Anyone ever do "online" school?

PNWKatie · #1 08/22/12, 12:39 AM

I'm considering trying it out for this year and see if we like it. I was just wondering if anyone here had ever done an online school for their kids. If so, did you like it? pro's/con's?

mekasmom · #2 08/22/12, 08:47 AM

Do you mean the K12 stuff. That is a public school option. If that is ok with you, then great. I have heard many people who use it and like it.

As far as college, I have had three children take college courses online. They all did well.

PNWKatie · #3 08/22/12, 09:14 AM

Sorry, should have specified. My oldest daughter is just entering Kindergarten. I homeschooled last year for part of kindergarten and I was/am considering doing a connections academy in our state. I kind of figured I'd see what the state does, and then supplement with homeschool stuff as I'm not to sure about the quality of the state public system even online, although they do use some of the same textbooks I have been using so I'll wait and hold judgement. I figure I can go back to complete homeschooling if I don't like their program at all.

cindy-e · #4 08/22/12, 11:50 AM

I haven't used that specific one but I have heard good things about it.

jcatblum · #5 08/22/12, 11:59 AM

My girls hated doing all their school work on the computer. They don't mind doing one subject but whine & complained the yr we did computer based school. They were ok with 1 subject on the computer, but not when it was the majority of their course load. Each child is different so is each family.
Good luck on choosing a curriculum that works well for your family. Good curriculum makes your job easier & the experience more enjoyable!

PNWKatie · #6 08/22/12, 01:07 PM

Thanks for the input! Both of my girls enjoy doing things on the computer so I'm hoping that will help and at this age they said that a lot of it will be in textbooks/workbooks as well as online (about 30% online and 70% the "old fashioned way" LOL).

siberian · #7 08/22/12, 08:10 PM

I think Connections has a nice setup. They increase the computer use as the children get older. Ecott, has some good teachers. Drawbacks are,computer games the kids can play while they should be paying attention, quality of work accepted, few other minor ones. Personally I believe much of it depends on having a responsible person at home checking in daily, and watching the work handed in.

Dutchie · #8 08/22/12, 08:16 PM

My granddaughter is going to do that this year because the three school districts she could go to are overloaded and have no room for her.

We'll see how it goes.

PNWKatie · #9 08/22/12, 09:43 PM

Dutchie - That's kind of why I'm doing it. My son just graduated from High school here and the rooms were really overcrowded, classes had been cut so instead of having upper and lower level classes they were having to open up every class to all students just to find enough classes for everyone to be able to get enough credits for their respective school year. I know it's not THAT bad (yet) in the grade school, but I'd like a bit of a better education than being able to stand in line and raise your hand.

AJohnston · #10 08/23/12, 03:55 PM

I went through the K12 program for most of my middle school year (6-8). It's not a bad program, I actually really enjoyed it. However, the expense that my parents went through was what was so difficult. Also, keeping your kids motivated enough to do their work and not slack off is a big deal. Being at home, stuck on a computer, doing your work is a difficult thing. Especially when their is temptation to be doing something else (like walking the fields or riding the horses.) Sitting down and working with your kids is generally a good way to go. So make sure you have that time available. My parents didn't. Which is why I ended up back in public schools and ended up falling off the bandwagon. Luckily, I'm movitivated enough to get my GED and go to College. Not all kids are.

PNWKatie · #11 08/23/12, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJohnston

I went through the K12 program for most of my middle school year (6-8). It's not a bad program, I actually really enjoyed it. However, the expense that my parents went through was what was so difficult. Also, keeping your kids motivated enough to do their work and not slack off is a big deal. Being at home, stuck on a computer, doing your work is a difficult thing. Especially when their is temptation to be doing something else (like walking the fields or riding the horses.) Sitting down and working with your kids is generally a good way to go. So make sure you have that time available. My parents didn't. Which is why I ended up back in public schools and ended up falling off the bandwagon. Luckily, I'm movitivated enough to get my GED and go to College. Not all kids are.

Thanks for posting. I do plan on working a lot with her as well, I did take some college online courses myself and I do understand how boring it can be to try and sit down and do the work at the computer (especially if your lucky enough to have horses you could be playing with instead!!). Good luck with your College courses!

AJohnston · #12 08/23/12, 07:48 PM

No problem at all. And thank you!

