Have you noticed an explosive growth in online "homeschool" schools?

Question

It seems like online "homeschool" schools are popping up everywhere based on all the posts here on YA...

Someone in response to another question commented that relying on a purely online curriculum is not really homeschooling. I agree but would like other opinions and any other thoughts you may have about the apparent big increase in online schools.

Answer 1

I'd hate home school, your social life becomes so much more limited, you cant take advantaged of AP or IB programs.

Answer 2

If I had to choose between sending my kid to public HS or Home School, I'd rather do Home School. At least I don't have to worry about gang kids jumping him and stabbing him with a screwdriver at my house.

Answer 3

I believe these schools, or providers of on line services have found a market; independent study, and home schooling is growing fast nation wide.

Public schools are going on line because they know that the traditional method is fast loosing ground with many students; they simply do not want to be tied to those schedules, and be limited in their choices.

The face of traditional home schooling is changing as well because of all the choices out there.

I believe in complete educational choice, and freedom to go where I believe the education I want to pursue is best provided to me.

Personally I would like to see traditional schooling only be one of many choices, but that all the alternatives would be given just as much credit since they often provide a better quality product than traditional schooling.

An education, or on the job training is what is important, but so is the way it is provided, the one size fit all public school is no longer effective, and often is not able to keep up with the fast changes in technology, and the world as a whole.

Companies would be better off taking on people with the basic academics, and offering on the job training, or provide ongoing skilled training courses/schools in the fields of expertise that they need most, so they can ensure that they have well trained employees to do the job.

This is a win win situation for both employer, and employee; it may greatly reduce the cost of education as well.

Answer 4

I think it's ridiculous, and it kind of makes me sad. I mean, so many people are going to leave school to "homeschool" online, but it isn't really homeschooling at all! It's no different than being in conventional school, and it completely defeats the purpose in my opinion. It completely takes the excitement out of homeschooling. I mean, you don't get to choose material that suits you, you don't get to have the material presented in a way that fits your learning style, you don't get to do a creative project on a whim that just appeals to you and gives you a chance to use everything you learned. Even when you get to work at your own pace, there is still very little differentiality... and in my experience the kids who do online schooling are usually the ones who miss out on all the life experiences people already assume HSers miss out on... Field trips, parties, dances, extracurricular activities, community classes, etc. If you do online school for maybe on eor two classes, and homeschool the rest of the time, I can understand that. I just don't understand how online school is any different from public or private school, save for the fact you get to stay home. (NOTE: Just because it's called homeschooling, it doesn't mean actual homeschoolers spend ALL of their time sitting in the house burried in workbooks!)

Something else that bugs me is when people tell you that if you're homeschooled you HAVE to do online or corespondance school, just because they're "accredited". It's been starting to feel like online school is just another way for people to try to further regulate and limit the educational freedom of homeschoolers. I'm sure it works for some people, just like public school works for some, but I'm worried that new HSers are going to start thinking it's their only option, or that they can't get into universities or get a "real" education if they don't do cyber school or online public school. It just gives people the wrong idea about homeschooling, I think.

EDIT: I agree with the answer on here that says it can be HSing if the parents supplement it with out-of-the-box learning experiences. You just don't see that enough... :(

Answer 5

I think the reason there seems to be a big increase is because the technology has only recently progressed enough to make it competitive with traditional formats. This is our 15th year of homeschooling and being active in using computers. I can tell you that some of the online curriculum that has come out in the last few years is light years ahead of the stuff on computers just five years ago.

For some students, it is the ideal content delivery platform because a well designed online curriculum can deliver material in many media forms wheras a book is only in print. Either form should have hands-on activities that go beyond the page and screen. I have seen some online courses that I would definietly not find appealing. They seem like dry, linear, print-based correspondence courses directly converted to web without using any of the strengths of the web such as video and sound, options besides linear flow, interactive simulations, instantly updated lesson plans when family plans change, etc. In many that are out there the kids are learning all alone without a real-time teacher available.

However, those dull online curriculums are feeling the pinch from well-designed ones. We used an online course provider, K12, for 4th to 7th grade and literally filled a 3-inch binder every year with notebook/scrapbook pages of all the hands on activities we did - not worksheets, digital photos of the kids 'doing' and student written descriptions of what was done. Not everything was on computer. Literature had real books plus an online component. I was the teacher, so e-mail the answers to some unknown teacher was definitely not what we experienced.

This year, we are doing an online course co-op with other homeschoolers from all over the US and Canada. It is run by homeschoolers for homeschoolers. It is not a public virtual but a homeschool co-op run online. My kids have loved it. I am teaching Chemistry and Algebra I. It is based on traditional homeschool texts (Apologia and Saxon) but modified to take advantage of online tools (images, Flash interactives, animated gifs, interactive whiteboards, webpages, etc.). These are subjects that many moms are glad to find another homeschool mom interested in teaching. I have a weakness when it comes to teaching a foreign language because I don't speak any. I am eagerly anticipating a mom jumping in to teach that course. Best yet, with it being online there is no packing the family up and driving to a house across town for co-op or a homeschool co-op teacher having a huge house clean up. Just log in using the online classroom link and find the teacher and other students gathered to spend and hour learning together.

As I mentioned, the explosion is because the tools are only now really coming into their own. Most families are now getting access to enough bandwidth, fast enough internet connection,and the tools to make it feasible. Tools like the online classroom are very new, especially to traditional homeschoolers. Our online classroom has full duplex audio, a whiteboard, text chat, webcam, application sharing and more. That just wasn't available to homeschoolers until recently. I think it is a good thing. Online curriculum and tools that are not well-designed will not survive, but I can tell you there are some absolutely excellent online curriculums and delivery platforms out there. If we limit ourselves as homeschoolers to some preconceived ideas of what homeschooling has to be or what form it is allowed to come in, we truncate our freedom to have options and may miss some great learning opportunities for our kids.

Answer 6

Yes I've noticed the explosion... BOOM!

I think it matters less what curriculum a parent uses and more how they use it.  I like to pick and choose so I could never be very happy with an on-line or correspondence school, but others feel differently.

As long as they aren't just putting the kid in front of the computer all day and thinking their job is done, on-line can work out fine.  Kids also need guidance, help, and activity.

Answer 7

I actually DISagree-I think it CAN be homeschooling IF the parents are using that in combination with outside learning experiences for educating their kids. I think anytime you are leaving the majority of the work to someone else, you are not "homeschooling", but that applies even to boxed curriculums-some parents will do what comes in the kit and nothing more. I don't think THEY are "homeschooling" either (at least not the way it should be done). I feel that if a parent supplements their kids curriculum -be it online, boxed, whatever-with real life experiences, and 'out of the box' learning time, THAT is when they are "homeschooling"

Answer 8

I can't see why on line or virtual schools isn't a form of home schooling.  You are home.  You are schooling.

What's the difference between a printed book or a piece of software and an on-line tour and test.

Answer 9

I see a great trend of more and more states offering online school at home. That way they still get 'credit' for the families that want to 'homeschool'.