Virtual School Students

First of all, I apologise for not posting that much lately. I will advise up front that this is going to be a busy semester for me and all of my blogging will probably suffer because of that. I will try and use the spare blogging moments that I have to compose multiple entries for timed release as not to have too many holes (like this last ten day one).

Over the past few weeks, I have been seeing more and more blog entries that are discussing the types of students that virtual schools are suited for. For example:

• High School Your Way
• Can You Succeed as a Cyberstudent?
• In search of the perfect e-learner
• Preparing Students for Elearning
• What Makes a Good e-Learner?
• Ten Tips and Tricks for the Online Student
• Preparing E-Learners for Online Success

Thanks to Darren at Teaching and Developing Online for the majority of those entries.

Now, the last time that I talked about this kind of topic was back in July, when I discussed Generation M? (although you will find additional posts on the topic, such as Do today's students think differently?, Will the virtual classroom redefine what it means to be a student?, and Students with neomillennial learning styles).

All of these items are trying to address the same fundamental question... What type of student is suited for learning ina virtual school environment? In the past, research has told us that independent, self-motivated students were the ones that would do well. But this doesn't seem to be as much the case anymore, particularly as students are growing up with technology all around them and the medium is no longer a major factor in message that these students receive.

This leads to a bigger, and in my opinion more important question, how do we design virtual school opportunities so that all students are able to take advantage of them?

Tags: virtual school, cyber school, high school, education