Distance Education in Virtual Schools

There are a number of pros and cons to consider in relation to virtual schools.

Pros
1.Flexible Scheduling
The responsibilities of an online teacher are more flexible than those of a traditional teacher. It is possible to have another job while teaching classes online. While teaching at a virtual school usually requires teachers to be accessible and respond quickly to students and guardians, it does not require them to spend their time in the strictly structured manner of a regular school.

2. Geographical Freedom
Teachers must meet requirements to teach students in different states, but they do not need to physically be in a particular geographic location. This opens huge doors. Teachers have more options for where they want to look for jobs. They are no longer limited to the place where they live. Potentially, a teacher could teach from home, or while in a foreign country. And there is no commute.

3. Accomodates Unique Students
Virtual learning can be a better option for students who are unique. Families who travel frequently could benefit. Some of the schools target accelerated learners, and claim that virtual learning will give them the support that they need.

4. Removes Distractions/Self-Paced Learning/Optimal Study Times
Virtual learning lets learners and their guardians take control of the study environment. One of the great things about virtual schools is that it removes students from distractions and bad influences. A lot of students struggle to cope with the distraction of being with thirty of their peers. They can get off task, face embarrassment, or be pushed into unhealthy decisions and attitudes. Virtual learning lets students or their guardians have more control. They can create their own study environment, and their own schedule. This allows the family to create "school time" that they can support. If students or guardians need to have school be at 9 pm, they are free to do so.

5. Virtual Learning Allows Exploration of New Skills
Online tools are becoming more powerful and creative. Virtual learning makes students interact with this world every day, and gives them a place to try new ideas and to succeed. Some students have developed interests because of virtual learning that they never would have developed without it.

Cons
1. Less Flexibility in Curriculum and Learning Experiences
At Insight Schools the curriculum is pre-designed. Because virtual schools are still new and highly scrutinized, it makes sense that they would carefully monitor and dictate what is taught, taking away from teachers some of their freedom to express individual teaching styles.

2. Removed from the Classroom Experience
Students are not in the classroom to get the spontaneous learning experiences that happen there. Interaction with peers is one of the best learning tools. In a virtual school, students miss these elements.

3. Harder to Foster Student-Teacher Relationships
There is only so much that you can know about someone when you are removed from them. As much as we rely on telephone and internet to connect with friends, we all know that there is nothing like personal contact. I feel that this is true with online learning. The student-teacher interaction is more limited and incomplete than it is in a real classroom. Communication is another important issue. Misunderstandings occur more easily over the telephone and e-mail than they seem to do in person.

4. Intensive Guardian/Personal Responsibility
Online learning is not going to be a good option for many students because it requires either great personal responsibility or great help from another source. Many kids are not going to have either of these resources. The motivation to do homework when it's removed from a classroom situation is difficult to obtain.

5. Technology Itself
Technology can be a great tool, but sometimes it seems like the enemy as well. I think that every college student has a story about the time the computer didn't save their paper, their e-mail inexplicably stopped working, they had the wrong e-mail address, their phone died, their printer ran out of ink, they couldn't figure out blackboard, their internet died, or a hundred other technology related problems. Computers can cause bad posture, tired eyes, and carpel tunnel. I personally, hate staring at a computer screen. I worry about teaching kids at an early age that staring at a screen is a good way to live and learn. With so many kids overweight, disconnected from books, and disconnected from nature, I wonder if online learning is really a good choice.

And Other Thoughts

Teachers who make virtual schools work are going to have to be unique. They do have to have the passion and commitment that is essential to teachers in general. They have to be certified in the state that the online courses are offered in. They need to be familiar with technology, comfortable with technology, and committed to making it work. They have to be able to devote a lot of time to this. It's a real job. Some schools require that teachers respond to all questions within twenty-four hours and that they hold "office hours" as well. Grading of papers has to be efficient. Overall online teaching require a lot of organization and work.

One thing I found interesting was the parental and home involvement. One of the websites that I looked at had itineraries for grade school children. These were very intensive for the guardians. As I read through what a typical day looks like, I was reminded of my own childhood. I was homeschooled all through grade school. There were interruptions to do chores and to interact with my family, just like I saw on this itinerary. As reluctant as I am from the viewpoint of a teacher to validate this and give up control, from a homeschooler's viewpoint it's a great thing to have options and for the family to be able to have more control over education than the government. I think that if I believe that virtual students are supported by their families, I can support virtual schools. (Note: Many homeschoolers that I know hate online learning because they see it as a political move to eliminate families' rights to control their kid's curriculum.)

Virtual schools could gain a lot of credibility over the next few years. Many of the problems are being addressed. Teaching at a virtual school could definitely be something that I, or colleagues seriously consider. Maybe it will even provide competition between online and traditional. I would hope that online learning would siphon off some of the more difficult learners and give them better, more personalized options. However, I think that because of the needs of online learners for accountability and support that it is more likely that the motivated students or students with strong family support will leave. Hopefully, schools will make this more commonplace by making it less of and all-or-nothing thing and making virtual schooling a component of regular classes.