Online Learning: Virtual High School

I’ve read about and even heard commercials about online high school – the new virtual way to get a diploma. What does this mean for our children and the future leaders of our society? Think back … most if not all of us went to high school in the traditional classroom setting, with a teacher and approximately 20 other students (maybe more depending on your location). Think about passing periods, going to your locker, finally getting to drive your own car to school. Depending on when and where you went to high school, maybe you drove yourself and your friends off campus for lunch. High school is definitely a social atmosphere (e.g. group projects, clubs, sports).

Now, think of the new virtual high school. Is that similar to the online class we are in right now? Is the most a student knows about anyone in the class what they type into the screen? Is there interaction like with Second Life? Are there clicks (popular kids, chess club, cheerleaders, band students) as in real-life high school? How do kids make friends in an online high school? Do they ever contact those friends outside school hours, perhaps in real-life? Do they go to the mall together or to the movies? What about prom? Is that virtual too?

From what I understand, the classes are online and while people could choose to associate outside the classroom, most do not. Think of this class—how many of us are going to become real-life friends who hang out? Few if any.

According to this article on AZCentral, education online is growing more and more popular. Further, the main reason students take online classes during high school is to finish early and get on with their lives: working, going to college, etc. What will having a large number of students graduating early with little social experiences outside hanging out with neighbors or family do for our society? Are these children (17 and younger) really ready for the “real world” of full-time work, supporting families, college, etc.? Perhaps we should protect our children from growing up too fast.

On the other hand, maybe online classes (which have basically replaced home study and correspondence courses) are just what we need to individualize learning. Children can learn at their own pace (as mentioned in the article) so that if they learn more slowly or quickly than their peers, they don’t have to follow the regularly scheduled learning agenda. They will learn everything they need to know (at least in an academic sense) before graduation, some finishing before their scheduled graduation date and others later.

I think this is a useful tool—online classes. But perhaps it would be best if integration between the actual “block and concrete” classroom and online classes not only existed but was the norm. Students who struggle with the traditional classroom setting can take some classes online, but still participate in clubs and teams (basically have ties to the traditional school). Further, students should follow the basic schedule for graduation except in special circumstances, thus preserving childhood and high school experiences for that age of life. Then they can enter the next stage and deal with pressures of the adult world.

Public administrators are definitely going to have to consider online learning (for good or ill) in regards to education in the future. As a final note, maybe online learning could be helpful in reducing the dropout rate. Still, if students are disinterested in doing homework and learning, what will keep them in the classroom whether in the traditional sense or in a virtual world?