Distance Education in Virtual Schools

There are a number of pros and cons to consider in relation to virtual schools.

Pros
1.Flexible Scheduling
The responsibilities of an online teacher are more flexible than those of a traditional teacher. It is possible to have another job while teaching classes online. While teaching at a virtual school usually requires teachers to be accessible and respond quickly to students and guardians, it does not require them to spend their time in the strictly structured manner of a regular school.

2. Geographical Freedom
Teachers must meet requirements to teach students in different states, but they do not need to physically be in a particular geographic location. This opens huge doors. Teachers have more options for where they want to look for jobs. They are no longer limited to the place where they live. Potentially, a teacher could teach from home, or while in a foreign country. And there is no commute.

3. Accomodates Unique Students
Virtual learning can be a better option for students who are unique. Families who travel frequently could benefit. Some of the schools target accelerated learners, and claim that virtual learning will give them the support that they need.

4. Removes Distractions/Self-Paced Learning/Optimal Study Times
Virtual learning lets learners and their guardians take control of the study environment. One of the great things about virtual schools is that it removes students from distractions and bad influences. A lot of students struggle to cope with the distraction of being with thirty of their peers. They can get off task, face embarrassment, or be pushed into unhealthy decisions and attitudes. Virtual learning lets students or their guardians have more control. They can create their own study environment, and their own schedule. This allows the family to create "school time" that they can support. If students or guardians need to have school be at 9 pm, they are free to do so.

5. Virtual Learning Allows Exploration of New Skills
Online tools are becoming more powerful and creative. Virtual learning makes students interact with this world every day, and gives them a place to try new ideas and to succeed. Some students have developed interests because of virtual learning that they never would have developed without it.

Cons
1. Less Flexibility in Curriculum and Learning Experiences
At Insight Schools the curriculum is pre-designed. Because virtual schools are still new and highly scrutinized, it makes sense that they would carefully monitor and dictate what is taught, taking away from teachers some of their freedom to express individual teaching styles.

2. Removed from the Classroom Experience
Students are not in the classroom to get the spontaneous learning experiences that happen there. Interaction with peers is one of the best learning tools. In a virtual school, students miss these elements.

3. Harder to Foster Student-Teacher Relationships
There is only so much that you can know about someone when you are removed from them. As much as we rely on telephone and internet to connect with friends, we all know that there is nothing like personal contact. I feel that this is true with online learning. The student-teacher interaction is more limited and incomplete than it is in a real classroom. Communication is another important issue. Misunderstandings occur more easily over the telephone and e-mail than they seem to do in person.

4. Intensive Guardian/Personal Responsibility
Online learning is not going to be a good option for many students because it requires either great personal responsibility or great help from another source. Many kids are not going to have either of these resources. The motivation to do homework when it's removed from a classroom situation is difficult to obtain.

5. Technology Itself
Technology can be a great tool, but sometimes it seems like the enemy as well. I think that every college student has a story about the time the computer didn't save their paper, their e-mail inexplicably stopped working, they had the wrong e-mail address, their phone died, their printer ran out of ink, they couldn't figure out blackboard, their internet died, or a hundred other technology related problems. Computers can cause bad posture, tired eyes, and carpel tunnel. I personally, hate staring at a computer screen. I worry about teaching kids at an early age that staring at a screen is a good way to live and learn. With so many kids overweight, disconnected from books, and disconnected from nature, I wonder if online learning is really a good choice.

And Other Thoughts

Teachers who make virtual schools work are going to have to be unique. They do have to have the passion and commitment that is essential to teachers in general. They have to be certified in the state that the online courses are offered in. They need to be familiar with technology, comfortable with technology, and committed to making it work. They have to be able to devote a lot of time to this. It's a real job. Some schools require that teachers respond to all questions within twenty-four hours and that they hold "office hours" as well. Grading of papers has to be efficient. Overall online teaching require a lot of organization and work.

