Investigating Student Perceptions and the Effectiveness of K-12 Blended Learning Communities

2019 ◽  
pp. 500-522
Author(s):  
Gina Tovine ◽  
April Fleetwood ◽  
Andrew Shepherd ◽  
Colton J. Tapoler ◽  
Richard Hartshorne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Florida Virtual School ◽  
K 12

While the growth of blended learning environments in higher education and non-educational settings has continued to increase in recent years, this has not been the case in K-12 settings. Recently, in an effort to explore the viability and effectiveness of K-12 blended learning environments, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has been piloting blended learning communities in a number of their schools, providing opportunities to explore factors that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to report the results of a study designed to assess conditions that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities, and to explore learner, instructor, course, and other factors important to successful blended learning communities. Findings will inform the design, development, and implementation of future K-12 blended teaching and learning environments in an effort to support and strengthen student achievement, the preparation of teachers to facilitate effective blended learning environments.

Virtual School Counseling

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 2156759X0001800
Author(s):  
Debra S. Osborn ◽  
Gary W. Peterson ◽  
Rebecca R. Hale
Keyword(s):  
School Counseling ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Virtual Schools ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Traditional School ◽  
Florida Virtual School

The advent of virtual schools opens doors to opportunity for delivery of student services via the Internet. Through the use of structured interviews with four practicing Florida virtual school counselors, and a follow-up survey, the authors examined the experiences and reflections of school counselors who are employed full time in a statewide virtual school. Findings highlight how virtual school counselors differ in their activities from traditional school counselors. This article presents implications for practice, training, and future research.

Implications of Virtual Schooling for Socialization and Community

2011 ◽  
pp. 253-257
Author(s):  
Glenn Russel
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
The United States ◽  
Virtual Schools ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Virtual Schooling ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Florida Virtual School ◽  
Virtual Classes

This article discusses virtual schools. It examines reasons for their growth, and relates criticism and support of virtual schools to the purposes of schooling. In particular, the notions of socialization, values, affective objectives and the future needs of communities are examined. This article discusses the measurement and importance of values and socialization in a school system where virtual schools are valued, and concludes that more attention must be given to these issues as this schooling mode matures. Virtual schools are a variant of distance education whereby students use online computers for some or all of their schooling. Russell (2004) suggests that they may be categorized in terms of the amount of face-to-face interaction, as the range of virtual schools now available includes the following: 1. Those offering some virtual classes at conventional schools. 2. “Out-of-school” models, where there is no designated school building and students never attend a face-to-face class. 3. Mixed-mode examples, where students are expected to work online from home or elsewhere, but attend some face-to-face sessions such as sport or social activities. Variation can also be seen in the experiences offered to students in the online component of their course. Some schools, such as the Virtual Schooling Service in Queensland, Australia (VSS 2003), rely principally on synchronous interaction in the timetabled classes of conventional schools. Other schools, such as Florida Virtual School in the United States (U.S.), use asynchronous methods to enable greater flexibility. The Florida Virtual School uses the motto of “Teaching Any Time, Any Place, Any Pace” (Johnson 2004). The experiences that students will receive within the online component of their virtual schools also vary. An examination of virtual school Web sites and reports, including the California Virtual School Report (2000), Virtual High School (Kozma, Zucker, Espinoza, McGee, Yarnell, Zalles, & Lewis, 2000) and Florida (Florida High School Evaluation, 2002) indicate a range of environments. These include Web pages, chat rooms, online discussion groups and e-mail. In addition, some schools retain predecessor technologies such as telephone, post and audio and videotapes—or combinations of technologies that seem appropriate. It is difficult, if not impossible, to compare student experiences where the technological provision is so disparate

Teaching Any Time, Any Place, Any Pace

2004 ◽  
pp. 116-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Classroom ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Online Curriculum ◽  
Florida Virtual School ◽  
School Day ◽  
Real World Learning

With the launch of six courses in January 1997, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) became a new resource for all students in Florida. FLVS teachers, developers of the online curriculum, experimented with innovative ways of encouraging students to be responsible learners. In the virtual classroom, teachers soon discovered that frequent communication with students and parents reaped tremendous rewards. In this chapter, the reader will see inside the teaching process at Florida Virtual School as the following essential characteristics of online teaching are highlighted: communication, teamwork, flexibility, student-centered learning, and love of students. Using technology as a tool to design and deliver curriculum and instruction, the virtual learning environment mirrors the technological world that students live in today and will work in tomorrow. Virtual education changes the way teachers teach and interact with each other, with students and with parents. Virtual educators are reshaping the routine learning modes of the traditional school day to a dynamic, interactive real-world learning environment that presents choices to parents and students and requires students to take ownership of the learning process.

