Online School: A Better Future for our Students

I know not every family is enjoying this time out of school as much as others. I think we all have to understand that we are starting a new normal and we have no idea what the future looks like. If history stands as an indicator, then when this virus returns in the Fall it will be even worse and there is a good possibility that we need to have systems in place to support our kids while they learn from home. I’ve heard a lot of resistance to online learning and I hope we will learn to see that it’s a great opportunity. It is really going to play a larger and larger role in the future.

Google Classrooms and Hangouts and conferencing platforms like Zoom, GoTo, Skype, and others have revolutionized our kids’ future and it’s just the beginning. There are platforms established from the current online schools that are available for the public schools to adopt such as Apex, Blackboard, and Connections. There is no reason that our schools shouldn’t be supporting our students through full platforms that can be accessed from all students with a device as simple as an old tablet or smartphone. A district can easily assure that students are outfitted properly at very little expense.  School equipment and supplies from the schools paid for by tax money should be shared.

Online colleges have been around a long time and have offered a great education and an example of how well the online environment can support learning regardless of location and experience. Elementary and secondary public schools need to be open to this. There are a lot of great opportunities and blessings coming out of this pandemic and we must hold to that belief as we journey through the painful beginnings of this new world.

These kids will not forget this. These kids will have the chance to see things differently and, in most ways, better. This has defined the generation. They will be looking at this through historical eyes as those who persevered and adapted and then those who fought logic and science for the sake of a dollar. Freedom and safety will mean more to them than a small paycheck for work that is mostly unenjoyed. It’s not the closing of an economy, it’s the beginning a newer and better way of life.

The more kids do schoolwork online the better it is for their future. They are learning that physical location doesn’t define their academic restrictions. In this way they are seeing that a career in the new online economy is wide open to them and the playing field is fair and open. This generation will be poised to live a better life by being location independent in their career choices. They will be able to live where they want to live without the constraints of a daily commute. They will be able to work from home and stay available to their children. They will be able to know the freedom that the older generations don’t always understand.  They are seeing that we can work together while we are apart. This is a beautiful lesson for them… for all of us.

Sending smiles,

Julianne