“Our notions of school have moved from a physical building where teachers and youth come together each day, to include a collection of digital platforms that allow for synchronous and asynchronous connections” (Buccholz et al., 2020, p. 15). When considering what factors determine success in online/distance/virtual/remote learning, primary consideration should be given to the individual child and his life context. Based on personal experience teaching first graders via Zoom, I reject the suggestion that online learning is appropriate for pre-teen students; I am unable to imagine a scenario in which distance learning is preferable to in-person learning for typically developing students under the age of twelve.

However, virtual learning can work for older students if attention is paid to communication, multimodal opportunities, and community. First, as a tremendous amount of non-verbal information is communicated in a classroom (hand gestures, eye contact, proximity control), those teaching online will need to develop effective oral and digital communication practices. Second, as people have diverse learning styles, those teaching online will need to develop non-screen ways of engaging the learner with the material. Third, as has been shown by the increased incidents of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicide, efforts must be made to provide learners with community (through access to sports teams, recreation centers, church activities, theatre groups, and music lessons, for example).

While American society is in a state of flux, the future of online education seems secure. The benefits of convenience, flexibility, reduced cost, increased access, and digital literacy certainly have improved options for attaining degrees in higher education, in particular. But this type of learning is primarily cognitive – though an argument could be made that it is also affective – and human beings are more than their brains. Mimi Larson (personal communication, May 10, 2022) cautions against over-emphasizing cognitive learning; we are cognitive beings, yes, but we are also physical beings, social beings, emotional beings, and spiritual beings.

For young people learning online, providing educational options will aid success. A hybrid model designed to blend online learning with in-person learning will allow flexibility for students’ particular interests and family situations. Such a flex model will also engage all the states of being (cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual) and provide opportunities for academic creativity. One such avenue of creativity could be digital access to other communities within the district, state, region, nation, and world; online communities could be formed to explore common interests, investigate problems, and develop projects. One such project could be to explore bird migration patterns; a classroom in Inuvik (Canada) could communicate with a classroom in Ivor (Virginia) to examine Canadian geese – their habitats, flight patterns, nesting, diet, population numbers – and ways to raise local awareness for their protection.

In sum, distance learning is a helpful educational tool that can provide benefits to the modern classroom. However, special care must be taken to assess the impact of online learning to the whole child, which includes his family, and their collective well-being. In particular, amid change, the benefits of online learning must be weighed against the costs, and alternate school options must be provided.