Distance Education

Distance education can be a great resource for students to use that allows them to finish school on their own time. I think for learners who may struggle in mainstream classrooms, online school would be great. Having online schools are a great resource for any form of homeschooling to keep kids involved with peer interaction and also guide their learning. Parents can also home school their kids better with the use of the online classes to keep their students on track with the other students in their age group. Having the ability to keep students on track with other students in their age group is ideal for any homeschooling situation.
However, because Distance education generally allows students the freedom to do complete their work whenever they have the time, this can become an issue. If a student does not have either the personal drive or the guidance by an outside source, they are likely to not succeed with their education. I think that a good distance program should require a substantial amount of effort from each individual student as well as guidelines to help keep the students on track. Not all students have the drive to do well in school, but it is these students who need the most structure form their schooling, whether it be in a mainstream classroom or through distance education.
To determine if a child was ready for distance education, I would try and find out if this was the best possible solution for this student. If I noticed that a student had an extremely hard focusing on their class work at school and interacting with other students successfully, then I may suggest this. I would also possibly suggest this type of education to a student who had fallen behind exponentially in the class due to some unseen circumstance like a health condition where they where extensively absent, to help catch them up with the rest the class.
In order to teach in a virtual school I would require my students to have designated times in which they were required to meet online with me and the rest of the students in class. I think social interaction with both peers and teachers is essential in a classroom, as well as beneficial for students. I would also make sure to provide a great deal of structure in my online class to ensure that my students were keeping up with the work I was requiring from them. Something else that I would make sure to do is be readily available with my students through the online school, either via instant chat or e-mail, so that students could communicate any trouble or ask any questions that they may come across.