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Online learning is growing at 30% annually. The Virtual School Symposium (VSS) highlights the best online programs across the United States and internationally-acclaimed programs in Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and abroad. Learn about the latest advancements in K-12 education made available through online learning to expand access to high-quality courses, help improve graduation rates, power school reform efforts and bridge the gaps between the “haves and have nots.” Over one hundred panel sessions will showcase a variety of program models for school districts, states, charter schools and beyond. There is a special focus on many facets of e-learning: digital curriculum, online teacher professional development, program management and leadership, emerging technologies, research, planning, policy and best practices.
Conference Highlights
When you are packing, don’t forget to bring jeans and your favorite school, college or professional team’s jersey or t-shirt to wear to the Monday night networking dinner in Cardinals stadium. Come and sport your team colors at VSS on Monday night. Pre-Conference Sessions
Only 3 weeks left until VSS 2008! The countdown to VSS 2008 has begun! If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time. Now is also the time to be booking your airline reservations. Rates in and out of the Greater Phoenix Area are great right now, so don’t delay!  To ensure proper delivery of our email messages to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), |
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October 6, 2008
Only 3 Weeks Left to Register for the Virtual School Symposium!
Invitation to SAS Open House
More stuff showing up in my inbox from the Virtual School Symposium 2008 vendors. If you’re interested, you should attend.
Greetings friends,
I would like to invite you to our next SAS® Curriculum Pathways® “Open House” web demo, scheduled for Friday, October 10 at 1:00pm EDT.
To register for this free guided web demo of Curriculum Pathways, please visit our website at: www.sascurriculumpathways.com
A link to the Open House registration will be found in the lower right corner of the page.
Feel free to share this with your colleagues and encourage them to register and attend.
We recently announced the new release of SAS® Curriculum Pathways® at: http://www.sas.com/news/preleases/NewSASCurriculumPathways.html
SAS® Curriculum Pathways® provides interactive, standards-based resources in English, science, math, social studies and Spanish (grades 8-12) for traditional and online schools. We focus on material difficult to convey through conventional methods—topics where doing, seeing, and listening provide information and encourage insights in ways that textbooks cannot.
I hope you can join us for the web demo on 10/10/08.
Sincerely,
Bruce
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Bruce Friend
Director, Curriculum Pathways ▪ Education Practice
Tel: 919 531 2247 ▪ Fax: 919 531 9448 ▪
Mobile: 919 802 1030
Bruce.Friend@sas.com
SAS Campus Drive ▪ Cary, North Carolina 27513SAS® … THE POWER TO KNOW®
October 5, 2008
2008 NACOL Board of Directors Election
For those of you who are members of NACOL, this should have appeared in your inbox yesterday.
2008 NACOL Board of Directors Election
From October 6 through October 10, 2008, NACOL members will have the opportunity to vote for candidates to fill two open seats on NACOL’s Board of Directors. To be eligible to vote, you must be a member in good standing, dues-current, and registered with your current email address.
For this year’s election, we are offering online voting on the NACOL website.
- On October 6 each NACOL member will receive an email containing an individualized voting link.
- Voting commences on October 6 and will be online through midnight October 10 (ET).
- The e-ballots will be counted on October 13.
- Candidates will be notified by October 14.
- Election results will be announced to NACOL Membership by October 15.
The polls will remain open from
Monday, October 6, through midnight Friday, October 10 (ET).Please make sure you are current with your membership dues. Visit the NACOL “Join Now” page to renew your membership. There’s even an online payment option to make this process easier.
We appreciate all of your efforts and hope that you will participate in this important process of electing NACOL leadership to the Board of Directors. Your input is critical and your choices will help set the future direction of the North American Council for Online Learning.
Thank you for your involvement and service to our non-profit organization providing leadership, professional development and advocacy for K-12 online learning. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Wood at 703-752-6216 or send a message to Linda.
