Learning at Home: Homeschooled with a Twist

In this day, it appears as if more students are requiring homebound and home-based services. Homebound instruction refers to academic instruction provided to students who are confined at home or in a health care facility for periods that would prevent normal school attendance while home-based instruction refers to services that are delivered in the home or other agreed upon setting in accordance with the child’s individualized education program (IEP). For these students, they receive their instruction in a one-on-one setting in their location, whether it is their home or another facility (hospital, detention center, etc.).However, as the numbers of students who require home-based and homebound services increases, the numbers of staff members available to provide those services has decreased.

            What do we do in cases like this? For students who are placed on home-based instruction we cannot simply forego providing services; that would be a direct violation of their IEPs. So what are our options? This is where the virtual classroom and video conferencing come into the picture.

            My vision of the virtual classroom allows the student to participate in the classroom, during real-time with their peers, so as to remain a part of the classroom without being physically present. Softwares like Skype, Facetime, Google Hangouts, etc. could all serve the purpose of allowing the student to remain a part of the learning experience in their absence. For students who are not able to participate in the virtual classroom in real-time, video conferencing could serve as an additional option. Video conferencing would allow for the student to conference with their teacher at a convenient time for both and receive one-on-one instruction. While the students cannot be a part of the learning environment in this scenario, they are still able to communicate with their teacher and receive a form of direct instruction. One final option, possibly for a student whose medical condition may not provide them with the opportunity to take advantage of any of the aforementioned options, are programs that allow teachers to record sessions (i.e. screencast-o-matic) that can be sent to the student who can then view the session at their convenience.

            With the wealth of technology made available today the possibilities are endless for students no matter what circumstances they face. As administrators and educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that all resources that are available and valuable are used to benefit our students in whatever way possible.