http://www.enlightened-sp irituality.org/rajneesh.h tml The Enigmatic "Bhagwan," Osho Rajneesh

(Last revised on Jan. 1, 2008)

Concerning India's alleged Godman "Bhagwan" (Bhagavan) Rajneesh (n?e Chandra Mohan Jain, 1931-1990), who in 1988, to clean up his PR image for better marketability, briefly preferred to call himself "Zorba the Budddha" and then in October 1989 renamed himself "Osho," there was, sadly, immense dysfunction. May his soul and all souls be in great peace and clarity in the One Divine Self!

Many thousands of disciples of Osho Rajneesh find him a beautiful enigma, and while many of these persons will openly admit as true nearly all the serious flaws and foibles pointed out by his many critics who've dared to speak publicly (such criticsincluding ex-Rajneeshee disciples James Gordon, Julian Lee, and especially Christopher Calder are quoted at some length at this webpage), these faithful disciples nevertheless gloss over the problematic aspects and still express tremendous gratitude and appreciation for all that they learned and received from Rajneesh over their months or years with this "gifted" and "remarkable" man, as several of his devotees have described him in their emails to me. (See below, further on.)

Many of these disciples and fans of Osho Rajneesh further wonder why anyone should be at all interested to critique the unwholesome and unsavory aspects of the long-deceased "Bhagwan," when the only thing really important in life is "living from freedom" and "living from the heart, not the head." Yet former disciple Christopher Schnelle, in a long post on March 3, 2006 for the generally pro-Rajneesh forum rebelliousspirit.com, has written, in part, "What is more important truth or feeling good?... I am writing about Osho because his lies and his deceit caused an enormous amount of pain for a lot of beautiful people. Most of these beautiful people have no idea that a sophisticated fraud was perpetrated on them and blame themselves for their deteriorating mental and physical health. Many of my sannyasin friends have great trouble sustaining this illusory happy fog and are taking more and more desperate measures to continue feeling good." (For the entirety of Schnelle's post, see further on, below.) At the same forum, Christopher Calder, Rajneesh's second Western disciple in the early 1970s, wrote on Oct. 19, 2005 and Aug. 18, 2007, "The Web is full of phony Osho propaganda sites that simply ignore all the scandals and the history of the cult. Most of the tell-all books are out of print and hard to find.... Will the next big cult use germ warfare as the Osho cult did, chemical warfare as the Aum Shinrikyo cult did? Or perhaps the next religious cult will graduate to nuclear warfare? Who knows? If human beings never learn that blind and unquestioning obedience to one 'perfect Master' or leader is dangerous and anti-evolutionary, then we will only have more disasters. [...] I am not saying Rajneesh was a complete fraud in the sense that he had nothing to offer. I just draw a clear line between what was good about him and where he went wrong, so that others in the future will not make the same tragic mistakes.."

In a clarifying threefold model I have presented elsewhere (click here to read more extensively), it is Absolutely true that "nothing is really happening," that all manifestation is "dream-like" and ultimately "empty" because there is only God, only Absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss, the One Alone, the all-transcending and unmanifest Spirit. One step down from this "Absolute-truth level" (paramarthika-satya) is what we might call the "psychic-soul" truth-level in which "whatever happens in manifestation is perfect," because all souls are sooner or later coming Home to perfect virtue and Divine awakening from soul-hood into Spirit, so that there's fundamentally nothing "wrong" or "problematic." Finally and more pragmatically, there is the mundane, "conventional-truth level" (vyavaharika-satya) involving the play of opposites, crucially including justice-injustice, true-false, good-evil, appropriate-inappropriate , skillful-unskillful. All three of these levels (Absolute truth, psychic-soul truth, and mundane conventional truth) are simultaneously true within this overall Nondual (Advaita) Reality. Losing the capacity to distinguish these three levels is a mark of great folly, not enlightened wisdom. And so, for instance, to excuse or overlook injustices occurring on this planet because "whatever happens is perfect" or because "this is all a dream, there's only God" is a tragic confusing of levels, and makes a mockery of the courageous work of all those who have ever endeavored to bring truth in place of lies, healing in place of harm, justice in place of injustice.

Hence, at this long webpage, various voices will be heard speaking intelligently and yes, critically, of someone who posed for nearly two decades as a "fully enlightened God-man." This webpage exists for the sake of truth and accountability, and as a cautionary for all those sincere persons who might currently or in the future be duped by similar con-men posing as God-men (or God-women).

