Virtual School....????!?!

Tonight in Innovative TR we had a guest speaker come talk to us about the Wisconsin Virtual Learning Academy! I have taken a few online classes, but never really thought of the possibility of being enrolled in a full time online/virtual school for college, let alone for elementary or high school! It was so interesting to hear his background story about how he got into the field of Special Ed and about all of the experiences he has had working with different disability populations, especially with Autism. However, while he was presenting there were many pros and cons about virtual schools that were running through my mind.

First I'll start with the pros:
          1.  Less Distractions---Especially for kids with disabilities, focusing on school work can be a really hard thing when there are so many distractions in a traditional "brick & mortar" school. With a virtual school, learning in each individual's natural environment can remove many distractions and allow the environment to be controlled which allows more learning to occur!
        1. Individualized Plans--For kids that have specific education issues that need to be addressed, virtual school can be a lifesaver for those kids. For example, if a child is 3 levels below what they should be in math, but is doing accelerated spelling work, it is usually hard to help get them back up to the level they need to be in math without having extra time dedicated to that subject. The concept of virtual school makes sense for those kids who aren't consistent in all subjects with their grade level so they can provide more work on that specific subject.

One of the major cons of virtual school that I thought of was:
             1. Socialization-Although I see the valuable benefits of virtual education for kids with disabilities, I am concerned about the socialization issues that arise from not interacting with kids in a "brick and mortar" school. While I do understand that for some kids with disabilities, other kids can be a distraction that severely hinders the learning process for them, at the same  time, it concerns me that they are not able to be inclusion into a "normal" atmosphere with other kids-----one of the main principles of TR! I do understand that through virtual school, the kids do go on field trips and have opportunities for social events, but I think that it still definitely hinders their development of social skills.
         Also, the experience of interacting one-on-one and face-to-face with instructors and peers in group projects and presentations, etc are extremely important life skills to learn. Although there are "video chats" available with instructors, I feel that the direct face-to-face conversations are the only way to grow in those type of social skills.

Here's an interesting article I found about a mother blogging about considering a virtual school for her child with Aspergers Syndrome. I work with a 12 year old 6th grader who has Aspergers, so all of the challenges she discussed about the structure of a "brick and mortar" school I have seen first hand in his school. However, I do think that trying to keep him in a traditional school really is the best choice, because in the end, learning to cope with all of the many challenges a traditional school offers is of extreme benefit for a kid with Asperger's. While they may have an easier time focusing on their studies while being home-schooled/virtual schooled, the only way they can truly learn the social skills necessary to survive in life is through the daily interaction with their peers.

All in all, I think virtual schools can be very helpful and productive for many children, but I think it has to be researched and looked into in-depth before the decision is made, because it is a very important decision that will affect the child for the rest of their life.