MythBusters: Virtual Schooling

Reading through the articles this week helped me form a better idea of what virtual schooling commonly looks like. There were a few myths that fell into my line of initial thought but got debunked by the NACOL article. When I pictured K-12 Online Learning, I thought of a very autonomous atmosphere. However, reading that teachers of virtual schooling feel they get to know their students better surprised me. I can see how students would be more interactive in an online setting though. Having the screen as a buffer between the student and a teacher or peer creates an aura of comfort, especially for introverted students. It’s the same idea with calling verse texting verse in-person meetings. Unfortunately I fall into the category of hating phone calls with a passion. I would much rather text someone which allows me to think and edit my thoughts on my own time. It’s sad that more people are moving toward this way of thought, but it’s a product of our times and access to technology. It also creates a written log of correspondence though, which is a definite plus when you want to look back on what was said.

One myth that did surprise me was the students who were thought to attend the virtual schools. Because of my experience with students using online classes with credit recovery, I thought the “typical” online student would be those who are trying to recover a course - which was opposite of the proposed myth that gifted and talented students predominantly used K-12 Online Learning. I know there are a variety of students with their own reasons for using Virtual Schools, but it surprised me what the typical student was thought to look like.

Barbour did mention however that many of the US’s virtual school programs are asynchronous, which often leads to lower quality teachers. I think a huge cause of that trend is due to the fact that teachers aren’t being properly trained in order to conduct asynchronous lessons and classes online. When taught using synchronous lessons, teachers are able to employ strategies used in traditional classrooms, something they’re already familiar and comfortable with. Providing teachers with greater training and tools will benefit,students and teachers tremendously.