Online classes....in elementary school?

Okay,I guess it's not as extreme as that...but as I was watching TV this afternoon, there was a commercial for a virtual learning program. I thought this was interesting and related well to the things we discussed today, so I checked out the website. You can read over some of the curriculum for the different grades (K-5 and 6-12) if you would like, but basically I got the impression that the students take online along with some off-line classes but also have the opportunity to interact with other kids through extracurricular activities and fieldtrips.

Online classes are becoming increasingly popular, especially in college and sometimes even high school. It was surprising that the commercial showed younger kids participating in the program. The website explains how they will be well prepared for their post-secondary education. It sounds like the programs use a variety of different technologies for different types of learning, which I think can be really beneficial for kids, especially in their futures. They also emphasized that the kids (in the commercial) were interacting with other students and meeting them through fieldtrips. I think marketing the social aspect of the virtual learning program is important because I'm sure the parents fear that a program such as this can take away from the child's social skills, which could be potentially harmful for their future.

Overall, I think the program sounds really cool... but looking back at high school and even to middle school, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much as seeing my classmates everyday!

Welcome!

This is my first time blogging and oddly enough, it is for a class. I have had no experience with blogs even though sometimes I wish I would have used this tool as a way to document my study abroad experience. I usually am not one to share a lot of my thoughts with people I don't know. I am excited to be able to use blogging as a new and different way to share ideas with my English 201 classmates!