TALLAHASSEE --

Every day, thousands of young students log onto the internet to take online classes.

They learn everything from arithmetic to American history and then get a grade that will count toward graduation.

Those grades are supposed to be awarded by certified teachers, but that may not be happening in the case of K12, a company contracted to run virtual schools.

The Florida Department of Education is investigating allegations of grades being doled out by uncertified teachers working for K12.

The company offers online classes in 43 Florida school districts, including Leon County, where district spokesman Chris Petley says red flags have gone up.

"We have a very limited number of classes (that) our students have taken specifically (from) this company, and in (those instances), we've had a couple where we have...moved the students," Petley said.

The revelation is casting new light on the integrity of the virtual school program, putting officials at the State Department of Education in a difficult position.

They now have to investigate the very company they've turned to in an effort to help reduce class sizes and save money.

It's a company that may also be using certified teachers to sign off on students they've never taught.

Link:
Florida online education provider K12 under investigation

After working in the field of Instructional Technology for almost twenty years, Ive seen many technologies that might impact higher education come and go. In the initial stages, universities often experiment with the latest gadgets or Internet services without thinking too much about the concrete, real-world applications the technologies might have.

MOOCs Massive Online Open Courses are a new model for online courses that have quickly gained interest and support among universities in recent months. We still find ourselves at the experimental stage, but its not too early to think about what kind of long-term impact MOOCs might have in higher education.

Some see MOOCs up-ending the whole model of higher education, allowing students to complete full courses of study in a non-traditional format, particularly with international students, which have made up a large part of the student body in early MOOC courses. Others see MOOCs playing a much smaller role, with the MOOC system of badges or certificates for course completion integrated into programs higher education institutions already offer.

I am much more of a pragmatist when it comes to any technology often, the promises of major change resulting from something new wind up being more subtle and nuanced. In the case of MOOCs, it is difficult to imagine that the non-classroom aspects of the undergraduate experience can be easily replaced by a computer screen.

What makes a MOOC unique and, in the short term, what role could they play in the core educational mission of universities?

Features of a MOOC

Theres nothing particularly new about MOOCs. Most universities have offered online courses for many years and the basic technologies involved video lectures, discussion forums, tests, and the like are the same we have used with on-campus and distance students. The only difference is the scale.

By their very nature large numbers of students, no direct faculty interaction with individual students, a pre-programmed course of study and assessments MOOCs would appear to have what some have called limitations when compared with a traditional face to face course or smaller online credit course with high faculty involvement. However, these arent limitations as much as features that make MOOCs unique.

MOOCs are built on efficiency of scale, giving access to the teaching of a world class professor to thousands of students at once. The lectures, assessments and activities for a course especially an online course and the expertise of the professor behind the content isnt cheap and, in many cases, is unique to a particular university. A MOOC throws open the door of the professors classroom, allowing him to teach more than just a few dozen students at a time.

Because of the scale, hands on involvement by the faculty member is limited. This shifts the responsibility for learning the material squarely on the shoulders of the individual student and their motivations to learn. It also shifts conversation and dialogue about the content to a more diverse student population that could be worldwide a community of learners.

Continued here:
Online Education: What Is a MOOC?

Brown community members expressed a mixture of excitement and wariness in response to the Universitys announcement that it will commence two online education pilot projects next year. Many lauded the decision, first announced Sept. 5 in an email from Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, as an appropriate modernization and expansion of access to higher education, but some voiced concern that the courses could represent shoddy imitations of the classroom experience.

Next summer, the University will offer a few for-credit courses online only for Brown summer session students. The University will also join the online course platform Coursera, which offers free, not-for-credit classes to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe.

I think its very much in line with the kind of philosophy that we had with the New Curriculum and that Brown has sort of been a leader in, said Ira Magaziner 69 P06 P07 P10, an architect of the Universitys distinctive curriculum. Expanding access would, he added, put more educational control in the hands of students. Professor of Comparative Literature Arnold Weinstein, whose class COLT 1420T: The Fiction of Relationship will be one of the first three Brown classes offered on Coursera, considered the development in the context of the broader timeline of higher education, noting that in medieval universities, only professors were allowed access to libraries and books.

This is part of that same trajectory or story of increasingly empowered students, Weinstein said.

