DIstance Learning Becomes more popular as Technology Developes

Distance learning becomes a more common form of learning
As an alternative to traditional classroom learning, distance learning is being offered at many educational institutions around the world. Distance learning is a teaching method which involves educating students who are not physically in the presence of the educator. This method of learning expands the potential for students to acquire the knowledge they want to obtain while better accommodating their everyday lifestyles. The main obstacle that lies in distance    learning is the advancement of the technology and   resources available to students. The more developed the technology is the better the opportunity for the growth of distance learning. Students will be able to utilize more learning resources which will enhance their learning experience.

Distance learning provides students with more opportunities to learn
Through distance learning many students are able to obtain an education outside of the classroom. This aspect is very beneficial because its allows the students who are actually unable to attend the lecture to learn the information required. Foreign students who can't afford to travel to a specific college, handicapped students, students with children, and many others heavily benefit from distance learning because of its convenience. As long as you have an internet connection you can access materials online that are needed in order to learn the material. Distance learning also tends to be the more cost effective option when comparing to the traditional college experience. When attending college most people tend to live on campus, so aside from tuition and other random fees, students have to pay for room and board and a meal plan; this averages out to thousands of dollars. Some students chose to commute so instead of room and board and a meal plan, they pay for parking permits, gas, and food while on campus. With all those cost added up it can become very expensive to commute everyday. The alternative options is distance learning. With distance learning your are saving more money than the other options because you are not paying for gas, parking permits, or room and board, and you can simply eat food at home so a meal plan is not needed. The money you save from participating in distance learning can be saved or used towards other things you need. Distance learning is also a lot more flexible than traditional learning styles. Since the material is online, students can access the content at their own convenience. When learning, the lecture will most likely be your primary source of information, this is not always accessible when your are learning the traditional way. Adam Kelley, an Information Technology Engineer for the Distance Education Technology and Services Department (DETS)at the University of Maryland, tells how the lecture and slides are always available online when using distance education. Distance education seems to be the better options because its more accommodating, cost effective and flexible.



Thoughts and concerns: Can distance learning compare to the real experience?
Although some are excited about the new opportunities that distance learning brings, some are still worried that it cannot compare to classroom learning. Some people are worried that the punctuality of distance learning is off. For example, some students expressed that after class or during office hours they can ask the teacher questions and are unaware of how to do this through distance learning. Majority of professors who teach distance learning conduct online office hours where students can express their concerns verbally or through text. In addition, most professor put a framework in the syllabus which tells students when the professor will be responding to emails and other concerns. This poses another concern, students wondered if they were away from their computer, how would they access the online lecture, office hours, and other resources. Currently majority of people own a smart phone, tablet, or other devices that are capable of accessing the internet. Many institutions are making apps for these devices which can access the distance learning content they need. University of Maryland currently has an app out for iphones and ipads which let you join video conferences where you can learn information and communicate with the professor and fellow peers. The DETS department at University of Maryland is currently working to make this app available on all devices.



Overall, while some prefer the traditional settings of classroom learning, distance learning is an alternative option that will be available. Distance learning, in some cases, even succeeds in the amount of resources available when compared to traditional learning. Distance learning will become more used as technology further develops. Here is what Alijeh, a student at the University of Maryland, feels about this matter.

listen to ‘Ali interview’ on Audioboo

The Ability to Raise Retention Rates in STEM Majors through Technology

Many people who start off college a in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) majors tend to change their major before they graduate. With the current demand for students graduating in STEM majors, the United States has made several attempts to increase retention rates throughout these fields. Although attempts have been made, to produce better results, the government need to find out from students directly why they tend to switch out of STEM majors. The main cause for the switch is the rigor and dullness of the the classes within these majors. Traditional methods of teaching is used throughout major of the classes in these fields; which is where the problem lies. We live in a world that is constants advancing in the technology industry. Many people are becoming overwhelmed with all the new electronic gadgets and their attention span towards anything non-electric is becoming shorter. This is where the problem lies, many students cannot just sit, stare at chalkboards, and read books all day. With all the gadgets developed in todays age, why cant we incorporate them into classroom learning? Other majors, like journalism, are catching on. Some journalism classes include an online portion and in others you use ipads, ipods, and/or other technological devices to complete your assignments and learn the required material. STEM majors should take advantage of the constantly developing technology and use it in their favor. Most would agree that using an interactive application on the ipad to learn about fluid dynamics is a lot more interesting than reading about it from a textbook. On the other hand, some would argue that technology would pose a threat to learning overall, that it would only be a distraction to students in the classroom. The question remains, would the infusion of technology in STEM majors increase retention rates?

Other Opinions 

listen to ‘Ali interview’ on Audioboo

Technology Poses new ways of learning in the classroom

Technology in the classroom distracts already distracted students

Many different majors incorporate technology in their curriculum

The United States Government plans to infuse technology in STEM majors

Interviews about the Infusion of technology in the classroom

Interview #1

listen to ‘Ali interview’ on Audioboo

Interview #2

listen to ‘Enos interview’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘test #1’ on Audioboo

Is your social media password really protected?

The invasion of ones personal life is unethical 

When it comes to the practice of asking for someone’s password the phrase invasion of privacy comes to mind. Everyone understands the moral ethics revolved around snooping through another individuals personal information. This same moral rule applies directly to the subject of asking for employees social media network passwords. The rule in code of ethics states that you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If the roles were switched and the employer was now the employee, the new employee would not want their employer looking though their private information, ones employer should never have the right to snoop through your personal social media webpage.

