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Study of Miami-Dade’s Virtual Learning Lab Reveals Key Success Factors for “Blended Learning” Programs

December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 15, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — As online learning programs become prevalent in U.S. schools, school and district leaders, teachers, and policy makers are looking for the best ways to use technology to enhance learning. A new SRI International report, Implementing Online Learning Labs in Schools and Districts, provides such a guide for creating successful blended learning programs that can benefit many students.

The report summarizes lessons learned from the pilot year (2010-2011) of the Virtual Learning Lab program, a collaborative effort between the Miami-Dade County public school district—one of the largest in the country—and the Florida Virtual School—a state-wide, Internet-based public high school with the highest enrollment in the country. SRI researchers collected information on 5,500 students in 38 public high schools through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and site visits to seven schools.

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Virtual classroom takes root in Broome

October 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In 27 states — New York excluded — students are allowed to attend a virtual school full-time.

“It’s changing education and somewhat leveling the playing field by giving small schools, and remote schools, more access to resources,” said Liz Pape, president and CEO of Virtual High School Global Consortium, a non-profit organization, based in Maynard, Mass., that offers credit-bearing high school courses to students across the country and around the world. It’s among a number of organizations offering online learning programs to schools.

Some schools, notably Binghamton High School, have used online instruction for remedial work, allowing students the chance to earn credit for courses they failed.

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Thesys International Nominated for Online Learning Innovator Awards

October 18, 2011 By 1 Comment

ANAHEIM, CA, Oct 17, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Thesys International, a new education technology business that supports schools with a hybrid online/classroom approach to education is nominated for the 2011 Innovative Online Learning Practice Award. The honor is one of four bestowed each year by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) as part of its annual Online Learning Innovator Awards. The winners will be announced at the association’s Virtual School Symposium, held November 9-11 in Indianapolis.

The purpose of the Innovative Online Learning Practice Award is to recognize a person, school/program or organization whose innovative practices and policies serve as a model for K-12 online learning and can be replicated by other practitioners. Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh, a past recipient of an Online Learning Innovator Award and associate professor of educational technology at the University of Florida, nominated Thesys for the award.

“We feel honored and humbled to be nominated for the Innovative Online Learning Practice Award, especially by someone so respected in the field,” says Alan Rudi, Principal Solutions Strategist at Thesys International. “Innovation is a priority for Thesys, and is part of our process every step of the way as we develop programs to improve student outcomes through creative online/classroom approaches that engage the next generation of learners.”

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Sustainable Life Media Launches Monthly Editorial Series To Feature Guest Editors, Online Conversations, Open Source Insights

October 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 03, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Sustainable Life Media today launched its “Issues in Focus” initiative, featuring monthly expert guest editors and a robust month-long editorial series that tackles issues key to business innovation for sustainability. The first of the series, The New Metrics of Sustainable Business, launched online today and will continue throughout the month of October 2011 featuring R. Paul Herman and Nick Gower from HIP Investor as guest editors. Herman and his team have curated a wealth of submitted and recruited content that will be delivered daily throughout the month, showcasing leading edge examples of business metrics being used to value, measure, manage and help connect financial, environmental and social impact. The new “Issues in Focus” website section and daily newsletter content will be combined with hosted online learning discussions and crowd sourced commentary. The first month’s virtual learning will culminate in an in-depth, face-to-face gathering on Oct. 24th at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Here, business and thought leaders who are actively engaged in leading the effort on issues such as bringing eco-systems services on to the balance sheet, shifting people from an expense to an asset class, valuing industry collaboration and more, will gather to share challenges and learning.

“What we’ve heard from our community of sustainability and communications strategists is the need for a deeper and more comprehensive look at the many complex issues they face when making and managing sustainability commitments, taking a sustainable brand to market and managing it for the long haul,” said KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, CEO of Sustainable Life Media (SLM). “Adopting a monthly Issues focus allows us to create a more comprehensive view into specific issues being grappled with in our community — one that can become a spark for productive virtual, and in some cases, face to face conversation. ”

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Education activist urges online learning as alternative to failing schools

October 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One incorporates interactive computer software in traditional classrooms. Another, called the “blended” or “hybrid” model, combines online learning with classroom instruction. Finally, “virtual” schools are made up entirely of online lessons.

