K-12 Online Learning

I was very intrigued by the information from Picciano and Seaman (2007) in their research entitled "K-12 Online Learning: A Survey of U.S. School District Administrators." I understood that online learning communities were most prevalent in post-secondary settings, but I hadn't realized the growth our country is seeing in the elementary through high school settings. There are a few teachers and students in the district I teach in that are piloting an online community such as Blackboard, but it has been a slow process. It has been difficult to use with the technology we are currently using. Therefore, I was interested in finding an example of a K-12 online learning community that was located in Illinois.

I found a online program that is designed for kindergarten through 11th graders who live in the Chicago city limits. The program is called Chicago Virtual Charter Schools (http://www/k12.com/cvcs). According to the website (2010), the program is designed for motivated parents and students that are looking for an alternative type of schooling. The students must be fully committed to the program and cannot attend any additional public schools. The best part is the program is that it is tuition free and each student is given a computer system to borrow while attending the school. The CVCS provides a blended format in which students complete online assignments, assessments, discussions, blogs, and chats. However, they also must attend one face-to-face session each week.

(2010), Chicago virtual charter school. Retrieved from http://www.k12.com/cvcs

Picciano, A.G. & Seaman, J. (2007). K-12 online learning: A survey of U.S. school district administrators. Needham, MA:Sloan Consortium.

Asynchronous vs.Synchronous

This week's reading from Palloff and Pratt's (2007) "Building Online Learning Communities" talked about the positives and negatives of the different types of online communities. The first type of environment is the Asynchronous environment which is much like the course we are currently taking on Blackboard. The collaboration is staggered and each member can log on on his or her own time. Synchronous environments involve real time communication such as chat rooms and video chats. Palloff and Pratt (2007) seemed to be partial to the asynchronous type of community because of factors such as flexibility for time, ease of communication and regulation of shared information.

I found an article that similarly discusses the differences between these two types of online communities. The article is titled "Asynchronous and Synchronous E-Learning" by Stefan Hrastinski. When the author talks about the limitations of asynchronous environments, he discusses the isolation and retreating that sometimes occurs when members don't feel part of the community, much like Palloff and Pratt (2007) discuss throughout their book. One of the most interesting things mentioned by Hrastinski (2008) is that purposes for each type of environment. The author explains that asynchronous communities are most beneficial for cognitive growth and reflection, where as, synchronous communities build more social relationships. Hrastinski (2008) also mentions Web 2.0 and urges readers to take a closer look at technology to support social relationships.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/AsynchronousandSynchronousELea/163445

Online Learning Communities

In this week's reading by Palloff and Pratt (2007), the authors outline the importance and benefits of online learning communities. However, they also outline the challenges members of online communities might face. I appreciated that the authors made this method of learning seem real and listed the issues we might face if we implement online communities. I also related to some of the problems as I am part of one such community.

In my research I wanted to look for a resource that similarly outlined the issues people have dealt with in online learning communities. At the website http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/e-jist/docs/Vol5_No1/chtu_frame.html, the author attempted to complete some research on online communities. Something that I found interesting was that the author explained that this is such a new topic and there isn't much research out there yet. Within the research, the author includes a diagram similar to the table Palloff and Pratt (2007) demonstrate on page 18.

PLC's around the U.S.

When searching for videos about Professional Learning Communities, I stumbled upon a video clip about West Valley High School in Fairbanks. Apparently this school does the late start school model that our district has recently implemented. I thought this was something special to my district, so it was interesting to see that other schools around the country are implementing it as well. This is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68H7tEDFxW8

Martin-Kniep (2008) describes on page 119 that "some of the most significant products of PLCs directly affect teaching and learning. The include units, lessons, and assignments, as well as formal student assessment measures." The video clip explains an issue West Valley High School's principal is working to improve. She noticed that teachers at times will isolate themselves in their rooms. This new PLC is a special time devoted for "experts" in certain subjects to collaborate and talk about student improvement and assessment. Martin-Kniep and this high school principal understand the importance of planned professional collaboration for the success of students.

My Uncle

Hey guys!

My Uncle is a teacher and he was on the news lately about his use of technology in the classroom. I know clickers aren't really a new thing and many of us already use them, but I thought this was interesting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQDQsHGRiGw

Special Education Blogs

So when I started my search on blogsearch.google.com, I was so impressed with the number of blogs available for special educators!

The blog that really caught my attention is located at http://www.mangomon.com/blog/ . This blog is full of strategies for teaching students with special needs. It also seems to be updated almost daily. There is a major focus on integrating technology into the special education classroom and it provides feedback on specific devices that work. This blog is connected to a software company that specializes in reading and math curriculum. As a math teacher I could use some of the resources that involve math strategies. I really enjoyed reading some of the success stories involving alternative placement schools that house students that really struggle in the regular education environment.

This isn't a blog that I would involve with my students in the classroom, but it seems like an excellent tool to use during professional learning communities with my fellow special educators.

I also had to include the special education law blog located at http://specialeducationlawblog.blogspot.com/ . The laws are constantly changing and even my sped department chair is always looking for information regarding the changing laws. This blog provides frequent updates on sped court cases and new regulations that would help my department stay on top of things.

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