ONLINE EDUCATION

Online Education

E-learning (or sometimes electronic learning or e Learning) is a term which is commonly used, but does not have a common definition^.Most frequently it seems to be used for web-based distance education, with no face-to-face interaction. However, also much broader definitions are common. For example, it may include all types of technology enhanced learning (TEL), where technology is used to support the learning process. Although pedagogy is usually not part of the definition, some authors do include it. For example in this definition, where e-learning is said to be: "pedagogy empowered by digital technology". It is important to realize that the term e-learning is ambiguous. It is nearly impossible to define what it is, as it has different meanings to different people . Furthermore, it is often used interchangeably with various other related terms, such as distance learning, distributed learning, and electronic learning. The meaning of the term also seems to be dependent on the context in which it is used. In companies, it often refers to the strategies that use the company network to deliver training courses to employees. Lately in most Universities, e-learning is used to define a specific mode to attend a course or programmes of study where the students rarely or never meet face-to-face, nor access on-campus educational facilities, because they study online.

SCHOOL EDUCATION :THE FARCE

SCHOOL EDUCATION

Education is described as the training and instructions given to humans. It also gives a person the ability to develop character and mental power. Education is one of the things that make a human being different from animals.It is compared to a light that lighta up the darkness.In other words it mean that people become more aware of things in life and they see things from a different perspective.It also leads a person from mental bankruptcy to enlightenment.

Education can be obtained formally and informally. The education we get at schools and colleges is termed formal education and the education we gety at home regarding family values and social relationship is called informal education.

A Cinese proverbs says,"If you are planning for a year, sow rice, if you are planning for ten years plant trees but if you are planning fof hundred years, educate people."Education is the backbone of a society.It holds the foundations of civilizations and development. If the system of educating people is good in a country, the country makes rapid progress. This is reason why millions of dollars are earmarked for education in the developed countries.

Today, in the contest of Nepal, the problems faced by students are numerous. The poorer people do not have acess to good quality education. The Goverment schools do not provide the quality that is needed to compete in today's world. The officials and thieves who pose as educationist pocket most of the funds. The students, who are supposed to be given free books, are not given the books. The case scenario is worse as one goes further towards the villages.The students have to study in classrooms that have no benches, that leak and sometimes they have no roof. The teachers are under-qualified and most of them have got the job because of their affiliation to politicians and political parties. They are not competent enough to teach.

The situation is slightely different in private schools. Though the standard is better than the government schools the motive of running a private school is solely profit. In a country where most of the people have to think twice before buying meat for dinner, they simply cannot affort the exorbitant fees of the private schools. A chlid, who may have beeen studying in the same school for years, has to be readmitted every year after an exorbitant fee. They are charged for rediculous things like electricity, bedding care, horse riding, building maintenence and a host of another things that these business people can think of . Money is collected on every other occations, making some excuse or the other some of the facilities, that the school may boast of are never provided to the students. So the parents are regurarly looted in the name of education. Another problem with the private school is that there are too many schools with too little qualities. Education is a business, not an academec excercise any more. Educating a child in a private school has become a luxery rather a need. Although the principals say different and provide an excuse of everything. The hole they bore in the pockets of parents are huge.

To better the standard of education, the government needs to look seriously into the matter. If things are not changed now, and the business setup dismanted the whole system will collapse like a house of cards that it is.

SEX EDUCATION

Sex Education

Sex Education, broadly defined, any instruction in the processes and consequences of sexual activity, ordinarily given to children and adolescents. Today the term usually refers to classroom lessons about sex taught in primary and secondary schools.
Historically, the task of instructing adolescents about sex has been seen as the responsibility of the parents. But parent-child communication in sexual matters may be hindered by parental inhibitions or by various intergenerational tensions, and studies have shown that children rarely receive their first information on sexual matters from their parents.
In the late 19th century, attempts by educators and social workers to supplement parental sex instruction concentrated on what was then known as "social hygiene"—basically, biological and medical information about human reproduction and venereal disease. In the post-World War II era, however, the relaxation of traditional social norms governing sexual activity, as well as the torrent of sex-related information available to children via the mass media, made a more sophisticated and comprehensive program of sex education seem desirable to many. The obvious forum for such an effort was the public school.

In the mid-20th century, many U.S. school districts established sex-education programs that ranged from a few lectures given to secondary school students to integrated and comprehensive lessons beginning in kindergarten and extending through 12th grade or junior college. The variety of subjects covered include the physical processes of human reproduction; the workings of male and female sex organs; the origin, dissemination, and effects of venereal disease; family roles and structures; and the emotional and psychological causes and consequences of sex, marriage, and parenting. Frequently, however, the larger societal and ethical questions stemming from sexual behavior, being highly subjective in nature, are not regarded as appropriate to a strictly factual approach. At all levels of instruction, teaching methods may include visual aids, lectures, and moderated discussions.

Surveys have shown that in the U.S. many parents approve of some type of public school sex education, but in practice there has always been opposition to such programs. Questions about the state's usurpation of parental rights and responsibilities, the adequacy of ethical instruction, and the wisdom of imparting sexual information to immature minds have been raised by concerned opp

SPECIAL EDUCATION

special education
Special Education, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of disabled or gifted children. Disabled children have conditions that adversely affect their progress in conventional education programs. Gifted children, who demonstrate high capacity in intellectual, creative, or artistic areas, may also fare poorly in regular education programs.

