District Administration - October 2011 - (Page 53)

Students in the Quakerstown (Penn.) Community School District learn Chinese daily using myLanguage360 in a live, synchronous class from their teacher who is 6,000 miles away in Beijing. Above, the teacher conducts a vocabulary lesson using an interactive whiteboard. interventions and a greener world. The next generation of adaptive learning management systems (ALMS), technology-based learning platforms that tailor instructional content based on user responses, is helping students in both face-to-face and blended learning environments complete courses. For example, ALMS provider Synaptic Global Learning, which has just recently entered the K12 space, says its 4DL HITE technology has resulted in a 90 to 95 percent course-completion rate for the 5,000 to 6,000 higher education students it has served, says company principal Nish Sonwalkar. Florida Virtual School (FLVS) English instructor April Schmidt, who has taught nine years for the organization and began implementing ALMS two years ago, has noticed that students are completing courses faster because they’re “getting” the instruction, which matches specific strategies to their individual learning strengths. Blended learning is also making education greener, says Michael Horn, as smaller buildings with lighter carbon footprints can replace the huge brickand-mortar buildings once required. Many districts are also drilling down to offer unit recovery, which allows students to receive specific skill interventions before failing an entire course. www.DistrictAdministration.com This fall, Boulder Universal is implementing an “early warning” system for students involved in blended and fully online courses. The learning management system (LMS) will flag a failed test immediately, pinpoint the skill gap, and notify teachers and parents, which will trigger an immediate intervention. The student will then receive a double-dose pilot program, is the best way to begin a blended learning program. LeVasseur suggests starting with the Face-to-Face Driver model, which is when an inperson teacher delivers most of the curriculum but integrates online learning in individual student cases for remediation or supplemental support as needed. “This allows you to figure out problems gradually, such as a learning management system that doesn’t work with the content vendor, a system going down, or the wrong tech support,” he says. Having a clear goal, a vision, and then communicating that vision to all stakeholders is another important part of the process, says Streich. Parents and others need to understand what the goal is. And starting off with some degree of vendor content helped several districts get programs off the ground faster, allowing them to develop their own content gradually. “Anything is better than starting with a blank page,” says LeVasseur. Finally, experts say that recognizing the key role adults and K12 administrators play in the blended learning process should be a primary consideration for “I’ve seen online learning grow since the satellite days and I know there’s no limit to what it can do for students.” —John Flores, CEO, U.S. Distance Learning Association of instruction with both vendor- and teacher-crafted content. Says Flores, “I’ve seen online learning grow since the satellite days, and I know there’s no limit to what it can do for students. Today, students and parents are expecting and demanding that blended and other online models are integrated into every district’s curriculum offerings. And they’re right to do so.” Where to Go from Here Experts agree that starting small, perhaps with a summer school or evening any program, as in the end, success is about the trust in and respect for teachers that students have. Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, calls his model of “flipping,” or reversing traditional classroom-homework activities, a “humanizing” experience, as students can view lectures alone from home, and then go to school and work with peers to connect, collaborate and solve problems together. DA Susan McLester is a freelance writer in Northern California. October 2011 53 http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

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

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