Virtual Schools: Personalizing Learning Online," Julie Young Term Paper

Virtual Schools: Personalizing Learning Online," Julie Young asserts that distance education offers a "more personalized type of instruction," (2004 p.1). Virtual schools are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and in some instances prove to be superior to their traditional counterparts. Overcrowding of classrooms and shortages of teachers make distance learning opportunities particularly attractive for students of all ages and learning abilities. High schools in as many as twenty-five states offer virtual classroom environments for their students. Distance learning has enormous advantages over classroom alternatives. Students can select from a wider range of courses, according to Young. Many rural schools simply do not have the facilities or teachers for specialty courses or advanced placement (AP) courses. Therefore, using the Internet may be the only means by which students from rural areas can compete with other students from around the nation in the hopes of entering a university. At the university level, students enrolled in distance learning programs will have access to a much wider range of courses because they would not have to travel long distances in order to take classes they might be interested in off campus. Distance learning cooperatives can make the course offerings for distance learners even richer, as they can take courses from schools in diverse geographic locations.

Distance learning also enhances the means by which courses are taught. Multimedia formats imply that students with different learning styles can access course material. As many students learn better visually or with audio helps, distance learning can help overcome some of the biases inherent in traditional classroom learning environments that focus almost exclusively on lecture methods. Many students who feel intimidated by the classroom environment: those who are afraid to speak up in class or ask questions, will feel much safer when posing questions online, through instant messaging programs, chat rooms, or e-mail. Virtual classrooms incorporate instant messaging,…