Special Ed Robotic Instruction for One-On-One Education

One of the biggest challenges we have in special education in our schools, at least out here in California in my area is the cost of one-on-one education. A good many of these kids really do need one-on-one instruction as that is the most appropriate given the situation, or at least multiple teachers or teacher aides per classroom, and those classroom sizes are smaller, and it's a lot to handle when helping these kids learn.

There have been significant strides made in working with computers and avatars to help Special Ed kids, and that's a wonderful thing, but still we must reduce the cost further. Of course that's difficult without lowering the level of instruction. Okay so let's talk about this for a second and some potential solutions.

First, our think tank has been working hard to come up with new ways to improve the efficiency without reducing quality of the classroom. It's all about costs, budget controls, and leveraging the technology. Still, the teachers need latitude, and freedom to do their teaching.

Irlen Syndrome - What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Irlen Syndrome is defined as a visual processing disorder that can mimic what people consider to be dyslexia and/or ADD/ADHD. Discovered by Helen Irlen some 30+ years ago, Irlen Syndrome can be the leading cause of many learning difficulties.

People with Irlen Syndrome have a light sensitivity in the Visual Cortex - the part of the brain responsible for interpreting the light waves which make up the images we see. For these people, certain parts of the light spectrum cause problems. When those colours are absent, reading and writing can occur easily. When the colours are present, the individual with Irlen experiences discomfort, fatigue, and a general feeling of 'this is all too hard'.

Basically, what happens is the images sent via the eyes to the brain travel through 2 nerves (4 in total - 2 from each eye). Normally, these 2 nerves fire at the same time sending an image which is in sync; crisp and clear for the brain to interpret. In Irlen Syndrome, one of these nerves fires at a slower rate causing the resulting images to be blurry and fuzzy - similar to looking at a 3 D TV screen without the 3 D glasses on.

Is Modern Technology Bad for Learning? Tips for the User of Modern Technology

Recently I went to my beauty salon to get my hair cut. They were running a special - "Hair Cuts for $7.00 after 7:00 pm on Tuesday evenings." There were more people than usual in the waiting area because of the special as many of us are looking for ways to save money. Most of us who were waiting were visually occupying ourselves while we waited. There were five to six people using hand-held electronic devices - phones, iPads etc. Two people were reading magazines and two of us were reading books. I do not know specifically what the owners of the electronic devices were doing - there are many ways to use these devices including talking, texting, listening to music, playing games, surfing the web and reading. It appeared that most of the users were visually occupied.

Since we see such great technological advancement in our day, we may think that we have increased in our intelligence. Sadly, our education system seems to be floundering. Some would have us think that our forefathers were widely illiterate. 

Advantages of Distance Learning Programs

Distance learning is gaining prominence among students eager to upgrade themselves for better career prospects. Distance courses serves as an alternative for students looking out for further education without undergoing any form of conventional classroom learning. With the rising competitiveness in the market, more and more adults are taking interest in pursuing higher education. Considering the rise in interest for higher education via distance program, education providers are looking forward to offer new technologies in order to meet this demand.

Distance education courses, no doubt, offer much of freedom and flexibility. Most students enrolling for distance education courses are working full-time and are not in a situation to quit their jobs. They need a source of income to run their family's expenses and quitting jobs mean inviting financial problems. Hence, in order to upgrade their educational qualifications along with a job, they prefer taking up distance learning courses.

Benefits of Distance Education Programs: