Virtual Schooling Mallory Buzun-Miller, Judith Considine, Will Puvalowski, Blair Sawyers
Introduction Virtual Schooling is a form of distance education in which the teacher and student are separate in time or space. The four most common virtual courses used to deliver online educational programs and services to students at the K-12 level consist of: ●Teacher-Led ●Blended (Combination of online and face-to-face) ●Teacher Facilitated ●Self Paced (Independent) The Virtual High School:
Forms of Delivery Methods Independent Learning ●Students work independently ●Student learning experience similar to correspondence course-receive materials from school ●Minimum- no teacher involvement ●A parent or responsible adult supervises student Asynchronous Learning ●Anytime learning-Student can take online course on their own schedule ●Individual student learning and interaction with other students ● Active teacher involvement via internet, , video conferencing, or other Web2.0 tools (Virtual libraries, discussion boards, social networking, etc) Synchronous Learning ●Real time learning-Requires students and instructors to be online at the same time ●High teacher involvement via chat, telephone, podcasts, video conferencing ●Similar to traditional face-to- face classroom
Benefits & Challenges Benefits ●Higher level of motivation ●Expanding educational access ●Providing high-quality learning opportunities ●Improving student outcomes and skills ●Allowing for educational choice ●Administrative efficiency Challenges ●High start-up costs ●Access issues (The Digital Divide) ● Accreditation Approval ●Student readiness issues ●Retention issues
Roles & Responsibilities Time Management: -Submitting -Grading -Feedback Communication Guidance Adaptability Standards & Regulations Support Dedication Responsibility Desire to Learn Attitude Motivation Focus Technology & Writing Skills Organization National Standards for Quality Online Teaching: content/uploads/2013/02/iNACOL_TeachingStandardsv2.pdfhttp:// content/uploads/2013/02/iNACOL_TeachingStandardsv2.pdf Michigan’s Online Learning Options: Succeeding in Virtual Education
Helping Students And Schools Succeed Keys for Student Success: ●Time management skills ●Organizational skills ●Self motivated learner ● Good reading and writing skills ●Responsible Keys for Schools to Support Students: ●Make sure students have technology skills before enrolling them in a virtual class ●Provide Access to computers ●Provide technology support ●Provide opportunities for students to communicate with teachers
Technology Review and Exams ●Electronic ●Interactive ●Project-based Communication (Asynchronous) ● ●Blogs ●Threaded discussion ●Wikis (Synchronous) ●Chat ●Videoconferencing ●Teleconferencing Technology & the Educational Landscape A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning: Print ●E-text ●Textbooks ●E-zines ●Articles & Publications Video ●Streaming video ●Video Chat ●Recordings ●Youtube Audio ●Streaming Audio ●Podcast
Michigan Graduation Requirements Online Course or Learning Experience The Michigan Merit Curriculum guidelines for online learning require that students: ● Take an online course, or ● Participate in an online experience, or ● Participate in online experiences incorporated into each of the required core curriculum credit courses of the Michigan Merit Curriculum Michigan Virtual Schools: Michigan Merit Curriculum: The Michigan Online Experience Guideline are available at: