Virtual Advantage Radio: May 19 Episode 2

J, Adam, and Melissa discuss how the VLCs support NCVPS instructors.

Instructors can read more at this Quick Reference Guide.

Virtual Advantage Radio: May 19 Episode

J and Adam discuss NCVPS summer school with a parent.




See more Audio at TeacherTube.com.

LOCK Session for May 18

NCVPs was honored and privileged to have three central-office distance learning coordinators (DLCs) present in the Live Classroom today. The presenters were Richard "Dick" McFall (Durham), Sharon Rhodes (Buncombe), and Joe Baisley (Currituck). The key topics included NC WISE & NCVPS business principles & user requirements, best practices, AdHoc reporting, and also Summer Semester start up.

Here's the mp3 recording of today's session:





Here is the support material that the presenters used:

From Richard McFall, DLC in Durham County



From Sharon Rhodes, DLC in Buncombe County

Follow this link for directions on how to create and use the ad hoc reports.

From Joe Baisley, DLC in Currituck County

Chapel Hill - Carrboro Schools Are Going Google!

Check out Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools new Google Site here.

Virtual Advantage VidCast: Parental Support

David Edwards, James Bell, and Adam Renfro discuss parental support in e-learning.



Be sure to read Melissa Davis's blog post on parental support.

Guest Blog: Parental Support for the Online Learner

[Guest blog from Melissa Davis, Virtual Learning Consultant]

According to a 2009 report by the Sloan Consortium, the total number of students taking online courses through their districts is now more than a million nation-wide and two thirds of districts with students engaged in online courses expect their online courses to grow. These are unprecedented numbers and the trend continues to move in the direction of online learning in order to meet the needs of students. The report also indicates more than 75% of schools need online learning to offer courses not otherwise available in the face to face environment. From credit recovery to Advanced Placement and college level courses, online learning offers opportunities for all students. Numerous studies have also explored and indicate the strong correlation between parental involvement and student achievement.

With that said, it has become increasingly important for parents to familiarize themselves with ways to assist e-Learners and help them to achieve optimal results in the online environment. Parents can help their children master the skill of learning independently, while providing them with encouragement and support at home. Some parents are reluctant to continue helping their child at home as they grow older due to the more difficult subject matter. Despite this fact, parents remain one of the most vital learning resources children have.

Learning is a process that requires new understandings to be connected to prior knowledge. This blog provides suggestions that will provide practical advice on how parents can help their children be successful online learners.

1. Constantly monitor your child’s progress in the online course.
2. Ensure students have the technology and textbook resources needed to be successful e-Learners.
3. Encourage your child to seek help immediately if they become confused, overwhelmed or disorganized.
4. Help students prepare targeted questions to ask their teacher if they do not understand a concept.
5. Encourage and support academic integrity.
6. Review the course syllabus with your child and help them set realistic goals and a timeline to complete assignments.
7. Communicate with your child about their assignments, homework, projects, office hours, discussion boards, due dates, etc..
8. Provide regular communication with the online teacher through email, phone calls, instant messaging, office hours, etc..
9. Communicate with the Distance Learning Advisor at the school on a consistent basis.
10. Plan for the future!

Remember, parental involvement during middle school, high school and beyond still remains an important component for academic achievement and for the developing individual!

Strategies to Expand Rural Enrollment in North Carolina Virtual Public School Courses

Executive Summary

Interns from the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy presented the findings of their study of rural school high schools students in NCVPS to the North Carolina State Board of Education. They presented information about enrollment of students in rural, low-wealth schools and presented 4 recommendations. These recommendations directly confirm that the online high school is heading in the right direction, since initiatives and processes were already underway prior to the study being finalized. Below are each of the four recommendations and current status of projects/initiatives that NCVPS has undertaken.

RECOMMENDATION ONE – Conduct Rigorous Survey

1 – NCVPS currently conducts an annual survey through the Friday Institute of Educational Innovation in which data is used to directly impact strategic planning for curriculum, technology and support services. Data from the 2009 report shows major increase in stakeholder feedback and positive response to NCVPS products and services.

2 – NCVPS also conducts adhoc surveys that include student feedback, distance learning advisor (DLA) feedback and teacher feedback. This data has also been used to strategically target rural schools and school districts with training and marketing resources.

3 – Student surveys are currently used at the end of each semester to gain feedback related to curriculum content, teacher communication and support services. Students are also surveyed through the annual survey issued by the Friday Institute.

Continue reading here.

Guest Blog: Examining “Rigor” in Online Content

Guest Blog By Michelle Lourcey

The word “rigor” is thrown around so much these days in educational circles. There are varied definitions for it and just as many opinions as to what it should look like in a classroom. Anyone can claim their teaching or their content is rigorous as there are not many hard and fast indicators to justify or deny that such rigor exists.

The same is true for online content providers, including those for Credit Recovery. One can claim rigor but what does that rigor really look like within the content?