Real spirituality, real freedom and real heart-love is invaluably precious, sublime, wholesome and holy, not at all mediocre or muddled as Rajneesh and so many others have made it and exploited it for personal profit.

=============

I first read a few of Rajneesh's earliest little books and a favorable biography (The Awakened One, by Vasant Joshi) circa 1978-1982 while in graduate school researching spiritual and psychological traditions. In the early 1980s I also saw a short film of excerpts from one of Rajneesh's talks, and was able to see first-hand his hypnotically slow, coy, seductive, and provocative manner of speech and body language, with his strange way of hissing the "s" sounds at the end of many of his words. I wasn't very impressed with Rajneesh, especially compared to some of the really tremendous spiritual masters i read about and/or met in person. I enjoyed Rajneesh's wild sense of wacky humor, often hilarious!though author Tim Guest says that Rajneesh cribbed many of his best jokes from Playboy magazine, and too many of his jokes, alas, were slurs on ethnic and racial groups or just "juvenile scatological humor," as journalist Rohit Arya has assessed it, such as Rajneesh's long comedic essay on the "magical" word "F---," and his concluding, quite silly, probably sarcastic admonition that one wake up each morning and say "F--- you" five times (the entire routine from 1984, read by Rajneesh from a script, is viewable at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6 D7rWLzloOI&feature=re lated).

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Ma Satya Priya: Reporting From The Osho Resort | Osho RS

Extropy Institute continues to support critical research and development of sciences and technologies of human enhancement. For further information on our 2004 Vital Progress Summit please follow this link: About the VP Summit

In late 2006, Extropy Institute closed. ExI's Strategic Plan explains the details of this decision and the potential for the future of ideas that were generated during ExI's lifetime.

The philosophy of Extropy continues on into the future.

This website is the "Library of Transhumanism, Extropy and the Future". The Extropy e-mail list continues to be very active and is the main venue for transhumanists and one of the best places on the Internet to meet transhumanists for challenging and creative discussions about the future. ____________________________________

Welcome to website of Extropy Institute, the original force behind the philosophy and global cultural movement of transhumanism. We welcome you to join our efforts in promoting The Proactionary Principle.

The world needs critical thinkers now! What is Extropy Institute? Extropy Institute is a think tank ideas market for the future of social change brought about by consequential technologies.Our Board of Directors, Advisors and Proactive Supporters bring together diverse ideas about the future.Our approach is proactive, our focus critical, and our ideas are principled in addressing social concerns and questions that will make or break the future of humanity. Extropy Institute has been pioneering critical and creative thinking about the future for the past 17 years.

The Mission of ExI has been to serve its members by ensuring a reputable, open environment for discussing the impacts of emerging technologies and for collaborating with diversely-skilled experts in exploring the future of humanity.

As a philosophical and cultural organization, our goals include being an international resource for strategic thinking about the future. Specific outcomes of our vision over the years have been recognized through publications, conferences, virtual summits, university courses, extropy-chat email list, and members' projects; working toward designing our future. The outcomes are located on our resources page. _______________________________________________________________]

Support the ideas vital to our future by participating in the globalcommunity and become proactive and support the Proactionary Principle.

The current project: ExI Project No. 1 - PROACTIONARY PRINCIPLE As human lives and the global environment become ever more interconnected with technology, we become increasingly responsible for making wise decisions about how to use it. We need a balanced opinion on how to apply technology to human needs. We should not reject the products of applied science; neither should we implement powerful new technologies without foresight and proactive preparation. Above all, we must not tackle the decisions of the future with the cognitive habits of the past. We need new, smarter ways to evaluate the opportunities and dangers issuing from nanotechnology, genetics, machine intelligence, climate engineering, or neurological modification. The Proactionary Principle (ProP) is designed explicitly for this purpose.

Excerpt from:
Transhumanism's Extropy Institute - Transhumanism for a ...

You know what they say the modern version of Pascal's Wager is? Sucking up to as many Transhumanists as possible, just in case one of them turns into God. Julie from Crystal Nights by Greg Egan

Transhumanism (or H+), broadly speaking, is a futurist movement with a set of beliefs with a common theme of anticipating an evolutionary plateau beyond the current Homo sapiens. The term was coined and movement founded by the biologist Julian Huxley in 1957.

