There are students who somehow end up spending more time in doing their homework than what is required. For most of them, it looks like a never-ending task. Indeed, they have a feeling that homework is much like dragging the assignment, which then triggers boredom. Therefore, doing homework is an irritating job for many students. However, in reality, homework does not need to be a steady battle or an extensive task. All that is required is to change your attitude and set up some tips to complete the homework in the least time with efficiency as well as without distractions or stress. 

Start by planning the homework so that you know how much time it should take to complete. This is essential to remove any extra or waste time because time is valuable that comes back. Therefore, set a schedule and ensure that you follow it. You also should organise your list of tasks to be done as your homework. Herein, it is wise to deal with hard work first to make the schedule progressively easier. However, if your motivation level is not that high, start with the easier tasks. Furthermore, give an estimated time to each assignment so that you can work faster to help you keep motivated rather than triggering boredom.

Next, collect all the stationery you need to complete and choose a quiet space to work. Here, do not choose a bedroom because you can be easily distracted or become lazy. It is ideal to choose a desk in a silent room with fresh breeze and good lighting. Doing so will avoid wasting your time in getting up often to bring the necessary things such as pen, pencil, and calculator. 

You should also ask your parents and others in the home to take care of your privacy. This will avoid any kind of disturbance and make you comfortable. Similarly, you should stay away from other sources of distraction. For example, you must switch off your mobile phone, turn off your television, log off the tablet or computer in case you do not need for your homework, and closing the door. 

It is always advisable to take breaks at fixed intervals such as every 20 minutes, instead of incessantly stretching your homework. However, this break should involve watching TV or any other distractive activity. Instead, you can spend 10 minutes of break in doing some yoga poses or breathing exercises on the floor. Such useful breaks simple removes stress or boredom and recharges your mind.

We all are living in an era where Internet is spreading its wings up to all possible fields to show its unmatchable effectiveness. That said; the education field is certainly not an exception. This is evident in the latest introduction of a SMART class that is a totally new but creative concept in the field of education. It is a learning environment wherein online education and e-learning replace textbooks and notebooks. Moreover, the new system that taps the full power of the Internet in schools is not only a dream come true but also the necessity of the time.

A SMART class consists of computers, Internet, projectors, and other multimedia gadgets like tablets and home theaters. With all learning elements changing, the role of a teacher also changes in this new class. As expected, a smart class enables students to use the World Wide Web that actually has the power to remove boredom, trigger interest, and eventually change the old thinking pattern of students as well as the learning theory. 

A SMART classroom facilitates easy transition between lessons and quick assessments, reduces the setup time for classroom, schedules the learning period, and increases focus on teaching as well as learning. Because of the instant assessment and management tools, a teacher can effortlessly move between the students to meet the learning needs of the students. Set up to work with the existing wireless or wired network, a SMART class enables quick connection or allows you to stay connected so that the teacher can focus on supporting the learning of students instead of tackling or monitoring connectivity issues. While the teacher enjoys teaching the students without any kind of hassles, the student also feels interested to learn due to improved focused learning. 

With spontaneous quizzes or fixed tests rendered via multimedia, a teacher can easily assess the understanding of each student. Not only that, with interesting images and multimedia animations, even the most boring or least interested student feels like responding to questions from their own computers. The results are instant, which are automatically tracked and recorded in the integrated grade book due to which it becomes easy to assess the student understanding and offer precise feedback.

A SMART classroom also supports collaborative learning for both students and teachers due to which the engagement of students is guaranteed. A teacher not only can access all lesson materials but also student computers from a single convenient location. Further, she or he can easily manage and deliver interactive lessons for building communication and problem-solving skills.

It is a fact that many universities have included Modern History in the curriculum. Doing so enables students to become key thinkers about the forces that have formed today’s world as well as offer them a wider and profound comprehension of the planet in which they reside. Although the emphasis is on the 20th century, the syllabus includes the shaping changes right since the late 18th century so that the students can connect them with the changing phases of the 21st century.

The subject boosts interest, imagination, and admiral of well-built themes, movements, leaders, and ideas that have led to the present, contemporary world. The curriculum includes themes such as local and global conflicts along with their resolution, decline of imperialism, the rise of nationalism, decolonisation, struggle for human rights, social and economic transformation and influence of ideologies. With this vast coverage, the curriculum aims to offer key developments that have delineated the modern world. 

