No system is without its flaws, and, while virtual schools can help fill in the cracks in classroom education, they are not a panacea. Some of the issues reflected in the scenarios that teachers can be faced with involve using virtual schools as replacements for physical classrooms. For example, a student could request a virtual class to avoid having a negative experience, especially if they are acting based on word of mouth, which I have observed occurring during scheduling week. It is vital to bear in mind that different students with different goals, values, and learning modalities and styles will tend to evaluate teachers differently.
One of my favorite high school teachers was a public speaking teacher, who helped me develop my voice and learn to open up, which empowered me to pursue a profession where I substitute-taught in 13 districts and well over 50 different schools in my first year out of college. My sister did not like that teacher because my sister was already out of her shell and didn't like how bossy the teacher was.
Conversely, my sister loved her 3rd grade teacher, who was a frenetic, impulsive, and lighthearted teacher, while I couldn't stand that same teacher, because I needed the comfort of structure and the knowledge that she was going to protect me from the bullies and respect my voice. It certainly seems like these perspectives should be taken into account by parents and districts before the students make the impulsive decision to select a teacher and instructional delivery style that is unknown over one that is presumed to be negative.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Sunday, April 2, 2017
The Hidden Virtues of our Virtual Reality
While I have had experience working with students that attend virtual schools, there is much I don't know about them and the school they attend. In the past year, I have learned about some of the misconceptions I had, some of which were featured in the following publication:
http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/top-ten-myths-about-virtual-schools.pdf
Perhaps the most significant myth I subscribed to, which was debunked by the hockey players I tutored that were in the U.S. Developmental Program, was the notion that online schools were run in lieu of face-to-face encounters. Many of them took a split schedule, taking the majority of their classes online, but attending a local school for 1-2 classes a day, as a respite from practice and an opportunity to socialize with peers. Furthermore, some of my students in Clarkston take 1-2 online classes from Michigan Virtual University over the summer instead of a formal summer school, which could be embarrassing and cumbersome, or detrimental to other summer pursuits. It's interesting to think of online schools as supplements to traditional education, rather than as an alternative.
It's also interesting to review my preconception from last year that online schools have an easier time flipping the classroom than traditional schools. Over the past few weeks, my Junior High students and I have taken advantage of an idea I had to flip the classroom with the argument essays they wrote. At home, during the 3-4 hours a day I was not working (after tutoring, before sleep), I worked 1 on 1 with students, placing comments as the students watched. The students were tremendously receptive to the feedback, and were given half of the difference between their new and old score for making the corrections. Additionally, I had difficulty describing a project to them because I did not make it, nor did I make the sample, which was messy and nearly incomprehensible to the students. As a result, I am flipping the classroom again by using web 2.0 technology FROM THIS CLASS!!! to make tutorial videos, which will then be uploaded to a protected YouTube channel for students to view at their own pace.
http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/top-ten-myths-about-virtual-schools.pdf
Perhaps the most significant myth I subscribed to, which was debunked by the hockey players I tutored that were in the U.S. Developmental Program, was the notion that online schools were run in lieu of face-to-face encounters. Many of them took a split schedule, taking the majority of their classes online, but attending a local school for 1-2 classes a day, as a respite from practice and an opportunity to socialize with peers. Furthermore, some of my students in Clarkston take 1-2 online classes from Michigan Virtual University over the summer instead of a formal summer school, which could be embarrassing and cumbersome, or detrimental to other summer pursuits. It's interesting to think of online schools as supplements to traditional education, rather than as an alternative.
It's also interesting to review my preconception from last year that online schools have an easier time flipping the classroom than traditional schools. Over the past few weeks, my Junior High students and I have taken advantage of an idea I had to flip the classroom with the argument essays they wrote. At home, during the 3-4 hours a day I was not working (after tutoring, before sleep), I worked 1 on 1 with students, placing comments as the students watched. The students were tremendously receptive to the feedback, and were given half of the difference between their new and old score for making the corrections. Additionally, I had difficulty describing a project to them because I did not make it, nor did I make the sample, which was messy and nearly incomprehensible to the students. As a result, I am flipping the classroom again by using web 2.0 technology FROM THIS CLASS!!! to make tutorial videos, which will then be uploaded to a protected YouTube channel for students to view at their own pace.
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