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What do you think? Is it great, or is it really bad for students? What's a good age group for it? K-12, college, or high school? Or do you think it really just depends on the student?

Do you think that students would miss out on other parts of regular school, like socializing with peers, joining a sport and competeing with other schools, and being able to always have help on hand, wether it be at school with a teacher or at home with a friend?

And that brings us to that one overused question: should computer chat rooms take place of actually talking and being around real people? Statistic: In the last couple of generations, people have been losing their ability to read body language. Wierd, right?

I really think it depends on the student. I, personally, would never want to go to an online school. I would always be busy on the weekends and I would never get to see my friends otherwise. Plus, there's always the fact that the teacher can't explain it to you one-on-one. Fact: The human brain can't pick up motions in email conversation, IMing, etc. as easily as they can in real life. This amounts to confusion, and when you're confused, about anything, things are harder to grasp, right? So, if you Arendt agood student, you're screwed.

No. They CAN explain it to you one on one. There are different type of learners(sound, visual, etc). They can call, do diagrams for you, e-mail, etc.

I've taken classes at school and I take online classes on the side. Honestly, online classes(with an exception of pre-calc) were the EASIEST classes I've taken. They're designed so that most people can understand them and if you don't understand it tutoring is usually offered and your teachers will be more than happy to help.

I love online classes. It highly depends on the individual though. I know some people who hate them.
Online is great for people who are independent and naturally good students. Online classes require a little more responsibility from the student. No one is there reminding you what you are supposed to be doing or when things are due. I really like the freedom it provides. I can do my work at three in the morning or three in the afternoon.
I understand where people worry that online schooling takes away socialization but, students who are home schooled face the same problems. It is important if the student is younger that their parents puts them in activities they are interested in outside of school (church groups, music lessons, recreational sports, reading clubs, girl scouts...).

In my opinion, online schooling shouldn't even be an option for anybody who's a minor, UNLESS they're physically unable to attend school (for instance, kids or teens who have medical ailments that require relatively frequent & prolonged hospitalizations). School isn't just about the facts you learn, it's about learning about how the world works; it's about socializing, developing a routine, developing a work ethic, & all sorts of other s**t you can't learn at a computer. Everyone I've ever known who didn't grow up attending school normally either cannot function normally as an adult, or had to go through lots of inpatient therapy & lots of unnecessary hell in order to be able to function normally.
Online schooling for people pursuing a post-high school education, however, is completely different. It's harder to succeed in school if you're taking classes online than it is if you're physically attending them, because online schooling requires a lot more self-discipline & dedication. Obviously, though, adults have a lot more demands & responsibilities & potential complications in their lives than kids do. I think if possible it's always best to attend school, but obviously many adults don't have that luxury, in which case taking classes online can be a great way for responsible adults to further their education.