How Do Online High Schools Work?

1. How Do Online High Schools Work? Traditional schools are slowly being shunned for more technologically advanced online schools that provide students with access to course material from virtually any place on the planet – any place that has an internet connection that is. We have all grown up in an environment that is familiar with the usual teacher standing up front and a blackboard on which learning material was traditionally scribbled. However, students of today may not have any idea about what that is given the fact that online homeschooling is being made available to students right from kindergarten. Yes, that is correct. Students as young as that are now being exposed to online learning environments to help with their course curriculum. While many currently use them as add-on courses or to supplement their regular schooling, that day doesn’t seem far off when a toddler may never have to see a classroom. More and more parents seem to be pulling their kids out of traditional, brick-and-mortar schools and enrolling them with online high schools with each passing year. Statistics pertaining to children in the United States paint a picture that many are now slowly beginning to realize may soon be the future of our education system. Online high school courses are being designed to help and educate virtually anyone who is willing to learn. Irrespective of age, studying online has proved to be extremely beneficial to students from high school. There are even courses designed to cater to children with special needs. But how do these online environments function? How is it that they seem to be so much better than traditional learning environments we’ve used for decades? Do they deliver the same quality of education and what do students do for social interaction? These are all questions that come to mind when considering the option of enrolling for online high school classes. Several parents get anxious since these are relatively new concepts and make use of technology previous generations are not very familiar with. The pros and cons certainly weigh on everyone’s mind and the long-term impact is always at the forefront of all concerns. The reality of the situation is that online learning environments are very different from traditional classrooms. While they certainly provide students with teacher supervision, the manner in which education is delivered is somewhat different. Studying online focuses a lot on fostering independent learning rather than focused teaching – the conventional basis for classroom teaching. Students are encouraged to explore different

2. avenues of their course material and pose questions in a free environment. Primary impetus is given to exploration and discovery, which in turn fosters a sense of independence ultimately leading to holistic learning practices. Some of the major benefits of online homeschooling include providing children in rural areas access to good quality education. Schools in rural districts now have many more options to explore in terms of providing their students with the right education. Those lacking in resources or qualified teaching faculty for certain subjects can now have access to all that they need via online education systems. After all, online environments are designed to transcend all physical boundaries, aren’t they?