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Adam Dearing begged his mom not to send him back to school. "It's
not fair that I have to sit and wait for the other kids," he told
her. Melanie Dearing knew her son was gifted. When Adam was hospitalized
with asthma in middle school, he finished nearly three weeks worth
of schoolwork in just a couple of hours. Dearing began exploring
alternatives for her son.
Darren Smith was a bright student, too, but he had problems
paying attention in a regular classroom. His mother, Susan,
worried about him, especially when he reached sixth-grade. "I
was watching him get lost in middle school," she says. Smith,
too, searched for options to traditional schooling.
The Smiths and the Dearings plugged into the burgeoning world
of online education, a world where they found flexibility, focus
-- and success. Adam Dearing is now a junior at the Basehor-Linwood
Virtual Charter School in Basehor, Kan. Darren Smith graduated
in June from the Choice 2000 Charter School in Perris, Calif.
Thousands of students like Adam and Darren are flocking to
cyberspace. More than 50 charter and public school online programs
are running in at least 30 states, and demand for them continues
to grow. In the Plano (Texas) Independent School District, for
instance, 200 students signed up for classes in spring 2001,
the first semester they were offered.
Students turn to online classes and schools for varied reasons,
but they have one thing in common: They all want or need something
that's not easily available in the traditional brick-and-mortar
school building. Students in rural communities can take classes
such as Latin or AP calculus that their schools are too small
or too poor to offer. Sick or hospitalized students can finish
their class work without falling behind. Gifted students, students
who have problems in the regular classroom, students traveling
with their parents -- increasingly these youngsters are turning
to online learning as an alternative to regular education.
Online learning has made inroads into the educational landscape
in the past decade as the Internet has become ubiquitous in
schools, offices, and homes. In colleges and universities, especially,
online education is booming. Last year, former Secretary of
Education and outspoken technology critic William Bennett stepped
into the online fray with his own company, K12. As the name
suggests, the company intends to develop online curricula for
students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Not everyone is happy about the growing popularity of online
learning and online schools, however. Some educators worry that
today's choice could become tomorrow's requirement, with schools
using online classes to rid themselves of troublesome students.
Another concern is social isolation. Students who take online
classes learn by themselves in front of a computer. Critics
wonder how students will fare if learning is completely severed
from schooling, with its opportunities for personal interaction
and its socializing influence.
Online learning "reduces high school to facts and intellectual
skills," says Alan Warhaftig, a skeptic of technology use in
education and an English teacher at the Fairfax Magnet Center
for Visual Arts in Los Angeles. High school, he says, is for
"figuring out how to relate and ask questions. If you have students
staring at screens for an hour, it's a bad idea."
Even proponents warn that online learning is not a one-size-fits-all
option. Not every student is suited to it, nor is every teacher.
As Liz Pape, administrator of Virtual High School in Concord,
Mass., admits, "It's not a quick fix for educational problems."
What situations are right for online learning? What do online
schools offer, and what kinds of students and teachers are best
suited for online classes? As online learning evolves, more
school board members and administrators will be asking these
questions.
Online
pioneers
The Virtual High School and the Florida Online High School
in Orlando, Fla., are the two grande dames of online schools.
Both were founded five years ago -- ancient history, by online
standards -- and both serve as models for other online education
ventures.
The Florida school was created as a pilot project by the Orange
and Alachua county school districts and is now paid for by the
state. It is offering 64 courses this fall, with about 2,500
students enrolled. Virtual High School was started with a grant
from the U.S. Department of Education to the Hudson (Mass.)
Public Schools and grew to include other schools as part of
a nationwide consortium. It now offers 155 course sections,
and about 2,800 students from high schools all over the country
took classes in the 2000-2001 school year.
Neither school offers a diploma. Students enroll in the classes
through their home schools, which have to agree to grant the
credits on the basis of grades reported by the virtual school.
The two schools have similar missions: offer core and elective
classes for high school students. Students might enroll for
courses because they can't fit a particular traditional course
into their schedule, or because their high school doesn't offer
that course. Others enroll because they are home-schoolers whose
parents aren't equipped to teach a particular subject, or because
they travel with their parents and aren't in one place long
enough to enroll in a traditional school, or because they simply
want to take a class where they can work at their own pace,
wherever and whenever they want. And that often means at home,
in the evening. Online learning, says Pape, "is an ideal application
for use of the Internet."
As online school pioneers, Pape and Florida's executive director,
Julie Young, found it was difficult for school board members,
administrators, teachers, and potential business partners to
understand the concept of online learning in the beginning.
Young says most told her the concept would never work. Pape
had similar experiences. "People looked at us blankly," she
says.
At first, people were skeptical about the quality of the courses
and whether students would actually do the work. As the concept
of online learning began to take hold, Pape heard more questions
about how to join and less about whether virtual schools work.
She attributes this change in attitude to the realization that
online classes benefit schools, as well as students. "Students
have options; parents have options," says Pape. "It keeps schools
working better."
