Benefits of Digital Education

“The Peak Group, an education technology research and consulting firm, expects that more than 1 million students will take advantage of "virtual schools" this school year. Another research firm, Eduventures, predicted the online distance learning market will grow more than 38 percent in 2004, taking in $5.1 billion in revenue”

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/08/13/b2s.elearning/

Shape of the Nation: Executive Summary: “Almost one-fourth of states (24% or 12) allow required physical education credits to be earned through online physical education courses. Those states are: Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia. Of those 12 states, six offer online comprehensive physical education (defined as addressing all state or national physical education standards), and five offer an online personal fitness/wellness course. Only two states offer online sport courses and online weight training courses.” http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:L9dQpArnpdwJ:www.aahperd.org/naspe/ShapeOfTheNation/template.cfm%3Ftemplate%3DexecutiveSummary.html+what+nation+percent+high+schools+offer+credit+for+online+courses&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

Fall 2006 Stanford opens online school for the gifted

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/14/BAGBCKHTNE1.DTL

Problems (for high school) How do we know the education being had is of equal quality? (suggest an interview-someone from Harvard’s GS in education, maybe? Or state or fed education dept?)

Solution (for high school): (propose asking numerous high schools about how they test for quality) For the core kinds of classes like sciences, use the STAR testing results to determine if it will count for credit or not. That way, using resources already in existence and not creating a new burden of oversight on the part of the school system/gvmt.

Broader than just the schedule conflicts of a high school student:

Has expanded that you can earn a high school diploma online, for homebound students. Or supplementary courses for elementary and middle school students. http://yorkcountyschools.org/VirtualHS/index.html

Intellectual powerhouses like MIT are making all course materials available online. May not have the teacher to integrate the information, but you certainly have the raw materials to work with in the next ten years. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2001/ocw.html

Online education for college for middle-aged people going back to school to seek degree (possible contact eduventures or some such consulting firm)