Virtual+Schools

**Virtual Schools (Session 5)**
Identify a virtual school program from the list below (or provide an example of another K-12 virtual school or program you find on your own) and tell us what surprised you about their delivery of e-learning. Also, provide one example of how they effectively __**deliver**__ instruction. Be sure to include your name next to your post.

[|Blue Sky Online School] Blue Sky Online School is a charter school in the state of Minnesota, which has several public, private and charter schools which provide online education for free to Minnesota students who qualify to attend. The state pays the costs through provdiding the service itself or outsourcing. According to Molly one fo thier students, " BlueSky uses so many tools out there. They're mixing multimedia in such interesting ways. I listen to videos. I have created videos. There’s emails, there’s Skype calls, video chats." According to their site, "In addition to extensive interaction with the teachers of their courses, each student is assigned a three-person team of caring professionals who support the student academically and personally throughout their time at BlueSky." I was surprised that in their Spanish class Students are required to contact the teacher to practice speaking Spanish. Why wouldn't they use a communication program? One class that seems to be effectively delivered is the Biology class for high schoolers. It is a required, year-long class which seems to really optimize its use of online technology. "Lab activities may be included in this course. Some labs, like that used for microscopy and pig dissection or frog dissection, will be done through interactive websites. Others might require the use of easily obtainable materials and a digital camera as a way to record the activity." (Matt A.)

Virtual High School Global Consortium VHS is basically the classroom of the future, and comes in tow with endless possibilities. Students are able to take classes 24 hours a day seven days a week which works perfectly for a busy schedule. The program provides opportunities for students within any high schools to enroll in one of their many classes (and accepts students from around the globe). This is fantastic because students can take courses not offered at their current high school online! I also found that there are demo courses available in order for users coming across the website to check out and see if they are compatible with online learning - ( [] ). VHS classes are delivered by teachers through either a scheduled asynchronous mode, or and currently has 12,893 students enrolled in “NetCoureses”. I believe that CHS is so successful in their lessons because students from around the world are placed into classrooms. This means that students are learning on an international level. The delivery of lessons is part of a three tier evaluation. I would explain it, however this website has visuals! [] VHS practices offer professional development in the following fields: 21st century learning, web enhanced classroom, online teaching, web 2.0 collaborative instruction, and directions on how to become an online teacher. What I found most interesting is the willingness of VHS to teach teachers; the framework for this program promotes itself by utilizing the motivation of 21st century teachers. (AB)

[|JHU Center for Talented Youth] As listed on their website, the accelerated math programs are organized as follows. "New concepts are introduced through brief lectures. Exercises that follow lectures reinforce concepts, and students receive immediate feedback. As students master concepts, they are moved more rapidly through the material. Students needing more explanation or practice in a particular area are given additional drills. Math Races, an optional game within the sequence, provides drills on arithmetic operations. Students submit a comprehensive, written final exam after completing each grade level in the sequence. " I like how the students are given immediate feedback and the lessons are tailored to their learning. The progression through skills is similar to other online programs that some of the schools use like Fundations. I also like that they include a written exam at the end, this makes the course seem more "traditional". (P. Isaacson)

[|Michigan Virtual School]

[|Florida Virtual School] Florida Virtual Schools offers a full-time curriculum for K-12 students. They use gaming courses to teach history and they immerse children into a culture virtually to teach them foreign languages. The curriculum design moves students away from sitting in front of the computer all day. They have to interview family members, local leaders, and visit various sites for educational content. The courses are offered free of charge to Florida home school, public and affiliated private school students. National and international students have to pay $375/semester for regular and honors courses and $400/semester for AP courses. (S. Mulira) [|Virtual High School Global Consortium]

[|Montgomery County Public Schools Online Learning Department] Montgomery County's Mission is "To provide all students in Montgomery County Public Schools with the opportunity to enhance their educational experience through quality online courses". The county offers online courses in 3 areas: Health, Foundations of Technology and Personal Finance. They are planning to pilot National, State and Local Government courses in May. Tuition is $300 per half credit for Health and Foundation of Technology courses and $350 per half credit for MVS courses. I was shocked to learn the cost of tuition. Although financial assistance is available, it is quite expensive. There are two free online courses, an HSA Prep Course and "Learning Algebra with Math Dude". Montgomery County requires students to attend 3 face-to-face meetings. They first meet on the first day to establish a sense of community. I really think having a face-to-face meeting on the first day is crucial. It puts a face to a name and makes the course more personal. Students are allowed to work at his/her own pace and participate in a student centered learning environment. They have the option to communicate with peers and the teacher via phone, instant message, email or chat. Web 2.0 tools are used for instruction and students are engaged in the learning process. –Taeneress Griffin

Taeneress, do you teach for MCPS? I do and have never heard of the Online Learning Department. I wish they would publicize this stuff better. I think the "Learning Algebra with Math Dude" would be a great resource for some of my kids. - matt

Hi Matt actually I work for PG County. I found the information through researching online.

