Amy Nutt
Is e-learning a New Concept for Schools?
In today’s technologically driven world, children’s futures are no longer shaped by only their ability to learn such basics as reading, writing, science, and math. High tech learning must be achieved in order to ensure children have every opportunity to succeed as adults. Now, e-learning is becoming an important part of the classroom for many public and private schoolss. However, more schools need to implement e-learning into their educational programs.
E-learning in schools can include a number of different types of technology-enhanced learning (TEL), where technology is utilized to support and enhance the learning process. When a teacher incorporates e-Learning into their classroom, children of all ages have access to the most current and best e-learning material in such study areas as math, science, and reading. Programs are designed and developed by leading e-learning providers and qualified instructional designers, and reviewed by Educational professionals. Schools can incorporate online courses into their curriculum. Quality e-learning programs are designed to engage children at an appropriate level where they can obtain a wealth of knowledge.
E-Learning lessons are commonly designed to assist students with working through information for better understanding and to help students perform specific functions. Information based e-Learning content communicates information to the student. For instance, content such as math, sciences, and history, focus on the factual information. With performance functions, lessons include the students performing a specific skill.
E-Learning can provide a number of benefits for students, teachers, and parents. It can provide a quality education at an affordable price. The students will acquire the best information from experts in the field they are studying. E-learning is also self-paced so students have the chance to ask questions and review information as many times as they want or need. Teachers can work with their students on specific skills and children can access the self-paced programs independently.
E-learning programs allow students in rural areas that may be isolated to receive the same quality of information as more urban areas. Teachers can customize courses to meet the students and their teaching needs. They can also meet online with other teachers to discuss learning development strategies. Parents will also be encouraged to get more involved in their children’s education. Corporations can also make use of e-learning by providing charitable donations to the schools such as computers and learning software.
E-Learning is basically Internet-facilitated learning. Mechanisms can include the distribution of content in numerous formats, as well as an online community of learners, subject matter developers, and knowledgeable experts. E-learning provides faster learning at reduced costs, increased access to innovative learning programs, and accountability for all those involved in the learning process.
More school boards are choosing to participate in e-learning programs. When they participate, they will have access to thousands of resources as well as valuable software programs designed to help students learn. With the world moving to a technology based way of working and living, the importance of e-learning has never been more important for both very young children and teens. Education must adapt to a technology changing world.
Challenges A Foreign Person Faces in an English Speaking Country
Anyone who moves out of their native homeland can encounter many obstacles that will make starting out fresh a very difficult process. The cultural differences alone between two neighboring countries can be like that of night and day, but there are few barriers more difficult to break down than the language barrier. The inability to speak or understand the native language of a country you are entering makes for a very imposing obstacle to overcome, and despite the fact that the English language is one of the most widely spoken, its multitude of tiny intricacies and nuances make it one of the hardest for a foreign person to get a good grasp of or feeling for.
On appearance alone there are some languages that appear much more imposing than the English language, partially due to the fact that English has many similarities to languages spoken in other counties. In the English language there are striking similarities to many of the characteristics present in Spanish, French and German – so what are the things that make the English language so difficult for a foreign person to learn?
What to Stress
English doesnt necessarily have more regular consonant or vowel sounds than other languages, but how the stress is placed on some of those consonants or vowels that make it such a difficult language for someone who is learning. There are hard and soft consonants like ‘c’ taking on a ‘k’ sound or an ‘s’ sound depending upon the situation. There are silent letters in some words and then some consonants that when combined take on an entirely different sound (like ‘th’). The unusual combinations and ever present rule changes in the pronunciation of words make English much more complex to learn than it would seem.
Verb Tense
Another thing that sets English apart as one of the more difficult languages to learn has to do with verb tense. Some languages have very limited connotations of verb tense, sometimes basically just present and past, making it relatively simple to grasp. To learn English, on the other hand, is a bit more complex in this area – for example in different situations it may be appropriate to use any of the following tenses: present; past; future; past perfect or present perfect – the verb ‘choose’ can be used in the following forms depending on tense: choose, chose or chosen – this can be very difficult for someone with no familiarity with the language to grasp.
Slang
All languages have words, terms and phrases that are used in a situational nature and that, in those instances may not have the same meaning that they would normally have in a dictionary definition. Slang is reasonably common across the board in all languages, but in some areas (especially when talking about American English); slang is more widely used than proper grammar. To be truly comfortable communicating, someone must be comfortable speaking and be able to understand the language how its spoken within an area – in the US just knowing the language as its generally taught may not be enough, in every single region or even neighborhood thats traveled to, different slang terms make an almost entirely different language that must be learned.
At times its not just words used with a slightly varied use of meaning, in some areas there are frequently used terms that wouldnt even be found in Websters Dictionary, words and terms created by locals, which only locals understand. This can make it exceedingly difficult for someone not familiar with the language to get accustomed to, especially if they dont remain in one area for very a very long period.
English may be the most difficult language for a native of a non-English speaking country to learn, but for the potential benefits that could come along with it, its most certainly worth the added effort to learn.