Register NOW: Early Bird Savings End 5/1 for the Online Learning Institute at ISTE!

From yesterday’s inbox…

Trouble viewing this email?  Click here to view in a web browser.     Register NOW at the Online Learning Institute Registration Site! Early Bird Savings end May 1st!   Join leaders in online and blended learning for the 9th Annual Online Learning Institute during the ISTE Conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Antonio on June 26 from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The Online Learning Institute is sponsored by: EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO) International Association of K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Early bird registration is $129 and ends May 1! After May 1, the registration fee is $159. Registration is now available at the ISTE registration site!*   Highlights of the day are keynote and panel presentations and roundtable discussions. The registration fee also includes breakfast and lunch which provide additional time for making connections with others interested in online and blended learning.   Keynote Speaker: Dr. David Rose, CAST CEO and Co-Founder   Panelists: Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow CEO, Angela Smith, Texas Virtual School Network Operations Director and others!   Don’t miss this chance to hear exciting keynote and panel discussions and to share strategies and lessons about implementing successful online and blended learning programs in states, districts, schools and other organizations with school, district, state and national leaders in the field of online and blended learning!   Visit the Online Learning Institute website at http://oli.etlo.org for the preliminary agenda. Be sure follow us on Twitter (@edtechleaders) for the most recent conference updates. We hope you can join us for exciting keynote and panel presentations and in‐depth roundtable discussions about the power and future of online learning while networking with practitioners from around the country! For more information contact Leinda Peterman, ETLO, Matlea Parker, SREB, Barbara Treacy, ETLO or Rob Darrow, iNACOL. *Contact Leinda Peterman at lpeterman@edc.org if you wish to register only for the Online Learning Institute.

The Online Learning Institute Advisory Committee: Anita Harris, Instructional Technology Director, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank (NC) Public Schools and President, ISTE Special Interest Group for Online Learning (SIGOL) Jay Heap, Director of Virtual Learning, Georgia Department of Education Lisa Hervey, Research Associate in the Digital Learning Collaborative at The William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and teaching assistant professor at North Carolina State University Matt Huston, Education Consultant, formerly Director of Online Learning at Peer-Ed Connie Swiderski, Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) Professional Development and Communications Carol Teitelman, Coordinator, Distance Learning at TX ESC Region XIII The Online Learning Institute Co-Sponsor Planning Committee Rob Darrow, Director of Member Services, iNACOL Linda Keller, Senior Project Manager, ISTE Matlea Parker, Educational Project/Program Manager, SREB Leinda Peterman, Project Director, EDC/EdTech Leaders Online Barbara Treacy, Director, EDC/EdTech Leaders Online   For more information, please visit the Online Learning Institute website: http://oli.etlo.org   To register to attend the Online Learning Institute, visit: http://www.isteconference.org/2013/program/search_results_details.php?sessionid=81431308     The Online Learning Institute is sponsored by:                                    #OLI13

This message was sent to mkbarbour@gmail.com from:

Barbara Treacy | EdTech Leaders Online @ EDC, 43 Foundry Avenue | Waltham, MA 02453

Register NOW for the Online Learning Institute!

Another item from Monday’s inbox…

Trouble viewing this email?  Click here to view in a web browser.     Register NOW for the Online Learning Institute: Click Here   Join leaders in online and blended learning for the 9th Annual Online Learning Institute during the ISTE Conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Antonio on June 26 from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The Online Learning Institute is sponsored by EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO), International Association of K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).   Early bird registration is $129 and ends May 1! After May 1, the registration fee is $159. Registration is now available at the ISTE registration site!*   Highlights of the day are keynote and panel presentations and roundtable discussions. The registration fee also includes breakfast and lunch which provide additional time for making connections with others interested in online and blended learning.   Keynote Speaker: Dr. David Rose, CAST CEO and Co-Founder   Panelists: Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow CEO, Angela Smith, Texas Virtual School Network Operations Director and others!   Don’t miss this chance to hear exciting keynote and panel discussions and to share strategies and lessons about implementing successful online and blended learning programs in states, districts, schools and other organizations with school, district, state and national leaders in the field of online and blended learning!   Visit the Online Learning Institute website at http://oli.etlo.org for the preliminary agenda. Be sure follow us on Twitter (@edtechleaders) for the most recent conference updates. We hope you can join us for exciting keynote and panel presentations and in‐depth roundtable discussions about the power and future of online learning while networking with practitioners from around the country! For more information contact Leinda Peterman, ETLO, Matlea Parker, SREB, Barbara Treacy, ETLO or Rob Darrow, iNACOL. *Contact Leinda Peterman at lpeterman@edc.org if you wish to register only for the Online Learning Institute.

