VIRTUAL LEARNING ACADEMY
Craig Closser, CEO of Regional Programs
Wendy Hanasky, Director of Technology Services
Maribeth Arlia, Instructional Technology Coordinator
No Future Left Behind
BIG QUESTIONS????
•How do we incorporate 21st century
technologies safely in K-12 buildings?
•How do we enable teachers to use these
technologies?
•How do we measure student success?
21st Century Skills
•Learning and Innovation Skills
•4C’s – Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity
•Information, Media and Technology Skills
•House Bill I – July 2009
21st CENTURY READINESS INITIATIVES
Ohio Global Institute 2009
In August 2009, the Ohio Department of Education, in collaboration with
the Office of International Affairs and Area Studies Centers at The Ohio
State University, the Gerald H. Read Center at Kent State University and
the Ohio Geographic Alliance held a three-day Global Institute for
teachers in grades K-12. The goal of the institute was to build a network
of teachers who are incorporating a more international perspective into
their classrooms.
This event trained a cadre of teachers from content areas across the
curriculum to:
•Understand the importance of international education;
•Identify opportunities for integrating international context into
teaching activities;
•Create models that can be shared with other teachers; and
•Use technology to make international connections.
WIKI’s
WIKI USES
Leslie Davison - Spanish teacher
Dillon Valley Elementary School - Colorado,
Aroundtheworldin80schools.com
•Class used wikis to swap information about history,
favorite games and hobbies, and cultural traditions
such as food and holidays
•Other uses:
•Virtual field trips
•Vocabulary
•Exam reviews
Challenge
Core Curriculum – still backbone of education
Challenge – how to deliver the core curriculum
in a more engaging, 21st century model
Disrupting Class
Clayton Christensen
Disrupting Class
Clayton Christensen
Christensen suggests that….
•Six years - 10% of all courses will be
computer-based
•2019 – 50% courses will be delivered
online
Fast Facts
-iNACOL, 2010
• K-12 online learning is a new field consisting of an
estimated $300 million market, which is growing at an
estimated annual pace of 30% annually.
•In April 2006, Michigan became the 1st state to
require online learning for high school graduation. In
2008, Alabama added a high school graduation
distance/online learning requirement.
Fast Facts
-iNACOL, 2010
According to the 2009 Sloan Consortium report, K-12
school district administrators cited
•“offering courses not otherwise available at the
school,”
•“meeting the needs of specific groups of
students,” and
•“offering Advanced Placement or college level
courses”
as the top three reasons they perceive online and
blended courses to be important.
An Overview of the
VIRTUAL LEARNING ACADEMY
The Virtual Learning Academy is...
E-LEARNING that
• Teaches required subjects for graduation
• Fits all learning styles
• Appeals to students interests
• Fulfills the needs of students & families
JCESC VLA provides:
• A curriculum that is fully aligned to the
Ohio Academic Content Standards
• Ohio Academic Content Standards are rooted in the
National Academic Content Standards
• A complete portfolio of academic courses (Grades K-12)
• Multi-State alignment
Jefferson County ESC
VLA MODEL
• Is not a charter school, nor a conversion school,
nor a community school
• Is designed for cooperation, not competition,
with the school district
• When the school district adopts a resolution to
collaborate with JCESC...
• Our online curriculum becomes an approved education
option, an extension of the school district
• Has strong parental involvement in determining
if this option will benefit the student
THE JCESC VLA PLAN
STUDENTS
VLA is an option for ANY STUDENT that the
local Superintendent believes can benefit.
Students who are...
• Home-Bound
• Special Needs & At-Risk
• Home-Schooled
• Assigned to Alternative Schools
• In Need of Reclamation
• Incarcerated Youth
• Dropped-Out
...now have an alternative educational choice
VLA Numbers Grow Daily...