The general expectation is that in the near future greater manipulation of human nature will be possible because of the adoption of techniques apparent on the technological frontier: machine intelligence greater than that of contemporary humans, direct mind-computer interface, genetic engineering and nanotechnology. Transhumanists tend to believe that respect for human agency, even when practiced by humans in their current form, is valuable, however.

How plausible is transhumanism? In the 1930's, many sensible people were sure human beings would never get to the moon and that was just one of many predictions that turned out incorrect.[1] Early 21st century people do not know one way or the other what will be possible in the future.

While frequently dismissed as mere speculation at best by most rationalists (especially in light of the many failures of artificial intelligence), transhumanism is a strongly-held belief among many computer geeks, notably synthesizer and accessible computing guru Ray Kurzweil (a believer in the "technological singularity," where technology evolves beyond humanity's current capacity to understand or anticipate it) and Sun Microsystems founder and Unix demigod Bill Joy (who believes the inevitable result of AI research is the obsolescence of humanity).

Certain recent technological advances are making the possibility of the realization of transhumanism appear more plausible: Scientists funded by the military developed an implant that can translate motor neuron signals into a form that a computer can use, thus opening the door for advanced prosthetics capable of being manipulated like biological limbs and producing sensory information.[2] This is on top of the earlier development of cochlear implants, which translate sound waves into nerve signals; they are often called "bionic ears."[3]

Even DIY transhumanism is becoming an option, with people installing magnetic implants, allowing them to feel magnetic and electric fields.[4] Others have taken to wearing belts of magnets, in order to always be able to find magnetic north.

Sadly, a lot of the underpinnings of transhumanism are based on a sort of blind-men-at-the-elephant thinking people assuming that because it can be imagined, it must be possible. Transhumanism is particularly associated with figures in computer science, which is a field that is in some ways more math and art than a true experimental science; as a result, a great many transhumanists tend to conflate technological advancement with scientific advancement; though these two things are intimately related, they are separate things. In fact, though transhumanists strenuously deny it, a great number of their arguments are strongly faith-based they assume because there are no known barriers to their pet development, that it's inevitably going to happen. Seldom is the issue of unknowns known or otherwise factored into the predictions.

The example of the singularity is instructive; for a great many people, at least part of the singularity hinges on being able to create a true artificial intelligence. While it's reasonable to contend that the complexity inherent in the human brain is entirely the result of mundane physics, and therefore can be reproduced in principle, singularitarians tend to assume that the emulation of human intelligence not being impossible means having the ability to in the near future. However, singularitarians hit the wall when confronted with the realities of brain development research though a true AI may in fact be possible, there simply is not enough known about the brain to understand its functions to the degree necessary to create a workable emulation, meaning a prediction of such a creation is meaningless at best, dishonest at worst.

"Whole brain emulation" (WBE) is a term used by transhumanists to refer to, quite obviously, the emulation of a brain on a computer. While this is no doubt a possibility, it encounters two problems that keep it from being a certainty anytime in the near future.

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Transhumanism - RationalWiki

Many private colleges offer academic merit aid scholarships of between $15,000 and $25,000 per year based on good grades and test scores, but estimating ahead of time what your child will get isn't easy. Here are three examples of colleges offering a lot of money, but different ways of qualifying for it. read

Elite private colleges don't award financial aid based on good grades and high SAT or ACT scores. The only way to lower your cost at an elite college like the Ivies, Stanford or Duke, is for your family to show a need for aid based on your finances. If you don't, you'll be expected to write a check for sticker price. However, there are hundreds of excellent private colleges offering $5,000 - $25,000 per year based on good grades and test scores. Public universities are creating more and more Honors[...] read

Student loan rates have dropped for the 2015-2016 academic year, making borrowing for college less expensive, but students and parents should still try to avoid college debt if possible. read

Risk is an inherent part of life. read

Life settlements may seem like found money to investors, but you can get ripped off by selling your life insurance policy. Here's how to avoid trouble. read

The economy remains weak and stocks continue to rise. This cannot continue indefinitely. read

You've probably heard or read about all kinds of strategies that will make you rich investing. They go by many names, but they all follow the same basic idea: Zigging when others zag. It might be buying sectors at certain points of the business cycle. Or stocks that have been bid down to unusual lows. Or only owning stocks ahead of elections, when Congress is out of session or the moon is full. Yet any kind ofmarket timingor stock selection strategy depends on the same basic mechanism[...] read

