Reminder: Virtual Schooling Blog Carnival – Call For Submissions

A reminder… The call for the November Blog Carnival edition reads:

virtual schooling – http://blogcarnival.com/bc/eprof_26744.html

Description – This is a carnival that is focused upon the use of online learning and distance at the K-12 level. Please submit items that are related to the field of K-12 education – elementary or high school – and online or blended/hybrid learning.
Keywords – K-12 online learning, virtual schooling, cyberschooling, distance education
Filed under – education
Submission deadline – Middle of the month (providing appropriate content)
Maintained by – Michael Barbour
Current status – This carnival is ongoing.

If you have something relevant to this topic, feel free to submit it to this Blog Carnival.

Virtual Schooling Blog Carnival – Call For Submissions

The call for the November Blog Carnival edition reads:

virtual schooling – http://blogcarnival.com/bc/eprof_26744.html

Description – This is a carnival that is focused upon the use of online learning and distance at the K-12 level. Please submit items that are related to the field of K-12 education – elementary or high school – and online or blended/hybrid learning.
Keywords – K-12 online learning, virtual schooling, cyberschooling, distance education
Filed under – education
Submission deadline – Middle of the month (providing appropriate content)
Maintained by – Michael Barbour
Current status – This carnival is ongoing.

If you have something relevant to this topic, feel free to submit it to this Blog Carnival.

Blogging About Virtual Schooling

About a week late on the monthly “Blogging about…” entries.   Beginning with virtual schools.

Conferences

• Press Release – Virtual School Symposium 2009 from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org

News

• U.S. Push for FREE Online Courses from Penn Foster Blog
• Education Week: State of Mind from Teaching and Developing Online

Opinions/Commentary

• Speak up – US research into online learning for June 2009 from Secondary-vle.net
• Can Disruptive Innovation Save Education? In One State, It Already Has – Business Wire from Online Learning Update
• FACTBOX-American education and the computer – Andrew Stern, Reuters from Online Learning Update
• How to Remake Education – New York Times from Online Learning Update
• Autistic Carly from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• The end of teacher sameness and solidarity from Dangerously Irrelevant
• Florida Virtual School case study musings part I from Clayton Christensen
• Online teachers and online training of teachers from Clayton Christensen
• When Innovation Isn’t Innovative (or WI3) from e-Learning Evangelist
• eLearning Day on Capitol Hill from Innosight Institute
• Investing in Innovation Fund from Innosight Institute
• More learning time online from Innosight Institute
• Alpine Online case study from Innosight Institute
• The decision: Build vs. buy from Innosight Institute
• Assault on Online Learning? Not Really from The Quick and the Ed [note: these guys had several entries that I will post as a series in the next day or two or three]
• Why Online Schools are Popular from Teaching and Developing Online

Online Science

• Virtual Labs Make College Online Learning Feasible – Brian Reinholz, Windows IT Pro from Online Learning Update

Research

• Strong communication key to online learning – Meris Stansbury, eSchool News from Online Learning Update

Resources

• iNACOL Announces Launch of Continuity of Learning Website from Online Learning Update
• Quality standards for online programmes from Derek’s Blog

Teaching Online

• What am I doing here? from K-12 Online Teachers

Once again our geographic focus…

Arizona

• Arizona expands K-12 online learning – Pat Kossan, The Arizona Republic from Online Learning Update

Florida

• From K-12, students can opt to take their classes via online learning in cyberspace – MARC FREEMAN, South Florida Sun-Sentinel from Online Learning Update

Kentucky

• DiigoNotes – Students and teachers experiment with virtual high schools from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org

Maryland

• E-Mom interviewed on Feedback WHFC 91.1 FM from The Virtual Education Blog
• Emerging Minds interviewed on Special Needs Kids Talk Radio from The Virtual Education Blog
• Emerging Minds Back to School Update from The Virtual Education Blog

Massachusetts

• Online Learning: It’s reality – high school classes are going virtual – Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, Boston Globe from Online Learning Update
• Nonprofit Virtual High School Consortium Adding Schools and Students to Online Learning Movement – Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, Boston Globe from Online Learning Update

Michigan

• Online learning Spanish instruction raises concerns – Ashley Hoholik, Daily Press (Michigan) from Online Learning Update
• Virtual High School Offers Hope from Shaping the Vision

New Hampshire

• It’s a snow day! Time for class – KAREN LANGLEY, Concord Monitor from Online Learning Update