The instantaneous public relations boost that accompanies a Coursera partnership will benefit the University, said Provost Mark Schlissel P15. We can use the Coursera platform to, in effect, advertise the quality of Browns educational efforts to the broader world, he said. So were not thinking of Coursera as eventually becoming part of a Brown students education. Were thinking of it as a way to show the broader world what a Brown education is like. Others worried the resources necessary for such an endeavor would distract from the Universitys mission of serving students on campus.

I think it does distract away from those faculty members core involvement, if you will, with the curriculum at hand and with the students at hand, said Stephen Nelson, higher education expert and senior scholar in the Leadership Alliance at Brown. Theres no free lunch.

Not-for-credit courses To make time for Coursera preparations, each of the three involved faculty members will teach one fewer in-person class at Brown this year, though Schlissel said the University is providing each affected department with additional funding to compensate for the lost course. Weinstein said he would retire teaching The Fiction of Relationship after teaching it online.

But Professor of Computer Science Philip Klein, who will be transferring CSCI 0530: Directions: The Matrix in Computer Science to Coursera, said working with so many students on an online platform would help him identify teaching areas that require improvement more easily than if he were in a Brown classroom.

We have a chance to collect data at a much greater scale than ever before, and thats going to have a big impact on education, Klein said. Thats a really important thing for people to realize that Brown education will be improved as a consequence of this. But not everyone is convinced that the education through Coursera will measure up to Brown standards. Iman Jenkins 14 said she is worried about the loss of the student-teacher relationship in in-person lectures. Critics outside the University have previously raised concerns about Courseras system of peer-grading and about the platforms retention rate in many courses, fewer than half the students who sign up actually complete the class.

The Universitys decision to try out Coursera via a pilot program offers Brown the flexibility of investigating different methods of instruction, Bergeron told The Herald.

Read this article:
Online class program draws mixed reactions

by SAM PIZZIGATI The Gilmer Mirror

Virtually, Anything Goes with Online Education

State officials are allowing tax dollars to underwrite K-12 virtual disasters.

BySam Pizzigati

The sounds of September: school bells ringing, loose-leaf binders snapping open and shut, sneakers squeaking on gymnasium floors. Next to apple pie, what could possibly be more American than these familiar sounds and the local public schools where we hear them?

But times change. Blackboards and chalk no longer grace every classroom. Even pre-kindergarteners in the best-equipped schools gather around interactivesmartboardsand tap away on tablet computers. With the Internet, we can share lessons across borders.

In the new Information Age, are local public schools becoming obsolete? Do we need a new model for educating our young? Some sort of revolution in teaching and learning?

Questions like these demand thoughtful and patient democratic deliberation that we're not getting. In today's deeply unequal United States, we're rushing to an educational future that profits our awesomely affluent few at the expense of the rest of us.

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Virtually, Anything Goes with Online Education

CARBONDALE - Hundreds of informative and interesting non-credit classes are just a computer away with Southern Illinois University Carbondale's "Education to Go" online program.

The University's Continuing Education and Outreach, in partnership with ed2go, offers more than 350 online, instructor-led courses covering a wide variety of topics and specialties. The courses are convenient and interactive, and feature lessons, quizzes, hands-on learning, discussion areas and supplementary work.

While the courses do not earn SIU Carbondale college credit, Continuing Education and Outreach keeps course completion records on file for transcript requests. Some courses offer continuing professional education credit.

Courses start at $94, and include most materials. The diverse course offerings cover everything from how to start your own business, invest in real estate, web technology and security, computer programing, accounting, creative writing, medical coding, several languages, grammar, and protecting your money, credit and identity, and many more topics.

The numerous class options, which are sure to fit every interest, are available at ed2go.com/siuc/.

There are three different types of online courses -- professional development, career training programs, and academic prep success classes.

Instructor-led courses are for professional development and personal enrichment. Each session is six weeks long. A new session begins each month in an interactive learning environment. Students who earn passing scores receive an award of completion.

Career training programs feature personal instructor assistance, and will prepare participants to start a new career or earn industry certification. These programs take less than six months to complete. Students may start classes at any time, and they will earn a certificate of completion for a passing score at the end of the course.

