DISQUS

kapil · 10 months ago

Great post. The only concern I have is that the online classes of good teachers will be locked in these web 2.0 platforms like wiziq or edufire. If the content produced in these sites can be migrated to other formats and other media , only then we'll see true 21st century home schooling experience. Otherwise, these platforms will claim to be knowledge empire after 10 years which right now traditional brick and mortar schools claim.

Captain_Ron · 10 months ago

I agree, edufire and the ilk are great platforms for what they do. I think that style has its place in the world always, guys like me (Full-Time worker) isn't looking for a fully structured online program. I think that change will come though..

The market will drive the market

Captain_Ron · 10 months ago

I don't think it's quite there yet... this is a blazing new frontier, I know the idea of learning on the Internet has been around for a long time now. Just considering all the online degree programs out there. Homeschooling is still 100% in the hands of the parents though with no alternatives. The current generation of online learning websites are very open and free willed, which don't get me wrong is a great thing! However it limits them in the way that they will truly be a limited supplement to traditional home-schooling. I think the next generation (or the one after) may pick up on this and become more organized (Like the Online-Degree Programs)

Evan J. · 10 months ago

You forgot online test preparation - prepme already has an entire state i think?

koichi · 10 months ago

Thanks Evan! I didn't even think about that. Could probably even be it's own entire article - test prep is crazay!

koichi · 10 months ago

Criminy, Comments are kind of whack, a couple disappeared... That's what I get for trying to change things around post-set-up :(

Sorry to the person who's comment got deleted!

Avichal · 10 months ago

Koichi,

Your blog came up on my feedreader.

I think online test prep companies have the potential to make some very fundamental changes in education. Why? Because it's a point of entry. Online test prep companies are well received by schools and traditional educators in many cases because they are more efficient ways to do something that has to be done today. Simple things such as assessing a student and allowing a teacher to see a concrete breakdown of that student's strengths and weaknesses, and that individual student's progress over time is a huge leap forward.

In any case, I could talk about this for hours and there is plenty to talk about. If you're interested in talking more, drop me an email:
agarg at my company's domain: prepme.com

Avichal Garg
Co-Founder, PrepMe

SarahXin · 10 months ago

Hey Koichi, awesome post! As a homeschooler tech geek I have a few things to add too.

1. Not only live learning sites, but did you know that there are public virtual schools popping up all over the country? I'm taking Mandarin this year with VLACS, a virtual charter school free to NH residents. It's cool stuff, although they still have a long way to go with bugs and things.

4. Haha this is so true! I went through a very antisocial phase when I first became homeschooled and I was all about my online friends. Lots of Skyping. :)

5. I'm doing this too! I'm plugging ALL my Japanese vocab into iKnow to learn it... it's awesome. I don't know what I'd do without that site.

koichi · 10 months ago

Hey Sarah, thank you for the perspective! Honestly, I know very little about homeschooling and how it actually works, so I'm glad I got a few things right :)

KirstenWinkler · 10 months ago

Hey Koichi,
great post, great blog!

+ my eduFire T-Shirt arrived today ;).

koichi · 10 months ago

Niicce! Glad it arrived safely! I look forward to linking to all your great articles soon!

GoddessCarlie · 10 months ago

Ah Koichi! I didn't know this was your blog until I read the comments here. I really love it, especially because of the pirates, arrh! Great interesting post, I'm going to subscribe to RSS :)

koichi · 10 months ago

ayyye, indeed matey. haha, I don't think I can keep too much piratey talk going for too long. Just started this blog, due to my recent foray into education! Thank you for visitng, Carlie!

Deas · 10 months ago

Just throw a "shiver me timbers," "yo ho ho," or "walk the plank" in once in a while and you're covered. I'd recommend against sprinkling in any poop deck references, though. Never goes well.