The Online Learning Institute Advisory Committee: Anita Harris, Instructional Technology Director, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank (NC) Public Schools and President, ISTE Special Interest Group for Online Learning (SIGOL) Jay Heap, Director of Virtual Learning, Georgia Department of Education Lisa Hervey, Research Associate in the Digital Learning Collaborative at The William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and teaching assistant professor at North Carolina State University Matt Huston, Education Consultant, formerly Director of Online Learning at Peer-Ed Connie Swiderski, Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) Professional Development and Communications Carol Teitelman, Coordinator, Distance Learning at TX ESC Region XIII The Online Learning Institute Co-Sponsor Planning Committee Rob Darrow, Director of Member Services, iNACOL Linda Keller, Senior Project Manager, ISTE Matlea Parker, Educational Project/Program Manager, SREB Leinda Peterman, Project Director, EDC/EdTech Leaders Online Barbara Treacy, Director, EDC/EdTech Leaders Online   For more information, please visit the Online Learning Institute website: http://oli.etlo.org   To register to attend the Online Learning Institute, visit: http://www.isteconference.org/2013/program/search_results_details.php?sessionid=81431308     The Online Learning Institute is sponsored by:                                    #OLI13

This message was sent to mkbarbour@gmail.com from:

Barbara Treacy | EdTech Leaders Online @ EDC, 43 Foundry Avenue | Waltham, MA 02453

Roundtable Proposal Deadline Extended to Monday, April 15th for the 9th Annual Online Learning Institute!

Another item from Monday’s inbox…

Trouble viewing this email?  Click here to view in a web browser.   9th Annual Online Learning Institute June 26, 2013 Grand Hyatt San Antonio, TX Dear Fellow Educator, Submit your proposals soon to lead one or more roundtable discussions on a topic of your choice at the 9th Annual Online Learning Institute! Roundtable discussions are scheduled for an hour in length and are often a highlight of this exciting event. Proposals are now due by Monday, April 15th. To submit proposals to lead roundtable discussions on online and/or blended learning topics of your choice, please visit the Submit a Roundtable Proposalsection of the Online Learning Institute website and complete the brief proposal form. The 9th Annual Online Learning Institute, sponsored jointly by EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and Southern Region Education Board (SREB), is on June 26, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel during the ISTE Conference in San Antonio, Texas. This unique, day-long, face-to-face event brings together online and blended learning practitioners and includes a keynote presentation by Dr. David Rose from CAST, panel presentations, roundtable discussions, and networking with online and blended learning practitioners from around the world! Breakfast and lunch are included, providing additional networking opportunities for participants. We welcome roundtable proposals from educators at all different levels of experience in online and/or blended learning and offer a discounted registration fee of $119 if you are selected to be a roundtable leader. You are welcome to submit a proposal to co-facilitate a roundtable discussion if you would prefer collaborating with a colleague. Please contact me if you have any questions about submitting a roundtable proposal. We’re looking forward to seeing you in San Antonio! Sincerely, Leinda Peterman Project Director, ETLO lpeterman@edc.org

The Online Learning Institute Advisory Committee: Anita Harris, Instructional Technology Director, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank (NC) Public Schools and President, ISTE Special Interest Group for Online Learning (SIGOL) Jay Heap, Director of Virtual Learning, Georgia Department of Education Lisa Hervey, Research Associate in the Digital Learning Collaborative at The William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and teaching assistant professor at North Carolina State University Matt Huston, Education Consultant, formerly Director of Online Learning at Peer-Ed Connie Swiderski, Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) Professional Development and Communications Carol Teitelman, Coordinator, Distance Learning at TX ESC Region XIII The Online Learning Institute Co-Sponsor Planning Committee Rob Darrow, Director of Member Services, iNACOL Linda Keller, Senior Project Manager, ISTE Matlea Parker, Educational Project/Program Manager, SREB Leinda Peterman, Project Director, EDC/EdTech Leaders Online Barbara Treacy, Director, EDC/EdTech Leaders Online For more information, please visit the Online Learning Institute website: http://oli.etlo.org To register to attend the Online Learning Institute, visit: http://www.isteconference.org/2013/program/search_results_details.php?sessionid=81431308   The Online Learning Institute is presented by:                                    #OLI13

