Data capture, sometimes called automatic data capture, refers to systems for identifying devices or objects electronically, then gathering information such as sounds, images, videos, and inputting it directing into a computer system without human intervention. Data-capture technologies include such things as radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, bar codes, magnetic stripes, biometrics, optical character recognition (OCR), smart cards, and even such technologies as voice recognition and artificial intelligence.

These exciting technologies are advancing rapidly, and many new workers will be needed to do the work of designing, operating, and troubleshooting data capture systems. People that work in the field of data capture are generally technically-oriented and often possess good problem-solving ability. IT workers trained as data capture specialists are well-prepared for good jobs.

Studying for Data Capturing

In order to prepare for this challenging career, most students enroll in and complete an appropriate online course for data capture technology. Many such courses are offered by competent online institutions, whether affiliated with bricks-and-mortar institutions or solely with online schools. Data capture is a dynamic profession, so continuing education should be viewed as a requirement in order to remain competent, rather than a one-time course. Students who remain current by studying in online courses for data capture will be considered highly employable by numerous companies, and may expect to advance rapidly in pay and responsibility. Many people who study data capture are already working in Information Technology, so online information technology courses in data capture offer a flexible, convenient way to learn and complete the course requirements leading to certification in data capture technology.

In online data capture courses, students learn about sources of data and the overall process of digital capture and data pre-processing. Students study topics such as metadata and sources of digital data, including geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), cartography and mapping, and remote sensing.

Most data-capture online courses teach both academic principles of data-capture technologies and practical, hands-on methods as well. Upon completion, successful students of data capture courses are able to perform entry-level tasks in the operating environment. Since the field of automatic data capture is changing rapidly, those who are certified as data capture specialists have many interesting subspecialties from which to choose.

Career Prospects for Data Capture Specialists

Successful leading information technology professionals in general earn very good pay, and top data-capture specialists can certainly earn even more. For people seeking profitable and intellectually-stimulating work within the realm of information technology, an online course in data capture technology can open the door to a secure and interesting career. Still, as always, proper education is the key to success… Those who wish to further explore the possibilities of a career as a data-capture specialist and benefit from an online course for data capture should contact an experienced educational advisor for guidance.

Advantages of Online Education

One of the most important benefits of online education is that you can study on your own schedule and enjoy great flexibility. Students of online schools are able to work at full-time or part-time jobs in order to support themselves while fitting their school course work into their available free time.

And, online education programs often allow students to take as long as they wish to complete their course requirements. Students with varying work schedules can spend more or less of their time on schoolwork, according to their economic needs. Likewise, if you wish to accelerate the completion of your studies, online education can be completed more quickly because online studies do not depend upon a class meeting schedule.

Another point in favor of online education is that fact that online schools are often much less expensive than bricks-and-mortar schools, since there is no need for the school to pay for costly infrastructure such as classrooms and other buildings. If you are on a tight budget, online education presents an excellent value. Of course, online education allows students to live with family and remain in their home communities, thus avoiding the expense of living away from home, including the costs of commuting between home and school.

Also, diversity is an important benefit of online education. Students in online education programs often meet and interact with other students from highly diverse backgrounds, including students from different countries. This contact tends to broaden and enrich the educational experience for all students. If you wish to meet and learn from many different types of people, online schooling is a good choice.

Finally, it’s important to note that online education allows students to study subjects that may not be available in their local, nearby bricks-and-mortar schools. If a student seeks to study majors or topics not taught locally, then an online school may be their only practical option.

Disadvantages of Online Education

There are both “pros” and “cons” to be mentioned when deciding whether online education is best. You should keep in mind that one of the drawbacks of studying online is that there is little or no face-to-face contact between students and teachers. Students can interact with their classmates and teachers, yet the group dynamic is different because there are no class meetings in person.

Another difficulty with online study lies in dealing with the distractions and interruptions that can prevent a student from focusing on school work. Individual discipline can be harder to maintain in the absence of “live” schoolmates or teachers.

Other downsides of online education include the fact that, when considering the most advanced educational programs, many are available only at the bricks-and-mortar level. This can be an important consideration if you are thinking of studying in a field such as medicine or healthcare, which typically require a bricks-and-mortar facility for clinical studies. You should make sure that your online school offers an opportunity to complete any required hands-on phases of the curriculum.

In summary, when weighing the pros and cons of online education, you should research and explore your options thoroughly, and seek the help of a trusted educational professional to help guide you through the process.

