A survey just released has claimed an increased use of phones and the internet is undermining students’ ability to study and is a cause of poor grammar amongst many of today’s school children.

The Cranfield School of Management produced the report that blames children’s use of phones and the internet for what it claims are falling standards in study, research and written communication skills.

The paper claims that 90 per cent of students did most research on the internet, which is twice the proportion who did their research by traditional books. It also found that 60 percent pupils have admitted to copying work from the internet without spending significant time reading or understanding the work, with a staggering 25% thinking blind copying is an acceptable practice. English skills have also been seen to suffer with 3 in 10 students admit using text shortcuts in essays and coursework.

Andrew Kakabadse, of Cranfield School of Management, states : “Our research shows that technology obsession hinders spelling skills, implicitly encourages plagiarism, and disrupts classroom learning.” in an even handed manner.

The Research also found that mobile phones especially had a negative effect upon school discipline with pupils often ignoring rules on mobile phones at School. One third of pupils admitted to using their phone in class, Andrew Kakabadse continues “Despite school policies restricting mobile phone usage, students use the phone frequently, with the majority making calls from the toilets. The mobile phone continues to be a prime channel of social communication during the school day.”

The study also shows patterns of behaviour that it finds worrying; many pupils spent one to two hours a day on social networking sites. Most pupils had access to a computer before the age of 8, had used the internet by the age of 10 (with some doing so as young as 5), and joined social networking sites between the ages of 11 and 13. One in 10 (9%) have admitted to spending spend more than six hours a day online.

Due to the tone of the paper one wonders, if the writers expect education, learning and society at large to remain static? As technology changes education will change and adapt in response, as it does too many other social stimuli. Some of these changes will be positive others will be negative. The circulated highlights of this report seem only to focus on the negative aspects of this technological induced change, and is prone to ignore the vast potential for learning and communication technology offers today’s students

DECT Phones, mobiles. Cordless phones and other devices have been blamed for a fall instandards, but what we are seeing is sea change in the way people search for, deal with and store information.

One of the great advantages of earning an online college degree is that you do it at your own pace and on your own terms.

If you have a computer and are hooded up to the Internet you can earn a degree in just about any subject of your choice. You will also be able to commit to a full time class schedule or a part time class schedule depending on how much time you have to study and do the work your degree will require.

There is one thing that is very important when studying for an online college degree that you should take note of and keep in the back of your mind. It takes a lot of discipline to go through the rigors of earning a degree online. You will not have someone with a “gun to your head” making sure you are doing the work, doing it right, and on time.

You will know exactly what is required and how to achieve the written objectives and outcomes of all the courses that are required for your degree. Most likely you are going to enjoy the experience of higher education online and earning your degree.

One of the great advantages of earning an online college degree is that you do it at your own pace and on your own terms. Whether you decide to study and do the work at 3 p.m. or at 3 a.m. it does not matter. You decide when you want to manage your studies.

You will also be delighted in the costs. Most of these online degrees are much less expensive then attending classes on some campus. You are going to save plenty of money while you still earn an accredited degree.

Now that over ninety percent of all colleges and universities in the United States offer distance education there really is no excuse for you not to earn an online college degree at your convenience.

You will also be able to commit to a full time class schedule or a part time class schedule depending on how much time you have to study and do the work your degree will require.

If you are looking to learn a Foreign Language online, there are a number of resources out there that can help you.

It is possible to learn a foreign language online, and the variety of languages people are able to take lessons in is astonishing. For instance, you can take online classes in:

Albanian

Portuguese

Hebrew

Russian

Chinese (Cantonese)

Chinese (Mandarin)

Swedish

Japanese

Thai

Turkish

Ukrainian

Ojibwe

When you go to study online, there are a number of inherent advantages to doing so. The first of those advantages is that it is likely going to be a lot cheaper and therefore if you learn a foreign language language online, you can save a lot of money in the process.

Online websites will always be there and therefore when you learn a foreign language online, you have the ability to proceed at your own pace and go back to it whenever you want.

There are different ways to learn foreign languages online. Which is right for you?

Category #1: Take a University Class

Taking classes through a university’s distance learning program is an inclusive way to learn a foreign language.

Foreign language classes adapt easily to online teaching methods, and you can find a host of colleges and universities that offer internet courses.

