Posted on 10/02/2012 6:58:03 PM PDT by Kaslin
Enrollment in online schools has increased twelvefold in Ohio since the first internet-based school was created in the state in 2000, The Gazette Medina reports.
More than 30,000 students are currently enrolled, most of them concentrated in seven statewide cyber schools. Only Arizona had more students in online schools, according to the news report.
Online schools, and other forms of digital learning, are an inevitable and promising form of education for the 21st Century, unless special interest forces are able to keep technology from becoming more integrated into everyday education.
Professor Gary Miron of the National Education Policy Center is a leading voice for those special interests, which include teachers unions and the education establishment in general. He suggested that online schools in Ohio may not be properly serving their students due to a lack of state regulation.
“Miron … said Ohio has fewer requirements for online schools than most other states. He cited items like financial reporting, student-to-teacher ratios, and how long students have to stay in a school or pass state tests in order for schools to receive state money,” the newspaper reported.
And?
Miron states those facts as if they’re negatives. Toledo schools may have more “financial reporting,” but does that make them better? The Columbus teachers’ contract may mandate “student-to-teacher ratios,” but does that make the most sense? The state may dictate how long some students must stay in school, but is that always in the best interest of students?
The educational establishment prefers more regulation for alternative school choice options, presumably to make them less attractive to students and families.
The National Education Association – the teachers union that funds Miron’s opinions – wants a one-size-fits-all, government-run monopoly where kids are assigned to schools based on where they live, regardless of that school’s performance. Union leaders don’t want options for parents. They don’t want competition from for-profit operators because they know they’ll lose business.
But competition is what they’re getting. Now that Ohio has lifted the cap on the number of online schools, watch for even more students to exercise their newfound freedom, which is the American way.
I personally like physical textbooks, because of the reusability factor and that they make great reference material, so I agree with you here.
But much of the socialization does not really happen in the classroom, where students are supposed to be paying attention to what the teacher is saying. It happens after class, which can still happen through student collaboration.
u = i , sorry for typo
You’d probably enjoy Khan academy and coursera.
Also, MIT has thrown all of their courses online for free, so you can get a free, albeit non-accredited, MIT education.
That’s exactly where it is headed, just so you know.
Same here. No more worrying about the bullies smacking me around in the playground at recess. No yucky school food. No teachers claiming I insulted them by mentioning church in an essay (yes, that happened). No gum wads being spat at the back of my shirt. No getting stabbed with a pencil because I wouldn’t pass somebody’s note. Being able to study something until *I* got it, not until the teacher decided it was time. Or, being able to move on after getting it, instead of waiting while the teacher rehashed it for the rest of the class. No having to beg for bathroom priviledges. No bus rides.
There are times when the classroom format works best, and it is good to know how to sit still and pay attention when needed. But, not all the time!
And that is a good thing. All the
Politicians talk of the value of education so why not make it available to everyone. You could learn at your own rate and if the accreditation is important to you you could pay for that and get tested on campus. I
My kids’ private school was K-8. The challenge of becoming accredited for a high school diploma prevented it from going higher. They’ve hooked up with an online private, Christian high school.
Kids now go K-12. The high schoolers are in what was empty classroom space. The high school students go to service, they get track and PE, they have language classes in small groups with what was previously several part time language teachers (Spanish and French). Their parents do not have to choose between horrific commutes and tuition costs and public high school.
Online schooling, IMO, is going to make private schools more competitive. You can use one to complement the other.
There are also several groups now offering the classes on which all CLEP tests are based online. You take the online class to prep for the test, then pay $79 for the test. Way cheaper than college tuition. An enterprising student, whether home schooler or college kid home for the summer, could knock out a lot of college credits that way.
bump for later
I disagree. One aspect of the John Dewey Marxist Prussian public school system that was put in place in 1930, was to destroy the “love of knowledge” which is natural in all healthy children. Children aren’t taught knowledge in schools....they are taught “cognitive dissonance” and can’t make sense of it and get frustrated or think they are dumb. (They are usually the brightest).
Children are the most curious and love to learn-—unless they are ridiculed and humiliated by a bunch of peers who are made to laugh at them when they don’t conform to the “proper” Marxist way of thinking—which avoids truth and real knowledge.
The other thing children HATE to do is waste their time. Public school is a big waste of time because it is geared for collective learning and not the individual-—like what Lincoln had...... Public school teaches dependence on the State-—the opposite of a Ben Franklin/Abe Lincoln education. They teach children to be servile, and dependent on a teacher, having to get permission to go to the bathroom. No Mark Twain or Lincoln would have resulted from such a repressive, slavish condition. Children used to be independent in early childhood, do all sorts of chores which contributed to the family unit and establish true learning and true self-esteem and knowledge.
It is indoctrination and total dependency which destroys that search for the Truth which is natural in all emotionally healthy children.
It is right after age 7 when we see this drop (and hate) of school. Very curious when parents and children used to yearn and save and work for education.
Nothing free is ever valued by most people.
MIT has free on-line courses that you can receive a certificate of completion for the course.
Dove-tail that in with on-line, or home school, education and you have a recipe for success.
I do not have a degree, but, I have made more than most college graduates due my certifications.
I probably would’ve done better as well if I was home schooled. My endocrine disease would’ve been a non-factor because I’m sure I would’ve been done by age 16; the surgery would have been done after, then gone on to college, either a traditional one or a technical school.
Ditto for me, especially regarding math. That was always my worst subject.
I knew some pretty crappy people when I was 8 to 10 years old. It would've been worth it to avoid them.
My problem is due to problems with my short-term memory. It’s as though my short-term memory is like a small pitcher that fills quickly and needs time to process before I can take in more stuff.
It’s not because I lack IQ. Having had it tested several times, I consistently score between 135 and 160.
Thinking back on it, I had a similar problem when I was in school. The textbook knowledge I lack is astounding, but when you hear me talk you wouldn’t think I had a horrible education. Took me 5 years and another 2 months after moving to CT from NYC for me to finish high school from start to end. It was most noticeable for me that way with math; learn these equations today, and something different tomorrow, or sometimes we’d learn two different equations in the same day.
I suffered a ton of anxiety during tests because I couldn’t remember what went with what, and I also had anxiety about asking the teacher to stop and go over something, probably a bad habit I picked up thanks to various people in my life. As such, I was scared that either the students would make fun of me, or the teacher would break that golden rule and insult me.
I’m all for online/home schooling as it takes out so much anxiety associated with learning, because you can do so at your own pace. Not saying the other side of it is wrong, but people who are against online/home schooling (minus the unions) either had a remarkably pleasant childhood and school experience, or have an uncanny ability to forget about the bad things that happened during those years.
Another small note, I remember testing my IQ a few times online and got scores around 120. It’s definitely better than average.
A really motivated student wouldn’t even need a school, just a library.
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