Digital Learning Environments - Virtual Platforms/Schools
A virtual school or cyber-school describes an institution that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods.
What about academics and accountability?
Public virtual schools are similar to traditional "bricks and mortar" schools in many ways, including academic services and accountability requirements:
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Teachers are responsible for overseeing and managing student learning, and ensuring that students are meeting all academic progress and accountability requirements.
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All students must participate in state assessment tests.
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All students must meet attendance requirements.
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The schools are subject to federal AYP goals under No Child Left Behind.
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The schools use an established curriculum that consists of thousands of lessons in the core subjects of Math, Language Arts/English, History, Science, Art, and Music. The curriculum aligns with state standards.
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Any eligible student may enroll, regardless of income, race, academic ability, special needs, etc.
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Special education needs, IEPs, and other related services are identified and met by school's special education staff.
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Schools are subject to audits, and state reporting is mandatory.
Online Virtual Schools
Open Educational Resources
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CK-12
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Believes that every child on this planet should have equal access to a good education.
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Was founded with the mission to enable everyone to learn in his or her own way.
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They pair high quality content with the latest technologies.
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They equip students, teachers, and parents ith everything they might need.
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Most of all it is FREE!
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Khan Academy
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A personalized learning resource for all ages!
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About: Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We've also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content.
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My Open Math
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MyOpenMath runs on the open source, IMathAS platform, providing free hosted use of this platform in support of free, open textbooks like the ones listed on OpenTextBookStore.com. The intent is to provide classroom use of the platform, without any required cost to students, for schools wanting a managed install of the IMathAS platform, and to provide students self-study opportunities.
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Creative Commons Licensing
A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyrightlicenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. A CC license is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created.
The Creative Commons copyright licenses and tools forge a balance inside the traditional “all rights reserved” setting that copyright law creates. Our tools give everyone from individual creators to large companies and institutions a simple, standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work. The combination of our tools and our users is a vast and growing digital commons, a pool of content that can be copied, distributed, edited, remixed, and built upon, all within the boundaries of copyright law.
21st Century Learning
P21's Framework for 21st Century Learning was developed with input from teachers, education experts, and business leaders to define and illustrate the skills and knowledge students need to succeed in work, life and citizenship, as well as the support systems necessary for 21st century learning outcomes. It has been used by thousands of educators and hundreds of schools in the U.S. and abroad to put 21st century skills at the center of learning.
Computer-Based Learning
Computer Based Learning, sometimes abbreviated CBL, refers to the use of computers as a key component of the educational environment. While this can refer to the use of computers in a classroom, the term more broadly refers to a structured environment in which computers are used for teaching purposes. The concept is generally seen as being distinct from the use of computers in ways where learning is at least a peripheral element of the experience (e.g. computer games and web browsing).
Blended Learning
Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through delivery of content and instruction via digital and online media with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace.While still attending a “brick-and-mortar” school structure, face-to-face classroom methods are combined withcomputer-mediated activities. A lack of consensus on a definition of blended learning has led to difficulties in research about its effectiveness in the classroom.
Proponents of blended learning cite the opportunity for data collection and customization of instruction and assessment as two major benefits of this approach. Schools with blended learning programs may also choose to reallocate resources to boost student achievement outcomes.
