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‘Virtual school,’ Lee High security among topics on Huntsville board agenda

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The possible creation of a “virtual school” at New Century Technology High will be one topic of conversation at tonight’s Huntsville school board meeting.

The proposed program, which would be a first for Huntsville, would allow the district to offer academic support for homeschoolers in the city, Superintendent Casey Wardynski said Wednesday.

The board will also discuss a possible collaboration with Oakwood University to make Highlands Elementary School a “professional development school.”

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Can States and School Districts Cut Costs Through Digital Learning?

January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Digital learning represents wide-open terrain for K-12 education reform. Several states — Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Michigan and Minnesota — require students to take an online course to receive a high school degree. Twenty-seven states have established statewide full-time virtual schools since the first opened in 1997 in Florida, according to a report by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, an indication of virtual education’s growing appeal.

As with all innovations, though, there is always a question of cost for providing such new technologies, especially when states are providing less per-pupil funding.

A study released last week by the Education Center of Excellence at the Parthenon Group (commissioned by the conservative education think tank, the Fordham Institute) suggested that the costs of digital learning could be significantly less than more traditional modes. The authors cautioned that its findings must be interpreted with some caveats: costs vary across digital education platforms and different entities pursue online learning for different reasons (cost-savings versus enhanced offerings, for example).

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Sign On to National School Choice Week 2012!

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

National School Choice Week, a grass roots effort, will be held this year from January 22-28. Activities and events sponsored throughout the nation will focus on effective education options for all children and support of school choice options in all states. This is an opportunity to educate local school boards and state legislatures about the need for education reforms that empower parents to choose the best educational environments for their children, whether those environments are public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, virtual schools, private schools, homeschooling and more.

For the rest of the article, go to Sign On to National School Choice Week 2012!

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UAB instructor receives recognition for online teaching

January 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) -
An instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has been nationally recognized for his efforts to instruct over the internet.

Mickey Gee, with the UAB School of Business, was awarded the seal of recognition from the Quality Matters Program (QM) for his Basic Marketing class.

“It is a great honor and it is nice to see the UAB School of Business recognized for taking the lead in doing online learning right,” Gee says. “Our staff recognizes that access to education online is becoming more and more important and to do it right means a major commitment in time and resources.”

QM holds 40 quality standards that are reviewed by a team of three. The standards focus on objectives, learning activities, course materials and engagement.

“Online courses without interactivity and engagement with the instructor and other students are really just correspondence courses,” says Elizabeth Fisher, Ph.D., is the instructional design manager for the UAB School of Business and a certified QM peer reviewer. “We work hard to make sure students receive the high quality education and experience online that they expect from the UAB School of Business.”

Fisher has designed 40 online courses with 35 faculty members and plans to increase the online offerings. Her role is to ensure quality standards and best practices in online instruction by providing design and pedagogical support to faculty.

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Virtual schools are in session

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Thirty states plus the District of Columbia have full-time online schools. And while those schools only educate about 200,000 students nationwide, that number is growing by about 25 percent each year. Florida opened one of the first online schools in 1997 and the Florida Virtual School is now the nation’s largest. California alone has 16 virtual schools.

In 2006, Michigan became the first state to make completion of at least one online class a high school graduation requirement. Since then, Alabama and Florida have followed. Reasons for attending a virtual school include physical disabilities or medical conditions, bullying problems at school, living in remote areas, or having caretaker or financial responsibilities at home.

Virtual schools also serve students whose careers in the arts or athletics make traditional school attendance impossible.

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Cambridge Judge Business School delivers Leadership Programme for UNICEF

November 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Designed for UNICEF’s senior leaders, the Senior Leadership Development Programme will be delivered in study blocks for around 150 of UNICEF’s leadership team over a two-year period.

In a time of unprecedented internal and external change, including the introduction of new organisation-wide systems and processes, UNICEF determined the need for a competency-building, strategic and developmental leadership programme. The UNICEF leaders involved will benefit from a deeper understanding of team work and the drive for results, support in gaining a long-term strategic view, as well as having the opportunity to be challenged by a network of world-class faculty, sector experts and each other.

The duration of each group is seven months and the content is split into three study blocks covering key leadership areas and delivered globally at locations including UNICEF’s headquarters in New York and at Cambridge Judge Business School, UK. The programme utilises a blended learning approach of plenary faculty-led discussions, group coaching, individual mentoring, project work and online interaction and learning through a Virtual Learning Environment.

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The Growth of Virtual Learning (rebroadcast)

November 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The idea of virtual learning is growing in the American education system. More students from Kindergarten through 12th grade are learning in front of a screen rather than from a live teacher. While some say the format is cost efficient and tailored to each individual’s learning speed, others say essential components of the schooling system, such as development of social skills and hands on lessons, are being compromised in the process. Many educators are looking on with reluctant optimism as the virtual world expands in its implementation. Today we’re looking at education that favors computers over classrooms.

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Idaho ed board votes to require online classes

September 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho is a step closer to joining the handful of states that require students to take online courses.

The state Board of Education gave initial approval Friday to a rule requiring high school students to take at least two credits online to graduate, despite heavy opposition to the plan at public hearings across Idaho this summer.

Schools nationwide offer online classes but just three states — Alabama, Florida and Michigan — have adopted rules since 2006 to require online learning, according to the International Association of K-12 Online Learning in Washington, D.C. Proponents say online classes will help save money and help prepare students for college, where many courses are online. Opponents say they replace teachers with computers.

The online rules vary from state to state. Idaho would be the first to require two credits online.

Idaho’s education board drafted the online course requirements as part of new education changes that were signed into law earlier this year with backing from public schools chief Tom Luna and Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. Luna wanted students to take up to eight online course credits, but that provision was ditched during the 2011 session of the Idaho Legislature amid opposition from parents, teachers and some lawmakers.

An effort to require students to take four online credits was also ditched.

The legislation that was approved and signed into law instead directed the state Board of Education to draft standards governing the online course requirements. The board directed a subcommittee to decide how trustees would proceed in April and that panel mostly discussed making one or two online credits a requirement to graduate high scFor the rst of the article, go to Idaho ed board votes to require online classes.

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The New Home School

September 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Connections Academy is a virtual K-12 public school.  It’s one of many emerging options for parents who want kids schooled at home, but not necessarily home schooling.  Like a traditional public school, it’s free.  Virtual learning has been an option for college students for some time, but younger students thrive with more interaction.

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Birmingham to open 6 new schools this term; Jefferson County has 3 new buildings

August 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“We expect a lot of community involvement,” said Huffman Academy Principal Kathleen Lindsey. “We’re hoping that parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles will be excited about coming in and helping the students to learn.” Huffman’s features are similar to those at West End, but some differences set Huffman Academy apart.

Color-coded lockers on the second floor distinguish the three grades: yellow for third, green for fourth and purple for fifth.

Promethean boards will occupy the classrooms to expose the students to an interactive and virtual learning environment.

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