Before the readings, my knowledge of virtual schooling was limited.
Things that I learned:
Michigan was the first state to create legislation stating that an online learning experience be a requirement for student graduation.
(I had no idea that students had to participate in online learning in some way-minimum of 20 hrs., I thought that online learning was optional).
- MDE has provided elements that they deem necessary for students to learn in an online learning program. Being exposed to RSS feeds, blogs, webquests, etc. (all of which are things that I'm just learning about now, in this class).
- A lot of virtual schooling is done in school in the classroom
- While some virtual schooling is supplemental, there is full-time virtual schooling available.
- Michigan Virtual High School has an online program where students can learn Chinese.
- The governor is interested in monies following virtual students instead of staying in their home district-this is a concept that I'd never even thought about or considered.
Michigan is in the forefront of virtual schooling and legislation, providing unique programs and assistance for virtual learning. It's also interesting to note that Michigan has been a "trailblazer" in other areas of education as well. Michigan was one of the first states to have charter schools. There are 2 full-time online charters in Michigan. A side note: Michigan is the only state that provides special education services from birth to 26.
As Dr. Siko stated in his YouTube video, virtual schooling is something that is here to stay. It is also something that educators need to stay abreast of because we will be(or may already be), a part of the process.
Gwen, I enjoyed reading what you stated about online learning and how Michigan was the leading state in enacting online learning. That's amazing to know that the intiating exploration of that begun in Michigan. It is so enlightening to hear such prowess within the educational structure here in our home state.
ReplyDeleteHi Damon,
DeleteThanks for the response. I, myself, was amazed to find out that Michigan had played such a role in online learning! Michigan is truly an educational trailblazer! From online educational policy to special education guidelines, Michigan is in the forefront of educational change!
I also found it interesting that an online teacher only needs to be certified in the area which they teach. Also, that an online teacher requires no additional certification to teach online, I wouldn't even know where to start!
ReplyDeleteHi Juliana,
DeleteIt does seem odd that no additional certification is needed to teach on-line. However, we (teachers) have been exposed to online instruction and interaction for quite some time now. We've taken online classes ourselves, and we've also interacted with Blackboard and other online platforms for some time now. As a result of this, we've gotten a lot of experience with online programs and the ins and outs of them as well. I wouldn't know where to start either, however, I'll bet that just by us taking this class, we are probably already somewhat prepared for online teaching.
I'm sure before long there will be a requirement of an Online Teaching Certificate for Virtual School courses. It makes sense that educators are well prepared to teach in this way. Currently, we do not have any virtual learning programs at my specific school during the school year. The middle school summer school model is based on a hybrid model, but that is about it.
ReplyDeleteHi Amber!
DeleteI think you're right about online teaching certification being a requirement in the future (probably the very near future). I mentioned to Juliana that teachers know a lot about online classes and programs already. We ourselves (our IT 6230 classmates), probably already have enough of a knowledge base to teach an online class. Yes, we would need some additional training, but we could probably do it with few problems. And, we would know where to go for help if we needed it (our principal, other teachers, course software, our fellow IT6230 classmates, etc.)
However, it does make sense to have a certification component for online teaching. The readings state that there is a teacher evaluation component of virtual courses. Teachers fill out a form evaluating themselves and then another evaluation is done by someone else. If teachers are being evaluated, then it's not hard to see a certification requirement (where everyone is taught the same thing and given the same resources), being in place.
I agree, Gwen. Depending on our own personal experiences and knowledge we could be successful teaching these courses. Unfortunately, not all teachers are prepared for this type of education. I just had a co-worker ask me for websites to use in her class the other day.
DeleteGwen
ReplyDeleteA few things you mentioned sparked an interest...when you spoke about online teaching and how teachers have to have certain training and only have to be certified in the area in which they are teaching. I knew that they had to take online classes for a while, which makes sense. If you're teaching online you should know how to do it on the student's end. Teachers need to learn the in's and out's of the Learning Management System so that they can communicate well with the students. The 2nd thing about teachers having to be trained in their field of study makes sense. Especially for teachers in the college age. That's how it generally is for college instructors anyway. Is it a different criteria for K-12 teachers online?