars and other pet supplies ever. Visit the site to know more.

In the past decade, the number of women-owned businesses has boomed, bringing the of businesses owned by women to an all-time high. Defined by the Small Business Administration as a business with an ownership of 51 percent or more by one or more female persons, women-owned businesses are on the rise, ranging from corporate firms to at-home, online retail stores. With the increase in women owned businesses, it is obvious that the necessity of business loans for women are also greater than ever before.

Most commonly, women seeking capital to finance their small business ventures tend to consider a loan. Loans are available for women in all types of businesses, ranging from bed and breakfasts and catering, to pet supplies and photography, to craft businesses and consulting. Loans for women entrepreneurs are intended for enterprises in which women are majority shareholders, and in which the business is also managed by one or more women.

As with any other business, loans are often required to purchase inventory, to expand or improve a line of equipment, or to build or remodel a building to house the business and its employees. Business loans for women can also be used to help with marketing the business and its products or services to the appropriate target market.

Before jumping into applying for a loan, however, determine the necessity of a business loan. Turn to your written business plan, and consider the following factors when weighing out the pros and cons of obtaining a business loan for women.

1. Is the business in need of inventory or equipment?

If the business requires additional inventory or needs new or updated for business expansion, a loan can offer the capital needed to purchase these items.

2. Is the business having difficulty with sales, production or in other areas due to much-needed company updates?

If business can potentially expand and bring in more profits with additional funding, the necessity of a business loan may be crucial for the business to move forward and at the same time, stay competitive with other businesses in the same field.

3. Are there new ideas, products, or areas of service to be expanded upon to increase production and profitability of the business?

The necessity of a business loan can be very high if there are areas in which to expand that require capital. If obtaining a business loan for women can potentially increase profits, and if the loan can be determined to be of low risk to the business and the loan payments fit into the current business budget, the necessity of a business loan for women is probably a positive step in the right direction.

Determining the necessity of a business loan for women can also bring other factors into consideration when actually deciding to move forward with a business loan application, including the following positive aspects of obtaining such a loan:

1. The risk in obtaining a loan for a business owned by a woman may be slightly less than that for a business owned by a man.

Not only do some banks and lenders recognize this, but women business owners also enter into loan payments due to confidence of making business improvements through a loan. Women tend to have a different business sense than men, and their non-traditional choices and style of operating a company tends to be successful. This is due to the fact that women simply tend to have a different view on possibilities and opportunities.

2. Many loans are created especially for businesses owned by women.

In some loans, both through the Small Business Administration and through some lenders, the application will focus on the woman’s character, credit, experience and reliability rather than assets. Because the necessity of a business loan for women can be crucial for a business’ survival, these such loans offer a wonderful opportunity for those women with good credit. Additionally, women with poor credit can also obtain these such loans, though collateral is usually required.

3. Special loans are available for more nontraditional businesses.

As an example, there are loans available for those with young children who wish to create a small, home-based business.

Before stepping into a loan, or even applying for a loan, look at everything involved to determine the necessity of a business loan.

- Carefully examine and list purchases to be made with the loan. Remove unnecessary purchases from the list, or make a separate list for future purchases in which can be used with money earned by the business, or can be put on a future loan once this first loan is paid in full.

- Consider the term of the loan, and make sure that it’s not too long or too short for your business’ specific needs. If you haven’t applied for the loan already, determine an acceptable term based on your budget and needs.

- Examine the monthly payments required, or determine a monthly payment to present to the lender that would easily fit into the business budget. Don’t try to squeeze in a higher payment in hopes of earning more money with the business due to obtaining the loan. Falling behind on just one payment can eventually lead to financial disaster for the business. Remember, it’s difficult to “catch up” on payments once they’ve fallen behind.

- Research the service of the lender. If you’ve worked with a specific bank or other financial institution for several years and have a good amount of trust in then, it is probably safe to apply for the loan there. Don’t apply for a loan with a bank or financial institution that you know nothing about. Do your homework first.

Rebecca Game is a 30 year entrepreneur who founded the online community for women in business at Digital-Women.com It provides resources and tools for women starting a business of their own. Please visit her site: Digital Women – Loans for Women

This article may be freely used when author/resource box is totally intact with live link.

