District Administration - October 2011 - (Page 48)

Building a Blended Learning Program used to hands-on, real-world courses such as business, architecture and shop can make the smoothest transition to teaching in blended environments where direct instruction does not work. “I tell teachers to use technology, to incorporate Internet investigations, avatars, blogs, wikis and other interactive techniques,” he says. The bottom line, Flores, LeVasseur and Rattie agree, is a teacher who can develop strong, nurturing connections with students. Rattie says 85 percent of what makes a good online teacher is personality—somebody who can be helpful but also push the kids. “Teachers who will walk around the room, meet with kids and celebrate their successes, no matter how minute, are the ones who really motivate students,” she says. Lessons Learned Still in its infancy, blended learning is being figured out by districts as they go, with trailblazers happy to share lessons they’ve learned along the way. For the WAAT program, Cruse says the drop-in centers, where students can go to access computers if their own has crashed or their parents can no longer afford Internet access, have played an important role. They also allow high school students to meet with qualified teachers to help them through upper division math and science courses, and they give K8 homeschooled students opportunities to socialize with peers through activities such as hands-on art lessons, story hours and group trips to the library to check out books. Cruse has also learned to screen for students who think blended learning is a magic bullet. In the first two weeks, she tries to instill good independent learning habits, such as pacing oneself by taking regular breaks from work on the computer and then returning to instruction. Students who can’t keep up a regular pace are dropped from the program. In Osceola, Rattie has limited blended coursework to brick-and-mortar labs, as 48 October 2011 Brownsville Academy High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., uses a program that help students who are at least two years behind get back on track. Above, a teacher guides seniors in using iMovie to create a Public Service Announcement about a credit issue in the 2010-2011 year. The Metropolitan Nashville (Tenn.) Public School District launched its full online virtual school this past school year, accommodating 500 students. It’s expected to save the school money, given that 25 students can learn 25 subjects in the same room with only one on-the-ground adult. Above, is a screen shot of the virtual student center available to all students. at home there’s too much inappropriate input on assessments from parents and friends. Students stay on track in the classroom, as tech support immediately notifies the supervising teacher when a student goes to Facebook or another site. Also, for the exam portions of the program, students must now sit at a computer next to the teacher’s desk. LeVasseur says pacing is the biggest challenge for students at Boulder Universal, so every two weeks, their progress is checked to make sure they haven’t fallen behind. If they have, they’re required to come in more often for classroom checkups by teachers at their home schools. Trends Point Upward Trends in blended learning look promising for increased individualization, quicker District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2011

District Administration - October 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Transportation Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Building a Blended Learning Program
How Are Science Fairs Fairing?
A New Age for Algebra
Early College High Schools
Changing of the Guard in Florida
CIO News
How Much Computing Power Do You Need?
An Unconventional Approach to 1:1
New Books
Problem/ Solution
Research Center
Product Focus
New Products
Professional Opinion
Going Mobile
Online Edge

District Administration - October 2011