Leap of Faith
By Guest Blogger on March 14th, 2013
There is a reason that I am at Florida Virtual School (FLVS) – my aunt made me take a leap of faith. In 1997, a friend interviewed for Florida High School, an early name for FLVS. When she came back from the interview, she said, “You need to go interview – this is made for you.” So, I went to meet with Julie Young and heard about the plans for this radical new thing called a virtual school.
After being offered a position, I went home and agonized all night. I had a nice teaching job where I knew what was going to happen tomorrow, and I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen next year and the following. This was radical – no one in the country was trying to create a public virtual school. It could fail before it even started. Continue reading
The Student Data Backpack from the Practitioner’s Point of View
By Guest Blogger on February 21st, 2013
Recently, I spent a little time reading the Digital Learning Now Smart Series whitepaper: DATA BACKPACKS: Portable Records & Learner Profiles. This topic is of interest and importance for the following reasons:
FLVS is committed to keeping the student at the center of every decision that we make. How can we be sure we are making good decisions if we have limited data?
The current process for retrieving the student data we can get is extremely time consuming, lengthy, and really just stinks all the way around. Continue reading
February is American History Month!
By Guest Blogger on February 19th, 2013
Teaching American History Grant Cohort Members, Ca’ d’Zan Mansion
I am a history teacher, a lover of American History, and also member of the Florida Virtual School Teaching American History Grant. During the past four years, my grant cohort colleagues and I have visited historical places in the United States. Our studies began in colonial times in Williamsburg and St. Augustine; included slavery and the Civil War, for which we visited Antietam and Gettysburg; and continued with the progressive era where we stayed in Florida and visited Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota. In honor of this month, I wanted to share some great historical places in Florida, perfect for kids and adults! Continue reading
Researching Student Success
By Guest Blogger on February 11th, 2013
In the spring of 2012, Dr. Brian Marchman, Dr. Matthew Ohlson, and Kathryn Haber conducted extensive research to examine the leading indicators of student success at Florida Virtual School.
The study examined the mathematics performance of more than 5,000 high school students over a three-year period. The initial hopes were to determine the factors that led to student success including communication with the teacher, participation in help sessions, length of time in the course, and student/teacher demographics. Continue reading
National School Counseling Week
By Guest Blogger on February 5th, 2013
Yesterday marked the first day of National School Counseling week (February 4–8, 2013). In anticipation of this weeklong event, I’ve been considering the question, “What makes student counseling services unique and valuable?” School Counselors endeavor to make an impact on student lives and act as change agents to affect positive outcomes. The unique service provided by Professional School Counselors is to critically examine a problem while focusing attention toward providing the most relevant options for families. The advice offered is valuable in that it leads all parties toward resolution.
Various students have contacted me over the years for assistance with academic advising, planning for college, dealing with peer pressure, or working through emotional concerns. One particular student comes to mind. Continue reading
Postcards from the Road
By Guest Blogger on February 4th, 2013
Welcome to my “Postcards from the Road” Virtual Voice blog post! Through my travels throughout the state, I have been able to visit schools and students in various communities throughout Florida.
During my career with Florida Virtual School that has spanned over ten years, one of the most popular questions I’ve received is, “Who are your students and why are they choosing to take online courses?” My post should help answer just that…who, why, and even how – emphasizing the realities within our virtual world! Continue reading
New Year, New Learning from MOOCs
By Guest Blogger on January 24th, 2013
Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been around the higher-ed space for years in various forms, but this year, MOOC is the big buzzword. Many major universities are jumping on the MOOC bandwagon, and are seeing people from across the globe flock to their open courses. As a recent NY Times article stated, “The shimmery hope is that free courses can bring the best education in the world to the most remote corners of the planet… (Pappano)”
For those of you caught a little off-guard by this concept, a MOOC is an online course that is a mashup of education and social networking. Taught by seasoned professors from prestigious universities, MOOCs offer online course content, social support of learning by peers, homework, and even exams, all for free. You don’t even have to enroll in the university! The catch? There is no course credit at the end of the road.
Why would universities go down this road? Continue reading
It’s National Get Organized Month! Help Create an Organized Desktop for Your Online Learner
By Guest Blogger on January 21st, 2013
Professional organizers are women and men who are great at sifting through clutter and creating Zen. You have seen them on television, maybe even read about them in a magazine. This was a career I seriously considered when I left college, but never thought anyone would pay me to organize their stuff! Boy was I wrong.
January is National Get Organized Month and what a better way to begin 2013 then by getting your child organized and ready for his or her online courses. The holidays are over and students are returning to their studies. Continue reading
New Year’s Resolution for Education – Quit Whining!
By Guest Blogger on January 17th, 2013
Well it’s that time of year again, when we all decide what sort of gluttony is killing us and try to give it up (at least for a few weeks). The New Year’s resolution is obvious for some. If your couch has more wear than your sneakers, start exercising. If you can’t see your desk through the clutter, get organized. If you wake up and the bathroom scale says 400, step away from your stockpile of Twinkies.
But what happens if you wake up and find you’ve become average? That’s what most American students, teachers, and administrators will see in the bathroom mirror this year, and my suggested resolution is to quit whining. Continue reading
Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!
By Guest Blogger on January 14th, 2013
The fifth annual statewide literacy event takes place January 14–18, 2013! The Florida Department of Education hosts this amazing week of activities, including participation from students, educators, authors, artists, and community leaders. On Monday, January 14, First Lady Ann Scott, Department of Education Commissioner Pam Stewart, and author Susan Snyder will participate with the students from the Villages Charter School to kick-off Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! Schools throughout the state will begin the Million Minute Marathon to achieve the collaborative goal of reading for 30 Million Minutes! There will be activities held daily to encourage literacy, including a Voluntary Prekindergarten simultaneous reading of Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord.
In addition to the state-level activities, school districts are also hosting local literacy events. Florida Virtual School is honored to host many unique interactive virtual events in conjunction with the Florida Department of Education. Continue reading