Virtual Schools

How would you determine the readiness of students to participate in distance delivery?
Students who are interested in distance education must not feel the need to be a part of a class in the traditional sense. They need to be self-motivated with fantastic time-management skills. They must be able to understand material without direct class discussion and must have a basic understanding of technology. Students must also have patience for technology and understand that things may potentially go wrong so they must plan ahead. If a student generally waits until the last minute to complete assignments, they may not be ready for distance education. Students must have the required technology to use virtual education and time and energy to put forth on this type of education.

What would you need to do to be able to teach in a virtual school?
A virtual teacher is required to have a bachelor’s degree in education as well as some teaching experience. They also need experience in the technology field. However, not all teachers need to be national board certified. A very small percentage of the teachers at Florida Virtual School are national board certified (scary!).
It is important that virtual school teachers are able to remain excited while teaching in this environment. Since there is no student/teacher interaction, it is difficult to connect with students and know their learning styles. Teachers must be able to find a way to work around these obstacles and teach to each individual student.



Pros to Virtual Schools
1. Virtual schools provide an individualized approach to learning. Students can create their own learning plan and find a method that works for them. If students are not doing well in the traditional school environment, a virtual school may be more effective because it can be tailored to fit each individual student.
2. Virtual schools provide education for accelerated learners. Some students do not do well in the traditional school atmosphere because they are “gifted” and thus are not challenged at school. Virtual schools may be more suitable to challenge these students and give them the advanced education that they need.
3. Virtual schools provide an alternative for students who are not fit for the typical school setting. Some students struggle with the traditional school system for other reasons. If a student is not succeeding in the traditional setting, a virtual school may be more suitable. Sine they can tailor their program, and do it from home, they may be able to receive and education that they otherwise may miss out on. This could keep struggling students in school or provide an education for a student who cannot leave the house due to illness or cannot go to traditional school due to constant relocating etc. This may also be an option for teen mothers who need to stay home with their children or students that need to work to support their family and would otherwise miss out on an education.
4. Virtual schools allow students to tap into courses anytime, anywhere. For students who cannot be at school at a specific time everyday, virtual schools are ideal. They are able to do their schoolwork anywhere they have access to a computer. They do not have to sit down and do it in one consecutive block of time. This may suit some students better than the traditional method of education.
5. Virtual schools are tuition free. Since virtual schools are public, they do not cost anything. However, students must be able to afford a computer to work on. The cost of the schooling is nonexistent but there are other costs involved.

Cons to Virtual Schools
1. Virtual schools require more time than traditional schools. Students must be able to manage their time to complete the work. This is both a con and a pro because time-management skills are very important for students. This may be difficult for some students who are not used to this different method of schooling. It is easy to leave all of the work to the end of the semester since students are able to set their own pace. Students must be sure that they are able to finish all of the work by the final deadline.
2. Virtual schools require self-discipline and commitment that some Elementary students have not yet developed. These are not for students who are indecisive and unable to stick to something. Virtual schools are difficult and require commitment from the student as well as the family. If the family does not support their child in this alternative method of education, it could be very difficult for the child to succeed. Self-discipline is an important trait to have in life, but many students have not yet learned how to push themselves without a teacher’s influence. Students who do not possess this trait will not be able to succeed in a distance education program. Their parents or guardians must keep their children on track and help teach them the self-discipline required for distance education and life. If parents do not teach this, students will not be able to utilize virtual schools.
3. Virtual schools do not have face to face student-teacher interaction. Without this direct interaction, students do not form the relationship with their teachers that they are able to form in the traditional classroom. This relationship is an important part of a child’s schooling. Education is not only about the curriculum material, it is about relationships and life skills. I am worried that virtual schools do not teach these important things to children.
4. Virtual schools do not provide the socialization that students receive in traditional schools. A big part of elementary school is learning how to make friends and socialize with other students. Since virtual skills do not provide direct student interaction, children may not learn how to interact properly with others. It is very important that, if a child chooses distance education, they are given the opportunity to socialize and learn these important skills. These social skills are necessary in many aspects of life and are important to form in school.
5. In a virtual school environment, students may not always complete their own work. There is very little accountability in this respect. For example, a student is able to have a parent or friend complete the work and submit it as their own. In this case, the student is not benefitting or learning any of the material and their education is pointless.

Teacher Web Critique

1. 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.
I think that a class website could be used in a variety of classrooms. In an elementary classroom, a class website could be used to communicate information to parents. Since children rarely remember to bring things home to their parents, this could be a very important communication tool. Children could also use this site with parental guidance.
In a middle or high school class, a class website could be geared more to the students. Teachers could require their students to check this daily to get their homework or class announcements. Middle or high school students need less parental direction on the computer so they could access this on their own. However, a teacher could still use the website to communicate information to parents.
In a special education classroom, a class website could be very useful. You could create a profile for each student that could be viewed by other teachers and parents. This could be helpful if you have students that leave the self contained special-education classroom. Their teachers would be able to access information on their special needs students. Students in the class as well as their parents would also be able to view the website to get class announcements.

