The Virtual Classroom Redefines Education

Wood, C. (2005). The Virtual Classroom Redefines Education. Edutopia. 

        Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/high-school-dot-com

Summary:  A growing number of students have decided to move all of their high school classes online.  Some students find the flexibility of online course suitable for their busy lives. This is especially effective for athletes who would like to be training during the day instead of attending classes.  Additionally, online classrooms can be very effective for children who live in remote rural areas. These places don't always have all the electives that students want to take, and online classrooms allows rural kids the same access to classes that urban kids already enjoy.  Florida has taken the lead in virtual classrooms-- Govenor Jeb Bush signed a bill in 1997 that created a 1.3 billion dollar budget for Florida Virtual High School, where students all across the state could take classes online.  North Carolina tried to start a similar program, but without state funding like Florida's, it failed.  Students find that online classes sometimes offer more direct instruction than teachers can, since each lesson is tailored specifically for them.   However, not everything is rosy.  Teachers now much spend more of their free time working with online lessons as well as prepare for in-class activities, and not all teachers are trained to use the technology that is offered to them.  Furthermore, not every student is self-motivated enough to complete online courses.  A lot of students only respond to real human-to-human interaction.  The answer appears to be blended learning, a combination of real teachers with online tutors and programs.

Reaction:  I chose to read this article after I read another article about the rise of online learning.  I was surprised to learn that so much money was placed into online learning in the 1990s, and I wonder how much online learning Florida still uses today.  I really think that online learning has a great potential to alter education greatly for kid who live in rural areas.  My cousin is from west Texas, and I know she was not able to take AP Biology because the only school that offered the program was 100 miles away from her house.  With online learning, maybe she could have done it.  I am glad that this article mentions blended instruction-- I believe that this is the future of teaching and that, one day, every teacher will use blended instruction.  I just hoped that administrators give teachers enough planning time to work with both online lessons, as well as real-life lessons.  We all know how busy teachers are during the school year already!