Cyber School
This thread is to chronicle my family's experiences with cyber schooling. The primary reason for putting our children in a cyber school was our school districts refusal to allow us to temporarily school at home due to the pandemic (SIP) using lesson plans and assignments provided by their current teachers. This same school District had no problem with approval for a trip to Disney World but refused a withdrawal for the same students due to a pandemic. This is NOT Home Schooling! While I have nothing against home schooling and applauded families who do it and do it well I recognize my own limitations. No way do I or my children have the time, discipline or patience for Home Schooling. I live in a state that while it is not encourage the Powers-That-Be do not intrusively regulate the practice much more than needed to ensure at least a minimally acceptable education. Homeschooled children I personally know have had well rounded educations and opportunities that probably rival or surpass those at area private schools. I also appreciated the work their dedicated mother put in to achieve this. I just do not have that level of dedication.
The on line Public Charter School graduates its students with a Public school diploma not a GED. This school is accredited by the state we live in and provides education for grades k-12. Basically it is an public school that just happens to be accessed via the internet. A representitive from the school said there has been a steady increase in the demand for the schools services.
Orientation
Yesterday we attended orientation at the physical location of The on line public charter cyber school. We filled out more forms, talked with the facilitators and guidance councilors. Technical questions were answered and the educational process and student expectations were explained. We (parents & students) were given a short tutorial in how the online interactive system operated. They will have interactive access to live teachers and other students at the school via chat rooms, emails and IM's. According to the new student orientation at the cyber school, other than for the Federally mandated No Child Left Behind tests they do not ever have to go back to a brick and mortar school.
We came home with what looks like 2 brand new computers with keyboards, flat screen monitors, microphones, headsets, flash drives, one all in one printer scanner & copier (ink for it too) books and art supplies. [B]All of this was supplied free of charge by the state. Supposedly, even with all this technology it is still cheaper to educate sudents via a cyber school than it is to use the traditional brick and mortar schools with their overhead and bussing. DH ran the cables last night.
First Day
Today is our first day of Cyber school. There is a learning curve to get used to the computer software. The kids are starting several months into the school year and there is some confusion as to what projects and assignments will need to be caught up. The nice thing is that they are listed on line and the children can work at their own pace. They had live online chat sessions with their teachers and class mates today. Some of the teachers called and spoke directly with us and their new students. One of our first impressions is that this will require structure and an enforced schedule to ensure all the work that needs to get done is accomplished.
Tests were taken, monitored by the parent facilitator. The test was then scanned into the computer and emailed to the teacher at the school, other written assignments were handled in a similar fashion. Assigned reading was timed and completed. The school only offers the language our child took at their previous school at the high school level. The compromise is this semester they audit the class at the advanced high school level and if they do well they will be enrolled in the regular advanced class next year.
This thread is to chronicle my family's experiences with cyber schooling. The primary reason for putting our children in a cyber school was our school districts refusal to allow us to temporarily school at home due to the pandemic (SIP) using lesson plans and assignments provided by their current teachers. This same school District had no problem with approval for a trip to Disney World but refused a withdrawal for the same students due to a pandemic. This is NOT Home Schooling! While I have nothing against home schooling and applauded families who do it and do it well I recognize my own limitations. No way do I or my children have the time, discipline or patience for Home Schooling. I live in a state that while it is not encourage the Powers-That-Be do not intrusively regulate the practice much more than needed to ensure at least a minimally acceptable education. Homeschooled children I personally know have had well rounded educations and opportunities that probably rival or surpass those at area private schools. I also appreciated the work their dedicated mother put in to achieve this. I just do not have that level of dedication.
The on line Public Charter School graduates its students with a Public school diploma not a GED. This school is accredited by the state we live in and provides education for grades k-12. Basically it is an public school that just happens to be accessed via the internet. A representitive from the school said there has been a steady increase in the demand for the schools services.
Orientation
Yesterday we attended orientation at the physical location of The on line public charter cyber school. We filled out more forms, talked with the facilitators and guidance councilors. Technical questions were answered and the educational process and student expectations were explained. We (parents & students) were given a short tutorial in how the online interactive system operated. They will have interactive access to live teachers and other students at the school via chat rooms, emails and IM's. According to the new student orientation at the cyber school, other than for the Federally mandated No Child Left Behind tests they do not ever have to go back to a brick and mortar school.
We came home with what looks like 2 brand new computers with keyboards, flat screen monitors, microphones, headsets, flash drives, one all in one printer scanner & copier (ink for it too) books and art supplies. [B]All of this was supplied free of charge by the state. Supposedly, even with all this technology it is still cheaper to educate sudents via a cyber school than it is to use the traditional brick and mortar schools with their overhead and bussing. DH ran the cables last night.
First Day
Today is our first day of Cyber school. There is a learning curve to get used to the computer software. The kids are starting several months into the school year and there is some confusion as to what projects and assignments will need to be caught up. The nice thing is that they are listed on line and the children can work at their own pace. They had live online chat sessions with their teachers and class mates today. Some of the teachers called and spoke directly with us and their new students. One of our first impressions is that this will require structure and an enforced schedule to ensure all the work that needs to get done is accomplished.
Tests were taken, monitored by the parent facilitator. The test was then scanned into the computer and emailed to the teacher at the school, other written assignments were handled in a similar fashion. Assigned reading was timed and completed. The school only offers the language our child took at their previous school at the high school level. The compromise is this semester they audit the class at the advanced high school level and if they do well they will be enrolled in the regular advanced class next year.
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