That's just it: the best and brightest techies and geeks are so ahead of the curve. They know what it takes to foster great online learning, both pedagogy and technology tools. However, they are ill-equipped with those proper tools, and their colleagues are probably ill-equipped with both the proper tools and proper professional development. It's like their gas tanks are fueled up and ready to go, but their starter went out.

I would worry what type of learners we would turn out if we implemented solely online education from kindergarten on up. Wouldn't students' interpersonal communication skills be lacking in a huge way if we started them in this format so young? This, then, begs the question, at what point in a child's development would fully online education make sense?

Disclaimer: Really, I am siding with this side of the argument because I want to see if I can get inside the heads of those who truly believe this way. (I actually am most in favor of a blended learning environment.)

For teachers, online instruction is often a foreign land. Why? Professional development in the area of technology has not been supported or provided enough. Teachers are simply not comfortable with it yet. If they do not interact with technology personally and do not have adequate professional development, how can they be expected to lead students in this area? Equally concerning, the Common Core State Standards could easily be met with face-to-face environments alone. Why should teachers waste time and energy on online instruction?

On the students' end, it is well known that most students situate themselves in front of a screen so much when they are not at school. Is it really right to plop them in front of computer screens at school as well? What happened to valuing more interactive learning that encouraged "tinkering" and play?(*See the link to Invent to Learn, a book I am currently reading on this topic.)

Finally, at a building and district level, it is important to consider the availability of technology. For example, at my school, we have enough computers for about half of our student population. We still have to sign out labs or computer carts if we want to use technology. It is impossible to have a consistent online learning environment for all students at school. Not only that, it is impossible to expect it in students' homes. Nearly half of the students at my building are considered under-resourced and participate in the free and reduced lunch program. Many do not have the technology necessary for online learning to work.