What's The Difference Between Distance Learning And American Public Schools?

Before distance learning and elearning, students in rural

school districts were often at a great disadvantage when it

came to subjects being offered. A small school district

sometimes didn't have the resources to attract teachers

that were in high demand.

Math, science and foreign language classes were often

limited because of this shortage. Today, distance learning

and elearning have changed the way school districts

determine class schedules, making many more opportunities

available to students.

Public schools have changed dramatically over the past

century and a great number of those changes can be put down

to two factors - state and federal mandates governing the

classes that must be offered and requirements for

graduation, and (of course) the ever-increasing world of

technology.

Computers have made the world a global neighborhood in

which anyone can instantly communicate with those from

another country, even if that country is half way around

the world. Language and time differences are virtually the

only barriers. This means that distance learning and

elearning are a part of the curriculum of many schools.

As schools began to connect to the Internet, the immediate

concern in most cases was how to regulate the use. The next

was how to best use the technology to benefit school

districts and students. Distance learning and elearning

became the way to provide options, especially in those

rural districts that couldn't meet state mandates.

Consider the situation of many smaller, rural schools. If

the school is required to offer a foreign language but

can't recruit a teacher, what should happen to that school?

Forced consolidations have been common in some states.

Students lost the benefits of schools in their own towns

and faced long bus rides to new districts.

With distance learning and elearning, more schools can meet

the state and federal mandates to offer specific classes.

Consider yet another situation. A smaller district has four

students who show great promise in their math studies and

it's quickly apparent that they could go well beyond the

normal math classes offered in high school.

There's no one on the teaching staff capable of teaching

those advanced concepts and it's financially impossible to

hire someone for that task alone. Distance learning or e-

earning could provide those classes.

Special needs children are another group to greatly benefit

from distance learning and elearning. While many issues can

only be dealt with between teacher and student, face-to-

face, there are many things that can be taught and learned

online.

Whether the subject of distance learning or elearning is a

foreign language or sign language, and whether the class or

courses are being offered to one student or the entire

student body, distance learning and elearning have become

an important tool for many public schools.