During the early years of journalism education, students were required to physically attend a school in order to receive training. However, beginning with schools based on correspondence and continuing through to the use of radio, television, and now internet, journalism and other writing-based professions have become uniquely suited as subjects for education through online study.

There are a number of online study programs leading to various qualifications and academic degrees in journalism. The first consideration for the prospective journalism student is which type of distance-learning program will be best. By enrolling in a good online journalism course, the student will benefit from the vast reach of the internet, including the ability to meet and interact with students from all over the world. In addition, online education often provides an opportunity for the student to receive individual attention from the instructor in a private way, without interruption from others.

Online Journalism Schools and Qualifications

Many institutions operate both bricks-and-mortar colleges as well as online programs offering journalism courses; there are also many schools offering journalism studies and other distance-learning programs solely through an online platform. The qualifications, certificates and degrees available through online journalism study range from associate, bachelor, master and doctoral degrees through specialty certificates of many different kinds.

Because online journalism education is provided sight-unseen, it is very important to verify the accreditation of the online institution where you wish to enroll. Accreditation means the process of verifying the academic value of a particular school by reviewing the curriculum, faculty qualifications, and overall capability to deliver good education. If the online institution meets the criteria of the accrediting group, then it will receive accreditation as a stamp of approval to offer those educational services to the public. It is important to ensure that the online journalism school is indeed accredited by one or more well-known accrediting bodies.

Pros and Cons of Studying Journalism Online

The advantages of studying journalism online are numerous. First, the student saves a significant amount of time and money by avoiding travel and other costs associated with attending a bricks-and-mortar school. The time saved by avoiding a commute to school can amount to one or more hours of additional time each day. The student can use this precious time for homework or other important tasks.

Likewise, another significant advantage is flexibility. The online student can arrange his or her schedule in accordance with their own needs, rather than conforming to a schedule required by a physical meeting of students and teacher. Another significant advantage of online study is the student’s ability to research, discuss, and perform exercises in real time with other students in faraway places while still enjoying the comfort and convenience of home.

Opportunities with a Journalism Diploma

For students who successfully complete an accredited online program in journalism, the future job prospects are excellent; employment as a journalist is a realistic goal for the serious student. Although various world economies have undergone dramatic changes in recent years, the profession of journalism will remain a necessary and vital career- Mankind’s constant thirst for news and information will certainly provide employment for dedicated new journalists, particularly those journalists whose credentials and experience are based upon a certificate or degree from a competent online journalism school.

One limitation lies in the way knowledge is being disseminated. Though we now have free access to online learning by way of our daily interactions on the Internet, there’s still the problem of obtaining relevant and useful information. It’s good that we could use search engines to get what we want, but the common man still doesn’t have access to the most scholarly of all knowledge. Enter the Open Courseware Initiative, a revolutionary way of knowledge-sharing.

The roots of open courseware

Back in 1999, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) pondered on the ways at which they could capitalize on the Internet, which was then an emerging technology. That time, email was king, and websites have only started getting everyone’s fancy. Distance education and elearning then was still in its infancy, and it is with this field that MIT wanted to focus their attention to. What they were looking for was a new way of using the Internet to share information, something that has not been done before.

This explorations led to MIT’s Open Courseware project. What MIT did was to set-up a whole website full of lecture notes, videos, powerpoint presentations, reading materials, and any educational resources that they could pull off from actual MIT college courses. What they hoped to accomplish was that everyone would be able to access MIT from anywhere, making them the first formal, and widespread free online learning institution with an academic backing. With this project, everyone could virtually attend most of MIT’s college courses and experience how it is to be at MIT by virtue of the open resources. Although it’s still a long way off from getting a free online learning degree, it’s a great start in the right direction.

Is free online learning the future?

After MIT, other universities had since followed suit, leading to the establishment of an Open Courseware Consortium. Currently made up of educational institutions in 35 countries, the consortium’s goal is to facilitate and create new ways of establishing and disseminating information through open courseware research. With the goal of creating a new model for learning and education, the organization is working hard to make free online learning a reality. They are also working hard to find ways to make the open courseware a sustainable and accessible approach, with the objective that more educational institutions would follow their lead.

Imagine a world where free online learning is the norm, and with universities opening their doors to anyone from anywhere. Within our locations, we could learn Japanese straight from a university in Tokyo,  learn from a hydroponics college course at Cornell in the US, and experience great instruction from an English University. Such a nice thing to look forward to – a world of global learners, finally.