In conversations recently with several people who are very close to retiring (within the next 3-6 months), the financial planning rule of thumb of a 4% safe withdrawal rate has come up in their discussions. It seems as though its become an almost universally accepted rule and is rarely questioned. To combat complacency and willing acceptance, I routinely question it, making it the starting point for conversations regarding retirement income. read

Today's question asks how having taken an early retirement benefit will affect the amount of a later spousal benefit. The answer explains how excess spousal and survivor benefits are calculated and reviews the effects of claiming early. read

A 529 College Savings Plans is Still a Good Idea to Avoid College Loans. Here are some of the best plans. read

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Forbes - Retirement Information and Retirement News ...

Sources: Social Security Administration; Federal Reserve of Philadelphia; Department of Labor.

This calculator estimates how much you'll need to save for retirement. To make sure you're thinking about the long haul, we assume you'll live to age 92. But you could live to be 100 or incur large medical bills early on in retirement that may raise your costs even further. Social Security is factored into these calculations, but other sources of income, such as pensions and annuities, are not. All calculations are pre-tax.

The results offer a general idea of how much you'll need and are not intended to be investment advice. The results are presented in both future dollars (at retirement) and today's dollars, which is calculated using an inflation rate of 2.3%.

First, we determine what your income will be at the time you retire by growing your current income at an annual rate of 3.8% (the inflation rate of 2.3%, plus the salary growth rate of 1.5%). We then assume you can live comfortably off of 85% of your pre-retirement income. So if you earn $100,000 the year you retire, we estimate you will need $85,000 during the first year of retirement. For each subsequent year, we increase your income need by 2.3% to keep up with inflation. We then factor in Social Security by subtracting your estimated benefits (more on that below) since that income will reduce the amount you will need to save.

The second step is to calculate the total savings you will need at the time you retire, in order to generate enough income for each year of retirement. To do this, we determine what it would cost to purchase a fixed income annuity, with inflation-adjusted payments, using a discount rate (or rate of return) of 6%. The cost to purchase this hypothetical annuity is your target savings goal.

To figure out how much you will save by the time you retire, we first estimate your future income by growing your current income at a rate of 3.8% (the inflation rate of 2.3%, plus the salary growth rate of 1.5%). Then, we determine what the sum of your annual contributions will be between now and retirement. We assume your current savings and future contributions are invested and will earn an average annual rate of return of 6%.

We estimate your Social Security benefits based on the assumption that you will have worked at least 35 years and will start collecting benefits at age 67. For most people who are working today, that's considered full retirement age. If you plan on retiring after age 67, we assumed the benefits are invested (along with your savings) and grown at the same average rate of return of 6%. We use your estimated pre-retirement income to calculate your estimated annual Social Security benefits, based on current benefit formulas and accounting for inflation. To better understand your actual Social Security benefits, please visit http://www.ssa.gov.

Continued here:
Retirement Calculator | CNNMoney

Background

Personal Performance is founded on the principal of providing clients education and training on whole body wellness through alternative methods of nutrition, fitness training and injury rehabilitation. Established in 1994, we have been providing superior training and rehabilitation techniques that produce consistent, progressive results. Our commitment is to provide progressive personalized service and instruction that treats each client as a whole person to help each person achieve optimal wellness.

Founders

Doug Kleberreceived his B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois. He is a Registered Kinesiotherapist and Certified Massage Therapist. Doug is a former All-American football player, collegiate baseball player and Pro NFL player. His focus in working with athletes is on more than building strength; his treatments and training plans ensure that injured players are not only ready to get back into the game, but that they do so with sufficient strength and recovery to prevent future injury.

Sue Kleberhas a B.S. in Physical Education from the University of Illinois. Sue is a seasoned teacher; she has taught health and physical education and is an experienced Junior and Senior High School volleyball coach, and former Big 10 volleyball player. Sue works with her personal training clients to develop and maintain healthy programs that will build strength and endurance in ways that also prevent future injury.

Staff

Amber Blackfordis a Licensed Massage Therapist.

