The Reality of Virtual Learning.A fledgling on-line network of 43 schools nationwide provides an expanded array of credit-bearing course offerings on the Internet Imagine classrooms without walls, where students are able to attend their classes at any time they wish, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Imagine a nearly limitless selection of courses that are innovative, timely and technologically rich. Imagine students working collaboratively and on-line with students from a wide variety of geographic locations. What you are imagining is becoming a reality in the Virtual High School created by the Hudson, Mass., Public Schools and the Concord Consortium through a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This research and development grant is enabling us to realize the potential of virtual education by opening up a new world of instructional opportunity for students. Our goal is to significantly enrich the curricular offerings of high schools and give students advanced technology skills through challenging and highly accessible on-line courses. The Virtual High School was launched in October 1996 as a collaboration of 30 high schools in 10 states across the country. The participating schools are diverse: a small, rural school in Washington, a large diverse urban school in New Jersey and religious schools in Pennsylvania. VHS (Video Home System) A half-inch, analog videocassette recorder (VCR) format introduced by JVC in 1976 to compete with Sony's Betamax, introduced a year earlier. currently offers 37 on-line NetCourses and will expand to more than 100 next year. Course titles include La Connection Francophone, Stellar Astronomy, Writing Through Hypertext hypertext, technique for organizing computer databases or documents to facilitate the nonsequential retrieval of information. Related pieces of information are connected by preestablished or user-created links that allow a user to follow associative trails across the , Advanced Placement Statistics and Poetics po·et·ics n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. Literary criticism that deals with the nature, forms, and laws of poetry. 2. A treatise on or study of poetry or aesthetics. 3. and Poetry for Publications. Other courses focus on microbiology microbiology: see biology. microbiology Scientific study of microorganisms, a diverse group of simple life-forms including protozoans, algae, molds, bacteria, and viruses. , informal geometry, bioethics bioethics, in philosophy, a branch of ethics concerned with issues surrounding health care and the biological sciences. These issues include the morality of abortion, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, and organ transplants (see transplantation, medical). , aeronautics aeronautics: see aerodynamics; airplane; aviation. and music composition. The virtual high school idea has so caught the imagination of educational leaders in four states that now they are exploring ways to make these courses available to students at every high school. Through these Internet-based courses, VHS significantly expands what a single school can offer in its curriculum while integrating into the academic program the best technology can offer. The Virtual High School is built on a simple concept. Each participating high school selects an innovative and technologically adept faculty member to teach over the Internet. These teachers receive on-line training in how to teach NetCourses in ways that encourage student participation, make maximum use of Internet-based resources and apply the best in multimedia technology. In exchange for each teacher released by the school to teach one NetCourse, that school is entitled to register 20 students to take NetCourses offered by any participating school. Because the teachers for these 20 students may be in 20 different schools, each school provides some release time for a site coordinator who acts as a local VHS administrator, guidance counselor guidance counselor Child psychology A school worker trained to screen, evaluate and advise students on career and academic matters and technical adviser for students enrolled in NetCourses. In exchange for a teacher's and site coordinator's time in the collaborative, a school can give its students access to a vast array of specialized courses. Expanding Curriculum The Virtual High School provides four unique benefits for schools and students. First, it uses the most current technology to enable schools to significantly expand their curricular offerings. Many high schools cannot offer advanced or specialized courses because enrollment is too low to justify the course financially. Through NetCourses, however, small groups of students at a number of high schools fill these courses. Second, VHS provides technology-rich instruction for students. NetCourses give students experience in tele-collaboration and provide extensive and ongoing experience with e-mail, on-line working groups and on-line conferencing, as well as a variety of software tools. The technology-rich VHS environment provides an excellent vehicle for teaching technology-related skills because they are deeply integrated into interesting course content. Third, VHS maximizes the potential of the Internet as students regularly access the wealth of available data. From exploring primary source material to accessing scientific databases, students can take their learning far beyond their textbooks into the real world of open-ended problems and unanswered questions. Finally, VHS significantly enhances teachers' skills in technology that extend to their regular classroom instruction. Nature of NetCourses Teaching a NetCourse is very different from traditional teaching. NetCourses use the Internet for sharing information, carrying on discussions and assessing learning. Students access their course using a Web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. and a password. Then they are able to view, print and respond to material posted on the course's Web site by the teacher and other students. The courses are delivered through a collaborative software