Postcards from the Road
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!
The department of Florida Services at FLVS interfaces with schools from all 67 districts within Florida. Through these interactions we see the daily reality of learning online with FLVS: the fantastic, the good, and the challenges. The best part is FLVS Leadership really wants to know what our customers think and need. Imagine answering survey questions KNOWING your opinions will be read and considered! This is one of the reasons I love my job at FLVS.
Keeping the student at the center of every FLVS decision is demonstrated by the commitment to hear and learn from student experiences. The first photo (above left) is from our visit with a school in Marion County. Pam Birtolo, chief officer of education transformation for FLVS, is shown conversing with students about a typical “day in the life of a virtual student.” They reported that the FIRST thing they do when they log into our courses is check for teacher feedback on assignments. Seems students like to know how they’re doing, too!
As shown in the photo on the right, Julie Young, president and CEO for FLVS, prioritized personal visits to schools across the state. Her trips are another way to enable our brick-and-mortar schools to provide their input into the direction of FLVS, which ultimately influences the future of online learning across the nation! Julie and all of us at FLVS believe that in order to fully understand FLVS experiences, we must also understand the communities in which the students live. For students in Alachua and other nearby counties, the University of Florida defines a large part of their community. That’s why Julie and our students were thrilled to participate in the FLVS float in the Gator Homecoming parade.
Experiences like these help turn our virtual world into reality.
Post by Polly Haldeman, FLVS Executive Director of Business Development and School Solutions