Schooling online

Heard from a couple teachers that some students are doing great with the online schooling. Anyone have teachers at home that think its working well for some? With all the online college degrees becoming more popular, I could see some districts offering this as an option to some students. Obviously not an option for everyone though.

its going well since there are so many homeschool curriculums available, for instance, is what I've heard in these parts.

The fact that so many parents are grounded right now probably helps too. And the quality of the parent doing the teaching and disciplining.

I have a daughter that was taking in-person classes and was switched to online classes like everyone else. The classes are going terrible, she is an engineering major and the Profs that tried to keep teaching had a very hard time accomplishing anything worth while. Many just quit doing anything, several she did not hear from for weeks and then they just ended the class. She had an internship lined up for this summer and they called her on Friday and asked her to report for her internship on Sunday because it was a high need area making medical supplies.

schooling online sounds fiscally responsible,..carried forward,. I could see where elderly tax-payers could feel somewhat less stressed

This might path find a new future"?

Oh my....I can hear the unions now!

I teach and online schooling is not the answer. Whether people want it or not they need interaction. The kids want to go back to school.

Our teacher's unions wield a lot of power and are dead set against on line education for fear that it could impact on the profession. It was a major negotiation issue in the recent province wide strike which essentially got shut down due to the virus. Government fiscal responsibility is not a concern for teacher's unions here.

Each family should decide what is best for them and their children.


Personally....I want my kids in a traditional school. I want them to have face to face social interactions and competition. I do not want them to grow into basement dwellers being conditioned to stare at screens.


I know plenty of people that did fantastic with home schooling and had great childhoods. However....they never really seemed to take off as adults.

Granted.....this is only anecdotal.

"On line" could never replace the value of a class room setting, but not having it as part of a complete education plan is delaying the inevitable.

Sounds like maybe the profs were looking for a coronavirus holiday like so many others. Conversely, my young lady wrapped up 3rd year of a psych specialist program at a major Canadian university on line and it was well organized and successful. In fact, her summer work, serving in the food industry is on hold and to make best use of her time she's signed up for 2 on line summer courses.

I am posting assessment and have been giving work for my students on line. I am a high school teacher. I will tell you for me this sucks. For the majority of my students this is inadequate. A few it works but the kids want back in school. We are missing so much not only socially but intellectually. Right now my juniors are studying the Vietnam war, the Civil Rights movement, the cultural changes of the time. We are missing so much detail and the importance of this time to our country and how things changed. We can't really get into the importance of free speech, protests, etc, and the comparisons to the erosion of our liberties today is so relevant. (yes I get how without the lockdown we would not have some of these points). lol

PS Trapperman we blocked buy our school filter but I take a lot of leads or information off here so it is unblocked in our school!

I have taught University level adult education....in face.....and online.......and in my experience.......how well online works depends entirely on how the course is setup and delivered. It is the difference between reading a bullet point outline......and watching someone explain the same concept via a 15 minute youtube video.......and then what happens next......students have to apply what they have just learned......with a feedback loop.

Putting together an effective online course takes a great deal of time and requires an in depth understanding of how people learn.......and their learning styles.......and online education caters to all of them...all learning styles....so that at the end, they get it. Done right......it is effective and everybody gets it. At least the same number as would "get it" in a face to face classroom.

The social aspect is real, but can also be incorporated into online. Most isn't, however.

Yesterday a densely populated region near here lost internet connections from overload.
I hope hospitals and doctors and such (T1, T3?) connections are separate from this.


I'm all for it and reduced tax burden, and am not going to poke this Tman hornet nest lol.

My daughter set up the online learning for her school, grade 4, She incorporated many techniques and activities and the kids are doing very well, better then the other 4th grade teachers who can't seem to get it together and are "confused" by the process, even though it's so simple even a 4th grader can do it, lol. The parents are happy because they're not home schooling.
These kids get the computer stuff, as long as the courses are properly set up, I think it will become an important tool in the future and probably sooner then you'd think.
The kids who miss out the most will be in the sports teams, but this lockdown won't last forever.

There is a lot of homeschooling where I live , and has been for a long time.. I have seen the products of that, including one of my own, and with the exception of one kid,all are light years ahead of their peers as adults.

