How I Chose Ashford University Online to Obtain My Degree

At one point, I was spending a huge amount of my day on the internet playing games on Facebook. Sims Social to be specific. I would go to sleep thinking about the game and wake up doing the same. I was totally addicted. After a heated argument with my spouse, I decided that I would no longer play but I would not disconnect from the outside world by disabling my internet account. So…how could I continue to use the internet and be productive at the same time? I looked at my sleeping son and tears came to my eyes. I decided to go back to school, obtain my Bachelor’s degree and help my children and others with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Although I am a stay at home Mom, my children’s disability makes it difficult to attend classes at a brick and mortar institution. Online courses were the best option. But with so many universities and colleges offering online education, which school would I choose?

First, I had to determine what I wanted to study. By doing this, I would narrow down the number of schools that offered online courses for my field of study. I decided that I wanted to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Education. Studying Education, not Early Childhood Education gives me the opportunity to work with students K-12. I narrowed down the possible universities to Ashford University,University of Phoenix,Western Governors University and Walden University.

I decided early on that I did not want to enroll at University of Phoenix. Why? It is a requirement that students participate in group projects. This did not sit well with me. I work very hard to obtain good grades and I do not want my grades to be determined by the work of others. So University of Phoenix was out leaving Walden, WGU and Ashford as my final three.

In order to continue my decision making, a side by side comparison of data would be of great assistance. I found the website Find the Best.com which helped me to compare numbers and compile data. I entered the schools and the Education degree program and found the following:

I decided early on that I did not want to enroll at University of Phoenix. Why? It is a requirement that students participate in group projects. This did not sit well with me. I work very hard to obtain good grades and I do not want my grades to be determined by the work of others. So University of Phoenix was out leaving Walden, WGU and Ashford as my final three.

In order to continue my decision making, a side by side comparison of data would be of great assistance. I found the website Find the Best.com. I entered the schools and the Education degree program and found the following data:

Ashford University

Cost per credit: $402

Program Length: 48 months

Total Credit Hours: 120 

Western Governor's University

Cost per credit: $ 191

Program Length: 54 months

Total Credit Hours: 136

Walden University

Cost per credit: $ 285

Program Length: 48 month
Total Credit Hours: 181 

Technology could have further enhanced my decision if there were an app available. If I could simply type “education studies” “Bachelor’s degree” to find the applicable universities. I had to google search the internet and then filter through the search results for what I needed. I would have appreciated enrollment numbers as well as completion rates. This information would have told me the success rates of these programs. I read blogs and reviews online about Ashford. Some good, some bad but the information helped me to compile questions for my admissions counselor, Vincent.

I knew that I would be transferring credits from my previous college therefore I would not have to complete the number of hours that the schools listed. University of Phoenix decided prior to knowing how many transfer credits I had wanted to enroll me in an Associate’s program and upon completion, begin a Bachelor’s program. Vincent at Ashford said that this was a ploy to get me to stay at their school longer so that they could get more funds. This was another reason that they were out of the running early on. When I enrolled at Ashford, I was placed in the Bachelor’s program immediately which was a huge plus. I wanted to enroll at an online university that had a brick and mortar location. I felt more at ease knowing that there was an actual university somewhere not just in the cloud. My counselor mentioned that some online schools put “Online Degree” on your degree. This can be a deterrent to some who frown upon online education. Ashford does not do this which was another plus.

I am truly grateful to Vincent who was an advisor and a coach that encouraged me by saying “This is your time Kim, do it for you”. I know that I made the right decision. Being a student at Ashford has been a wonderful experience and I have totally enjoyed my educational experience here.

References
http://online-degrees.findthebest.com/compare/1278-3550-3885/Walden-University-vs-Ashford-University-vs-Western-Governors-University

Just Imagine: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Communication and Socialization Skills and TIM

Just imagine….

…that you are thirsty. You know that you want a glass of water but you are unable to ask for it. How upset would that make you? As you become thirstier, the people around you can only guess what it is that you want and their guesses are wrong.  The thirstier you become, the more annoyed you become. A meltdown ensues and calming down could take minutes or even hours, but you are still thirsty. How would this make you feel?

Just imagine….

….sharing a classroom with the same students for 5 years, sitting next to one another, playing with the same toys, eating lunch together, riding the school bus and never speaking or interacting with any of them. You know their names but you have never said “Hi” or “Would you like to play with me?” since the first day you met.

I have experienced these scenarios first-hand through my children. I have encountered the frustration that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) endure because they are non-verbal or low verbal. I was kicked, scratched and hit by my daughter because she could not express her needs or wants. My daughter’s meltdowns lessened when she started to attend school. Her teacher and speech therapist implemented the adoption level of the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) using IPads in the classroom to help Sydney improve her communication skills. As her communication increased, the number of outbursts decreased significantly.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) causes children to possess inadequate social skills. They exhibit poor eye contact with individuals or objects, a lack of pretend or social play, problems with making friends, crying, becoming angry, giggling or laughing for no reason or at the wrong time and a dislike for being touched or held. Individual instruction with augmented assistive devices and apps can assist in strengthening social skills in students with ASD. An instructor’s implementation of the constructive characteristic of TIM could use technology such as a SMART board at circle time to engage her students in group activities increasing student interaction and improving social skills. Deon and his classmates are beginning to interact with one another with a typical whiteboard in their classroom. A SMART board could bring the ability to upload interactive videos, sing along songs and games to initiate student interaction with the teacher and classmates.

Technology supports children in communication and social interaction with teachers, students and caregivers. The use of assistive devices and computers can provide students with the means to express oneself. I am inspired to work with children with autism and assist them in acquiring the skills that they will need to become independent and self-sufficient in the future.

With all of the current uses for technology in the classroom, I can just imagine all the possibilities that the future has to offer.

References

http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Autism.htm

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/Pages/Communication-Problems-in-Children-with-Autism-Spectrum-Disorder.aspx

What I Consider Key Developments of Educational Technology

Key developments that I find to be most significant:

Audio visual age – film strip projectors, overhead projectors

Information age 1960- television, VCR, audio tape, VHS tape

I believe that my choices are considered key developments because they charted a new era of educating students. Books were initially the sole instrument for providing information to students. When audio and video were made accessible to teachers, slides, film strips, video and audio tapes could broaden the material that students can learn from.

I can recall in elementary school that our class would be so excited to see the projector or reel to reel in our classroom. It meant that we were in for a treat. Whether it was a film about a foreign country, a National Geographic documentary or slides about a topic that we were learning about. 

In high school, one of my electives was a TV/Video class. We learned about how to make a film. We also learned about classic films and what made them classic. When we saw the television and VCR in the classroom, we knew that it would be a great day.  This class was where I first saw Citizen Kane... 

and Cool Hand Luke...

The use of technology increased my learning because prior to taking that class, I did not know how to look at a film and see what the director was trying to say, what message he/she was putting forth to the audience. Today, I watch various types of films (my husband always asks me if I have heard of something that he sees is coming on cable). Although we do not get to the movies much due to our children, I keep a subscription to Entertainment Weekly to stay abreast of all the new films that are in production or being released. Technological advances have made the projector, VCR, audio and video tape obsolete but my love of the cinema was peaked from what I learned in that class.