Promoting and Marketing NCVPS Utilizing 21st Century Communication Tools

[Guest blog by Ken Buck, Chief Technology Officer, Columbus County Schools.}

Sharing information with key stakeholders such as parents and students is extremely important in any successful promotion and marketing campaign. It can be extremely difficult in any school district to effectively and efficiently reach your intended audience because conventional communication strategies used by many schools such as newsletters, school marquee announcements, PTO/PTA agendas and parent-teacher conferences are infrequent, and typically have limited parent participation. There are however 21^st century communication tools available that can significantly improve and increase a school districts ability to share important information with faculty, staff, and parents. Columbus County Schools reviewed several communication systems and ultimately selected a commercial online service called “AlertNow.”

AlertNow can deliver voice, e-mail and emergency SMS messages at a rate up to two million per hour, therefore; the product can be used to contact stakeholders across the entire district or it can be used to provide information to a small subgroup of individuals located in a certain section of the district. The product has tremendous reporting features that are very helpful. It can provide information in regard to the exact percentage of voice messages that were received by an actual individual as compared to those that were received by an automated answering device. It can also provide delivery statistics for all other delivery methods.

DLA E-lert for November 19, 2009

DLA Training Scheduled for Dec. 1
Join us in the Virtual Office on Dec. 1 at 9 a.m.

Training Topics:
Closing Fall Semester
Opening Spring Semester
Registration
School Support
Communication
LEO

We will have modules for preview next week. Look for more details soon!

Learn and Earn Online New Website
Frustrated with LEO registration on the Community College System site? Use the new website,
http://vlc.nccommunitycolleges.edu/learnEarn/index.html

Look for students and colleagues on the new eLearning Portal,
http://www.elearningnc.gov/

Updated information will be available soon on the Learn and Earn website,
http://nclearnandearn.gov/

LEO Questions? Contact Deborah Pedersen, dpedersen@dpi.state.nc.us

Register Now!

We have over 7,000 new registrations for Spring 10! Be sure to register now and send your students through our orientation. See the Spring Student Checklist here.

Did You Know 3.0

Director's Blog for Nov. 19, 2009

North Carolina 21st Century Learners and Leaders:

I just got back from the National Virtual Schools Symposium and have lots of information to share this week, but I have condensed it into links that you can view and use in your blended leadership and learning models in your district, school, organization, or agency.

http://www.inacol.org/ who hosts the conference shared these quick facts that assure us all we are on the right path in North Carolina to be both globally competitive and collaborative with the virtual advantages of www.ncvps.org and www.nclearnandearn.gov:

1. iNACOL has grown from 303 to 353 countries and/or provinces around the world; up 50 countries from last year
2. 1,500 attended the VSS this year
3. 200,000 students gave input into the USED technology plan, their thoughts on online learning
4. The USDE and White House – are now focused on online and blended learning for STEM (shortage of teachers) and continuity of learning (H1N1)
5. Top 10 breakthroughs transforming life over next 30 years - Virtual and/or blended learning was number 8 (World Future Society, 2009).
6. Only 5 states now do not have virtual state-wide initiatives; up from 20 not having them last year
7. Online education is growing - 2000 enrollments: 50,000 - 2009: 2 million.

Finally, data and research suggests new, emerging, and blended student values are these:Freedom and choice; Customization and personalization; Project based; Move at own pace; Clear guidelines; Fast feedback; and Stand up talk lectures are deadly (Speak Up, 2009).

Networking, Productivity, and e-Learning for Nov. 18, 2009

1. Use TweetChat to follow Twitter hashtag conversations live! From the TweetChat website, log in using your Twitter login information. Enter the hashtag you are following and from there it works like instant messaging. You can highlight your favorite people and block the annoying ones in the hashtag conversation. A pause button lets you stop the auto-refresh and leisurely read if tweets are coming in too quickly.

2. Is social media having an impact on our society? Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year: Unfriend. As educators, we need to stay in front of language and technology or we will become irrelevant to our students!

3. Want to broadcast your event with a live video feed? Try TinyChat. Customize, schedule, subscribe, and promote via Facebook and Twitter. Run up to 16 feeds at once!

4. More on the problems of Multi-tasking: Binge Thinking.

The problem with multitasking really stems from attempting “unlike brain tasks.” Working on four separate spreadsheets is not as difficult of a multitask as is working on one spreadsheet and trying to create a PowerPoint presentation. Creativity will suffer while your brain is in multitask mode.

Credit Recovery Update Nov. 17, 2009

1. Mastery Charts and Status Reports
Mastery charts were messaged to the students within Blackboard and emailed to parents and DLAs by 5pm on Monday,November 16th. The Status Reports will be available in the registration system (REPORTS section) on Tuesday, November 17th. Mastery Charts and Status Reports will be provided bi-weekly during the fall semester for all Credit Recovery students. If you are new to this program and this is your first time receiving Mastery charts, you may wish to view this presentation detailing how students are assessed in Credit Recovery and how to "read" Mastery charts and status reports. http://content.flypaper.net/0a56d50a-f6dd-45c1-9032-633cecea4985/preview.aspx For the Mastery Chart schedule, click the following link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18170808/Mastery-Chart-Schedule

2. Credit Recovery Podcast Series
We are excited to announce the new Credit Recovery Podcast Series. This series of interviews with Central Office DLAs, School DLAs, and Lab Facilitators will focus on strategies used to implement Credit Recovery in the schools across the state. Please be sure to check out our first podcast, "Motivating the Credit Recovery Student", where the DLA from Shelby High School details the motivational strategies used to motivate and encourage success for the Credit Recovery students enrolled in NCVPS. The podcast can be found in several locations including the DLA Spa under the Credit Recovery tab and on The Virtual Learning Consultant website at http://www.thevlc.org/2009/11/credit-recovery-podcast-motivational.html. The series will also be available on the main NCVPS website soon. Our hope is that you will find the information shared through these interviews valuable to your program at your school.