Academic success prep classes also begin at any time and take six to 12 weeks to complete. These classes feature an interactive learning environment and instructors offering individual guidance. Participants who earn passing scores at the end of the course will receive a confirmation of completion. The University's six-week test prep courses are quite popular, particularly the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). SIU Carbondale also offers courses preparing people to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), General Educational Development (GED) and ACT.

All classes are completely web-based. Dedicated professionals provide instruction, answer questions, offer feedback and even facilitate online discussions.

Link:
'Education to Go' online classes are available

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzphTseS-2Q

14-09-2012 09:36 Online learning is a fast growing sector of management education and holds great potential for spreading quality management education throughout the globe. However, online learning presents unique challenges for the case method professor working to ensure participation, comprehension, problem-solving and effective group dynamics. How can you achieve the robust learning environment of a classroom case in an online environment? In this webinar two leaders in online management education from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School's MBA@UNC program will talk about how they successfully address the challenges of online case teaching.

Originally posted here:
Effective Online Case Teaching: How to Engage Your Students from Afar - Video

Wexford Online University Names Dolly Shueh Adjunct Professor of Mathematics for Health and Fitness School

Dolly Shueh was recently named adjunct professor of mathematics for Wexford University. The university offers 100 percent online education in a variety of health, exercise, sports and fitness degree programs, associates through doctoral levels.

Shueh is currently a high school math teacher in Orange County; she began her teaching career as a music instructor and tutor while earning her bachelors degree in Music Education at UCLA. She later completed a masters in Educational Technology and Instructional Design as well as her teaching credentials at California State University, Los Angeles. During her 10-year tenure at Anaheim Union High School District, she has taught choir, reading, English language development, math, and also ran both math and tutorial labs. Likewise, Shueh has also worked in alternative and adult education as well as independent studies.

Dollys diverse background and passion for education in all settings are both impressive and noteworthy, said Jack Bauerle, Chancellor of Wexford University. As we expand our staff to reach more local and international students, we are thrilled that she will be part of our mathematics team.

Shueh has also worked for an educational software company reviewing content and troubleshooting technical errors and helped corporate trainers developing materials for professional development programs. Her goal is always to keep material relevant and meaningful for her students.

Wexford University offers the following online degree programs for both U.S. and international students:

Associate of arts degree in Fitness Training Bachelor of science degree in Health and Fitness Master of science degree in Nutrition and Exercise Master of arts degree in Applied Sports Psychology Doctor of Applied Sports Psychology

About Wexford University Wexford University is dedicated to providing world-class education through cutting-edge technology, offering direct application degree programs in an accelerated format with 100 percent online learning to save time and money. Programs include an associate of arts degree in Fitness Training, bachelors degree in Health and Fitness, masters degree in Nutrition and Exercise as well as masters degree and doctorate degree in Applied Sport Psychology. Wexford University is the higher education division of NESTA (National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association). For more information, please visit http://wexford.edu/.

See more here:
Wexford Online University Names Dolly Shueh Adjunct Professor of Mathematics for Health and Fitness School

For as long as Kaimi Kaupiko can remember, the Milolii community has talked about establishing a school. Kaupiko recalled optimism residents felt more than a decade ago when Hawaiis first 25 charter schools were authorized and the Legislature later amended the law to allow start-up charters.

Residents saw a charter school, publicly funded, but privately operated, as an answer for their beloved Hawaiian fishing village. It could offer an alternative to the traditional education and possibly more resources for children who spend three hours or more commuting from the isolated rural South Kona community to the closest public school. A charter could also help preserve the traditions and lifestyles that have sustained families for generations. However, the vision never reached fruition, and Kaupiko, then a teen at the time, couldnt help.

After graduating from University of Hawaii at Manoa two years ago, Kaupiko returned to Milolii to start the discussion again. A group of residents formed Milolii Community Hui, determined to create Milolii Hawaiian Cultural Charter School. They envisioned a charter that perpetuated Hawaiian cultural values and language; strengthen family systems and the community; utilized modern technology; and met or exceeded academic standards of the state Department of Education.

Kaupiko said the state Charter School Review Panel last year denied the huis application, citing its inability to secure a facility and an unrealistic budget. That crushing decision spurred him to seek guidance, leading him to Susie Osborne, director of Kua o ka La Public Charter School. She and her staff offered the hui more than support; they gave the hui an immediate outlet.

