Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Group 10 - Susan Crawford - Distance Education
One of the new literacies offered to students is distance education. It is now available for Las Vegas students K-12 at the Odyssey Charter School. This is at home, on-line education that is state funded with no tuition fees, fully accredited and being offered to local students. It all sounds wonderful with individually designed curriculum, one on one teaching, front row seats for every student but I am wondering how many parents and students will enroll. The social development of these distance education students will be very different. For the students that hate school this sounds like a dream but do they realize what will be missing? What do you think?
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2 comments:
I think distance education is doing a diservice to elementary age children. I feel this way for two reasons. First, I think distance education and home schooling could have a negative impact on a child's social development. If the child is not being exposed to other children his or her age, it may be difficult for the child to establish relationships later in life. The second reason I'm opposed to elementary distance education is because of the lack of assessment accuracy. Every parent wants their child to be successful and perform well on tests so it would be very tempting for a parent to assist their child on various assessments. I think this is a huge conflict of interest.
I have never been a fan of home schooling, and my thoughts have not changed. I think the most important part of elementary school is the exposure the students get to other children their age, and the social maturation that is developed during these very important years. I child at home is secluded from others, and whenever they do enter school with others (whether it is high school or college), these social skills will be far behind others. This can have negative effects on their education. Also, I agree with Lauren regarding the assessment accuracy. I just feel the negatives greatly outweigh the benefits.
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