Our+paper,+as+of+now...

= our paper, so far... =

=Intro:= As the world moves into this new age of technology, its inevitable for the stone age ways of education to try to ease along with it. Before we allow that transition, did we ever consider how online schooling compares with a traditional education? Being a former online student myself, I often found the online "education" I was receiving to be sub par, with too many barriers for me to actually comprehend the course. I only exchanged 4-5 emails with my teacher, and it took days for simple questions that would usually take seconds in a classroom to be answered. The two trimester core course I took was nothing but a frustrating experience, and at the end of it all, I realized that I had learned nothing and just spent $500 on a good grade. The course was so ridiculously simple, and any traditional high school wouldn't consider this curriculum to be a high school credit, not to mention two credits required for graduation. In addition, while taking these courses I felt extremely isolated, I was constantly bombarded with busy work that limited my ability to socialize which is a standard in any other high school, but at the end of the "tri" I felt extreme pressure to finish the course with a list of new assignments and a small time limit, I would spend 8-10 straight hours trying to finish these courses, as my summer wasted away. Based on my account, and many other facts, experts and studies, its undoubtedly true that its unfair and unjust to allow students to slide through high school with lousy online courses while their peers earn equal credits for much more challenging courses. needs to be re-worded -maddie pierce 5/4/10 8:16 AM Due to ineffectiveness, questionable validity, and decreased social development, online core courses do not support academic excellence.

=P1:= We are against online learning because of the decreased social development that the student will experience. During an interview, Erthel Mitchell, a retired principle from New York, talks about her experience with online core classes. "Children need other children to learn. There is more that goes with school, such as play, gym, and interacting with schoolmates." Students are unable to develop socially when they aren't interacting with other students. Teachers have also noticed that "some [online] students become isolated or anti-social" when they aren't interacting with other students. 1) [] 2) []

=P2:= Not all online schools are valid or even accepted by colleges. Many schools make big claims about what they can accomplish but it isn’t always true. High schools need to be accredited by the proper regional association so the transcript may not be accepted by schools for high education. Some online institutions are called “diploma mills” because they practically sell degrees to people based on personal experiences. According to a Good Morning America interview, some online schools merely require a multiple-choice test and fee of a little over 1,000 dollars (James). As more fake online classes pop, more people are enrolling and paying fees before realizing they are unable to use the diploma anywhere to advance their education. Online courses make it too easy to deceive students and throw unqualified graduates into the real world. 1) [] (James) =P3:= Courses offered online are not as effective as lessons taught in classrooms. Online classes often do not meet the standard of academic excellence of normal high schools. 2009 Reports from the Minnesota Department of Education show that in Grade 10 Reading Comprehensive Assessments twenty percent of students taking classes at Minnesota Online High School did not meet the standard for reading comprehension. That’s more than twice the 2009 State Average. Teenagers taking courses at home are also prone to boredom and distraction that takes prevents students from absorbing knowledge. Facebook, texting, and TV are readily accessible when a student takes online classes and few high-schoolers posses the self-discipline to overcome these temptations. Also, students who take online courses don’t have access to resources like science equipment and smart boards that enhance a students learning experience and help them understand the material. Online projects, experiments, and activities have to be simplified and are not as challenging as in-class work. Lower standards of performace, distractions, and simplified tasks make online schooling ineffective and incomparable to in-class lessons. =Conclusion:=