Though cyber schooling hasn’t come close to replacing traditional schools, some business leaders like Bill Gates to Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, have gone on record with their assertion that online has a promising future. (In his 2010 annual letter, Gates said his foundation would be funding projects that further the development of online learning.)
In the past decade, e-learning has spread into new terrain and thereby transformed its fly-by-night reputation. The vast majority of homeschoolers now use online curriculum like Global Student Network’s online curriculum. Again, A number of charter schools have also adopted online programs, and some traditional schools are offering e-learning options as well. “In the last five years, online learning has become much more proven and mainstream,” says Don Posson, VP of Operations and Technology for Global Student Network, and Superintendent of International Virtual Learning Academy. “It’s differentiated, engaging, and it really provides the ideal situation for many students.”
Research firm Ambient Insight predicts that some 10.5 million students in preschool through high school will take at least some online classes by 2014.
The most obvious appeal for online courses is the electronic medium itself. Textbooks can get boring, and e-learning can provide a variety of multi-media presentations to address each students learning needs. Students are able to stay connected to their learning more easily.
For other students, online learning promises an escape from the petri dish phenomenon: emotional and physical settings that are anything but healthy. With the current economic conditions nationwide, schools are cutting back to basics, class sizes are increasing, and teachers are more challenged then ever just to maintain order in the brick-and-mortar classroom.
In online environments, students don’t have to worry about teasing and bullying, the distractions of noisy classrooms, and the multitude of personality issues that create environments where learning is difficult. For many students, e-learning provides a healthy environment. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. Students have less chance of getting sick because of someone ill coming to school and spreading flu’s and colds.
Online education has also proved to be a boon for those who need more time — or less. Fast learners are able to accelerate their learning without being slowed down by the rest of the class. Slower learners are able to take the time they need to master concepts, without embarassment or pressure from the rest of the class. Every student is able to go deeper into materials they are struggling with so they can master essential concepts before moving on.
Time on task. It’s the goal of every teacher juggling administrative announcements, classroom disruptions, and countless other interruptions. Some kids claim this is the great boon of online learning: more time spent learning every day. There is a lot of wasted time in regular school — changing classes, administrative stuff.
Doug, an ninth-grader from the International Virtual Learning Academy, claims that he gets “twice the work done that I was doing in eight hours in three or four hours, with a quarter of the stress!” For him, it’s as much a matter of avoiding the time suck of social drama: “There are less distractions in online school; I’m not caught up in other peoples issues.”
Some kids with special needs or learning disabilities may find online curriculum more personalized than a teacher attempting to meet the needs of 35 students at once. According to Laurie Bloom, Director of International Virtual Learning Academy. many mildly autistic students find that they can focus and learn better with a computer.
Though the previous reasons may be the most commonly cited for choosing online schools, the list is far from complete. Here are several more reasons why parents might consider e-learning for their kids, either as a supplement to their studies or an alternative:
Is it a long, inconvenient commute to the nearest school?
Are you concerned about dangers at school — such as drugs, sexting, and gang violence?
Do you want to shield your child from ideas you disagree with?
Does your child adore computers?
Do you want to travel abroad for a year and keep your kid on track with e-learning?
Does your curious teenager wish to take extra classes your small school doesn’t offer, such as french, sociology or forensic science?
Does your high schooler want to work during school hours? (He or she can study online at night.)
Is your child an athlete who needs to train in the daytime?
Does your child have emotional issues that make classroom dynamics difficult?
While online education is not yet a serious rival to traditional schooling, its appeal may expand as public schools lose funding and online curriculum becomes more sophisticated. Sure, it’s still a developing area, but as Posson notes, “Fifteen years ago everyone would have thought it impossible to do all our shopping and banking online, but now it is commonplace. Education can also be an online activity.”
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