Release the Bandwidth!

One of the shortfalls of online education, unfortunately, is a lack of Internet bandwidth in certain areas of the United States. According to a recent article that appeared on the Denver Post Web site, the “digital divide” is greater than we think.

Hardware Envy is So Yesterday

It used to be that we were envious of computer hardware. Now our jealousy is of the access some people have to high-speed Internet through cable television and satellite providers, as well as fiber optic access is select areas of the country. As we well know, a high-speed Internet connection is crucial to obtaining optimum benefits from online training courses. Without it, we might as well return to the traditional classroom.

Unfortunately, the quality of high-speed Internet access varies depending upon where you live. If you’re in a rural location, chances are, you don’t have access to top speeds. But, in urban centers and surrounding suburbs, you have lighting fast speeds and plenty of available bandwidth.

In addition, Internet access might be more costly in rural areas; less subscribers means passing along increased fees to existing users, while users in more populous areas might be able to get a break with the bundling options the cable and satellite providers entice us with.

“I think the divide has been redefined,” said Randy Boyer, executive director of the San Juan Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), which serves five counties in southwestern Colorado. “It’s more about whether you have equal access to what’s available through the technology — and no, we don’t right now. It’s a completely different divide than we used to have.”

At a time when “flipped” classrooms, online courses and blended learning — a combination of in-person and online instruction — present new educational opportunities for students, a lack of high-speed access to the Internet puts  far-flung districts and the urban poor at a distinct disadvantage.

Many regions in the United States are grappling with the transition from classroom education to online training, and the problem of Internet access is only now coming to the forefront. States like Colorado are addressing the issue, but others need to get on the stick and upgrade public works in order to give learners in rural areas the access they need in order to take advantage of this most important ability to acquire education and much-needed skills online.

Tell us, does your area have adequate high speed Internet? Has poor connectivity kept you from obtaining the online training courses you need? We want to hear from you!

Like Something? Don’t Like Something? Well, Speak Up!

By now you have surely noticed that you cannot do anything online today without a site asking you for feedback about your experience. Whether it’s finding a plumber, ordering food, or – you guessed it – partaking in online training, you will at some point be asked to share your thoughts. Some users view this task as a pain in the rear, but others will always oblige and provide the requested information. It might take a few minutes to complete a survey, or to write a short blurb that either gives a thumbs up or down, but don’t discount the importance of the task. Your words are not only helping a company improve its products, they are helping other people make informed decisions about products and services.

Good Business is All About Research

It’s no secret that businesses spend millions on research and development of their products, using focus groups, surveys, and other methods to determine what it is people want. Customer feedback gives companies the ability to rate themselves against the competition and find ways to entice the consumer to spend their hard-earned dollars on their products as opposed to their competitors’. This research takes a great deal of time and effort, but if the net result is positive word-of-mouth, the effort is worth its weight in gold.

Customer feedback is especially important when a company loses customers. It will determine why customers are no longer buying its products. The goal of the survey becomes finding out if there is anything the company can do to win a customer’s business back. For example, a company that sells accounting software for small businesses might call thousands of former customers to determine why they stopped using the product. The company might discover that customers do not like paying $19.95 per month for 10 features, when most use only two or three features; they may prefer an alternative pricing structure. Regardless of the reasons, the company would have no way of knowing what was turning off its customers without contacting them.

Feedback is Especially Important For Online Training

In order for online education and training to gain a solid reputation as a viable mode of learning, feedback is especially important. Those who purchase training courses or partake in other types of online coursework must make an effort to provide feedback so other learners can get a sense of what its all about. Remember, regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative, the contribution is the most important part. If the content creator is reputable, he or she will consider the comments left by learners in order to improve or modify the content to make it more user-friendly and appealing to everyone.

Coggno wants to practice what we preach. If you’ve used our online learning marketplace, leave us a comment on our Facebook page.

If you have a story you’d like to share about a good or bad online training course you’ve taken, post it here!

Are We Little Brains or Big Brains?

I recently read an interesting blog entry about a course offered at Johns Hopkins University called Mind, Brain, and Teaching, given by Mariale Hardiman, author of the book, The Brain Targeted Teaching Model for 21st Century Schools.

In the post the author talks about the Brain Targeted Teaching Model (BTTM), which espouses six stages of teaching and learning processes, which are (and this is only the treetops here): establishing an emotional climate for learning; creating the physical learning environment; designing the learning experience; teaching for mastery of content, skills and concepts; teaching for the extension and application of knowledge; and, evaluating learning. If that isn’t a truckload of scientific drivel, I don’t know what is.

The truth is, learning is all about keeping the learner engaged, no matter what age or level of education. Way back when (in the 70s and 80s in my personal experience), teaching was all about the relationship between the teacher and pupil. Where I grew up, good teachers were fewer and farther between, especially by the time I got to high school. By then, the sense of “I don’t give a crap” coming from my educators was so strong, that I fell into the same rut they were in. It’s no surprise that I didn’t really excel at school until I returned to it later on in life. And, the fear element was greater then than it is today. I can remember cowering in fear from some of my teachers; third and fifth grades stand out in my mind. Today, in many academic settings, the roles have been reversed.

