Daleville to sponsor virtual charter school

DALEVILLE — The Daleville Community School Board on May 23 voted to sponsor a virtual charter school.

Public school districts have been allowed to sponsor charter schools since 2001, but until recently charter schools had to have physical buildings students could attend, at least part of the time, according to Daleville Supt. Paul Garrison.

That requirement was eliminated during the 2011 legislative session, however, allowing for completely “virtual” charter schools that would offer all their classes online.

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Alabama to receive local help

Open enrollment for Sarasota Virtual School will begin Monday for the 2011-12 academic year.

The first day of school is Aug. 22.

The virtual school is a district public school that provides a full-time online learning option for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

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More than one way to get your high school diploma

“Most of our timetable is compulsory courses. Then they can use paid co-op to get elective courses. In a matter of a year they can get all their compulsories here – then they can get job experience out of here,” said Nunn. “For many students who are frustrated with the system – they can get their compulsories and get off into the world of work.”

For students looking for science and math credits to prepare them for college, twice a year the centre offers on-line virtual courses in senior college sciences.

“It’s virtual but it gives students from different centres the chance to get that college-level science or math course,” he said.

He also suggests some students use the virtual learning school that is available to earn four high school credits.

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Alabama city to try full day of school online

Those are the ingredients for a full day of school — online. Teachers at Mountain Brook schools are getting ready for the system’s first e-day, which will allow students to receive instruction and assignments over the Internet.

Mountain Brook studied how to implement e-days for about six months, and the need to make up two school days because of January’s snowfall presented an opportunity. School officials consulted schools which have had e-days in Ohio, New Jersey and Kentucky.

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Grading online learning

Today’s students learn online. They learn about what their friends are doing through Facebook. They get the latest songs though iTunes. They connect with each other and with information outlets without leaving home or, for that matter, leaving their seats.

To them, the idea of online learning seems natural.

The question, however, is whether this is the best way to teach what is traditionally taught to K-12 students to get them ready for their coming years.

The advantages of online learning are obvious.

Online learning is convenient, and those who design and administer educational programs love convenience.

Online learning is versatile. It allows students to take subjects that they could not otherwise take. (Gov. Bob Riley touted online education as a way to give rural children whose schools could not offer advanced courses the same advantages urban schools have.)

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VirtualEDU.org Offers Online High School & Middle School Classes for Under $50 a Month

“VirtualEDU announced today that it will begin providing all of their 200 fully accredited high school online classes to students for a subscription price of just $49.95 per month. With critical funding shortfalls in all in states, we are concerned that rapidly increasing class sizes will severely reduce student learning,” stated Executive Director Dana Delane. “We are offering a class size of one through the individualized instruction that can occur through online learning to school districts, charter schools, independent schools and parents who want to see their students succeed.”

Blended learning, where students take both online and live classes, and online learning have dramatically increased in the past few years as more and more schools provide online classes for credit recovery, summer school and to offer subjects where there is no available on-site teacher. The Los Angeles Times reported that LA Unified school district has gone from just 300 students using online credit recovery last year to over 2,500 this year. According to Clayton Christensen, author of Disrupting Class, “In the year 2000, roughly 45,000 K-12 students took an online course. In 2009, more than 3 million K-12 students did.”

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Distance learning connects classes in every Alabama high school

Wesley Minor didn’t want much. Just a shot at an advanced education he couldn’t get at Cordova High School.

Savanah Gilbert didn’t want much, either. She had spent so much energy pushing the academic boundaries at Oak Grove High School that she simply needed more classroom time than she could fit into a day.

A few years ago, both of these high-achieving students would have been out of luck.

But thanks to technology — and a program called Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide, which is now in every high school in the state — they both got what they needed.

The distance learning program is, educators say, the biggest advance in leveling the playing field in Alabama education since desegregation.

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School Choice Offers Opportunity for the Teaching Profession

As technology changes and evolves, the world of education and teaching will undoubtedly change. Teachers across the country must stay ahead of the curve.

Although some teachers and the unions see school choice as foreboding for the public school outlook, school choice encompasses empowerment for the parent to choose an environment that employs teachers in all arenas. A new era has been ushered in for education. Once limited to rigid traditional school terms and schedules, teachers are employed in traditional public schools, charters, private schools, religious schools, and online schools just to name a few. Educators will in turn have choices themselves when deciding when, where and how to teach kids.

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Best Online High Schools gets new design

Best Online High Schools has now been updated with a new design and new features. This new version will continue to provide you with the best information available on the Internet about online high schools.

Come take a look!

The 2010 Student Readiness Report Identifies Trends Among Online Learners

Deatsville, AL (PRWEB) October 19, 2010
Distance learning continues to grow at an incredible rate. As more students begin to learn online, it becomes obvious that distance learning is a better fit for some students than others. Individuals considering distance learning desire to know if studying online will be a good choice for them. Schools which invest heavily in attracting new online students want to retain the students across their degree program. Both schools and students benefit when a student’s level of readiness for learning online is measured.

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