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Virtual School Preparedness and Ongoing Support Needs

Virtual School Preparedness and Ongoing Support Needs. Module 6 Wiki Assignment Donald Thornton Jr. EDLD871. Introduction.

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Virtual School Preparedness and Ongoing Support Needs

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  1. Virtual School Preparedness and Ongoing Support Needs Module 6 Wiki Assignment Donald Thornton Jr. EDLD871

  2. Introduction • Per the requirements of EDLD871, this presentation sets out to relay issues and challenges on the topics of preparedness and ongoing support to district personnel as they seek to develop online learning for K-12 students. • Specifically, this presentation focuses on fivemain areas: • Self Assessments • Learning styles • Technical Requirements • Pedagogical considerations • Ethical considerations

  3. First Things First: Why virtual schools? • Barbour & Reeves (2009) compiled the following list of benefits: • Higher levels of motivation • Expanding educational access • Providing high-quality learning opportunities • Improving student outcomes and skills • Allowing for educational choice • Administrative efficiency (p. 409). • Districts should consider the move into the 21st century with their own virtual school initiatives. Districts should embrace the newest technologies to educate the students and help them succeed in today’s world.

  4. Self Assessment • One of the first questions students may ask is, “Is online learning for me?” • Dr. Lynn Schrum of the University of Georgia has created SORT (Student Online Readiness Tool) to help students answer that question. • The SORT process asks a series of questions on the following topics: • Technology experience • Access to tools • Study habits • My Lifestyle • Goals and Purposes • Learning preferences (Martinez, Torres, & Giesel, 2006)

  5. Self Assessment 2 • It is my recommendation to the district to have students interested in an online course to take the SORT or another like tool. • The SORT provided by the Louisiana Board of Regents can be accessed by clicking on the following link: • http://yourcallla.org/sort-tool/html/tool.html

  6. Learning Styles • Mupinga, Nora, & Yaw (2006) sum it up best by stating, “Each student comes to class with certain learning experiences, expectations, and needs that have to be addressed, and to which instructors need to be sensitive, to maximize the students’ learning experiences” (p. 185). • One of the more common surveys to gain a better understanding as to what personality style and learning style the students fit is the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, which can be taken at the following website: • http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html#Inventory

  7. Learning Styles Continued • In their 2006 study, Mupinga, Nora, & Yaw found that no particular learning styles stood out more than others. This means that, as a district, you should make sure that the online programs include activities that accommodate a wide range of learning styles. • Research by Singh & Reed (2001) notes that “while learning styles do vary by individual, different communities frequently share learning style preferences” (p. 5). • It is recommended that to better personalize the instruction, students should take a learning styles inventory such as the Myles-Briggs Type Inventory. Doing so can allow the district to better align content and activities that best suit the students.

  8. Technical Requirements • For students to be successful in an online environment, they must have the right hardware and software. • The next slide represents the technical requirements for the Florida Virtual School (a gold standard) and those of the Louisiana Virtual School. • For school based labs, it is imperative that the labs meet such qualifications. • Outdated equipment must be updated. Obsolete equipment must be replaced.

  9. Technical Requirements Continued Florida Virtual School Louisiana Virtual School PC with 400 MHz or faster Processor (faster recommended) Windows XP SP3 or higher Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor CD/DVD-ROM drive USB port High speed internet access Sound card, speakers, headphones, and a microphone Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or higher web browser • Minimum of 10 gigabytes free HDD space • High Speed such as Cable or DSL • Windows XP, Vista or 7 • Microsoft Office, Open Office or Google Docs) • 512 MB Ram • 12x CD-ROM (CD/DVD Recommended) • Display setting 1024x768 resolution • Printer required • Internet Explorer version 8.0 or higher or Firefox version 3.6 or higher or Safari 4.0 or higher • Students need a method to save work to a portable medium (Floppy, Zip, CD, USB) • Audio: Sound card with speakers, microphone or headset

  10. Miscellaneous Considerations • Using Khan’s Octagonal Framework, two other major considerations are at play when preparing the district for virtual school initiatives: pedagogical and ethical (Singh, 2003). • The pedagogical aspect deals with “the combination of content to be delivered (content analysis), the learner needs (audience analysis), and learning objectives (goal analysis)” (Singh, 2003, p. 54). • The district must determine who will decide on these factors in-house, or to use a commercial software content package already aligned to the state standards.

  11. Miscellaneous Considerations Continued • Ethical considerations such as “equal opportunity, cultural diversity, and nationality should be addressed” (Singh, 2006 p. 54). • Will the district have in place a recruitment process or a selection process that makes sure all ethnicities are represented in the virtual school initiative?

  12. Summary • Establishing virtual school initiatives is no easy task. Many facets must be considered. When preparing your district to establish such a system, keeping the elements discussed in this presentation at the forefront will help ensure that your system will provide students with the appropriate services and support essential to their success. • We as educators aim to develop the students of today into the leaders of tomorrow. Districts should make an effort to take the next step and venture into virtual school initiatives, embracing the technologies that will help students compete in a truly global society.

  13. References Barbour, M.K. & Reeves, T.C. (2009). The reality of virtual schools: A review of the literature. Computers & Education, 52(2009), 402-416. Retrieved (2012, July 12) from http://michaelbarbour.com/research/pubs/CAE1241.pdf Florida Virtual School. (2012, July 13). Hardware/Software Requirements. Retrieved from http://www.flvs.net/areas/flvscourses/Pages/HardwareRequirements.aspx Louisiana Virtual School. (2012, July 13). FAQs. Retrieved from http://www.louisianavirtualschool.net/faq.xml#7 Martinez, S., Torres, H., & Giesel, V. (2006). Online student support services: A best practices monograph. Retrieved (2012, July 13) from http://www.onlinestudentsupport.org/Monograph/readiness.php Mupinga, D.M., Nora, R.T., & Yaw, D.C. (2006). The learning styles, expectations, and needs of online students. College Teaching, 54(1), 185-189. Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. (2012, July 14). Retrieved from http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html#Inventory

  14. References Continued Singh, H. (2003). Building effective blended learning programs. Educational Technology, 43(6), 51-54. Singh, H. & Reed, C. (2001). Achieving success with blended learning. Retrieved (2012, July 13) from http://chriscollieassociates.com/BlendedLearning.pdf SORT. (2012, July 14). Retrieved from http://yourcallla.org/sort-tool/html/tool.html

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