Such coverage offers a scope for the study of diverse movements that have confronted the local, national, or global authority. The students tend to examine the crises that challenged the states in the recently past century, the different responses to them and the different paths that countries have taken today. Further, the student also comes to know about the unique aspects of world order that were initiated after the World War II, which is the hub of comprehending the present world.

With so many things to know of the past, the Modern History curriculum helps the students to develop the historically analytic, inquiry, and interpreted skills so that they can form reasoned answers to the complex questions about the past. They develop progressively sophisticated historical skills as well as understanding about the significant events along with the nature of contemporary societies.

Moreover, the students are introduced to the intricacies linked to the changing nature of events, the unique aspects of modern historical image and the skills needed to examine the controversial issues that have a robust modern reverberation. They are exposed to several historical sources such as artefacts, diary extracts, films, oral stories and other written accounts to examine the cause and effect, motives and forces and motivators and demotivators influencing inhabitants and events. Via the process of historical investigation, students are motivated to query and evaluate the sources, representations and versions of records, use evidence to verify their own interpretations and converse their findings in several ways.

Fast foods can be healthy as per their originality and cook’s skills. However, these days, they are considered almost same as junk foods that look attractive and are alluring in taste but are laden with harmful calories without any significant nutritional value. While healthy fast foods like soy burgers and salads are fine for a nutritious diet, there are unhealthy fast foods or junk items like commercially sold burgers and candies that are bound to harm the health of the consumers, especially kids. This is because kids are the highest victims of these foods because of its appealing look and taste, which are simply difficult to control. However, this difficult to control factors enforce too frequent consumption of junk foods featuring extra calories resulting into obesity and other grave ailments.

Junk items such as pastries, sodas, cold drinks, and burgers increase the levels of sugar in blood in kids. As a result, this increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney damage, and dementia. Further, these foods have saturated fats that end up increasing the cholesterol level. This effect is notorious for causing different heart problems or cardiac disorders.

Processed foods such as chips are also junk foods that contain too much salt. Although they are very delectable, excess but irreplaceable sodium or potassium is the major culprit for hypertension. Such a disorder about blood pressure can trigger a grave inhibitory effect on growth. Another big problem is that kids get addicted very quickly to these junk foods. As a result, they find it difficult to adjust to other dishes that are healthier. For example, they just cannot imagine themselves eating fresh fruits and green vegetables that are required for the growing kids. However, at the same time, their lack in daily meals results in nutritional deficiency. For example, it can lead to iron deficiency that results in anaemia when, in combination of extra saturated fats and sugars, can weaken the body as well as invite lethargy. 

Further, the deficiency of other macro- and micro-nutrients damages the immune system due to which the kids become highly vulnerable to a myriad of chronic ailments. For example, deficiency of calcium harms teeth, nails and bones as well. 

Above all, obesity is the biggest effect of junk foods, which reflexively promotes a sedentary lifestyle because an obese kid cannot participate in physical activities. This is perhaps due to the discomfiture due to own obesity, which forces a kid to become isolated. 

In today’s fast paced world, no one can have the luxury to sit at one place for long hours. Today, learning on the move has become the new buzz word, and in order to incorporate this very demand, the process of e-learning in business has surfaced. This process has its own advantages.

What exactly is e-learning in business? It’s nothing but delivering the contents of learning the basics of business through the electronic medium, and nothing seems better than this, in this fast paced world. Let’s have a look at some of the benefits that e-learning can provide you.

Multiple platform support

One of the biggest advantages of opting for online learning or e-learning is that it can provide the required content and other related elements right in front of you, in your personal computer. It does not matter, which browser you are using; most web browsers, these days, proficiently do multiple tasks at one moment of time, and don’t get slow or inert while working. What you require is a computer system with an internet connection. The rest is almost done.

Improves productivity

One of the major advantages of e-learning in business is, it lets one explore things in his/ her own way, as the entire concept comes along with a certain amount of liberty of its own. If one has a desire to learn, e – learning in business can improve one’s productivity, level of knowledge, dexterity, and personality.

