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ged578.pbworks.com
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I had a chance to intern this past
spring with Florida Virtual School, the largest of the virtual schools in
Florida. My experiences have led me to believe virtual schools may be the wave
of the future. According
to the Florida Department of Education (2012), not only is Florida considered
the leading state in virtual education, it also boasts about having the
“largest state virtual school in the nation”. The 2011 Florida Statue 1002.455 (2011) states, that all Florida students may attend a virtual school
if they attended a Florida public school the year before. This allows many, if
not most students the opportunity to attend virtual schools.
One of
the requirements for students attending virtual schools is learning how to work
with and use a variety of technology. Florida Virtual School or FLVS (2012)
requires that all students taking online classes have access to internet capability.
They must also have access to computers with Windows XP, Vista or 7, 10
gigabytes free HDD space, Microsoft Office, and Internet Explorer. A variety of browser plug-ins are also needed: Java,
Flash, Shockwave, Acrobat Reader, Apple Quick Time, Microsoft Media Player, and
RealPlayer. Other hardware needed are printers, speakers, microphones and
headsets.
Virtual
schools have many positive attributes and are wonderful options for many students.
They are sometimes the only option for students who have serious health issues
and cannot attend public schools. Other reasons students attend virtual schools
are; they allow students to get ahead in or catch up with coursework at their
own convenience, they can help students improve course grades,
they can help students graduate on time, and they can help students get ahead
in their studies to accelerate their graduation. Some students are very
advanced in certain subjects and virtual schools provide them with challenging,
upper-level classes that may not be offered at a student’s local high school or
middle school. Some students just prefer virtual classes over mainstream
classrooms. Virtual schools can also be supplemental to a student’s
homeschooling along with helping students balance their academic and
extracurricular activities. Due to the variety of reasons mentioned students
from public schools, private schools, charter schools, and home-schooled often
attend virtual schools.
Some of the negative aspects I observed
were some students refused to do any work, certain individuals did not return
communications, and a few students were confused over what was expected of
them. Sometimes pupils do not have the self-discipline to keep up with their work
and need the help of a teacher. Although virtual school encourages interactions
through the different forms of technology I believe most people need live socialization.
Communication between students, parents, and
teachers are done through telephone, e-mail, texting and instant messaging.
Other forums also used are blackboard and Elluminate sessions, (an Elluminate
Live session is used by FLVS to recreate a virtual classroom where questions and
discussion can flow freely) Discussion, video sharing, and tutoring websites
are external resources frequently used by students taking FLVS courses.
Although there are some drawbacks to attending
a virtual school and I do not believe all students should attend them, I think
they are a wonderful option for many.
References
Florida
Department of Education. (2012). Florida's Public Virtual Education Option for
the 2012-2013 School Year. Florida Virtual Schools. Retrieved September
13, 2012, from http://www.fldoe.org/Schools/virtual-schools/
The
Florida Senate. (2011). 2011 Florida Statues. MyFloridaHouse.Gov.
Retrieved September 14, 2012, from http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/1002.455
Florida
Virtual School. (2012). Online High School | Online Middle School | Grades K-12
Retrieved September 07, 2012, from http://www.flvs.net/
Virtual
Classrooms for Public Use [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14,
2012, from ged578.pbworks.com
Vlbworks2010
(Director). (2010, March 01). YouTube [Video]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2UrmqAQ1pw
Jodie,
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Virtual School until about 4 years ago. I actually thought it was a hoax. After doing some research and finding out that FLVS is one of the nation's best, I got really excited. And to know that one could teach virtually was even better! As a result, here I am...working on my e-Learning M.A.
I do have a concern... My school currently uses FLVS as a credit recovery program (for kids who failed the year). Students are doing zero work in 6th grade...and being promoted to 7th grade with the agreement that they will complete courses online. Is this fair? How can Student A come to class and work very hard to be successful end up in the same place Student B ends up?
What are your thoughts on the use of FLVS for this purpose?
Good post!
mmike5150
Hello Mike,
DeleteFLVS often takes students for many reasons. Since it is really hard to go to summer school now FLVs is a wonderful tool for students who need to take classes over. If they take and finish classes over the summer I say good !!!! Whether it is fair or not, I don't know. Its more about trying to help students achieve the best they can do. These online classes are not easy. The biology classes I worked seemed to require a lot more more and effort then the brick and mortar class I taught at. Life is not fair, but I do believe whatever effort students put into their work they will get back. Those who do not put any effort into things are just hurting themselves.
Jodie
Florida virtual school is definitely an advantage for students to move ahead. The classes were well organized and convenient. My daughter is a gifted student involved in many school organizations and sports. FLVS gave her the opportunity to be involved in all the social aspects of high school and get ahead academically. As a parent, I was in contact with the teacher weekly. In order for my daughter to move on to the next modules in the class, the teacher needed to speak to me and update me on her progress. We were very pleased with the program. I agree with you in the draw backs in terms of student not doing their work. I believe it all depends on the students self motivation. Whether it is on line or F2F, if the student is not self motivated they will not succeed.
ReplyDeleteJodie,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your first hand experiences with Florida Virtual School. You had a well rounded, unbiased explanation. I have always been interested in Virtual School because I enjoy learning that way with online courses at UCF. I appreciate having the opportunity to complete an assignment, or as the video said, "Learn" whenever, wherever, and however.
I have always thought of students with behavior problems or students who struggle with the social aspects of school were the ones that needed Virtual School to be successful. Something you said in your blog opened up my eyes to who really needs Virtual School: "They are sometimes the only option for students who have serious health issues and cannot attend public schools.". For some reason, this never occurred to me.
I almost view Virtual School as a "treat' or "privilege", so I appreciated hearing the other side of what would be behavior issues that you observed. I thought that students would be cooperative with online learning. Seems as if behavior problems are everywhere you turn! (haha)
I have considered teaching Virtual School since my county where I teach is about to "roll out" elementary virtual school. When I tell people I am interested in it, their first response is, "But won't you miss the human interaction of being in a classroom with students?" I'm wondering, on the other side of that, would students miss out on valuable social interaction? Would they lack social skills if they went through school all online?
I would love to hear what you think and thank you for sharing your experience :-)
Respectfully,
Jamie Sipe
Jamie,
DeleteIf all students take is virtual classes I do believe they will miss out on human interaction. We are social beings and we need real human interaction or we may not learn how to properly interact with others. That is why I feel it is important for parents to make sure they have their children in other activities with other kids or only put their children in virtual schools part-time.
Jodie
Hi Jodie,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you researched an article on FLVS, because I do not know much about it. I am shocked that Florida is the top state for virtual schooling! I think that virtual schooling should be for those students who may have medical issues and those whom are gifted and need to accel. However, I do not agree with having children who have failed out attempt to continue school online. I feel that if they could not pass with a teacher physically there, then they would have even more difficulty having to discipline themselves. I feel that soon with budget cuts and the economy, virtual school are going to end up taking over and regular schools are slowly going to become a thing of the past. As wonderful and convenient virtual schools are, nothing can replace the traditional classroom and the social aspect a child gets from that. Social skills are just as important as academic skills; especially at a young age it is important to expose children to structure, rules and developing positive relationships.However, those in virtual schools will definitely be prepared for online college courses. :)
Amanda
I am also glad you got to intern at a FLVS. That is one internship that opened your horizons to something completely different that many have not had the opportunity to expeirence! I need to do some more research on these schools.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Amanda