Distance Education and Virtual Schools

The first thing that really caught my eye was how big these virtual schools have become. Actually, untill now I had no idea that they even existed. But now that I do know they exist, I am really surprised how big a thing they are. It seems strange that so many kids are taking high school online because I had never thought about it. I knew about online college courses, but using that method for high school didn't seem plausible. I suppose this is due mostly to the fact that I took high school through the "normal" way that most kids do. Actually going to a building and classes. However, after exploring some of the virtual school's websites, they seem like a really cool idea. Especially in today's technologically advanced world.

Some cons of virtual schools are as follows:
Virtual schools obviously have the loss of face to face contact between students, teachers, and faculty members. I would think that this loss of interaction between peers and mentors would hinder a students social development. How are they supposed to gain good communication skills and become comfortable around people if they take classes online and are not subjected to actual teachers and peers like students who attend traditional high schools. I would need some more study to see if students really do develop social problems.
Another con is the amount of responsibility that is placed on the students and the parents. In this type of school, with students not being in direct contact with teachers each day, the students must be held responsible to learn the material and to do the work. Can we really trust that the students will do all that is assigned, and more importantly is it even their work that is submitted? Perhaps they just have someone else do the work for them, or they search the internet and plagerize. Either way, it becomes very difficult to determine for certain that the work turned in is the student's. Now the big question becomes whether or not it is the parents who are really responsible for getting the students to do the work? Personally I believe that the parents must take on a big load of this responsibility, and granted it is good that a parent takes interest in their student's learning, this constitutes much to great of responsibility put on the parent.
One more con would be the students actually being able to learn the material. I admit that I have very little knowledge about exactly how these virtual schools have the students learn, but in my mind I see information being put online and books assigned for students to read and learn from, and then homework assigned from these sections. So while it is a great way for students to work at their own pace, I find it hard to see how they can really learn material by themselves.

Not to be all negative, here are some pros:
Virtual schools allow students to learn from anywhere in the world and at any time they want as long as they have a computer and internet connection. This means that students could be in school while on vacation, or any trip that they go on including club sports, concerts, etc. It also means that students could go to a library or a coffee shop or whatever environment suits their learning style and makes them comfortable. Students also have the option of learning at whatever time of the day suits them. A person might perfom better at night or in the early morning, and with virtual schools this is not a problem. This brings up another pro of virtual schools, the fact that students can learn at their own pace. Students are responsible for their learning and they can take the time needed to understand the material. This is a great benefit as it ensures that the students really understand the material.
Another pro would be the increased revenue brought to the school district. Every student that is enrolled in a virtual school counts towards the district that the virtual school is set up through. This in turn generates a tremendous amount of revenue for the district because of the increased number of students. This allows a school district to provide its students with many opportunities that some other districts might not be able to.

Teachers must have certain skills if they are to teach in a virtual school. One skill that really stands out to me is good communication skills. Teachers must be in constant contact with their students to answer questions and actually teach the material. They must not forget to respond to someone, and they must be very clear in their communcation in order to avoid confusion among students. Teachers must also have a good base knowledge about technology in order to properly use virtual schools. These environments are not your typical classroom. In order for teachers to provide students with an engaging curriculum, they must be able to create advanced technology that students can interact with. Therefore teachers must be able to use office products, email, powerpoints, photoshop, movie maker, web 2.0, and various other technologies.

In doing some research it seems as though most virtual school teachers are very qualified though. Every website states that teachers will be certified in the state they are teaching in. They also state that most of their teachers have an average of fifteen years experience, and that 74% have their masters degree.

Another interesting point about virtual schools I found was the curriculum that is offered. It was very easy to browse all the classes that were offered in various virtual schools. The classes seemed to cover all the basics, and offered both honors and AP classes for the higher achieving students. There were also some interesting and exciting electives that the students could take, such as digital photography and digital video. There was also a tremendous amount of foreign language classes available.

In exploring these virtual schools and observing how the world has been focusing more and more on technology these days, I really can see virtual schools becoming almost equal in popularity as traditional high schools. The reason for this being that I don't see the cons outweighing the pros. In today's world of reform education, virtual schools meet most all the ideas and concepts associated with it. In light of this, I think that it is necessary for me to learn more about virtual schools and technology just in case the opportunity presents itself to teach for one.