Online Learning Update

By Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

Rows of desks, teacher lectures, and passive learning won’t lift us into the future. We need a serious, national discussion on what the 21st century classroom can and should look like, acknowledging the variety of ways that students learn, the multitude of tools they use to interact with the world, and the growing use of online learning. A well-designed and well-taught online course can meet the needs of our students and schools by helping to solve teacher shortages, expanding curriculum options, providing options for credit recovery and alleviating scheduling conflicts. Poor quality online curriculum, inadequately prepared teachers, and students without the requisite skills for success will fail to improve education.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/online-learning-the-necessity-and-promise/2011/05/12/AFypkY2G_blog.html