Good luck with your homeschooling venture. It's actually a lot of fun once you get started, and especially when you have the time to sit down and work with the kids. It's always nice to see their progress and (in my opinion) see their downfalls so that you can work with them to succeed better than you would be able to in a Public School program.

lonelyfarmgirl · #13 08/24/12, 06:37 AM

We have done it. In hindsight (DD is highschool now), if I had to do it all again, with the exception of math, I would NOT have bothered with structured curricula until junior high. I would have spent all that elementary time focusing on life skills, morals, and reading.

Then come junior high, move into organized online school.

This is what we are starting this year. We hated last years online school. This one is new and looks promising. She is a junior.

Online Education Programs : Classical Education : Founding Fathers : Homeschool Classes : Judeo Christian Values : Online Learning Foreign Language : FreedomProject Education

PNWKatie · #14 08/24/12, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyfarmgirl

We have done it. In hindsight (DD is highschool now), if I had to do it all again, with the exception of math, I would NOT have bothered with structured curricula until junior high. I would have spent all that elementary time focusing on life skills, morals, and reading.

Then come junior high, move into organized online school.

This is what we are starting this year. We hated last years online school. This one is new and looks promising. She is a junior.

Online Education Programs : Classical Education : Founding Fathers : Homeschool Classes : Judeo Christian Values : Online Learning Foreign Language : FreedomProject Education

Thanks for the info. We work on life skills and morals daily and both girls are already learning to read. This is more of a supplement to what we are teaching them than the only thing they will be learning. We will still be VERY active and involved with their schooling.

PNWKatie · #15 08/24/12, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJohnston

No problem at all. And thank you!

Good luck with your homeschooling venture. It's actually a lot of fun once you get started, and especially when you have the time to sit down and work with the kids. It's always nice to see their progress and (in my opinion) see their downfalls so that you can work with them to succeed better than you would be able to in a Public School program.

I agree with you I think one of the best things doing homeschooling is being able to see where they are having issues and working through them together. The other thing I think is fun is being able to see their individual personalities coming out and how differently they learn and experience life.

**beccachow** · #16 09/10/12, 12:26 PM

I missed this! I just got DD enrolled in 2nd grade K12. It seems like it is a good mix of real-time and computer work. However..........................

Today was day 1, and she got to spend it watching TV because I couldn't log in, didn't have a registration number, couldn't log HER in, couldn 't log ME in....I was ready to throw the computer out the window. Howver, two calls to K12 support and they were very helpful, I am all logged in and ready to go tomorrow. She did complete a math lesson and a vocabulary lesson, though.

PNWKatie · #17 09/10/12, 01:11 PM

Hi Becky, We just started the connections academy. We haven't even received our books yet, but we are able to do some stuff online. I'm kind of frustrated with it, but will give it some time especially since we don't have their school books, and haven't talked with the teacher yet. Both my girls (turning 5 and 6 this month) tested into first grade math, but my youngest can't even attend "kindergarten" yet because of the stupid state cut off dates. She's considered pre-K and can't do the online schools. My older daughter tested 1st grade ready for language arts but because she also misses the cut off date they can't put her into first grade. So she's kind of stuck doing kindergarten level for now, until the teacher can verify it's way to easy and then MAYBE she will be able to work through it faster and start working on first grade level stuff. Although I do work with her current level at home after the "kindergarten" stuff which instead of taking 2.5 hours as needed by the state, it take about 45 minutes to do all her classes. LOL.

**beccachow** · #18 09/10/12, 05:49 PM

Yeah, with the Calvert we were done everything in an hour and a half or so, lol. i didn't gt the teacher option, so it is all up to me. SO far, the reading is very below her level, but I expected that. The math seems about her level, and the science is starting with things we did last year, the history is starting with maps and such that we did last year, so she will get areview before diving in. I didn't want to go with a "gifted" curiculuum, but really should have gotten a more difficult reading/vocabulary book; but just one subject advanced wasn't an option. The kid can't tell time on a watch but reads at about a 9th or teth grade level, lol.

PNWKatie · #19 09/10/12, 07:27 PM

LOL. Well, I feel a little better about the school after talking with her teacher today. She can test up to her ability and test into her current level in each subject. YEAY!! So we'll spend this week taking tests and get her were she needs to be, then they'll send the next level course work, but won't change her on paper grade. Which means that if she finishes with the first grade level stuff by the end of the school year, they'll send her the second grade curriculum for next year! I'm okay with that as long as I don't bore her to tears trying to reteach everything from last year!

