The internet has changed our lives in many ways, from the way we get our news to the way we shop to the way we keep in touch with people. It also has the potential to change the way in which we educate our children. Many parents who homeschool their children have used the internet for years to access quality curriculum (click here to visit the website of one such online education provider). In addition, in the past few years, many states have started "virtual schools" where public school students can take many or all of their courses online. Recent studies have shown the use of online courses is growing rapidly for K-12 education. Click here for a report from an education consulting firm that keeps up with developments in the use of online K-12 instruction by individual states.
According to the report, the Illinois Virtual School (click here for their website) had approximately 2,500 course enrollments last year (down from about 2,900 the previous year). Florida, by comparison, is one of the leading states with respect to the use of online instruction for K-12 education with over 200,000 course enrollments last year in the Florida Virtual School (click here for their website).
While still in its infancy, online K-12 education presents some interesting possibilities for the future: from expanding course offerings to fit the varied interests of students to allowing students to do some or all of their courses online rather than in the traditional classroom.
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