1. The Danish Education System

2. Project: ”The Virtual High School”
70 out of 160 Gymnasiums participated with development (innovation) work
From one teacher in one class to the hole school
A research group followed the project and have published 3 reports (only in danish)

3. What is a Virtual High School??
Double meaning:
Artificial/non excisting
Virtual leader/ruler: actual

4. Answer: A School with Virtual Instruction (”E-learning”)….
The teacher and the students not nessecary in the same room (distributed) and/or at the same time (asynchronic).
Use of computer based communication: , Electronic Conference Systems….

5. Virtual Instruction: The setting
Instruction can be organized in:
Class or groups or pairs or individual
A theme can be taught:
Systematic or thematic or project
Single subject or interdisciplinary

6. The teachers profession: What’s it’s all about?
Select the teaching materials
Plan and decide:
The proces: How the teaching materials will be used
The organization: e.g. see previous dias
”Classroom” work
Evaluate
Tough job to organize, when it is the whole school, that is working that way! (Classroom, computers, equipment….)

7. The traditional setting
It is predictibel what will happend everybody knows!
1 lesson = students+1 teacher+1 classroom+1 textbook. (Duration: 45 minutes)

8. A new setting Different locations and time
Written communication (Conf. system, …)
Different groups working with interdisciplinary, problem-centred projects

9. Why teaching this way? Pro Contra Variety! Mixed Mode Independence
Self-discipline
Collaboration skills
Communication skills
Differentiated teaching
Responsibility
Problemsolving
Life long learning
Academic ability
Variety
Reflect society
Contra
Achivements not improved
Missing the try out in the classrrom (Measure yourself in the class)
Increased work load for both students and teachers
Variety!
Mixed Mode

10. The most valuable ressource: TIME
Increased work load
The most valuable ressource: TIME

11. Increased work load – according to the teachers
More communication, reading and writing:
Q&A  Q&A…..
Conferences: Drafts, Agenda, Essays, Logs, Portfolios, Comments….
Implication of the greater distance to the students: demands for more specific and detailed (writen) instructions
If the school establish and introduces electronic communication channels there is a natural expectation that you can use them
Differentiated teaching takes time
Collaboration and coordination with other teachers takes time
Writing takes time!

12. Increased work load – An example
1 school-year: 3 projects of 1 week each (1-2 classes)

13. Increased work load – Solutions
Don’t invent things from scratch everytime
Who? When? How? What? Rules?
Develop a school-based concept/procedures to spare the time to think out, negotiations and communication.
Makes coordination, progression and continuity possible
Can’t be solved by the individual teacher or team
Rationality
Rules for communication: expectations
Formalising, predictability and structure is nessecary.

14. Increased work load – Solutions
Sales, marketing, production, administration, stock
Integrated informationsystem for schools:
Administration, communication, information, documentation, evaluation, grades, attendance registration,……..

15. Increased work load – Solutions
Necessary conditions:
In-service teachers training (Staff development): IT and educational theory
Accessibility to computers, software and Internet
Support: technical and pedagogical