One day, grandmothers will be saying to their grandchildren, “I had to walk five miles in the snow to get to my college classes and you can just do it at home.” In fact, these statements have probably already been made. There are two main types of online education. Some are internet programs that are offered by already established physical universities, such as Harvard. Others are actual universities that exist online, such as the well known University of Phoenix Online. But how far has learning over the internet truly come?

Mobility

One of the most intriguing aspects of online learning is the amazing sense of mobility that it provides for students, specifically those with laptops or PDAs. Recent achievements in wireless technology have provided a whole new realm of study halls for students to enjoy. Students can now whip out their laptops at lunch or at a coffee shop and connect to the internet through WiFi, which is a high speed wireless local access network. While these networks are not available everywhere, they do give online students a chance to break away from the norm and study in a different environment.

iTV

Another exceptional method of communicating is through use of interactive television, or iTV. This is an “interactive service provided through digital television” writes Tommy Strandvall in an article for e-Learnit. Most experts claim that televisions can be enhanced by software for fine tuning audio and video. The television set can now be used to access the internet, as well. Since most televisions are the focal point in the home, many students do not have trouble learning to use it as an educational tool.

Standardization

The problem that online learners may face is the inevitable standardization testing. At the end of a four year degree, all students must take the GRE or another form of entrance exam to get into college. That being said, how can states monitor the effectiveness of online classes and the technical advances mentioned before when they are so different than traditional schooling methods? Regardless, online education seems to be moving full steam ahead.