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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT (K-12)
blendedschools.net
Central Pennsylvania
www.blendedschools.net
K12 Students in Pennsylvania take
Credit Recovery, AP, and Enrichment
Courses via blendedschools.net and
Wimba
“It’s been exciting to see the difference education technologies such as Wimba are
making in the lives of students at the schools we serve.”
-Mark Gensimore, Project Manager, blendedschools.net
There are 501 school districts in state of Pennsyl-
lead to challenging situations; situations that
vania, yet only 46 have an enrollment of 7,500 or
blendedschools.net – with help from Wimba –
more. And if the goliath Philadelphia and Pitts-
solves every day.
• Wimba Classroom
• Wimba Pronto
• Wimba Voice
KEY BENEFITS
• Small and rural K12 schools extend
curriculum
• Offer credit recovery, AP, and enrichment classes online
• Younger students easily communi-
burgh school districts are removed, the average
Pennsylvania district has a mere 2,200 students
blendedschools.net is a non-profit organization
– fewer students than are typically enrolled in a
dedicated to optimizing technology to enhance
single Philadelphia public high school. Clearly,
student learning by delivering an expansive list
there are inequities in Pennsylvania schools.
of products and services to its member school
districts and their students. In other words, it
While states like Virginia have county-wide
leads a consortium of more than 130 schools
school districts that are practically run like cor-
across the state, providing them with online
porations, Pennsylvania school districts are run
curriculum, training and technology for these
by small school boards that solely depend on
schools, enabling teachers to create robust on-
revenue from their equally diminutive com-
line curriculum which can be used by all mem-
munities. While elite school districts such as
ber districts. Now, a small, rural school in the
Loudon County and Fairfax County in Virginia
Appalachian Mountains can extend the breadth
might have a few underprivileged towns but
of its curriculum by allowing its students to take
also affluent suburbs to support their schools,
classes either asynchronously via Blackboard or
many Pennsylvania districts rely exclusively on
fully live online with Wimba Classroom.
only one or other. Therefore, districts with limited funding have almost no means to dig them-
From the Bradford Area School District in North-
selves out, while the lavish suburban districts
ern Pennsylvania, to the Bellefonte Area School
revel in their lofty community tax dollars. It is
District in the central part of the state, to
these inequities between Pennsylvania schools
the Chartiers Valley School District
in both funding and curriculum offerings which
west of Pittsburgh, students
www.wimba.com
WIMBA PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
cate with their teachers
Mark Gensimore, Project Manager,
blendedschools.net
throughout the state can enroll in standard
their age sorely need, particularly when in an on-
courses such as English, Math, and Social Studies,
line learning environment.
as well as more advanced classes and electives
blendedschools.net
Central Pennsylvania
www.blendedschools.net
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“The Wimba software helps with interaction with students. I’ve found that
students who are shy in the classroom
or are kind of an introvert, they express themselves more via Wimba. It’s
the wave of the future. It’s something
all school districts should take advantage of. Wimba bridges the gap when
it comes to differentiated instruction
because not everyone learns the same
way.”
such as Accounting, Personal Finance, Art Histo-
“The Wimba software helps with interaction with
ry, and Computer Applications. For students who
students. I’ve found that students who are shy in
have fallen behind, they can take credit recovery
the classroom or are kind of an introvert, they ex-
courses in most subjects, while gifted students in
press themselves more via Wimba,” says Miguel
small schools can take AP classes online.
Santa, Instructional Support Specialist at the
Cyber Academy. “It’s the wave of the future. It’s
“The Wimba tools are used in so many different
something all school districts should take advan-
ways to supplement so many different situa-
tage of. Wimba bridges the gap when it comes
tions,” says Mark Gensimore, Project Manager of
to differentiated instruction because not every-
blendedschools.net.
one learns the same way.”
blendedschools.net courses are developed in
In fact, though only three years young, the Cyber
the Blackboard Academic Suite™ with the Wimba
Academy has already offered more than 120 syn-
Collaboration Suite™ enabling synchronous in-
chronous and asynchronous courses taught by
teraction through video, voice and chat sessions,
state certified instructors from within the district
as well as asynchronous collaboration via discus-
and partner schools across Pennsylvania.