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.
There are many ways that students could use a class website to enhance their learning. The top two ways I can see them used is to post grades and to post announcements and homework. By posting grades on the website, students are able to look up where they stand. If they are missing any assignments, they will be able to look for them before they go to the teacher. This will also eliminate the distraction of having students come up to their teacher every day to ask about their grades.
If the class website posts announcements and homework assignments, then students are able to access that information from home. This eliminates the excuse that they didn’t know it was due. It also allows students who were absent to access the homework assignment. This also allows parents access to their child’s class news, homework, and grades.

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 especially liked the links pages on teacher web. These allowed you to post links to sites that students can use. They could also use these to navigate from the teacher web to the teacher blog etc. This is very convenient for students as these URLs are hard to remember.
I also liked the grade book page. Students are able to check their own grades by typing in their student ID. However, they are not able to see their classmates grades since they do not have each other’s IDs. This can also be accessed by their parents. This page is very nice for students to have because they do not have to ask the teacher about their grades because they are able to track them on their own.

Blogs and Wikis in Education

Blogs and Wikis are being used in numerous ways. Some teachers are having their students keep photo journals for one year similar to D’Arcy Norman’s 365 Photos. Others are integrating students from Shanghai American School and Zurich International School in an Economics Wiki. This Wiki brings together diverse students and provides Economics resources. One teacher refers to her class blog as a “home away from home” comparing each part of the blog to a room in the house. She invites her students to explore their new house. By relating a blog to something comfortable like a home, her students may be more likely to accept the technology.RSS readers and aggrigators may be used in the classroom to track a particualr blog that the class is following. The class may also make their own blog and place it online to be picked up by this software.Blogs and Wikis have both positive and negative sides. Both teach students how to use technology in a positive way. By starting early, students may become more comfortable on the computer. They also halp connect students to other children around the world. A student may share a blog or work on a Wiki with another student half way across the world. This may also be dangerous because you never know who is online. Students could possibly run into someone dangerous on the internet. They could also come across something innappropriate while online. It is important to teach students about technology and expose them to different types of learning but, if a teacher relies to heavily on the computer, students may loose out on developing interpersonal skills. If they sit behind a computer all day, they may not be able to communicate effectively face to face.

Engaging Students with Concept Mapping

1. Concept mapping software could provide a very positive addition to the classroom. This would help address every learning style and intelligence. While some students think in a very linear way (like me), others prefer a different way to organize ideas. By proving the option of concept mapping, those students would have an outlet for their ideas. This could help students brainstorm ideas for a paper, organize and review thoughts before a test, or plan how they will complete a large project.

2. This software may take some time to learn but it could be worth it if it could help reach a student that may not otherwise be engaged. This process depends on how computer savvy the teacher is. Before coming into T&L 445, I was very technologically illiterate but after this class I am more likely to integrate something like concept mapping software into my classroom. If the teacher is able to learn how to work and teach the software before (s)he introduces the class, the students will be able to grasp the concept and use the program to their advantage.



This is an example of a concept map.

Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

Meghan Converse
18 September 2008

Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences, and Impacts on Student Learning and Your Teaching

After reviewing Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, I found that I excel mainly in the kinesthetic and interpersonal intelligences. My highest score fell in the category of interpersonal intelligence. This came as no surprise as I have always enjoyed doing hands on work as well as interacting with other people. This has been apparent throughout my schooling as well as in my everyday life.
Several of the defining characteristics of the interpersonal intelligence are collaborative skills, leadership, and social empathy. I have always enjoyed working with others in a group setting. This skill falls under the collaborative core characteristic and perfectly fits my learning style. I have also held leadership positions in a variety of clubs. I enjoy leading a group and putting ideas into action. Social empathy is the characteristic that best fits my personality. I have had an awareness and concern for others since I was a small child. This has been exemplified in my volunteer work with the YMCA as well as my intentions to join the Peace Corps.
Generally, students with this type of intelligence behave similarly in the classroom. For instance, they tend to solicit input from others. They also enjoy collaborative work and sharing about themselves. They value relationships and seek the support of a group. As the core characteristics of this intelligence imply, students tend to be natural leaders. They also display a “winning” personality. While you can not describe a student based solely on one of their intelligences, many students with interpersonal intelligence display these characteristics.
As a teacher, I will teach towards all intelligences. To reach interpersonal students, I will allow plenty of group work. Many of these students would like to pick their own groups. I will be careful to create a balance of group work where students get to choose their partners and group work with assigned groups so many different students get to work together. I will also assign roles in cooperative groups. In my classroom, competition wick be used as a means of promoting higher lever achievement. Lastly, I will create lessons around dramatic activity so that students may role play. This will help engage students who excel in the interpersonal intelligence.
There is a wide array of technology that stimulates interpersonal intelligence. They generally encourage communication among students. Among them are: telephones, walkie-talkies, board games, class discussions, greeting cards, and message boards. These will help engage students with interpersonal intelligence as well as prompt students who tend to keep to themselves to branch out.
By looking more closely at Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, I am more aware of ways to engage all students in the classroom. Not only will I teach to students with my own intelligences, I will design activities to reach students who excel in different areas than I do. I will also be more apt to notice where my students excel. I plan to use the surfaquarium website throughout my teaching career to help me teach to these students.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog created for T&L 445! I am excited to see how I could use this in my future classrooms.