Virtual Schooling

Making learning accessible to learners anywhere

This network is designed to engage those working in the development of virtual schooling networks around the world. Virtual schooling involves any situation where a learner's experience of schooling is partially or completely online - whether provided by a virtual/online school, or by independent providers delivering courses into existing school environments.

Virtual High School Meanderings

We're Moving!!!

Well, it is official... I am moving my blog Virtual High School Meanderings from Blogger to Word Press. I have secured the domain:http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/I made the decision to change hosting sites for a couple of reasons.The domain http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/ is better than http://mkbnl.blogspot.comWord Press is a better blogging system than Blogger in my opinion, as

2008 MVU Symposium

So, I'm finding out about this a little late, and unfortunately I teach Wednesday evenings, but maybe some others will be able to attend and let me know how it went.The 2008 MVU Symposium, held Feb. 6, 2008 at the Marriott Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest Conference Center in Ypsilanti, is a forum for K-12 school administrators, school board members, technology directors and others to explore

Virtual Schooling in the News

Beginning with the ASCD SmartBrief.States take closer look at virtual schools With around 500,000 children in the U.S. attending online classes, including some 90,000 who attend virtual charter schools full-time, states are taking a second look at the funding and oversight of such programs. "After some inquiry most states have said, 'Yes, we like online learning, but these are

A News Item

I know that the New York Times puts their articles behind their pay service after a day, so let me add this item here:Online Schooling Grows, Setting Off a DebateBy SAM DILLON Published: February 1, 2008 <!--NYT_INLINE_IMAGE_POSITION1 --> MILWAUKEE — Weekday mornings, three of Tracie Weldie’s children eat breakfast, make beds and trudge off to public school — in their case,

[Innovate] February/March Issue

A couple of items related to online learning and K-12 in this issue of Innovate.Innovate (www.innovateonline.info) is published bimonthly as a public service by the Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University and is sponsored, in part, by Microsoft. The articles in the February/March 2008 issue, guest edited by Cathy Gunn and Susan Patrick, offer a range of
 

Latest Activity

ann_mackin is now a member of Virtual Schooling
on Tuesday
neelam chauhan added a blog post
India is the second largest populous country in the world. In terms of geographical area it is the 7th largest country in the world. More of all it is also globally famous tourism country in the world. Every year tourists from all over the world v...
on Monday
Hi Professor Davis, With your work in e-Learning and Virtual Schooling at the University of Canterbury, I recommend you take a look at Wiziq's virtual classroom and authorstream's power point presentation platform. Both are web based platforms, h...
June 22
2 members updated their profile photos
June 21
Thomas Nixon is now a member of Virtual Schooling
June 21
My welcmoe dear Mel! Hans
June 21
Hi Michael, well Service DoXtop is a German own - and the owner of this company is a friend of mine. Thus check doXtop and use it as a tool for publishing docs... and more. Paul - my friend - has got its own Ning network. Moreover please consider ...
June 21
Hans, I should have asked you this when you first commented on my Ning page, but are you aware of any K-12 online learning or virtual school programs in Germany? If so, could you tell me which ones? I've been trying to help the iNACOL folks and fi...
June 21

Virtual Schooling is taking off in many places all over the world - and in a number of different guises, but the basic issues and drivers are very similar

In New Zealand we've seen the development of clusters of schools sharing staffing and resources to provide students with access to the range of curriculum areas that they desire, using video conferencing. I've been involved with the development of such clusters since 1994 in the days when we used audio-graphics conferencing.

More recently I've had an involvement with the development of the Virtual Learning Network, an online brokerage service that is designed to help schools link with each other to provide courses and support for students.

