At its most basic level, distance education takes place when a teacher and student(s) are separated by physical distance, and technology (i.e., voice, video, data, and print) is used to bridge the instructional gap. Instead of attending a regular classroom, students who are in some way hindered from going to school attend a “virtual classroom”. Students may participate at any time of the day or night that they have time and the inclination. A Virtual Classroom is a teaching and learning environment located

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within a computer-mediated communication system. Rather than being built of brick and boards, it consists of a set of group communication and work “spaces” and facilities, which are constructed in software. For example, TEAMS Distance Learning offers virtual classrooms for kindergarten-grade 8 students in Unites States. Students can learn about different topics such as, Science, Mathematics, Arts, and languages by visiting different virtual classrooms. “Each distance learning instructor has an electronic classroom full of interactive activities, resources, and information to enhance and support program content. Through this distributed learning model, students, teachers and parents can access these resources anytime and anyplace during the instructional day or throughout the week” (TEAMS Distance Learning).

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