Beyond
distance learning
Some online schools see themselves as Web-based extensions
of distance learning programs, offering classes to students
in small, rural, or isolated areas. The difference is the technology
through which instruction is delivered and the flexible schedule.
Online classes don't require the video equipment and cameras
associated with traditional distance learning programs, and
students at the receiving end don't have to gather in front
of a television at an appointed hour. All the students need
is a computer and a link to the Internet.
"Where you live determines the quality of your education,"
says Tom Layton, who founded Oregon's CyberSchool while he was
a teacher in Eugene. "Distance education is the great leveler."
CyberSchool was part of the Eugene Public Schools until recently,
when it became a consortium of Oregon schools and out-of-state
school systems. Participating districts pay CyberSchool for
the classes their students take. The school has 165 students,
an overwhelming majority of whom attend small, rural schools
that can't offer such courses as AP English or Latin (the school's
most popular course, along with American Sign Language). The
courses are developed and owned by the teachers, most of whom
are employees of the Eugene Public Schools. All are required
to be certified by the state of Oregon.
The Colorado Online School Consortium, run out of Creed, Colo.,
was also founded to serve rural and small schools, as well as
home-schooled children in the state. "The flexibility it provides
is tremendous," says Ron Harrison, project assistant with the
consortium. For example, he says, in his small town of Creed,
the high school has only 30 students. Tiny schools such as these
couldn't afford to hire an AP English or biology teacher for
the one student who wanted those classes. Instead, their students
have access to courses created by consortium teachers.
The
online diploma
Although most online schools offer only individual courses,
at least two offer diplomas: the Choice 2000 Charter School
in Perris, Calif, and the Basehor-Linwood Virtual Charter School
in Basehor, Kan. Choice 2000 differs from most online schools
by offering synchronous classes. The teacher and the students
are online together at the same time each day. They can talk
to each other through microphones, and special software allows
them to write on white boards that the entire class can see.
This fall the school enrolls 350 students, with no more than
15 students in a class.
"We wanted more direct instruction" than in other online learning
programs, says Director Dan King.
Basehor-Linwood Virtual Charter School was created specifically
to attract the large population of families that home-school
their children. It offers courses for students in first through
12th grade and grants diplomas through the state of Kansas.
Unlike most virtual schools, Basehor-Linwood designs its courses
-- at least for the lower grades -- for parents to access and
teach to their children.
The coursework is provided by classroom teachers at the Basehor-Linwood
School District, which operates the virtual school. Families
get an iMac computer when they enroll and pay a textbook fee.
The school is funded through state full-time equivalency funds
-- money that would have been lost if the home-schooled students
remained at home.
The school will cap its enrollment at about 400 this year,
says director Brenda DeGroot. "We aren't about pulling kids
out of schools," she says. "We're about getting them back to
school."
Virtual
teachers
Online education rises and falls according to the abilities
of its teachers, say proponents. But as with students, not all
teachers will be successful in online classes.
In many cases, teachers who will work online receive extensive
training on how to translate their face-to-face teaching experiences
to cyberspace. Virtual High School, for example, holds a 26-week
teacher-training course worth 12 graduate credits. During the
class, the teachers develop their course and absorb the nuances
of online teaching.
The experience can be rewarding, as Ruth Adams discovered.
Adams has been teaching high school English for 27 years and
also has a background in technology. When Virtual High School
called for volunteers, she was one of the first who lined up.
As someone who believed the Internet could be a powerful educational
tool, Adams wanted to be part of the revolution.
"I had no idea of the commitment involved," says Adams. "It's
much more difficult to teach online, but it's extremely rewarding.
It's helped me become more organized. It's difficult to maneuver
the course otherwise."
Good classroom teachers don't always make the transition to
cyberspace. Strong, flamboyant teachers often flounder online,
since classroom charisma doesn't come across over the Internet,
says Liz Pape of Massachusetts. The best teachers are organized
and structured, she says, and they must be willing to put in
the time. She estimates that it takes up to two-and-a-half times
longer to teach an online course than it does a face-to-face
course because of the electronic back-and-forth involved.
One CyberSchool teacher was famous for his spellbinding lectures.
"Face-to-face, he was the best teacher," says Layton. "But he
never checked his e-mails or responded to the kids."
Teachers who dislike classroom management and discipline often
thrive online, says Layton. One of his best teachers is a man
who hated classroom confrontations but loved teaching. That
pure, text-based instruction, with no interruptions or distractions,
is another lure that attracts some teachers to the online schools.
Successful online teachers bring an added passion to their
work. Many are presenting courses they've only dreamed of teaching
before. With online schools, they're not restricted by reluctant
department heads or indifferent students, says Layton.
Susan Smith, whose son Darren just graduated from Choice 2000,
became a science and math teacher for the school. She is grateful
for the software that allows her to teach with the white board.
