No+Online+Education

Public schools should not be required to offer online K-12 education.


 * __History of Online Education:__**

The history of online education is really an extension of distance learning. Learning from a professor or teacher has been around for centuries but the speed, accessibility, and quality has dramatically improved as technology has improved.

Distance learning started out as correspondence courses where letters were sent using the postal system. One of the first distance learning programs happened in 1728 where Caleb Phillips put together a correspondence course teaching shorthand. the fist correspondence class for college credit was put together by Illinois Wesleyan University in 1874. In 1883 the first correspondence school, University of Ithaca, was founded.

Next in the history of distance learning came the Television. Television put together video and audio tools but was a one way medium. In 1950 the University of Huston offered the first Televised class for college credit.

Now, with the development of computers we can link audio, video tools and have the ability to make the users interactive. In 1968 the University of Alberta put together a program used to teach Cardiology. Students would have to sit at an IBM/1500 located in the library.

With the birth of the internet the use of computers and programs for distance learning has exploded. Most colleges and universities offer online components to their courses and many offer complete online courses. We also see online classes trickling down into high school and even elementary level education.

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-Distractions from other non-educational websites -Some students need an instructor to help them comprehend the subject matter -Are all online school's credible? How would a person find out? -Socializing directly with peers could be awkward, if online schooling is all you know........non-verbal communication-blogging, chatting, texting, etc. http://ezinearticles.com/?Pros-and-Cons-of-Online-Schooling&id=201685, [|Khieng Chho]
 * __The Cons of Online Education:__**

-Loss of tax payer money -Loss of teaching jobs/pay cuts -Online schools making a huge profit. Are they offering quality education or doing it for the money? ("Should Public Schools Be Required to Offer K-12 Online Education?") Tom Layton, www.iste.org

-Not every family can afford a computer, online access, or both, especially in this economy! :) (Joel Reeder) -What about sports?- High School offers sports teams to be a part of---teaching: unity (team player), sportsmanship, integrity, good work ethic, physical fitness, healthy lifestyle, good choices, etc. -After school clubs- such as key club- for kids who don't have their parents at home during the school day and even after the school day is done. -school offers a safe place to be while waiting for parents return from work -Preventing cheating becomes ever more difficult. Online education in K-12 public schools must still be free as traditional schooling is free. Online assessments pose a problem in that anyone can take a test. A friend, a parent, or someone paid to pass a class creates a strong trust and fairness issue with online education. While online education is a fine idea that would break down the walls of traditional, rows-of-desks classrooms, it becomes very difficult to assess a student who is registered for a class. It could create a serious problem with corruption in that a brighter student could take classes for other students. The question then is how to verify that the registered student is meeting the necessary benchmarks to pass a class? Technology is available to check to make sure a student is who he says he is but it is too expensive to provide each student with those technologies never mind providing for the proper training and usage of that technology. It would not be fair for one student to work honestly in a class and get a "B" while another student, who allows a friend to do his work (or pay for it to be done) gets an "A." If we simply ask students to be honest and to abide by an honor code then it is likely online education will become little different than simply buying a degree. In many online classes, students are required to be on campus to take a final exam and show proof of identification. If this is required however, then it defeats the purpose of online education. Critics who are pro-online high schools often cite that this format gives students more selection and flexibility as to what classes they take and what avenues they pursue. I propose that a school can provide some online classes to accommodate students who want to take unique classes that are not readily offered. They will then get their flexibility while still getting their social education, sports education, and extracurricular benefits as well.


 * __Statistics:__**

[|**http://www.citizenshighschool.com/**] **website for online high school (interesting to check out and browse)**
 * __Relevant Website Links:__**

[|**http://www.online-education.net/courses/high-school-diploma-courses.html**] **site combines information from many online programs**

[|**http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/education/01virtual.html**] **interesting article from the //New York Times//**

[|**http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_5475167**] **article from the Denver Post

[] article that summarizes the various angles of debate on the issue**


 * __Relevant Articles:__**