Student Success
Teach Me With Minecraft: Contest Winners
By Guest Blogger on July 25th, 2014
The votes are in!
We are so excited to announce the winners for our “Teach Me With Minecraft” competition. Our goal was to learn more about what can be taught from games like Minecraft and how we can use similar interactive elements in our FLVS courses.
We had hundreds of amazing submissions and have learned so much from your Minecraft builds!
Congratulations to all the winners, and to everyone who submitted a build…YOU ROCK!
Meet FLVS Student Cody Sullivan
By Guest Blogger on July 23rd, 2014
As many people head out to see movies this summer, FLVS student Cody Sullivan is going to see himself on the big screen!
At the young age of eight, Cody began performing in theater. Then he started taking acting classes. Not long after, he retained an agent and moved out to Los Angeles for six months. Since then, he’s had the opportunity to act in a variety of shows like Revolution, Chicago Fire, Criminal Minds, House of Lies, and Trophy Wife.
Most recently, you can see the high school sophomore in Wish I Was Here, a movie starring Zach Braff and Kate Hudson (premiered in theaters July 2014). He had the opportunity to play “Jesse” and was on set for 2-3 days for his three scenes. Cody said it was the most fun to work with Braff because he was “very funny and cracked a lot of jokes.”
Researching Career Opportunities
By Guest Blogger on July 8th, 2014
High school students may be busy researching colleges to attend, but researching a future career and matching career aspirations with the right college is also important.
This post will cover how to research your future career like a pro as a follow-up to my previous post, Researching Colleges like a Pro.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a free online Occupational Handbook. This is a quick and easy site to use to research careers. It’s so easy that this post will be super short!
Meet FLVS Student Sariah Robertson
By Guest Blogger on June 4th, 2014
She’s not your typical video gamer. She’s also not your typical model or cheerleader. In fact, Sariah Robertson is anything but typical – she’s extraordinary! FLVS student Sariah started her own organization called My Girl Code which focuses on inspiring girls to become more interested in advanced technology systems such as coding.
It all started when her mother told her to make something more of her life than just playing video games. Instead of pouting, Sariah turned to the Internet and started researching how to make a career out of game design. Continue reading
Why I Hate Wednesdays and Sundays
By Guest Blogger on May 14th, 2014
People read this title and assume I am talking about something completely different. Have no fear as that is far from the case here. When I am speaking to people about online learning, do you know what the “experienced” adults who have taken an online course always say? It boils down to “I hated the discussion boards.” The fact is that I agree with them. I hated them too.
Adults who have taken online courses know the all-too-familiar requirement of writing an original post by Wednesday at midnight and a thoughtful response to at least two other students by Sunday at midnight. What tends to happen on these discussion boards is that people write their thoughts prior to reading the material for the week. Then, for responses, they find people that agree with their thoughts to comment on.
Meet FLVS Student Sarah Garvis
By Guest Blogger on May 8th, 2014
She’s the History Club President, a Young Marine Corporal, and about to hold a Bachelors of Theology degree before her own high school diploma. Who is this superstar? It’s Florida Virtual School student Sarah Garvis!
Sarah has been taking classes with FLVS since she was in middle school and has recently concluded her coursework with the Law Studies course.
“I have always been fascinated by government and I have such a high respect for it. I admire how the government systems run and this class taught me so much!” said Sarah.
Continue reading
If You’re an Introvert, Yell “I”!
By Guest Blogger on April 30th, 2014
“I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” – Albert Einstein
Educators have been using the Myers-Briggs Type Indictor (MBTI) for years to identify the personality types and learning styles inside their classrooms and to meet the diverse needs of their students. A student’s interests and way of learning directly determines how he/she will see and make sense of the world. If a teacher and a student are both aware of their own unique learning styles, communication and learning will be positively impacted.
Teachers who understand the different personality types and learning styles in their classroom can approach the same lesson in multiple ways to reach multiple students capable of multiple intelligences. Continue reading
Make the Choice to Move Forward
By Amy LaGrasta on April 24th, 2014
Stop and think about your life’s journey so far.
Some of us are just getting started on school, many are at the beginning of our careers, and others are nearing retirement. The reality for all of us is that every choice we make and action we take has gotten each of us to where we are today. You, and you alone, are responsible for your happiness or unhappiness, success or failure.
Fate and luck are of no consequence. Accepting personal responsibility is the first step to success. It is the only requirement needed to achieve goals. If you say things like, “it’s not my fault” or “life is unfair,” then you have not yet accepted responsibility for your actions.
It is not too late or too hard to change.
Got Grit?
By Elise Harris on April 17th, 2014
Bright eyed and bushy tailed I moved right from graduation to teaching geography, reading, and running a computer lab. Everyone said, your light will dim and your focus will change. Well, they were wrong.
Let the record show, that was some 10 years ago and my intentions have not changed, but have only grown stronger and more awesome. Why? Because I “got” grit and I teach my students to have grit.
How else can I prepare my students to function in the interconnected online global world that is full of competition? By never stopping to achieve their goals – that’s how! Do not be pushed down in the face of adversity. Remember, it is okay and even good to make mistakes; this is how we learn. Stand up for what you believe in. If you get knocked down, get up! Life can be hard and hurtful. Learn from this and get back to work.
Test Anxiety
By Amy LaGrasta on April 9th, 2014
Anyone can get test anxiety. In fact, it is normal to feel some stress before a test. The anticipation and nerves you feel can actually help you perform at your peak. However, for some people this normal stress is much more intense. Students who worry a lot in general may feel more anxious at test time. Those who worry about getting every answer correct may be even more prone to test stress.
Students who eat right, get plenty of rest, and get ample play and exercise time are better equipped to combat test anxiety. These are important factors all the time, but it’s most important to get all three the day before a test.
Practicing these few tips prove to be valuable skills not only when dealing with test anxiety, but in many of life’s situations: Continue reading