I think so. Students might have fewer hang-ups than teachers about using the technology. Those who work with high schoolers engaged in distance learning say they are amazed at how quickly the students pick it up and how comfortable they seem. I thought that was neat. Still, even devotees of the new technology caution that distance learning is not ready to be used for every high school course.
Auto mechanics is a common example.
Waukesha County Technical College, however, is looking at distance learning as a way to increase technical courses available to high school students. WCTC is working with area school districts to build cross-district high school technology centers that would offer some of their instruction over the Internet from WCTC, said Larry Schoenberger, the technical college's executive vice president for student and instructional services. The offerings would include classes such as anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, building construction, graphics reproduction and biochemistry. So far, it's been a hard sell. In addition, some school districts feel that they can still offer the courses on their own and don't need to partner with other schools, let alone rely on Internet correspondence with WCTC instructors.