Barbara Blackburn in her book, Rigor is NOT a Four Letter Word (2008), discusses the rigor issue in education, and she references the powerful study that came out in 2006 called “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High Schools Dropouts.” What is interesting about this study, and what Blackburn points out, is that of the 500 dropouts that were the focus on the study, 88% weren’t failing school, and 70% believe they could have graduated.

Here are some of the salient points that Blackburn found from the study that were “rigor-related:”

· 47% of dropouts said classes weren’t interesting

· 66% would have worked harder if more had been demanded of them

· 81% called for more “real-world” learning opportunities

· 75% wanted smaller classes with more individual instruction

Blackburn’s definition of rigor is that “Rigor is creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels.”

This definition must apply to all online options, including credit recovery options as well. If a student has not shown a mastery knowledge of the goals and objectives of the NCSCOS, then already a foundational gap exists in the student’s learning that will certainly show itself again. NCVPS has definite beliefs as to what rigor looks like when it comes to not only Credit Recovery but all online learning.

· For credit recovery, the course recovery process should do more than meet an immediate need. While it may be more convenient to give students a few hours in front of a computer screen and this is the end of the recovery process, NCVPS believes that credit recovery programs should ensure that all the goals of the NCSCOS are being achieved.

· For all NCVPS courses, NC certified teachers individualize and differentiate instruction for each student.

· The teacher / student ratio is one teacher for every twenty students for credit recovery and one teacher for every thirty students for other NCVPS courses.

· Our content must be engaging and challenging with “real-world” connections and 21^st century themes.

· Students interact with the content by reading, viewing, and hearing it in order to address all learning styles.

· Students must show their online teachers that they can make the learning their own through assessments that require creation and synthesis, more than just pointing and clicking at answers.

· Students should be prepared to go onto the next level of instruction.

· There should not be gaps in the student’s learning just because the student went through a credit recovery program.

And finally, it’s about integrity with that rigor….we want the classroom teachers of North Carolina to be confident that when one of their students goes through an NCVPS credit recovery course or any NCVPS course, they know that the student demonstrated learning of the content and is ready to move forward with the next instructional goals.

Why perpetuate gaps for students? Why choose credit recovery options that meet an immediate need but not a student’s long term learning needs? Shouldn’t we demand more from our students when a class is failed? Of course we should.

More to come on this topic in the weeks to follow!

Guest Blog: Credit that Counts for 21st Century Students

By Dr. Bryan Setser and Michelle Lourcey

Our NCVPS Credit Recovery program continues to be celebrated throughout districts in North Carolina and continues to receive national recognition for its rigor, relationship, relevance, and student-centered approach. Recently, we have presented the tenants of our Credit Recovery program to audiences for SREB, Blackboard, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Instruction. To learn more about successful North Carolina schools using our NCVPS Credit Program, check out these podcasts: http://www.ncvps.org/courses/credit/.

The current educational climate in North Carolina is producing conversations about how to balance the need for credit recovery and the efficacy of the credit recovery option. At NCVPS, we believe that credit recovery must require more of students than a finite number of hours in front of a computer, pointing and clicking at answers. We believe in the power of certified teacher instruction and the power of students producing work that displays the highest levels of critical thinking. If your students are pointing and clicking at a computer screen, they are not working at the highest levels of any learning taxonomy or paradigm.

Our approach to credit recovery is not a shared belief among all those that provide credit recovery options. Costly vendor models often do not provide alignment to the NC Standard Course of Study, prepare students for the next level of instruction, or provide a NC certified teacher to work one-on-one with the student, guiding the instruction.

Credit Recovery Podcast: At Your Own Pace

Students in the NCVPS Credit Recovery program work at their own individualized pace. What can you do if students master the course before the end of the semester? Listen to one lab facilitator's story to find out how she planned for that situation during the Fall 2009 semester. Feel free to contact the facilitator, Erin Johnson, at ejohnson2@wcpss.net if you have any questions about her experience.

A Virtual Desktop Solution for North Carolina - Another NCVPS Advantage

This week's guest blog is from Chanin Rivenbark, the Chief Technology Officer for NCVPS. This blog post is part of our Executive Director eseries at www.ncvps.org. Watch the vidcast there and/or read the blog, and catch the virtual advantage today.

A Virtual Desktop Solution for North Carolina - Another NCVPS Advantage

It has been about a year since NCVPS Technology started an e-learning community called the Technology Advisory Committee, or TAC for short. Through the TAC, the NCVPS tech team has spoken to many technology leaders and advocates in North Carolina school districts and charter schools. The feedback they give us is extremely helpful in planning our technology strategy. Their feedback gives us much to think about when planning the technology future at NCVPS.

One idea that was introduced and discussed in the NCVPS TAC was a Virtual Desktop Service. After some discussion in the TAC meeting, we explored the possibilities of hosting a pilot Virtual Desktop for NCVPS students. We are happy to say that we expect to roll out a pilot of this service this year, and hope to expand to multiple school systems in time.

As most technology folks know, there are as many definitions of virtual/cloud technology as there as technology folks. So, let me define what we are planning, how we plan to do it, and why.

