Technology is changing the dynamics of everything, including education. Although many people still rely on traditional methods of learning, but one cannot deny the importance and benefits of e-learning. Education system is revolutionized and now the online education systems are the platforms for the future.

Use of technology in the education system expands course offerings, experiences and learning materials. Virtual schools have increased the student’s productivity, reduced the cost associated with the undergoing program. For example, now you can learn French just by attending online classes without being physically present in an actual classroom.

Online Learning Resources

There are some learning websites which demand a certain amount of money for subscription but still that amount is less than which you pay for a regular course. On the contrary, open educational resources and distance learning tools are also available.  These learning and research resources that reside in the public domain are freely available to anyone over the web.

For example, now the professors of Harvard are uploading lectures on different platforms. So today, Harvard is accessible to many people in a way no one would even have imagined 50 years ago. This advancement in education system and its accessibility is possible only because of technology.

Within all levels of education, blended learning programs are being used that combine online and face-to-face interaction. Students access online material outside the classroom as their homework and then apply this new knowledge in the classroom by engaging in creative discussions or group work projects. Even in a traditional classroom environment, technology is being used like showing videos or images on a particular topic to understand things better.

Read about the 10 essential tips for succeeding in online courses and degree programs.

“As we continue our research, the best places for education will bring people, technology and space together in innovative ways. If you think of classrooms as places where knowledge gets created instead of consumed, they have similarities to innovation studios where flexibility is built in. More than ever, we are seeing the need for classrooms to become highly flexible spaces that support the new behaviours of learning that are the direct result of new knowledge.” (universitybusiness.co.uk)

Effective learning environments are flexible to meet the needs of the modern student.  Nowadays, kids can take online high school classes that cover everything they might need, and possibly in a more engaging way than a traditional establishment would do. Classroom settings may be beneficial for some students and can greatly depend upon the subject matter.  The same applies to online learning, whether full time, a single course, or a combination of classroom and online settings.

Teachers are well-trained to develop course materials for either setting, but it takes an e-learning designer to create, enhance, or support the online learning platform for optimal results throughout the educational process.

Technology in Education

Technology has made education accessible to everybody. Those who cannot afford proper schooling can learn the same things online. It also increases the productivity by providing the comfort of home; you do not have to go anywhere; you can learn whatever you want and whenever you want. It provides self-paced learning, when you enroll in a traditional college program, you will have to forget about work, hobbies and even family: Studying must be your priority.

This is why many students who have financial responsibilities or are single parents decide to leave their education. A self-paced system enables them to make progress with rhythm that suits them. If you have a day job, you can study at night. That is an advantage that traditional education system cannot beat. Because of this, the literacy rate has increased.

There is one more advantage of self-paced learning and that is, it increases the productivity of the learner. In a traditional classroom, all students are taught at a same pace but in online learning, one can acquire as much information as one wants according to his capabilities. In online learning, you are the master of your own education. As your interaction is with people with people across the globe, it widens your perspective. Being exposed to new ideas from professionals in other countries may spark creativity of your own.

The Online Classroom

This type of education has grown over the last few years and has experienced mainstream acceptance. With an online class, one gets to control learning environment and productivity which helps to develop a deeper understanding. New methods of learning provide them with options that suit them, not the other way round. It makes the education liberating, not limiting.

Globally, over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom. Wang Tao, Vice President of Tencent Cloud and Tencent Education says that he believes that the integration of information technology in education will be further accelerated and that online education will eventually become an integral component of school education.  The future of online education looks promising and opens education opportunities to a larger section of the population than ever before.

Parents face immense challenges due to continual advancements in technology and easy access to the internet. Mobile applications, daily web surfing, online video games have become the norm within every family. The ever changing social media landscape may be one of the most challenging issues for parents.

What’s hot now can be replaced by a new social media platforms within a short couple of years. In terms of learning, the latest websites or apps can  help young kids young kids in primary school and beyond learn more efficiently while making it exciting.

No matter what kids are doing online, it’s important to revisit education regarding privacy settings on a regular basis.  Here are some points for consideration as parents navigate this topic.

Basic Rules for Kids

It is vital to set up some internet rules for your children at home. In order to keep children safe while online, examine the applications and devices which are used by each child and set up privacy tabs and parenting controls.

It is a good idea to sit with your children and teach them how to use the internet for their advantage in order to learn something new. Set up some basic rules for your children according to your household. For example, never to give passwords to anyone.  Whatever you post should not be disturbing and uncomfortable for others to watch.  And remember to get permission before giving any identifying or private information.