The key, IMO, is having the discipline to keep at it and a structured schedule just like a normal school day.
I hope this works out well and I believe it CAN for most students. It would be a wonderful thing....again IMO...to move completely away from public schools. It would also be a benefit to re-involve parents in their kids' lives. A huge complication is going to be single-parent households. It seems to me that public schools have become nothing more than day-care facilities.

LOL think about it. The parents of the kids are the ones reporting on the progress.
The US has been behind in so many subjects compared to other countries for years . THIS will set them back even farther. The next thing you will hear about when they go back is there will be NO MORE testing to see how we rank.
Another thing every child Doesn't have a computer , heck tons don't even have internet !!!
This is a joke and a band aid for education. I know most won't agree but the kids should have to redo or go back when safe.
Ask yourself . If a kid had missed this much school would they be promoted onward?

Having voiced my opinion I realize educators have their hands tied. There is no perfect fix. BUT don't puff and blow how well it's working until there is some basis to measure progress or recession .

My wife teaches college Algebra . She had the forsite and WE spent hours making videos of her lectures over the last 4 years. The transition to virtual classrooms was easy for her. With that said about 50 % of her students are all that are joining any one session. So how many younger students do you think are actually doing the packets ?

I completed my associates degree with a blend of on-line and in-classroom courses. I am currently taking an EMT-B training course that was transferred from a classroom to an on-line format.

Personally, the only value I see in the classroom setting is that it helps force regular participation and helps keep the student working steadily on a schedule. With the on-line classes there can be a tendency to procrastinate and do everything at the last minute.

Other than that, I think the learning through on-line classes is just as effective or even more effective than the classroom courses. The classroom and face-to-face time with the teacher is largely a waste of my time. I can learn faster and better by keeping my head in the textbook and completing homework and quizzez on my own.

When I completed my CPCU coursework, I did unguided self-study for several of the courses. It worked out well, too. All I had to do was order the books and show up to take the exam at a specific date/time. It was a three hour exam where you had to answer nine of ten questions in an essay format. There was no internet at that time and having no instructor at all made no difference to me.

I got my associates degree taking online classes and can honestly say I didn’t learn enough, I retained the information enough to pass the exams and forgot the info the second we started something different

Yes but try to apply this to elementary, middle school, high school, Most kids aren't doing crap !!!!!!!!!!!

We had video learning for a semester in the 1970s. We all learned fine.

Suspect they kaboshed it because of how many fewer teachers, buildings, tax dollars, etc they could bilk the taxpayers for.

#AbolishPublicEducation
#PrivatizeEducation

Got one question . HOW was this "video " learning carried out. No internet ..Did you still meet in a classroom? was a VHS or BETA tape mailed from home to home ? Just curious.......

Anyone else see the irony that in this discussion of online learning........we are all participating in a synchronous online learning environment.......able to ask questions, post and evaluate responses based on experience......then consider what we know.....or what we think we know....and generally come away with more knowledge than we did when we got here? It works.....if you wanna be here and want to learn something.

The biggest contradiction I have read on here is that college professors or adjuncts are teaching kids. Professors profess they do not teach.... (period)
You are lecturing and professing your beliefs and philosophies not teaching "kids" to think and problem solve. Professors are not teachers. (maybe a few,v ery few exceptions) They also are lecturing young adults who are now paying to here their words, they also want to be there and get their degree. Teachers have to reach all levels and types of learners. No comparison between college, high school, middle school, and elementary school.

