Online schooling is being recognized as a viable option not only for college, but also primary and secondary grades. Some opponents of virtual schooling especially in the early years have cited the lack of social outlets and peer to peer interaction as problematic. The wonderful minds behind online education have come up with some excellent ideas and resources for children to utilize in order to broaden their horizons.
Some online schools now offer virtual clubs as well as field trips. A sampling of the clubs offered include: offers a wide variety of online clubs such as a science and chess clubs, newspaper, Latin and Spanish club and an English Honors Society.
Students can meet in supervised chat areas to discuss specific projects or just talk with their peers. Students are having fun and learning important communication skills in the process. A representative from the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) notes: “Meeting online is a common occurrence in today’s workplace. By [participating in] virtual clubs, [students] can further develop their 21st-century communications skills and diversify their online learning experience with real-life collaboration and exercises.”
The clubs also offer an opportunity to gather in real time in the real world through science and other competitions. Interestingly, all of the preparation and work is done before the competitions-online, which speaks to the student’s high ability to communicate with each other. Teams from the FLVS teams won second place in the bottle rockets competition and third place in the airplanes competition in the Florida State Science Olympiad.
Other online schools such as Connections Academy
offer amazing field trips for their students. Some of the places they have visited include, local museums, science centers, The Smithsonian Institution’s touring Lewis and Clark exhibit, and they may go to their local opera house to view a dress rehearsal.
Virtual schools are certainly creating a more competitive product that gives better options for homeschooling families and students who desire additional learning opportunities.
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