A weblog, or “blog” started out as a personal journal on the Web. They have evolved far beyond that initial concept. Now, weblogs cover as many different topics as there are people writing them. Some blogs are highly influential and have readership which exceeds most traditional newspapers, while others are mainly intended as personal journals to be shared with only family and friends. So, should you consider blogging?

The power of weblogs is that they allow millions of people to easily publish their ideas, and millions more to comment on them. Increasingly people write, read and comment on blogs. Many people mistakenly believe that blogs are only personal diaries. More and more, blogs are being used by businesses to attract customers. Since blogs now come in all flavors, let’s look at the basics of blogging.

A blogger is someone who writes a blog. The “Blogosphere” is a word used to describe the online community of bloggers and their writings. A blog differs from a website only because it is a website that is updated frequently, most often displaying its material in journal-like entries. An entry, a post, or a posting, are the terms often used to refer to a specific article or commentary written by the blogger on his or her blog. Many weblogs allow readers to write a reaction to what was written in the blog entry. These comments can often be found directly following the blog entry.

For millions of people, blogging is a hobby. For some, like journalists, writers, business leaders and political leaders, writing blogs enhances their professional careers. A blog gives the voice a broader audience and allows more direct and interactive contact with the readers. Some bloggers have readership numbers approaching that of big media and are able to earn income from their blogs. But potential profit should not be the primary motivation for blogging.

Why should a blog be part of your business’ marketing strategy? The blogging movement is picking up speed, particularly for businesses. Blogging is one arena where the size of your company won’t matter. A blog is NOT the place to promote your product or company. It is a place to promote your ideas, provide tips, and express yourself in the hopes of building an audience. That audience may , in turn, become customers.

There are two key concepts to keep in mind when deciding whether you will launch a blog or not; providing quality content and blogging regularly. These are critical to creating an audience for your blog.

A successful blog is written with a distinct audience in mind. In this way, you can provide content that is unique to your audience’s issues, needs, or desires. If you create content they like and wish to return to read, you will produce quality content. Successful bloggers have a focused topic and a unique personality.

Both your topic and unique style will cause your audience to return to your blog. When they return, it is critical to stay true to your audience and tone of your blog. If people are reading your blog, it’s because they like your topic and tone. Try not to stray from your typical topics and style too much. This will give your readers a reason to link back to your blog on an ongoing basis. But your content and tone are just one element to consider. Also critical to your ongoing blogging success is how frequently you update your blog.

If you don’t update your blog often enough, blog readers will move on to other blogs. There are too many blogs out there competing for your reader’s attention. Blog readers will go where the content is.

Successful blogging takes a commitment of your time. When you begin blogging and wish to capture an audience, you should be prepared to blog every day. In this way, you can develop an audience who counts on you to help them begin or end their day. This means you should also try to post at the same time each day. Your readers will get accustomed to your schedule and check your blog at the appropriate time. The time of day is not as crucial as the consistency in your posting.

So, is a blog right for you? You tell me. Do you have a distinct topic in mind? Do you have a strong opinion or passion for the topic? Do you know what audience you are writing for? Do you have the time to commit to regular postings on your blog? If so, see you in the blogosphere!

Michele Schermerhorn calls herself a “Corporate Freedom Fighter” dedicated to freeing cubicle prisoners to experience their own successful online business. She has over 30 years experience in the business world and over 12 years running her own successful online businesses. She is President of Online Business Institute Inc. (http://www.obinstitute.com), authors a sassy marketing blog (http://www.imarketblog.com), and regularly conducts free online seminars. Online Business Institute Inc. exists to “Create Successful Online Business Owners One Person At A Time”.

More and more young people are choosing non-traditional education to start and advance in their careers while completing and furthering their formal education. “Typical distance learners are those who don’t have access to programs, employees who work during scheduled class hours, homebound individuals, self-motivated individuals who want to take courses for self-knowledge or advancement, or those who are unable or unwilling to attend class” (Charp, 2000, p. 10). Three key elements surround the online learner: technology, curriculum, and instructor (Bedore, Bedore, & Bedore, 1997). These elements must be keenly integrated into one smoothly and operationally functional delivery tool.