1. You can study anywhere – everything’s online

You’ve probably realized that this was why distance education was started in the first place. You can begin your education at the comfort of your own home, and you won’t need to commute just to attend a class. Everything else is virtually within your reach, and advances in mobile learning predicts that it will even become easier and easier.

2. You can start any time

If you’re worried that you’re too late to start studying online, let us reassure you that it’s quite unfounded. Given the nature of distance programs, learners can usually start at any time of the year. You could begin online programs whenever you want to and even semester-based university programs offer a degree of flexibility for its students.

3. You can start at any level of expertise

Not only could you start at any time of the year, you could start learning online at any point in your life. Whether you’re a career-shifter, a college student, or even a high-school student, there is an online program made especially for you. People over 40’s, busy moms – the list is endless and you’ll find that there is always something being offered.

4. With online study, you’re free to tweak your learning

Though you still need to sign up for the courses, as an online learner you’re given the freedom on how you will go about completing the course. If you want to stay ‘safe’ and just do what the course requires, that’s ok, but you also are free to pursue your interests and go beyond the program content. (Don’t worry, you’ll get extra credit for that)

5. You can pace your studies however you want

Online courses are mostly done by employing modular content. This just means that you are free to slow down or accelerate your progress however you want it. If you’re too busy with other stuff, you can relax and take things slow. If you want to earn your degree faster, then no one’s stopping you from devouring mounds of content.

6. You can personalize your study space

Since you’re not required to go to a classroom, you can prepare your study space anywhere and anyway you want. If you want to study in your bedroom – that is, while on your bed – then you’re free to do so. Want to munch on chips and watch TV while taking an exam? If the type of exam permits it, then you’re well within your rights.

7. You can end anytime – and choose how to do it

Online learners can start any time and are free to end the course in whatever way they want to. For example, you could have your resume evaluated and ask for life credit experience, thereby shortening the time you need to complete the course. You could take a certification test and get further credit units – and so on.

8. You can choose your support group

If you don’t want any help doing your online course, then that’s fine. No need to attend additional lab classes or course meetings. On the other hand, help will always be provided. Online facilitators are there to provide support at any time, while email and SMS are real handy if you’re too shy to ask. You can also choose how to be contacted. Too busy? You could sort out your email later. Need to clarify instructions on the fly? Chat and video conferences are there for you to employ.

9. Everything is there, 24/7

Since your course materials can be taken or downloaded online, there’s virtually no problem getting your resources at anytime. You can’t ever miss anything; lectures, assignments and notes are just there for the taking.

10. You’re free to work with a group

If studying alone makes you lonely, there’s always you’re classmates to collaborate with. Yes, you still have classmates and given the conveniences of the Web, you could easily collaborate with them regarding virtually anything you need help on. Ain’t if perfect?

Successful online students are self-driven

People have certain misunderstandings about online education, one of which is that it’s too easy to be taken seriously. Nothing can be further from the truth –although an online education makes studying more convenient, it doesn’t necessarily mean that going about it is a walk in the park. For one, online students usually work by themselves and are required to be self-sufficient in terms of their school work. Successful online learners are usually pro-active and self-motivated, needing none other than their intrinsic interest for their field of study to fuel their education. Students who have successfully finished their degrees online also have clearly-defined objectives, never taking their eyes of their goals until these are accomplished.

Successful online students have good planning skills

The flexibility that an online education offers is not without its challenges. Since there is no real fixed schedule to follow (live-chat sessions excluded), students need to commit to a schedule that they themselves have planned. Doing so is one of the easiest ways to make the most out of your online education because this ensures that deadlines are met and projects are finished to order. Cramming is not just something to be frowned upon but has a big effect to one’s online study – too much and you’ll find yourself quitting in no time at all. Successful online learners are mindful that they should always plan ahead – no wonder they do well.

Successful online students have good language skills

To be successful in online study, students need to have a good command of the English language. Though multimedia learning is here to stay, most of the educational materials used for online study are usually in textbook format, which means that an online student is required to do a lot of reading through his coursework. Aside from this, online students are usually required to submit a lot of papers and reports for their subjects, making composition skills even more important for distance education. Successful online learners usually like to read and to write in the first place, allowing them to capitalize on the distance learning format and make the most out of their learning.