What? Our Virtual Desktop project is an application delivery system accessed by a Internet browser. It is not a Remote Desktop connection and an RDP session is not required. To use the system all you need to do is open an internet browser then go to a specified URL where you would see a webpage that looks like a standard icon based desktop. Users click the icon of the app they want to use and it launches in a new window. Simple enough, right?

How? Our objectives are simple:

Provide a simple to use system for students.

Supply a standard version of software applications to students.

Get a volume price break on software by combining the needs of the entire state's virtual student population.

Build the tool as a web-based technology (no client install), thus minimizing the set up for school tech support and home based users.

Why? Well, the advantages are quite obvious....

The technology requirements for NCVPS users are limited to a computer that has an Internet browser and an Internet connection. The cost to support NCVPS in the schools and districts are minimized due to volume licensing options and centralized hosting solutions. Staffing help! We can stop having 115 districts doing the same job of tech set up for NCVPS, and let 1 entity do it. Finally, this all comes down to one thing, students! This technology gives us a more efficient way to provide students with the technology they need when they need it.

NCVPS is on its way to establishing a Desktop Service. We have high hopes that we will be able to partner with all schools and districts in the state to give our students the tools they need to be prepared for the 21st century that awaits them.

For questions, email Chanin Rivenbark at chanin.rivenbark@ncpublicschools.gov

21st Century Leaders and Learners:

This week, I'm "retweeting" and reprising a blog from my colleague Tom Vanderark. Tom is often referenced on our GO LIVE site at:http://sites.google.com/site/ncvpsgolive/ and you can access his blog directly at: www.edreformer.com. The key to this week's blog is the "what" in terms of "what blended learning looks like now and in the future in your schools and districts". Need help getting ready? Reach out to www.nvps.org today and we'll assist. Enjoy Tom's descriptors and share it with your school boards and school staff.

Post Cards from the Year 2015

Here’s a couple snapshots of high school a few years from now using currently available tools and a few in development. These pictures are student-centric; there are obviously a number of teachers and learning professional involved in the success of each of these students. Comments, suggestions, alternatives welcome as we vision the blended learning future together.

While getting ready for school, Maria opens her netbook at 7am to check her schedule for the day:

• 9:00am language lab
• 10:00am civics seminar (check three sites before attending)
• 11:00am video conference with deputy mayor
• 1:30pm math lab
• 3:00pm band
• 4:00pm volleyball

Marias’s civic seminar is an English/Social Studies block. As part of the course, she is the deputy editor of website attempting to illuminate the immigration debate. Maria has interviewed a dozen local and national politicians and activists on both sides of the issue and has produced article and opinion pieces judged by online peers and advisors. All of Maria’s contributions are filed in an electronic portfolio.

During the 60 minute language lab, Maria enters a virtual village market where she interacts in Mandarin with native speakers. The 90 minute math lab combines self-paced online learning with occasional individualized online tutoring she gets stuck.

An online guidance system has helped Maria develop self-management skills, select the right high school courses, decide on a double college major—journalism and political science—and select a college. With her Advanced Placement credits, Maria can finish college in three years including a semester abroad. Her early acceptance letter included a work-study offer to write for the college web site.

At midnight, Mario is still contributing to a discussion stream with his virtual learning team comparing two opposing views of tax policy. He checked a Harvard resource, How to Write a Comparative Analysis, in preparation for his classroom work the next day.

He is nearly through his homework playlist that included a math game, a biochem simulation, and a virtual environment recreating the Battle of Bull Run. From his game score, Mario knows he’s got more work to do on quadratics. His smart recommendation engine has already queued a new math game that may be a better learning mode for Mario—the system determined that his persistence improves under competitive situations with public recognition of his point status.

Mario has nearly enough merit badges to complete Lower Division (what used to be 9^th and 10^thgrade). His culminating project and successful public demonstration will mark a midyear transition to Upper Division where he will begin earning college credit and begin working on a career concentration including an internship.

Monique is enrolled in the upper division of a virtual high school. She visits the office at least one day a week to meet with an advisory group and project team. Maria laughs at folks that are concerned about her lack of social interaction—she has 800 friends on her social network, a dozen mentors, five learning teams, four project teams, and three academic advisors that she regularly interacts with. She plays in a youth symphony and is on a year-round club soccer team (which takes care of her required PE credit).

Monique takes two online college credit courses and works 30 hours each week. When she graduates from high school, she plans to continue working and attend college online so that she can graduate debt free. She plans to execute the online services business plan she wrote for a high school business class—she may just leave college with money in her pocket.

All of these school models blend online learning and onsite support; all are highly personalized and engage students as individuals and team; all utilize a tiered staffing model and a variety of tools. You could do most of this today, but like School of One or NYC iSchool, it would be a challenge. In a few years the content, assessment, management systems, and learning platforms will make learning experiences like these relatively common. It will just take a little imagination, some focused investment, and a little room to innovate.