Vision For Education: Final Project Caitlin Harrison Post University

PA Cyber Charter School Founded in 1997 and currently serving the state of Pennsylvania. Provides no cost education for 10,000 students throughout Pennsylvania. According to a 2013 article by Jan Murphy the PA Cyber Charter School is, “the largest of the state’s 16 cyber charter schools that offer K-12 education over the Internet for no additional cost to parents.”

PA Cyber Charter School PA Cyber Charter School utilizes current technology in order to enhance student learning. All students are provided with laptops and tablets which help students access their education on their own time.

The Future of Education Educators are futurists and they need to take part in futuring exercises in order to understand the future. Scanning is an exercise that futurists use in order to understand the future. According to the Association of Futurists, there are two types of scanning: One method looks at broad world trends in order to understand future events. The other looks for unusual events which will help predict emerging trends.

Future of Education: Creating Scenarios Textbooks Traditional classroom Summers off Traditional lesson plans Now E-readers Online Classrooms Year round school Personalized learning plans 2017

Trends in Educational Technology Online education allows students to attend school on their own time, from any where. This also allows students to take classes that are not offered at brick and mortar schools near them. According to Bradshaw and Hinton (2004), “Distance education, in being both time and place independent, is an attractive study option for these students who cannot commit to the role of the traditional internal student because of life circumstances.”

Trends in Educational Technology The use of e-books and tablets in schools has been on the rise for in recent years. According to the Horizon Report (2013) tablets are, “proving to be powerful tools for learning inside and outside of the classroom (p.4).” E-books allow students to access information in a different, digital format, that is appealing to this generation of students.

Trends in Public Policy and Economics Common Core standards are an example of how public policy effects education. According to the National Education Association (2013) the purpose of the Common Core is, “K-12 English Language Arts/Literacy and Math standards that will create a clear, consistent level of knowledge for our public school students no matter where they live.” Educational funding is an example of an economic trend that effects education. Without proper funding, schools are unable to provide proper education for their students.

Future Vision E-readers will continue to be used in the classroom but teachers will be creating the materials for each course. The number of students who attend Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School will continue to grow in the future. This will happen because, “much of past growth in online enrollments has been fueled by new institutions entering the online learning arena. This transition is now nearing its end; most institutions that plan to offer online education are already doing so (Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning (2004).”

Future Challenges The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School will face many challenges in the future. 1.Using new technology effectively in the classroom. 2.Staffing with teachers who are experienced in online education. 3.Making sure that all the students have the technology that they need to attend school. 4.Securing school funding to handle the increased growth of the school. 5.Implementing the Common Core Standards effectively in the classroom to ensure student learning.

Future Opportunities 1.The school will have the opportunity to hire highly qualified experienced teachers. 2.As new technology emerges the school will have the opportunity to use new technology in the classroom. 3.The school will have the opportunity to expand to a multi state institution. 4.The school has the opportunity to use the Common Core Standards to ensure student learning. 5.In the future the school will have the opportunity to continue to expand just as it has through its history.

Preparing for Change In order to prepare for change the school should follow the following steps. 1.Commit to a future vision or road map for the future. 2.Offer more classes for the increasing number of students. 3.Hire highly qualified teachers who best represent the school 4.Invest in new technology that will improve the quality of education that the school offers. 5.Use the Common Core Standards to ensure student learning.

References Bradshaw, J., & Hinton, L. (2004). Benefits of an online discussion list in a traditional distance education course. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 5(3), Retrieved from Long, C. (2013). 5 facts: Making common sense of the common core. Retrieved from What is a futurist?. (2013). Retrieved from 2clouds_dark_blue0d89306d clouds_dark_blue0d89306d Murphy, J. (2013, 08 23). Pa cyber charter school education nearly 2,000 midstate students. Penn Live. Retrieved from pa_cyber_charter_school_educat.html pa_cyber_charter_school_educat.html

References Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, Freeman, A., and Ludgate, H. (2013). NMC Horizon Report: 2013 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.