Conquering the Content by Robin M. Smith

I received this notification from Amazon last week. Conquering the Content: A Step-by-Step Guide to Online Course Design by Robin M. Smith will release in April. It looks interesting. I'm anxious to see if it relates directly to our virtual school observations. I'm hoping to get the book before the end of the term.

Amazon's description states:
Product Description
Conquering the Content is a practical resource for faculty who tackle overwhelming amounts of course content that must be tailored for Web-based learning. This important guide offers step-by-step instructions for creating online learning experiences that are manageable, effective, and of the highest quality.

Essential Question - Bonus Post

This is a bonus post for the week. A thought keeps surfacing as I work on this project. I want to get this down before it becomes mired in the muck of my mind. I could be completely off base here. But, I hope that further exploration and observation will help me address these thoughts.

Background:
The virtual school is a model for other schools. This status allows the school to sell courses to other virtual schools around the world.

Assumptions (Further research needed for support):

• Consistency and portability are essential for mass distribution.
• Online courses could benefit from the use of certain Web 2.0 tools (e.g. blogs, wikis, Voice Thread, Footnote, etc.)
• In order to sell a course, it must contain original material to meet copyright criteria. This is why content is created by internal instructional designers.
• Using outside sources or web applications could constitute intellectual property or copyright infringement and/or make distribution more difficult.
  

Essential Question:
Does the reselling of virtual courses prohibit the use of certain web applications and restrict the creativity and potential effectiveness of the course?

Follow up to AP U.S. History Review Observation

I received answers to a few more of my questions about the virtual AP U.S. History study/review session (see post below). I was pleased to find out that the interactive Elluminate presentation was designed by the teacher. From my perspective, giving up design control is one of the down sides to virtual teaching. As I pointed out in earlier posts, instructional designers create the courses. While teachers occasionally provide input, their job is primarily to facilitate the content and grade assignments. I was thrilled to see that teachers could supplement the content with study sessions and additional activities to support the lessons. This is not required. But, the students who participated seemed to benefit from the experience.

There were only 4 students in the session I observed. The teacher explained that she had recently taken this class over from another teacher who left before the semester was over. Those students were not familiar with her study sessions, so fewer attended. She generally has 10-12 students participating at a time for her American Government class.

Next week, we are going to meet to walk through the course from a course management perspective. I've had the opportunity to review all of the lessons. But, I don't have access that allows me to see students. I'm hoping to get a better understanding of assignment submissions and grading as a result of our meeting.

Observation: Virtual School AP U.S. History - Study Session

Last evening, I observed a virtual study/review session for AP U.S. History. The topics were Ronald Reagan and The Clinton Years. Four students were in the session. I was impressed by the level of enthusiasm on the part of the students and the teacher. One student commented in the chat area, "I like these sessions. We should have them more often".

The teacher had an energetic virtual presence. Her voice was upbeat, and she clearly enjoyed the subject matter. Since the content included the mid-80's, the title page of the presentation showed a picture of the teacher's high school graduation. What a great way to relate to the students. They got a big kick out of the 80's style.

I was impressed that students had a number of opportunities to interact with the content. An interactive table was posted on the Eluminate whiteboard in which the students defined their personal history by filling in music, clothes, politics, events, and technology of their time. We all enjoyed comparing answers. Students also had an opportunity to use the whiteboard to vote on which 2 events (Watergate, Clinton Impeachment, or Iraq War) posed the most serious threat to progress during the modern era. A thoughtful discussion followed.

The session lasted about 35 minutes. Students were able to ask questions and make authentic connections to the content. Every student was engaged. I submitted some questions to the teacher after the session including:

1. Is this session optional for the students? I'm assuming it is since there were only 4 participating.
   
2. Did you design the Eluminate presentation or is it part of the prescribed curriculum?
3. How often do you hold Eluminate sessions? The students seemed to really like the interaction.

I will post her answers when I receive them.

