Blog 11

Reading Response
Citation
Wildavsky, Ben. "Want more from high school?." U.S. News & World Report.
131(2001): 1-3.
Summary
The article, “Want more from high school” simply discusses how states are changing the school environments. Online high schools came about for the people juggling a busy schedule. Online schooling is very laid back and allows the students to complete their work whenever the time permits. In the beginning the online high schools were only fifty percent effective. The schools made changes regarding the communication between the students and teachers. The online schools require that the teachers are near their computers or phones so their students can ask questions concerning questions that they do not understand. Critics as well as students and parents got together and discussed some of the pros and cons with reference to the basic school environment and interaction amongst their peers. Many parents said that the online schooling is not for everyone. It is a great idea for students that are motivated and can stay on top of their work.
Importance
Designing online high schools help students that want an education, but may have many other priorities. It can fit into any students schedule and it also does not exempt teachers from a job. Education is probably the most important thing someone can receive in life and being a teacher who can teach is priceless. The world needs good teachers and it is a good thing that online education does not exempt teachers from the equation. It is also very important that the online high school recognized where there was failure and immediately fixed the problem. Considering there is not face to face communication it is imperative that the teachers are available between certain hours to discuss things that the students may be struggling with. This shows that there is room for growing and expanding. Also discussed in the article, is the fact that online high schooling is not cut out for everyone. It is important to see if you are the right person for this type of schooling and if not it is best to pick another route. The overall bad idea is that students miss out on the whole social aspect of high school, football games, fun memories, dances and many more things that high school entails. The overall good thing about online schooling is that it gives those who do not always have the time but have the will power to make a difference in their lives.
Connection
I am taking math 101 and it is fifty minutes one day a week in a class room with a teacher, where she physically teaches the material. Then I am responsible for completing three hours or more a week in math lab where I do my homework, quizzes and test if any are scheduled that week. In the lab there are teachers that come around help students that may not understand a specific problem. You can also get the computer to walk you through a problem. I like the half online learning and half in the class room learning, because it allows a lot of face to face explaining. Last semester I look an online music course. This was very hard for me because I did not know anything about music and I did not have anyone physically their telling me to listen for this pitch and the melody and all of the other things that music pertains to.
Supporting Source
The article supports my argument because it is evaluating the online education. It states that their were problems and they were fixed as well as it provides convenience for many people.
Argumentative Source
The author could have gone into more depth about what corrections were made to increase the betterment for online education.