The Future Of Online Education

A Ukulele Lesson at Lessonface.com

Online learning isn’t just a term buzzing around at Lessonface headquarters. With budget cuts hacking public education to pieces like an axe, politicians at the highest level are seeking solutions. With its lower costs and equal or better results, online learning has proven to be an opportunity for the bold.

“In a word, America's schools need innovation. Educational innovation should not be confused with just generating more great ideas or unique inventions. Instead we need new solutions that improve outcomes - and that can, and will, be used to serve hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students. … Online courses and online supplementation of course material are catching on fast,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.

Duncan’s boss echoed this statement, and added teachers and school leaders to the list of those who benefit.

“Online learning opportunities are for more than just students. Teachers and school leaders are experiencing them as well,” President Obama said during his first term. “Online courses give them opportunities for collaboration that they've had difficulty accessing before.”

President Obama, while in Cairo in 2009, even told Egyptians that America would “invest in online learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a young person in Kansas can communicate instantly with a young person in Cairo.”

Online learning is a relatively young entity, but with the continuous growth of internet users and the integration of digital natives into the education system, increased funding is in the works.

Required Online Learning in Public Education

Michigan, Alabama, Florida, and Virginia, among others, require online learning for graduation from high school, and online enrollment in K-12 education is up significantly: “Nearly 620,000 students took an online course during the 2011-2012 school year, up 16 percent from the previous year, according to an annual report released this week by the Evergreen Education Group, which works with schools to implement online and blended learning programs.”

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is a large proponent of online learning.

“I want Virginia to have the most innovative incentives to create the best school system in America,” he said. “In a virtual school, courses are self-paced and allow students who are quick learners to complete courses at a pace that keeps them engaged and avoids boredom. Conversely, it allows students who have fallen behind more time to learn and complete their lessons, instead of falling further and further behind, as they might in a traditional classroom.”

What’s Next In Online Learning?

The trend of increased online learning extends from early education up through higher education. Universities have been at the forefront of online learning for some time, with many top schools offering open courses, or parts of courses for free for those not looking for degrees.

There are many sources for pre-recorded online courses -- YouTube, Khan Academy, and Ted Talks are a few very popular ones, and there are many apps and paid services.

Lessonface is a departure from these models, in that it is not an app or pre-recorded content, but rather a live environment, where teachers and students can meet in recurring sessions as one would in the more traditional scenario of after-school or after-hours private music lessons -- just online, over video conferencing. The online environment means students are able to connect with teachers otherwise not accessible -- and with greater convenience.

Click here to book a lesson or here to learn more about how Lessonface works. You can also check out our blog here to read more about Lessonface and our teachers.

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