Technology & Learning - May 2008 - (Page 22)

As of September 2007, 42 states have significant supplemental online learning programs, significant fulltime programs, or both. —Keeping Pace with Online Learning, A Review of State Level Policy and Practice, November 2007, Evergreen Consulting Associates. Students enjoy distance learning field trips to locations and meet specialists and have experiences that are too costly to enjoy otherwise.” —Ann Thorp, Northcentral University doctoral candidate, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District Independent Learners, Please Apply While virtual learning offers answers to myriad needs, it is not without its challenges. If prior learning experiences include the traditional classroom—and its expectations, pacing, and teacher oversight—virtual learners must now work at a different pace, setting many of their own expectations, with oversight taking on a different nature. While some students fell through the cracks of a traditional classroom and welcome a new environment, other students may find the change in structure hard to overcome. “[A challenge is] making continuous connections with the younger students who are placed in our program who have difficulty being independent learners.” — Brad Sprague, principal, West Auburn High School, an alternative high school in Washington state that uses Apex Learning curriculum for distance learning and in the classroom At West Auburn High school teachers approach individualized learning by establishing a learning plan, preventing any students from falling behind. Staff there also knows that one size cannot fit all: “We can tailor a Written Student Learning Plan to meet the individual needs of a student. The WSLP allows for multiple learning strategies to be taught using the APEX curriculum as well as supplementing classroom materials to enhance student learning. Our program is an excellent opportunity to individualize and personalize a student’s education.” —Brad Sprague size etiquette, appropriate wording, and clear use of the language so that we don’t misunderstand one another.” —Debbie Piper Online teaching needs have inspired online teacher programs to address the distance learning’s uniqueness. A professional from a department at Mississippi State that partners with the Mississippi Department of Education One in five students in grades 6–12 has taken an online or distance learning course, and 1 in 3 students selected online classes as a component of their ideal school. —Learning in the 21st Century, A National Report on Online Learning Online Teaching— Not Your Grandmother’s Classroom The resistance that distance learning met in the ’90s was partly because teachers were unsure if they might be replaced by a TV—and because they felt pressured to rethink classroom delivery. Well, no one’s being replaced by electronics so far, but educators who perform well in virtual classrooms will find some things to be the same and other things to be quite a bit different. The key, teacher say, is to present well from a distance. Interaction is vital, regardless of the medium. “I believe in using this experience as a preparation for real life. And I communicate with my students the same way I communicate with others I work with. … I think many corporations do business like this. I empha- Office of Vocational Education responded to an online survey describing how they ensure teachers are adequately prepared: “I would suggest every teacher who is going to teach online be certified through an online program. The online facilitators I hire must complete basic training in use of Blackboard but ALSO a 40-hour ONLINE session (COOL Certification of Online Learning) that introduces pedagogy of online learning, instructions, strategies, best practices, etc. …Online learning should not be a ‘correspondence course’ setup. It should be a very interactive experience both for the participants as well as the instructor.” Pamela Livingston is the author of 1-to-1 Learning: Laptop or Tablet Programs that Work. 22 | www.techlearning.com http://www.techlearning.com

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Technology & Learning - May 2008 Contents New@techlearning.com Editor’s Desk News and Trends E-Learning Gets Real Cover Story: Make Students Info Literate School CIO Product Guide Reviews Best of the Blogs What’s New LOY Profile Series

Technology & Learning - May 2008

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