I actually teach for MCPS. I have never heard of the Online Learning Department. So I find all of the information interesting! Taeneress, I am also suprised by the cost of the courses. I think a lot of students would be turned off by the amount. I also like how the department provides two free classes. I think both of the courses could help students. (Meghan)

[|Maryland Virtual Learning Opportunities] Maryland Virtual Learning Opportunities (MVLO) allows grade school students in the state of Maryland to supplement the course offerings of their local public school, or private school, with online classes. MVLO's classes are accredited and include AP level classes and HSA high school credit classes, but students may only take these classes in addition to the classes of their home school -- MVLO does not offer a degree program. MVLO's classes deliever instruction through "email, online discussions, and comments on their assignments. Most courses allow students to watch interactive multimedia presentations, get instant feedback on online exercises, and track their own progress through the course." The MVLO outsources the design and delivery of many of the courses offered. Providers include but are not limited to JHU's Center for Talented Youth and the Florida Virtual School System. To be honest, what suprised me the most was that this program even existed. I currently teach in a magnet program for the highly gifted. This year we changed the school's schedule from an 8 period block schedule to a 7 period daily schedule - one of the consequences of this change was that students lost an elective class. This resulted in a large protest from my students parents since their 6th graders would no longer be able to take foreign language classes. As a result on of the core courses of the program -- in my opinion -- will be optional for students who would rather take the foreign language class. This however, greatly interferes in our ability to conduct cross-curricular activities and projects. If i had known that MVLO existed i would have suggested that these students take their Spanish 1 class online. What a shame - information on programs like this needs to be disseminated better. (Matt K.)

[|PA Virtual Charter School] Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School is a public cyber charter school that was approved in 2001. This school is directed for students to learn in a home-based setting. The school is intended for over 4,000 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. This school provides all of the materials needed, including all of the technology, for a thorough lesson plan. It creates a flexible schedule. Especially in the younger grades, reliable and supportive parents are necessary to make sure that the virtual classroom is successful. For each student there are: v Personalized lesson plans v Parent-teach-student partnerships v Synchronous and Asynchronous learning experiences v Portfolio Assignments v Creates field trips The platform that is used for the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School is the program Blackboard. This is where parents find announcements, community and the online school. Also, each student has an e-mail address. Curriculum and instruction are located on Blackboard. The school also uses the program Elluminate. This is the school’s classroom and teachers’ desks. This is where there is interaction with the teacher. Within this program, the teachers instruct, hold conferences and office hours, as well as a place where students can collaborate with each other. Parents and students are encouraged to use this program to find information regarding the students’ education. Each lesson provides the time for the lesson, activities, the lesson plan, and assessments. The materials come from a variety of places, such as textbooks and workbooks, science equipment, etc. I found it interesting that at the school that they have used Elluminate, which was one of the e-learning platform tools that was posted during our course discussion. I feel like there needs to be a lot of parent support to make their children successful, especially with the younger grades following all of the lessons. Because it is a virtual charter school, I would have thought that the school would have more technology incorporated into their learning. For example, instead of the parents reading all of the lessons in the primary group, have a software program that uses text to read so students can work more independently. Also, I think educational games can be integrated into the curriculum for additional resources (Meghan Zador) [|Agora Cyber Charter School]

[|21st Century Cyber Charter School]- 21st Century Cyber Charter School is a Pennsylvania charter school which provides an online education to students in grades 6 through 12. Since it is a charter, attendance is free. Plus, a wireless Apple laptop, software, and an internet connection are provided with no extra charge. The school’s mission is to provide students with an “individualized learning program utilizing the latest information and communications technology”. Students who attend this school take three online courses per semester, because research has shown students are more successful when concentrating on just a few online courses at once. The 21st Century Cyber School organizes monthly field trips for students and allows students to socialize through virtual classrooms, supervised chat rooms, and email. Classes are available in a variety of levels, and the curriculum for each course is based on the Pennsylvania standards. Each online course uses a traditional textbook, as well as making the text available online. Live webcasts are also used to deliver direct instruction. These webcasts are recorded so they can be viewed at the students’ convenience. Synchronous chats, using voice and text, are used for question and answer sessions, as well as group discussions. I was surprised to see that this school has met AYP for the past five years. I wasn’t aware that virtual schools had to take state tests, but since this is a charter school, students are required to do so. I was also surprised to see that the 21st Century Cyber Charter School offers a variety of clubs, such as Chess and Yearbook, and they hold a graduation ceremony each June. (D. Deon)

