Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Online Options for School

These days school comes in many different packages. We homeschool our children. Others send them to public school or parochial school. Still others are doing something a little bit in the middle of the three options - online distance learning.

I'm hearing more and more about online learning for kids in middle school and high school than ever before. It seems to be a good idea for the younger, more technically savvy, set because they are extremely comfortable with computers and interacting with web sites.

When online schools first came out, they were basically colleges. There are a whole lot more options now for those who want to teach their children at home but still have the help and accreditation they might need via an online program.

I've been spending some time researching online schools and want to share with you Online School Solutions. First of all, it is a division of KC Distance Learning. In some states they offer both online public school and online private school. I checked to see what is available for my state, Michigan, and found that The Keystone School - and online high school and middle school is offered. Full-time school with an accredited diploma is one option, or one can enroll in one or more courses to add to what he is already doing.

Many local school districts now partner with distance learning programs to give the student a well rounded education. School bullying is reaching an all-time high and parents are ready to yank their kids out of there. Enrolling in a program such as a KC Distance Learning school  is a viable alternative for many families.

Bullying aside, the courses offered look to be sound and challenging enough. That is always my first concern when choosing curriculum. This is not a Christian school, so do not look for the science courses to reflect that.

If traditional schools are not working for you, or you want to supplement at home, Online School Solutions might be a good place for you to check out. If you homeschool and want online courses (hint: learning online frees up some teacher time) check it out. If you're just curious, check it out.

Our family has not tried much in the way of distance learning, though my son took some online courses through a community college and did very well. I'm curious to hear what others think about online schools, so please leave me a comment if you have some thoughts about them. If you'd like to watch a demonstration video, click here. A multi-media video can be viewed here.

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