One thing I found interesting was the parental and home involvement. One of the websites that I looked at had itineraries for grade school children. These were very intensive for the guardians. As I read through what a typical day looks like, I was reminded of my own childhood. I was homeschooled all through grade school. There were interruptions to do chores and to interact with my family, just like I saw on this itinerary. As reluctant as I am from the viewpoint of a teacher to validate this and give up control, from a homeschooler's viewpoint it's a great thing to have options and for the family to be able to have more control over education than the government. I think that if I believe that virtual students are supported by their families, I can support virtual schools. (Note: Many homeschoolers that I know hate online learning because they see it as a political move to eliminate families' rights to control their kid's curriculum.)

Virtual schools could gain a lot of credibility over the next few years. Many of the problems are being addressed. Teaching at a virtual school could definitely be something that I, or colleagues seriously consider. Maybe it will even provide competition between online and traditional. I would hope that online learning would siphon off some of the more difficult learners and give them better, more personalized options. However, I think that because of the needs of online learners for accountability and support that it is more likely that the motivated students or students with strong family support will leave. Hopefully, schools will make this more commonplace by making it less of and all-or-nothing thing and making virtual schooling a component of regular classes.

Concept Mapping

I enjoyed this software. Concept Mapping software's strengths are that it would benefit visual learners,and help students outline. I love seeing the visual relationships turned into a crisp outlin. I can invision young learners benefiting from that example of structuring. Also, I would use the software if I found that it signifigantly helped my visual learners. This software is fun and has obvious strengths.

The software has many capabilities but is eary enough to use that I am already fairly comfortable with it. However, I feel that many of the tasks it does can be accomplished, I admit less elegantly, with ordinary pen and ink. I am reluctant to introduce and make my students dependent on such an obscure tool, when many classrooms already use graphic organizers that are similar, just less flashy.


Concept Map Example

Teacher Web Reflections

1. Describe how you see the use of a class web site could support your future teaching. Describe at least 3 ways how you see the use of a class web site could be used to support your future teaching. Provide specific details for each example.

A web site is a valuable way to communicate with parents. They can see who I am, what my expectations are, and what specific things are going on in my class.

It’s useful to represent yourself and your school to the community. Community involvement is a key, and often missing component for schools. Having a place to dialogue with and introduce yourself to the community.

A class website is a useful storage device for dates and information. From any place with internet connections, you can check the work online. As a teacher, I can remind myself of dates and homework that I’ve assigned. Likewise my students can access this information.

2. Identify what you see as the top 2 ways students could use a class web site to enhance their learning and provide some justifications for your selections.

A class website can be used to give students guidance as they surf the web. They can follow links to good sites. There are so many good websites out there, but there are also many sites that are worthless, either because they are not educational, or because they have faulty information. The web can be an interactive tool that students can use for research and learning. Providing students with ease of access to valuable internet experiences is important.

It’s easy for students to be absent, be having a bad day, or just not be paying attention. A class website gives them a place to catch up on anything that they might be missing. I could post homework, outlines, activities, and schedules for them to access. This allows them to be proactive and take more responsibility for their own learning. Because I want to create learners, not completed assignments, I think this is a very good thing.


3. Think about the page types and features of the Teacher Web system. What do you feel where the 2 strongest features or page types within the Teacher Web system? Why do you see these as the strongest?

I think the “About Me” page is one of the strongest features in Teacher Web, because the pictures make it engaging. It gives students and guardians a chance to get a sense of who is teaching their kids. It provides a professional, but fun view of the teacher. I think it’s an effective tool.

I also think that the features that allow teachers to provide links for their students to explore are effective. These connect directly to what the student is doing when they access Teacher Web, exploring the internet. They can familiarize students with resources. As a college student, when I find good resources, I use them over and over again. Guiding students in their learning, and exposing them to interesting stories, pictures, and activities, is one of a teacher’s goals. Links to good websites are a commonsense way to accomplish this.