While studying the brain is a worthwhile endeavor, when it comes to learning all bets are off. Now, we have to embrace all different types of educational tools in order to engage the average student. There is so much more visual stimulation today than there was when I was a student that teachers are lost when it comes to motivating their charges. What’s the answer? Well, there is no clear-cut solution at the moment, but what helps is embracing quality online coursework to supplement the classroom experience. That goes not only for K through 12 students, but for adults in the workplace looking to further their careers.We’ve all been blessed with access to a plethora of technology, and it makes sense to use it for more than video gaming and online shopping. Unfortunately, the quality of the educational tools currently available varies greatly, to the point were getting an education requires a significant amount of homework before the real work begins.

Don’t get me wrong – I applaud the study of the brain; but we all need to grow and learn at every available opportunity. As our brains mature, so do we as people. And to do that, we always have to keep the educational journey in mind.

If you’ve been on a “questionable” educational journey recently, we want to hear about it. Then, if you want to see what quality online learning looks like (no brain scan necessary), visit Coggno.com.

Don’t Let the Kids Leave You In the Dust!

School is almost back in session and many teachers have already begun to gear up for the new year. We don’t need to get slapped with a ruler to know that kids can spot a fake better than we adults can. That includes a teacher that pretends to be technologically advanced when he or she doesn’t know a smartphone from a toaster oven. The best teachers know that learning must be integrated with today’s technology in order to be successful. That means they have to be well versed on all the newest technology and social media trends in order to keep their students engaged. Plus, communicating with parents is no longer as easy as making a phone call. In this busy electronic world, you have to juggle multiple phone numbers and e-mail addresses in order to track them down.

We can’t just assume that everyone is as “with it” technologically as we’d like. Some people eschew technology for a more traditional approach, but unfortunately, when it comes to education, you’ll get left behind quicker than last year’s back-to-school clothes if you don’t adapt to the constant changes. And, the most important of those changes is being technologically up-to-date.

In order to usher in the new school year with a bang, here are some suggestions to help you bond with technology, and better engage your students:

Broaden the Number of Sources Students Can Use For Projects: Encourage students to use blogs, podcasts, and other online sources for papers and reports. Get them comfortable with online communication by asking them to interview subjects using Skype.

Have Students Collaborate With Other Students In Different Locations: Arrange group projects with students in other schools. Those schools could be local or even abroad. Have them interact exclusively online!

Ask Students to Create Mock Social Media Profiles For Historical Figures: What would Benjamin Franklin have posted if he he had a Facebook page?

Ask For Report Submissions as Podcasts: Students can jazz up reports or presentations by submitting them as podcasts. This gives them an opportunity to be even more creative.

Take a Trip Around the World Without Leaving the Classroom: Access images of famous places and landmarks online; a virtual world tour is at your fingertips.

Stay In Touch With Parents Via Your Blog: Start a blog and keep it updated with regular progress reports on each student.

These are just a few ideas teachers should consider to make the new school year fun and interesting. But, if you’re a little lacking when it comes to technology, don’t fret: there’s plenty of time to get up to speed before Labor Day. Many skills are super-easy to learn and can be self-taught. If you need a little extra help, there are plenty of online tutorials out there, many free of charge, and others at a nominal expense.

For more about how you can become a techno-force, visit Coggno.com for access to a wide variety of top-notch online training courses.

Do Your Homework When Choosing Your Online Training Courses

It’s no secret that online education choices are becoming plentiful, but prospective students have to be picky when it comes to choosing their courses. Unfortunately, there are many scams out there in virtual academia, and you have to be careful not to fall victim to any of them.

We’ve all been inundated with ads for schools offering quick degree programs and such, many of them for free. But really, how much in life is really free? With all the talk about how expensive a traditional college education has become, we should all know better than to believe that we can really obtain a degree online for free. And, if that degree is promised by a school you’ve never hear of, chances are, it’s a big fat scam. Nothing in life is free, and a degree you can get while sleeping is most assuredly too good to be true. Think of all those weight loss ads that promise results despite being able to eat anything you want and not exercise.

Many universities that previously eschewed online learning are dipping their collective toes in the water by offering “MOOCs,” an acronym for “Massive Open Online Courses.” These MOOCs are free to anyone who can access them online, from anywhere in the world. Schools like MIT, Duke University, Johns Hopkins, the University of Toronto and other big academic names are making lectures available online, but not for students interested in obtaining degrees. The idea is to give students the opportunity to expose themselves to coursework without making a commitment. If you just want knowledge, MOOCs are ideal. If you’re in the market for a degree, there will be homework involved.

Many online training and education pundits are encouraged by the creation of MOOCs, but there’s no telling at this point what they might morph into. Many traditional universities have not fully embraced online learning, and others have made myriad online degree programs available to students. Students, however, are the ones getting caught in the tsunami of choices.

Our advice to anyone planning to embark on a training course of degree program online: Choose carefully! Make sure you read up on your chosen institution/training provider before you sign up for anything, and definitely before you give up the digits to your credit card. Make sure the institution is reputable, and accredited to provide the education you want. Same goes for training, especially if you need a certificate or some other type of proof that you’ve completed the necessary sessions.

Remember, Anything worth doing is worth doing right; that is especially true of online education.

For the best in online training, make sure you check out Coggno.com for training courses in hundreds of categories.