DL School Choices

Currently I am enrolled in two colleges/universities, Otterbein and Columbus State. I initially applied for Columbus State because I wanted to get a lot of my General Education courses out of the way, so I could use the credit hours I'd be saving to take classes for my Educational Studies Minor. I ended up taking my Intro to Education class at Columbus State, this past summer, while taking three courses online through the same college. Currently I am taking Educational Technology online from C-State, as well. This is, essentially, the extent of my e-school experience. My diaper-hood friend, however, was homeschooled and enrolled in e-schools all the way up through her Senior Year of High School. However, educators need to be aware of the upcoming methods of educating, so I've taken some time to look into a few E-Schools.

After looking at the Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (OHDELA), Ohio Connections Academy (OCA), and Ohio Virtual Academy (OVA) I would enroll my hypothetical child in OHDELA. From a first impression view point, the website was easy to follow and utilize, information was easy to locate and understand, and provided easy means of connecting with staff and current students. OCA also had a rather user friendly website, however it was also very brief in its descriptions, and left me wondering. Even when comparing the videos, OHDELA's video provided a rather clear and accurate depiction of what being enrolled in the school would be like; OCA left me with questions.

I would not enroll my hypothetical child in OVA. I personally was not impressed with the curriculum or opportunities, or rather lack-thereof, to engage my child with other students in their class. Part of the learning process of school is forming connections with other students. Online schooling removes most of that, but with the use of field trips and other opportunities for students to engage with one another, they are still able to form those connections. OHDELA also has an entire page dedicated to how they can service students who have different disabilities and reasons for choosing online schooling. OVA merely offers various coursework at different levels. My child is being homeschooled, but that doesn't mean I want them to be valued less than they would be if they were in a traditional classroom, if anything, I would hope for additional opportunities and resources for my child to be given the same opportunities as students in regular Public Schools. If I had a child who I was enrolling in an e-school, I would pick OHDELA.