My grandmother taught in a one room schoolhouse in the 1940s. I love to hear her stories of managing and instructing students of all different grades and levels. So much has changed in education since then! Public schools are different and now homeschooling is an accepted and growing trend. Public and homeschools differ in many, many ways but they do have one thing in common – online education.
Here is why both public schools and homeschools are looking toward online education:
Individualized. Online education happens with one student in front of one computer screen. Whether a whole class at a computer lab at school or one homeschooled child, online education delivers what the individual needs. Students can work at their own pace, taking as long or as little time to grasp a concept or show a skill. This is a great benefit to students at all points of the learning spectrum. Students who learn quickly can move ahead, students who need more time can have it.
Effective. When online education is mastery-based, students cannot merely coast through a course without truly learning. One skill or concept has to be mastered before going on to the next. This ensures effective learning.
Customized. Parents and teachers can choose what and when learning happens. It can be adapted to fit any schedule at school or home.
Interactive. Online education requires students to interact directly with the instruction. There may be questions to answer, video clips to watch, activities to complete, or even games to play. Many times online education uses a variety of media. As all teachers know, the more learning modalities employed, the more likely the student is to remember and understand what is being taught.
Limitless. Given the number and variety of courses available online, the learning opportunities are endless. The web makes the whole world our classroom.
An excellent resource for online education is Global Student Network (GSN) (www.globalstudentnetwork.com). Global is constantly looking for the best online curriculum and as a result offers 6 curricula programs to both schools and homeschools. From this one site, parents and teacher can find honors courses, secular and Christian curriculum, curriculum that is aligned with common core standards and curriculum that is not aligned with common core, Rosetta Stone, and career/technical training. There are curricula to suit every learning style and enough high school electives to quench any curiosity. Besides the unprecedented variety, Global also prides itself in customer service. An enrollment counselor is available to help you understand what curriculum would best meet your needs. Thousands of students have found for themselves that online education works through Global Student Network.
Who knows! As effective as online education is, maybe we will revert to the one room schoolhouse again, only it would be lined with computers. With online education effective learning can happen anywhere.
Copyright © 2013 J. Hoffman / GSN
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com