Another Resource:

Christopher Sessums, Director of Distance Education at the University of Florida recently posted "Notes on Workload Management Strategies for Online Educators". I found some useful resources for managing my own online courses.

I was particularly interested in Teaching courses online: How much time does it take?
It stated that online courses generally take between "3 1/2 and 7 hours per week" (Lazarus, 2003, pg. 53). However, I find that I'm spending slightly more than that. I'm still anxious to hear if that rings true for the k12 virtual school.

Lazarus, B. D. (2003). Teaching courses online: How much time does it take? Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 7(3): 47-54. Retrieved 24 March 2008 from http://www.sloan-c-wiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Teaching_Courses_O

Questions for a Virtual School Teacher

Tomorrow evening I will have my first online meeting with a virtual school class. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to explore an AP U.S. History and American Government course. As a result of this exploration, I had a number of questions for the teacher. Some of her answers follow. I did not publish answers that were confidential or offered from a more personal point of view.

1. Do the courses ever incorporate emerging Web 2.0 activities like blogs, wikis, or Voice Threads for assignments, or are all activities available within the learning management system?
   
   This is one that is "in the works". We know that these things are essential for our students but we have not yet determined how to best use them. This has especially been a focus in the American Government course since collaboration between the students is required. We are trying to find ways to make the process easier for them.
   
   
2. What is a web inquiry? Is this like a WebQuest? I couldn't see that activity because it was in the SAS section of the course?
   
   Yes, they are similar.
   
   
3. How often do you use discussions in the course? I saw a reference to the College Board discussion. Do they provide guidelines or discussion topics for the AP courses?
   
   We only use the internal course discussion board minimally. I think it was designed to be used with greater frequency but students tend to want more immediate response from us or each other and will use email or IM. Also, yes, the college board site does provide a wealth of review information for the students.
   
   
4. Is the lesson content based on a certain text, written by the course designers, or created by another service or company?
   
   The lesson content is written internally. All our courses are based on the state standards.
   
   
5. What is the percentage of students who successfully pass the AP test?
   
   The school has a tremendous pass rate over all (through our AP courses).
   

I'm particularly interested in learning more about how Web 2.0 tools might be incorporated in future offerings. I imagine that some of the difficulty lies in the lack of control.

A hundred bucks to go to virtual school?

I would love some input on this one. South Dakota received a $2 million National Math and Science Initiative Grant to pilot a program in which students receive $100 upon passing AP math, science, and English courses. The course must be taken through the state's virtual school. Apparently, the teachers will also receive $100 , though it is not clear whether they receive $100 for each child who passes, a one-time $100 reward if anyone passes, or $100 reward if everyone passes. Hmmm. Without revealing my personal opinion about this, I wonder:

1. Will this program motivate students to take an AP course who would otherwise not consider this path?
2. Will it motivate students to take an online AP course if it is not offered at their home school?
3. Will it motivate teachers to teach differently in the hopes of having more students pass the AP test?
4. Is this the best way to spend a $2 million grant to enhance math, science, and literature education?
5. Does this in some way diminish the credibility of AP courses and/or virtual schools?
6. What does the research show regarding payment for passing grades?
7. Is this incentive likely to increase attendance in AP courses, increase attendance at the state's virtual school, both, neither?
   

Should virtual school teachers have special certification?

While exploring Virtual High School Meanderings I found an article from The Journal discussing the need for K12 online teaching endorsements. K-12 Teaching Endorsements: Are They Needed suggests that "skill sets acquired for teaching in face to face settings are not adequate preparation for online teaching or online course development" (Deubel, 2008). Experience required for the endorsement might include online professional development (this ensures that the teachers have experience learning in an online environment); understanding of legalities around copyright, intellectual property, accessibility, and privacy; and working knowledge of learning management systems and Web 2.0 tools. Georgia is one of four states that already have online teaching endorsements. I wonder if other states are considering this requirement.

Patricia Deubel. K-12 Online Teaching Endorsements: Are They Needed? The Journal. January 2008 : Retrieved March 19, 2008, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21804_4.