If you want to take university courses in a foreign language and learn about online programs for foreign language help, there are few websites out there likely to be better than the university courses.

However, it is also expensive and therefore might not be an option for some people because of the money involved.

Category #2: Learn By Chatting

Chat rooms can be a great tool for a variety of purposes.

One way that you can learn a basic language online is through the use of a chat room where you log in and then proceed to talk to other people at similar levels of the foreign language to you.

With a chat room, you are also using many skills simultaneously: reading, writing, and speaking the language.

With this method, you can more effectively practice your skills in less time. Make the time you do spend mean that much more.

You can find these types of chat rooms for free, though ones with a lot of other language learners may require you to pay to join.

Category #3: Find Content Articles

This is another innovation of the internet that represents the extremes in choice and in money.

You can easily find content websites when you are learning a foreign language online. These allow you to control what you are learning because you select the content. It is also the least expensive option.

You can learn a lot of the basics using this method. Noun and verb comprehension can be easily learned this way. One caveat – you have to be able to motivate yourself and stick to a schedule so you progress.

One drawback is that you don’t hear people actually speaking the language. This is important to learn how to pronounce words correctly.

Category #4: Find Audio Books Online

Audio books offer a variety of learning experiences, and you can use them to learn a foreign language. Several eminent language courses are available for download as an audio book.

You can find an audio book that is appropriate for your level of skill and proficiency. From beginner levels to advanced ones, there are well known programs, such as the Pimsleur Method, that can help you learn.

This can be done in levels where you only pay for one level at a time and only move on the the next level once you are sure you have mastered the one before.

Opportunities to learn a foreign language are plentiful, no matter where you live.

With growing international trade and business opportunities, learning a second language can really help people to get ahead in life.

Being bilingual is a necessity if you want to compete in the world marketplace or become successful in your non-native country.

This has spurred growing interest in learning foreign languages. They can be immensely useful, but before you decide on a class, you need to determine if it is going to address your needs.

No matter what type of foreign language course you take, there are some things you need to look out for. Above all, your course should be useful and effective and cover specific things to ensure your success.

When evaluating a course, keep an eye out for the following features. If your course lacks these, move on to another.

The first thing that it needs is a clear goal. Even before you walk into the room for the first class, you should know exactly what that course plans to teach you.

As an example, say you are looking into a class that says it is for beginners.

There are many beginning courses that claim to be able to teach students from around the world a new language. But does a student from Asia need the same instruction and methods as a student from England?

The answer is very likely not, because the UK student is coming from a very different starting point compared to the Asian students.

Make sure that when you take a class, you get a full course description, and that the class suits your situation.

The second thing that the course needs is a clear way to accomplish that goal.

For instance, if the goal of the course is to have you speaking the language in six weeks, it then needs to have specific steps outlined. How exactly will the course help you reach that goal?

Will there be seminars, activities, extra information or resources for you to take advantage of?

Will you speak the foreign language exclusively for the entire six week program?

Asking these questions before you decide on a course can help you determine whether the course is right for you and if it will help you achieve your goal of learning a new language. It is also important to find a class that suits your personal learning style.

Some people learn best by taking clear-cut grammar courses with worksheets and activities. Others learn best by being immersed in their new language.

These are questions you need to answer for yourself and the only way you can do that is through understanding these two critical points up front before signing up for any kind of foreign language course.

Traditional – Face to Face High School

You wake up one day and voila, you are in the middle of a new chapter of your life – high school! There is a vague feeling of wariness as you enter the campus grounds, not really knowing what to expect from the teachers, schoolmates and peers. Basing it from the experience of some people I know, they either totally love high school so much, whereas some cannot wait for it to end. Occasionally one can really experience rough sailing. When you come down to it, it is kind of a regimented life; which starts early in the morning, putting on your gear and waiting for or running after the school bus which will bring you to your regular high school adventure. It may be added points to your popularity if you drive your own car.

Virtual High School

However, things may not stay this way forever. That classic high school experience, whether good or bad, may be altered once and for all. Have you ever heard of virtual high school? Yes, that’s right folks; I just said virtual high school. This may take a while to sink in.

