9-1 Educational Value of Virtual Schools

Found on Middlebury Interactive Languages Website

Virtual Schools mesh well with brick and mortar schools but should not become a replacement model. Students who desire flexible scheduling due to outside commitments (gymnastics, horseback riding, skiing) deserve an educational format that recognizes their chosen athletic achievements.  These specific examples either can not occur during the evening or require excessive hours of training so a student's education must adhere to their needs in order to facilitate them becoming well-rounded, educated, successful individuals.  By attending a virtual school, students follow a curriculum, participate in labs and activities, and collaborate with other students. Their school “day” looks different than the traditional model, because it occurs at different hours, but they acquire an equivalent education while still participating in their preferred daytime activity.

While virtual schools do not feature a constant face to face learning experience, some have incorporated a hybrid style that allows students to meet in a facility in order to work on labs, collaborate with their peers, or discuss material with a teacher. An adult or learning coach in the home is also an important function in the virtual experience, however, the “learning coach time typically decreases to about 2 hours per day as [the] child becomes more independent,” (K12, 2013).  Finally, “students who are interested in taking a class that [is] not currently offer[ed] at,” (Hall, 2013) their public school can successfully follow their interests and passions outside of the brick and mortar schoolhouse.

I believe that at certain ages, kids need physical teachers or adults (learning coaches) to educate them. I think that if students miss out on these experiences, they risk losing out on a social component necessary to survive in our society. Schools lay the foundation for the skills and habits that people need in order to socialize with peers as well as colleagues when they get older.  An "employer survey, this one by staffing company Adecco... says ... “44% of respondents cited soft skills, such as communication, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration, as the area with the biggest gap,” (White, 2013, ¶4).  Teachers don’t just teach kids content, we model “honor, respect, integrity, [and] ethics,” (Gollnick, 2013, p. 130).  While virtual schools offer some wonderful opportunities for many kids, it is not a panacea for our current education system.

References

Gollnick, D. and Chinn, P. (2013). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society. New Jersey:Pearson Education

Hall, T. (2013). Welcome Back 2013-14 - YHS. [online] Retrieved from: http://yhs.yarmouthschools.org/Principals-Office/welcomeback2013-14 [Accessed: 23 Nov 2013]. 

K12. (2013). Online Public Schools. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.k12.com/schools-programs/online-public-schools.

White, M. (2013). The Real Reason New College Grads Can’t Get Hired | TIME.com. [online] Retrieved from: http://business.time.com/2013/11/10/the-real-reason-new-college-grads-cant-get-hired/ [Accessed: 23 Nov 2013].