DJ Homann is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and has a Masters degree in sport science and rehabilitation. DJ received his Masters degree from Logan College of Chiropractic where they teach and practice holistic health care techniques, focusing on exercise, chriopractic care, and lifestyle and nutritional changes to bring about maximal health. As part of this degree, he spent a semester interning as the Strength and Conditioning Coach, overseeing 17 Division 1 sports teams.

DJ focuses on high-intensity training for athletes of all ages, helping clients achieve maximum sport performance. He also does corrective exercise rehabilitation for those clients who need it. DJ enjoys tournament bass fishing in his free time.

Helen Popeis a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, licensed to practice in the State of Illinois. She is a CertifiedZero Balancer, and aUsui Reiki Master/Teacher.Helen is also pursuing certification in CranioSacral Therapy. She has training in Reflexology, OrthoBionomy and Deep Tissue therapies.

Continued here:
About | Personal Performance

Personal success is achievable for anyone who practices the four keys to success and I believe that you will change your life for the better. Everyone wants personal success and to learn the keys to success. Everyone wants to have a happy, healthy life, do meaningful work, and achieve financial independence. Everyone wants to make a difference in the world, to be significant, to have a positive impact on those around him or her. Everyone wants to do something wonderful with his or her life.

Over and over, I have found that the keys to success are a single piece of information, a single idea at the right time, in the right situation, and change your life. I have also learned that the great truths are simple.

Luckily for most of us, personal success is not a matter of background, intelligence, or native ability. Its not our family, friends, or contacts who enable us to do extraordinary things. Instead, the keys to success are our ability to get the very best out of ourselves under almost all conditions and circumstances. It is your ability to adapt and change your life.

You have within you, right now, deep reserves of potential and ability that, if properly harnessed and channeled, will enable you to accomplish extraordinary things with your life. Get my FREE report Roots of Resilience and develop your ability to overcome difficulties, adversities, obstacles and setbacks.

The great keys to success to change your life have always been the same.

This formula is your key to success and has worked for almost everyone who has ever tried it. It will require the very most you can give and the best qualities you can develop. In developing and following these keys to personal success, you will evolve and grow to become an extraordinary person.

You will not live long enough to figure it all out for yourself. And what a waste it would be to try, when you can learn from others who have gone before. Ben Franklin once said, Men can either buy their wisdom or they can borrow it from others. The great tragedy is that most men prefer to buy it, to pay full price in terms of time and treasure.

Your greatest goal in life and in personal success should be to acquire as many of them as possible and then use them to help you do the things you want to do and become the person you want to become.

You will change your life by achieving just one important goal, you create a pattern, a template for personal success in your subconscious mind. You will change your life and be automatically directed, and driven toward repeating that success in other things that you attempt.

By overcoming adversity and achieving one great goal in any area, you will program yourself for success in other areas as well. In other words, you learn to succeed by succeeding. The more you achieve, the more you can achieve. Each of the keys to success, especially the first one, builds your confidence and belief that you will be successful next time and achieve ultimate personal success.

More:
Personal Success 4 Life Changing Tips | Brian Tracy

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Evolving Wisdom - Integral and Evolutionary Spirituality

Both graduates from four-year colleges and those who did not attend college believe that, on average, a bachelor's degree makes a difference of $20,000 in yearly earnings, according to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey on whether college is worth the cost. U.S. Census Bureau data shows these estimates are pretty accurate--the median earning gap between a high school grad and a college grad in 2010 was $19,500.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms that college pays off, reporting that as the level of education increases, earnings increase and the unemployment rate decreases. Workers with high school diplomas earned 2010 median weekly wages of $626. Those with associate degrees earned 22 percent more; bachelor's degree holders netted 66 percent more; and workers with master's degrees earned more than twice as much as those with high school diplomas.

By 2018, research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) predicts the U.S. will need 22 million new college degree holders to fill available jobs. The CEW predicts we will miss the mark by at least 3 million post-secondary degrees, associate or higher. Why? The percentage of Americans who have a post-secondary degree has remained relatively unchanged for the last 40 years, says the Lumina Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to positive post-secondary educational outcomes.

If education does pay off and the country desperately needs an educated workforce, what seems to be the problem? Cost, says the Pew survey; in the 18 to 34 age group, two-thirds of those not attending college identified having to support a family as the main reason, with 48 percent saying they can't afford to go to college.

