Ohio students learn virtually

CINCINNATI - Ohio Connections Academy is an online public virtual school, available to students across the State of Ohio, and has teachers helping them right here in Cincinnati. It's making a difference to Jake Baker.

“One of the things I like about this school is it gives me a lot more freedom than going to a traditional high school. So like on some days if I don’t have as many lessons or they’re not as hard, I can finish them up in my own pace and then allows me to basically do whatever I want the rest of the day,” said 17-year-old Baker.

The eSchool has teachers and teacher centers in Cleveland, Worthington and Cincinnati.

Here’s how it works. Students log on every day. Teachers are available online from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Once students are logged on, they obtain their assignments and lessons for the day. Teachers are there for the students if they should have any questions throughout the day.

Virtually, students can meet one-on-one. In fact, many of the in-classroom actions take place online.

Shannon Henry, a 7th-grade science teacher for Ohio Connections Academy, said many actions virtually mirror a traditional setting.

“All of our students, they will have a specific time slot that they can come and meet with us one on one online in our virtual classroom. This is really great because our classroom is set up so our students can still raise their hand, they can write on the white board.”

“They still have the opportunity to speak directly with the teacher and have interactions with their fellow students as well.”

She said it’s great for students who need a flexible schedule or who do not do well in a traditional setting.

“If they need the ability to spend more time on a certain subject instead of the forty-minute constraint that you have in a traditional classroom, they have the ability to spend more time on a subject that is harder, and maybe on a subject that comes easier to them, they can spend less time on that lesson and move on,” said Henry.

To learn about enrollment and how students are taught online, visit www.ohioconnectionsacademy.com or call (800) 382-6010.