Online Learning

I got involved in online learning about a year ago as a teacher. I’m actually more of a technical guy, but in my company everyone wears lots of different hats. In this case, we had a training video for some of our offices. You see, it was necessary for a lot of our people to learn Spanish online. We work with so many Hispanic clients that knowing a little bit of conversational Spanish is simply indispensable in this area. My job was to make an online learning course that would teach them the basics.

It was just my kind of project. It combined a little bit of this and that into what was actually a fairly technologically sophisticated undertaking. I needed to us my knowledge of Spanish, my ability to integrate web cams and interactive software, and sophisticated PowerPoint presentations. It took me several months, but it was worth it. I was pleased by how well the project turned out, and the big bonus I got for completing it didn’t hurt either.

It also got me interested in taking online learning courses myself. I have a friend recently got an MBA online and I had never really thought much about her program until I got involved in designing my own online education program. After that, I realized that you can learn practically anything over the Internet. I started to do some investigation myself.

I don’t really need any more certification. I have all the degrees and titles I need for my job. I simply wanted to take online courses in something that interested me. I got involved in an online philosophy group where, for a small fee, a local expert leads a group discussion over web cam once a week. It has been very educational and I have even met some interesting people on it. All in all, online learning has been a good experience so far. I would not say it’s for everyone – some people really need to be face-to-face in order to get the most out of an educational experience. Nonetheless, it seems to work well for me and for most of the people in my company. If you’ve never tried it, you should give it a shot. Usually the technology is pretty straightforward and easy to use, and it allows you to go at your own pace in your spare time. All in all, online learning is a pretty winning combination of convenience and content.

Teaching Astronomy For Kids

As an elementary school science teacher, I always have a lot of fun teaching kids astronomy. It is natural to want to look up at the sky with a sense of wonder and ponder the nature of the whole universe around you. This is just the desire that astronomy for kids caters to. It is a great place to use a child’s natural curiosity to inspire a lifelong passion for the study of science.

One of the things that a lot of adults do not understand is that kids want to learn. It is all just a matter of making things seem accessible and important to them. That is why I usually start my astronomy for kids classes with a field trip. Rather than looking for the things they have already studied, they go in with fresh minds, ready to record details about the celestial bodies. I let them look at stars and planets through the telescope and make observations. Then, the next day in class, we use these observations as a starting point.

Of course, astronomy for children is not all just looking at neat pictures from the Hubble telescope or gazing through our own telescope (although there is a fair bit of both of these activities). Once we get back from the field trip, the class launches right into a lesson. The students make a list of questions they have. Usually, they want to know why the stars twinkle, why Mars is red, what the moon looks like up close, and things like that. Once they ask these questions, we can begin the class.

The great thing about starting my astronomy for kids class this way is that it is driven by student interest. They want to know about the moon so, when I tell them about the moon, it does not come across as just a bit of boring lecturing. The same goes for all the other subjects. They are motivated to learn, and that makes the learning happen.

At the end of the astronomy for kids class, I usually take them out to look at stars again. This time, however, we know a lot more about the heavens. When the children look out through the telescope, they can make meaningful observations about the universe around them. By comparing how they felt the first time they looked through telescopes to how they felt the second, they can see the importance of learning.

Animal Planet: why kids love it

Kids are born curious. Everything is new to them and all of life is a mystery waiting to be solved. Nature is of particular fascination to them. Kids play outside and find every living creature and plant for subjects of their personal investigation and inspection. Kids have pets, too. Frogs, cats, rabbits, birds and dogs become family members. As parents, we try to teach kids how to take good care of their pets, but unless you’re a vet, pet store owner or animal trainer, many of us don’t know much more about these creatures than our kids do!

Learning about the animal world is valuable knowledge, especially in today’s world of vanishing species amidst growing expanses of cement in urban America. Learning about the natural habitats and life cycles of the animal world makes children more sensitive to all living things.

Now, the current controversy among educators and child psychologists has parents in a tizzy over what’s the right amount of television watching to allow their kids. A common sense approach surely must lead you to consider that quality programming contributes much to a child’s education and personal development. Animal Planet is one channel that earns the highest accolades in this respect. Kids absolutely love Animal Planet presentations. Johnny’s pet frog is happy and thriving in its 10-gallon aquarium home, but watching his pet’s shenanigans may not satisfy Johnny’s curiosity. One program on Animal Planet may teach Johnny more about every type of frog from around the world than he’d learn in a year at the library.

Animal Planet productions do, indeed, cover the planet. Kids can learn all about creatures they may never see in real life. Kangaroos in Australia, Manta Rays in the Caribbean or Bengal tigers in India are all topics of previous Animal Planet programming.

Once kids start watching these informative programs, they’re hooked – on learning and caring – two commodities in danger of extinction among humans! Did you know that global warming, causing the melting of Arctic ice floes, now threatens the polar bear with extinction? Did you know that Oregon may be closing the salmon season before it ever begins this year because the Pacific salmon population, some 1.6 million in 2005, has shrunk to an estimated 35,000 this year?

These facts are all of great concern to our children’s generation. When these kids grow up, the animal world may be greatly diminished unless people start paying attention now. Animal Planet’s audience of today may well make the difference for a better planet for our kids. Watch with your kids. You, too, may become an avid fan.