The article highlights the desires of families seeking alternatives to the traditional schooling model. Online alternatives receive similar funding as brick and mortar schools but due to infrastructure needs are positioned to provide families with more efficient use of funds. According to this listing from About.com, thirty-seven states currently provide online alternatives to public k-12 education (Vermont and Virginia are erroneously included but are dead links). Nearby West Virginia utilizes West Virginia Virtual School. and courses are taught though a variety of sources. As noted by the Press-Citizen article, legalities may interfere with the spread of such online programs, and as this is a relatively new use of education technologies ongoing research will be necessary.
Going forward will this type of learning catch on or are there to many barriers for full implementation? There are multiple stakeholders when talking about education, and many have a direct interest in the traditional teacher student classroom model. Governments may enjoy the cheaper alternative, while teachers and unions detest the loss of a profession. Of course there is also an element of reality missing in some of these offerings. Viewing West Virginia Virtual School, I am wondering how a student can learn drivers education from an online course. These types of offerings can at least bring the student into some sort of learning environment, but additional detail may be required for full understanding of course materials.
Sources in order of use:
http://information.devry.edu/choose-devry?version=36&vc=166085&agid=0075x38642&WT.mc_id=166085&WT.srch=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=DeVry&utm_content=10318751556&utm_campaign=DeVry2_VC%3D166085_MT%3DDKS&sc_1=0075S007972GGDKS&sc_2=47a903ae-1456-e168-9a7d-00001f24738f&gclid=CN69hI-hha8CFcbc4Aod2xIe5A
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20120326/OPINION03/303260006/State-needs-keep-an-eye-online-schools?odyssey=nav%7Chead
http://www.k12.com/
http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinepublicschools/a/OnlinePS.htm
http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/vschool/index.html
http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/vschool/courses/coursecatalog.cfm
Sources in order of use:
http://information.devry.edu/choose-devry?version=36&vc=166085&agid=0075x38642&WT.mc_id=166085&WT.srch=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=DeVry&utm_content=10318751556&utm_campaign=DeVry2_VC%3D166085_MT%3DDKS&sc_1=0075S007972GGDKS&sc_2=47a903ae-1456-e168-9a7d-00001f24738f&gclid=CN69hI-hha8CFcbc4Aod2xIe5A
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20120326/OPINION03/303260006/State-needs-keep-an-eye-online-schools?odyssey=nav%7Chead
http://www.k12.com/
http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinepublicschools/a/OnlinePS.htm
http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/vschool/index.html
http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/vschool/courses/coursecatalog.cfm
Interesting article! I think an organization like K12 inc. fills a large gap in our current education system (one of many, I know), and puts a quality educational experience within reach of people living in isolated rural areas and low-income urban neighborhoods who would otherwise not have access. However, I do have one question: How do systems like K12 inc. deal with the fact that we don't all learn at the same pace? My mother is a teacher who works with underachieving kids, who for a variety of reasons struggle at a young age with basic concepts like reading and spelling. How do we design an online curriculum that takes this into account?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/education/online-schools-score-better-on-wall-street-than-in-classrooms.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=general&src=me
ReplyDeleteBriefly poking around, it seems there it quite a lot of controversy surrounding K12 inc. The NY Times article offers a pretty good summation of the issues with the company's business practices, motives, and most importantly, the ability of their online classroom to educate the students. I definitely agree with the points you guys raise re: drivers ed, or the fact that not all students learn the same way or at the same speed-and the importance of skilled instructors being able to accommodate the needs of individual students. To me, this highlights the fact that school serves an equally important role as an institution for social interaction and integration. I'm not saying it would be impossible to produce a virtual classroom capable of providing the socializing we get from the regular brick and mortar schools, but that doesn't appear to be what K12 inc is selling.
Additionally, K12 inc pitches their product for students who have discipline problems, are either highly advanced, or far behind their peers, and explicitly names the benefits of virtual learning for teenage mothers. I imagine having a baby while in high school would make it extremely difficult to stay on schedule with a regular school, but what are the repercussions if the all the kids who are different (too smart, too slow) are removed - in some ways made invisible - and the reminder of the school is a homogenous group of average students?
Changing institutions isn't easy.
ReplyDeleteGood discussion. I imagine we are going to see radical changes in in education over the next several years. Or perhaps this is just my wishful thinking.
ReplyDelete