Virtual Schooling Group Presentation

Online Learning

All of these scenarios have many variables and many possible solutions. 

 

• You're a rural district with only a few hundred students total. A child wants to take courses like calculus, but they cannot feasibly be offered by your high school.
  For a high school student, this would be an excellent opportunity to enroll in a virtual class, perhaps offered by a larger district. Because the student is in high school, they could also feasibly take calculus as an independent study course. Another option when I was in high school was to take a course at the local community college. Perhaps this could be an opportunity for dual enrollment in an online course.  
  
• You're a principal of a school. An overbearing parent comes to you. Their first son had Mr. Siko for chemistry and hated him. He's the only chemistry teacher, and now their younger son has him. They want to pull him out and have him take it online. Can you prevent this? Should you prevent this?
  Personally, I don't know why you would want to prevent this. If the student/parent determine they will be more successful in an online class, then let them do it. Sometimes teachers and students don't mesh well, and if there is already an online option in place, then let the student utilize that. If the district is investing resources in providing online courses, then students should be able to take advantage of this option regardless of the motivation.
  
• A child comes into your class, having transferred from a 'cyberschool'. It is clear the quality was subpar. Any of this child's standardized test scores this year are tied to your performance evaluation under the new teacher evaluation guidelines.
  This scenario might occur whether the student came from an online school or simply another school where their education was not as rigorous. As a teacher, all you can do in this situation is try to work with the student to get them caught up. This might mean providing them with additional individual instruction or pointing them towards a tutor or other academic services.
  
• I am a teacher whose district is embracing online learning. It is attracting many students from other districts, and this generates extra revenue (students = $$). I am asked to be a 'facilitator' for these students, who are not required to attend during the school day. I am not given extra release time for this.
  
• I am a 12th grade student who was diagnosed with leukemia the summer before my senior year. I am unable to attend a full day of school while receiving treatment. I want to graduate on time with my friends. 
  This student might be eligible for a seat time waiver. This would allow the student to complete their required course work online without actually being in the physical school building (except on count day as required). This way the student would be able to graduate with their friends. 

Do you think schools are equipped to handle these changes?  Has your school/district been public about any changes they've made to curriculum and instruction, or have any changes gone unnoticed?  How is your school handling this (consider asking your administrator to see how s/he is imagining the larger picture)?  

I work at a K-8 school that currently does not offer any online courses. However, after reviewing the video and documents, I think these changes will be very difficult for schools to handle. Most schools are already on tight budgets with limited staff. The guideline for virtual school programs are complicated and could easily be mixed up by a tired educator who has this duty added to their already hectic job. I'm sure many schools are giving this additional duty to technology teachers or counselors. It seems like managing online education (especially for a large district) could be a full-time job, and I highly doubt many schools have added this position.