This is a list of collaborative software (or list of groupware) applications. Wiki software is on a list of wiki software. Open source or free software The following are open source or free software applications. tool, Lotus's LearningSpace. LearningSpace has five interactive databases and tools that provide a rich environment for on-line instruction. These include a schedule, a profile of students and the teacher, a media center for assignments, a Course-Room for threaded discussions A running commentary of messages between two or more people in a discussion group. See message thread and discussion group. and an assessment area. Students take a NetCourse during the school day as one of their regular courses. Some schools designate a period for all VHS students to work together in the computer lab, while others designate computers in a lab or media center for use by VHS students during any period the student has available. For some schools, the ability to schedule the VHS NetCourse during any period has substantially eased the challenges of scheduling these students into the regular courses they need and desire. VHS NetCourses need to be well structured to provide adequate guidance for students. In general, they are divided into weekly blocks with short- and longterm assignments and discussion questions posted for that week. Assignments can include searching the Web for information, collecting data and reviewing it with other students, writing a piece of poetry or a music composition and posting it for comments and editing suggestions by other students, or commenting on a reading. VHS teachers are on-line every day to respond to student assignments, facilitate and deepen the threaded dialogue and provide the necessary assistance to help students be successful. Communication in a Net-Course is asynchronous--that is, the teacher and students are not on-line at the same time but rather post entries in response to previous entries or assignments. The teacher never meets his or her students face-to-face. Discussions and assignments require written or multimedia communication rather than verbal dialogue. As a result, NetCourses require careful preparation and structuring to promote continuous engagement with the content material and productive dialogue among students. Because this is new to most teachers, VHS provides teachers with a 125-hour course in which they learn how to teach a NetCourse and then design their course in collaboration with a mentor and other teachers. In addition, we provide a follow-up course on advanced multimedia techniques. Different Challenges As a new medium of instruction, Net-Courses pose a different set of challenges. One potential vulnerability of virtual instruction is that it can become overly text oriented and dry, coming closer to an on-line correspondence course than an engaging experience for students. University-level NetCourses tend to suffer from this problem. For this reason, we have chosen to use a seminar format and project-based approaches, to group students into teams and to encourage multimedia communication. Our primary emphasis in teacher training and ongoing support is to help teachers use the course content and the technology tools available to them to promote rich on-line dialogue and student-active instruction. The potential exists for students to feel isolated in an electronic learning environment. However, our end-of-the-semester surveys of students show that the NetCourses have created a personally open environment for many students. It appears that students are able to enter the new NetCourse social environment free of their personal history and existing peer relationships. Students feel freer to share opinions and ideas. And because it is asynchronous Refers to events that are not synchronized, or coordinated, in time. The following are considered asynchronous operations. The interval between transmitting A and B is not the same as between B and C. The ability to initiate a transmission at either end. , discussions are not dominated by the most vocal. Students feel they have the opportunity to think through their answers and fully participate in the dialogue. Nonetheless, promoting on-line dialogue is a serious challenge within a virtual environment and calls on the teacher to read every student entry, prod students to enter the dialogue when they are less communicative com·mu·ni·ca·tive adj. 1. Inclined to communicate readily; talkative. 2. Of or relating to communication. com·mu and contact a student's site coordinator to address problems. The quality of the virtual experience greatly depends on the level and frequency of interaction among students and between students and teachers. Other challenges are administrative in nature. All the administrative functions are handled on-line, including scheduling, grading, attendance and discipline. In the Virtual High School, we work with schools with different yearly calendars, daily schedules, credit systems, progress report and grading systems, discipline codes and academic standards. Dealing with different starts of the school year, class periods that vary from 45 minutes to 90 minutes a day and different disciplinary systems have taught us much about the administrative structures necessary for the smooth operation of a virtual school. In fact, over the past two years, VHS administrators have developed policies and standards that ensure high-quality, challenging courses and a management structure that can resolve many of these difficult issues. The most serious administrative challenge is providing consistent administrative leadership at the school site. We have found that effective implementation of VHS at the school site rests on the site coordinator. This individual not only handles administrative and disciplinary problems, but provides direct support to those students taking NetCourses. Our evaluation of participating schools has shown that active and effective site coordination has led to better student performance in the virtual environment. Participant Reactions Participating teachers and students have reacted