Sherman Dorn: Charters beat the pants off Florida Virtual Sch...

My daughter has used the Florida Virtual School, and while the work is nominally independent, she has homework with due dates, times when she must speak with the teacher directly, and she receives grades. If her high school had independent-study options, her experience would probably be no different except that the conversations would be face-to-face and the homework submitted in person rather than online.

Highlighted by deangroom

The one caveat is the one I have written about before: what/where is dramatic engagement online? There may be nothing wrong with online education as a vehicle for massive multiplayer online parallel play (i.e., independent study), but that's not the face-to-face dynamic. There may be nothing wrong with classes organized around online bulletin boards, and I have been told by several friends how that can generate the type of drama and thoughtfulness that concerns me, and maybe the relevant way to frame the issue is to think about the conditions necessary for such engagement.

Highlighted by deangroom

Maybe I'm not trustworthy on this because of my own biases.

Highlighted by deangroom

FVS did not compete with public schools, private schools, or home schooling but complemented all of them

Highlighted by deangroom