-Miguel Santa, Instructional Support Specialist,
sion boards, podcasts and archived classroom
William Penn School District Cyber Academy
lessons. This comprehensive solution makes it
“Wimba allows me to reach those students that
possible for K12 students throughout Pennsylva-
otherwise we’d lose,” explains Cynthia Hyland,
nia to continue learning on their own time and
Distance Educator at the William Penn School
addresses diverse learning styles.
District Cyber Academy.
For example, the William Penn School District
According to Gensimore, his organization pro-
Cyber Academy in suburban Philadelphia offers
vides online technologies that districts with shal-
educational opportunities for children who need
low pockets cannot afford to purchase on their
a self-paced learning environment, are behind in
own. This purchasing power allows blended-
their credits, or who are faced with social chal-
schools.net to buy large licenses of technologies
lenges that make the traditional school setting
such as Blackboard and Wimba which can then
difficult for them. Like other schools through-
be distributed to any district that requests these
out the state of Pennsylvania that are simply so
technologies.
small and under-funded that they cannot offer as
broad a spectrum of classes as other schools, the
“It’s been exciting to see the difference educa-
Cyber Academy utilizes the online curriculum of-
tion technologies such as Wimba are making in
fered by blendedschools.net. By utilizing the col-
the lives of students at the schools we serve,” says
laborative elements of the Wimba Collaboration
Gensimore. “We’ve been able to examine and as-
Suite, teachers at the Cyber Academy are in con-
semble the best tools to create turnkey techni-
stant communication with their students, giving
cal solutions so the schools can stay focused on
them the hands-on guidance that children of
helping students succeed.”
blendedschools.net
Central Pennsylvania
www.blendedschools.net
From teaching AP classes live online, to having
“The Bedford Area School District views blended
teachers keep in touch with students after the
learning as an integral component of a success-
school day via Wimba Pronto, a school-centric
ful “Bricks and Clicks” learning environment. The
instant messenger that boasts voice and video
program is offered to all students of the Bedford
conferencing and application sharing, the addi-
Area School District and many are truly “blend-
tion of Wimba has significantly expanded educa-
ing” their individualized learning program.”
tion opportunities for K12 students of all ages.
Several students in the Conewago Valley School
District’s cyber charter program actually re-en-
ABOUT WIMBA
Wimba develops web-based collaboration software designed for online education, language learning and live interactive communications. Our collaborative
applications enable learning professionals to fully embrace the new wave
of teaching and learning opportunities
afforded by the Internet; regardless of
geographic location, bandwidth or operating system. Our classroom collaboration solutions enable educators to conduct live, online classes, meetings, office
hours and other collaborations, and our
language learning tools add oral interaction directly into course content, webpages, study groups and assessments.
With simplicity and power, Wimba adds
new dimensions to online, accessible education, enhancing the learning experience for both students and instructors.
For instance, while high school students in the
rolled after previously dropping out. The cyber
Northern Lebanon schools use Wimba Voice to
charter program uses blendedschools.net cur-
listen to their teachers’ podcasts, kindergarten
riculum to help face-to-face students acceler-
students in the Rose Tree Media School District
ate their studies. They are also exposing their
in southeastern Pennsylvania use Wimba Voice
college-bound seniors to Blackboard, the course
to extend their half-day program with a thematic
management system they’ll likely use in college.
online course as they learn 21st-century technology skills. These kindergarteners play games
“blendedschools.net has allowed our district to
and engage in other learning activities via Voice
create our own blended academy,” says Joseph
Boards to augment literacy, numeracy, technol-
M. Connolly of the Conewago Valley School Dis-
ogy, and science standards.
trict. “Our enrollment numbers are increasing
based on the service that we offer to our blended
“blendedschools.net has provided a unique and
families. We continue to have requests and are
valuable learning structure for our students. We
looking at ways to increase our capacity.”
utilize this format to offer an alternative learning
media for students as well as to create credit re-
“blendedschools.net is a perfect example of how
covery and extending learning experiences,” says
technology can directly impact learning across
Brian Keagy, former Hyndman Campus Principal
diverse communities to meet many different
and Director of Online Learning for the Bedford
needs,” adds Tommaso Trionfi, CEO of Wimba.
Area School District in southern Pennsylvania.