Online Learning

ALEC and corporate fingerprints are all over national push for online learning

March 26, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

If it passes, Minnesota will become one of a handful of states to mandate student participation in online learning, which is, to put it mildly, a booming industry in search of customers.

Consider, for example, Tennessee’s adoption last year of the Virtual Public Schools Act, model legislation created by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the super-secretive, super-conservative group which has birthed much of the nearly identical anti-labor legislation that has swept through statehouses nation-wide over the last two years.

Yes, ALEC has made appearances in this space, too, but we think the best primer is the one produced by the education advocacy group Parents United. Corporations, foundations and think tanks pay thousands of dollars to join ALEC, which charges lawmakers — most of them Republicans — $50 a year to join.

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Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With: Online Learning, Virtual Public Schools

Can States and School Districts Cut Costs Through Digital Learning?

January 18, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Digital learning represents wide-open terrain for K-12 education reform. Several states — Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Michigan and Minnesota — require students to take an online course to receive a high school degree. Twenty-seven states have established statewide full-time virtual schools since the first opened in 1997 in Florida, according to a report by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, an indication of virtual education’s growing appeal.

As with all innovations, though, there is always a question of cost for providing such new technologies, especially when states are providing less per-pupil funding.

A study released last week by the Education Center of Excellence at the Parthenon Group (commissioned by the conservative education think tank, the Fordham Institute) suggested that the costs of digital learning could be significantly less than more traditional modes. The authors cautioned that its findings must be interpreted with some caveats: costs vary across digital education platforms and different entities pursue online learning for different reasons (cost-savings versus enhanced offerings, for example).

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Filed Under: Home Page Tagged With: Digital learning, online course, Online Learning, virtual education, virtual schools

Time for Virtual Schooling to Grow-Up

October 26, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Virtual schooling is a good idea. Over the past decade or so, online education has proven itself a valuable component of the learning system, from elementary to post-secondary. I personally use a lot of online learning in my own teaching, so I am a tried and true advocate for online learning.

But, it needs to grow up. And fast. As online learning approaches the knee of the exponential curve, we can’t ignore it as just a small tangential sandbox. With 200,000 full-time virtual students nationwide and growing, it is core to the system now and we need to treat it that way.

In a new brief my partners Gene Glass and Kevin Welner, of the National Education Policy Center, articulate many of the current problems in the P-12 online learning space. There are serious, documented quality concerns and in some cases a near total lack of traditional accountability and oversight. The Washington Post this morning provided a good summary. The abuses are appalling and could cause a national backlash against the use of online learning in the P-12 learning system.

For the rest of the article, go to Time for Virtual Schooling to Grow-Up

Filed Under: Home Page Tagged With: Online Learning, Virtual schooling

PLATO Learning Introduces vCourses for Launching Effective Virtual Learning Programs

October 19, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

PLATO Learning, a leading provider of online education solutions for kindergarten through adult learners, has introduced vCourses; rigorous, research-based courses designed to meet the needs of 21st century learners.

While all PLATO Learning courses are interactive, engaging, and effective, vCourses have been optimized specifically for virtual programs. PLATO vCourses benefits include a streamlined workflow for teachers and administrators, an intuitive and easy to navigate user interface for learners, and support services that ensure schools and districts can implement an effective virtual program quickly and cost-effectively.

“As the online learning population continues to grow rapidly, we will continue to support schools and districts by providing a virtual learning experience that sets the standard for the industry,” said Jamie Candee, vice president of product and marketing for PLATO Learning. “Virtual courses are becoming an expectation of learners and families. With PLATO vCourses, schools and districts can meet that expectation, and offer a learning option that will help them retain students.”

For the rest of the article, go to PLATO Learning Introduces vCourses for Launching Effective Virtual Learning Programs

Filed Under: Home Page, News, Online High Schools Tagged With: Online Learning, virtual learning

Online courses offered at K-W

April 14, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Students registering for next fall’s classes at Kenyon-Wanamingo High School won’t just have to choose between political science and economics or between art and accounting. Now, some of them will be deciding between classroom or living room.

Next fall, Kenyon Wanamingo will launch a pilot program for online learning that will allow students to take up to three courses over the Internet.

“We feel the trend will keep pushing in that (online) direction,” Kenyon Wanamingo High School Principal Patrick Walsh said. “We need to be ahead of it.”

The courses will be offered through Southeast Minnesota Virtual Academy, a coalition of six school districts in the Hiawatha Valley League of schools – Hayfield, Kasson-Mantorville, Kenyon-Wanamingo, La Crescent-Hokah, Stewartville and Triton.

For the rest of the article, go to Online courses offered at K-W

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page Tagged With: Minnesota Virtual Academy, Online Learning

District 16 plans to bolster online learning

January 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Spring Lake Park District 16 is gearing to ramp up its student online learning programs.

The move will give students more options, allow students to work at their own pace and the district will be on course for a rapidly expanding manner of delivering instruction – via the Internet.

“The K-12 online learning is growing and it’s growing fast,” said Jerelyne Nemanich, the district’s instructional technology coordinator.

Nemanich presented a report, “Online/Blended Learning Task Force Update,” to the SLP School Board during last month’s regular school board meeting.

The district will start with the high school and later address middle school needs. Nemanich said parents of elementary students have expressed interest in taking online learning classes as well.

For the rest of the article, go to District 16 plans to bolster online learning

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, News Tagged With: Online Learning

Dan Fosse reflects on school board career

January 6, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Fosse was also a part of the long range facilities committee that worked on the alternative facilities bond that led to improved energy efficiency in all the school buildings, and has led to significant cost savings for the district.

In 2008, the committee held several community focus meetings that allowed for community-based planning input for the future of the district, and around 30 community members actively participated in the meetings.

An extensive report was given to the school board in June 2008 that outlined 10 recommendations: reduction of class sizes and staff to student ratios; increase efficiencies in transportation; adding second language programs at elementary schools; provide online, virtual learning; further utilization and marketing of facilities; additional hi-tech and vocational ed opportunities; implementation of alternative energy technology; co-op and outsourcing of services; consider land purchase for future facilities; and developing a specialized tech or vocational educational facility.

For the rest of the article, go to Dan Fosse reflects on school board career.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Online Learning, virtual learning

Allen Interactions Wins Two Silver Interactive Multimedia Awards

December 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The winning e-learning courseware created for Mary Kay’s online classroom is called Silver Wings Scholar ProgramSM. This comprehensive online learning classroom consists of e-learning courses designed to guide new independent beauty consultants through some of the basics of starting their own Mary Kay business. It covers essential areas of the Mary Kay career in independent consultant sales where learning lessons are designed to take a new consultant approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition and to have partnered with Mary Kay Inc. on this award-winning online curriculum,” stated Richard Sites, studio executive of the Allen Interactions’ design and development team which created the e-learning course for Silver Wings.

For the rest of the article go to Allen Interactions Wins Two Silver Interactive Multimedia Awards

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Capella Education Company Reports Third Quarter 2010 Results

October 27, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Capella Education Company-a provider of exclusively online post-secondary education through its wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, today announced financial results for the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2010. “Third quarter 2010 was another quarter of strong results,” said Kevin Gilligan, chairman and chief executive officer of Capella Education Company. “Quality post-secondary education remains very attractive due to the opportunity for high life-time return on investment for graduates. Capella has built a leadership position in online learning and a strong reputation for academic quality. Coupled with the breadth of our educational program offerings and focus on learner success, Capella is well-positioned to benefit from the long-term growth drivers in the higher education market.”

For the rest of the article go to, Capella Education Company Reports Third Quarter 2010 Results

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Online High Schools Tagged With: Online Learning