1. Explaining the Importance of the Privacy

No child or teen wants to be spied on, so it’s critically important to promote positive communication and explain to them why privacy concerns are so pressing. Ravenous demand for more and more content on social media puts a person under pressure to share something as well. Take time out to communicate with your kids what should and should not be shared because the world outside is watching.

Secondly, remind them to be civilized as their audience or friends might not have privacy settings. Communication about digital privacy is not a one time conversational.  Things change rapidly online and settings must also be reviewed regularly.   Kids need to understand and remember the value of staying safe in the virtual world.

2. Showing Respect

Respect and empathy are some of the basic skills every person should learn in life. While we talk about privacy settings, privacy itself is a fundamental right of each and every individual. Teach your kids to respect the privacy of others around them, including teaching them about what internet privacy truly means. It might not be feasible if they share someone’s information without their consent or post a picture without asking them. Teach your children to be careful about using anyone’s electronic device outside your home as well.

3. Using Privacy Settings

It is imperative to learn how to use the privacy settings for yourself first. This can be a challenge if you don’t even use the applications that your kids are using.  If in doubt, just “Google it” for tips and resources about a particular website or app.

While discussing this topic with younger children and teens, read the terms and conditions of a particular social media platform or app.  Do it with them and allow them to set and change their privacy settings during the conversation.   Such as:  the sharing any data, turning off location tracking or the microphone, using a strong password which cannot be copied or easily cracked.

As much as possible, stay away from public Wi-Fi to keep your connections safe. Making sure that the social media profiles of Facebook, Instagram, etc. are private so no one can excess your information.

4. Hire A Tutor

The issue of privacy setting is quite sensitive and complex. There are times when you are not able to teach your children the value of privacy effectively. In that rare scenario, it’s better to encourage teachers in their schools to have an extra session about this topic. If that is not possible, then consider hiring an online tutor who can teach kids how to use the internet safely, browsing with them to help them understand the importance of privacy settings inside their home and within in any social surroundings.

Keeping Up with a Digital World

It may seem impossible to keep up with every social media site or app that kids are using these days.  Trust between parent and child, tween or teen is the starting point to keeping lines of communication open.  Ask your kids what apps they are using. This is a good start.  Chances are they are not even on Facebook anymore.  There are so many new and exciting options online and ultimately, young kids and teens will go where their friends are going.  As mentioned, open communication to build trust and a healthy environment within your home will go a long way to aid us all in this ever evolving digital age.

Privacy and Consent

Educating kids about online privacy can also help parents transition into the difficult subject of teaching them about personal consent issues in the real world, such as physical touch and how to say no when they are uncomfortable in any situation. Bottom line, kids of all ages need to be treated as individuals who are in control of their online privacy and personal space.

It’s never too early to start thinking about your child’s future. While the job market will change to accommodate new coming generations, some things will always stay the same – like the importance of networking.

Today, 88% of professionals consider networking to be crucial to a thriving career. Knowing this, you should never underestimate the power of connections. Sometimes, it’s all about the people you know.

Networking Skills

However, networking does have the potential to pamper you with benefits to reap far outside the professional realm. Professionally connecting can teach you powerful communication and other soft skills that may cushion your social life comfortably. Now is the time to begin instilling the importance of networking into your child’s growth mentality. This way, they can be comfortable enough to siege various networking opportunities productive for their future once entering college.

For example: by teaching your kids to be social now, they may be interested in non-conventional social activities, such as joining Greek life. Unbeknownst to most, Greek life can be an educationally enriching process for many. Having committees, meetings, and executive boards, members of fraternities and sororities take on many responsibilities and tasks teaching them great business.

Outside of this, Greek life organizations also give students the opportunity to improve on how they participate in teamwork, prioritize community service, and communicate. On top of that, students who were members of Greek organizations prove to be happier and more engaged once entering the workforce. In fact, 85% of Fortune 500 Executives are fraternity members.

Career Building

Whether your child plans to go to college or take up a trade, there are many ways to go about networking to connect them to future job opportunities.  Take your child to attend job and career fairs, introducing them to your colleagues needing interns and shadowers, get them a mentor, or even helping them build a LinkedIn profile once of age.

There are also public service jobs in competitive career paths. For example, first responders are high stress positions that take unique skills, such as the police, firefighters, paramedics and 911 dispatchers.  Leaning how to network with people already doing these jobs will greatly assist in the necessary research to determine what each of these careers involve before committing to the challenge.

