BLENDING VIRTUAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

AESA CONFERENCE

December 2-4, 2010 Savannah, GA

Our Organization

Clearwater, KS 25 minutes from

Wichita airport 27 member

districts Over 100

districts served

South Central Kansas Education Service Center

Agency Programs & Services

Staff development Copy machines Technology support Web-based HR

training ESOL E-Rate Virtual programs Diploma

completion program

Web-hosted licenses

Distance Learning

USDE Technology Plan

"Transforming American Education: Learning Powered

by Technology" Five Key Goal

Areas by 2015

learning assessment teachinginfrastructure productivity

USDE Technology Plan

Goal Area #1

Learning: Change the learning process so it's more engaging and tailored to students' needs and interests.

USDE Technology Plan

Goal Area #2

Assessment: Measure student progress on the full range of college and career ready standards and use real time data for continuous improvement.

USDE Technology Plan

Goal Area #3

Teaching: Connect teachers to the tools, resources, experts and peers they need to be highly effective and supported.

USDE Technology Plan

Goal Area #4

Infrastructure: Provide broadband connectivity for all students, everywhere—in schools, throughout communities and in students' homes.

USDE Technology Plan

Goal Area #5

Productivity: Use technologyto help schools become more productive and accelerate student achievement while managing costs.

http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

Why Blended Learning?

Shrinking budgets and cuts in programs Declining enrollments Scarcity of teachers Sharing teachers without expense of “windshield time” Access to comprehensive curriculum in rural locations Enriching opportunities in isolated regions

Why Blended Learning?

Interaction among districts and schools Interaction between schools and community Overcoming barriers of distance, time, and

cost Growing virtual population

Students work with chopsticks in

collaborative Chinese class. Monitors in rear

show two remote classrooms connected

simultaneously with students in on-site

room.

What Is Blended Learning?

Any combination of face-to-face and on-line/virtual

Blended/Hybrid = 30-79% on-line Approaches

Lab-Computer lab setting in brick and mortar school

Dropout Recovery Program Adjudicated Youth Program Flex School Model Full-Time Model Something In Between eSchoolNews, special report

2010/10/2

Blended Instructional Options Face to face Video conference On-line

curriculum/tutorial Websites Computer simulations Streaming (video/audio) Skype, etc. Webinar Blackboard, Moodle,

etc.

Immediate assessments and results

Interaction Phone Fax E-mail Messaging Threaded discussions Chat rooms Blogs Wikis

Blended Instructional Options

Synchronous schedules/ interaction

Asynchronous schedules/interaction

Types (any combination) Video conferencing Computers/On-line Face-to-face

Distance/travel overcome Class size/schedules

restrictions eliminated Salary impact minimized

Flexibility of Blended Learning

Scheduling not tied to bells or teachers’ schedules

Specified class periods in regular schedule or any time

Multiple classes provided within one group of

students Hard-to-find staff shared

among districts Added options for limited-

enrollment courses/singleton courses

24/7 potential

Flexibility of Blended Learning Individual needs met Voids in regular

schedule overcome “Office Hours” adapted Remediation and

enrichment possible Credit recovery for

failed courses Programs for

homebound or suspended students

Blended Learning At the Service Center

Adult Students at Diploma

Completion Programs20 sites in Kansas

2,000 adults enrolledgraduation rate: 74% of

seniors

Blended Learning: Classes

LingLing broadcasts Chinese class to

remote schools via Polycom HD System.

Chinese K-12Spanish K-12AP curriculum

Blended Learning: Programs

Auschwitz Chinese

culture/language Puerto Rican

culture/language Early literacy: Mrs.

Goose Math activities

make cookies build a birdhouseMrs. Goose captures students’

attention.

Blended Learning: Staff Development

Opportunities for multiple districts simultaneously

Minimize windshield time & substitute expense

Face-to-face DL connections Podcasts Webinars/Goto Meeting On-line college courses Video/audio streaming

Broader Potential: Community & State

Special Programs—pre-schools-senior centers

Consultations(health, state activities association, etc.)

Board of Education meetings (local and state)

Department of Education Connections Evening College Classes Economic Development Workforce Development HR Training

Broader Potential: Community & State

Virtual field trips Vocational & college

tours Meetings without

extended travel expense

Professional development opportunities

Career programs Advisory committees International interaction

Butler Community College instructors provide virtual tour of

programs for non-traditional occupations.

What We’ve Learned

Adequate planning Perception: is

not competition Regular meetings

of stakeholders Staff Superintendents Principals Counselors

Quality is more important than quantity at implementation

Allow for individualized use by districts (partial to full program)

What We’ve Learned

Not every student is a good candidate

Not every teacher is a good virtual instructor

Deadlines implemented and enforced/calendars assist

Professional development is essential

Adequate technology and infrastructure a necessity

What We’ve Learned

Interaction is necessary student at center of

every decision daily communication timely responses flexibility parental communication celebrate every effort

and success, no matter how small

What We’ve Learned

build relationships with colleagues with students/planned and frequent

interaction among students—collaborative

projects, activities, discussions share resources, best practices,

etc. combinations of delivery

based on student based on content based on instructional objectives

What’s Ahead?—i3-D

Meet USDE technology goals

Prepare for increasingly rigorous national standards/expectations

Enhance learning process to engage today’s students

Re-engineer elements of traditional education and training

What’s Ahead?—i3-D

Use Interactive 3-D objects to transfer knowledge to improve outcomes to teach and learn more

effectively and efficiently

Contacting SCKESC

South Central Kansas Education Service Center www.sckesc.org 620-584-3300

Dr. Kay Highbarger, Executive Director khighbarger@sckesc.org