Respectfully yours,
Susan D. Patrick
President and CEO
NACOL
If you aren’t a member of NACOL and are reading this blog, chances are you should join (and I imagine if you join in the next week you’ll get the opportunity to participate in these elections too).
October 2, 2008
Online Tutoring Session at VSS
And the vendor contacting begins… This is the first one, of which I expect there will be many leading up to the Virtual School Symposium (and after it for that matter)….
Greetings friends,
I hope that NACOL’s Virtual School Symposium (Oct 26-28) is on your calendar this year. Having been involved in K12 online learning for over a decade now, it is amazing to see the growth of our industry and to see the sharing of best practices that occurs among online programs and educators who are dedicated to providing academic options for students.
If you or your program are interested in learning how online tutoring can effectively support your students and teachers, I welcome you to join me in a session titled: “Online Tutoring: Exploring options that best meet the needs of your K-12 students” on October 28th (Tuesday) at 9:00am.
During this session I will share my personal experiences in using online tutoring services; everything from why and how they can be effective, challenges for successful implementation, and what criteria to consider when implementing online tutoring. We will explore best practices at the elementary and secondary school level. A case study of how online tutoring has been effectively implemented for elementary aged students will also be presented by Rahul Gupta of Ed2Net Learning.
Best wishes to you and your program and safe travels to AZ for VSS 2008.
Sincerely,
Bruce Friend
—————————————————————————————————————–
Bruce Friend
Director, Curriculum Pathways ▪ Education Practice
Tel: 919 531 2247 ▪ Fax: 919 531 9448 ▪
Mobile: 919 802 1030
Bruce.Friend@sas.com
SAS Campus Drive ▪ Cary, North Carolina 27513SAS® … THE POWER TO KNOW®
September 30, 2008
Free Enrollment In International Diploma Program
Last item from the NACOL forums for today (told you there was a lot of items for today)…
PLC.edu is accepting up to 500 free enrollments in the International Diploma pilot program. The program adheres to the AP/ID diploma recommendations by the College Board and students enrolled will earn credit that will transferred back to their own school. Because this is a pilot program, students will not pay fees and all fees will be absorbed by the Personal Learning Center.
PLC is currently seeking accreditation through SACS/CITA, all teachers are certificated in the state where they live, and all courses adhere to National and State Guidelines.
For more information about courses being offered, please see the course catalogue at http://www.plc.edu/ or contact admin@plc.edu for additional information.
Courses will begin in November with open enrollment all year long. The first semester will conclude in time for AP exams in 2009.
‘Home’ Work: City Bids For Online High Schools, New York Post
Another item from the NACOL forums.
‘HOME’ WORK: CITY BIDS FOR ONLINE HIGH SCHOOLS
By YOAV GONEN
New York PostPosted: 3:53 am
September 29, 2008
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09292008/news/…_sch_131249.htmThe city is working to clear the way for students to be able to earn credits toward high-school graduation online.
Department of Education officials said they’re working with the state on getting a waiver of the requirement that students spend a certain amount of hours per year in a classroom - known as “seat time” - to get credits for a course.
That requirement has taken the online-course option off the table in New York high schools, even as nearly half of all school districts nationally offer their students some form of virtual education.
At the center of the city’s push for the change is a new, high-tech school in Manhattan, the NYCiSchool, which for the first time is teaching its ninth-graders two online courses that conclude with a state Regents exam.
For now, the school is meeting the seat-time mandate by having students take the online courses - global history and living environment - while still in a classroom supervised by a teacher.
The iSchool “is looking to change the way business is done in New York City,” Troy Fischer, senior director of the DOE’s Office of Instructional Technology. “I think once they set the precedent for [online learning] and receive a waiver, then we can expand that option to lots of schools.”
He said a waiver is not likely this year.
The co-principal of NYCiSchool, Alisa Berger, said she envisioned the online coursework eventually expanding outside the classroom - giving older students the option to take internships during the day and to study at night.