I teach and am a parent so I see it from two sides. First off all I agree with the previous post about this being an online learning environment and if you really want to make it work and learn, it is possible. Kids can teach themselves whatever they wish online if they choose to.
That said, there are obvious cons. The largest being the lack of social interaction kids are getting. The video chats and team meetings are no substitute for real friendships and being able to be close to peers. Another obvious con is parental involvement/ help. Lots of kids just do not receive that support at home and in those cases, the kids will get left behind for the time being. I know that personally, I bust my own kids' chops every day to get some work done. I know that is not happening in all houses and see how easily the kids can be sidetracked from their schooling. If the parents are unable to help them, especially withe technological advice at times, or even content, the kids will struggle to complete tasks. Some people are not even set up to deal with the new programs and device wise many could be lacking something.
On the flip side of those cons, you will get the pros. Some kids thrive under it, educationally, and you can better tailor your instruction to meet individual needs. Much like a real school setting, all kids will complete what they choose to do and I think the online format gives the real go getters a better chance of taking their ball and really rolling with it so to speak. It better nurtures the whole "self learning" situation.
From an occupational standpoint I see how it could change the future of education and see how maybe I, a grade 7 teacher would no longer be needed as one extremely good online instructor could deliver the content I am delivering to my 20 grade 7's to all 60 of them in the school. Truth be told, I almost hope that is the case and maybe our union will have to look at numbers and give an old dog like me a pension buyout a few years early.

I agree with many things stated above. But for online to work you need support at home. We have a few families that the parents have stated we are not teachers we won't do this. We have others that the parents tell their children not to do any work. I believe it can work for some, accountability is an issue as well. In WI parents that home school can just write down grades for kids.

Yes, I agree completely. Like I said, "Personally, the only value I see in the classroom setting is that it helps force regular participation and helps keep the student working steadily on a schedule." When I was a kid, I wouldn't do crap in school unless somebody stood over me with a stick and made me do the schoolwork by threat of violence. That's what the teachers are good for. Now that I'm an adult and can discipline myself, the teacher isn't needed.

I think I agree with everything you said except for the the largest negative being the lack of social interaction. I disagree with that for two reasons -

First, the lack of social interaction for homeschooled children, whether on-line public education or parent provided curriculum, is not real. The homeschooled children I know (and I know at least 100 current and former home schooled kids) get plenty of social interaction without ever going to a formal school. There's family, church, scouting organizations, music lessons, karate classes, sports leagues, libraries, friends, and neighborhood kids. There are homeschool coops and myriads free programs available for groups of homeschooled kids. The opportunities for social interaction for children who do not attend a formal school are endless and varied.

Second, I think the type of social interaction that is obtained in a traditional school is extremely limited in scope and leads to stunted social growth. I know the last thing I need my eleven year to learn is how to behave and interact with other people based on his interaction with a bunch of other little eleven year-olds. Traditional schools keep kids constantly cloistered together with other kids of the same age in a little isolated bubble. All they ever learn to deal with is other little immature hellions of their same age. I don't consider that good for learning to live in the real world. If you get those kids out of the traditional classroom and let them interact with a greater variety of people of different ages and types, they will learn a much broader range of social skills and discover how to interact with people in different capacities.

When I was a child, I knew a few homeschooled kids and let me tell you, I thought every one of them was W-E-I-R-D! Total nerds! But now I realize it wasn't those kids that were weird - it was my immaturity and lack of social skills in being able to relate to and interact with anyone who had a different experience in life than did the kids in school and I.

I do not want to get into the whole "Home School Debate". I will say that we clearly have different ideas of what home schooled kids do for interaction and that surely is based on experience. Here church be the one and only thing they would do, no teams, no clubs, nothing you spoke of, they simply are not involved in anything outside the little bubble. BUt for the sake of this thread, those kids, regular school kids, right now they are getting none of that. My kids are not playing baseball, their badminton team is toast, archery clubs are done, so right now, all kids learning online, whether it be regular school or home school, are not socializing much.

And, are there not k-12 schools there? In my experience kids that attend these spend their entire youth interacting with all age class of people. When my kids we in grade 7 and 8 they had all sorts of little buddies in kindergarten-grade 4 that thought they were heroes on the playground.

Well said, Kart29!

My wife and I have homeschooled our two boys through the 7th and 11th grades, respectively. My oldest has already amassed 15 college credit hours through dual enrollment programs, including taking on-campus courses. Both boys are FAR better equipped to deal with a multitude of social settings, including peer interactions and especially when dealing with adults.

By necessity, they've interacted with all sorts of age groups their whole lives; it's all they've known. The very parents who cry "lack of social interaction" must not watch their kids attempt to communicate with an adult, because I'd dare say at least 80% of the time it results in hushed mumbling and looking down at their feet -- while my boys make great eye contact, confidently and vigorously give a firm handshake, and are willing to engage on whatever level is necessary to conduct a fruitful dialogue.

