| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | Consider the situation of many smaller, rural schools. If |
| Before distance learning and elearning, students in rural | | | | the school is required to offer a foreign language but |
| school districts were often at a great disadvantage | | | | can't recruit a teacher, what should happen to that |
| when it came to subjects being offered. A small | | | | school? Forced consolidations have been common in |
| school district sometimes didn't have the resources to | | | | some states. Students lost the benefits of schools in |
| attract teachers that were in high demand. | | | | their own towns and faced long bus rides to new |
| Math, science and foreign language classes were | | | | districts. |
| often limited because of this shortage. Today, distance | | | | With distance learning and elearning, more schools can |
| learning and elearning have changed the way school | | | | meet the state and federal mandates to offer specific |
| districts determine class schedules, making many more | | | | classes. |
| opportunities available to students. | | | | Consider yet another situation. A smaller district has |
| Public schools have changed dramatically over the | | | | four students who show great promise in their math |
| past century and a great number of those changes | | | | studies and it's quickly apparent that they could go well |
| can be put down to two factors - state and federal | | | | beyond the normal math classes offered in high school. |
| mandates governing the classes that must be offered | | | | There's no one on the teaching staff capable of |
| and requirements for graduation, and (of course) the | | | | teaching those advanced concepts and it's financially |
| ever-increasing world of technology. | | | | impossible to hire someone for that task alone. |
| Computers have made the world a global | | | | Distance learning or e- earning could provide those |
| neighborhood in which anyone can instantly | | | | classes. |
| communicate with those from another country, even if | | | | Special needs children are another group to greatly |
| that country is half way around the world. Language | | | | benefit from distance learning and elearning. While |
| and time differences are virtually the only barriers. This | | | | many issues can only be dealt with between teacher |
| means that distance learning and elearning are a part | | | | and student, face-to- face, there are many things that |
| of the curriculum of many schools. | | | | can be taught and learned online. |
| As schools began to connect to the Internet, the | | | | Whether the subject of distance learning or elearning is |
| immediate concern in most cases was how to | | | | a foreign language or sign language, and whether the |
| regulate the use. The next was how to best use the | | | | class or courses are being offered to one student or |
| technology to benefit school districts and students. | | | | the entire student body, distance learning and elearning |
| Distance learning and elearning became the way to | | | | have become an important tool for many public |
| provide options, especially in those rural districts that | | | | schools. |
| couldn't meet state mandates. | | | | |