But the trouble here is concentration: The virtual classroom may allow you to commute to class from Osaka, but it doesn't mean you'll concentrate when you get there.

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The Manhattan Virtual Classroom is a web-based course management system that includes a variety of discussion groups, live chat, areas for the teacher to post the syllabus and other handouts and notices, a module for organizing online assignments, a grades module, a surveys module, and a unique, web-based email system open only to students in the class.

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It was developed seemingly for in-person, classroom teaching rather than a virtual environment.

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But a virtual school does not fully replicate an actual classroom, and even if it did, we should be deeply troubled by the funneling of public education dollars into the coffers of for-profit businesses with very dubious transparency and even more dubious results.

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Cable in the Classroom's eLECTIONS campaign simulation Make all the decisions for a virtual run for the U.S. presidency, allocating budget, selecting key issues, choosing where to campaign, and responding to the opponent's moves and other external events.

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Online environments can also provide children with a virtual space to develop in confidence - something they might not be able to do in the home or the classroom, she says.

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