The staid and stuffy Harvard law professor regaled at intimidating first-year students in the movie "The Paper Chase."
Fast forward to the new millennium of law school education: the cyber chase and the virtual law school. No bricks, no mortar. Instead, law professors ply the high-tech world of streaming video, online chat and discussion rooms, e-mail and real-time audio lectures.
Distance education becomes instant learning. Concord Law School, created in 1998 as the country's first virtual law school, may rock the foundations of bricks and mortar legal education fortresses. Concord thinks it can radically change the way law is learned. Its strategy harkens back to the pre-bricks-and-mortar era, when the likes of Abe Lincoln and Huey Long of Louisiana "read the law." Only today, the reading and interaction is played out in cyberspace.
Concord plans to extend legal education to all corners of the nation, and for that matter, the Earth. But it also continues to challenge the American Bar Association's traditional refusal to accredit distance-education schools.
Now we pose the question to you: Would you choose a lawyer who earned his education through "distance learning" or would you choose someone with a more traditional education?
Source: South Florida Business Journal - by Stephen Van Drake
The short answer for me? Yes.
I was debating with a colleague, as I always seem to be doing, about on-line versus on-campus education. Many of us who have experienced both, realize there are pros and cons for each approach and that it really depends on the individual’s needs. I debated my colleague’s point that there is a stronger sense of community developed on-campus with other students rather than on-line.
That was not the case for me. For eight of the ten years between my first associate degree and my MBA; I was a full time parent and the on-campus experience was a big hindrance for me. As a parent, I had no “extra” time to spend on campus. In fact, my days were spent racing from class, to class, to car, to work, to kids’ school and to home. Since I was on campus just for class time, much of my communication with professors or student affairs was done via email or telephones anyway. In fact there was nothing more frustrating for me than to have to take a day from work to go back to campus during “business hours” to take care of college business – like the parking ticket I received every semester, when I needed to park close to a particular building so I could pick up my kids on time. As a matter of fact, I had to delay my MBA official completion one whole semester, since I did not make it to campus in time to pay an $18 fee to get my thesis bound.
I felt great camaraderie with classmates in online classes. For me there was immediate kinship, since after introductions, we quickly discovered we were all in the same boat. It was always a pleasure for me to meet someone again in another class and even better when we got to meet in person.
Contributing blogger - Marcia R. ~ BullseyeResumes.com
Being a teacher means you’re constantly going back to school; it’s just a necessary evil. And, for me, it wasn’t just about fulfilling the necessary credit hours or achieving a certain certificate level. I wanted to go back to school so that one day I could possibly switch to more of an administrative role as Principal or Vice Principal. Making that decision was fairly easy. The hard part was trying to balance work, school and family. I found an online program through a local university and decided to take my chances. I had never experienced education in an “online” setting before, but heard about how great it was when trying to fit it in to your busy schedule.
So, just about three years ago I signed up for my first course. It actually ended up being an easier undertaking than I had first assumed and the flexibility was incredible. Twice a week I would take my course work to work with me and, on my lunch break, I would eat at my desk and complete my readings or any research needed for that week. Then, each night after putting the kids to bed, I would devote about an hour to any assignments that needed to be completed. This let me spread out my weekly assignments over the course of the entire week but didn’t jeopardize the time I needed and wanted to spend with my wife and kids.
Three years later, here I am – two practicum away from earning my masters degree in Education Administration. It was a lot of work, but being able to do the work on my own time when I had a few spare minutes made things so much easier and helped me to maintain a balance. I know my wife and family are extremely proud of my accomplishments and I honestly attribute my success to online learning. But, that’s just one man’s life experience.
How do you maintain the delicate balance between work, family, and continuing your education?
Contributing blogger - Rich D.
A heightened awareness about whole body health is sweeping across the United States. We’re all becoming more conscientious about what we put in our bodies as well as our daily amount of exercise so here are just a few tips to help get you moving towards a healthier you!
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Eat Breakfast – A healthy breakfast kick-starts your metabolism for the day allowing you to efficiently burn more calories during the day.
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Drink water – Staying hydrated is a key player in becoming healthier. Some say 8-10 glasses per day and some say 6-8 glasses per day. However, the consensus amongst physicians is “drink to thirst”, which basically means – stay hydrated!
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SLEEP! – Sleep is your body’s only time to recuperate from the day’s activities. With proper rest you’ll have better levels of concentration, more energy, and more patient and tolerant throughout the day.
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Exercise – Yes it CAN fit into your schedule. Park further away from the entrance to the Mall or your place of employment. Take a 15 minute break in the morning and afternoon and go outside for a walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. It all adds up by the end of the day!
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Don’t skip meals – This is a BIG no-no. Skipping a meal puts your body into “starvation mode” and everything you eat after the “skipped meal” will be stored as fat. So, be sure to eat a balanced meal at least every 4 hours … ideally every 2 to keep your metabolism in high gear.
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Indulge every once in awhile – There’s nothing wrong with having that piece of cake or scoop of ice cream if you’re craving it. Denying your body will only cause you to binge and eat more than you would have if you just gave it to yourself in the first place! Just keep telling yourself – everything in moderation!
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Take a daily vitamin – Let’s be honest. There are very few individuals who eat their daily fruit, vegetable, protein, and whole grain requirements each day. Taking a vitamin helps supplement your daily food intake and can help ward off illnesses aside from the nutritional benefits.
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Relieve stress – Life can come at us pretty fast and often times we have very little time to cope with its many twists and turns. Be sure to take time out of your day to relax. Relaxation can occur on many different levels. One can meditate, take a hot bath, read a book, or go for a walk. Exercise, by the way, is a GREAT reliever of stress and helps burn those calories, too!
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Go to the doctor – Routine yearly physicals are a necessary evil but, as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Routine blood work keeps your doctor informed and keeps YOU healthy!
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Laugh often – I know this seems like an odd tip, but think about it. Sharing joy and laughter with those you love or even a stranger lifts your spirits, it most definitely contributes to your mental health and it helps keep things in perspective. It’s like the old adage says “Laughter is the best medicine”!
Keeping yourself healthy is one of the most important things you can do not only for you, but also your family. And hopefully these tips and suggestions will help guide you on your path to health and longevity. How do you keep yourself and your family on the "healthy track"? Do you have any tips to add to our TOP 10?
Source: Laun, Christina. “101 Health and Wellness Tips for College Students”. April 23, 2008. http://www.rncentral.com/nursing-library/careplans/101_health_and_wellness_tips_for_college_students/
The reasons people take career breaks and remain out of the workplace for a period of time are diverse. Some of the reasons we have control over and many we don't. In my case, I was absent from the workplace for an extended period in the early 90's when we relocated to California because of my husband's career.
Whether your career break is due to parenting, elder care, retirement; layoff, downsized or furloughed; short-term or long-term disability, relocation or change in life circumstance such as divorce or death of a loved one, going back to work is always a possibility.
One of the biggest barriers to workplace reentry, and one that can cause a lot of job search distress, is an outdated skill set. One training option that job seekers should explore is a certificate training program. Certificate programs offer many advantages and can get jobseekers the necessary training to successfully reenter the job market quickly. Aside from length of program, other advantages of certificate programs include:
-Focused training content
-Tangible, concrete skills with immediate workplace application
-Lower costs
-Skills to build on later
-Self paced and immediate start
-Online availability
Regardless of which growth industry you prefer, from Healthcare to Technology, there are certificate programs available to meet your needs as a career reentry professional.
Contributing blogger: Marcia R. - BullsEyeResumes.com