Virtual classrooms can expose children to technology at an early age.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "seventy-one percent of districts with students enrolled in technology-based distance education courses in 2004-05 planned to expand their distance education courses in the future." With many districts facing budgets cuts, several are turning to virtual classrooms as a way to cut spending and increase student exposure to new technology.
Convenience Adds Learning Time
The convenience of virtual classrooms allows students more time for learning and can improve academic performance. Distance learning also gives students more control over when and where they learn. For example, for students who live in areas with limited access to schools, the virtual classroom can give parents more choice in the type of education their child receives.
Learning Through Interactive Multimedia
The virtual classroom has the potential to teach students through a healthy variety of sights, sounds, and experiences. According to Howard Gardner, Harvard professor and developmental psychologist, students learn best when they are educated through experiences that access spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal thinking. These different ways of learning can be accessed through many virtual classrooms even more readily than in a traditional educational environment. Because virtual classrooms offer interactive activities such as graphics, music, movies, educational chat rooms, and games, learners are able to study using the method that teaches them best.
Exposure to Technology
Students who learn through distance education use computers and technology more frequently throughout the day than students in a traditional classroom. Because of this exposure, these students have more opportunity to become fully computer literate. Computer skills are often taught in public schools and are important for success both in and out of school. The more students use computers to learn and grow, the better they will be at using computers in college and beyond.
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