The School-Internet 'Relationship' and Online Learning

By Lawrence M. Paska

Online learning and blended learning are here to stay, and here to expand. As shown in the latest publications by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning , or iNACOL, and Education Week ’s own continuing coverage in its Digital Directions magazine and its recent special report on the emerging policy debates in virtual education, the possibilities and opportunities include multiple new pathways for students to access courses “anytime, anywhere.”

The benefits to students are clear: flexible scheduling, course content and assessments on demand, and the opportunity to personalize learning goals matched to course objectives. Teacher benefits are also easy to see: a chance to redefine and develop one’s skills through a new mode of instruction and to stretch professionally beyond the workday boundaries of a brick-and-mortar school. Using new technologies can be exciting and engaging for students and teachers and can redefine the classroom. Online programs, for instance, are conducted completely over the Internet, while blended programs include interactions between teachers, students, and course content through a combination of face-to-face and Internet-based interactions.

As school districts nationwide face declining aid, educators are being challenged to sustain high-quality programs in the face of budget and staff reductions. It is tempting to look for quick solutions that keep schools on the cutting edge of instruction and technology while saving money. Online learning is seen as a cost-effective and quick solution to preserve or expand course offerings, while softening the blow of reduced resources. Online learning also serves to reimagine the role of a school, its teachers, and its methods of instructional...