Digital Literacy

Win an iPad in our #FLVSCodes Contest

By Florida Virtual School on December 3rd, 2018

To celebrate our tech-savvy students, FLVS is hosting a contest from Dec. 3, 2018 through Jan. 14, 2019. We want to see how our students are engaging in computer science activities — from coding to construction!

Three lucky winners – one in elementary, one in middle, and one in high school – will be chosen to receive an iPad generously donated by the FLVS Foundation. Winners will be selected based on the quality, creativity, uniqueness, and relevance of their entry. Continue reading

To Program or Not to Program?

By Florida Virtual School on August 31st, 2017

To program, or not to program? That is the question. If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t learned to program yet – but if you’re like most people, you probably should.

Many people don’t learn about programming because they think it doesn’t relate to their personal or career interests. After all, not everyone wants to be a professional programmer, right? However, should a person take a finance class only if he/she is going to be an accountant? Continue reading

Military Crossroads with Career and Technical Education (CTE)

By Florida Virtual School on May 26th, 2017

Michael Francis, U.S. Army Sergeant

From 2000 to 2004, I was an active duty Soldier in the United States Army and have been in the Florida Army National Guard since 2005.

There are many parts of my military career that stand out in my memory. Basic training, my drill sergeant during the hot summer at Fort Jackson, being in my promotion board during the September 11 attacks, being deployed during multiple state emergencies, and so much more. Most recently, and regardless of political platform, I was honored to play a role in our democracy by providing security support for the 2017 Presidential Inauguration in D.C.

However, these memories and events are not what changed me the most.

Instead, it is the military’s connection with CTE that has been the most valuable. That connection positively affected my personal life, my educational pursuits, and my civilian career.

Although military life is not for everyone, the skills and knowledge that are integrated within CTE are for everyone, whether an Army future is in the cards or not.

Supporting Access to Online Education for All

By Guest Blogger on February 23rd, 2017

Today is Digital Learning Day!

It’s a day when the whole nation celebrates all the wonderful benefits of online learning and digital literacy.

You know, everything from the cool and advanced technology of courses and anytime learning, to the digital literacy skills that online learning provides to strengthen a student’s learning experience.

This not only includes finding and learning from digital content, but also creating authentic digital content, and communicating or sharing it in multiple formats.

It also includes valuable soft-skills that today’s employers are asking for – like time management and being efficient in using online resources.

While we are thrilled to be celebrating today with other online learning providers, families, and students, we at FLVS have to admit that we celebrate this stuff everyday!

We can’t help it – our passion for online education comes from our awesome students and families who we serve. It doesn’t take long to see the difference we make in students’ lives, and get excited about what we can do next in order to keep our students thriving. Continue reading

Being Competitive in Tomorrow’s Workforce

By Tina Leslie on November 30th, 2016

The year was 1989.

We saw the birth of the World Wide Web, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the television debut of The Simpsons, and my epic walk onto the stage to receive my high school diploma.

As I proceeded to college, I used the skills that I had learned in high school: doing research using a card catalog, typing reports using an electric typewriter, and doing accounting class projects that required a calculator, a pencil, and a lot of erasers.

If I were to list these skills on my resume today, I would be considered an unqualified candidate.

You may wonder how a college student with outdated skills became an online technology teacher.

It’s simple, really. By updating my skill sets and being able to evolve with new advancements in technology, I honed the skills to which I am referring. Those skills are soft, hard, and transferable. Continue reading

The Missing Piece

By Guest Blogger on July 15th, 2014

Have you ever put a puzzle together only to find out that the last piece or two are missing? Without all of the pieces, you can’t see the whole picture, not to mention the frustration felt from being unable to achieve your goal. Think of education as a puzzle. There is a piece for each different component, but the “access to Wi-Fi” piece is either broken or missing completely.

In this day and age, students need Wi-Fi access at school. It’s as simple as that. They deserve education tailored to preparing them for their future, and that involves newer technologies. Whether they are taking an FLVS virtual course during the school day or needing to access the Internet for a biology project in a traditional classroom setting, Wi-Fi can strongly enhance the learning experience as it allows much more access to a variety of tools. Continue reading

Internet Safety Month: Protect Your Digital Footprint

By Guest Blogger on June 17th, 2014

Today’s teens consume Social Media every day – perhaps every five minutes in many cases! How often, though, do they consider the implications of their online activities?

The Social Media course at Florida Virtual School has been compared to “Driver’s Ed for the Internet” – teaching students about the safe and responsible operation of Social Media. Here are the top five tips from the course:

1) Protect your Digital Footprint – it’s the sum of every interaction involving you, and it lives FOREVER. While it’s obviously important to control what YOU post (photos, status updates, etc.), it’s also important to discover who ELSE is influencing your digital footprint – tagging you in photos, mentioning you in posts, etc. Keep your eyes open. Continue reading

Why We Love Social Media

By Guest Blogger on August 19th, 2013

Social media has completely changed the way we communicate with each other. Maybe we’re guilty of accidentally referring to our friends by their Twitter handles in real life; spending all week finding the perfect photo for #ThrowbackThursday; doing something cool, just so that you can Instagram it; or using the word “Instagram” as a verb.