Truly we live in a quick-paced, quick-acting world. The technology that we live with every day, the things that our children could not imagine life without, are things that were written about in science fiction books when we were kids. Very few things have not kept up with the changes, but one that has sadly fallen behind is educational tools. For the most part, schools today are still driven by the textbook, which takes thousands of dollars to update and costs schools significant portions of their operating costs, but they are out of date within months of printing. However, with the rising availability of online media and online data, we find the alternative to the textbook – online education.There are many benefits to online education, but foremost among them is that information never gets old or stale. Online education allows for constantly updated, “live” subjects, and this makes online education far more flexible than the traditional school. Information can be updated at will in an online program, and current events are never more than a few mouse clicks away. Studying history? Something that doesn’t change? New books and supplements come out all the time, and those too are now available immediately in electronic form. There is no waiting for updates with online education.Also, because this information is changing rapidly, but readily available, teachers in an online format can have immediate access to students or other teachers for any collaborative work. Grading can happen instantaneously, as can testing. Online education doesn’t have to stop just because the clock chimes a particular hour or because someone has to leave. The student can continue to learn, investigate, and grow in knowledge and skill, at his own pace. Online education is a 24-7 school – all at the touch of a computer, which is highly portable and easily manageable by even the youngest of students.Beyond the initial cost of a computer, online education is usually very affordable as well. Computer prices have dropped significantly and most basic computers will handle the software needs of institutional course-providers. Since data is widely available in electronic form, the only additional costs tend to be for the service providers who teach, track, or document the student learner on their journey. These fees are usually far less than the plethora of costs that quickly add up when considering food, transportation, events, and supply fees related to more traditional school costs.All in all, the benefits of online education are increasing all the time. More and more programs are offering this type of format, and many students have literally walked away from schools “in buildings” in favor of schools “through their computer.” The flexibilities and possibilities make this an easy walk.