Online Homeschooling

Archive for November, 2009

Does homeschooling lead to social dysfunction? Research’s resounding answer is: “No.” The myth of the socially inept homeschooled child is just that – a myth. In fact, in some studies, homeschooled children scored above average in relation to overall social skills, while public schooled children scored average. Other studies have concluded that “the concerns expressed by teachers, administrators, and legislators about socialization and home schooling might be unfounded.”

This is not to say that home schooled kids don’t need social interaction. Of course they do. It just means that a strong sense of self, a sense of belonging to a group, and the ability to acquire social skills don’t have to come from attending a traditional school.

3D homeschooling is a wonderful way to add social interaction to a homeschooled child’s day. Kids who attend a 3D online homeschool get to roam around the virtual school using highly personalized, expressive avatars. They use technology to interact with other students, they attend virtual classes and they work on collaborative projects. The give-and-take of human social interaction is there, with all its fun and complexity.

WiloStar3D’s virtual worlds provide students with highly creative ways to express themselves and interact with other students. Our students role-play historical characters, put on plays for other WiloStar3D students, create interactive games, and work on collaborative assignments.

Naturally, kids who attend an online homeschool will need physical, real-life interaction with other people. This is easily achieved through normal family life and by going to the library, to the playground or by performing any other “real-life” activity with your child.

We believe that students should be excited about learning. We believe that students should love going to school. The notion that schooling must be repetitive, dry and boring is just unacceptable to us.

That’s why WiloStar3D focuses on 3D virtual learning tools. 3D virtual education is fun and engaging. Our educational 3D worlds immerse and engage students in the same way that today’s best video games grab and keep the attention of players. The main difference is that our worlds are not a video game. Our fully accredited educational curricula and worlds have been carefully crafted and developed for k-12 students. Our entire educational program has been designed with students in mind.

3D virtual education can enrich any learning experience. For homeschooling families, it has the added benefit of helping the students avoid feelings of isolation. Students get that “really attending school” feeling by running around our 3D campus and assuming the identities of our highly expressive student avatars. They attend virtual classrooms and participate in group projects. They really do “go to school” every morning, and they love it.

While traditional education establishments have often resisted use of technology as part of the learning process, clinging to traditional teaching methods, it is our opinion that traditional education can and should coexist with 3D virtual education. Indeed, with technology and Web 2.0 becoming such an integral part of everyday life in the last decade, traditional schools are warming up to the idea of incorporating technology and immersive 3D learning into their curricula.

3D worlds can easily be incorporated into any curricula, immediately turning “boring” into “fun.” What better way to get our children excited about the process of learning and raise lifelong learners?

The public school system can be tough on kids with ADD or ADHD. This is not always the case, of course – many public schools offer an excellent support system for special need students – but often there just aren’t enough resources to accommodate special needs within the system.

Many parents find that homeschooling is an excellent choice for children who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Many of these parents turn to homeschooling as the last resort after trying several other options and helplessly watching their children slip into a downward spiral of academic and social failure.

The good news: most of these families never look back. Homeschooling works beautifully for special needs children, because unlike traditional schooling, it is highly flexible and is centered on the individual child. Rather than expecting your child to fit into a fairly rigid mold, you have the option of creating a program specifically for your child.

WiloStar3D’s virtual reality approach to online homeschooling is particularly good with ADD and ADHD students because it keeps them engaged and interested. Having a homeschooling program that looks and acts like a video game where students get to attend classes in a 3D campus is a huge motivation for these children to keep learning and stay focused.

Special needs homeschooling is a challenge in itself – especially keeping your child engaged. Using 3D virtual worlds for education is a huge help because it deals with the typical boredom that ADHD students experience when doing repetitive tasks and it also enables them to completely avoid a traditional classroom setting, which is very hard on them.

To learn more about how 3D online homeschooling can help your special needs child, please visit our website.