Successful online students are good self-learners

Educational materials from distance-learning courses are made to be self-paced. This means that online students need to have the capacity to learn the material by themselves. Though online collaboration is something that students may employ, an online education usually assumes that students would be studying the material by themselves first. This is not just something that’s done to challenge the learner but to help him acquire self-learning skills that they could continue to use even after graduation. Successful online students are very skillful self-learners and thrive even with the challenge. In addition to this, those who are successful with their online studies also usually study beyond what’s needed by the course, earning them the academic recognition they deserve.

Reason Online Learners Quit #1: False expectations

It is a common misconception that online learning by itself is easy. It is, actually – it makes studying more convenient for busy people and it allows the completion of a degree right in one’s own home. But a more accurate description is that online learning has a different set of pros and cons as compared to traditional classroom learning.

For example, though it allows a more flexible approach to learning, the time needed for study is almost always the same. This means that although you can shift your study schedule to something more convenient you still need to devote a similar amount of hours for studying. Online learners who quit early are those who assume the opposite; they expect that study times are lesser.

Other false expectations about online education include the actual difficulty of the content. Again, it’s more accurate to say that online education operates against a different set of rules. The content in an online course is almost always self-paced, requiring the online learner to make the most of online education in various ways. Quitters usually stop when the going gets tough – and that’s something that we won’t want you to be doing right?

Reason Online Learners Quit #2: Insufficient planning

Online learning requires a lot of planning. Though schedules are flexible, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to commit to one. In fact, to be a good online learner, you must maintain a consistent study schedule throughout the week. Cramming is not allowed and the importance of consistent study cannot be over-emphasized. You also need to manage the time you spend for other activities, for studying is not the only thing that you will do; there’s social life, and your family to think of. Given this, those who quit online learning often cannot juggle their time, and are often swamped by work even with all the convenience given.

Reason Online Learners Quit #3: No support group

Similar to what we already discussed before, communities help the online learner. Given that the journey of a distance education student is often a solitary one because it’s self-paced, the need for a support group becomes all the more important. Online social network sites provide a venue for people to connect and to deepen their relationships with other people and it is this characteristic that online learners should capitalize on. At the very least, they’ll have someone to ask so that they could be updated about the course. Students who quit online study usually didn’t cultivate their relationships online and may, due to problems in scheduling, have problems that make even their immediate relationships challenging.

Reason Online Learners Quit #4: Waning commitment

Commitment is a very hard thing to understand because there are so many options available as to its explanation. We only have the simple observation that how committed a person is can be gleaned by how much he values something – high value means high commitment. But sometimes, given the nature of online education, people wane in their commitment and only see it as something that they could just take any time. That may be true, but the effort that they have placed on it and the resources that they have already spent would be wasted if they just decide to quit just because they are not motivated. It happens though, making it one of the top reasons why online learners quit.

Tips for Working Moms #1: Ask the family to help out

Given that there will be an additional responsibility that you have to take (i.e. studying), you have to brief everyone about the changes that need to take place. Explain that you will need some time off in the evenings to concentrate on school work, and that you’ll need their help to maintain the household. Distribute chores according to each child’s capability and just assign additional tasks if  there’s a need. Remember to ask everyone to keep quiet when you’re holding your study session and to only disturb you when something important is amiss. By asking everyone to help out, it lessens your load and keeps you committed to continuing your online education.

Tips for Working Moms #2: Personalize your study space

Personalize your online education y customizing your study space. Be aware of the learning styles you employ and capitalize on them to make the perfect learning environment. As much as possible, reserve a room or a table just for online study; the way it is, if your children see you there, then they’ll known you’re doing some serious school work. Your study area will also need some sort of shelving space for your books and manuals so these will always be at hand. Decorate your study space with motivational quotes or a favorite poster; how you personalize your learning space is limited only by your imagination.

Tips for Working Moms #3: Don’t forget your family days

One way of managing your time is to schedule special days in which you’ll devote all your time solely to family activities. Go out with the kids, walk in the park, and play some Frisbee – by doing this, you ensure that you’re not tipping the balance too much to topple any of your commitments. Doing this also ensures that you’ll always have time with your family regardless of what you do in school.

Tips for Working Moms #4: Participate in online communities

Being active in online communities will be a great help to your online education. Participate in the live chats, and be sure to consistently post on your discussion boards. Connect to your classmates through the existing social network sites and make new friends. You’ll never know how a contact could help you out, either with homework or with something beyond your online course.

