Journal 7

Young, J., Birtolo, P., and McELman, R. (2009). Virtual Success. Transforming education through online learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36 (5), 12-17.

These authors advocate that "Virtual Education", i.e education is provided solely through the internet, is superior to traditional education in "brick-and-mortar" schools, and is the way of the future. Their arguments are perhaps a little slanted to support their view, given that one is the CEO, and another the 'chief learning officer' (very corporate titles!) of Florida Virtual School (FLVS). FLVS has no school buildings, no schedules, no bells, just content delivered over the internet. Learning takes place to suit the students' own schedule and preferred style. It serves 64,000 middle and high schools students from FL, other states and worldwide. It has 530 subject-certified teachers, available to students 24/7/365, and there are 90 courses in core subjects, with honors classes and AP courses. The authors claim that the students in the FLVS outperform students in traditional schools.

Is online education really the wave of the future? I'm not so sure. The authors say 'the days of teaching all students to follow along the same page in the textbook are over', that 'one-size-fits-all education is no longer acceptable'. I couldn't agree more with this - in fact, these outdated approaches are already being replaced in schools with student-centered learning. So purely online education is not the only answer to replace these methods. And schools recognize that technology and online learning are important and are incorporating these more and more into their practices. Whilst the article is careful to point out that social interaction between students need not be lacking in a virtual environment (e.g. FLVS has clubs and societies), I don't think online socializing is a replacement for real-life interactions.

Questions
1. Are students scores really likely to be better if they are in a virtual school? I suspect that if comparing like-with-like then maybe not. Clearly, to be in a virtual school you need good computer equipment at home, and so you are probably middle to upper-middle class. Scores should be compared with this demographic in a real-world school, not just the school as a whole.
2. What about lab classes in science? A virtual environment for learning practical biology or chemistry in no substitute for the real thing. No matter how good a simulation, it is just a simulation. In lab classes you learn to develop 'a feel' for the procedures, handling reagents and tools, using equipment, etc.