“We want 11th-graders to be able to take classes at 3 a.m. in their pajamas if they desire,” she said.
Susan Patrick, president of the North American Council for Online Learning, said New York trails the rest of the country in virtual education largely because of a lack of initiative.
Lawmakers in Michigan, by contrast, became the first in the nation to require an online course for high-school graduation in 2006, while educators in Florida have created the Florida Virtual School, which is expected to serve more than 80,000 students this year.
“This isn’t a new innovation anymore,” said Patrick.
The state Education Department did not respond to questions, but state Board of Regents member Saul Cohen suggested that New York couldn’t stay “silent” on the issue for much longer.
“It’s something we certainly are going to delve into very seriously,” he said. yoav.gonen@nypost.com
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Districts Prepare For New Online School State Law, Florida
This was posted to the NACOL forums earlier today.
Districts prepare full-time online K-12 schools under new state law
By LAURA GREEN
Palm Beach Post Staff WriterSunday, September 28, 2008
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content…chool_0929.htmlNext school year, the first generation of Florida students can begin to earn a diploma from local public schools entirely online, without ever setting foot in a classroom from kindergarten through 12th grade.
A new state law requires districts to create their own full-time virtual schools, collaborate with other districts or contract with providers approved by the state.
The law is believed to be the most wide-ranging virtual mandate in the nation.
“The rest of the country will be watching to see how it goes,” said Julie Young, president and chief executive officer of Florida Virtual School and a board member of the North American Council for Online Learning.
By August, school superintendents must settle everything from how to provide the needed technology to how to engage squirmy kindergartners who lack the attention span to sit at a computer for hours.
The state already funds two online schools catering to students in kindergarten through eighth grade as well as the Florida Virtual School, which offers middle and high school courses.
During the 2007-08 school year, more than 57,000 students took at least one Florida Virtual School course. But very few committed to an all-online experience.
The new law is expected to bring Web-based education to many more students and increase the number who take all of their classes in a virtual world.
But the law provides only a vague reference to providing computers and Internet access to students “when appropriate.” Each district can decide what that means, raising concerns that the program may not benefit students whose families cannot afford home computers and reliable Internet access.
In Palm Beach County, district officials said it would be too expensive to provide computers to all virtual students to use at home. Administrators have proposed opening school computer labs.
Shemifhar Freytes is one of Palm Beach County’s few full-time online students, finishing her senior year at Palm Beach Gardens High School without entering a brick-and-mortar classroom.
A night owl who does some of her best work at 2 a.m., she likes the flexibility of Florida Virtual School.
“You don’t have to be stuck in one lesson that you perfectly understand because the rest of the class doesn’t get it,” Freytes said.
She also likes the variety of ways in which lessons can be taught online.
In her Advanced Placement government class, Freytes attended a Web seminar about constitutional amendments. Students logged on at a set time and viewed slides of photos and text that the teacher created on the right side of the screen and chatted via instant message on the left side.
“This is a new world, and children have different learning modalities,” said Debra Johnson, principal of what will become Palm Beach County’s virtual school. “We need to be preparing ourselves for not only the future, but we need to be addressing students’ needs now and providing different opportunities.”
This school year, the district is starting with 12 county students in kindergarten through eighth grade who are registered for online school through a state program.
Administrators will interview the students, their parents and teachers to learn what works and what doesn’t as the county crafts its program.
At first blush, the law appears to be a boon for school districts that will get to pocket student funding without having to build schools to house them. But districts still must pay teachers, revamp their curricula for the online world and buy new technology. They also can pay a private company to do that for them.
The law cites several companies approved by the state, which some view as a back-door invitation to for-profit companies to get a foothold in public schools.
“I can’t see how (districts) would make money with it,” said Bill Thomas, director of educational technology for the Southern Regional Education Board, which serves 16 states from Delaware to Texas. “The only thing I’ve heard is the frustration from superintendents about the requirements to implement it.”
