Journal Review 2

Virtual Success: Transforming Education Through Online Learning
By Julie Young, Pam Birtolo, and Raven MacElman

This entire article was really fascinating. I knew that you could take college courses online, but I had no idea that you could complete an entire high school career online as well. Then once I thought about it, I found it very shocking that I had never heard about Florida Virtual School (FLVS) before this article.

Virtual schools offer an entirely different type of educational experience; it is an alternative to standard curriculum, normal school hours and scheduling obligations. Children are able to learn on their own time and on their own motivation. If they are sitting awake at 2 o’clock in the morning they can message their teacher and receive almost instantaneous feedback.

These children are not only mastering technology, they are working out multiple concepts of education on their own just as much through instructional guidance. They are also receiving higher grades and scoring higher on AP exams and outperforming standard students on educational assessments.


Question 1: How effective can this virtual instruction be?
Answer 1: With this time of education, information is accessible, and knowledge and limitless. Any question a student can conjure up can instantly be answered by the click of the mouse. If there is something the teacher themselves is unaware of the answer, or simply just unavailable the student can take steps toward resolving it on their own.

Question 2: Where do I as a teacher fit into this virtual world?
Answer 2: The teacher still holds a vital role in this type of instruction. They are laying out the coursework, anticipating the needs of their children ahead of time, and needing to be reaching at all hours of the day. There are no hours or boundaries to the classroom; the teacher is dedicated 24 hours a day. If I want to be a History professor as I someday wish to be, there is a very big chance that I will be teaching online courses as well as teaching in the classroom. I will need to be able to accommodate myself to all the learning styles and teaching abilities.