Virtual Schooling Standards EDT610

Time of Exponential Growth 2008 Sloan Consortium Survey 1,030,000 K-12 students engaged in online courses in 2007-2008 (estimated) 47% increase since 2005-2006. ¾ of responding public school districts offer online or blended courses ¾ of these school districts anticipate such enrollments growth Time of Exponential Growth

Sloan Consortium reports online learning is meeting the specific needs of a range of students Remedial Credit recovery Advanced Placement and college-level courses Course Offerings otherwise unavailable Meeting Needs

Primary Role of Online Teachers TCPK Online educator must work with technological pedagogical content knowledge Florida Academia study cited in discussion Primary Role of Online Teachers Graphic from http://warrick.edublogs.org/2007/03/22/tcpk/

Major Roles of Online Teacher Instructional Designer Site Coordinator Local Key Contact Administrator Mentor Tech Coordinator Guidance Counselor Major Roles of Online Teacher

Dearth of Standards Lack of research on best practices Learning online and learning face to face offer different opportunities and challenges Few endorsements for online teachers National certificate in online teaching Budget constraints compromise quality Dearth of Standards

Communication Key Foster strong relationships with students Become an interaction facilitator from afar Awareness of how to integrate social networking and basic communication skills Provide multiple opportunities for communication Provide quick responses and meaningful feedback Communication Key

Content Concerns Produce course requirements, timetables and samples Can modify content and delivery Share progress with stakeholders on a timely basis Model and participate in student discussions Encourage collaboration Content Concerns

Personal Observations Cannot ever overstate online People just don’t read the same information the same way Humanize as much as possible Photo or graphics or anecdotes or cartoons Impose and enforce rigid deadlines Check and double check links and screen shots Use technology to deliver assignments as well as content Posting to blog or wiki Personal Observations