Google has finally broken into the world of social networking. Not to say they did not have social networking sites before. Their social networking sites such as Orkut or OpenSocial were not such a hit within the online social networking community. With these sites, they were following the same mold of Facebook and Twitter who fan base started from scratch and then grew with popularity.
What Google have now done is simply a stroke of genius. They have embedded Google buzz into their Gmail service. As a result, the fan base is already existent and studies show is growing at an average 176 million visitors each month. Although Google buzz is new, its impact is huge as users of the service gave access to all the gadgets of the Gmail service including streaming of status updates, links, videos and buzzes. To fathom the impact of Google Buzz, one would have to imagine cramming Twitter, Yammer, Yelp, Facebook and Foursquare into one social network.
Uses of Google Buzz in Education
The open source approach that Google has adopted in the development of Google Buzz has increased the excitement level in the secondary application development market. The flexibility of Google Buzz has brought with it many useful applications outside of the direct social networking world. After close examination, we have seen where Google Buzz has many ways in which it can be incorporated into the educational system. Some of these methods include:
Users of Google Buzz are able to conduct Facebook and twitter like conversations. Students can use this forum to communicate easily with their peers without having to sign into another social networking site while checking their Google mail. They can even throw open questions much like a Facebook status message but with a more interactive flavor.
Being embedded into Google Gmail service, teachers can easily conduct research on any topic without losing sight of the happenings of fellow teachers and linked students.
With Google Buzz, teachers are now able to maintain a closer relationship with their online students.Teachers can now easily with one application use their Gmail embedded Google Buzz to disseminate and collect assignments and then make immediate comments either generally or to specific students. This will certainly reduce the hard copy paper work at school, as all messages can be easily stored on request.
Unlike Twitter, with Google teachers are able to select who can see particular buzz they upload. Therefore, if they want to address only a part of the class you can do so using Google buzz without fear of general exposure.
Google buzz has brought with it an easier method of promoting ideas or items to the public. This is a great opportunity for research doctors at universities to promote their ideas. What Google has done is to give users of the Google buzz the ability to make public posts that are included into their general Google search engine. As a result, professors only have to include keywords that will attract traffic and direct this traffic to your post.
The term “accredited” has been sported by many online institutions and is one of those key words that students look for when choosing online universities. However, how much do really understand by the term accredited and what are the responsibilities that come with the term? Even without knowing the definition of the term its existence have significant influence on the value of your online degree and how much it is accepted by the wider employment community.
What is Accreditation?
The term accreditation refers to an accepted standard that must be met by online universities to be associated with a particular standard. These standards will vary on the type and level of courses and the stipulation established by state educational boards and peers. It is used to give an insight into aspects such as the level of instructors, amount and type of financial assistance available for students and how much assistance the university receives from industry contributors. These contributions may be in the form of technology, financing or placements for graduates.
The Accreditation Debate
It is a fact that not all online universities have received accreditation from any of the many accreditation agencies set up to regulate the educational standards of online universities. There is currently a heated debate on how to weight online universities when compared to traditional universities. Supporters of online universities suggest that online universities provide the same education as traditional instructions and thus should receive the same accreditation. On the other hand, supporters of tradition institutions lament the fat there is no direct contact between students and doctors and so the student loses some amount of influence.
In the interim as the debate continues, the Department of Education have appointed agencies in six regions to act as accreditation bodies that spans across state borders to accommodate the various types of online universities.
How to know if your University is accredited?
The US department of Education does not itself accredit online universities. The task of accrediting online universities is delegated to regional bodies that are strategically located to cover the spans of the United States. These regional agencies have established guidelines as dictated by the secretary of education, industry players and their peers. They carry out various forms of assessments to ensure online universities adhere to the established standards. These may come in the form of tracking student complaints, checking of course work material and monitoring of university accounts.
To check on the accreditation of a particular online college, students can visit one of the many websites set up buy accreditation agencies. These include a database established by the US Department of Education @ http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx where students simply enter the name and location of the university to gain accreditation information.
What to do if your University is not accredited?
If you conduct an accreditation search and found out that your online university is not accredited, the first to do is to contact your nearest state accreditation agency with jurisdiction over that states education affairs. There may be various reasons why any particular online university may not have gain accreditation. These include:
The university is relative new and has not completed all their requirements that qualify them for accreditation. They will also on the progress the university is making towards accreditation.
The accrediting agency has received overwhelming complaints about the conduct of the university. As a result, their accreditation has been suspended pending improvements.
Kaplan University – Widely regarded as one of the best online universities in the world, at Kaplan University you can earn your Associate and Bachelor in Paralegal Studies degrees with emphasis in social security law, corporate law, legal technology, employment law, family law and personal injury.
Keiser University eCampus – If you are looking for a top, career-oriented accredited online university where you can earn a Paralegal degree online, Keiser University eCampus is the best option. To get admission into the online Paralegal degree program, it is quite important that you are over 21 years of age. At Keiser University eCampus, you can attend classes whenever you want so you do not need to modify your daily schedule in order to attend classes. Keiser University eCampus is different from other online universities in the sense that they provide job opportunities to students with good academic records.
Everest University Online – At Everest University Online, you can earn the Associate of Science in Paralegal and Bachelor of Science in Paralegal. When you take admission at Everest University Online, you can earn your degree from the comfort of your home. The student-faculty ratio is quite low in the university so you are going to learn things quickly. Teaching at Everest University Online is conducted by the experienced faculty. By successfully earning online Paralegal degree from Everest University Online, you will get a job straightaway.
Strayer University Online – If your financial condition is not good and you cannot afford the high tuition rates, make sure you take admission at Strayer University online. In comparison to other online universities, the tuition rates are quite low at Strayer University Online. It means that you can concentrate solely on your studies without worrying about the tuition rates that you need to pay every semester. Strayer University Online also provide financial aid to their students in the form of grants and scholarships. To earn an online Paralegal degree from Strayer University Online, you do not need to take any entrance exam.
Minnesota School of Business Online – Similar to other top accredited online universities, you can earn a Paralegal degree online from Minnesota School of Business Online without changing your daily schedule. Minnesota School of Business Online is one of the best online universities in the world offering you plenty of choices in terms of degree programs. At Minnesota School of Business Online, you can earn Associate, Bachelor and Master degrees in Paralegal studies.
