Christina Campbell - Virtual K-12 Schools

                                              Virtual K-12 Schools
                                         

                                Image taken from:
                                http://fcir.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/K12logo-300x251.jpg

Dawley, Lisa. "Research Roundup: Online Learning." Edutopia. N.p., 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014

In this article you will read: 

• How virtual classrooms are expanding
• Online learning is growing at a rate of 30 percent annually
• K-12 online learning grew from 50,000 enrollments in 2000 to an estimated one million-plus enrollments in 200
• How virtual classrooms compare to the traditional classroom and research behind these
• Researchers Mickey Shachar and Yoram Neumann, writing in 2003 in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, found a significant positive effect for K-adult distance-education programs, noting that "in two thirds of the cases, students taking courses by distance education outperformed their student counterparts enrolled in traditionally instructed courses."
• A meta-analysis that focused solely on the K-12 online-learning delivery systems in use in today's virtual schools, "The Effects of Distance Education on K-12 Student Outcomes," was funded by the U.S. Department of Education and published in 2004. It found, once more, that achievement in online programs was approximately equivalent to achievement in classroom programs.

This article is adapted from "Redefining Teacher Education: K-12 Online-Blended Learning and Virtual Schools" by Susan Patrick and Lisa Dawley, a brief prepared for the Summit on Redefining Teacher Education, which was held at the University of Texas at Austin.

Lisa Dawley is professor and chair of the Department of Educational Technology at Boise State University. The information from this article is accurate and taken from other resources. This article was written in 2014 but was taken from an article written in 2009 and is one of the most up-to-date articles that I was able to find. 

Anytime, Anywhere: Online Learning Shapes the Future. Prod. Grace Rubenstein. Edutopia. N.p., 24  
     Aug. 2010. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

In this video you will see:

• Why more students and school districts are taking advantage of online learning
• Online learning levels the playing field
• Online learning saves school districts money 
• How online learning is a powerful strategy

This video was produced to show what online learning is and how it can help students to achieve an online or blended education. 

Grace Rubenstein is an investigative reporter that has researched and interviewed many on the topic of online schooling in order to produce this video. This video was published in 2010 on Edutopia.org and is accurate at this time. 

My own opinion on virtual K-12 schools is that they are be an affect tool for learning and advancing our students. I do believe that students need the tools given to them through online learning to advance in today's technological world. The only problem I see with online learning is the social skills and interactions between people. Students in an online learning environment are lacking these skills unless they were able to get them somewhere else in their daily lives.