What is Online Learning?
Who knew there were so many different forms of online learning? I for sure did not! As someone who grew up in the traditional education world and continues to be an educator in that world today, I have not been exposed to too many online learning opportunities. All of my courses from elementary through high school were in person. In college, my classes had some online components, but majority of the instruction took place in person. Now that I am in gad school, I am getting a taste for online learning. But lets take a step back and think about k-12 education. Most of us have spent our entire k-12 career sitting in in person classrooms. However, there are online options that I never knew about. While reading "Making the Choice to go Online: Exploring Virtual Schooling as an Option for K-12 Students" I learned that there are state virtual schools, multi and single-district programs, consortium, and post secondary options. Some of these virtual schools are full time while others are supplemental. If I, as someone in the education field was not aware of these opportunities, how do we expect families to know they exist? Maybe that is the hope. Maybe that is how we can keep all of our students to enrolled in our schools.
So why would parents and students choose online schooling? After watching "What Does a Typical Online Student Look Like" and listening to Susan Patrick (2010), I discovered that there are many reasons why online schooling might be the right fit for some families. Online learning is great for young professional athletes who are training and on the road. It is great for those students who are being home schooled or have medical concerns, and physical limitations. Students who are advanced learners may prefer online schooling because they can move at a quicker pace and be involved in more advanced courses that may not be offered at their school. Online learning is also great for those students who struggle in a typical classroom, they can work at their own pace and get more individualized support. Online schooling allows for flexibility of schedules and makes learning more accessible for those who may not thrive in an in-person classroom. Although online learning is available for all students, the demographics of those who participate is disproportionate to the population of students in traditional schools. According to "Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice" black, Hispanic, and Asian are underrepresented while white and native american are over represented. Special education students and those receiving free and reduced lunch are also underrepresented. How can we make online learning more accessible to these underrepresented populations?
Fairfax County Public Schools uses online learning they call Online Campus. According to the FCPS website, this online learning is identical content to in person classrooms. This program is offered to high school students and they may enroll in up to two credits as part of their standard seven high school credits without fees. If they want to take an 8th credit, they will pay a fee. Non FCPS students registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia can take courses but they must pay tuition. As an educator of in-person classes, I have mixed feelings about online learning. I do believe that online learning is the best choice for some students. However, I want my students in the classroom, I want to be in the classroom. Covid-19 has given online learning a bad name and leaves a bad taste in the mouths of students, parents, and teachers. I am hoping we will become better at online learning, but it is just not at all what we have experienced as students ourselves. As I learn more about online learning, I will be sharing my findings via Poplet.
From all that you learned about what Online Learning is, you can probably see elements of it in what you are doing now as school gets underway this week, but still there are a lot of missing elements. And that's okay. We are in a pandemic and there has not been enough time to develop an online learning strategy (To me, its like developing a vaccine). It usually me two months or more to develop an online course (more than a year to develop a whole program). It requires reimagining content, interactions, delivery, strategies, socializing, plus all the things I know what best teaching practices.
ReplyDeleteI have always been curious about Fairfax Online Campus too. It is quite mysterious. I was wondering if any of our FCPS teacher-learners at the high school level could give us more insight. But now that you know about it, doesn't it make you wonder, how are the courses developed? What are the interactions? How is it delivered? Your online learning experience as a learner greatly informs your ability look at these courses with a critical eye (if you ever can gain access or talk to an instructor about it).
Your popplet is fantastic and incorporates key headings that not only supports your reflective writing but also your final presentation in Module 5. The benefits you listed and developed from this week's resources are just a few you will learn about. Online Learning is often viewed as a way to solve problems of access to education (but not in an equitable sense as you pointed out). There are skills that online learning can foster in those environments that are well-designed. Stay tuned!