positively to their on-line educational experiences. Teachers have been able to teach courses in areas of expertise and interest that they always have wanted to offer. Many believe that it has improved their regular classroom instruction and technological skills. In addition, they have profited from the contact with other teachers from around the country. Although most feel that teaching online requires more time, they believe the gains far outweigh the demands. Administrators echo these sentiments, noting that VHS has reversed the trend toward reduced course variety by providing students with a wealth of new opportunities. However, it is the students who have given VHS the highest marks. Most students consider their NetCourses more challenging than their regular courses. They point to their acquisition of content knowledge in an area of personal interest as well as their mastery of technology skills. The project evaluator, SRI International (company) SRI International - One of the world's largest contract research firms. Founded in 1946 in conjuction with Stanford University as the Stanford Research Institute, they later became fully independent and were incorporated as a non-profit organisation under U.S. , noted after the first year: "A large majority of students felt that they learned a substantial amount in their VHS courses. Similarly, teachers were satisfied with the extent that students were able to grasp concepts in their VHS courses and the extent to which they improved their attitude about the subject matter. The most significant advantage for students has been the ability to take courses that were not otherwise available to them. One student commented on the student evaluations completed in December 1998, saying: "I wish I could take all the courses offered by VHS!" Right behind the course variety is the sense of independence they derive from their involvement. As one student noted: "I learned a lot at my own pace and was given opportunities to learn extra material. VHS offers a great deal of freedom and requires some self-discipline. I relish that freedom." In addition, students indicate they like the quality of the courses, their interaction with other students from around the country, their ability to see and discuss the work of other students and the lack of competition within the course. The area of greatest concern for students was the lack of immediate feedback from teachers and other students. The asynchronous nature of the dialogue means that a student may wait a day for the response they seek. This is, at first, disconcerting dis·con·cert tr.v. dis·con·cert·ed, dis·con·cert·ing, dis·con·certs 1. To upset the self-possession of; ruffle. See Synonyms at embarrass. 2. for students and something that takes some adjustment. Potential Reach We are still on the frontier On the Frontier: A Melodrama in Two Acts, by W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood, was the third and last play in the Auden-Isherwood collaboration, first published in 1938. of virtual instruction. Over the five years of the grant, we expect that the experience we gain and the new technologies that become available will make virtual instruction accessible to schools worldwide. Our experience over the past two years has demonstrated that VHS is a scalable model that can enrich the course offerings of even the largest schools and enhance students' and teachers' facility in the use of information technologies. Virtual education has the potential of reaching far beyond the schoolhouse environment so that students can access university- and corporate-sponsored courses. The freedom from time and place makes it possible for NetCourses to reach home school students, students who are home ill or students who live in small rural communities with the same rich curriculum available in the best high schools. In addition, NetCourses have the potential of serving specialized groups of learners from special-needs students to language-minority students to students interested in a highly specialized topic. Virtual education never can replace the positive social learning environment within a school. However, virtual instruction can become another effective vehicle for strengthening our instructional program and course offerings. Through its merging of the best in instructional practice and the best in current technology, it demonstrates the potential of network and information technologies in public education. But most important, virtual learning demonstrates that public education can place students at the forefront of knowledge and experience internationally and prepare them well for the demands of either the workplace or further education. Sheldon Berman is superintendent of Hudston School District, 155 Apsley St., Hudson, Mass. 01749. Want to Join? Interested in having your school district join the Virtual High School? Administrators can find most of the information they might want to know at the VHS Web site: vhs.concord.org. Of particular importance is the Memorandum of Understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. . Promotional brochures and teacher/course applications can be downloaded from the Web site and reproduced easily for distribution to interested teachers. Further information is available from Bruce Droste, Concord Consortium, 37 Thoreau St., Concord, Mass. 01742. He also can be reached at bruce@concord.org or 978-369-4367. Other Virtual Learning Sites Susan Hall In addition to the Virtual High School, based in Concord, Mass., high school students can find other providers of on-line courses for credit. Here are summaries of a few that were collected by The School Administrator. * APEX Program (AP Excellence): Discussions and debates bring students together on line to share ideas and investigate and solve real-world problems. These courses can be taken as an elective for high school graduation once students receive approval from their school. Students may take Advanced Placement courses on the Internet for credit through this program. Contact: APEX Program, 110 110th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, Wash. 98004. 