Most recent public comments by Mr. Joshua Owens https://nowcomment.com/users/42166 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048784 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048784 The same thing is happening with face to face classes. Universities are businesses and professors realize very little of the high prices student pay to attend sit in classes. What I think you are concerned about is the privatization of primary and secondary education through going online. I share that concern but at the same time it is still for profit companies writing our text books. Thu, 19 Jul 2018 21:00:51 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048781 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048781 Hi Precious, You brought up some good points. The article points out the cost savings online education can be for the schools, but yes, the cost to parents isn't addressed. Public education really publicly run childcare and education. I can't see students staying home. Rather I envision students going to school and taking classes like usual, but also students going to computer labs and loging onto their virtual classes where they joint their teachers and classmates from around the country for lectures and discussions and projects but them also doing asymmetrical work, like homework for the classes. I also share your concern for socialization, in person that is. I don't think education should ever get to the point where face to face interaction is not happening to a sizable degree. Thu, 19 Jul 2018 20:55:45 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048779 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048779 Hey Keanau, I think you are right, I think a blended approach is the best. I say this from personal experience in high school where I took an online course, but also the limited research supports this approach and frankly I think it is just wiser to go at a measured pace when making changes when the results aren't solidly known. When Japan, China and such countries industrialized they went full in but they had a century or more of Western countries' experiences to learn from and model their industrializations after. There are no countries with entirely virtual education systems in place that have been running for years, that I'm aware of, that we could model a headlong transformation after. So I think a measure, mixed approach to be the most reasonable, and most likely to provide the best education for students. Thu, 19 Jul 2018 20:48:45 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048776 https://nowcomment.com/documents/106075?scroll_to=1048776 Two of the biggest potentiality benefits of online classes seems to me to be the lower cost that is possible and specialized classes. Everything cost, that's just the way it is, and even very high priority things like education cost money and choices have to be made. It seems to me that if a school had as sizable portion of its classes online then it would be possible to lower cost and the money saved could be directed toward other investments in the students' education. Now I do admit that I am not sure how that would work out, what should be online and what not, but I do see potential. Now for specialized classes, I think online courses is a great option. I actually took an online class on the Pacific Theater of WWII online in my senior year in 05/06 and that was so cool. It was an elective and having the online option allowed me to take a course I was really interested in, apposed to something less interesting to me. This is obviously a limited role for online classes, far short of total online schooling, but at least in this limited capacity I've found online courses to be a fantastic way to expand a schools limited options. There is no reasonable excuse for why any American student anywhere in the country should not be able to take an elective online course at their school in a wide variety of subjects. Thu, 19 Jul 2018 20:40:19 -0400