The eLearners News Blog : Tools & Resources

The Benefits of Books on Tape

JenniferA — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Do you need to work on an assignment and don't want to plop your kids down in front of the TV yet again? Are you feeling guilty that you haven't had a lot of time to read to your children lately? Well audiobooks and books on tape may be perfect solutions. Here are some suggestions:

iTunes doesn't just have the latest songs; they also have popular audiobooks you can download. Check out the section for kids and young adults to find some of the classics as well as the latest best sellers.
If money is tight you can always visit the library, which usually has a decent selection of books on tape. The packets contain the story recorded on a cassette or CD and the book is included for children to follow along and look at the pictures.
If you can't seem to find a particular book available on tape you can always record your own. This can be audio or video. Your child will enjoy hearing your voice or watching you read aloud to them.

Whatever method you choose, knowing your children are occupied by listening to good books can give you the guilt-free, uninterrupted time you need.

Jennifer Applin is a freelance writer, wife and mother of four. She spends her days cooking, cleaning and caring for little ones, and her nights writing about parenting, pregnancy, and the quest for peace (as in peace and quiet—there is such a thing, right?).

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The best dictionary online

Victoria — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:19:00 GMT

Dear folks,

It is not typical for me to address our community folks to directly, but when I learned that the Oxford English Dictionary had a Web site (also spelled web-site, website, and web site!), I had to share my excitement.

As all online students know already, excellent written communication skills are a must to excel in the classroom. E-mails, discussion boards, live chats, and essays require strong grammatical and spelling skills. I learned a long time ago that Microsoft Word's Spell Check feature is rather weak. Over the years, my lackadaisical editing prevented a lot of good grades.

Recently I have been using Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster.com to check the spelling of my writing.

Just yesterday, however, I was reading The New York Times Magazine—from May 11, I'm a little behind in my periodicals—and came across an article titled Lexicographical Longing. The author of the piece, Virginia Heffernan hits home:

"But there's another virtue to a dictionary, online or otherwise: guidance in the finer points of usage. Subtly alerting readers to which words might suit them, and which they shouldn't try at home, is not only in the original charter for the O.E.D.; it is also a service with new relevance for people who use e-mail, blogs and message boards. On the Internet, idioms, dialects, jargons and languages from around the world collide. Corresponding with people of varying degrees of literacy in competing dialects of disparate languages means that we must commit most of linguistic resources to getting up to speed in the rapidly evolving lingua franca."

New members can register by paying a lump sum of US$295.00 for a year's subscription. The annual fee was more than I was willing to part with at once, so I opted for the montly fee of US$30.00.

Visit OED.com to see what all the fuss is about. Happy editing!

Sincerely,

Victoria

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Happy National Library Week

Victoria — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:34:00 GMT

For most of us, we're most concerned with the filing of our taxes by the fifteenth! (My thoughts keep drifting to how many schedules and attachments I'll need to complete before my state taxes are done.)

After my taxes are filed, I'll be able to return to the reading for my online English class. Though I haven't started any assignments yet, I'm sure I'll need to visit my local library to check out some books for research. Unfortunately, I don't even have a library card! There's no time like the present, especially since April 13 - 19 is National Library Week.

For both current and prospective students considering distance learning and online education, having access to your local library is highly recommended. I was pleased to find out that my local library has many resources online. If you want to learn more about getting the most from your library, read this article from Lifehacker.

In recognition of National Library Week, AccessMyLibrary's Web site is providing all of its services free of charge!

And if you've ever considered working as a librarian, the American Library Association has job listings nationwide. You can earn your degree online to become a librarian.

Enjoy the week!

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eLearners is on YouTube!

Victoria — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:03:00 GMT

We've been talking about having our own video for a long time. We've finally done it (yay!) We wanted to share it with our community. YouTube is a website on the Internet that allows users to upload and share videos online.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHOF4I0RGBQ

Enjoy!

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We're on Oprah.com!

Victoria — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:04:00 GMT

You can now find helpful information about online education at Oprah.com, because eLearners is sponsoring a feature section. You can find interviews with inspiring women. Read about mothers, wives, and daughters, all taking courses online to earn their degrees. There is also information for prospective students learning about online education.

We've written about:

Evaluating if online education is right for you
Taking the first steps to preparing for your online program
Knowing how education will impact your life (from relationships to money)

You'll also find an application to apply for a $4,500.00 giveaway for someone earning a degree completely online! We're so excited about this—check it out today at Oprah.com!

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