Virtual schooling with Wisconsin Connections Academy allows students to receive a top-notch public education online from the comfort of their homes. Virtual education is an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional brick and mortar classroom, but many parents still don’t fully understand online learning and how it works.
Virtual public schooling is not homeschooling. In fact, the two are quite different. Virtual public schools deliver at no cost public education to a student’s home that combines state-certified teachers and a rigorous curriculum that correlates to state standards. At WCA, students learn at home under the guidance of a Wisconsin certified teacher. A learning coach, typically a parent, assists the student in day-to-day activities. Our teachers work directly with both the student and learning coach to develop an individual learning plan, provide instruction and evaluate assignments.
Yet virtual school students don’t sit in front of a computer all day. The computer is a tool for teachers and parents to manage and track assignments, communicate and deliver interactive lessons, but it is not the only tool students use. Students complete many assignments “unplugged,” and spend time reading library books and textbooks, using workbooks and doing hands-on experiments — just like a traditional school.
For the rest of the article, go to Michelle Mueller column: Truth about virtual schools
