What Has Changed

I guess it's not so much of an attitude change toward online schools and online schooling as much as it is a deeper understanding of what they are, how they operate and the different issues they address as well as generate. I know enough now to be dangerous when I read a research about online schools effectiveness or see an online school site.
On a different note, I learned a lot about online schools from a student perspective; it's definitely a lot more work than I expected and it requires discipline and organization. It took some adjustments from me to survive!
I know that my next online course is going to be much smoother now that I learned how to learn online albeit the hard way :).

Not Enough Research on K-12

Trying to find research on social isolation in K-12 Online Schools was hard. There doesn't seem to be enough research in that area for K-12 specifically.
I used research from higher education under the assumption that some of the issues are the same and possible solutions could be shared between both environments. I could even argue that social isolation would be harder for k-12 students and would possibly impact them more than adults.
The impact is probably lower for adults whose social skills and styles are not in a forming stage as it is for K-12 students. Adults can also choose and decide to participate in any social activities they want to compensate for its absence online. Young students on the other hand have to rely on their eductors and parents awareness of the issue and willingness to solve it.
I wish more researchers dedicate the time to exploring this issue in K-12 and hopefully recommending solutions.