North Carolina

• Online learning curriculum is an early success for alternative school – Deneesha Edwards, The Dispatch from Online Learning Update

Ohio

• Nontraditional (online) learning suits some families to a T – Sandra M. Klepach, Northern Ohio News-Herald from Online Learning Update

Texas

• TxVSN Presentation at TECSIG Fall 2009 from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• DiigoNotes Classroom Management Issues in Online Courses from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• DiigoNotes – Collaborative, Connected, and Experiential Learning: Reflections of an Online Learner from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• Online Facilitator Roles from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• PBL in Online Course from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• DiigoNotes- Teaching and Learning Social Studies Online from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• DiigoNotes – Tips for Training Online Instructors from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• Module I – Training Online Instructors from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• DiigoNotes – The Effectiveness and Development of Online Discussions from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• DiigoNotes – Online Discussions from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• Online Instructors Training Part 1 from Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org

And internationally…

New Zealand

• Clutha gets first fully virtual school – MICHAEL FORBES, The Southland Times from Online Learning Update

Advice For Another Doctoral Student

In my capacity as one of the co-chairs for iNACOL’s research committee, I’ve had another doctoral student contact for advice.

My name is Rob Morgan.  I am a high school assistant principal in Wilmington, NC, and a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at the Univeristy of North Carolina at Wilmington.  I am currently in the process of drafting my dissertation proposal, the focus of which is to be the North Carolina Virtual Public School.

Specifically, my topic will investigate the connection between formal professional development and the curriculum, instruction and assessment practices of teachers in the NCVPS.  My research efforts to date have frequently led me to numerous NACOL (iNACOL)and SREB articles about standards for online learning, course development, and teacher effectiveness in virtual schools.

For this reason, I am writing to both you and Myk Garn to inquire about the existence of any survey instruments your organizations may have designed or may be in the process of developing and/or validating, instruments that relate specifically to virtual teacher professional development and instructional practices (i.e. curriculum, instruction, assessment).  If so, I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you about those efforts and instruments, at your convenience.

Please understand, I have no intentions of using any of your work, suggestions, instruments, or data without your approval or without assigning the appropriate credit to your organization.  I am simply attempting to align my intended study with existing work, and your organization is certainly one of the leaders in this area. For this reason, I would appreciate any time or information you may be willing to share.

In the meantime, thank you in advance for your time and consideration, and for the research and literature your organization has already provided. Please feel free to contact me using any of the following emails and/or phone numbers [Note I have removed these but Rob is monitoring this entry].

Any advice that you have for Rob?

Blog Carnival: Virtual Schooling – October 15, 2009

Note there aren’t any items this month specific to virtual schooling or K-12 online learning, but a number of more general ones that I felt were somewhat applicable or at least might be of interest.

Welcome to the October 15, 2009 edition of virtual schooling.

KidsYogaOnline presents Animal yoga for kids: the hiss of the serpent posted at Kids Yoga Online, saying, “Get slithery with kids yoga when you slide into the cobra yoga pose. As one of the most animated kids yoga exercises, the cobra posture brings flexibility to your spine and strength to your back. Best of all, you get to hisss, just like a real snake!”

Shannon Wills presents Why Online Schools are Popular posted at Hotel Management School, saying, “We’ve always been taught that necessity is the mother of invention, but, in the case of the Internet and its rapid growth, invention and innovation have contributed greatly to satisfying the needs and demands of online education.”

Suzane Smith presents Distractions in E-Learning and How to Avoid Them posted at University Online, saying, “It’s surprising how quickly we adapt to change, especially when it comes in the form of technology. We have advanced rapidly into a world that is now connected mainly through bits and bytes, with the help of a network we call the Internet.”

Chris presents What Is Distance Learning posted at Distance Learning Education Degree, saying, “Looks at distance learning education with a good overview and answers to common questions.”

Shannon Wills presents Accreditation Problems in Internet Mediated Distance Education posted at Criminal Justice Online Degree, saying, “There’s no doubting the fact that the Internet has made life so much easier for all of us – we’re always connected to people in any part of the world, information is accessible at the click of a button, and we’re able to do so much more from the comfort of our homes.”

Rose King presents 100 Free Tools to Tutor Yourself in Anything posted at online classes.org.

Linda Jones presents 100 Awesome iTunes Feeds for Every Kind of Teacher posted at AccreditedOnlineColleges.org.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of virtual schooling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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