Available at http://bethstill.pbworks.com/NECC-2009

The purpose of this session is to encourage districts, particularly in rural America, to examine the numerous benefits of online learning and explore the many free or low cost applications that can be utilized. Virtual classes can help schools expand course offerings and minimize/eliminate staffing or scheduling conflicts.

This session will offer participants tips on how to get started if they are interested in creating an online program in their school or district. Actual classes will be available for participants to browse so they can get a feel for what an interactive online class looks like. This will also help dispel the myth that online classes are merely independent study classes. Web 2.0 applications such as Skype, GoogleDocs, and chat give teachers and students the ability to be one click away from each other.

By the end of this session educators will:
• appreciate the flexibility and variety of course offerings that asynchronous as well as synchronous components of classes can offer students.
• understand how online classes help eliminate scheduling conflicts.
• envision how virtual courses can help students who have varying abilities and interests.
• be motivated to look further into online learning because they will understand how this type of class can help students become 21st century learners.

Outline

This session will examine the many issues that need to be considered when setting up a virtual program such as:
• How to get started.
• How to determine which classes to offer.
• Scheduling options.
• Determining where the courses will come from and how they will
be delivered.
• Setting basic requirements for who can take online classes.
• Lessons learned one year into our online program.

Classes from the Nebraska Educational Virtual Academy (NEVA) will be open for participants to browse at their leisure.

Supporting Research

• http://www.nacol.org/ North American Council for Online Learning strives to provide access to equitable learning opportunities.
• "What Works in K-12 Online Learning" by Robert Blomeyer and Cathy Cavanaugh
• "RSS for Educators: Blogs, Newsfeeds, Podcasts, and Wikis in the Classroom" by John G.Hendron
• "Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns" by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael B. Horn, and Curtis W. Johnson
• “Online Options for ‘Credit Recovery’ Widen” by A. Trotter Education Week v. 27 no. 38
• “Best Practices in Teaching K-12 Online: Lessons Learned from Michigan Virtual School” by M. DiPietro Journal of Interactive Online Learning vo. 7 no. 1
• “Going the Distance” by Neal Starkman T.H.E. Journal v. 34 no. 2
• People involved in the field of online education:
Steve Hargadon- Director of K-12 Open Technologies Initiative
Roger Shank- President and CEO of Socratic Arts
Julie Young- Florida Virtual School
Tom Layton- CyberSchool in Oregon
Chris Rapp- US Online Learning (Colorado Online)
Tim Snyder- US Online Learning (Colorado Online- Emeritus)

Presenter Background

Beth Still holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Chadron State College. She is currently working on her Masters in Secondary Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialization in Educational Technology. This is Beth's fourth year in her current position and fifth year of teaching. For the last four years she has taught Social Studies to at-risk students at a small alternative high school in rural western Nebraska.

Approximately two and a half years ago Beth's educational service unit began working on plans to develop a virtual high school. Beth was included in nearly every phase of the project from the very beginning. She helped pilot a project during the summer of 2007 in which classes from Colorado Online were offered to about two dozen students. The summer school program helped lay the foundation for their virtual high school.

Beth served on a committee that examined various course options from different companies and schools. After an exhaustive search it was determined that the best option for the service unit was to build their courses from the ground up. Over the last year Beth has created several classes based on the Nebraska Social Studies standards.

Beth served on the hiring committee when the number of staff was expanded in the spring of 2008. She has served as a mentor the newly hired teachers as they enter the world of online education and begin to explore the wonderful world of Web 2.0. She will continue to conduct training sessions on different web based tools that will help make the online classes at the Nebraska Educational Virtual Academy truly unique.