This message was sent to mkbarbour@gmail.com from:

Barbara Treacy | EdTech Leaders Online @ EDC, 43 Foundry Avenue | Waltham, MA 02453

SITE 2013 – Networked Schools in New Zealand: Examples from the Virtual Learning Network

The twenty-sixth and final session that I am blogging from the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE) International Conference is:

Networked Schools in New Zealand: Examples from the Virtual Learning Network

Michael Barbour, Wayne State University, Canada, Wayne State University, Canada
Niki Davis, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Derek Wenmoth, CORE Education, New Zealand, CORE Education, New Zealand

Friday, March 29 2:10-2:30 PM in Bayside B
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This proposal describes a study into the development of virtual learning in New Zealand, specifically to identify examples of networked schools. Using a variety of data collection methods, the researchers identified four examples where e-learning clusters acted as a change agent to reform classroom instruction and how schools were organised. These included where teaching online changed teachers’ classroom pedagogy, allowing flexibility within the school timetable so students could enroll in courses regardless of when the course was being “taught,” a transformation of the role of the school-based teacher from a subject matter specialist to generalist responsible for facilitating students’ learning, and re-considering the physical space to accommodate student learning in a twenty-first century networked school.

As this is one of my own sessions, there are no notes from me. However, you can access our slides at:

http://www.slideshare.net/mkb/site-2013-networked-schools-in-new-zealand-examples-from-the-virtual-learning-network

SITE 2013 – CyberTruancy: Exploring Issues of Attendance in the Online Classroom

The twenty-fifth session that I am blogging from the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE) International Conference is:

CyberTruancy: Exploring Issues of Attendance in the Online Classroom

Leanna Archambault, Arizona State University, United States, Arizona State University, United States
Stacy Bender, Minnesota Virtual High School, United States, Minnesota Virtual High School, United States
Kathryn Kennedy, International Association for K-12 Online Learning, United States, International Association for K-12 Online Learning, United States

Friday, March 29 1:50-2:10 PM in Bayside B
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Although mandatory attendance is easily determined in a traditional, brick-and-mortar school, monitoring and enforcing attendance and truancy in an online environment is perplexing. Despite the challenge, virtual schools have a duty to ensure that students who are enrolled are actually logging on, completing lessons, and “attending” classes in an online setting. This paper describes how attendance and truancy laws apply to online students and explores the notion of cyber-truancy using a policy analysis. Within the context of Minnesota Virtual High School, one of the first schools to develop online attendance policies, we explore the impact and significance of enforcing cybertruancy policy.

Kathryn introduced the session, and then – because she was mainly the methodologist on the paper – she played a recording of Stacy, who was the lead researcher.  CyberTruancy is essentially students who have unexcused absences from their online courses (i.e., not attending to their online course work – however that may be defined).  Each state, and in some cases each county, has different rules for what is truancy and what should happen if a student is truant.

In her recording, Stacy described why attendance was important – regardless of context or delivery model.  In the case of Minnesota Virtual High School, they use a “progress-based model” – essentially that students need to meet weekly progress expectations that is determined based or judged on a mathematical formula.  In the case of MVHS, progress in the online environment still needs to be translated into days to meet with the traditional statute requirements (based on the brick-and-mortar environment guidelines).  If students are not meeting expectations, specific and individual interventions are implemented.  Since implementing this process, MVHS has seen a positive impact on their course completion rate.

Stacy then provided examples of a specific student, using a pseudonyn to provide their stories and how this process helped those students.

They have developed a website to outline their policy and process (see http://mnonlinetruancy.weebly.com).

In terms of how to go about this…

1. Write an attendance policy that reflects progress-based attendance.
2. Create a tracking system
3. Implement interventions based on progress rather than time online
4. Get baseline data and compare as years go by
5. Education students and parents
6. Education other educators
7. Education county attorneys (and any others that get pulled in based on the statutes)

As for teacher education, Kathryn indicated that we need to education in-service and pre-service teachers about competency-based education (as opposed to seat-time models – a favourite item of iNACOL), the importance of tracking student progress and the ability to intervene when necessary, and attendance policies in each state and how these might be applied in an online environment.