Each year, many students around the world spend extended care time in
hospitals or a homebound residence due to surgery/recovery and/or
illnesses. For the students, academic instruction often
becomes a small part of their schedule dependent on the weekly visit
of the home tutor. Certainly, beyond the academic loss, the student
realizes a demise of the peer interaction factors related to school
attendance. The solution to the loss certainly lies within the use of
an online distance classroom. Using off-the-shelf technology (MSN
messenger, robotically controlled web cameras and data projectors)
video conferencing, file transfer and a learning management system
addresses the needs of these students and many other applications.
Thus, the following topics are certainly areas for
exploration:
Thus, the following topics are certainly areas for exploration:
* Can Online Distance Classroom be used to make these students
feel part of the day-to-day activities of their home school?
* What are the legal aspects of delivery of this form or
instruction? How does this meet "NCLB" (No Child Left Behind)
regulations and laws regulating educational services for students with disabilities?
* How can we use this online opportunity to extend the educational horizons of the teachers of these students?
* How are we able to use the online learning resources to keep the students from falling further behind in their academic studies?
* Does the use of the Online Distance Classroom enable the
student to transition more smoothly back into the classroom setting when appropriate?
* What are the learning challenges that are faced by students
using the Online Distance Classroom
Finally, why are we not actively doing this form of education?
Summary:
Online learning:
Using off-the-shelf technology (MSN messenger, robotically controlled
web cameras and data projectors) video conferencing, file transfer and a learning management system addresses the needs of many students
around the world who spend extended care time in hospitals or a
homebound residence due to surgery/recovery and/or chronic illnesses.
Can these low-cost simple techniques address the needs of homebound
students of any age?