Virtual Learning Environment and High School

Evolution in Learning ! The modern classroom is changing. More and more students are enrolling in

online classes, while traditional classrooms are relying on online supplements in addition to in-class lectures. All students graduating in the year 2016 or later in the state of Florida are required to take at least two classes online in order to meet the high school graduation requirements. There are no planned increases in the number of classes required, and it is fairly easy to get out of the requirement; but most believe this is a beta test before they tack on more online classes to the requirement. Online learning may be cheaper and more accessible but it takes a certain type of person in order to succeed in an online classroom. Most people do not have the time management skills needed to succeed. Also, online schools typically have lower standards than traditional classes which means cheating is rampant and is very hard to prevent. Most importantly it is changing the role of the teacher, for better or worse. ! There have been several attempts at distance learning since the 1960’s, most

involved USPS and phone lines; very few people took advantage of these of classes, as they required a ton of effort. Starting in 1995, online based schools and classes started to pop up, the adoption rate was slow up until a decade later when it started to sky rocket because state funding began including online schools. The most successful attempt came with the widespread use of the internet, and took off in 1998 with a

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florida-based pioneer FLVS. You are now able to educate yourself from kindergarden to graduate school online. The change in the way we learn has many benefits as well as disadvantages. We are able to school more people, at almost half the cost of a traditional school. The content can even be copied almost endlessly giving anyone who has the time... the ability to learn. One teacher can teacher 300 kids, and still have time to their own. Many students from outside the US are taking advantage of online schooling to earn an American high school diploma, which usually helps increase their chances of getting accepted into a top university in the US. There is a huge demand for online teachers, and they always seem to be hiring. But why? Online teaching has a huge turn-over rate, mostly because teachers like the students discover they are not right for the job. ! I took several online classes in high school, where I was rushed through the

content and even told that I was allowed to cheat. There are no due dates, everything must be complete by a set date. With no due dates it is easy to procrastinate, as you always tell yourself that you have plenty of time to complete an assignment. Cheating was super easy, and even encouraged by some teachers. You could Google any question and the exact question and answer would usually be the first result. No one cared about anything, I learned that FLVS is a for-profit company, and only gets paid once someone finishes the course. They do not care if you cheat, or plagiarize just as long as your work is finished by the set time. ! Teachers have it even harder, they have the role of a teacher and a ‘time share’

sales person, they are there to keep you in the class no matter what your excuse is for dropping it. The teachers have quotas of the number of students that must complete the

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course, and how successfully they progress through the course. Failing to meet quotas usually means the teacher is dropped, or fired. It is not unusual to have two different teachers throughout a 16 week course, as a teacher usually quits or gets fired shortly after signing up. ! Teachers in an online environment are only there to grade papers and answer

basic questions. While teachers in a classroom are there to guide you, and provide more in-depth support. You receive instant feedback on how you are doing in the class by participating, while in an online environment it can take 2-3 days before the teacher replies to your question or comments. ! Another huge drawback is the lack of social interaction, someone working solitary

online doesn’t have to deal with the normal day to day conversations that occur in school. Making it harder to make friends, and even hurting them socially. I did virtual school part-time, and went to school the other half; I had friends from the previous years but others wondered who I was. Since I was only there part-time, I didn’t have a chance to socialize with others at certain important times of the day. The one year I did virtual school part-time I didn’t make a single new friend. ! Virtual learning provides many benefits, but I feel as though it needs to be

balanced with something else, to make up for what it lacks. Possibly a forced session or class once a week where the student can socialize and ask questions about their work to a real teacher. Virtual learning is new, and will be here for a long time, so we should address these problems sooner rather than later.

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Works Cited "Florida Probes Online School Company over Teachers." Reuters, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. ! 27 Sept. 2012.

Mooney, John. "Online Assessments Test the Limits of Public School TechnologyHalf of ! ! NJ Districts Lack Adequate Computers, Internet Capacity." NJSpotlight, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.

Preston, Rob. "InformationWeek: The Business Value of Technology." Down To ! ! Business: Higher Education Is Ripe For Technology Disruption. Informationweek, 14 May 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.

Cited: "Florida Probes Online School Company over Teachers." Reuters, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. ! 27 Sept. 2012. Mooney, John. "Online Assessments Test the Limits of Public School TechnologyHalf of ! ! NJ Districts Lack Adequate Computers, Internet Capacity." NJSpotlight, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Preston, Rob. "InformationWeek: The Business Value of Technology." Down To ! ! Business: Higher Education Is Ripe For Technology Disruption. Informationweek, 14 May 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.