“The reason online learning is so important for all of us to understand is not only because it looks like it is the wave of the future,” he said. “It is also important because the early evidence shows that it improves the achievement of students.” Izumi described several online programs such as one used by the Rocketship Charter School in San Jose, which has achieved great success with a student population that is 93 percent Hispanic. He also referred to an autistic seventh-grader in Santa Cruz, who found that online lessons through the California Virtual Academy met his needs better than classroom teachers, because the computer programs adapted to his learning level.

“Ultimately, what we need to do to improve the performance of our schools is to increase competition in the education marketplace,” Izumi said. “Online education and virtual schools, charter schools, tuition tax credits and vouchers — all these different mechanisms would put pressure on the current public school system to improve.” Some in the audience praised Izumi’s ideas, while others were skeptical.

Jim Hunt, a Walnut Creek resident who teaches engineering at UC Berkeley, said most of the faculty there doubts the effectiveness of online learning, which the university system is exploring.

 

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Education activist urges online learning as alternative to failing schools

October 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Charter schools and online learning could help turn around underperforming campuses such as Clayton Valley High School in Concord, an education reform advocate said Friday.

Lance Izumi, who is an author and senior director for education at the Pacific Research Institute public policy think tank, said many school districts throughout the state and country are failing to adequately prepare students to be competitive with students around the world.

“In a recent survey, three quarters of Americans surveyed said that college is important to achieving success in life,” he said during a Contra Costa Taxpayers Association luncheon in Pleasant Hill. “However, less than half believed that their local high school was doing an excellent or good job at preparing students for college.”

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5 Surprising Perspectives About Online Schools

May 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Most people think of online learning as a quiet, solitary experience. But over the past few months, after interviewing students, parents, and educators, a different sort of picture has emerged. We’ve learned about who teaches and learns online, and why, what works and what doesn’t, and perhaps most importantly, whether online learning affords the same quality of education as that of traditional schools.

I spoke with Apex Learning CEO Cheryl Vedoe, one of the leading online curriculum providers to traditional and virtual schools; Maureen Cottrell, a science teacher at iHigh Virtual Academy in San Diego, California; Rian Meadows, an economics instructor at Florida Virtual School; Patti Joubert, the mother of two full-time Florida Virtual School students; and Carylanne and Christiane Joubert, her two daughters.

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New Survey Profiles 40 of America’s Earliest Blended-Learning Program

May 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Across America, a skyrocketing number of K-12 students are getting their education in a “blended-learning” environment, through programs that mix online learning into brick-and-mortar schools. Today, over 4 million students are participating in some kind of formal online-learning program, often blended into the traditional schoolhouse.

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Who’s Best Suited to Teach and Learn in Virtual Schools?

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Online learning is not easy, says Maureen Cottrell, a science teacher at iHigh Virtual Academy, a fully-accredited virtual public high school in San Diego, California. “Many students fully expect it to be easy and then bomb out.”

Cottrell, who’s been teaching for a decade, has spent the last two years at iHigh, the first completely online, diploma-granting school in the San Diego Unified School District.

“Sure, everyone wants to cut costs,” she says. “Virtual learning is seen as a tool for that. But I don’t think any educator just wants to cut costs” at the expense of quality. “One of the things we address from the ground up is keeping rigor in place.” Getting WASC accreditation and recognition from the University of California Doorways system was a rigorous process. “We fought a hard battle. We don’t want to lose that! We want to keep the rigor high.”

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Online learning program gives Simi students another way to earn credits

April 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Simi Valley Unified school board has approved the purchase of an online learning program that will allow students to recover credits this summer and attend a virtual school in the fall.

At a special meeting April 14, the board unanimously approved the purchase of the APEX Learning Digital Curriculum, which will operate from four computer labs at Simi Valley High School.

The purchase price of $55,050 includes one year of digital access to ClassTools Virtual containing general studies and Advanced Placement course materials and examination preparation tools for AP testing, California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Mathematics and CAHSEE English- Language Arts.

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