Article Review #5 "Virtual High Schools: The High Schools of the Future?"

In the article "Virtual High Schools: The High Schools of the Future?" Glori Chaika discusses the many benefits of current online high schools. According to Chaika, virtual schools can even the playing field for students living anywhere by allowing them to take courses they might not have access to otherwise. Also, virtual schools are a huge benefit for students who have problems or difficulties with traditional high schools (i.e. illness, phobias, drop-outs, etc.). I think that Chaika makes some excellent points and I can definitely see how virtual schools could be a good thing in many ways. However, I see problems with virtual schools as well, and Chaika did not address this side of the issue at all. The biggest problem that I would foresee for students in virtual school would be the lack of socialization. I know that I feel much less connected to classmates in this on-line class than I do when I see them regularly face-to-face. As an adult, I don't see this as a huge problem, but I believe that teenagers need to engage in face-to-face socialization with teachers and peers on a regular basis. However, I do believe that virtual schools definitely have a place in our current educational system, and all of the benefits that Chaika discusses indicate why that is true.