Tips for Working Moms #5: Relax and have fun

Lastly, always remember to have fun. Take the occasional time off and don’t forget to cultivate your hobbies. Given the load that you have to handle, it’s nice to know that there things out there that you do just for the heck of it.

Easy Discussion Board Tip #1: Be mindful of ‘netiquette’

Following the norms of internet etiquette can never really be over-emphasized. Being polite transcends cultures and this fact makes it all the more important for the web. Remember to use appropriate capitalization, correct punctuation, and to write in complete sentences (i.e. no text-speak). Try to learn the rules of the specific forum you are replying to. Don’t flood posts, but also don’t be a wallflower. Use the ‘search’ function whenever you’re unsure of what you’re writing about.

Easy Discussion Board Tip #2: Be on-topic

Discussion boards are not live chats. Each post is a fragment of a conversation, and it’s up to the users to ensure a free-flowing exchange of ideas. Each reply should contribute to the thread, and take the conversation further. Take note of the ideas of the previous poster then try to complement it or add to it with your ideas. Nothing is more frustrating than a member who chooses to post whatever he wants.

Easy Discussion Board Tip #3: Speak your mind

Don’t be a lurker. Be an active participant in the forum. Just like the class discussions of a brick-and-mortar classroom, the forums are designed so that everyone could freely add their ideas with only a little moderation. Try to keep your point across in a manner that you’ll be quickly and clearly understood. At the very least, it’s an opportunity to exercise your communication skills and something useful to make out of reading your textbook.

Easy Discussion Board Tip #4: Contribute

The same as what we suggested in live chats, always remember to share resources in the discussion board. Post links that are relevant to the topic or quote a passage from something you read. Discussions are fueled by facts and ideas, and it’s with these contributions that keep it going. You could also place additional links that lead to egroups or live chats if you think the conversation needs some real-time handling. You’ll certainly see its usefulness come examination preparation period.

Easy Discussion Board Tip #5: Remember to have fun

Discussion boards are not just all about work. Forums almost always have emoticons or bulletin board codes to help users personalize their posts. Make use of the board codes to bring some light-heartedness into the conversation. You could also format your posts in such a way that people could instantly see that it was you who were posting. You could also create a unique forum signature to end your posts with or just use the same font consistently to add some interest.

Part of this misunderstanding can be attributed to the prevailing belief that employers are not really comfortable recruiting people who ‘only’ finished online degrees. Here are 4 reasons why nothing can be farther than the truth:

Employers hire online learners for their self-learning skills

The uninitiated are prone to think that an online education is an easy one. Since online education offers a lot of convenience to the learner, it leads one to think that it’s a lot less difficult than traditional education. Surprisingly, it’s the other way around – since online courses rely more on the capacity of its students to learn by themselves, it’s a lot harder. The materials that come from an online learning course are mostly self-paced, requiring students to pull out all stops so that they will be able to study the material on their own. This particular characteristic is definitely a boon to companies, making the online learner a prized commodity indeed.

Employers hire online learners for their time management skills

Though most might think that enrolling in an online degree translates to a more flexible study time, it doesn’t really mean that the study hours are consequently lessened. Online students employ different ways to manage their study time, enough that they could devote enough time for their school work and other responsibilities. Study schedules also vary, and the same time management skill would be beneficial to maximize one’s education. It’s this facilitation of a work-life balance that employers look out for, something that online learners have in spades.

Employers hire online learners for their capacity to adapt quickly

Online learning is certainly an exciting one by virtue of a dozen non-traditional methods needed to maintain a fulfilling education. Some class hours require live chats, while others rely more on discussion boards. Email might be the norm for one course, while another might rely on Yahoo messenger. Schedules might change over the course of a study period. Even different facilitators might mean distinctions in teaching styles. All these require an online student to adapt quickly to the many demands of the course they take. This same skill also ensures a stress-free learning experience, something that obviously any person could benefit from. This same competence is obviously enticing to recruiters, and it’s suggested that online learners capitalize on this fact.

Employers hire online learners for their creativity

Online learners usually don’t just rely on their online courses to complete their education. Most students make the most out of their online education by being active on many fronts: volunteer work, apprenticeship, and part-time work are just some examples. Because they don’t need to go to a classroom, they have more time to go out and maximize their learning experiences. Employees see this as a major benefit because it’s a known fact that companies would like employees with a more holistic outlook to their lives.