Online Homeschooling

Archive for the ‘Interacive Homeschooling’ Category

When I talk to parents about online homeschooling, one of the most common questions they ask me is, “but what about social interaction?”

It’s true – kids need social interaction, and in fact they benefit from interacting not just with classmates but also with teachers. While homeschooled kids typically enjoy being independent, especially in middle school and high school, they still crave interaction.

Which brings me to one of the best things about 3D online homeschooling. Unlike traditional online homeschooling, which does pose serious challenges in terms of interaction, the beauty of a 3D online homeschool is that the students do get to interact. They actually go to school every day – yes, it’s a virtual school, but if you ask any of our students they will tell you that it feels very real to them.

Students get up in the morning and go to school, roaming the virtual corridors using their avatar and their own 3D objects including books and school supplies. They participate in virtual classes led by certified teachers and in regular conferences. Students also collaborate with other students to create different projects. These students are not lonely or isolated. On the contrary: they get plenty of daily interaction and socialization.

We do encourage our homeschooling families to make sure that their child has plenty of real-life opportunities to socialize in addition to the interaction our school provides. But it’s important to realize that kids who go to a 3D online homeschool are in no way isolated. They get plenty of daily interaction, with teachers and with peers.

One of the major challenges of traditional online homeschooling is the lack of live interaction with teachers and peers. People are social creatures – regular interaction with others greatly enhances our lives and stimulates us.

Most home schooled students are very independent and enjoy the experience of student-led learning, however they still need teacher guidance and supervision. At WiloStar3D we are very aware of this vital need to interact. Out virtual school, Wiloworlds, has live interaction built in, in the form of certified teachers and live classes taking place in our 3D classrooms.

Our online school enables students to attend virtual classes with their teachers and work on projects with other students. This allows teachers, among other things, to demonstrate math concepts and do live writing and editing.

In addition to 3D classrooms, all students are expected to attend regular online conferences to reinforce concepts taught and to experience our unique online community of learners. Students are graded on conference participation and attendance just as they would be in a traditional classroom setting, as conferences are a critical part of our 3D virtual education experience.

Each student is required to attend our online homeschool every day. One of the big advantages of 3D virtual education is that the school environment is very real – students have a personal highly expressive avatar, create their own 3D objects, add books, papers, and even customize their own school desk.

This almost-daily live interaction and feedback system makes a huge difference in the homeschooling experience, making it fun, social and highly interactive. Fun parties and events help to enhance the social aspect of homeschooling.

Our homeschooling program is unique in that it creates a good mix of individual, student-led study; social interaction with peers; and learning in virtual 3D classrooms. Our students spend an average of 40 minutes a day in our virtual classroom, two hours online researching the current class topic, and about thirty minutes talking with their peers in our 3D virtual worlds for education.

We consider live interaction as a vital part of online homeschooling. We invite you to visit our main Web site to learn more about our fully accredited homeschooling program.