Cost effective

The process of e-learning is pretty cost effective as well as; it cuts down some of the most common costs involved in setting up an enterprise. You don’t need to distribute pamphlets, banners, leaflets to advertise your objective or product. A simple e-mail, forwarded to thousands of people across the world minimize the cost of distribution in a simple and most effective manner. Apart from that, you don’t need to conduct a one-on-one session as well.

Updates can be easily shared

If there is any update or something new that can be shared amongst students, it is quite easy to do it through the digital learning process. Most colleges and institutions that run e-learning courses either update their students through emails/newsletters or through the software . This will let everyone know about the latest updates and news.

Saves one's travelling time

If you have enrolled for the e-learning in business, it will surely save great amount of your time. In real-time B-school classes, you need to visit the college or the institute, which isn’t only expensive but also needs plenty of your time. Unlike this, if the learning medium is the internet, all you need to do is simply sit back and relax, and concentrate more on learning and experimenting with new things at your convenience, at your place; you don’t need to go anywhere for the classroom sessions.

The advantages of opting for e-learning in business are immense, and the above mentioned points are just a quick glimpse of what you can actually look forward to.

There are certain factors which may cause serious threat to the success of online educational programmes. Some of these problems are discussed below:

1. Access to Technology
For any online learning programme to achieve success, it should have students who can access this kind of learning environment. In other words, the students who are unable to access the online environment for learning purposes due to any reason including logistics, economical, etc. are not eligible for this mode of education. This issue is especially holds good for those belonging to the rural areas. In fact, Internet accessibility has greater significance in online education. Furthermore, if the students are unable to afford the technology employed by the institution, then online education is a total failure.

2. Computer Literacy of Faculty and Students
For the proper functioning of an online learning environment, the students as well as the facilitators should possess at least a minimum knowledge about computers. To give an example, they should know how to use different search engines and browsing the whole web. Also, they should be well-versed in FTP procedures, newsgroups, email, etc. 

3. Curriculum
This is an important factor in any online educational programme. It should be well-designed to bring about success of the programme in question. In many cases, the significance of curriculum as well as the requirement for educational experts for developing course material is ignored in the institution’s hurry to implement online education. The teaching methods and curriculum followed in conventional form of education does not go well with the online system of education. In fact, the online curriculum should be able to make the most out of written communication among students.

4. Facilitator
If the facilitator is not given proper training to carry out the responsibilities involved in online education, it will have a negative impact on the success of the same. In other words, an instructor should communicate properly in term of writing and also the language of the course material. In fact, an online educational programme will be a failure if the instructor is not prepared to communicate with the students in the virtual classroom. Further, he should have the capacity to provide necessary support for the students in order to compensate for the absence of physical presence. 

5. Students
Online education is the best mode of education for self-disciplined and mature students. Students who are highly dependent cannot benefit from this system. Students are able to get full control of their learning experience in this educational system which places more responsibility on them. 

To conclude, some of the disadvantages of online education are discussed in this article. This would help to get a clear idea about who all can opt for this system of education.

Today a majority of people are opting for online education rather than choosing for the conventional style of education. Though online education offers a lot of flexibility where you can pursue the course from the comfort of your home, you need to be careful while selecting an online educational programme. There are some tips which would help you to select a programme which is most appropriate for you which are discussed below.

The first and foremost thing to consider in this regard is the skills and taste which you have. Further, the course feasibility should also be taken into consideration. This necessarily includes factors like time, expense, etc. In fact, the online course chosen by you should be beneficial for short-term as well as long-term goals.

After arriving at a decision regarding which course to pursue, the next concern is about finding an online school which is trustworthy. This is because every course offered online may not be genuine and accredited. The online degree earned should have proper recognition since it can have a great impact on the future career plans. So it is better to verify the accreditation of the institution which you select for pursuing online education.

The next important factor is the qualification and experience of the faculty. It is better to know beforehand about the same since it can affect the kind of knowledge which you get. The medium of communication, the teaching methods, the type of study materials, etc. also need to be inquired before enrolling for the course.

Apart from the above discussed tips, some other factors need to be considered before making a decision on the academic programme online. Normally, every online school provides course catalogue which contains information regarding the goals and objectives of different courses, the difficulty level of each course, study materials, time requirements, etc. It is advisable to read these course descriptions carefully before going ahead.