While an online method of education can be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature, self-disciplined student, it is an inappropriate learning environment for more dependent learners. Online asynchronous education gives students control over their learning experience, and allows for flexibility of study schedules for non traditional students; however, this places a greater responsibility on the student. In order to successfully participate in an online program, student must be well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course. For these reasons, online education or e-learning is not appropriate for younger students (i.e. elementary or secondary school age), and other students who are dependent learners and have difficulty

assuming responsibilities required by the online paradigm.

Millions of students use e-learning solutions in over 140 countries: corporations such as Kodak and Toyota and education providers like ExecuTrain, New Horizons, the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS), Phoenix University amongst the hundreds of schools and colleges.

Studies have shown student retention to be up to 250% better with online learning than with classroom courses. Several recent ones have helped frame the debate. The Sloan Consortium published a widely distributed report titled “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ that examined the growing prevalence of online education across U.S. institutions.

In addition, a study conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm Eduventures found that, while about half of institutions and more than 60 percent of employers generally accept the high quality of online learning, students’ perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective online students said that they perceive the quality of online education to be “as good as or better than” face-to-face education. Ironically, 36 percent of prospective students surveyed cited concern about employers’ acceptance of online education as a reason for their reluctance to enroll in online courses.

But what actually drives quality? A March 2006 report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education identifies six quality indicators: mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student and academic services, planning for sustainability and growth, and evaluation and assessment.

The debate rages on while the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today’s international students are constantly analyzed to determine if this type of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results.

The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) is one institution which uses this type of delivery system. ENOCIS enhances their learning experience by offering many other “value added”, cost reducing benefits to students. Online pupils can apply for scholarships available to students of excellence and other financial aid programs like the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), with attractive interest rates. They also provide convenient payment facilities, on line banking, Western Union Quick Collect, bank cards and a student who is granted a loan can start repaying it after two months if they have a corporate guarantor.

Pros of Online Education:

The key advantages of the online education experience are briefly explained below:

1. Cheaper: Online courses may be more affordable than those offered at colleges or trade schools. You may also save on transportation costs like gas, bus passes, and parking permits because you don’t need to commute to school and there are no housing or meals plans to worry about since you do not need to live on or near a college campus. Housing expenses and other costs associated with living expenses are usually the most expensive aspects of a college education, so by taking an online course you could save quite a bit of money.

The best part of online education is the absence of travel and immigration problems. Some students may prefer not to pursue traditional on campus education, as it involves traveling to attend lectures. With online education, an applicant does not need to travel. Courses simply require accessing the internet in order to begin the learning process.

2. More Convenient: By taking courses online, you’re able to decide when you study and for how long. You are also able to schedule your studying around your work or social schedule.

Since you’re not bound to a classroom, you may do your work wherever you have access to a computer and the internet. You’ll be able to set your own pace and decide exactly how fast you want to go over the material.

Take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. You can learn when you need it (Just-In-Time) A course is as close as a computer with an Internet connection.

3. Flexibility: with no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan. The online students can carry out their private or official work, along with the online education. As it provides the convenience of time flexibility, a student can login and logout as per his desire whereas, the traditional education do not provide such flexibility in learning.

Flexibility of online education allows the student control over their studies. They can allot more time in the topics, which they feel comparatively hard and vice versa. The speed of learning depends solely upon the students.

4. Technology: With the help of the scientific technology, students can do their online education at any place. The only mandatory pre-requisite is the availability of computer along with an internet amenity. Side benefits include the learning new technologies and technical skills

5. Availability: distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.

6. Accessibility: with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access. Your learning options are not constrained by your geographic location. The new virtual classrooms have created a myriad of learning opportunities for global learning and education center. On line education is a new era experience adapting to the needs of the world citizen.

7. Self-Directed: you set your own pace and schedule, so you control the learning environment.

8. Time Spent in Classroom: now you can take a course on just about any subject without ever having to be in, or travel to, a classroom so you have very little wasted time. Note, however, that some distance-education programs still do have an in-class component and normally to receive a fully accredited US university degree an international student must spend one or two semesters on campus.

