EDITORIAL: Online learning a method some Pee Dee students using to their advantage

Students are accustomed to weighing their options when it comes to choosing a post-secondary educational path.
Not all students will excel with a liberal arts education, just as not all will succeed with a technical education.
Then there are nontraditional students — people who further their education while holding down a full-time job and often tend to a family of their own at the same time.
A student is expected to choose the option that suits him or her best, weighing factors like their interests and talents along with efficiency and cost.
As times change and technological advances are made, more options become available — and not just to students pursuing graduate studies. Some South Carolina high school students today are taking advantage of online classes provided through Provost Academy, Palmetto State e-Cademy, South Carolina Virtual Charter School and Olympus High School, which is is academically affiliated with University of Phoenix, to name a few.
According to Edu-Center.org, an online directory of information on education, online learning and correspondence courses, online high schools were created to address the needs of school children who, for some reason, are not able to participate in the traditional school system. An online high school is an educational institution accredited by the state wherein teaching and learning happens mostly online and courses are normally self-paced by the student.
“Online learning ... is one of the most important and potentially significant new instructional approaches available for supporting the improvement of teaching and learning in America’s K-12 schools today,” Dr. Robert Blomeyer, an educational technology researcher and online learning expert , wrote in an April 2002 North Central Regional Educational Laboratory report. “...in all probability, today’s newest educational technology approaches— e-learning and virtual schools— are destined to become tomorrow’s established instructional delivery systems.”
It’s a method that seems to be working for some students in the Pee Dee already. Cousins Shontay Graham and Quaneshia Washington of Lake City, for example, will be a part of the second graduating class of Provost Academy. Both said this method of learning not only frees them from the distractions they faced on a high school campus, but also requires a high degree of self-discipline in order to earn their high school diplomas. And because these students are also taking their classes at Refuge Outreach Ministry, they still get the chance to socialize with their peers and within their community.
The concept of online high schools has been met with some justified skepticism. In addition to concerns about socialization, many ask whether online high school students will get enough physical activity or if they’ll be denied the chance to participate in extracurricular activities. These are legitimate questions parents should ask before deciding whether online high school courses make sense for their children, and an accredited program should be able to provide those answers.
We doubt online high schools will replace traditional high schools or even home schooling, though high school students in any environment are relying on the Internet to help further their education in various ways. But the increase of their popularity suggests the continuation of a trend to tailor education to the individual needs of students.
So long as the focus remains on preparing students for success outside the classroom, whether it be virtual or bricks and mortar, we welcome such developments in education and encourage students at every level to explore all of the options available to them.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper: Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (content manager), David Johnson (regional circulation director), John Sweeney (The Weekly Observer editor), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).