Equipment for Online Education

It’s only the end of June, but before you know it, high school graduates and returning college students will all be clamoring for back to school bargains as they get ready to pack up and move onto campuses across the United States.  They are the “traditional” students, who will be moving away to school, living on or near campus, and are in need of a dorm fridge, hotplate, and coffee maker for the apartment or dorm room.  Not to mention a small television, a laptop or other computer, special sized bedding, towels, toiletries, maybe a few new outfits, and a car (if the student doesn’t already have one.)  Costs for outfitting a college student for a move to a faraway campus can quickly soar out of control.  They are costs in addition to the ordinary room and board, and tuition payments due to the school. (more…)

Online Learning in Public Schools

Some state school systems around the United States are embracing e-learning more readily and quickly than in other states.  There are several reasons for a delayed adoption of online education in public schools, and most of them involve money.  Money is always in short supply in public education.  Federal funding often arrives with hefty strings attached that end up costing more than the original funding supplied, and state funding often depends on matched federal dollars to help bolster it along.  This cycle often results in the loss of potentially helpful programs for furthering the use of technology in classrooms — and now, in cyber classrooms. (more…)