In Palm Beach County, Johnson said the district likely will buy online curriculum but oversee its own school, run with county teachers. Virtual students must meet state standards and take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Susan Patrick, president of the North American Council for Online Learning, said it would be a mistake for all 67 Florida counties to create virtual schools from scratch.
“There’s a lot of planning money to reinvent the wheel that may not be necessary,” Patrick said.
Angela Specketer, principal of the Minnesota Virtual Academy, knows what Florida districts are facing.
In 2002, her school district launched its full-time virtual program. It bought the curriculum from a proven virtual education vendor, but there still was a lot to learn. That included grappling with how different it is to teach a high school junior and a first-grader online.
“Whereas a high schooler can be very independent - they can have a conversation or work on the computer or phone - with an elementary student, you need to bridge that gap,” she said.
Specketer sends plastic tubs full of books and teaching materials to the homes of elementary school students. Only 20 percent of the curriculum is taught online, and parents must commit to walking their children through the rest of their lessons.
“Not every parent wants to be engaged at that level,” Specketer said.
For some students, she said, virtual education can rekindle their love of learning.
“It has more to do with whether this is a good way for (each) student to learn. To me, I look at online learning not as something that’s going to be the savior of education,” she said. “This is one alternative.”
I just wonder if it is going to be legislation that actually makes sense for K-12 online learnig or are we setting ourselves up for another restrictive legislative regime or possible court challenges (like we have seen in other states). Hopefully Florida is far enough along in this area to avoid this concerns.
Going Virtual! Research Series - Reminder
Several items in the queue for today, this last day of September. Tomorrow I’ll try to revive the monthly statistics entries. I also hope to end tomorrow with the first official installment of the VSHM Podcast ((see VHSM And Podcasting and VHSM Podcast Teaser).
This was posted to one of the NACOL forums yesterday evening (and is a follow-up to my earlier entry on Going Virtual! Research Series - Request For Participation).
Just a reminder and to let you know we value your input…..
In partnership with leading agencies in K-12 online education, we are seeking the expertise of teachers in your organization to participate in a national survey identifying the unique needs and challenges of K-12 online teachers. K-12 online teachers are defined as those educating students via the use of web-based technologies for an entire course period or the full school day.
This survey takes approximately 7 minutes to complete. Our deadline has been extended to Friday, October 3.
Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gXfI…cYZcMIauA_3d_3d
This survey, Phase II: Unique Needs and Challenges of K12 Online Teachers, is the second survey in the “Going Virtual!” research series. The results of the study are planned for release in a national report this October at the NACOL Virtual School Symposium conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The first report, Going Virtual! The Status of Professional Development for K-12 Online Teachers is available here: http://edtech.boisestate.edu/goingvirtual/goingvirtual1.pdf.
***We are able to provide customized reports from this data for your school and/or program. Please contact us if you are interested.
Kerry Rice, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
krice@boisestate.eduLisa Dawley, Ph.D.
Chair & Professor
lisadawley@boisestate.edu
Dept. of Educational Technology
Boise State University
September 29, 2008
Online Learning & Virtual Schools Featured, Threshold Magazine - Fall 2008
Another item posted to the NACOL forums late last week. Information about a series of articles that may be of interest.
The following is a link to the Fall 2008 issue of Threshold Magazine that was released today: http://www.ciconline.org/thresholdfall08.It is an entire issue dedicated to online learning and virtual schools. It addresses many of the hot topics facing online educators and learners today. NACOL is one of the featured partners, so we wanted to be sure to share the link with everyone as soon as possible. Be sure to check it out!
http://www.ciconline.org/thresholdfall08
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Hopefully this week I’ll finally get a chance to get the podcast of portions of my DEANZ keynote. Got to keep that commitment of having at least one VHSM Podcast a month beginning in September (see VHSM And Podcasting and VHSM Podcast Teaser) and I only have a couple of days left.