[|Chicago Virtual Cyber School] Chicago Virtual Charter school is a fully accredited public charter school within the city limits of Chicago. The school combines face-to-face meetings with online course work. Students meet once a week for socialization and teacher supervision, while the rest of the time is spent online. State-certified teachers run the courses. Because it is public, it is free. A loaner computer and printer are provided, as well as an internet stipend. Supplies, such as books and microscopes, are delivered right to the student's doorstep. This is an interesting concept and one I haven't thought about with online classes. I like this idea. The school follows a curriculum created by a company called K12. The K12 site states that their curriculum is based on years of research, but I can't help but feel uncomfortable with purchased curriculum material. In my opinion, it gives a single entity too much influence over content. Link to K12 I looked at two sample lessons. The lesson on physics: waves, sound and light was fairly interesting and had some short video clips with simple animation. There were hyperlinks to sound files for pronunciation and definitions. This is an excellent way for students to become familiar with science vocabulary. There were also study tips embedded in the lesson, e.g. "Look for bold keywords and write them down in your notebook." The music lesson: The music of China and Japan, required a CD to accompany the lesson, which I assume is delivered prior to the class. There were sound files in this lesson also, which introduced the viewer to instruments native to a particular region. Neither of these lessons were particularly stimulating, as the student has to click through a series of slides, then answer a review sheet in PDF format. Multimedia seemed outdated. I expected more current media from an online class. I also saw no indication of web 2.0 integration. I think the most challenging thing for delivering online content is to keep it engaging for students. Because online education requires students to be self-starters and highly motivated, curriculum needs to be current and stimulating. History may be already written, but its delivery should keep pace with 21st Century students. Presentation style and tone need to be updated often. (Desautels)

[|JHU Center for Talented Youth] This virtual school is very accommodating and willing to work with more traditional schools in order to get their gifted students the curriculum they need to expand their knowledge. " Many challenging CTY//Online// courses are used to replace the school's regular course, accommodating gifted students who can master material rapidly and move on to the next level." I think that it is necessary to integrate these gifted students to a more traditional classroom for the social environment. One way they effectively deliver instruction is by having the classes in three different formats so this way the students can succeed in their own way. They have individually paced, flexi-paced and session based. I am surprised that they offer the individually paced program. " Students may enroll at any time during the year and progress at their own pace within their enrollment period, guided by instructors who strive to meet individual needs. Enrollment and tuition are time based, and students may enroll in a course for three, six, or nine months. " This is very helpful and doesn't put pressure on the students. SV

[|South Carolina Virtual School] What surprised me is this school organizes social outings for the students to parks, museums and other field trips. This school also does not have their students spend the majority of the time on computers. The teaching methods incorporated with the SCVS include interactive animations,printed books with pictures for k-8 students, CDs and videos, and materials for hands-on experiments. All the necessary materials are sent directly to the students. (Dan Schrot)

[|Virginia Virtual School] I was surprised to find that this school is focused on grades K-8 and that the parents are such an integral part of the school. The students effectively learn through multi-media (phone, email, web2.0 online-synchronous and asynchronous discussions) as facililtated by a certified teacher. Parents serve as learning coaches that work with the students on time management and pacing. According to the website, "VAVA provides the structure, administrative support, oversight, accountability, and testing required of all public schools." I would be interested to learn what strategies and resources they use to provide structure and support and if the students, teachers, and parents participating would agree. The Virginia Virtual Academy uses the K12 curriculum for Language Arts, Math, History, and Science. They also provide for electives in Art and Music. The curriculum utilizes multi-media for instruction and believes that the students can access instruction and practice of big concepts to gain mastery. JI

I also found that parents are essential for the PA virtual school. In your opinion, do the parents have a stronger role for the primary grades? (Meghan) [] North Carolina Virtual Public School North Caroline Virtual Public School course are taught online using Blackboard. Instruction is mainly taught asynchronous , which allows students to engage in their course content at various times of the day. T  hrough web-based, asynchronous tools, such as discussion boards, email, file exchange, collaboration groups, and online testing, student-centered learning communities are established to promote student engagement and active learning in the online environment. All courses are instructor-led to facilitate group interaction, differential instruction, project based and inquiry learning, while increasing student-student and teacher-student exchanges. North Caroline also offers Learn & Earn Online which is a program that allows high school senior students to take online courses towards their associate or bachelors’ degrees. Qualified students in public schools can take courses for free. The way North Caroline provides instructions to students is very similar to how we are conduct our actual course, using a course management system to access content and conduct group discussions. They effectively deliver instruction by offering well developed courses and technology support. They seem to provided various resources and support students in their learning. Additional recourses provided: [] (KE)