Instructional Design Factors and Requirements for Online Courses and Modules

2004 ◽  
pp. 158-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Schnitz ◽  
Janet W. Azbell
Keyword(s):  
Online Courses ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Instructional Delivery ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Virtual Schooling ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Florida Virtual School ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Work Done ◽  
Design Factors

The nature of digital content and tools, coupled with the communications capabilities available through online instruction, can, if leveraged properly, provide opportunities for quality instructional delivery. This chapter proposes that — even in an environment of remote, asynchronous, web-based instruction — approaches and the best of effective classroom practices may not be sufficient to address the full range of capabilities the technology provides. Through work done by IBM and the Florida Virtual School (FLVS), principles and models for leveraging the advantages offered by the technology environment and overcoming the difficulties inherent have been worked out in ways that offer significant promise to all providers of virtual schooling.

The Making of a Model: Teacher Education for Looked After Children

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Alix
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Early Model ◽  
Trainee Teachers ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Continued Education ◽  
Stage Process ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Training Practice

<p>We report a three-stage process of developing a model of teacher education to encompass provision for Looked After Children in schools in the UK. First, a survey of 78 trainee teachers explored their perceptions and early practice concerning educating Looked After Children (LAC). There are currently 68,840 children of school age in the UK that have been ‘looked after’ for 12 months or more, and their education is of particular concern both within political and educational circles. Second, teacher education programmes were then reviewed to highlight omissions in relation to LAC, and to initiate an early model for improved training practice, not only for teachers in training but also for the continued professional development of those active in service. Third came the development of a model through consultation with major stakeholders in the field of education for Looked After Children. These were state and charitable organisations, and incorporated responses from Virtual School Headteachers (VSHs) who have oversight of the education for LAC, who are placed on a ‘virtual school’ roll even though physically spread across the schools within a local authority and beyond. The outcomes of the study are limited by the small scale of the research, but provide a validated template for the initial and continued education of teachers for LAC.</p>

scholarly journals Practice in a Pandemic: School Social Workers’ Adaptations and Experiences During the 2020 COVID-19 School Disruptions

2021 ◽  
pp. 104438942110098
Author(s):  
Michael S. Kelly ◽  
Rami Benbenishty ◽  
Gordon Capp ◽  
Kate Watson ◽  
Ron Astor
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
School Social Work ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Traditional Practice

In March 2020, as American PreK-12 schools shut down and moved into online learning in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there was little information about how school social workers (SSWs) were responding to the crisis. This study used a national online survey to understand how SSWs ( N = 1,275) adapted their school practice during the initial 2020 COVID-19 crisis. Findings from this study indicate that SSWs made swift and (relatively) smooth adaptations of their traditional practice role to the new context, though not without reporting considerable professional stress and personal challenges doing so. SSWs reported significant concerns about their ability to deliver effective virtual school social work services given their students’ low motivation and lack of engagement with online learning, as well as significant worries about how their students were faring during the first months of the pandemic. Implications for school social work practice, policy, and research are discussed.

scholarly journals Reimagining School Nursing: Lessons Learned From a Virtual School Nurse

2021 ◽  
pp. 1942602X2199643
Author(s):  
Bill Marrapese ◽  
Jenny M. Gormley ◽  
Kristen Deschene
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Virtual Schools ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
School Nursing ◽  
Job Description ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Ongoing Support

The COVID-19 pandemic has required thousands of public schools to quickly adapt to hybrid or fully remote models. These new models have presented unprecedented challenges for school nurses as they learn how to optimize their interactions with parents and students to provide ongoing support and monitoring of health. The growing reliance on virtual and hybrid public education is also placing new demands on school nurses to be versed in telehealth and school physicians to support their work. Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS) and other public virtual schools have been meeting these challenges for many years prior to the pandemic and have “lessons learned” to share with traditional “brick-and-mortar” nursing staff. GCVS students benefit from a climate that rewards collaboration between the health team, parents, teachers, and administrators, and this article will describe the role, job description, and other practices related to school nursing in a primarily virtual world.

The 23rd National School on Neutron & X-Ray Scattering 2021—Virtual School with Remote Experiments

Neutron News ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Matthias D. Frontzek ◽  
Bianca Haberl ◽  
Michael E. Manley ◽  
Stephan Rosenkranz ◽  
Uta Ruett
Keyword(s):  
Virtual School ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Scattering ◽  
National School ◽  
Ray Scattering

Misrepresenting Brown: Are Ohio Schools Lost in the Free Market? General Implications for Urban Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 1203-1223
Author(s):  
Jane Beese ◽  
Jennifer Martin
Keyword(s):  
Urban Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
School Choice ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Minority Student ◽  
Virtual Schools ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Traditional Public Schools

The privatization of public funds for education through school choice programs has fueled the expansion of virtual online charter schools. This redirection of funds contributes to the idea that virtual school success is comparable or even superior to the performance of traditional public schools. The schools most adversely affected are the schools with the highest need, those serving children living in poverty and already underserved minority student populations: urban public schools. The purpose of this article is to investigate the performance of virtual schools and the redistribution of public monies from public to online community schools in Ohio.

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