Education should be relevant and make a difference in your life. Discovering ways that your experience fits into the discussion makes the topic significant and applicable to your job or future education. Some courses naturally build on experience, such as business, sociology, or psychology.

Instructor want to see more than book learning. They want to see that you have synthesized the information and can use it effectively. You will find that because distance learning uses forum posts for discussion, you can take time to formulate a knowledgeable response before you reply. Online discussion questions are great avenues for creating relevance, and discovering the significance of a subject will help you internalize the information.

(Source: eLearn Magazine)

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Courtesy New York Times. PowerPoint diagram meant to portray the complexity of American strategy in Afghanistan certainly succeeded in that aim.

PowerPoint can be a wonderful presentation tool for class projects.  It’s got a user-friendly interface that lets you easily organize your thoughts into a structured outline and that’s just for starters… Formatting into snazzy designs, backgrounds, images, animations, even sounds, is a snap!  And let’s not forget those slide transitions.  But I’m not here to discuss PowerPoints features, I’m here to tell you to STOP wasting your time with them.

Next time you have a presentation to create, I want you to start by using a pad of paper and a pencil.  If you must insist on using a computer, use NOTEPAD or a similar text-only (no formatting features) tool.  Why?  The most important part of your presentation is the INFORMATION – not the design of the page its on.  Don’t get me wrong though.  Information and ideas can be very powerful when formated or displayed in certain ways.  But only when formatting is used conservatively and judiciously.  Otherwise all the formatting and animation becomes a distraction, making your presentation less meaningful, less memorable, and ultimately less successful.  By starting without the distraction of the formatting, you’ll have no choice but to focus on the purpose of your assignment and delivering a compelling message.  When you have finished your presentation in “text”, copy it over to PowerPoint and use formatting to highlight key points.

I’m not going to cover the best practices of using PowerPoint.  There are plenty of web sites you can reference.  Just Google “PowerPoint Best Practices” or “PowerPoint Tips” and you’ll get a wealth of information.

Most importantly, by ignoring the temptation to perfect your slide transitions and finding the right “word-art”, you are going to save hours.  Trust me, HOURS!  Use that time for more important things – anything!

To prove my point, here are two must-view links for folks still not convinced that PowerPoint can be a time drain:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?hp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSPPFYxx3o

American Military University has partnered with the Weider History Group for a great series of webcasts centered around the Civil War.

Next week’s presentation in AMU’s Civil War Series:

The Battle of Shiloh

A battle that introduced carnage to the Civil War
May 6, 2010 – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET

The Battle of Shiloh was the Confederacy’s first great effort to roll back the tide of Union success in the decisive Western Theater of the Civil War. It was also the Confederacy’s best chance for victory. For the Union, Shiloh was the first major test for Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the leaders serving under him, namely Don Carlos Buell and Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman. How were these men viewed after their victory at Shiloh? Conversely, how did the Confederacy deal with Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston’s death? Could any Confederate general have prevented Union invasion on the Cumberland or Tennessee Rivers?

Join American Military University and the Weider History Group for this live webcast event that will highlight the importance of the Battle of Shiloh and the effect it had on the outcome of the Civil War. Our speakers will also discuss what would have happened in case of a decisive Confederate victory at Shiloh.  Such an event would have removed Grant and Sherman, the Union’s two ablest commanders, and would have opened the way to probable further Confederate victories that might have changed the outcome of the war.

Join us in a few weeks for the third installment in this series:

The Battle of Gettysburg
Interpreting the bloodiest battle of the Civil War
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET

Before you begin to invest your time and money into your education, map out exactly what you want to accomplish. Do you want a certificate or degree to help you advance or begin a new career? Do you want to increase your skills for a better position or a higher paycheck? Are you ready to finish something you started long ago, or explore a new subject that’s always intrigued you? No matter what your goals are, being able to clearly state those to yourself and others will help you stay motivated and engaged with your online learning.

(Source:AllOnlineSchools.com)