9. High Quality Dialog: Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner is able to carefully reflect on each comment from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise loose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

10. Student Centered: Within an online discussion, the individual student responds to the course material (lectures and course books, for example) and to comments from other students. Students usually respond to those topics within the broader conversation that most clearly speak to their individual concerns and situations resulting in several smaller conversations taking place simultaneously within the group. While students are expected to read all of their classmates’ contributions, they will become actively engaged only in those parts of the dialog most relevant to their needs. In this way, students take control of their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time take away a unique mix of information directly relevant to their needs.

11. Level Playing Field: In the online environment learners retain a considerable level of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual’s ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.

On line adult education can be more effective and better for certain types of learners (shy, introverted, reflective, language challenged, those that need more time). Distance education courses are often better for people who learn through visual cues and experiential exercises.

12. Synergy: The online format allows for a high level of dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process as each individual contributes to the course discussions and comments on the work of others. The synergy that exists in the student-centred virtual classroom is one of the unique and vital traits that the online learning format posses..

13. Access to Resources: It is easy to include distinguished guest experts or students from other institutions in an online class as well as allow students to access resources and information anywhere in the world. An instructor can compile a resource section online with links to scholarly articles, institutions, and other materials relevant to the course topic for students to access for research, extension, or in depth analysis of course content material in the global classroom.

14. Creative Teaching: The literature of adult education supports the use of interactive learning environments as contributing to self-direction and critical thinking. Some educators have made great strides in applying these concepts to their on ground teaching. However, many classes still exist which are based on boring lectures and rote memorization of material. The nature of the semi-autonomous and self-directed world of the virtual classroom makes innovative and creative approaches to instruction even more important. In the online environment, the facilitator and student collaborate to create a dynamic learning experience. The occasion of a shift in technology creates the hope that those who move into the new technology will also leave behind bad habits as they adopt this new paradigm of teaching. As educators redesign their course materials to fit the online format, they must reflect on their course objectives and teaching style and find that many of the qualities that make a successful online facilitator are also tremendously effective in the traditional classroom as well.

Cons of Online Education:

Briefly explained are some factors that could negatively affect your success with distance learning courses:

1. The Technology:

a. Equity and Accessibility to Technology: Before any online program can hope to succeed, it must have students who are able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether it be for economical or logistics reasons, will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course. This is a significant issue in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods and educating the underserved peoples of the world. Furthermore, speaking from an administrative point of view, if students cannot afford the technology the institution employs, they are lost as customers. As far as Internet accessibility is concerned, it is not universal, and in some areas of the United States and other countries, Internet access poses a significant cost to the user. Some users pay a fixed monthly rate for their Internet connection, while others are charged for the time they spend online. If the participants’ time online is limited by the amount of Internet access they can afford, then instruction and participation in the online program will not be equitable for all students in the course. This is a limitation of online programs that rely on Internet access. Equity of access to learners of all backgrounds and parts of society

b. Requires New Skills/Technologies: if you’re not computer-savvy or are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you. The online students are required to learn new skills, such as researching and reviewing the internet. For the online students, they need to learn the techniques of navigation on an online library for necessary information. Technical training and support of learners and instructors

c. Computer Literacy: Both students and facilitators must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment. For example, they must be able to use a variety of search engines and be comfortable navigating on the World Wide Web, as well as be familiar with Newsgroups, FTP procedures and email. If they do not possess these technology tools, they will not succeed in an online program; a student or faculty member who cannot function on the system will drag the entire program down.

d. Limitations of Technology: User friendly and reliable technology is critical to a successful online program. However, even the most sophisticated technology is not 100% reliable. Unfortunately, it is not a question of if the equipment used in an online program will fail, but when. When everything is running smoothly, technology is intended to be low profile and is used as a tool in the learning process. However, breakdowns can occur at any point along the system, for example, the server which hosts the program could crash and cut all participants off from the class; a participant may access the class through a networked computer which could go down; individual PCs can have numerous problems which could limit students’ access; finally, the Internet connection could fail, or the institution hosting the connection could become bogged down with users and either slow down, or fail all together. In situations like these, the technology is neither seamless nor reliable and it can detract from the learning experience.

