Not too long ago, the term “online schooling” was unheard of, no one could have imagined how popular online homeschooling would become. In fact, the internet has taken home schooling to a whole other level. Thanks to this new phenomenon, you can now earn an online high school diploma or college degree from the many online universities as well as virtual public schools that are available today.
Online schooling has many advantages. One of the main selling points of taking online courses is the fact that you can go to school from the comfort of your own home. Therefore, if you have a fulltime or part time job, you can still take classes whenever your schedule allows.
Unfortunately, online schooling is not for everyone; in fact, some people get uncomfortable whenever the thought of taking online courses come up in a conversation. However, it is still becoming very popular amongst working adults. For instance, many adults that didn’t get their diploma when they were younger for whatever reason are now enrolling in online high schools with the hope of getting that diploma that has eluded them for so long.
If you’re considering going the route of an online education whether it be college, high school, middle school, or GED, here are some positives and negatives that you should know:
Positives of online schooling
1) No commute – No matter where you live in the United States, you will be able to attend any school that offer online courses. For instance, if you live in the state of Florida, you will be able to take classes from home via a Florida virtual school. Keep in mind that you must have an internet connection. You will also save a lot of money on gasoline. Dressing up to attend classes at a traditional college or university will be a thing of the past, because your classroom will be your home.
2) You’ll be able to continue to take care of responsibilities to family and work – In my opinion, online schooling works best for adults that have family responsibilities or fulltime jobs and cannot afford to take time off to attend traditional classes. You will have the time to complete all of your daily chores as well as work a full time schedule at the job and still come home and complete your course work whenever you have the time to do so.
3) No competing for the instructors attention with other classmates – When you enroll in a cyber-school, the classroom belongs to you and only you. You will get all of your course work from an instructor that you and other students will only have contact with via email and online forum.
Negatives of online schooling
1) Make sure that the online school you choose is accredited – There are no shortages of online schools on the internet that will promise you the stars; however, some of them are not accredited. If your diploma or degree is not accredited, it would not be recognized by the government or potential employers. In addition, before enrolling and paying for a program, make sure that your credits can be transferred to a traditional institution if you decide to go that route at a later date.
2) Some people cannot learn on their own – Before you choose an online school, make sure that you are the type of person that can learn without a professor or instructor standing in front of you and writing notes on a blackboard. Some people are self-learners and they excel in the online schooling model. However, there are some that are not. Therefore, if you’re not the type of student that can learn without being in a classroom setting where there are plenty of discussions about the subject, online schooling is not for you.
3) Your home must be fit for studying and taking exams – If your home is not a place where you can disappear for a couple hours to get some course work done or take an exam, you might want to stay away from online schooling. There are a lot of distractions in the home, especially a home with small children; therefore, many homes are not ideal to become a school. Your home must be a place where you can learn; you will not be able to learn anything with children running around making noise and dogs barking. If you cannot find a quiet place in your home where you can disappear for about two hours daily, homeschooling is not for you.
Here are some schools that offer online programs:
University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, Penn Foster, ITT tech, and Devry
You may also want to check with some charter schools in your area that may offer online courses if you’d like to enroll your child in an online schooling program.
For teenagers that would like to enroll in an online high school, there are plenty of public schools around the country that offer free online schooling.