For the past fall semester, close to 6,000 students across the state were enrolled in classes through Georgia Virtual alone. Of those, 12 were at Coahulla Creek High School, 10 were at Northwest, 14 at Southeast Whitfield High School and three at the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy. Nine students in Murray County Schools were enrolled in at least one course, and there were 22 at Dalton High School.

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http://bestonlinehighschools.com/directory/property/online-high-schools/georgia-virtual-school/

International e-learning consumers, by contrast, are approaching American virtual providers because they represent not an alternative to traditional American education, but an extension of it.

For the rest of the article, go to U.S. Virtual Ed. Companies Court Global Clients

The winner will be announced March 1 and will receive a trip to the Virtual School Symposium in October.

For the rest of the article, go to 3 finalists named for online K-12 teacher award

Called Saving Our Students (S.O.S.), the program specifically targets seniors who would benefit from an alternative to the traditional high school setting. They’ll work in the alternative school’s computer lab 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, taking online courses on the Georgia Virtual School system under the tutelage of high school graduation coaches.

Many fifth-year seniors detest having to learn in a typical school setting, with some feeling too old, said alternative school Principal Dr. Ja’net Bishop.

“The motivation to complete their classes can be lackluster and adds to the dropout rate,” Bishop said. “With the S.O.S. program, what we hope is that giving them the benefit of starting their day a little bit later and ending earlier, they’ll still be motivated to get their diplomas.

“We’re recognizing that they’re getting older and want to move on with their lives, but we’re also recognizing that they should not completely move on until they’ve completed their high school requirements.”

Others opted for the S.O.S. program for the structure.

The first semester of the program features just 18 students chosen by graduation coaches. They will be allowed to socialize only with other S.O.S. students, are allowed no more than five absences, are expected to work on assignments outside of class, and must provide their own transportation.

For the rest of the article, go to Program to help 5th-year seniors earn diplomas

The exciting part about this solution is that several of Georgia’s most accomplished school districts, including Gwinnett and Forsyth counties, already have virtual schools to provide online classes to their own students. A state clearinghouse would allow their courses to be offered seamlessly to students across the state.

Imagine the impact if every Georgia student had access to a Gwinnett County quality of education. Even better, visualize the ability to leverage the skills of our most effective teachers. This would provide an opportunity to expand these teachers’ circle of impact and compensate them commensurately.

For the rest of the article, go to Education Policy: Time to Put Students First

The class may be taken within the walls of the high school or at home through the Georgia Virtual School, she said.

Lembeck is also preparing to roll out a plan that allows students to bring their own technology to the high school.

“If students are able to bring some of their own technology, No. 1, they’ll have a resource and a tool that they’re comfortable using, but also it will enable us to maximize the technology that we already have because you can only stretch so many computers among so many students,” she said.

For the rest of the article, go to Board wants online classes for students

Georgia Virtual employs 12 full-time teachers and another 100 to 175 adjunct faculty members. Teachers must meet the same education and certification requirements as regular classroom teachers, said director Cristina Clayton.

Still, virtual learning isn’t the best fit for every student, said Rebecca Jenkins, the Georgia Virtual facilitator for Northwest. Students are given all their assignments up front at the beginning of the semester, but they’re responsible for meeting deadlines and seeking help on their own when needed. Students are given a block of time during the day to work on virtual classes, but they ultimately must pace themselves.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual learning gains popularity

Ashworth offers several nationally accredited online degree, certificate and diploma programs in primary education and its Early Childhood Education Group is currently 6,089 members strong (as of December 2011) and is part of the larger 100,000 plus online Ashworth Community.

For the rest of the article, go to Ashworth College Offers Online Resource for Current, Future Early Childhood Education Professionals

The New York Times published a lengthy incredibly negative article on virtual learning recently. Virtual learning probably has its difficulties, but it also strikes at the core of the modern public school power structures by giving parents more choices. Lindsey Burke at the Heritage Foundation has some good observations on this debate. One wonders if the Times is more worried about that than learning.

For the rest of the article, go to Education News on NCLB and Virtual Schools

Edmodo boasts many Facebook-like features, such as profile pictures and a running stream of centralized posts, but capabilities includes teacher-student communication, homework assignments and even grades, so it functions more like a virtual classroom.

Edmodo replaces the traditional social context of Facebook with educational tasks and goals for student learning and teacher management, one element the founders expect will set it apart from others.

For the rest of the article, go to Schools Rethink Teacher-Student Contact on Facebook, Twitter