You’ve probably heard of Second Life, the online reality simulation that allows people to build characters who fall in love, pursue careers, buy and sell property, and even become virtually famous. But what does this reality game actually have to do with real life? This game, according to national economic experts, teaches real-life distance learning lessons that help students of the American economy to better understand, and avoid, financial mistakes.

No, this virtual reality game cannot award real-life distance degrees, or allow real people to benefit from virtual online degree programs contained within the game, but the banking crisis experienced by Second Life people can teach valuable lessons about financial markets and banking practices. Interestingly, the crisis experienced in this online game predated an American market decline into a recession.

Students attending a virtual online degree university can’t receive an online degree in accounting. They can, however, learn more about the stock market, safe lending practices, and how sub-prime mortgages and loan interest rates can lead to disaster. This is just another way in which virtual reality can educate the public.

While this game will probably never result in an accredited online university degree program, students can learn valuable life lessons from the time spent in this second reality. Who knows, there may just be some lessons that we can learn from this game in the future that will turn the economy around again!

Scholarship deadlines are fast approaching throughout the country. Many scholarships require several references, an essay, or a transcript. It’s time to start searching through the scholarship databases and see what funds might be available to help you offset the cost of your university degee program.

Many students don’t realize that many scholarship foundations now allow their free scholarships for college to be used for distance learning degree programs as well as traditional college degree programs. This is in part due to the increased credibility of online degree education. Even though these scholarships grants can be used for online degree universities, many students are not aware of this.

If you have never searched online for university scholarships, here are a few tips to help. First, never pay to search a scholarship database. This is a scam. Most scholarship sites, such as www.fastweb.com, allow students to search for free. Additionally, you should never have to pay a fee to apply for a scholarship.

Try searching for scholarships based on unique skills or characteristics that you have. For example, if you are interested in getting a degree in education, search for teaching scholarships. Also, don’t be afraid to search for scholarships based on your name, age, religion, or hobbies. Who knows what you will find - but you had better start looking now, before you miss the deadline for a scholarship that is out there waiting just for you!

It may seem like comparing the Montessori Method with distance education degrees is comparing apples to oranges. In reality, though, there are more similarities than you might think. For example, both stress student autonomy and involvement in learning.

The Montessori Method primarily focuses on preschool and early elementary education, although some high schools also use this approach. While it is not really a method used by most online college degree programs, most professors who teach through online degree universities act as facilitators in much the same way that Montessori teachers do. 

Likewise, both approaches encourage a hands-on, practical approach to learning. Both Montessori teachers and online university degree instructors encourage students to be actively involved in their own learning. Finally, both types of education have demonstrated great success with their graduates. While this speaks well of both methods, it also underscores the importance of diversity in educational methods. After all, we don’t all look or talk the same; why would we learn the same?

Likewise, both educational systems focus on peer interaction and support. While Montessori schools encourage children to learn to interact cooperatively in the classroom and on the playground, most distalnce learning degree programs also focus on encouraging students to interact and learn together. In fact, peer support is a primary component of online degree education.