Yesterday I got hooked into helping a student with a paper he was writing about our Bill of Rights.
I was shocked at how the questions were set up. Very leading questions designed in a way to get the student to accept a "progressive" (evil) philosophy.

1) How have changing times created the need to change civil rights?
2) What is a particular civil right that might need to be changed in the future?

At least with this on-line school stuff parents can see what they are indoctrinating the kids with. It is outright wicked!
Hopefully parents will take notice.

Regarding the "paper"; yeah, I greatly influenced the content, if you know what I mean. It will be interesting to see the teachers comments.

How are changes to civil rights evil? I'm curious.

^^^^^^
I don't know about Canadian civil rights, but in the USA it is acknowledged that our Rights are given by God, and therefore neither government or man can take them away from us.
The attempts by some people to change (remove) various rights in our Bill of Rights is evil because it is an effort to deprive us of our God given Rights.

But didn't man inspire and draft them? Jefferson and Madison specifically? You do realize man decided to say "god given" correct?

I'm out on this one.

I'm guessing you went to a public school, then.

Just kidding with you, man. No offense meant.
Thanks for talking it over with us.

Waggler, I assume the teacher will appreciate you doing your child's homework!

My son is doing well with"distance learning"his teacher isnt. The school has dropped the ball totally since they closed the school. My son is well loved at school and has many friends but tells me he doesnt miss school. He has a great life here at home. Border collie to run with and play ball with dad etc,river to fish in our field,,goats to tend...a dream for a kid.. He completes 2 weeks lessons in 3 hrs and the rest of the time is his. Im not so sure its a good thing. I prefer him being in the classroom.

The genius of our Bill of Rights is the insertion of what amounts to a "poison pill" that prevents the rights being removed at the will of man. If man can change them, then they aren't a right as describe.

The other genius is that as we as a society become aware of other rights, we can now and in the future acknowledge those rights and include them by amendment. I may not necessarily like or agree with a newly acknowledged right, but I have to except it.

I don't think what I call "negative" amendments were ever really intended by our founding fathers; things like Prohibition, or an anti flag burning amendment.

Let me just point out a couple of things:
Let's just say I strongly coached the student.
It is not my child, it is the son of recent immigrants to the USA.
The parents were there, and we were all talking about the subject.
The parents have a very limited understanding of civics. Their basic default mode is, if a government official says jump, they say, how high?
This was a good educational experience for all. I helped him reference and footnote everything. The paper is not a rant. Might be a little educational for the teacher as well; who knows.

It may be interesting to note how rights have been changed so as to aid these very same people depending on which country they are from.
Where are they from?

If you accept that man can change natural rights, then you must believe there is no such thing as natural rights.

Well I definitely accept man decided what rights were natural rights.

I disagree.

I would say that man recognized that natural rights exist at birth of all humans.

Russia and Ukraine

Russia and Moldova

My daughter is a science teacher here in Mid-Michigan. She asked her Superintendent if she could send out items for the kids to do while locked down.

Both the principal and superintendent approved of that. The union contacted most all of the teachers and told them to not do that. They didn't have to.

My daughter didn't care she sent out little work studies for her kids. Another science teacher joined in. Their getting paid. But the union says "NO WAY should they do that"!

So I guess its not important to teach our children according to the Teachers Union. Only if your in the class room I guess. IDIOTS!

She is very conscience about school and teaching. Unfortunately a lot of others don't care while their off. You know where their heart is as a teacher. $$$$ only.

WRONG unless you are taking some kind of class that is made up of "lectures" What about micro biology Mathematics ? Don't lump all the professers into the group you used to get a "communications major LOL

LOL PLEASE don't say that to my wife who is a PROFESSER in college mathematics !! I will post one of her quizzes and let you see if you need her to "teach" something so you can even begin to work it !!!! Plus she encounters ALL levels of of "learners. Several a's and tons of E's (F's) throu out the semester.

My comparison was the fact most on here where using "online" course as a basis to educate secondary students. The challenge in elementary and middle school is getting the students to log in ALL at the same time as would happen if they where in a classroom ..