The New Education

We have all seen them advertised: online universities.  I wanted to get some feed back on what my readers think about them.  I have had a few friends get their MBA's via the internet, and I am currently enrolled in a online university photography course.  There are so many different educational opportunities available via the internet for those who otherwise don't have time, or the ability to get to a traditional school.  The Chronicle is packed full of information from jobs, to current news, and opportunities available to those with a higher education.  It is a great source of information.  That is what the internet is all about, right?  The ability to obtain the answer for any question.  Do you think having a degree from an online source is as good as a tradition school?  One online school (there are many)  Walden University, has many degree and certificate programs.  From Doctorals, to individual classes, you can tailor your schedule to your personal life.  Do your course work at your own pace, nothing is better than that!  Education is not limited to brick and mortar establishments anymore.  I am a fan of education for the sake of education, so I am in favor of all types of learning from your tradition schools, to online degree programs.

Help is always available

I remember back when I was in high school having a tutoring session almost weekly. I was one of those students that needed math help, and the way to get that was through a math tutor. However, it was a scheduled event weekly, that usually cut into the time when I rather be playing soccer, or tennis or anything for that matter other than math.
Now in the age of technology online math tutoring can replace your weekly tutoring session with the local tutor, and put the online math help at your fingertips 24 hours a day. I know that getting a teenager to do anything can sometimes be difficult, but this is on the computer, and I think that is something the kids can get behind. The online math tutor can be a valuable tool for the struggling student. You can type in your questions and get the help you need. I think this would have been great for me when I was in school. I hope that the students of this fantastic online generation take advantage of all the benefits that the internet has to offer.

Back to School

I have been contemplating going back to school. I am really interested in photography and I would like to get more education on the technical side of the photo. Photography has really been my hobby for such a long time. I love to shoot landscapes, but would like to break into the portrait world. I was searching the internet for trade schools who specialize in photography certificate programs. My friend sent me some great info on photo classes online, and I think I will check those out too.
I think photos make people happy, and what better reward from your work at the end of the day is a happy client. Technical schools seem to be abundant on the internet, and most of them have correspondence classes for photography. One of the most appealing ideas of online career colleges is that you can work at your own pace, and don't have to go to class. That would work out great for me, since I will be staying home with baby. I hope that I can find one that works for me. If any of you have taken online photography classes for certification, I would love to hear from you.

School Loans?!

We are in the final countdown now, and the prospect of paying back the medical student loans is now becoming a reality. Many people find themselves with debt after college, and paying back the loans should be the first priority. As I am finding out, it was much easier to get the student loan than to pay it back. In a few months time we will be in a new state with a new job, and college loans to prove what we have been doing for the last 10 years. There are different loans, with different pay schedules, and of course different interest rates. When you are paying back your student loans the best way is to pay down the highest interest rates first. Sounds like common sense, but I was checking out our pay schedule and the company had us paying down the lowest interest rate first, then paying down the other loan on the highest interest rate. With a few phone calls we were able to straighten out our pay schedule. It saves money to check on your rates. Here are three easy ways to keep your college loans in line:
1. Education- Stay informed about you loans terms.
2. Payment schedule- Pay loans on time to avoid unwanted late fees.
3. Consolidate- If available to you, combine all those loans into one. One payment is easier than trying to remember to pay each loan on separate days.

Of course, if you are having trouble, ask for help. There are plenty of financial advisors out there if you need some advice. I am not one of those advisors, I am just sharing some of my personal experience with student loans.

When crafts don't go as planned.

I tried a new painting craft with the little ones in my extended day program. I do arts and crafts in the afternoon with 3 year olds. I set up the table for painting. I pulled out the paints and watered them down so they could plop it on the paper and then blow it around with some straws. I thought it was a great idea, and had seen it done with much success. Somewhere along the way my project ran off the tracks. I am not sure if it was the straws that I had or if the paint was not right, but I could tell that I was losing the kids, and fast. I had planned ahead though and the paint brushes were just across the room. I had taken them out just incase the straw blowing was not their thing. Just as one of them said they were finished I held up the paint brushes, and instantly they were refocused!
Thank goodness plan B was a success! Now they will get to go home with beautiful water color pictures, instead of a blob of paint on the paper!