Going to School Online

I do realize that there are some people who can benefit from virtual high schools, but it is just really hard for me to grasp the idea. They say it is very helpful in low income areas, but how do these students get the computers, high speed Internet, cameras, and other expensive tools to make the virtual classroom work? The rural students who may have to leave school in order to help on the farm might also have similar issues. I live in the middle of no where and my house still has dial-up because nothing else is available out in the corn fields.

Besides the availability of technology I also cannot understand how one teacher can effectively reach 300 students at one time from hundreds of miles away. Student-teacher interaction and person attention are vital to a quality education and I just cannot see how either of those is possible in a virtual classroom like the ones mentioned in the article. As a future educator I want to see my students, be able to notice when they raise their had and imediately attend to their question. I want to be SURE that they are understanding the material. Especially in math I want to visually present the material and see the reations on my students faces to assure me that they are following along with full understanding. These issues may be addressed regaurding virtual high schools in the future, but right now I just cannot see how it is effective enough to provide a quality education.