Between 1985 and 2010, inflation in the U.S. increased by 107.05 percent while college tuition increased by 466.8 percent, according to Gordon H. Wadsworth, author of Cost Effective College. How are students paying for education? They take out student education loans--to the tune of nearly $1 trillion nationally, according to an MSNBC article in December 2010.

"Online education presents a financially viable solution to increasing access to post-secondary education" reports the Center for College Affordability and Productivity in 25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College. According to the report, online education can help improve post-secondary education in three main ways:

According to a 2009 report by The Sloan Consortium, "online enrollments have continued to grow at rates far in excess of the total higher education student population, with the most recent data demonstrating no signs of slowing." Look into the opportunities available to you through the online college education revolution.

Read the rest here:
Online Schools & Colleges - Online - Online-Education.net

Educational technology is the effective use of technological tools in learning. As a concept, it concerns an array of tools, such as media, machines and networking hardware, as well as considering underlying theoretical perspectives for their effective application.[1][2]

Educational technology is not restricted to high technology.[3] Nonetheless, electronic educational technology, also called e-learning, has become an important part of society today, comprising an extensive array of digitization approaches, components and delivery methods.[4] For example, m-learning emphasizes mobility, but is otherwise indistinguishable in principle from educational technology.[5]

Educational technology includes numerous types of media that deliver text, audio, images, animation, and streaming video, and includes technology applications and processes such as audio or video tape, satellite TV, CD-ROM, and computer-based learning, as well as local intranet/extranet and web-based learning. Information and communication systems, whether free-standing or based on either local networks or the Internet in networked learning, underlie many e-learning processes.[6]

Theoretical perspectives and scientific testing influence instructional design. The application of theories of human behavior to educational technology derives input from instructional theory, learning theory, educational psychology, media psychology and human performance technology.

Educational technology and e-learning can occur in or out of the classroom. It can be self-paced, asynchronous learning or may be instructor-led, synchronous learning. It is suited to distance learning and in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, which is termed blended learning. Educational technology is used by learners and educators in homes, schools (both K-12 and higher education), businesses, and other settings.

Richey defined educational technology as "the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources".[1] The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) denoted instructional technology as "the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning."[2][7][8] As such, educational technology refers to all valid and reliable applied education science, such as equipment, as well as processes and procedures, that are derived from scientific research, and in a given context may refer to theoretical, algorithmic or heuristic processes: it does not necessarily imply physical technology.

Educational technology refers to the use of both physical hardware and educational theoretics. It encompasses several domains, including learning theory, computer-based training, online learning, and, where mobile technologies are used, m-learning. Accordingly, there are several discrete aspects to describing the intellectual and technical development of educational technology:

Educational technology is an inclusive term for the tools and the theoretical foundations for supporting learning and teaching. Educational technology is not restricted to high technology.[3]

However, modern electronic educational technology is an important part of society today.[4] Educational technology encompasses e-learning, instructional technology, information and communication technology (ICT) in education, EdTech, learning technology, multimedia learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL), computer-based instruction (CBI), computer managed instruction, computer-based training (CBT), computer-assisted instruction or computer-aided instruction (CAI),[9] internet-based training (IBT), flexible learning, web-based training (WBT), online education, digital educational collaboration, distributed learning, computer-mediated communication, cyber-learning, and multi-modal instruction, virtual education, personal learning environments, networked learning, virtual learning environments (VLE) (which are also called learning platforms), m-learning, and digital education.

Each of these numerous terms has had its advocates, who point up particular potential distinctions. However, these descriptive terms individually emphasize a particular digitization approach, component or delivery method.[5] For example, m-learning emphasizes mobility, but is otherwise indistinguishable in principle from educational technology. In practice, as technology has advanced, the particular "narrowly defined" aspect that was initially emphasized by name has blended into the general field of educational technology.[5] For example, "virtual learning" in a narrowly defined semantic sense implies entering the environmental simulation within a virtual world,[10][11] for example in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[12][13] In practice, a "virtual education course" refers to any instructional course in which all, or at least a significant portion, is delivered by the Internet. "Virtual" is used in that broader way to describe a course that is not taught in a classroom face-to-face but through a substitute mode that can conceptually be associated "virtually" with classroom teaching, which means that people do not have to go to the physical classroom to learn. Accordingly, virtual education refers to a form of distance learning in which course content is delivered by various methods such as course management applications, multimedia resources, and videoconferencing.[14]

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Educational technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia