E-learning: Distance Learning on the Internet

 

It's 10 A.M. Angela gets out of bed, brushes her teeth, and washes her face. She walks into the kitchen, makes a cup of coffee, and sits down at her computer. She logs on to her university's Web site and checks an e-mail from her economics professor about an assignment that is due on Tuesday. Then, she accesses the course message boards to read student comments about the week's assignment. She reviews this week's presentation online and then continues working on the economics problem set she has to finish for tomorrow evening.

How is Angela's experience different from a traditional university classroom experience? Well, for one thing, today is Sunday, and Angela is "at school." But for Angela, it doesn't matter because the doors to this "virtual university" are open 24 hours a day. She can submit homework assignments, review student discussions, and, although the university is in the United States, she can review her professor's presentation from her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Another thing that distinguishes Angela from traditional students is that she is not a full-time student. She is taking classes part-time to complete her business degree while working full-time for a computer software company. She can interact with and read comments from students all around the world in her virtual international classroom. Does it sound futuristic? Well, it is already happening on personal computers around the world.

In the information age, where knowledge is power, many full- and part-time professionals are going online to further their education and professional knowledge, obtaining multiple master’s degrees and other types of qualifications. Distance education has expanded significantly in the last few years because of the development of the Internet. The advantages distance learning offers to working professionals include convenience, flexibility, and the opportunity to accommodate multiple learning styles. In areas where unemployment is high or where tight work schedules can't accommodate traditional learning, e-learning has become very popular.

But skeptics wonder if distance education programs maintain a high quality of instruction and if they offer enough interaction with the instructor and other students in the class. It is still difficult to say if distance education is better than the classroom-based experience; it requires extra effort from the student and the teacher. However, the virtual classroom seems to be here to stay, and many people are taking advantage of it.

 

 

Workaholism

 

Most workers spend eight or nine hours on the job. They work because it’s unavoidable. They need to make enough money for necessities: food, rent, clothing, transportation, tuition, and so on. They spend about one- third of their lives at work, but they hate it. They complain and count the minutes until quitting time each day—or the days until their next vacation.

By contrast, there are some people who actually enjoy work—in fact, they love to work. They spend many extra hours on the job each week and often take work home with them. These workaholics are as addicted to their jobs as other people are to drugs or alcohol.

In some urban centers, workaholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual: They accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington, D.C., for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don’t do this because they have to; they do it because they want to. Hundreds of workaholics in New York City tried to go to work even in the famous blackout of 1977. There was no electricity—no air conditioning, elevators, or lights—but many people went to their offices anyway. They sat impatiently on the steps outside their office buildings and did paperwork or had business meetings.

Workaholism can be a serious problem. Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don’t know how to relax; that is, they might not enjoy movies, sports, or other types of entertainment. Most of all, they hate to sit and do nothing. The lives of workaholics are usually stressful, and this tension and worry can cause health problems such as heart attacks or stomach ulcers. In addition, typical workaholics don’t pay much attention to their families. They spend little time with their children, and their marriages may end in divorce.

Is workaholism always dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment are the same thing. Their jobs provide them with a challange; this keeps them busy and creative. Other people retire from work at age sixty-five, but workaholics usually prefer not to quit. They are still enthusiastic about work—and life—in their eighties and nineties.

Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers more than financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they’ve produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say, ‘I made that.” Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity; through participation in work, they get a sense of self and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are compulsive about their work, but their addiction seems to be safe- even an advantageous- one.

 

 

School Uniforms

By Hannah Boyd

Updated on Jul 21, 2008

 

To require uniforms or not to require uniforms: that is the question many school districts are facing these days. Students in many cities are wearing uniforms to school, and parents across the country are facing off over proposals to institute uniform policies. All this fuss over khaki pants and a white shirt?

While private and parochial schools have long required students to follow a dress code or wear uniforms, public schools have traditionally allowed students to wear what they (and their parents) like. Pro-uniform parents say that only worked because schools used to be safer. Now that kids are getting mugged for their designer clothes and expensive sneakers, school uniforms seem a safer alternative to many. Furthermore, uniforms prevent gang members from wearing gang colors and insignia to school, and make it easier for security guards to spot intruders.

Of course, the lack of a dress code isn’t an issue only in high-crime areas. Middle-class students report peer pressure to buy expensive clothing, cliquish behavior exacerbated by differences in what students can afford, and kids wearing inappropriately sexualized clothing that isn’t conducive to studying. Rachel Berman, who graduated from a private high school that required uniforms, says, “the uniforms contributed to a more sedate, professional feel that I think made it easier to focus on school.”

On the flip side, opponents believe uniforms squash creativity and free expression and worry that they could prevent students from expressing their religious or political beliefs. (In fact, the law requires that religious garb like yarmulkes and head scarves cannot be prohibited, and expressive gear like political buttons is allowed unless it interferes with the rights of others, as with gang insignia.) Many schools have an “opt-out” clause for students who choose not to wear the uniform, and most provide free uniforms to those who cannot afford them.

“My two children attend a school with a lower school uniform and I love it,” says Marcia Turner. “Having a specific set of clothes the kids must choose from makes outfit selection a no-brainer. No more fights or discussions about what to wear since that decision has virtually been made for them.”

“You’ll have the popular girls and the nerdier girls with or without the uniforms,” says Daisy Kong, who graduated from a parochial school that required uniforms. Nonetheless, she adds that, “there were days in college where I actually found myself missing my uniform because I didn’t know what to wear and would spend 30-40 minutes shuffling through my closet.”

 

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