It's been decided that our district curriculum council will be making recommendations about the approach our district takes to online learning.
I'm not the most enthusiastic supporter of online classes. I've been both the perpetrator and victim of such experiences at the post-secondary level and because of our district's size, I've never seen the kind of need some of our smaller neighboring districts have for such classes.
So. yes, our district is a bit slow on the uptake compared to some places, but I am hoping we do this right. And doing it right means identifying the "why" of online before getting to the "how." I do NOT want this to become a model for the "ready, fire, aim" approach I chide others of using.
Some pretty serious questions need to be asked and answered before a plan takes shape. It's not just "Should we set up a Moodle server?" Here are some things we need to discuss and on which we need to reach some kind of consensus before we get to the "how":
What problems does online instruction solve or what opportunities does it create?
Schools have adopted online instruction opportunities for a variety of reasons:
- To enrich and make more effective regular classes
- To provide a wider range of course offerings to students - those that cannot be provide in-house
- To provide learning opportunities for students who cannot attend regular classes
- To meet the needs of students who do not do well in face-to-face instructional settings
- To provide credit recovery
- To provide student experience with online learning environments to prepare them for the workforce and higher ed
What is our reason for providing online instruction and does it fit into our district-wide strategic plan?
How do we define online learning?
Online learning is a mean of delivering instruction using technology tools that complement face-to-face instruction or reduce/eliminate the need for face-to-face instruction. The instruction can be Internet-based or delivered via video networks (ITV). Instruction can be synchronous or asynchronous.
- Hybrid classes (blended classes) - face-to-face classes that use online learning tools to supplement instruction
- Fully online classes provided by the district (Do we offer these to students other than our own?)
- Fully online classes purchased by the district
What does research say about the effectiveness of online learning?
It is neither more or less effective than face-to-face instruction. See: U.S. Department of Education Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning
What resources are currently available to our teachers that can facilitate online learning?
Mankato Schools currently provides a number of tools that can engage students in online learning opportunities, primarily in support of face-to-face instruction. All teachers have access to:
- GoogleApps for Education
- e-mail, shared calendars, mailing lists, contact information
- shared documents - word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, surveys
- mult-content website creation
- rSchoolToday website/content management system
- blogs
- contact information
- directories
- discussion forums
- document library
- e-forms
- FAQs
- feedback form
- galleries
- homework dropbox
- links
- mulit-content webpages
- podcasting
- policies library
- RSS newsfeeds
- surveys
- tables
- wikis
- Open network access to other tools. (the district does not block access to any education tools available including wikis, blogs, photo/video sharing sites. bookmarking sites, multi-media content creation tools, etc.
What does Moodle offer, is it needed, and how might it best be deployed? What support structure, technical and training, does it require? Among course management tools, would others better support our goals?
Moodle is an open-source learning management system designed to create fully online classes or to augment face-to-face classes (often called hybrid or blended classes).
- class schedule
- assignment drop box
- participant profiles
- wikis
- forums
- interactive glossary
- monitored discussions
- quizzes - graded instantaneously, providing feedback
- peer feedback and self assessment
- real time chat with other students enrolled in the same course
- network resources with other teachers
- tracks when a student has viewed a document, how long they spent in a forum and when they uploaded or posted an assignment
- embed videos
- post resources
- Integrated with Google Apps for Education
It is available through our regional telecommunications organization, SOCRATES. SOCRATES requires eight hours of training on Moodle usage to be considered proficient. The Wikipedia article on Moodle.
What skills do teachers need to successfully teach online and how might they acquire them?
Is there a commitment by our staff development department to offer online teaching/learning skill training? Is the district willing to require some competency on the part of all instructors?
Should there be a set of minimum expectations for an online presence for all teachers? If so what? What might be eliminated to make room for these expectations? See Mandatory Web Presence Recommendations created in 2003 and updated Fall 2010.
How do we evaluate the effectiveness of online learning efforts?
Does the teacher contract address online learning - or does it need to?
Past investigations into online learning via ITV have led to concern regarding teacher compensation for such classes.
What critical questions are going unasked and unanswered?
Image source: http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/2010/03/online_education_makes_sense.php
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 06:34AM 
Outsourcing, loss of control, diversity? Anathema to many "classically" trained IT folks, I realize. But as school leaders who are facing budget crunches come to realize that real cost savings can be had by moving to the cloud and contracting for maintenance, these uncomfortable realities will be the new "normal" in technology departments.
