Educator Edition
Home Education
By Guest Blogger on April 18th, 2013
The term “homeschooling” continues to raise the eyebrows or evoke comments of skepticism from the mainstream. Even though homeschooling has been in practice since the 18th century, for some it still feels novel and new.
As we look at the evolution of homeschooling, we find that some of our most accomplished athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, and leaders were homeschooled. The list may surprise you. Continue reading
Why FLVS is Important for Kids
By Guest Blogger on April 15th, 2013
When people ask me what I do and I tell them I’m a teacher, they almost always ask, “Where?” When I reply Florida Virtual School, I am often met with a confused expression. Then the questions start. Where is it located? How do the students take their courses? How often do you see them? What kinds of courses are offered? Why would kids want to take their courses on a computer anyway? Of course I try to answer all of these questions in the best way I can, but I never know if I get across to people how important online schooling can be for students. Maybe I didn’t even fully realize it myself until today. Continue reading
Learning Forward – Part 2: Learning Communities
By Mary Mitchell on March 28th, 2013
Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/
Professional learning programs provide the opportunity to improve educator practices in the classroom and positively impact student learning. As discussed in my previous post, Learning Forward has revised the Standards for Professional Learning by introducing seven standards that help to ensure that learning opportunities offered to teachers and support staff positively impact student achievement. The revised standards introduce a different paradigm, most notably, the change from a focus on instructor performance to a focus on student achievement – and results. Continue reading
One Size Fits No One
By Guest Blogger on March 26th, 2013
It’s legislative season in Tallahassee again. We know that March will come every year, yet every year it seems such a shock to us that FLVS must stand ready to defend its district against those who would cut first and consider later.
This battle is recursive—we do it over and over and over again. But, when you are a space-creator, you must also be a space-holder. Continue reading
Where Can I Get Some Grit?
By Guest Blogger on March 25th, 2013
Photo Credit: http://blog.elementsofcinema.com/2010/12/true-grit-on-tcm/
All the cool kids have it, or at least the successful kids. This ability to keep battling in the face of challenges seems to be the talk of the education industry. Paul Tough is talking about it in his new book. Angela Lee Duckworth is talking about at TED. Brian Williams is even talking about it on Rock Center. Apparently it’s the secret sauce. But where do I get it? Because I’d like to soak my son in it.
I understand the concept of teaching kids perseverance, self-control, and the importance of struggle in the learning process, but that’s not easy stuff for a fourth-grader and I need him to learn from his mistakes now, before I make another trip to the emergency room. Continue reading
Presenting Before the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
By Guest Blogger on March 18th, 2013
On February 14, 2013, I testified at a hearing titled, “Raising the Bar: How Education Innovation Can Improve Student Achievement,” before the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Several witnesses were present to provide personal and professional insight into the advantages of digital learning and technological innovation. The experience was an exciting opportunity to see how personalized innovative learning models are being recognized at the local, state, and now federal level, resulting in more choices for students and families. Continue reading
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
Word Nerd
By Amy LaGrasta on March 4th, 2013
Photo Credit: http://barnraisersllc.com/2011/03/top-20-words-people-twitter-tells-2/
I am a self-proclaimed word nerd. When I come across a word I don’t know, first, I try to figure out what it means by context. Then, I look it up in my handy-dandy, good, old fashioned Webster’s dictionary! Finally, I put the word into use. For the next week, I incorporate it into my everyday use. I may be greeted with a roll of the eyes at the use of “kanban” and “lagniappe,” but it does not deter me. The more I use these new words, the more likely they will become part of my everyday language. Continue reading
Learning Forward – Part 1: Reflections on the 2012 Learning Forward Annual Conference
By Mary Mitchell on February 27th, 2013
Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/
This is the first of an eight-part blog series in which I will explore the Standards for Professional Learning released by Learning Forward in 2011. Learning Forward is an international nonprofit association of learning educators that aims to improve instructional effectiveness through standards-based professional learning (PL). 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