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Here is something I predict: If public schools don't offer students the choice of being in class online -- instead of in a classroom -- then, more and more public school students will exit public school classrooms, and head for online classes wherever they can find those classes.

Think broader than that. Think no classes at all. Think no teachers at all. Think K-12 education completed by the average student on a notebook PC by age 12.

It scares the Left to death. They have spent so much time and effort and money infesting the education system, only to have all their work potentially swept away by technology - by a kid who finishes his calculus homework at at home by 11:00 am, then logs on to Free Republic to read the news. A kid who has completely slipped from their grasp, forever.

That's why they are freaking out - the whole public school edifice could instantly become the latest example of a buggy whip factory in the public's mind unless they keep brainwashing everyone about the sanctity of "our schools".

Well, I actually have mixed feelings about what you said, though I believe you are correct in terms of MAJOR changes down the road for public education.

And, the reason I believe that, by the way, is because of this simple fact: Technology really IS where the kids are today. Kids today know more about technology than the VAST majority of their public school teachers. I just read a study that said something like 60% of kids have created content online -- that's unimaginable to most public school teachers, many of whom can barely turn on a computer.

But, having said that, for as long as I have been on this forum, I have always supported the public schools, and still do, as one valid choice among many choices parents have to educate their kids. It doesn't mean I think public education is perfect; it just means I do believe there will always be kids who will need that option or parents who will prefer that option.

However, it does not surprise me, ever, that homeschooling parents are the ones who know the most about technology, or that homeschooled kids tend to be very comforable with technology, or, that homeschooling continues to be the fastest growing movement in education. There are simply more and more choices out there now for parents, and parents who are online expect their kids will have to have technology skills, too.

I think a lot of public school students attend great public schools, but even in those schools, it's the kids who know more about technology and use it more than the teachers. Adults' usage rate of technology is still in the single digits in terms of creating online content, etc. while those kids are going at it like it's nothing. So there is a disconnect which is growing larger with each passing day.

And, the end result, down the road, may well be what you imagine, in many respects. In that sense I agree with you. Thanks for your comments.