That last part makes me sad, even though it's probably so. I really like their friends. Both girls are strong independent thinkers even now, and pretty selective about who they hang out with. I hope those friendships find common ground when we get back.

That last part makes me sad, even though it's probably so. I really like their friends. Both girls are strong independent thinkers even now, and pretty selective about who they hang out with. I hope those friendships find common ground when we get back.

Right now the biggest challenge for any time of more immersive environment is 1) It doesn't exist and 2) what exists is currently is fairly bandwidth intensive which can be a problem while you're on the road with intermittent internet.

The bitter sweet part of it will be – socially – that they will return home as different people, with a different worldview, goals and aspirations. That, perhaps more than the distance weighs heavily on relationships.

Shoot me an e-mail or tweet any time. Always glad to help. Also feel free to add me on facebook.

I am finding some home school options that seem like they will work, but they're mostly “static,” the interactivity element would be much better. I know that the girls seem to learn better from a closer connection to the teacher. I'm sure it will work out fine, but I'm glad to see some of this stuff coming out in the relatively close future.

I know what you mean about the social side of things for the kids. That is a big concern, and certainly the biggest one either of the girls have themselves. I'm hoping with Facebook and e-mail they can at least keep in touch with friends from home. Hoping, too, that some of our friends make it where we are to explore a bit with us.

I'd not thought about the big Google books project for textbooks. (Sort of a “Duh!” moment for me, I have to admit. Don't know why I did not make that connection.) I've been looking at the e-reader – Kindle type option as well.

Thanks, too, for the contact info. As we go down this path toward our adventures, I may have other questions you might have answers to.

I think it will transition to High Schools in the immediate future. To a certain extent, I think a large part of the focus has been on higher education because that's where the money, expertise, and independence is to drive the technology and curriculum. I'm currently focused on College level coursework – but hope to expand the platform to middle/high schools as well. Unfortunately, i'm still looking for development partners/funding.

That said, as someone who spent two of my middle school years home schooled on RTW styled walkabouts – there is a definite need.

The hardest part about a trip like that isn't academic – that comes almost organically from the experience. It's the social interaction.

The good news is that even though they're far from ideal there are a wealth of new distance learning video solutions popping up online. These only offer recordings of courses – but do provide useful information. However, most of the ones I'm familiar with are college oriented. You might explore Youtube.com/edu, MIT's Open Courseware (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm) and other similar projects for applicable material.

Also, consider the move towards online text books Google and others have been pursuing. A 1TB HD is less than $100 right now. Consider pulling digital copies of the textbooks and downloading some of the lecture videos to be used offline at a later date.

Feel free to shoot me an e-mail at alex [at] fusionvirtual.com for more info. I'd be happy to see what I can dig up for you as well.

We are in the process of planning a RTW walkabout with the kids, and have been looking into options for online programs on a middle school and high school level. It would need to be highly portable; we don't want to lug 70 pounds of textbooks and materials around the globe. Soultravelers3 have done it on their own, but their daughter is younger (8, I think.) Educational needs are greater once the kids are older, working on the curriculum to graduate and prepare for college. The kind of interactive programs you are talking about would be a huge step.

Let me know if there are programs out there you know of which I should look at, and I'll be watching for your FusionVirtual info.