2. The Institution: Many online education facilities are relatively new with many courses and hence, lack in modern instructors for instructing the new curriculum. Estimates show that there is still a need for an increase of more 50% of qualified instructors for online education.

b. The Administration and Faculty: Some environments are disruptive to the successful implementation of an online program. Administrators and/or faculty members who are uncomfortable with change and working with technology or feel that online programs cannot offer quality education often inhibit the process of implementation. These people represent a considerable weakness in an online program because they can hinder its success.

3. The Facilitator :Lack of Essential Online Qualities: Successful on-ground instruction does not always translate to successful online instruction. If facilitators are not properly trained in online delivery and methodologies, the success of the online program will be compromised. An instructor must be able to communicate well in writing and in the language in which the course is offered. An online program will be weakened if its facilitators are not adequately prepared to function in the virtual classroom.

4. Perceptions/Reputation: while slowly changing as more and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to distance education to the student’s interaction in the online education. Some of the students believe that, there are few opportunities with regards to face-to-face interactions and feedbacks.

5. No Instructor Face Time: If your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

6. Little Support: students are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments and exams, which is empowering for some, but daunting for others.

There is little support and limited guidelines provided in online education system. Online students are required to search as per their own imaginations for completing exams and assignments.

7. Lacking Social Interaction: while you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or off line get-togethers.

If you enjoy meeting new people and learn better while you’re interacting with other people, you may want to reconsider online education.

8. No Campus Atmosphere: part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit, but you have none of that with distance-education courses.

Since you’re not on campus or in classes, you may lack opportunities to meet other students. You will not have many opportunities to interact face-to-face with your professors, so they may not have a real sense of who you are as a person.

9. Making Time: if you are a procrastinator or one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes. On line learning requires new skills and responsibilities from learners

10. Academic honesty of online students: requires a new mindset to online assessment. Most education experts agree that rote memory testing is not the best measure of learning in any environment and new measurement and evaluation tools are evolving.

11. Types and effectiveness of assessments: The importance of outcomes in online learning cannot be over emphasized. Does the program have measurable results? Are students learning what you say they should be learning? Then there are institutional outputs: course completion rates, job placement rates (if that’s the goal of the institution), graduation rates, student success on third-party tests, and student satisfaction scores.

These factors, both the pros and cons, contribute greatly to making an informed decision about the direction of your career path and how you are going to accomplish your goals: on line, in the classroom or a combination of both.

Institutions and companies that use continuing education to meet their needs also face similar decisions. Institutions that deliver online education are confronted with a series of challenges, including the search for good faculty, use of technology, and provision of adequate student services.

The Sloan Consortium report “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ found that 64 percent of chief academic officers and faculty believe that it takes more discipline for a student to succeed in an online course than it does in a face-to-face course.

More and more major business and industry is turning to on line continuing education as a viable and cost effective resource for training its personnel. Hilton Hotel has 380 hotels worldwide and is represented in 66 countries.

When you weigh the benefits and advantages of on line adult continuing education the cost of study and flexibility of scheduling tip the scales of programs like the Enoch Olinga College, Capella and Phoenix University’s distance learning program on line adult continuing education is becoming a world wide respected form of education.

However, as with any situation, there are both pros and cons with the concept of online education and the benefits of the virtual or global classroom. You may want to evaluate both before you decide on an online education program. By examining the advantages and disadvantages, you will be able to make a more informed decision. But, at the end of the day, online learning is independent learning. A lot of structure has been put into online programs, but it still comes down to a learner sitting in front of a computer by him or herself. The knowledge you receive or the benefits it will generate either in development of self esteem or increasing earning capacity will depend sole upon you the student.

David W Morris is an international development specialist with The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) [http://www.enocis.org] and author of several publications on socio economic development. David is a regular contributor to online article sites on the topics of on line education, underserved peoples, scholarship and educational excellence, continuing education programs and on line TOEFL and language development. David W Morris is also a successful online adviser of ranking blog site http://www.enocis.blogspot.com