Online Distance Learning

• What is ‘distance learning’?
• Have you ever tried online distance education?
• What would you prefer - online distance learning or regular classes? Why?

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Online distance learning is an instructional system which connects learners with educational resources. Students work on their own at home, at work, or at school and communicate with faculty and other students via e-mail, electronic forums, video conferencing, chat rooms, bulletin boards, instant messaging and other forms of computer-based communication.

Online education is available all the time and anywhere. However, there are drawbacks for some learners. The online learner only has the written text and no other face-to-face cues. This may confuse the learner and cause misunderstanding. While distance learning allows for openness, it is done by e-mail messages and writing and therefore may take more time than face-to-face learning. The large number of messages can sometimes be overwhelming for many online students.

Universities, colleges and schools use virtual online distance learning environments. These are important for students who may be unable to attend classes for various reasons like illnesses or busy everyday schedules. Some learners just want to further their studies at home. They enjoy the convenience of home learning as they take regular programs or enrichment classes.

Online courses keep learners very occupied at all hours of the day. There are a great deal of messages and other online resources to read and respond to. Most learners have regular jobs or attend regular school classes on ground as well. The benefits are clear and online distance learning is becoming very popular. Some virtual online classes have become a profitable business as they replace regular traditional means of learning.

There are benefits and obstacles in implementing distance-learning. Whether the goal of online learning is to meet existing standards of traditional education, distance learning, and especially online education, has opened the door to enhanced strategies in teaching and learning.

There are many benefits to using online distance learning environments. Distance education can be a frontier for new methods of communication, giving rise to innovative teaching and learning practices that may not be possible in traditional, place-bound education.

Online education is available anyplace, anytime, for global communities of learners based on shared interests. Online education with its group-based instruction and computer mediated communication provides an opportunity for new development and understanding in teaching and learning, encourages collaborative learning by not providing cues regarding appearance, race, gender, education or social status, giving a sort of anonymity to participants. Distance also allows the expression of emotion, both positive and negative, and promotes discussion that normally would be inhibited.

There is pressure to keep up with the times as well as a cost-of-entry issue regarding technology in education. Without a certain level of technology services and learning options, many students will not consider attending a certain institution. Any technology has to prove that it will improve or expand learning.

Choose the correct answer.

1. The word overwhelming in paragraph 2 means

     A. very great                                                

     B. very hard 

     C. defeat

     D. strong emotion

2. The word further in paragraph 3 means

     A. successful                                                          

     B. more distant

     C. far away                                                              

     D. increase; advance

3. The word implementing in paragraph 5 means

A. carrying out                                                 

B. requirement          

C. giving tools to                                             

D. use of

4. The word promote in paragraph 7 means

A. encourage                                                   

B. uphold      

C. discourage                                                  

D. sponsor

5. Online distance learning is an _______ system which connects learners with educational resources.

A. institutional                                      

B. instructional         

C. educational                                                  

D. professional

6. Online distance learning is becoming very _________.

A. unpopular                                        

B. easy  

C. difficult                                                        

D. popular

7. Distance education has encouraged _______ and learning practices.

A. traditional teaching                                       

B. innovative teaching  

C. old methods of teaching                              

D. none of the above

8. Online education is available ____ the time.

A. evening                                                       

B. morning          

C. afternoon                                                     

D. all

9. Virtual online distance learning is used in _________.

A. universities                                                    

B. hospitals      

C. supermarkets                                                 

D. offices

10. Distance learning also allows the expression of _______________ emotion.

A. positive                                                       

B. negative      

C. both (A) and (B)                                           

D. none of the above

Answer the following questions.

11. Write down any two disadvantages of online distance learning.

12. How does online distance learning help students who are ill?

 Phishing

• Have you ever received spam (unwanted e-mail messages, often advertisements)?
• What do you do when you find your inbox filled with spam?
• Have you ever clicked on links in e-mails sent by unknown persons?

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Millions of people have received “urgent” e-mails asking them to take immediate action to prevent something bad. “Our bank has a new security system. Update your information now or you won't be able to use your account.”

People who click on the links in these e-mails may see a web page that looks like a site they've visited before. Because the page looks familiar, these people enter their username, password, or other private information on the site. What they've actually done is given someone all the information needed to steal their money. They just fell for a phishing attack.

The idea behind such an attack is simple. A phisher pretends to be someone else to fool you into sharing personal or other sensitive information with them. Phishers can pretend to be banks, e-mail providers, online merchants, online payment services, and even governments.

The good news is there are things you can do to be safe from phishing attacks. Be careful about responding to e-mails that ask you for sensitive information. You should be careful about clicking on links in e-mails or replying to e-mails that are asking for things like account numbers, user names and passwords, or other personal information.

Go to the site yourself, rather than clicking on links in such e-mails. If you receive an e-mail asking for sensitive information, open a new browser window and go to the organization's website. Also, if you're not sure about a request you've received, don't be afraid to contact the organization directly to ask. It takes just a few minutes to go to the organization's website, find an e-mail address or phone number for customer support, and find out whether the request is genuine.

If you're on a site that's asking for sensitive information check for signs that it's really the official website for the organization. For example, check the URL to make sure the page is actually part of the organization's website, and not a fake page on a different domain (such as mybankk.com or g00gle.com.) If you're on a page that should be secure, look for “http” at the beginning of the URL.

Be careful about the “fabulous offers” and “fantastic prizes” that you'll sometimes come across on the Web. It could be a phisher trying to steal your information.

Use a browser that has a phishing filter. The latest versions of most browsers – such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera - include phishing filters that can help you spot possible phishing attacks.

Finally, if someone asks you to share personal or other sensitive information online, take a moment to think about the request carefully. Doing so will help you stay safe online.