NCVPS Professional Development in Second Life

Guest Blog: Central Office Support for 2.0 Deployment

Guest blog by Derek McCoy, Director for Curriculum and Innovation, Montgomery County Schools

As part of our strategic planning for furthering the integration of 2.0 tools in our school culture, the Montgomery County Schools Curriculum Support Office has developed a multi-layered training and support model. Our objective is to train several different school personnel groups with specific skills, each distinct from one another. The groups would then be able to go back to schools and provide formal or informal training to teachers and students. Our hope is a purposeful design that would make a lasting impression on our school system.

2.0 Tools
The Curriculum Office began this process by identifying all the 2.0 tools we have received training on, individually and collectively, and tools we thought all school stakeholders would benefit learning the most about. This list was then put into broad categories; this helped with organizing and structuring the content. The categories and tools we came up with were:
• Blogging/Microblogging [Local school website features and Twitter]
• Graphics
• Collaboration
• Bookmarking
• Social Networking

Director's Blog for Nov. 9, 2009

21st Century Leaders and Learners:

Is North Carolina Virtual Public School a threat and/or opportunity?

As many of you know, we provided the State Board of Education with three funding options for "discussion" at the November board meeting. In addition, we are asking for feedback and further suggestions as we near our legislative mandate in December of 2009 for a funding formula. As school districts grapple with the "value of a virtual school", I felt it important to weigh in this week with a video cast from Dr. Tracy Weeks, our Chief Academic Officer, at www.ncvps.org regarding "virtual value" and to begin making the case that www.ncvps.org is indeed an opportunity not a threat to districts, schools, and educators. Your students and parents already know these value points.

Moreover, you should follow lead of innovative board members, superintendents, principals, and teachers who will utilize the "value of virtual" regardless of funding outcomes. These types of decisions have already been made in other states and districts and these states have partnered in ways to really add opportunities to students’ lives.

Credit Recovery Podcast: Motivational Tips from Shelby High

Shelby High School shares their motivation tips and techniques for their NC Virtual Public School Credit Recovery students.




See more Audio at TeacherTube.com.

Credit Recovery: FAQs

Do students have to retake the EOC and what course code do I use?
According to State Board Policy effective July 2009, if students are repeating the course and previously scored Level III or IV on the EOC, the student is NOT eligible to take the test again. In other words, once a student receives the proficiency standard, the test must not be administered again. For this student, the EOC score on record in NC WISE will be used as 25% of the student’s final grade in the course and used for accountability purposes. Therefore, the only course code needed is the one provided on our main web page for Credit Recovery courses.

How much time will the student need to work everyday?
During the fall and spring semesters, 90 minutes a day will be required for students to complete the course. During the summer session, 3 to 4 hours a day will be required for students to complete the Credit Recovery course.

Are the summer school courses the full course?
Yes, the courses offered during the summer session are full courses. The content has not been compacted. It is the same course offered during the fall and spring in a shorter time period. That is why students must dedicate more time per day for a summer course.

Can a student take more than one Credit Recovery Course during the summer?
We highly recommend the student take one course at a time due to the number of hours it will take a student to complete the course. Since it will take 3 – 4 hours per day for a Credit Recovery course over the summer, if a student takes two courses , this would require about 8 hours a day for course work. The school knows the student , his/her work habits, and his/her schedule over the summer. The school will have to make the final decision.

Credit Recovery Update Nov. 2, 2009

1. Mastery Charts and Status Reports:

The fifth mastery chart was messaged to the students within Blackboard and emailed to parents and DLAs by 5pm on Monday,November 2nd. The Status Reports will be available in the registration system (REPORTS section) on Tuesday, November 3rd. Mastery Charts and Status Reports will be provided bi-weekly during the fall semester for all Credit Recovery students. If you are new to this program and this is your first time receiving Mastery charts, you may wish to view this presentation detailing how students are assessed in Credit Recovery and how to "read" Mastery charts and status reports. http://content.flypaper.net/0a56d50a-f6dd-45c1-9032-633cecea4985/preview.aspx For the Mastery Chart schedule, click the following link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18170808/Mastery-Chart-Schedule


2. Students Unable to Move Forward:

If you have a student that states he or she is unable to move forward in a course for any reason, please contact Jeff Page at jnpage@dpi.state.nc.us. Jeff can help the DLA and/or lab facilitator to determine where or what the student can do next. Students should never be sitting with nothing to work on at any time!

Director's Blog for Nov. 2, 2009

21 Century Leaders and Learners:

We had fantastic events in Alexander County last week kicking off our GO LIVE! (Getting Organized and Leading Innovation in Virtual Education) series across the state. We had over 40 virtual participants across North Carolina, and we are in the process this week of reflecting on what we learned from our strategic eight feedback at the school board, central office, and school levels.

Tomorrow we will meet on these key learnings and begin to develop a "solutions parade" that will begin with three virtual modules in November and a face to face event in Halifax County in December. These virtual modules will focus on research, data, and the "why" behind the issues raised in Alexander County regarding blended learning.

For a glimpse at our work this past week, check out www.thevlc.org. This free website is open to all North Carolina districts and schools and features the following:

1.) The video cast on GO LIVE! from Superintendent Jack Hoke of Alexander County. You can also find it at www.ncvps.org.

2.) GO LIVE samples from Dr. Setser and others regarding the GO LIVE! approach. Look for this content to be archived soon in an easy to use access portal off of our www.ncvps.org site so your district can replicate this same approach with the Strategic 8 in your district and schools.

Continue reading here . . . .