With it, she can see students figuring out their math problems
and can spot where a student is struggling. Without these tools,
it would more difficult to teach online, she says, since students
have sophisticated expectations of what the Internet can do.
"I have to be creative to get their attention," she says. "Kids
are bright and creative. We have to stay on our toes to keep
their interest."
The
students
Adam Dearing is the portrait of a successful online learner.
It was he who brought the school to his mother's attention and
suggested that they try it. Melanie Dearing had been schooling
Adam and his younger siblings at home after she'd taken Adam
out of middle school. Curious and highly motivated, Adam thrives
on being able to finish his schoolwork at his own pace so he
can explore his other interests, including community volunteer
service. Dearing never worried about her son being isolated
-- his friends also are home-schooled, and he participates in
a wide variety of activities outside the home.
Darren Smith is also well suited to online learning. He participated
in karate and a youth group, as well as going to skating and
bowling nights held by Choice 2000 for the local students. But
Smith acknowledges that Darren prefers solitude. Her younger
son, she says, is far too social to be happy attending an online
school.
In fact, several online school proponents warn that students
with a strong need for socialization should never take more
than one or two online courses. "It's not good for a mega social
butterfly," says Julie Young of Florida. "Some kids need to
talk to learn. They feel a void."
It's hard to predict how well a student will do online. Most
online educators agree that students must possess motivation
and self-discipline, and they must be able to read and write
proficiently. Academic ability or giftedness is not always a
good indicator. In fact, Young says, smart students who are
used to getting by on doing little work are unpleasantly surprised
online. "They have to read every word and read every assignment
and apply themselves," she says.
Some students take the courses thinking they're like chat rooms
or games. "They must realize that these courses are rigorous,"
says Pape. "No lurkers are allowed in online classes."
Even the most motivated and self-disciplined students need
a parent watching over them in cyberspace. Online schools often
allow parents to log in and see their children's grades, homework
assignments, and attendance. "It requires diligence on the part
of the parent," says Smith. "We learned that the hard way."
Dan King of Choice 2000 estimates that online learning is appropriate
for about 10 percent of the student population. "This is not
for everybody," agrees Smith. "Brick and mortar doesn't work
for every student, either."
What's
ahead
As in other areas of education technology, research is scant
on how well students are performing in online classes, although
several of the schools conduct self-assessments that are available
on their Web sites.
Even when the research results do arrive, the online learning
debate will be far from over. Alan Warhaftig, who teaches American
literature, says he believes students get something out of a
face-to-face classroom that they could never get online. Education
is "a people business," he says. "It's not duplicated in an
online environment."
Even some online educators themselves admit that the current
state of online learning isn't all it could be. Randy Accetta,
distance learning specialist and director of continuing education
at Magellan, an online training school in Tucson, Ariz., has
reservations. Online educators and course developers confuse
content and instruction, he argues. "We say, 'read a Web page'
instead of a textbook. That's not constructing new knowledge,"
says Accetta. "We are transmitting information and calling that
education."
Real learning happens in a community of learners, where people
can discuss and react to the thoughts and ideas of their teachers
and classmates, he says. Accetta worries that schools and universities
will place their lower-functioning and poorer students in online
courses, saving face-to-face teaching for better students. "We'll
shepherd low-income people to the low-quality material," he
says. "We'll keep them isolated."
Unlike other critics, Accetta believes online learning can
overcome these problems. To become stronger and more viable,
he says, online learning must be as interactive as possible.
Advances in technology are making it possible to unite students
in different parts of the world with synchronous learning, live
discussions, conference calls, and white boards.
"Classes and course content need to be radically redesigned,"
he says. "A classroom setting is very different from an online
setting."
Meanwhile, proponents say, online learning -- despite its limitations
-- is helping thousands of students receive an education. "It's
a tool that could open a lot of doors," says Patti Abraham,
professor of technology and education at Mississippi State University
and a member of the federal Web-Based Education Commission.
"We can't let concerns overshadow the benefits."
With the proliferation of charter schools and other alternatives,
offering students and parents educational choices is becoming
increasingly important in public education. Online educators
say they can offer options, but they realize that online learning
can -- and should -- go only so far.
Tom Layton of CyberSchool is adamantly opposed to online learning
replacing classroom experience. Online learning exists to supplement
and add to a student's learning experience, he says. It should
never take the place of classroom learning with flesh-and-blood
teachers and peers. If a student has to choose between taking
no math class or taking an AP calculus class online, he says,
the choice is easy. But if students have a choice between taking
an AP math class at their school or taking it online, the choice
is also easy, according to Layton: "Face-to-face teaching is
better."
SELECTED
VENDORS
If you want to add online classes to your school, you don't have
to reinvent the wheel. Schools such as Florida Online High School
are starting to offer their courses for sale. Online learning
companies can provide the course platform, teacher training, course
content, and many other services for online learning. Online learning
support companies include:
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