IT6230 – Supporting Virtual Schooling

As I mentioned a few weeks ago in IT6230 – Internet In The Classroom, I will be using this blog as a way to provide discussion prompts for students in my IT6230 course (Internet in the Classroom).

The five TEGIVS scenarios, as well as the three Michigan-based scenarios, were designed to introduce you to virtual schooling though which K-12 students learn via technology from a teacher who is at a distance. Because the teacher is only present virtually there is a need for local facilitation by the K-12 school. This rapidly increasing application of technology brings new challenges and opportunities to K-12 education. More specifically, the were three objectives:

1. To understand Virtual Schooling
2. To appreciate three main aspects of Virtual Schooling:
   • technology,
   • distant collaboration, and
   • local facilitation
3. To start to become competent to facilitate and plan for Virtual Schooling

In this regard, based on the material in these scenarios, the content we have covered in class, and the course readings; how comfortable do you feel in being able to support a student or group of students at your school how might take an online course? What is the source of that confidence (or lack of confidence)?

You should post your response as an entry to your own blog by the end of the day on Friday, 20 April 2012. In addition to the entry that you post on your own blog this week, make sure that you comment on at least THREE other students’ blogs by the end of the day on Monday, 23 April 2012.

If you are not a student in my IT6230 course but would like to participate in this discussion, please leave a comment below. In case you are wondering, the readings for this week are:

Barbour, M. K. (2012). Training teachers for a virtual school system: A call to action. In D. Polly, C. Mims, & K. Persichitte (Eds)., Creating technology-rich teacher education programs: Key issues (pp. 499-517). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.