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The tables have turned for online education
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SPECIAL TO THE REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Apr. 10, 2012 | 9:18 a.m.
Online schooling, once thought of as new-wave and experimental, is now an accredited and widely accepted education option for students across the nation. Contrary to the old conventional wisdom, online schools are now recognized as offering challenging classes, advanced academic opportunities and dynamic social interactions -- both in and out of the classroom -- for a rapidly growing number of students.
A recent Department of Education study assessing the academic track record of students in online education sheds some light on the issue. Students completing some or all of their courses online performed better academically than peers in a traditional classroom. These students scored, on average, in the 59th percentile while the average brick-and-mortar student scored in the 50th percentile.
The study cited the ability of the online classroom to individually tailor education to meet each student's needs. Students have the flexibility to learn at their own pace, taking more time on subjects they find more difficult, or advancing rapidly to more challenging material. May educational leaders throughout the United States predict that by the year 2015, 50 percent of all instruction in public education will be offered online -- and some courses and educational content will be exclusively offered over the Web.
Also contrary to popular perceptions, a recent study from The Center for Research in Education Policy at the University of Memphis found that these social implications are far from negative. In fact, the study found that students enrolled in full-time online public schools demonstrated social skills that were superior to or substantially similar to those of students enrolled in traditional public schools. The study found that students were highly engaged in social activities, both inside and outside the classroom. Consequently, fears about the lack of socialization and social skill building in students who access online instruction appears increasingly unfounded.
Nevada is embracing the new technological wave in education by authorizing online schools, such as Beacon Academy of Nevada, in school districts and innovative charter schools. Online schools are offering Nevada students innovative, easy-to-use technology that enables them to learn almost anytime and anywhere. This flexibility enables a learning experience custom made for the diverse lifestyles and responsibilities of students and families.
Students considering online schools should be confident of receiving an education that prepares them for the future.
As much as online education appeals to students seeking advanced course options, it also is a good fit for students who might otherwise have considered dropping out of high school. Many potential dropouts have found they can complete school when given the opportunity to do it online and on their terms. Many of these students then pursue further training or college, often in one of the hundreds of online university or career training programs.
The tables have turned for online education, and the new tables are equipped with laptops, desktops, scanners and smart phones. In Nevada and throughout the United States, an increasing number of students are using the world of technology to tap into an education experience that is challenging, rewarding, interactive, convenient and accountable.
Gary Waters is the former president of the Nevada State Board of Education. He now serves as the executive director of Beacon Academy of Nevada.
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This would work great IF your child is self motivated and trust worthy enough to actually stay at home all day and do the work unsupervised. I wonder how many "digital scholars" just google the answers or cut and paste essays? They don't even have to secretly pass notes to cheat, they can have a conference call and share the answers openly.
Having attended two brick and mortar universities and also the University of Phoenix Online. I will say that the online courses are by far much harder than anything else, and there is also much more academic freedom in the online setting. Online university courses offer access to a much higher quality education, with a lot less of the personal politics of some of the professors at traditional universities.
Sheesh. Some of just can't read, or won't take the time to read. This letter is NOT about HOME SCHOOLING. It is about ONLINE EDUCATION.
I earned my Master of Arts online and have subsequently taught online as an adjunct professor for two accredited universities.
Here is how it works: First, there is a reading assignment for the general education on the current topic. Next, there is a research assignment for the student to obtain other scholarly information on the topic. Then there is a requirement for the topic to be discussed among the rest of the online student cohort. Mastery of knowledge can be tested though written products incorporating the reading, research, and discussion, or by proctored tests.
Here is why it works so well: The student is forced to become immersed in the subject matter. The reading – research – discussion – testing method is the perfect method for not only reinforcement, but for very long term memory. Some might say that this is the same as what should be expected out of traditional classrooms, but that would be incorrect in actual practice. Most teachers have to spend precious class time addressing the margins: Those kids that are very talented and require a lot of time as well as those students that are slower at synthesizing the information. The utility of the online classroom is that there is no school bell and no class times.
Many will remember that your biggest quest in your education was in trying to ferret-out what would be on the test! Most of that information became part of short-term memory to be replaced with subsequent test data later on.
I can still pull an old text off the shelf and almost go straight to the page of the information I’m seeking. It really works.
I HIRED SOME OF THOSE PUBLIC SCHOOLED HIGH SCHOOL KIDS.
EVEN THE MORMONS WERE BI-SEXUALS.
'FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS'
ONE OF THEM WAS DEALING METH ON THE SIDE WITH HER BOYFRIEND.
ONE OF THEM WAS SELLING FAKE ID'S TO KIDS.
YEP, SOCIAL SKILLS YOU GUYS TEACH ARE
'TOTALLY AWESOME'
WONDERFUL!!! IT'S TIME TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL BRAINWASHING STATIONS AND LET KIDS GO ONLINE.
NO MORE 'HEATHER HAS 2 MOMMIES' BS!!
NO MORE UNIONS!!! YEEEHAH!!!
Homeschoolers out perform public school kids by a large margin. use this link and read the study. http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/ray2009/2009_Ray_StudyFINAL.pdf