Sunday, March 30, 2014
Week 12 - Part 2: Virtual Schools
Virtual Schools - Part 2
After reading the articles on virtual schools and online classes this week, I was most surprised to read that Michigan was one of the first states in the country to create a graduation requirement for high school students which mandates some form of online learning experience prior to graduation. This information was new to me, and I have been teaching for 12 years. I was also surprised to read the facts about Michigan Virtual High Schools, and how quickly they have gained new courses, new students, and new instructors over the last 10 years. It was unbelievable to read about the growth of these aspects of online learning in the K-12 setting from one year to the next.
Before the readings from this week, I reported that in my school district, students were taking advantage of the virtual classroom from two different avenues. One was the group of students that wished to take advanced classes online that were not available within our district. The other group of students that were benefiting from the online classes were the students that were trying to regain credit in a class that they had previously failed. The readings on virtual schooling addressed both of these groups of students as some of the students that have been reaping the benefits of online classes.
In regards to the "Top Ten Myths About Virtual Schools," before these readings I was under the false impression that "Online students are isolated and therefore will be socially disadvantaged." I always felt that it was important for students to be exposed to others students in a classroom setting for the social interaction. I can now see the advantages of online learning for the students that are shy in the traditional classroom setting. Before this class, I was also under the misunderstanding that "Online courses lack interaction." I have had more interaction with this class and the professor, than I have had with the majority of my classmates and professors in my other Master's classes. It is nice to know that even though a course is online, one-on-one interactions will frequently occur with other students in the class and with the instructors.
I think that online classes and virtual schools have the capability of being very beneficial to all students. It is astonishing to see how much progress has been made over the past 10 years in regards to the virtual schooling of high school students. I can only imagine that this will also begin to have an impact on the younger students as well over the upcoming years!
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Ok, I did read about Michigan and where virtual schooling is there, but I live in TN and also look at their stats. Though not as early as MI, we do now offer virtual schooling across the state, and my district, Hamilton County, is providing the courses to many other districts. What impressed me was the opportunity for students in small rural areas to take classes online that they would never otherwise have had the chance too. That is what I would have enjoyed in hs, the chance to take courses that maybe not anyone else at my school might have been interested in.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is important for students in smaller, rural communities to have the opportunity to experience various classes that their districts may not offer.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I have two students who are taking courses through Michigan Virtual School. One student is taking Mandarin online because it is not offered in our school. The other student is taking Calculus online because she was not able to fit our Calculus into her schedule., Both of these individuals are honor students., and are thoroughly enjoying their online experience. However, they both have stated that the classes are a lot of work, and they could not imagine taking all of their classes online.
ReplyDeleteIt is different when the classes are online, you feel that you have all the time in the world, but the assignments are due on time. It is all about time management.
DeleteThe progress that I learned about in this weeks reading was astonishing to me as well. I had no idea about the requirement to graduate either. Reflecting on it though, it does make perfect sense. More and more frequently students will find themselves in the same situation we are in. The program that they are interested in is only offered online at their chosen university and they need to have the skills to take the classes and succeed.
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