Virtual Lab programs are becoming increasingly prevalent in the K-12 world. Given the ever-increasing presence of them, do you really need to have a Virtual Lab program at your school? In this article, we’ll explore flushing schools virtual labs and their benefits and drawbacks.
A Virtual Lab is an online program used for teaching various lab skills. For example, Chemistry teachers would teach their students how to use test tubes and other lab equipment outside of class through a Virtual Laboratory. These labs help students simultaneously apply what they’re learning in class with what they’re experiencing out in the real world by providing a virtual experience that mirrors real life science experiments as closely as possible.
Reasons you need virtual school labs for your kids:
1. More rewarding and engaging:
Virtual Labs provide students with a more rewarding and engaging experience than taking tests. While a test can be hit or miss–it only evaluates students’ knowledge on the day of the test, Virtual Labs help children learn more thoroughly by including fun activities and hands-on experiences in addition to lessons.
2. Helps kids retain information:
Students who take virtual labs often do so more frequently than their peers because they’re learning in a way that’s enjoyable, engaging and fun. This translates into increased retention of information because, in many cases, a student won’t just remember what to do during the actual lab experience–they’ll also have an easy time remembering what they learned while they’re having fun doing it!
3. More efficient:
Virtual schools have no physical school buildings, which means they can use their resources to make their programs as efficient as possible by putting more money into the development of their virtual labs rather than physical infrastructure.
4. Lets kids learn at a pace that’s right for them:
Virtual schools don’t follow a traditional schedule; thus, if an individual student is at a slower pace than his or her peers, he or she can work through the material at a more appropriate pace without worrying about falling behind. At a traditional school, students who fall behind in classes like Algebra II may feel pressured to take the class over because they’re not keeping up with other students. If a student isn’t ready for advanced math classes yet, it’s likely that he or she will struggle and become frustrated–frustration that could have been easily avoided if the student were provided with additional time to work through Algebra II.
5. More specialized:
Virtual schools can tailor their curriculums to suit the needs of individual students by using Virtual Lab programs; thus, they enable students to feel more like they’re receiving an education that fits their unique needs.
6. Team teaching:
Virtual schools utilize team teaching to improve their student/teacher ratios. Team teaching is also a more effective form of education due to the fact that teachers can collectively plan lessons and discuss them with one another. A teacher who teaches on his or her own won’t necessarily have a colleague to bounce ideas off of; thus, he or she may miss out on valuable input and feedback that could help him or her provide an even better education for his or her students.
7. Diverse student body:
Virtual schools are able to accept students from across the world, which means that they can accept students from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. In other words, their students won’t all be from the same neighborhood–in some cases, they won’t even be from the same state or country!
8. Flexibility:
Virtual schools are able to provide their students with more flexibility than teachers at physical schools. For example, they’re able to customize their lessons, student/teacher ratios and course schedules to suit the needs of individual students.
9. Accessibility:
Virtual schools are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that they can better serve the needs of their students; thus, they’re available whenever it’s convenient for them to learn.
10. Prevent distractions:
Many Virtual School students live in homes with computers, which means they’re able to take their courses from the comfort of their own homes rather than going to a physical classroom and having to deal with all the distractions that come with it–distractions that can keep the student from learning as much as possible.
11. Enhanced security:
Virtual schools utilize security so that only authorized teachers have access to the programs used in their curriculums; thus, students can be assured that their academic information will remain safe from hackers and other individuals who may wish to steal it or use it for nefarious purposes.
12. Less time consuming:
Virtual labs can save teachers time by making sure that they use less time preparing lesson plans and materials. In some cases, the resources used in Virtual Labs can be purchased or downloaded by the student at a much greater cost than the resources used in physical schools. For example, 40 days of lab kits for Chemistry students may cost $20 to purchase at the school where the student is taking his or her classes; however, there are numerous online sites that sell these same kits for $75-$140 each. Which means it may take far more money out of your pocket if you were to get them all from your own home!
Conclusion of this article:
So, as you can see, Virtual Schools are very useful in providing students with the best education that they could possibly receive. And, as you’ve also seen here, their benefits far outway their drawbacks. However, some people don’t believe that Virtual Schools are worth the time and money required to complete an education for a child.
