Distance Education

Stephanie Simmons
T&L 445 Sec 3
November 26, 2007

DISTANCE EDUCATION

After exploring most of the virtual school websites, I was able to feel more comfortable with the idea of using technology for teaching at a distance. I was very interested in the websites and I was able to discover 5 pros and 5 cons of having virtual schools. I was able to think deeply about myself using this type of curriculum and I asked myself how I would determine the readiness of students to participate in distance delivery. I also reflected on the idea of using virtual curriculum and I thought about what I needed to do to be able to teach in a virtual school. I enjoyed this activity, for I was able to look beyond the in-school classroom and see the creativity that waits outside and in the technology world!

First, I was able to create an opinion on virtual schools and make a chart of 5 things I thought was beneficial for distance education and 5 things that I thought were not beneficial. I made this list of 5 pros and 5 cons and I would like to start by discussing what I really liked about virtual classrooms.
5 pros:
1) The virtual classrooms allow for flexibility and convenience. Most of these virtual school websites can be used for home school students, so this curriculum is easily assessable and can be done based on the student and parent’s personal schedule. This allows the students and the parents to go at their own pace and feel comfortable with the learning process without rushing.
2) Virtual classrooms are also great because the opportunity to do homeschooling is a positive factor in a parent-child relationship. The parent is able to see the lessons online that the students must complete and this allows the parents to work with their children. This lets the parents be involved in their child’s life and help them grow as a student and as a learner.
3) When students use virtual classrooms, this advances their ability to use technology. Using technology to learn can be a challenging process, so being able to learn through a computer is fascinating. Students are able to become more comfortable with technology which is important for their future since technology is constantly advancing!
4) Virtual classrooms are also great because if a student is completing curriculum through homeschooling, they are positively affecting public schools in the long run. Some virtual websites are free to home school students and the funding comes from the public schools to keep these websites running. The public schools make money off of these websites because a home school student learning through the website supported by the public school is being counted as a student at the public school. The more students in a school, the more money provided for that school. Since the student is actually at home, the school is saving money on heating, food, etc. because of the home school students that are really enrolled in the public school. The money saved can be spent for books and can be used to support these free virtual websites. Basically, home school students are helping public schools in the long run which is great for myself as a teaching depending on a job and salary as a public school employee.
5) Virtual classrooms also allow for fun and creativity. You can do anything with technology these days and there are many ideas that the teachers can use to provide an engaging learning environment. An example of a great idea would be to have an author of a story read their book to the class over the internet. This virtual interaction would be great for the students to relate what they have learned through the computer to outside sources too!

5 cons:
1) Virtual classrooms take A LOT of preparation! As a teacher, you must be able to sit down and prepare ahead of time to have an organized system through the computer. You must be willing to spend time to set up for this learning environment and know that it is very time consuming to prepare for.
2) Another disadvantage of having a virtual classroom is that technology is EXPENSIVE! It would be difficult to make sure that all of your students have access to the cameras, computers, videos, etc. because the cost of everything is expensive. This equipment is not necessarily easy to come by and cannot be expected to be provided in every home.
3) Virtual classrooms require skill and knowledge in the field of technology which can be difficult to have. Myself as a college student, I am still uneasy about technology and it would make me nervous to do all of my school work on a computer. Virtual classrooms require patience and confidence with technology and that is something that not everybody has.
4) Virtual classrooms are not able to provide the comfort and community atmosphere like a classroom inside the school. This is a case for home school students and classes where the teacher is lecturing from a different location (AMS system). This absence of the teacher also does not provide help for those students who struggle and need that eye-to-eye connection to learn. The atmosphere can be an obstacle to overcome and that is why virtual classrooms can be at a disadvantage.
5) Virtual classrooms require dedication and commitment. Students must be willing to work on their assignments on their own time and if a student is not committed then they are more likely to struggle. There is a lot of responsibility put on the students when they are being taught through a virtual classroom and that puts pressure on their successes and failures as a student.

After discussing the pros and cons of virtual classrooms, I would like to discuss how I would determine the readiness of students to participate in distance delivery. To determine this readiness, I would have to recognize the age of my students and their level of responsibility. Since virtual classrooms require dedication and commitment, I must be able to rely on my students to do their assignments based on the distance delivery. I would expect college students to be able to handle the tasks at hand, where I could also rely on students in the elementary schools. In this situation, I would determine the readiness of my elementary students based on the commitment from their parents. I would want to make sure that my students’ parents are able to work with their child at home and help complete all of the assignments given. This takes time for the parents, so I would check with the parents to make sure this arrangement would work with them. I could also determine a student’s readiness for distance delivery based on their ability to work well on his/her own. If a student is responsible, like I said before, the student must be able to work on their own too. I would also determine this readiness by seeing how much a student actually work on homework. If I know that my students work on their homework for many hours, then I know they could complete a distance delivery program. There are many factors in determining the readiness of a student, but it is always important to do what works best for the students.

After discussing the readiness of my students, I would like to discuss my plan as a teacher using virtual curriculum. There are many things that I need to do to be able to teach in a virtual school. I feel that I must have computer experience and be comfortable with technology. I want to have knowledge about the curriculum that my virtual school is using, so this would require practice using technology until I am confident to teach a class. I must also know the material that is being taught through this virtual school and be willing to learn more about the topics provided. I must be patient with the technology and willing to work many hours to prepare for this set-up. Virtual curriculum can be time consuming, so I must be prepared to work on my lesson plans ahead of time and not procrastinate. I would also like to be able to create a classroom community environment if possible, so if there is a way to set-up a comforting environment for this virtual school, I would love to do that! Also, the virtual schools allow for premade virtual websites and in order to prepare for my class, I would have to build onto my website based on the premade components. I would then build my curriculum plan and customize the website space. There is a lot of preparation involved in virtual schools, so as a teacher I must come into the project with an open mind and an attitude that will allow me to teach my students to the best of my ability. This would be a great way to teach students and keep up with the times and technology advances! I look forward to the opportunities that lay ahead of me where I am able to recognize what is expected to be able to teach in a virtual school.