800-453-1454. apex.netu.com * The Avon Maitland School District Virtual High School: This Canadian program offers students fully accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. course work delivered via the Internet. Participants can earn Ontario Secondary School Diploma An Ontario Grade 12 student needs an Ontario Secondary School Diploma to graduate from high school. When one enters Grade 9, the credit system takes effect until one finishes Grade 12. credit (including diploma), recognized around the world. Contact: Avon Maitland School District, 62 Chalk St., Seaforth, Ontario Seaforth (2001 population: 2300) is a community in the municipality of Huron East, in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. History Originally known as Four Corners and Steene's Corners , N0K 1W0, Canada. 800-592-5437 or 519-527-0111. www.virtualhighschool.com/welcome.html * Babbage Net School: This is a virtual, alternative high school offering on-line, interactive courses in English, math, science, social studies, music and art for high school students. Classes meet with a teacher at scheduled times In rallying, the Scheduled Time of any crew is the time, calculated at the beginning of the event, that they should arrive at any given control. It is different from Due Time in that Due Time is dynamic, ie it can change throughout the event as competitors drop time; whereas over the school year. Credit for classes is at the discretion of the student's local high school. Contact: Babbage Net School, P.O. Box 144, Lake Grove Lake Grove is the name of several towns in the United States:
* Brigham Young University Brigham Young University, at Provo, Utah; Latter-Day Saints; coeducational; opened as an academy in 1875 and became a university in 1903. It is noted for its law and business schools. Independent Study: This program is fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. College-level courses are used as AP courses. There are no geographical limits for student eligibility. Contact: BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding Independent Study, c/o High School Programs, P.O. Box 21514, Provo Utah 84602-1514. 800-914-8931. coned.byu. edu/is/index.htm * CALCampus International Online Learning Center: This is a cooperative program The Cooperative Program is a unified funds collection program of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) designed to support SBC seminaries, mission agencies and denominational ministries. offered by CALCampus, a private on-line learning center, and American Academy The American Academy in Berlin is a non-partisan academic institution in Berlin. It was founded in September 1994 by a group of prominent Americans and Germans, among them Richard Holbrooke, Henry Kissinger, Richard von Weizsäcker, Fritz Stern and Otto Graf Lambsdorff and opened in . The program is intended primarily for students over 18 years of age who have completed 10th grade in a U.S. high school and who have worked for at least a year. Contact: CALCampus, P.O. Box 734, East Rochester East Rochester is the name of the following places in the United States:
* Center for Distance and Independent Study: This program, based at the University of Missouri, offers courses for high school credit that are accredited through the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. At least 10 high school courses are Web-based. Contact: CDIS CDIS Center for Distance and Independent Study CDIS Chengdu International School (Chengdu, China) CDIS Counter Drug Intelligence System CDIS Combined DNA Identification System CDIS Care Detail Information System , University of Missouri, 136 Clark Hall Clark Hall can refer to:
* Christa McAuliffe Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe (September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire who was selected from among more than 11,000 applicants to be the first teacher in space. She died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Academy: This accredited, private school allows students to choose their own mentor, all of whom are certified teachers A certified teacher is a teacher who has earned credentials from an authoritative source, such as the government, a higher education institution or a private source. These certifications allow teachers to teach in schools which require authorization in general, as well as allowing who live in various parts of the country. The monthly tuition is $199. The system emphasizes individualized instruction Individualized instruction is a method of instruction in which content, instructional materials, instructional media, and pace of learning are based upon the abilities and interests of each individual learner. over the Internet. Contact: CMA CMA - Concert Multithread Architecture from DEC. , 3601 W. Washington Ave., Yakima, Wash. 98903. 509-575-4989. www.cmacademy.org * CLASS (Communications, Learning and Assessment in a Student-centered System): The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Department of Distance Education provides asynchronous access to students and plans call for a full high-school diploma sequence to be available on-line by 2001. The independent study courses are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) is one of six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation. and the Nebraska Department of Education. Contact: Independent Study High School, Department of Distance Education, Division of Continuing Studies, 269 Clifford Hardin, Lincoln, Neb. 68583-9800. 402-472-4321. class.unl.edu * CyberSchool: This is a collection of high school credit-bearing courses offered to students worldwide. Typically, schools pay the tuition for courses taken by their students. Contact: CyberSchool, c/o Principal Jack Turner, 200 N. Monroe, Eugene, Ore. 97402-4295. 541-687-6939. www.cyberschool.k12.or.us * ECO E·co , Umberto Born 1932. Italian writer best known for his novels, including The Name of the Rose (1981). He has also written extensively on semiotics and British and American popular culture. 2000 Schools: This program, run by a consortium of 12 small school districts in Maine List of school districts in Maine A