Regardless of your approach, meeting people is a crucial value of higher education – and education overall. Prepare your children for their future of work while they’re still obtaining an education. This way, they’ll be ready for whatever the job market has to throw at them.

Here more information on ways to network below.

Social Networking

In this day and age, most of us think of social networking as what you do when you log on to your favorite social media app.  That that really has more to do with how we connect with people on social media. Most of the time, it’s for personal use. Platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn are often for business use as well.  However, the idea of social networking for various purposes has been around for as long as humans walked on this earth.

Basically, a social network in the offline world is all of the people we are connected with in the world, whether it be friends, school friends, work colleagues, and organizations we may be part of.  Even without computers, we have a network of those in our physical vicinity that we are all connected with.

As we’ve already explored in this article, if you want to find the right school, college, or job – it’s beneficial to network with people that can help you in those areas.  And the idea of leaning networking skills has more to do with personal interaction with individuals than impersonal connections on social media.

Connecting with others online can be part of teaching social networking skills, but it should not be regarded as being anywhere near as effective as expanding your social network people that you can talk to on the phone or meet with in person.

The American Optometric Association reveals that every one child amongst four children suffers from vision problems which go unattended for a long period of time. This is an alarming figure, because eyes are one of the most crucial organs for effective growth and development of any individual.

Good vision not just provides a seamless learning experience, but it also aids in a good quality of life and boosts an individual’s self-confidence. So, it is very essential for parents to ensure healthy vision in their children by encouraging healthy behavioral habits.

Early Detection

Hand in hand with educating kids about healthy habits, parents must be proactive in noticing any vision impairments that may occur.  Early detection with an annual eye exam minimizes damage and thus promote healthy eyesight for life.  

Here are some early signs which may indicate vision impairment in children.

Squinting:

If your child is squinting often, it is possible that he is suffering from near-sighted vision which is why he may be squinting his eyes to look at objects that are at a distance. Similarly, kids who squint while reading or playing with toys could be suffering from the opposite condition which is far-sightedness that may be indicative of astigmatism or hyper myopia.

Head tilt or turn:

Children who may have eye alignment issues tend to tilt or turn their heads in order alleviate the discomfort they may be feeling as a result of straining their eye muscles. This could possibly indicate issues in the eye alignment.

Sitting too close to the TV or computer screen: 

Children who sit very close to the television screen may be suffering from near-sightedness. They may not be able to see from a distance, which is why they move closer to the TV screen. In the classroom kids may be able to see the teacher from afar, but have trouble focusing on school work at their desk.

Showing sensitivity to light:

Some children tend to have excessive sensitivity to light, even when they are sitting indoors. This can be a sign of a condition called photophobia, which causes discomfort in the eyes when exposed to bright light.

Frequent Eye Rubbing, Headaches, and Nausea:

We often see kids rubbing their eyes while trying to focus on something when they are reading, looking at computer or phone screens, or when they are playing with toys. Rubbing is a sign that your child may be having problems in clear vision and demands medical supervision. Headaches and nausea are also suggestive that your child’s eyes may be strained.

Chronic redness of the eyes, itchy eyes:

When your child feels an abnormally high amount of itching or redness in the eyes, it is possible that there is some form of defect or impairment. It is best to consult the optometrist in such a situation.

Having an eye that turns in or out:

In the human body, both the eyes are usually aligned with one another. However, if you find that your child’s eyes are not in sync, it best to consult an ophthalmologist and detect the condition. When detected on time, it can be treated successfully and with ease.

Drooping Eyelid:

Ptosis is a medical condition in which the upper eyelid muscles weaken and start sagging. This leads the upper eyelids to droop and affect the vision. This condition can develop with age or be present right from birth (congenital ptosis). If you notice this condition in your child, it is best to consult a doctor at the earliest. When left untreated, it can also develop into a lazy eye (amblyopia) or astigmatism.

If you notice any of these conditions in your child, it is best advised to consult an ophthalmologist at the earliest. Eyes are one of the most precious organs of the body and hence. Therefore, it is essential that all children undergo ophthalmology examination when they are about 3 years of age, to detect any possible vision impairments that exist.

Additional Resources:

Many children are apprehensive about wearing glasses, especially for the first time.  Here are some ways you can warm them up to the idea and also give them confidence in their new look.  

Author Bio:

Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center, eye care center, Fresno. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK. Aaron loves collecting coasters from the different bars and restaurants he visits during his travels.