Students and their families love Hipuu o Milolii, though no school building, cafeteria or gym exist. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, they stay home or meet at Milolii Beach Park pavilion, completing lessons for their grade level online at their own pace. On Tuesday and Thursday, they do hands-on projects, go on field trips or participate in electives, such as physical education, Hawaiian language and arts. A paid, part-time temporary teacher, Leivallyn Kaupu, as well as a handful of volunteers, support them.

Today the kids of Milolii have a choice, a choice to choose the education that they want and they have the opportunity to decide the content of their education and the future of their destiny, said Kaupiko, a volunteer and school board member. This virtual academy allowed these kids inquisitiveness and desire to direct their learning. Its also promoting the fundamental importance of kuleana.

Since July 31, 16 kindergarten through high school students have replaced classrooms with computers. However, theyre still considered students of Kua o ka La, a Puna charter that opened in 2002. Over the past four years, the charter has researched and offered online education for its students, but formalized a program, with dedicated teachers, last year, Osborne said.

Kua o ka Las Hipuu Program offers blended instruction, combining online curriculum with face-to-face gatherings, community-based projects, and Hawaiian language and culture education. Kua o ka La issues students a tablet with academic software. No tuition is required, but Internet access is. Roughly 50 percent of the lessons, mainly in core subjects like math, science, history, language arts and English, are delivered online. Kaupiko said nearly 70 students are participating in Hipuu, and Milolii is the biggest site.

Daily opportunities for academic mentoring and support are available online, as well as at the charters Hilo, Puna, Hamakua, Naalehu and Milolii sites. These places have a paid teacher and volunteers available for students needing help and to provide additional lessons. Sites also allow students to socialize, Kaupu said.

Two full-time, accredited online teachers from Hilo take turns working at the Milolii site weekly to monitor student progress, grade work and respond by email, phone or Skype. If assignments are overdue or students are struggling, Kaupu makes home visits.

See the rest here:
Online education ‘a stepping-stone’ toward Milolii school

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq3fa0Uhfro

13-09-2012 21:20 WEB EXCLUSIVE—Online education platforms like Udacity and the Khan Academy have taken major strides toward making online education a powerful tool in rounding out and supplementing traditional education. Every Friday night on Current TV at 10p

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Extra: Is online education a threat to teachers? - Video

Earlier this week we told you about Google's new Course Builder open source software designed to help independent educators create their own online curriculums. Now Google is taking its commitment to online education a bit further by teaming up with Khan Academy to launch Next EDU Gurus, a search for emerging online education superstars.

What makes the Next EDU Guru program unique is that it focuses on an educator's ability to leverage video to deliver their messages to students. Over the course of the next two weeks, a panel consisting of education and video experts from Google and Khan Academy will review entrants who apply to the program. Ten winners will be flown to San Francisco to receive further training and support from YouTube and Khan Academy staff, as well as a $1,000 B&H gift card to be used for video production equipment.

A look at the program's video message offers a clear signal to would-be entrants that Next EDU Guru is looking for individuals who know how to creatively educate through entertainment and story telling rather than simply posting dry instructional videos online.

In a post announcing the program YouTube Education team member Angela Lin reinforced this focus on creativity.

"Do you set historical events to music? Doodle your geometry? Sing your Shakespeare? We're looking for content creators who create all kinds of curriculum-related videos, from grammar to geography, history to histograms. You can submit any style of video as long as its educational and family-friendlyjust bear in mind that we're looking for content creators who can take people on a journey through a topic," she wrote.

The only apparent down side of the program is that it is currently limited to residents from English-speaking countries including the U.S., Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the U.K., and Canada (excluding residents of Quebec). Winners flown out to the three-day workshop, scheduled for Oct. 17-19, will receive a daily per diem, meals, and the possibility of being granted a Khan Academy fellowship.

Although the program will certainly give the online education movement a boost, it's also a way for Google to bolster its video advertising initiativesYouTube will only consider entrants who already have monetization enabled for at least half of all videos in their channel archive on YouTube. Those interested in trying their hand at becoming a part of online education history don't have long to prepare, the deadline for applications is Oct. 1.

More here:
Google and Khan Academy Launch Search for Top Online Educators