Another important thing you have to check out is the credit transfer policy. Most of the students possess previously earned credits which they would like to use in the selection process of the online programmes. Each school will have different criteria for transferring credits, and so it is better to place a request for an estimate of the transfer of credit from the prospective schools. Normally, a majority of the schools credit transfers ranging from 30% to 50%.

The next step is to determine whether the online school promotes asynchronous or synchronous learning. This is particularly important because it will help you to know about the timeframe of the course.

To summarise, the tips which are discussed in this article will help you to find a suitable educational programme. 

Each individual has his own way of gathering and sorting information into useful knowledge. In the current scenario, online education is quite popular among students. Further, it is best suited for particular learning styles as well as personality traits. To cite an example, students who are introvert in nature find online education via computer easier than the conventional face-to-face system.

Since different students have varied styles of learning, the online instructors should develop content accordingly. There are different kinds of learning styles like visual/verbal, auditory/verbal, visual/non-verbal, and tactile/kinesthetic. 

1. Visual/Verbal Style
Students who come under this category learn things better when it is available in visual and in written form. They usually prefer learning using visual aids like PowerPoint presentations, blackboard, etc. Class notes and textbooks are quite useful for these people. Since they visualise information to remember it, the online learning pattern which is available in the written form is quite suitable for them.

2. Auditory/Verbal Style
Those who belong to this group benefit from information which is available aurally. They normally gain much from listening to the lecture as well as taking part in group discussions. Audio tapes are also considered as a good source of learning by these people. These students repeat information loudly to remember it. As far as online education is concerned, computer conferencing as well as audio streaming goes well with the learning style of this group.

3. Visual/Nonverbal Style
Students who are in this group gain much from visual information available in a design or picture format. The online learning environment is quite appropriate for this group since pictorial representation of information helps them to remember the ideas and concepts. This may include tables, images, charts, graphs, etc.

4. Tactile/Kinesthetic Style
This group benefits from performing physical tasks like those done in a lab setting. Online sessions can offer great learning opportunities for these people. Demonstrations using three dimensional graphs can bring about the feel of physical dimensions. The lab sessions could be carried out at home or specific locations followed by online discussions. Fieldwork can also be included in the online syllabus.

Online learning comprises of a number of interactive techniques. There are different instructional strategies employed in online education like learning contracts, lecture, discussion, mentorship, self-directed learning, collaborative learning, project, forum, small group work, and case study.

Learning Contracts
This refers to an agreement written by learners, and comprise of details regarding the topics covered in the course, method and duration of learning, and also the evaluation criteria used in analysing the completion of the process of learning. Learning contracts help the learners to get deeply involved in learning activities. Further, the learners can get continuous feedback related to the progress made in achieving the learning objectives.

Lecture
Online lectures are available in a number of formats. Sometimes these are made available in a particular web page. Notes can also be sent through snail mail or downloaded from the net. This necessarily includes audio as well as video sessions.

Discussion
Internet provides different models of discussion like online conferencing sessions, mailing lists, etc. which come under asynchronous communication. Real time or synchronous communication can be accomplished through chat rooms, Multi-user Domains, etc.

Self-directed Learning
Online education is of great benefit for self-directed learners in that it supports individualised learning activities. The students can utilise Internet facility in a number of ways like doing research on any subject, visiting libraries, chatting with professionals all over the world, etc.

Mentorship
Online mentorship permits effective communication between the student and the mentor. Further, it offers opportunities for the students to get timely feedback on questions and other issues if any.

Small Group Work
In online education, the students are formed into small groups and asked to work independently with constant access to instructor. In situations where it is difficult for the online students to meet at the same time, small groups can be formed as per the time zones regardless of the gender, geography, or disabilities.

Project
The projects can be carried out in groups which essentially comprise of role playing, simulations, collaborative work in groups, problem solving exercises, debates, etc. Online learners can publish their projects and receive feedback from experts through Internet.

Collaborative Learning
This involves the participation of two or more students in the process of learning. Though this is not so practical in online education, the students can interact with their peers without collaborating.

Case Study
Case study is an instructional strategy in which the learners are required to make use of their past experiences to connect links to the future experiences. In an online setting, the case studies can be viewed across web pages and the subsequent discussions can be carried out via conferencing sessions.

