Enrollment to virtual schools and online learning is on the
rise. With more classes that aren't otherwise available really gives students
more opportunities to better themselves. Online learning is also being used for
students to recover course credits. When it comes to credit recovery my
basis for liking it is situational. I think online learning and virtual schools
are going to happen regardless if someone likes it or not. I want students to
get the best education, and a lot of research should be done before committing
to a virtual school. Being an English major I don’t see online learning and
virtual schools to be the best for this subject. There are a lot of online
resources that you could implement within the English classroom but overall I
think most students need to actually be in the classroom to get everything the class
offers. I do think ELL could benefit from online English classes.
CIPA/COPPA
CIPA/COPPA are internet
protection laws. CIPA requires that schools and libraries in the United States have internet
filters and other measures to protect children's
access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet as a condition
for federal funding. COPPA is a law that
prohibits website operator’s apps,
online services, and advertising networks from collecting the personal
information of children under 13 years old without verifiable parental consent.
CIPA is only required if a school or library receive E-rate discounts.The state of Michigan only recieved 2% of the national total for funds in 2015.This site has lesson plans for all grades, to teach students how to be safe online. This toolkit builds on each lesson each year for things that are a little more complex and will be things that students are trying, such as how students can use email to communicate, but in a safe way to people that you know.
So I have to agree with you on virtual schooling. It is so hard for me to understand why people think that it would be easier to learn online then in an actual classroom. I personally think that school is also a place to learn valuable social skills and that's something that virtual schools just can't offer. I also think that virtual schooling is easier to abuse and fall behind. As a parent I think that if your going to consider virtual schooling or even homeschooling you need to take courses on education and those subjects because what we do is not easy. As an art teacher I can't imagine keeping my son home and attempting to teach him math when I'm not even sure how to do it myself. io think that schooling is constantly moving towards becoming more technology based/virtual but there are some things that computers can't replace, like relationships, one on one teaching, and classroom atmosphere. I guess to end this rant I want to say that I believe that virtual schooling could be beneficial for a select population of students, I also believe that using it as summer school to help students make up credits is also a great idea, but as for the general population, we need school to be a place, because our students get so much more out of it than just learning different subjects.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Amber and you Megan when it comes to the topic of virtual schooling. I believe virtual schooling has positive and negative points, just like everything else. I found an article from the Washington post that made good points when it comes to virtual schooling. This article talks about that students who are attending virtual school are typically the students who did not doing well in a typical school setting. The students who did not do well in a "normal" school setting are usually the ones who are beyond grade level and struggling. If students are struggling and behind, me as a future teacher would wonder how that student would get the help they need to get back up to grade level with virtual school. I believe that students need that one on one help in person. I am not saying virtually schooling wouldn't help students be successful, I just need to learn more about it and I would love to see virtual school in action. The article also address that a lot of virtually charter schools are failing and they are closing the ones that do fail. The statistic I found interesting was that the students that are in a virtual school Learn far less than what others students learn in a traditional school setting, this makes me wonder how successful virtual schooling really is if the students are not learning as much as other students.
ReplyDeleteThis article is a great read:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/06/16/charter-advocates-acknowledge-disturbingly-low-performance-of-virtual-schools/
Just to comment on your statistic about virtual learners learning less, I wonder if it has something to do with the setting. Like children go to school to learn and they come home to relax, I think I learn/ focus far better in a classroom then at my house because of the setting and all the distractions. It's like life stops when your at school and once you walk out its back to reality. Idk it could just be me being crazy though.
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought Brittany, if a student is struggling in the normal classroom, is a virtual school really going to teach them what they need to know? Amber I am the same way. In a school setting I feel like I am there to learn, when I have online classes, I have a much harder time focusing on and remembering what I have learned.
ReplyDeleteYou all bring up interesting points, and there are several forces at play. Online courses are generally set up for students who are self-motivated and have good self-control and metacognitive skills. A struggling student may lack these, plus the isolating effects of online learning create additional anxiety. In turn, these 'credit recovery' courses are often watered down.
ReplyDeleteVirtual charters, where everything is online, is, in essence, homeschooling. Why do people homeschool? There are a variety of reasons, and you can argue the validity of many of them. Thus, a student who is ill-prepared to handle online learning but is enrolled in a cybercharter for questionable reasons is likely to do poorly.