The Spread of Education : Virtual Learning

Virtual Learning is changing the spread of education throughout the globe. No longer confined in the four walls of traditional institutions, virtual training courses and the virtual facilitators who run them are doing their
share to provide continuous learning to almost anyone who needs and wants to pursue further educational goals. Virtual online schools are
continually growing everyday in almost every country who believes that everyone has the right to affordable learning.

More recently, a research study was conducted and revealed by the Associated Press on a high school that Microsoft designed. Even though the
students of this special system have to physically be in the schools, they are now enjoying the benefits of having interactive smart boards, digital lockers and laptops that are slowly replacing heavy school books. These
developments are only a few of the advantages brought about by Virtual Learning. Traditional educational methods are evolving to be part of the
age where digital technology and the Internet are changing the way we almost do everything around us.

During the aftermath of a recent Hurricane in the US and after the damages it brought to several states, Virtual learning redefined how education can also progress alongside the several turn of events that occurred right after a disaster. More than 3,000 affected students were not able to go to their respective schools. They were not able to attend their classes for months. However, these students were able to continue their education with the help of virtual learning courses. Sloan Foundation gave birth to this
truly amazing program of virtual learning to help those kids who lost their schools because of natural calamities. Together with its partners
and sponsors, the foundation lent a hand to those who needed it most.

Virtual training courses are also expanding to the far reaches of the globe where poverty and illiteracy are still rampant. Online virtual
learning has been featured in the world news months ago. E-learning modules have reached the Philippines where farmers and agricultural
workers need them to learn more skills and to gain more knowledge to help them in their livelihood. This just proves how Virtual Learning can help people and nations without access to higher education.

The examples above show us how online schools are developing everywhere as we speak. More importantly, we should realize the hard work and the level of competency and effective planning that serves as the starting fire for all these major developments. Virtual learning facilitators should be commended as well for making sure that virtual learning will continually grow and prosper.

Now, virtual learning or online schools may also have negative setbacks. For most young students who are undergoing virtual courses and lessons, online teachers are not really seen as actual instructors who can effectively guide them. This is true because kids will most likely act indifferently if they do not have actual student-teacher interaction. Most kids have short attention spans and this, in turn, can cause the trainers or the facilitators to continue their teaching methods without a concrete or definite way to measure if the students are reacting positively to his methods. In addition, without personal interaction, the facilitators cannot instantly determine if the students have developed the initiative to learn more or to develop insights of their own.

For every problem that is seen as a challenge rather than as a setback, there will always be a solution. There are several ways to develop and improve the interaction between the facilitators and the participants. There is no sure-fire way to build instant interaction in online training sessions so one should always keep an open mind. One way is for the facilitators to design a training module that has the objectives and activities to ensure that the students will be able to think on their own even after the courses have ended. An effective lesson plan includes the goals that the trainers have in mind for his or her participants. The methods in discussing the courses should also be conducive to trigger the student’s minds to actively participate and not just to read the modules after the actual sessions. Most facilitators require the participants to post their own ideas and perspectives after the online lessons. They set deadlines and most online trainers demand papers or short dissertations every week or so to measure the students’ ability to understand not just what he heard, saw and read over the Internet but also the students’ ability to connect the lessons in real-life situations. Designing a module wherein the participants can actively share their inputs is also another helpful tip. Timelines for the courses should also take into consideration the fact that the students’ have varying learning curves in grasping certain concepts and skills. This is especially true for online courses that provide higher educational attainment for the participants.

Online schools are even providing post-graduate degrees to professionals who have busy schedules but want to have more educational attainment to further their careers. With that, the popularity of online learning methods is growing. This is due to the fact that online teaching and learning is more cost-effective and accessible. People can know get certifications for skills and knowledge gained by just using the Internet.

If you wish to pursue higher education at a cost that is agreeable to you, you can search the Internet for the numerous sites that offer virtual
learning.

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