Increase your Student’s Success in School
By Guest Blogger on November 28th, 2014
Take a free course designed to help your student!
Just in time for Florida Parental Involvement in Education Month, Florida Virtual School is proud to announce a free course created just for parents! Secrets to Student Success Revealed is free on Udemy.com.
We have taken research proven strategies from experienced educators and crafted a free course for parents and educators to learn these strategies in a quick and easy format. If you’d love to know how to motivate your child, talk to your child, advocate for your child, and even learn how your child’s brain works as well as steps you can take to improve his/her sleep, nutrition, and exercise, then Secrets to Student Success Revealed is for you. Continue reading
Give Thanks for Teachers
By Guest Blogger on November 25th, 2014
School is out this week in celebration of Thanksgiving, which seems appropriate, because this year I am most thankful for teachers. If there is a teacher at your pilgrim celebration, please let them have the biggest drumstick, the last piece of pumpkin pie, or the preferred napping spot in front of the football game. This year, more than ever, they have earned it.
Education is in a cycle of dramatic change (thankfully) but in lieu of a better system, traditional schools are placing more burdens on classroom teachers. Administrators add accountability metrics, but take away autonomy. Districts add high stakes testing, but take away class time for teaching. States add new standards, demand new teaching methods, and require new paperwork, while reducing budgets, salaries, and benefits. Not exactly what most teachers signed up for. Continue reading
What Went Wrong?
By Guest Blogger on November 14th, 2014
Katie had never imagined she’d be living month to month, in constant fear that she wouldn’t have enough to pay her rent. After all, Katie had a college degree and a job.
When I met Katie, she was 23 years old and working her dream job at a non-profit. She didn’t have any credit card debt. What had gone wrong?
Katie had massive student loans from college, totaling more than $128,000. Katie’s salary was $32,000 and more than $12,000 of that went to pay the debt and interest. Continue reading
Premier Events Sponsored by The Foundation for FLVS
By Guest Blogger on November 12th, 2014
This fall, The Foundation for Florida Virtual School (The Foundation), the philanthropic organization of FLVS, “Unmasked the Future of Education” by hosting two premier events: the third annual Opening Doors to the World Awards Celebration and the inaugural users conference, Momentum: FLVS World Symposium. Both of these events shined a spotlight on education leaders who are helping to shape the future of online learning in the United States.
Momentum: FLVS World Symposium, presented by Mawi Learning, was a three-day users conference that provided more than 2,000 industry professionals the opportunity to network and collaborate with education experts, exhibitors, and innovators from all over the country. Conference keynotes featured the best of the best with Mawi Asgedom of Mawi Learning, Ian Jukes of 21st Century Project, and Dan Heath, New York Times Best Selling author. Continue reading
Happy Veteran’s Day From a Teacher to our Soldiers
By Guest Blogger on November 7th, 2014
With Veteran’s Day around the corner, I’m ashamed to admit that my thoughts rarely venture far from my desk and home and towards the men and women who at this moment are fighting for our freedom. We have the privilege of living in this great nation and we often take this for granted. As I sit down to write my blog this month, I realized that as a teacher, I not only have the honor of living in our country, but I’m entrusted with passing on the history of our proud nation and preparing the next generation to prosper.
I strongly feel that education is the key to lasting freedom. It is the reason why Malala Yousafzai risked her life to advocate for the rights of education for women. It is even the reason why more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped in northern Nigeria by Boko Haram. These acts demonstrate the true power that education holds.
So, this Veteran’s Day and next Memorial Day and all the days in between, take a few extra moments to honor our soldiers. Ensure that their service and sacrifice are not in vain. Uphold the importance of education in your family and community.
Post by Andrea Bracco, 8th Grade Language Arts Instructor
Election Day: Go Vote!
By Guest Blogger on November 4th, 2014
Today marks the end of the numerous political ads, signs, and chatter between colleagues about political candidates (until the next election, anyway). November 4, Election Day… let me tell you a little bit about what this day feels like to us in the policy world.
Today is a day where everyone involved waits. For candidates, there are no more efforts to be made – no more campaign stops or debates. For us policy devotees, there are no more “what if” scenarios running through our heads. It’s finally time to get an answer. It’s time to find out who our elected officials will be. But believe me, the wait feels like forever! Continue reading
Momentum: FLVS World Symposium Recap
By Guest Blogger on October 28th, 2014
If you have ever wondered how much fun 2,000+ educators could have at once, just attend the annual Momentum: FLVS World Symposium held in Orlando each fall. Yes, there is a ton of learning going on, and educators find that pretty thrilling. It is in their DNA! One educator summarized day one of this year’s conference as follows: “Awesome conference so far. Only one day and I already feel equipped!”
Educators across the country came to learn, participate, present, and network at the conference in early October alongside Florida Virtual School staff. This collaborative learning experience benefited all who attended. As one FLVS staff member highlighted, “Love the idea of presenters outside of FLVS. Lets us know what is going on outside our world.” Continue reading
Meet FLVS Student Aubrey Quintanilla
By Guest Blogger on October 20th, 2014
FLVS student Aubrey Quintanilla is more than just your regular student – she’s also a springboard diver and all-star volunteer!
Aubrey started swimming when she was 10 years old after her sister received a flyer about classes. She was already involved in gymnastics when she saw the opportunity to mix the two together – it seemed nothing short of thrilling! At age 11, she started in regionals…and the rest is history!
Aubrey has been involved in a competition just about every two weeks of the year since then. Her practice schedule is just as intense – training five days a week for two hours a day (or four hours a day when she’s not in school).
Interested in a Head Start on a Lucrative Career?
By Guest Blogger on October 17th, 2014
Did you know careers in information technology make up more than 75 percent of the fastest growing occupations IN THE WORLD?!? Having the skills needed to be successful in these careers is a critical piece that FLVS is working to address. With the recent release of 21 new courses leading to some of the most in-demand IT skills and nationally-recognized industry credentials, the time to start preparing is now.
In collaboration with uCertify, FLVS has launched 21 Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses that give students a head start in a variety of IT career pathways, including programming, database administration, networking, cybersecurity, and more! Continue reading
Cave Bro is on the Loose!
By Guest Blogger on October 10th, 2014
If you’ve ever wanted to see what happens when you feed a caveman nothing but cupcakes, now’s your chance.
Florida Virtual School recently released Cave Bro in both the Google Play and iTunes stores. This free game teaches students how to make good nutritional choices in a fun and fast-paced style. Students can also experience Cave Bro in upcoming releases of the FLVS Health and PE courses.
Cave Bro has been frozen for more than 30,000 years, so needless to say he’s hungry and will eat anything. It’s up to players to decide what he eats, how much, and how often. Good choices win. Bad choices create one really cranky caveman.