| The Internet High School by Clarence M. Edwards, Jr. |
|
Rachel, an eleventh grader, enters the classroom and moves to one of the computer stations. Taking a seat at the computer, she enters her password and logs-in to her English class on an instructional network in the state capitol. When the class menu appears on the screen, Rachel reads that she has three E-mail (electronic) messages. Looking in her electronic mail box, she finds that two classmates, Sarah in Norfolk and Will in Bristol, want to discuss the current class assignment. Rachel also finds her English teacher, Ms. Little, has graded and returned her last essay. Ms. Little reminds Rachel the journal of her 1848 trip from St. Louis to Oregon over the Oregon Trail 1 is due Friday. As the tardy bell rings, Rachel starts to work. Checking the log to see who is currently online, Rachel finds neither of her two friends logged in. She elects to download her Oregon Trail file and continue the journey. As she makes an entry in her notebook about shooting two buffalo on May 30, 1848, Rachel speaks to Jane and Mr. Smith on the computers next to her. Mr. Smith, a language teacher, is taking an Internet graduate course on Japanese literature to renew his teaching certificate. During his planning period, he is uploading a completed E-mail assignment to his professor. Jane is a twelfth grader and the school's only member of an instructional network astronomy class. She is downloading images from the Hubble telescope.... |
A revolution in American secondary education is underway. Classes taught over computer networks (ie. Internet) will soon be remaking today's high schools. Education on demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is now a "virtual reality." Individualized schooling and instruction will be available whenever and wherever a person chooses. No student who has the desire and ability need ever be denied a high school education again. Those with desire, ability, and a little financial support can already get postsecondary training, including a $16,000 college degree2 , via computer and modem. Development of Internet schooling, which is one-on-one instruction, is going to have a profoundly positive effect upon today's conventional schools.
Students in conventional high schools will be the initial beneficiaries of the comprehensive Internet high school. Putting all the high school classes necessary for graduation on Internet will help restore order and discipline in the conventional high schools. In addition, Internet High will end schedule conflicts and guarantee every student a true choice among schools, teachers, and courses. To take advantage of these Internet classes, high school officials need only provide computer-communication facilities both in and outside of their schools.
High schools participating in the Internet revolution will have at least one computer - communication lab in the school and another at a site removed from the school. Each lab should have enough computers and Internet access to accommodate 20 to 25 students at a time. Students will be scheduled into the labs whenever there is an opening in the student's schedule and an open seat in the lab. Once scheduled into the lab, students may enroll in any appropriate high school course. With a fully operational Internet high school, each and every student in the computer-communication lab could be taking a different high school course. The flexibility of these lab resources will allow educators to address a number of very serious problems perplexing today's high schools. First and foremost is restoration of order and discipline in the schools.
Today's high schools are not just for ready, willing, and able students anymore. In this age of micro chips and a global economy a high school education is essential. So everyone has to go to school whether they want to or not. Compulsory attendance, welfare, social security, and the criminal justice system force many unwilling, unmotivated young people into the schools. Indeed, there is a growing reluctance on the part of educational, social, and legal agencies to deny even the most incorrigible student an education. As a result, problems with student achievement, attendance, discipline, and violence have grown.
Inherent in the design of today's high schools is an assumption that students come to school wanting to learn. When this is not true, school personnel invest a disproportionate amount of their time trying to make it true for these reluctant students. This is time taken away from teaching those who come to school wanting to learn. Failure to address the instructional needs of those who want to learn has prompted some of these students to join the ranks of the unmotivated. Trying to get students who don't want to be in school to attend regularly, behave themselves, and learn what is being taught places the entire education system in jeopardy. It is time to end this "mission impossible" for conventional high schools.
| A Customized Education System |
|---|
|
Method 1 -- Conventional High School Method 2 -- Computer-Communication Lab Method 3 -- Computer-Modem Hook-up |
Educating disobedient, unmotivated students outside the conventional high schools will significantly improve attendance, discipline, and student performance for everyone. In the Internet age, many of these resistant learners will receive their high school education in a setting where their behavior cannot adversely affect others. With just one fully accredited Internet high school available in the state, educators statewide can improve instruction and school safety.
Students who choose not to behave or learn well in the conventional school setting will be reassigned to a computer-communication lab away from the school. Here reluctant students, unable to create classroom management problems, will receive the one-on-one instruction not available in a conventional classroom. Those assigned to an out-of-school computer-communication lab will remain there until their attendance, behavior, and academic performance signal readiness for conventional schooling. Restive, defiant students who negatively influence, intimidate, or threaten their classmates will now be returned to their parents to receive their education at home via computer and modem. In the Internet age, no student need ever be denied an education. Out-of-school students who meet acceptable behavior and learning standards for an entire semester may move up one less restrictive learning level. Ultimately, they will work their way back into the conventional high school, but if not, out-of-school students can earn their diplomas through the Internet classes.
Internet high school classes and the in-school computer-communication lab will broaden the concept of the conventional high school. Physical limitations imposed by the classroom or school building are no longer a factor. Students need never again conflict out of a requested class or be added to a full section. If a student has an open period in his schedule and access to a computer and modem, he can be scheduled into the desired class. Students who fail or are sure they are going to fail a course may be permitted to immediately retake the course via Internet. Another change will be a huge increase in the number and variety of classes available to students in every high school with a computer and modem. And, possibly, the most significant change is that students who do not want to take a class from a particular teacher, will now have a choice -- an Internet choice!
Along with advantages for students, Internet classes will afford teachers several unique career opportunities. Teachers in the Internet classroom deal exclusively with the delivery of instruction and student learning. Internet teachers are truly learning facilitators. Classroom management skills are not needed. With all communication between student and teacher on a one-to-one basis, student and teacher get to know each other very well. The teacher also may work at home teaching a limited number of classes at a time. Moreover, with Internet high school classes just in the start-up stage, employment opportunities will grow rapidly.
The effectiveness of schools will not improve significantly until the classroom learning environment changes. Forcing rebellious non-students into schools designed for those who want to learn is detrimental to both groups. Neither receives the education they need or deserve. Prior to the 1990's educating the two groups separately has not been feasible nor cost effective for most schools. Development of Internet classes now makes personalized schooling practical for everyone. Just the availability of this alternative will significantly improve the effectiveness of conventional high schools and other existing educational programs.
Unlike other alternative schools, the Internet classes will include students from all the diverse groups who from time to time seek an education. Yet, for all the advantages of the Internet classes, only a small percentage of students will ever take all of their classes over the Internet. However, the hospitalized, homebound, drop-out, prison inmate, transfer student, home schooler, and itinerant student will find the convenience of Internet classes very attractive. And a number of students in the conventional high schools will unquestionably want to use the Internet classes in designing their daily class schedule.
Christopher Newport University fired the shot heard 'round the educational world and started a revolution. The pioneering work of this institution has proven the practicality of delivering quality instruction over the Internet. Not only have they mastered the technical problems, CNU Online instructors developed an Internet instructional model that will be emulated for years to come 3. Now that educators have another means of educating students, there is a real opportunity for significant school improvement. Schools must be restructured so that the quality of a student's education is determined solely by his own interests, abilities, and desire to learn.
Send comments to Virginia Internet High School
Updated January 29, 2002