JCESC VLA
PROGRAM
• STUDENTS:
43,496
-Ohio
34,683
-Outside Ohio 8,813
• FACULTY: 3,425
• SCHOOL DISTRICTS: 170
COUNTIES: 55
Now Operating
in 50 States &
Internationally
JEFFERSON COUNTY ESC
PARTICIPATING COUNTIES
Serving Students in All 50 States & 23 Countries
China
Belgium
Canada
South Korea
United
Kingdom
France
Spain
Japan
Germany
Virgin
Islands
All Fifty
States
Thailand
Dominican
Republic
Singapore
Mexico
Greece
Costa Rica
Guam
India
Panama
Philippines
Israel
Australia
Venezuela
High School (9-12) • Aligned Curriculum
ENGLISH
• English I (1)
SOCIAL STUDIES
• Preparing for Citizenship (1/2)
• English II (1)
• English III (1)
• English IV (1)
• Greek Mythology (1/2)
• Roman Mythology (1/2)
• Short Stories (1/2)
• Poetry (1/2)
• Economics (1/2)
• Government (1/2)
• U.S. History (1)
• World History (1)
• OGT Social Studies (1/2)
•Geography (1/2)
•Sociology (1/2)
MATH
• Advanced Math (1)
• OGT Preparation Math (1)
• CP Algebra II (1)
• Calculus A (1/2)
•Calculus B (1/2)
• Integrated Math III (1)
• CP Geometry (1)
• Integrated Math II (1)
• CP Algebra I (1)
• Integrated Math I (1)
• Transition to College
Math (1/2)
• Intervention Math (1)
CONSUMER SCIENCE
• Family Living (1/2)
SCIENCE
•Forensic Science (1/2)
•OGT Science (1/2)
•Integrated Science (1/2)
• Marine Biology (1/2)
• Environmental Science (CP) (1)
• Integrated Environmental Science (1)
• Biology (1)
• Integrated Biological Science (1)
• Physical Science (1)
• Integrated Physical Science (1)
•Aviation (1/2)
•Physics (1/2)
FINE ARTS
• Art History (1/2)
• Renaissance Art (1/2)
BUSINESS/
TECHNOLOGY
• Intro to the Internet (1/2)
• Word I (1/2)
• PowerPoint I (1/2)
• Excel I (1/2)
• Computer Applications (1/2)
•Business Math (1/2)
HEALTH
• Health (1/2)
•Physical Education (1/2)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
• French I (1)
• French II (1)
• French III (1)
• French IV (1)
•German (1/2)
•Mandarin Chinese (1/2)
•Spanish 7 (1/2)
•Spanish 8 (1/2)
• Spanish I (1)
• Spanish II (1)
•Spanish III (1)
•Spanish IV (1)
OTHER
• ACT Preparation (1)
VLA ALIGNED CURRICULUM
Elementary and Jr. High
Online Academic Courses
2nd-8th Grade
Four Core Subjects
ENGLISH/LA
MATHEMATICS
SOCIAL STUDIES
SCIENCE
*We also have:
4th Grade National Standards Social Studies
Spanish Kindergarten
• Full credit courses contain
36 units and are assigned for
one school year.
• Half credit courses contain
18 units and can be
completed in one semester.
• Each unit takes
approximately four hours
to complete for a total of
144 hours to achieve
one (1) course credit.
ON-SITE TRAINING
Jefferson County ESC VLA Trainers
• Train "Point of Contact" for each ESC
and each school building
• Provide Point of Contact recruitment materials
for VLA students and faculty
• Train district-recruited VLA Faculty
• Provide year-long
technical and educational
support to the
Point of Contact
and faculty
OFF-SITE HOSTING
•VLA is housed off-site at a secure location
•24/7 monitoring
•Built with redundancy
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN????
•Peace of mind to end user
•All data is backed up and secure
•Turn-key…all you need is the Internet!
Alternative Uses
•
•
•
•
Credit Flex
Calamity Days
Learning Management System (LMS)
OGT/ACT Preparation
Credit Flex
• VLA offers 100+ courses
–All have an end-of-course test-out
exam
• Cost
–$75 per course, per student
–$35 teacher fee, per student
Calamity Days
• http://www.dispatch.com/live/conte
nt/local_news/stories/2010/10/25/d
istrict-to-test-calamity-dayalternative.html?sid=101
• Use VLA to house curriculum (full
units for daily supplements) to allow
24/7 access
• http://www.minyanville.com/dailyfeed/ohiodestroys-thrill-of-snow/
Alternative Uses
• Learning Management System (LMS)
–Beginning Fall 2011, VLA will become
an “Open-Source” LMS
• Ability for all users to easily add and edit
content: curriculum, assessments,
grading mechanisms, etc.
• Use for calamity days, create blended
environments, move “hard to staff” courses
online
OGT/ACT Preparation
•
•
•
•
OGT Math
OGT Science
OGT Social Studies
Districts use courses to
prepare/remediate students for the
OGT Tests
– Some districts use a lab setting where students
can work on their own courses
PLANNED AND PROJECTED COURSES
IN DEVELOPMENT
•Integrated Family Living
•Spanish 3-6
•Chemistry
•Latin
•Career Awareness
•25 Greatest Masterpieces
•Biology with Labs
•Psychology
•Child Care Development
•Physiology/Anatomy
•Music Appreciation
•Kindergarten
•1st Grade
•PE – Extreme Sports
•Theatre
Teaching in the 21st Century
CRAIG CLOSSER
Chief Executive Officer of Regional Programs
craig.closser@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
WENDY HANASKY
Director of Technology Services
wendy.hanasky@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
MARIBETH ARLIA
Instructional Technology Coordinator
maribeth.arlia@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
CHRISTY KELLEY
Instructional Technology Coordinator
christy.kelley@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
PATTY FERRELL
Intervention Specialist
patty.ferrell@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
JENNIFER BRUCE
Instructional Technology Coordinator
jennifer.bruce@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
JOANNE GORBY
Instructional Course Designer
joanne.gorby@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
SHARON DOTY
Technology & Math Specialist
sharon.doty@omeresa.net
740-757-2546
SHAYE CASPER
Virtual Learning Academy Coordinator
shaye.casper@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
GLORIA CLOSSER
Curriculum Development Specialist
gloria.closser@omeresa.net
BONNIE DiNAPOLI
Curriculum Development Specialist
bonnie.dinapoli@omeresa.net
740-283-3347
TERESA SILVESTRI
Content Specialist
DAVID MOORE
Multimedia Specialist
davidmoore6567@netzero.net
BONNIE MOORE
Content Specialist
mooreb1@hughes.net