Maryland passes bill protecting social media website passwords

Many people have been faced with the decision of whether or not to provide their employers with their passwords to social media websites. When employers ask for this information it creates an uncomfortable atmosphere, leaving employees wondering if it is an invasion of privacy for employers to search through their private web pages. Maryland has taken a stand being the first state to pass a law banning employers from prompting applicants and current employees for their passwords to their many different social media websites. Many feel as though this wide spread issue needs to be addressed in all state to provide the protection of employees personal lives from being intertwined with their professional life. 

United States House of Representatives declines Facebook user protection amendment 

The utilitarian approach of doing the greatest good for the greatest amount of people should be applied to this topic. Although separate states are attempting to put a ban on the prompting of the password, many people believe that this should be an issue for the federal government. If the federal government was able to pass a law that prohibited this unfair employment practice, privacy in the workplace would exist in all career fields. An attempt was made to pass an amendment that would provide Facebook users the ability  protection of their password, but after one day of discussion the House voted against the legislation. Majority of the Republicans, who voted against the legislation argued that the proposed legislation by the Democrats didn't help, but they were willing to work on a better proposal in the future. 

Employers try to justify the practice of asking for password
Employers feel that in order to get a better judgement of the prospective candidate for a job position they need to know how they behave off the clock. People tend to act different and more relaxed in unprofessional settings, and their true character, motives and values tend to shine. Employers want to know this information to see if the potential candidate has what it takes to keep the company moving in the right direction. In instances where management is not around they want to know does the candidate have the attributes that will motivate him to keep working or relax on the job. Employers use social media websites to find out as much as they can in order to help them with their decision making in the hiring process. Although the reason behind this practice is understandable, the method still poses ethical issues.

Tips for safeguarding your social media webpage
Career coach Lauren Allen provides tips to safe guard your Facebook from unwanted eyes. The first and most important rule is to always keep your Facebook private and view-able by only family and selected friends. When posting material on your Facebook you should always be conscious of what you post. Allen's rules is that "if you would not want your grandmother to see it do not post it." This rule applies to photos, post, and all other media that can be posted on such websites. Although people should not have to be cautious of their personal life activities, precautions are necessary until a law can be passed protecting them from invasion of privacy on the web.

The practice of employers asking for passwords to websites like Facebook and Twitter is becoming a bigger issue in society today. A push to pass more state or federal laws is currently being pursued due of the amount of lawsuit arising from this practice. Hopefully in the near future a amendment will be passed protecting all citizens in the United States from unfair hiring practices like the prompting of the password.

The Cold Hard Facts: Ratings Vs. Share

The difference
When most people mention the success of a television show they speak about it ratings. Ratings are the amount of people tuned into a specific program, out of the total amount of people who own televisions; whether it be on or off. This number is normally displayed as a percentage to easily display how popular a specific program is compared to another. A common belief is that the rating is not very accurate because it includes people who are not currently watching tv, so another measuring system exists called share. THe share is the percent of households tuned into a specific program, station, or network, out the amount of people who are currently using their tv.

Usage Statistics 
Last Sunday Tv by the Number posted ratings and share for Fox, Nbc, Abc, Uni, and Cbs. Nbc raked up better scores than any of the other four tv stations. Rating and share scores usually correlate with each other so its not surprising that Nbc had higher scores in both categories. The tv station was above all others largely because of its Sunday night football games. Two very popular teams, the Giants and the Eagles, with very big fan bases faced off, so this most likely increased viewing statistics. In addition football itself has a very large fan base, and since only one game is being played on Sunday nights majority of the people watch it. Fox came in second with a second with a rating of 4.6 and s share of 12.

Places to Watch
With technology getting better more people are finding other places to watch tv. Although tv is still widely watch on actual television screens, most people watch tv on the internet, mobile devices, and different game consoles. Aside from tv mostly watch television on the internet. It is easily accessible on the net on websites like hulu and tv.com. After the internet is mobile devices. This method is not as popular because the screen size of mobile devices is not big. Most people prefer to see items on a large scale rather than a small scale.

Who owns it, You or Digital Rights Management companies?

Restrictions on your property
Digital right management (DRM) is technology used to limit the purchasers freedom with certain products. It is used as an attempt to combat illegal copyright of the materials you you obtains legally. Most present day items contain some form of DRM so buyers can stay faithful to the sellers brand and products. Some examples of DRM include how I phone applications aren't compatible on droids, and that you can play a video game you brought on the platform of your choice.

DRM: How its Used
DRM is used as a form of encryption software that technology companies install on their products. The software prevents users from doing different things with their purchased materials like making copies, transferring music, and using another companies materials on their devices.

Killing Our Downloads Softly
Apple has been using DRM for years now. The very popular Ipods they make are only compatible with their brand of music player; Itunes. In addition you can only connect your Ipod to one Itunes, and if you connect it to another it will attempt to erase your whole music selection. This means that if you would like to get a song from your friends Itunes, which is perfectly legal, you will not be able to unless you are willing to sacrifice your entire collection of music. This forces you to buy the song for yourself even though you shouldn't be prompted to. I believe DRM is completely unfair and users should be free to do as they choose.