Virtual Classroom
Adventures in Online Learning
Many states require students to take an online course prior to graduation. This has caused districts to develop guidelines and criteria for parents, students, teachers, counselors, administrators, and technology coordinators. Everyone plays a role in online learning, and the successful launch of an online experience involves being knowledgeable about all aspects of online learning. Learning to navigate online learning from a variety of perspectives can help administrators understand the process.
Once you understand the process, there are a variety of avenues for offering online learning in your school. Creating courses in a Course Management System, bringing in a third-party vendor like Florida Virtual, Michigan Virtual High School or using the GenNet system represent just a few of the options.
Once you understand the process, there are a variety of avenues for offering online learning in your school. Creating courses in a Course Management System, bringing in a third-party vendor like Florida Virtual, Michigan Virtual High School or using the GenNet system represent just a few of the options.
Pre-Assess your skills for this "Thing"
Virtual Education
Virtual Education is defined as instruction where students and teachers are separated by time or space, or both, and the teacher uses a course management system (CMS) such as Moodle/Blackboard/Sakai to deliver instruction. Through one of these systems, teachers can offer blended instruction (face to face instruction that includes access to materials on a CMS). Teachers can also offer fully online courses on a CMS.
Each state has its own online requirements for K-12 students. This has led to more schools offering students instruction in a virtual environment. One example is the Michigan Merit Curriculum guidelines (2006) for online learning require that students:
1. Take an online course, or
2. Participate in an online experience, or
3. Participate in online experiences incorporated into each of the required credit courses of the Michigan Merit Curriculum.
The teacher may also use other Internet tools (Wikis, Blogs, Web Pages) and Video Conferencing to communicate with the students.
As you can see, there are many ways to provide an online/virtual environment for your students. We use a web page to communicate the 21 Things to you and we also use Adobe Connect in order to interact with you virtually. Some Agencies offer the 21 Things course through a Content Management System (CMS) so you may be having your own experience as a student in a CMS.
Each state has its own online requirements for K-12 students. This has led to more schools offering students instruction in a virtual environment. One example is the Michigan Merit Curriculum guidelines (2006) for online learning require that students:
1. Take an online course, or
2. Participate in an online experience, or
3. Participate in online experiences incorporated into each of the required credit courses of the Michigan Merit Curriculum.
The teacher may also use other Internet tools (Wikis, Blogs, Web Pages) and Video Conferencing to communicate with the students.
As you can see, there are many ways to provide an online/virtual environment for your students. We use a web page to communicate the 21 Things to you and we also use Adobe Connect in order to interact with you virtually. Some Agencies offer the 21 Things course through a Content Management System (CMS) so you may be having your own experience as a student in a CMS.
T.W.I.C.E.
TWICE (Two Way Interactive Connections in Education) members collaborate with each other through a tool called CAPspace. CAPspace is a social networking tool for educational videoconferencing. Create a login to find colleagues and schools interested in collaborative videoconference projects. Members can also create and advertise their own colloborative videoconference projects to educators around the world. There are currently over 6800 educators from 31 countries registered with CAPspace.
Explore the Virtual Playground
Other tools such as Skype, Adobe Connect, Elluminate, WebEx allow teachers to teach and interact with students in "real time" outside the walls of the classroom.
Experiment with some of the tools available to you through the 21 Things Course. Many of the Educational Service Agencies offer a CMS like Blackboard or Moodle to their local districts along with training. Check to see which CMS is available to you and start with a blended classroom. Create a free Skype account or a free account at Adobe ConnectNow so that you can communicate with colleagues or students who are outside the classroom walls.
Experiment with some of the tools available to you through the 21 Things Course. Many of the Educational Service Agencies offer a CMS like Blackboard or Moodle to their local districts along with training. Check to see which CMS is available to you and start with a blended classroom. Create a free Skype account or a free account at Adobe ConnectNow so that you can communicate with colleagues or students who are outside the classroom walls.
Navigating the Land of Online Learning
Schools need to consider a great deal of information as they plan to offer online courses for their students. This planning ranges from understanding what online courses are, incorporating them into their curriculum, developing policies and procedures, locating quality courses, identifying best practices and developing student and educator support.
The Navigating the Land of Online Learning site was designed as an aid for those who are responsible for mentoring students in an online course and is not designed to instruct districts/schools in how to create or teach online courses. There are many people involved in implementing online courses in schools/districts: administrators, technology coordinators, counselors, mentors, students, and parents. The website takes each of these roles and lists the important considerations each must bear in mind in order to provide a successful online program for students.
Aligned to the NETS-T: 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, 1.d, 3.b, 4.a, 4.b, 4.c
Connections to Marzano Strategies: Cooperative Learning; Questions, Cues & Advance Organizers
21things Hands-On Activity and Assignment:
1. Before beginning this "Thing", complete the Pre-Assessment of your technology proficiency.
2. Create a plan on how you can extend your classroom. Explain how this would improve teaching and learning, how you can help meet the NETS-S for your students.
3. Choose the student role in Navigating the Land of Online Learning. After looking at the student requirements, summarize what is necessary to be successful as an online student.
4. After completing all of the activities for this "Thing", take the Post-Assessment of your technology proficiency for this "Thing".
1. Before beginning this "Thing", complete the Pre-Assessment of your technology proficiency.
2. Create a plan on how you can extend your classroom. Explain how this would improve teaching and learning, how you can help meet the NETS-S for your students.
3. Choose the student role in Navigating the Land of Online Learning. After looking at the student requirements, summarize what is necessary to be successful as an online student.
4. After completing all of the activities for this "Thing", take the Post-Assessment of your technology proficiency for this "Thing".
Post-Assess your skills for this "Thing"
After completing all of the activities for this "Thing", take the Post-Self Assessment of your technology proficiency for this "Thing". (This is part of your hands-on activity/assignment).
Additional Resources
1. An excellent resource for learning more comes from edutopia.org, http://www.edutopia.org/media/3312_onlinelearning/index.html. This site provides an Overview with some statistics; an Up Close section with some videos, a section on Perspectives featuring interviews by students, administrators, and teachers; a section of Resources.
21 Things for 21st Century Educators by CCRESA, IISD, MISD, SRESD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at 21things.weebly.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://21things4teachers.net/. Updated August, 2011
