For the over 6 million people that take college classes online things are great. It’s affordable and they can make their own schedule and get a college degree, all while working on their career or raising their family at the same time.

But they have one problem, it’s college football season and for those at an online only school, they have no team to follow!

The season’s in full swing and there’s plenty of excitement. Alabama’s opening strong and upsets featuring teams like Kansas State and Oregon State are turning the rankings upside down. “Johnny Football,” Johnny Manziel is already going crazy, on the field and off! But for the millions of online college students they can’t even root for a team of their own.

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Remember when they said that in the future you’d have a flying car, food in the form of a pill (who wants that) and teleportation, but instead all we got was weird Miley Cyrus dance routines with teddy bears? Well there’s one thing we were promised in the future that is now here: college by computer. And it’s called a “MOOC.”

What a MOOC is

MOOC stands for MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSES. They are classes that are taught on site at an actual university (like Berkely or MIT) but are broadcast on the web to thousands and potentially millions of students around the world either via streaming or by use of a video site such as YouTube. While most MOOCs are simply individual classes that are provided to users, some MOOCs (known sometimes as XMOOCS) enhance the experience by offering on-line quizzes, message boards and chat functions that create an on-line community, sometimes led by a teacher, that replicates the traditional college experience.

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As we might have covered in the past, one of the greatest benefits of attending an online college is being able to go to class at your leisure. However, with that freedom comes challenges, such as staying awake and on top of things when you decide to start class at 11 o’clock at night. You might need help staying awake though your online nursing school lecture, for example. Here are ten tried-and-true pieces of advice you can employ the next time you’re attending class by moonlight.

Eat and Drink. Stimulation of any kind helps to keep your brain awake and focused, and not daydreaming about butterflies and bunny-filled fields. Protein-rich foods (meats, cheese, soy) are known for promoting brain function, fruits like blueberries and bananas give you antioxidants and happy, wakeful nutrients, and anything spicy will give your mouth something to think about other than your pillow. To be avoided: milk, turkey, sugary stuff and excessive caffeine, since those either contain the food-coma inducing tryptophan or cause catastrophic brain crashes further down the road. EduBook has a few other ideas you might use.
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Online movie rental pioneer Netflix is shifting its focus more and more to streaming video online through your computer, video game system or other streaming device. But did you know that among the thousands of movies and TV shows available on Netflix are scores of educational options on virtually all of the most popular college majors? Here are some examples. Now, if anyone busts you for “goofing off” on Netflix, you can tell ‘em you’re trying to earn your degree… (more…)

No, it’s not a cerebral rapper. Einzstein is a new service that aims to become a preeminent “e-campus” of sorts, a central access point for free online courses from around the Web. (more…)