As many of us are already aware, oodles of parents are teaching their children at home these days. This is becoming a fairly common routine. I certainly never noticed the popularity of home-schooling until I reached adulthood. Whenever I ponder the concept, I often wonder how these children proceed on to college. Now, I’m not just referring to grades and transcripts here. What about social interaction? If children do not attend a school of some sort, when will they interact with their peers? I always thought this was a crucial time to build social skills.

This same dilemma arises with virtual high school. Can you imagine your child taking courses from home on the computer? This sounds so bizarre in theory. On the other hand, colleges are already doing it across the country. It’s a synch to pick up an online course these days.

Parents have to think hard before choosing virtual high school for their children. Going to school online has some benefits. One such example is if the community is not safe enough for your kids to traverse everyday and the school presents a hazardous environment. It may also be that your child is handicapped but wants to learn then, this system of education is going to be advantageous.

If you want to get all the information concerning virtual high school you can search the internet and see what the program has to offer. Then you could decide whether this could be the best set up for your child, or perhaps not.

We all complain about being short of time and every day there are 1001 things we want to get done and invariably we never get everything done. There is a limit to the time we have available and a limit to how much we can get done in that time but time management helps us make the most of the time we do have.

Time is limited to how many hours there are in a day and some things cannot be put off until tomorrow. As a student you will be given time critical tasks that must be completed by a certain time and date. Late is no good and neither is unfinished work going to give you good results.

For students time management is a crucial skill to be learned and understood. There are so many distractions in student life that it is easy to forget all about the work until it is getting to be too late to complete it in time. Planning is crucial and setting a time period to complete the work in is vital to avoid being overwhelmed with the task.

With a plan of work you should have allowed a reasonable time to complete any part of that work and have the finsihed material ready to be delivered on time with the knowledge that you have done a decent job of it. Without a plan you may well end up rushing to complete the work when your friends are finished and relaxing.

Time management for students enables them to enjoy free time happy in the knowledge that they are on schedule and will get finished on time. Without a plan there is always doubt and concern about the eventual outcome of the work you are doing. A proper schedule allows you to have a little leeway and adapt so you can spend more time on certain parts of your work if you need to allocate more time to it.

Scheduling of work is not a simple task or one to be treated lightly. Each task needs to be allocated an appropriate period of time for completion. If you are unsure about how much time is needed then you will have to make an estimate. It is better to allow some more time than you think it might need just to be on the safe side.

If you knew that you are already equipped with the world’s great reading acceleration device, would you learn how to train it. We’ll you are, it’s your hand. And people have spent thousands trying to increase reading speed and improve their comprehension. In less than one hour, we’ll train you to coordinate your eyes for reading faster and your hand for pacing (a major speed reading technique), which will increase your reading speed 50% in minutes.

Did you know that your eyes jerk around, looking and searching, bouncing here and there while you are ‘trying to read’. That can make reading a very trying experience. Your eyes tend to fixate for a moment or two and then move on again causing you wonder what’s going on here. Does this sound like you?

We call this “trying” to read. By learning the speed-pacing movement that I?ll personally teach you, you’ll learn to control and accelerate your hand-to-eye coordination. This is called PACING. It is one of the 4 techniques taught in Speed Reading in Only One Hour.

To ensure the best results for the material you are going to be reading you must make sure the conditions around you are right before you begin. Determine exactly what you need to be able to read properly; textbooks, research material, and a hi-lighter? Remove or unplug: – Magazines, unless being used as a part of what you are going to read. – TV (except for educational programs). Stereo, radio will cause varied distractions. Turn them off. – Brothers, sisters, friends, etc. are in the way when you are reading. – Mate, spouse, lover. They easily can dissuade you from reading. – Food can break your concentration and reading pattems. – Alcohol/drugs – don’t even go there. Being stoned and studying is a sure fire failure. – Cigarettes fog your thinking abilities. Nicotine is a drug. – Marijuana – don’t go there either. A foggy brain is useless in an exam. – Take the phone off the hook. Put out the dog or cat. – Create a quiet reading/study space. You might want music playing; use soft, classical, meditation oriental or other forms of relaxing music. Play it very softly. This sounds pretty extreme; however, modify it for pleasure reading, early morning newspapers, or magazines.

The stage is now set for you to have a successful reading experience; use the tools provided and enjoy your new found advantage to reading, retaining, and learning.