tr.v. in·di·vid·u·al·ized, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·ing, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·es 1. To give individuality to. 2. To consider or treat individually; particularize. 3. so they can be fast-paced or slow-paced depending on each student's level of understanding and background. Contact: ECO 2000, P.O. Box 507, Washburn, Maine Washburn is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. It was incorporated on February 25 1861, and named after Israel Washburn, the governor of Maine at the time. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,627. 04786. 207-455-8301 www.eco2000.org/consortium/index.htm * Education Program for Gifted Youth The Education Program for Gifted Youth, at Stanford University, is a gifted education program which offers distance and residential summer courses for students of all ages. : Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. offers computer-based multimedia courses to high-ability students in mathematics, physics, expository writing Expository writing is a mode of writing in which the purpose of the author is to inform, explain, describe, or define his or her subject to the reader. Expository text is meant to ‘expose’ information and is the most frequently used type of writing by students in and computer programming. Credit is available through Stanford's Continuing Studies Program. Students who want to receive credit from their own high schools or middle schools must gain permission locally before enrolling. Contact: EPGY EPGY Education Program for Gifted Youth , Stanford University, Ventura Hall, Stanford, Calif. 94305-4115. 650-329-9920, ext. 351. www-epgy.stanford.edu * The Florida High School: This is a joint project between the Orange County and Alachua County school districts with support from the Florida Department Florida is a department (departamento) of Uruguay. Population and Demographics As of the census of 2004, there were 68,181 people and 21,938 households in the department. The average household size was 3.1. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. of Education. The mission is to make available a complete on-line high school that meets the requirements of the state graduation standards by the year 2001. Courses are offered to Florida students in grades 8 to 12, who live in counties that have signed an affiliation agreement. Contact: Florida High School, 445 West Amelia St., Orlando, Fla. 32801. 407-317-3200 ext. 2781.fhs.net * Indiana University Indiana University, main campus at Bloomington; state supported; coeducational; chartered 1820 as a seminary, opened 1824. It became a college in 1828 and a university in 1838. The medical center (run jointly with Purdue Univ. Independent Study: High school courses are open to all students who meet the prerequisites. They carry the same credit as similar courses offered in high school classrooms. Dual-credit courses are available. Contact: School of Continuing Studies, Indiana University, Owen Hall Owen Hall (10 April 1853 - 9 April 1907) was the pen name of Irish-born 19th and early 20th century theatre writer and theatre critic James Davis when writing for the stage. 001, Bloomington, Ind. 47405-5201. 800-334-1011. www.extend.indiana.edu/hs/enroll.htm * Mindquest Learning Network: This is the first on-line program designed expressly for adults and young adults (high school juniors and seniors) who want to complete a regular high school diploma A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED. via the Internet. Courses are free to Minnesota residents, but students anywhere in the world can earn a regular high school diploma from the Bloomington Public Schools on a tuition-agreement basis. Contact: Julie Williams Julie Williams, R.N. was a fictional character in the short-lived mid-1980's sitcom E/R. She was played by actress Lynne Moody. The Jefferson's perky niece The perky Julie was the able assistant to head nurse, Joan Thor. , Mindquest, Bloomington Public Schools, 8900 Portland Ave., Bloomington, Minn. 55420-2994. 612-729-6044. www.mindquest.org * Texas Tech University High School: This is a public high school, accredited by the Texas Education Agency to provide a state-approved curriculum through distance learning options. Students may earn a diploma or earn high school credits transferable to other public schools. At least 11 high school courses are delivered over the Internet. Contact: Extended Studies, Texas Tech University, Box 42191, Lubbock, Texas “Lubbock” redirects here. For other uses, see Lubbock (disambiguation). Lubbock is the 10th-largest city in the state of Texas.[1] Located in the northwestern part of the state—a region known historically as the Llano Estacado 79409-2191. 800-MY-COURSE. www.dce.ttu.edu/index.htm. * The University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Extension, Center for Media and Independent Learning: This program provides a core curriculum of high school courses that meet University of California's academic requirements. Students who wish to earn graduation or honors-level credit must obtain the approval of their high school principal or counselor. Courses are accessible through America Online See AOL. or the Internet. Contact: University of California Extension, Center for Media and Independent Learning, 2000 Center St., Suite 400, Berkeley, Calif. 94704. 510-642-4124. www-cmil.unex.berkeley.edu * University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. , Continuing Educational Program. This program offers courses that are self-paced, but must be completed within the term offered. Courses will be transcripted as regular University of Oregon credit. The university asks high school students to take the courses under supervision by their school. Contact: Community Education Program, 333 Oregon Hall, 1234 University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore. 97403-1234. 800-824-2714. center.uoregon.edu Susan Hall |
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