**beccachow** · #20 09/10/12, 10:11 PM

I am finding a lot of repetition in what I was looking at so far as well. Think of it as a vacaton for her little brain!

PNWKatie · #21 09/10/12, 10:32 PM

LOL. A couple of days vacation is okay, a whole year of it is way to much! LOL. She's picked out 6 countries to learn about this year: Japan, China, India, Brazil, Russia and Ghana. I guess we'll work on Japan for the time being that should keep her busy until her materials arrive and then it's trying to load up on the math testing to get where she needs to be. I see lots of tests in her near future!

Dusky Beauty · #22 09/21/12, 09:47 PM

I'm keeping my DDs in the local public school for now (their teachers really are amazing at what they do)
But I am keeping online charter in reserve just in case. Its a great program for kids that can be motivated to accomplish. Curriculum was good. My sister didn't do well on it because she wasn't motivated enough to perform without the pressure of a face to face teacher-- but for a kid with a thirst for learning, it's great! My friend has a special needs (extreme add) middle school son for whom school was always a problem-- everyone at the public schools she tried pegged him as a bad kid-- he sparkled with k12 and not having a classroom and prejudiced teacher getting in the way.

I have a great respect for the well rounded curriculum-- My mom essentially unschooled me from 3rd to 7th freestyling it with whatever material she felt was of educational value. Just because I'm great at being self taught, does not mean I was good to go-- returning to public school for a regular diploma was extremely difficult to catch up in math.

siberian · #23 09/27/12, 09:27 PM

Leaving online and sending them back to school.

PNWKatie · #24 09/27/12, 10:03 PM

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. Do you mind sharing what happened? If not that's okay. So far my daughter seems to enjoy the online school.

Calhoon · #25 09/28/12, 12:28 AM

well , the short answer to your op is NO , our kids went to public schools here in NC.

now , I have taken several on-line courses my own self .

The very first on-line course I took was on how to use a pc to take an on-line course , golly bob howdy , it was a chinese fire-drill , LOL , dang near went crazy trying to understand the terminology ...

I passed it , barely , but I had a really great on-line instructor . It made a lot of differance .

I've friends out West that home-schooled their kids , and they did ok . many of them went on to college .

In many ways , home schooling has advantages over public schools , but in either case , there's gonna be homework , and a real live- there- in- the- classroom teacher can sure be a help , especially when it comes to Algebra . .

I never understood Algebra , seems a waste of time , all those algorithms.

I made straight A's in physics , mechanical & electrical , but failed Algebra miserably ...

lonelyfarmgirl · #26 09/28/12, 07:01 AM

I just wanted to jump in here and say we are three or four weeks into DD new online school, Online Education Programs : Classical Education : Founding Fathers : Homeschool Classes : Judeo Christian Values : Online Learning Foreign Language : FreedomProject Education.

I have to say I find it superior in every way and am very impressed with them. The live interactive classroom is interesting and holds attention, there is instant messenger for the students and she has made several friends, they have phone tutors available during business hours, and each teacher has a separate online teacher talk for extra help once a week. Teachers she has emailed about various issues have responded quickly and appropriately.

The work load is heavy, but its acceptable. Three of the 5 teachers have contacted me privately at least once just to 'keep me in the loop' and say hello, and I have also received two phone calls from the school director for the same reason. She has got to be the nicest person I've ever talked to in my life, really.

The course material is superior.

HIGHLY recommend this school. Not cheap, its 1600 a year plus books, which run 300+, but if you can swing the money, its worth every penny.

**beccachow** · #27 09/28/12, 08:58 AM

I have thoroughly enjoyed the K12 Independant program so far as well.

There is just enough fun games and interactive lessons to keep her interested and just enough real books and work to keep her going. History seems as though it will be exceptionally fun this year!

PNWKatie · #28 09/28/12, 09:10 AM

We are only on our second week but we are enjoying it! The teacher is great and the live lesson each week is fun and interactive. We have two field trips scheduled with the class for October. We are going to be done with K math and science before Christmas! LOL. So she'll get to start first grade math and science in January. I love the flexibility: we have company for two weeks, and of course the girls are just doing the bare minimum right now. Still working at the K level with language arts, since she doesn't like to do that as well as the other subjects. Will see how the rest of the school year goes before deciding to online school again next year, or just do the regular homeschool thing.