The Advantages of Online Learning

      Right now is an unprecedented time for parents as they struggle to make decisions about the educational future of their children in a way they never have before. Parents must choose whether sending their child to school is a safe choice and the alternative is online schooling that is new to many families. So, let's take a moment to dispel some rumors and discuss the advantages online school can have.

First, online learning is not an autonomous process for the student. They don’t just turn on a computer and read in silence all day long, intermittently answering questions that are graded by a machine. It’s anything but that. Online learning is a robust process that includes collaboration with other students, teachers, and a broader digital community. There is content there to read (there most certainly should be) and there are opportunities for students to check their level of understanding by answering questions their teacher might not ever see, but online learning includes so much more.

The teacher of an online course is a person who might not even live in the same town as the student, but they are no less available to assist a student and provide structured learning. Depending on the teacher, the school, and the age of the student, they might be able to call, text, email, or video chat with the teacher as well as watch videos the teacher produced or other videos supplied by the teacher that feature other educators. 

Collaboration with other students is also easier than ever. All educational formats including brick and mortar have moved away from students working quietly by themselves in desks. In fact, if you walk in any brick and mortar classroom today you’ll see students trying to mimic what happens in a digital classroom naturally. Students with computers can instantly share work, comments, and ideas (in a good way) with fellow students and work in a collaborative manner that is more efficient than it used to be. 

The information they are working with might also be more current and relevant. Textbooks, for example, are never any more current than the day they were printed. However, In a digital classroom, information is much more likely to be fluid and constantly changing. Students can easily link to current events in printed or video formats and learn with a sense of immediate relevance that can be difficult to achieve in a traditional classroom.

Lastly, scheduling and timing is a big advantage of online learning. Instead of having to sit through English every day at exactly 10:05 and only until 10:55, students can choose when and for how long a class lasts. This empowers students and families to be more efficient with the time they spend learning. They can also have more flexibility in the school to better adapt to busy lifestyles including travel.

Of course in these times, online learning can be a means of staying safe from illness, and perhaps today that is its biggest advantage.

Enrollment and Moving Over the Summer

Even though class is not in session, there is a

lot happening at schools over the summer. One of those activities is the

enrollment of new students. When possible, families often make their moves

during the summer months. This is logical for obvious reasons and is something

I recommend for reasons I’ll explain below. Of course, moving schools

inevitably comes with some hardships that you should be prepared for.

         The social piece is one that needs consideration.

I don’t encounter many students who are excited to leave their old friends

behind and start at a new school. Then again, there are cases in which social

reasons are a motivating factor behind a move. Especially, if the student is

moving to a school-based on a digital platform. Regardless, encourage your

student to look at their move as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to start

with a clean slate and rebuild who they want to be. There is tremendous

potential in that and it’s not an opportunity everyone has. 

         The academics are also crucial here. Summer really

is the best time to move. Schools operate in a very cyclical way and starting

at the beginning of a new school year allows a student to start at the

beginning of that cycle. I know moves are often caused by a change in a

parent’s employment and I have worked with many families where one parent gets

a new job in the middle of the school year and moves on to the new place while

the other parent stays behind with the kids and lets them finish the school

year at their old school. This isn’t always feasible but if it is, it’s worth

considering. 

         Anytime you change schools, especially when you

move across state lines, there are likely to be speed bumps. What I mean is

that policies and requirements can vary. So, a student might be required to

take four sciences at their new school whereas their old school only required

three. Or freshman take US government at the new school but it’s usually a

senior-level course at the out school. Little hiccups like these generally are

nothing major but they are issues that have to be rectified. It’s usually the

job of a counselor, enrollment officer, or administrator to make a plan for

this, but families should understand these possibilities.

         Lastly, if college is in the plan, families need

to familiarize themselves with state colleges and scholarships right away.

These institutions may not make concessions for students who move late in high

school so there might be some catching up to do. If you have a pre-paid plan in

your previous state, you’ll need to investigate what happens in the case of a

move right away. 

         One last point here is that communication is

always key. Reach out to the school you’ll be moving to and your current school

to make sure everything is in place and there are no surprises. Doing this can

save you a lot of headaches and put you in the best position to make the

transfer from one school to the next seamless.