Growing Trend of High Schools Offering Online Courses

More and more public high schools are joining the bandwagon of offering online courses to students. Take Marblehead High School, which has opted to include online high school courses in their curriculum. This is in recognition of the fact that technology is so much a part of our lives and should be included in the learning process. This will give the students an advantage as they become familiar with technology and are also challenged by the online courses.

Marblehead has enlisted with Virtual High School, where their students can choose from a wide array of online high school classes which choices including foreign languages, short story writing, web design, video-game design and animal behaviour. Mainly, the courses to be taken will be elective courses aimed at enriching the students' learning experience and to focus on their particular interests and talents. Core subjects such as Math, Science and English will still be taught in the classroom setting.

Students who have completed a course from the Virtual High School will receive credit and the courses will be listed in their transcripts. However, the online courses are not considered in the calculation of the students' grade-point averages.

Marblehead school officials see online classes as a vehicle for giving the students more choices, which may not be available in a high school as small as Marblehead, which may not be able to offer a wide array of electives that larger high schools can offer. The online classes are slated to start on 2012 if the budget proposal is approved.

Online learning is indeed a cost-effective way of educating the students and giving them flexibility and freedom in terms of scheduling and location. It expands learning outside of the high school's walls and will enrich the students' academic experience. It also gives the students the opportunity to get a class that he is interested in but can't find in his school. Online learning also exposes the students to interaction with teachers and peers from other locations and cultures.

Online courses by the Virtual High School is composed of reading material, writing assignments, online user groups, video streaming from the website and interactions with the online teacher and other students. Marblehead students will be guided by a coordinator who will help the students pick their online course. Participating students will take these courses during study hall time.

The students at Marblehead are lucky to get this opportunity. But this opportunity is also available to others who are interested in earning high school credits or graduating from high school online. You can do this by enrolling in an accredited online high school such as The American Academy. The American Academy offers up to 100+ courses that will enable you to earn credits for your high school diploma.

With online learning, you can get one step ahead in your career and future even when you are unable to attend a traditional school. This solution is best for those who are already working, based abroad or who want an alternative choice to a traditional school.