The virtual learning network provides a powerful solution to many of the challenges and concerns facing secondary schools today… BUT, some of the questions below still linger…

  • Is what we are doing truly learner-centric?
  • Are we simply replicating the practices of the f2f classroom?
  • How can we get policy change to provide the flexibility we require?
  • Is our view of the technology future-proofed?
  • Where is the evidence that what we are doing is supporting the claims we are making?
Issues to be addressed before the use of distance/eLearning methodologies can become truly systemic in NZ include:
Policy issues
  • How can student funding be shared between schools?
  • How can staffing, including management units, be shared among schools
  • What evidence needs to be gathered to demonstrate the worth of this?
Technology issues
  • Connectivity and interoperability – who sets the standards?
  • Networks – VPNs or MUSH etc
  • Bridging – what is required? What technologies must be supported?
  • Scheduling – enable direct access and school level control?
Curriculum issues
  • assessment – developing consistency in approach
  • reporting – enabling a unified student report from several ‘schools’ etc
  • modularisation – a different view of ‘course’
  • RPL – includes recognising the value of informal learning
Staffing issues
  • Creating more flexibility in recognising teacher roles: e-teachers, m-teachers, c-teachers,
  • How to involve those with real subject expertise as mentors, hotseats etc
Pedagogical issues
  • “personalisation” – what does it mean? How do we make it happen?
  • staff training – how to train a large group of the teaching force in these new approaches?
Leadership and coordination issues
  • where does the leadership come from?
  • What form should leadership take?
  • What coordination is required nationally, locally etc?
Learning Resource issues
  • How best to provide resources for learning to support teachers in this environment
  • learning objects, repositories, search tools – who provides them, who manages them etc?
  • how to cater for user-generated resources?
  • Copyright and IP issues – how are these to be managed?
Quality issues
  • What is best practice?
  • What are quality indicators?
This community is designed to engage practitioners and policy makers in discussing some of these issues and sharing experiences and solutions!

Forum

jeremiah tart

today

Started by jeremiah tart Sep. 11, 2008.

dzhwat

my country 1 Reply

Started by dzhwat. Last reply by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach Jul. 9, 2008.

Mark Cruthers

WiZiQ free Virtual Classroom Technology

Started by Mark Cruthers May. 25, 2008.

Blog Posts

mahi manral

Incredible Rajasthan Tourism – Incredible Experience

Rajasthan is the largest state of India with the capital of Jaipur, the Pink City of India. It is one of the most charming and captivating states of India with various fascinating places of tourist interest. Tourists from all over the world visit Rajasthan and explore its incredible charm of incredible tourism. If you ask about a popular tourism destinations of India, majority of people will answer you – Rajasthan. Rajasthan, meaning the land of kings, is widely acclaimed tourism destinations wi… Continue

Posted by mahi manral on July 8, 2009 at 8:30pm

neelam chauhan

Data Visualization – A Way to Present Ideas with Efficiency

The use of data visualisation is nothing new to the world. A picture is worth a thousand words. People use this kind of concept for long time. You too also have used this concept in your school days preparing school report or making presentation in MS PowerPoint during your computer class. You are also aware with plots, bar charts and pie charts, etc. Yes, this concept has been today enhanced using modern tools & techniques. In general, data visualizationContinue

Posted by neelam chauhan on July 8, 2009 at 2:07am

neelam chauhan

Understand Your Business Data Visualization Software

Data Visualization Software (DV Software) is termed as a software that helps people to understand massive information or display massive information at one glance. In more simple words, DV Software is a reporting user interface designed to be read for analysis purpose of data. It helps managers and company executives to understand and analyze the state of their business and make conclusion based on variety of inputs.

DV software helps people to understand complex information in easier and simpl… Continue

Posted by neelam chauhan on July 8, 2009 at 2:05am

neelam chauhan

Data visualization- Good way to Present Data in Descriptive way

Data Visualization is the process of presenting data in front of others in a more beautiful, elegant and in a descriptive way. The world is changing at a rapid pace and the trend of presenting data is changing simultaneously. Earlier people of ancient age used to carve on stones and slowly came the age of typewriter. But now all these tools of presenting data are outdated and are now there are been isolated with the computer age. With the rapid growth in the Information technology presentation o… Continue

Posted by neelam chauhan on July 8, 2009 at 2:03am

neelam chauhan

The Charm of India Tourism Awaits You

India is a beautiful country. It is a globally famous tourism destination. Vacationers from all over the world come to this country. It has something for every tourist. It never fails to impress its visitors. The beauty of India lies in its diversity – be it cultural or geographical. There are a wide range of tourism options available in the country. The charm of tourism in this beautiful country appeals tourists through out the entire globe and never fails to impress them. You will certainly fa… Continue

Posted by neelam chauhan on July 7, 2009 at 11:40pm

 
 

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