Blogs and Wikis in Education

I spent some time exploring educational focused wikis and blogs on the web. There were a number of blogs by teachers which discussed teaching theories, writings, and opportunities. Because teaching is by nature a collaborative profession, blogs are a great resource for keeping connected to what is happening in the field. I also found wikis where teachers had posted notes, syllabi, and other resources for students to use in their studies. Lastly, blogs are being used for student writing. Students can post their work in a blog where it can easily be accessed by the teacher, and where they can share it with the world.

RSS readers/aggregators collect information from the web and keep it in one place. Using an aggregator is a good way to organize the mass amount of information on the Web. Using an aggregator will help students access information, especially news, without being lost or distracted in the surrounding information. If I had them set up their own aggregators, I could give them a few sources that I want them to stay current with. The aggregator would tell them what they have already read.

There are good reasons to and to not use blogs and wikis in the classroom. Blogs and wikis have a more interactive nature which definitely could get students more engaged. Another valid reason to use blogs and wikis is that technology’s importance in our society cannot be overstated. Kids are going to need to be familiar with technology in their adulthoods. Schools need to prepare them. The biggest argument against using blogs and wikis is the problem of access. Schools have a limited amount of computers and doing projects on them takes a lot of planning and coordination. Another problem is the fact that using technology takes time away from my content area. Starting up computers and troubleshooting can be time consuming and downright frustrating. Technology has a place in classrooms, but it’s a matter of balance.

MI in the Classroom

For my Technology in the Classroom Course, we have been exploring Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences and its place in the classroom. Colleen's summary of the theory is that individuals all have different areas that they are "smart" in. Some of Gardner's areas are mathematical, interpersonal, and kinesthetic. The website surfaquarium.com provided more insight into each of these areas.

There were two areas of intelligences that I tested highly in. I'm not entirely convinced of the accuracy of the test that we took. I think I got tired of the questions and myself by the end and it may have been skewed by that. But in any case, I have intrapersonal and naturalistic "intelligences."

Naturalistic intelligence is, of course, a sense of the workings of nature. It includes a lot of organizational and classification abilities. One of the naturalistic characteristics (say that three times fast) that I relate to is hierarchal reasoning. I am constantly outlining ideas in my head or on paper, ranking and rearranging ideas as necessary. The magnetism of that order is seen in much of my writing and reasoning. I want know where things fit in the overall scheme of things. Students with naturalistic intelligences like to collect and sort things and are engaged by the natural world.

I think that this is an exciting sort of student to have. They have instinctive organization and curiosity which will help them to be successful. In my English classroom, I am going to rely on readings and analogies to nature to help me reach these students. Nature is a wonderful illustration because it is so tangible and expansive. In addition, I will provide projects which allow for classification, charts and graphs which are useful to this kind of students, and practice with the research and scientific writing which some of these students may need. I also intend to let my room be a place where the beauty of the natural world is celebrated. I believe that naturalistic intelligence can be fostered in such an atmosphere.

My other area of strength was intrapersonal intelligence, an intelligence which is demonstrated in reflection and awareness about oneself and one's world. One of its characteristics is self-regulation, keeping yourself in line. I am quite aware of what I'm doing. While that usually keeps me out of trouble, it also makes it hard for me to take risks. Students with this kind of intelligence are strongly connected and aware of their feelings, morals, actions, and reasoning.

This student needs time to reflect on learning, themselves and the events that are going on around them. They are generally able to communicate their troubles and wishes. I am going to reach them by using examples that pertain to social issues, because those are topics which will engage this kind of learner. Writer's journals, which I strongly believe in, are also going to be successful. In addition, I intend to ask students to set their own goals and reflect on their performances, activities which help these self-regulating students do what they tend towards. Technologies such as journals, surveys, polls, and self-assessments should be effective in aiding students with intrapersonal intelligence.

The theory of multiple intelligences reminds me that I find it easiest to learn when I am treated a certain way. In my classroom, I want to make sure that at least sometimes students are giving opportunities to use their strengths to build their learning. Each student has individual strengths. It's my responsibility, as a teacher, to show them how to use those strengths effectively in the classroom.

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