Special education services can help both disabled and gifted children make progress in education programs. Most children served by special education programs are between the ages of 6 and 17.
In the United States, federal law requires states to identify and serve all children with disabilities. Public education and health officials in the United States identified approximately 5.4 million infants, toddlers, children, and youth as disabled in 1994. That same year, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 12.2 percent of all children below the age of 21 received some form of special education. The most frequently reported disabilities are speech or language impairments; mental retardation and other developmental disorders; serious emotional disturbance; and specific learning disorders, such as memory disorders. Other disabilities include hearing, visual, or orthopedic impairments; autism; and traumatic brain injury. An increasing number of children in the United States are identified as having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and receive special education services.

Many schools in the United States provide special education services for gifted children, although federal law does not mandate these services. Gifted children demonstrate exceptionally high abilities in intellectual, creative, academic, leadership, or artistic areas. Estimates of the gifted population in the United States range from 3 to 15 percent of all schoolchildren.

KINDERGARTEN

Kindergarten

Kindergarten, entering-class level of elementary school or the last year of preschool. Kindergarten programs emphasize creative play, social interaction, and natural expression. They also teach social skills and provide children with an academic foundation for first grade.
Kindergarten students are typically four or five years of age. In class, they are introduced to the alphabet, numbers, and colors; they study their bodies, their families, and their communities; they listen to stories read aloud; they make art projects; they participate in skits and dramatic productions; and they learn about holidays, plants, animals, and other topics in science and social studies. Some kindergartens also teach introductory reading and mathematical skills. Kindergartens strive to offer children a foundation for the development of social skills, self-confidence, motivation, and cognition (the process of knowing).

EDUCATION OF GIFTED STUDENTS

Education of Gifted Students

Education of Gifted Students is area in the field of special education concerned with the instruction of students who have exceptionally high abilities. The United States Department of Education describes "giftedness" as exceptionally advanced performance or the potential for outstanding performance in intellectual, creative, leadership, artistic, or specific academic fields. Children who demonstrate outstanding talents come from all social, cultural, and economic groups.

Educators believe that gifted students require special education services because their learning needs differ significantly from those of the general population. They learn more rapidly and are able to understand more abstract and complex ideas. They are also able to transform existing knowledge into new and useful forms, and to create new knowledge recognized for its originality, complexity, and elegance. Special education services and facilities for gifted children may enhance these abilities. In addition, some gifted learners may require special counseling services to address social or emotional adjustment issues that are complicated by their exceptional abilities.

Many regular elementary and secondary schools in the United States offer special programs designed specifically to meet the needs of gifted students. Some schools provide specialized education programs to gifted children exclusively. These schools offer advanced education in mathematics, science, technology, the arts, or other academic disciplines. Many school districts rely on intelligence tests to identify gifted students (see Psychological Testing: Intelligence Tests). However, most guidelines for determining giftedness recommend the use of a combination of standardized test scores (see Standardized Testing), rating systems developed by individual schools, classroom observational records, and performance assessments.
Because definitions of giftedness vary widely, the precise number of gifted students in the United States is difficult to determine. Nevertheless, according to a report of the Council of State Directors of Gifted Programs, 32 states reported providing specialized education services to a total of almost 2.4 million gifted students in 1990. Other states surveyed by the council did not report the number of gifted students served. Some states identified more than 10 percent of students as gifted, while others identified fewer than 5 percent

EDUCATION OF DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students is specially designed instruction for children who have mild to profound hearing loss or who are deaf. Deafness can be defined two ways, audiologically and culturally. These differing perspectives on deafness often conflict, and they help explain some of the heated controversies that have affected the field of deaf education throughout its history.
Physical, medical, clinical, and educational definitions of deafness and hearing loss are similar. They are based on audiological measurements of an individual’s ability to hear sounds of different levels of pitch and loudness. Specialists compare these measurements with average hearing levels to determine the extent of an individual’s hearing loss.
People are referred to as hard of hearing if their hearing levels are low enough to interfere with basic activities—such as schooling—but not so disabling that they cannot understand speech. Those who have difficulty understanding speech, even with hearing aids, are called deaf. Cultural definitions of deafness, on the other hand, emphasize an individual’s various abilities, use of sign language, and connections with the culturally deaf community. This perspective of deafness does not compare hearing levels. Instead, it views deaf people as being as capable as hearing people, different in the language they use, but not disabled.
Deaf and hard of hearing children often benefit from modifications in their educational environments. Because most children learn the language of their parents simply by hearing it, some deaf and hard of hearing children may struggle to learn spoken languages such as English and may have difficulty speaking clearly. Difficulty with spoken language may also make learning to read and write more challenging. Many of these problems can be avoided by recognizing a hearing loss when it first appears—often right after birth, if the child is born deaf.
If specialists determine hearing loss in a child, changes should be made in the child’s environment to make language accessible to the child at a very young age. Depending on the type and extent of the child’s hearing loss, these environmental changes might include teaching the child’s parents and other caregivers to use sign language or to use cued speech, a system of manually "cueing" sounds that are not visible for speechreading (lipreading). It also might include the use of hearing aids to make speech loud enough for the child to understand it, or surgery to insert cochlear implants, devices for receiving and transmitting information about sounds to the brain. For many deaf and hard of hearing children, however, the discovery of their hearing loss is not early enough to prevent some delay in their acquisition of language. In addition, hearing aids and cochlear implants may not convey sound well enough for some deaf children to understand speech