Forum
Forum involves open discussion between groups. There would be a moderator who takes the discussion forward by involving the audience. An online environment is best suited for a forum compared to a conventional classroom where synchronous as well as asynchronous communication is made possible to support learning forums online.

To conclude, various learning strategies are discussed in this article which would help to make use of the online environment in a better way.

Online learning provides several advantages for companies as well as people who wish to develop a new courseware and impart that knowledge to trainees spread across different parts of the world. In fact, online education is becoming very popular among students belonging to all age groups. The main reason which could be attributed for this is the benefits offered by online schools as well as universities. Some of the benefits of online learning are listed below:

1. In an online learning environment, the students are presented with an opportunity to select from different programs, schools, courses, etc. which may not be available in their respective locations. This kind of learning is particularly good for students who come from rural areas which have poor educational facilities that offer only limited number of options as far as academic programmes are concerned.
2. Another significant benefit offered by online education is flexibility. In fact, this aspect makes it very popular among the students. Since the students can attend classes at their own convenience, they are able to plan a learning schedule accordingly. The only prerequisite for taking up online education is a computer with Internet access. Owing to the flexibility offered by this mode of education, even working professionals and those who have other commitments choose online education, apart from undergraduate students.
3. Online learning focuses more on student-centric approach while imparting knowledge. Since each and every student has his own method of learning, online education is quite beneficial in making sure that each study material is well understood by the student.
4. Another advantage of online learning is the accessibility of course materials on round-the-clock basis. This makes it possible for the students to review the lectures as well as other course materials in an easy manner. This is especially good for some students who find it difficult to follow the lecture in a conventional classroom owing to several distractions including tiredness, boredom, etc.
5. In an online learning environment, if a student takes part in classroom discussions, he is marked as present. This fact encourages the students to communicate in an effective manner since each student gets a chance to speak out his thoughts..     Online education is quite cost-efficient since there are no extra costs involved in transportation, accommodation, and the like. Also, the educational programmes available online is quite cheap when compared to those available in conventional schools.

7.     Further, the students can connect with eminent professors in different parts of the world through several online educational programmes.

8.     The proper utilisation of the resources and tools available over the net helps the students to adapt well to the present as well as future technologies employed in different fields of work.

To sum it up, online education is of great advantage to the students in many ways.

Today you can hear many people talking optimistically about online education. In fact, getting a college degree online requires a good amount of organisation, self-discipline, and motivation. The main attraction of online education is that it allows flexibility. However, before getting your hands on online education, it is important to ensure that it works out well for overall academic success. Here are a few tips to get an idea about the same.

1. Computer Literacy
If you are a person who does not like to work with computers, online learning may not be a good choice. However, according to recent studies, the number of students opting for virtual classrooms is increasing on a regular basis.

2. Active Participation in Online Classes
If you are thinking of choosing an online educational programme and stay away from the virtual classroom, then this mode of education may not work out for you. According to instructors, participation of the students is compulsory for online learning. In fact, more interaction happens in virtual classrooms when compared to live classrooms. Interestingly, these interactions are sophisticated in nature. Further, it depends on the way in which a classroom is designed. It may even include doing paper work with fellow students, and in this method you can see them through personal webcams.

3. Sticking on to a Fixed Time for Study
Many students take online learning for granted owing to its flexible nature. However, if you stick on to your time frames, set personal goals, and maintain self-regulation, you can certainly gain academic success by way of online education.

4. Asking for Assistance
If the subject is a bit complex or if the instructors fail to explain something properly, you would be confused and frustrated. To avoid this situation, it is essential to speak out or type it out in the case of online learning. In fact, you need to be proactive in informing the instructor about the difficulty you have in understanding the topic since he cannot see your facial expressions as in the case of a classroom setting.

5. Ensuring that Online Learning Programme is accredited
It is mandatory to pursue online learning in an accredited school or university. This means that the online school in question should satisfy some standards. Furthermore, if you graduate from a school which does not have proper recognition, there is a possibility of the future employers not accepting it.

6. Avoiding Procrastination
Procrastination normally happens with everyone. It is in human nature to postpone things to a later time period. Those who pursue online education tend to procrastinate more often owing to the flexibility of the same. In fact, online learning works better for only those who are well-disciplined and organised.

To summarise, the tips discussed above would help you to take a good decision regarding online learning.