With the ever-increasing niche subjects in schools, but even more pressing budget problems, high schools are resorting to a new method of learning: online schools. Most people think of distance learning as another form of home school, but the two could not be more different. Online schools are usually state sponsored and Department of Education approved. They charge minimal enrollment rates that are typically paid by the local public school system. The major difference: you only take a few classes online. For the others, one sits in a regular high school classroom.
Thus, online schooling has emerged as the oddball class alternative. Schools do not want to teach an entire class for only five students, but the students still want to take the class. If the Advanced Placement class I want is not available at my school I can apply to be in an online class. Class sizes are usually limited to only ten or fifteen students, but each class begins at a different time of the year to allow for conflicting local school schedules. After you are signed up and login on the virtual school webpage, it is time to start your class!
Welcome and First Weeks:
Your online teacher will contact you right after you sign up to take a class. He or she needs to establish some of the ways that your local school will help in your online learning process. You will need to find both a mentor at the local school and a place to work. Since the online classroom works just like a physical one, there must be both a place in your schedule to take the online class and a teacher to supervise your progress. Choosing to work in the school library is likely the best option; one of the librarians can serve as your mentor. There will also be a required textbook and your school may or may not have it in stock. The books used are usually different from ones at your local school, so try to get these ordered in advance.
Course Modules and Pace:
Different from most home school schedules or distance learning, your online class probably requires submittal of assignments and completion of coursework by certain dates. The course is broken up into modules or sections with several sub-sections in each module. Your teacher is responsible for helping to create the module content, so he or she is very knowledgeable about what you will be learning. Each week you will be responsible for several sub-sections. This means a few different things. First, you must read the applicable sections of your textbook and understand them thoroughly. The material covered in the book may or may not be different from that in the online modules. Next, you should read through the online module. Most modules are presented in a easy-to-read format with plenty of pictures and graphics, but are also concise enough to understand easily. After you feel you understand both of these texts, move to the activity portion of the module.
Activities are similar to class work exercises, just like the reading is basically lecturing. Some online teachers choose to provide recorded supplemental lessons that enhance the content or provide specific instructions and help on how to complete the activity. Unlike class work, you can work on this activity for as long as you like. Usually the student types up the activity and then uploads it onto the site.
The pace of the course is measured by activity submittals and is not related to the time you spend working on the reading or class work.
Quizzes and Tests:
My first online quiz was extremely nerve-racking, but it really is nothing to worry about. Consider this, you probably can take the quiz multiple times! However, there are no hints and no study guides. Quizzes can be taken whenever you want. The student chooses how much to study for a quiz and how many times he or she takes the quiz. Most quizzes are multiple-choice, allowing for instant grading and feedback. If you miss any questions the incorrect question is shown, but the correct answer is not displayed. That means you have a good shot of improving your grade when taking the quiz again since the questions are usually the same.
While you can choose when to take quizzes, your mentor supervises tests. He or she gets a list of test passwords and must watch while you take the test so that there is no cheating. The test can only be completed once and questions usually are a mix of multiple-choice and some short answer.
Communication:
Communicating effectively in a class that is entirely online is hard for many individuals. Your teacher may be in Tennessee and you live in Virginia.
As a student online, the Department of Education will provide you with an e-mail address. This address can be used to communicate with your teacher and other classroom students. It is best used for lengthy questions or those that occur outside school hours.
Every teacher also establishes office hours. During this time (usually 8AM to 4PM, Monday through Friday), you can call the teacher's house, send them a page, or meet online.
Paging is a simple instant messaging service that usually resides within the virtual program. Your teacher will respond to questions within a few minutes when contacted this way.
Meeting online using software like Elluminate is the best way to learn unfamiliar concepts. An online meeting is generally scheduled once per week and students can "drop in" to ask quick questions during that time. You could also request a special meeting for more complicated concepts. Online meetings generally allow students and teachers to speak to each other, share a screen for drawing or writing, type text in a chat box, and even answer multiple-choice questions.
Discussion boards are also available to share thoughts or ideas about your class with other students and receive suggestions on submitted assignments.
The last communication method is one way. Many teachers choose to supplement the online lessons with PowerPoint presentations, audio recordings, or screen captures recordings. This material is invaluable for test preparation or exam review.
Grades:
Grades are reported by numerical values only; it is up to your school district to convert the number into a letter grade. Most activities are essentially pass or fail (100 or 0). If you mess something small up in an activity, ask your teacher to make the applicable corrections for a grade improvement.
Each quiz that allows multiple attempts will either average the attempts together or take the highest grade of all attempts. Tests cannot be retaken unless you ask your teacher for a special exception.
There will also be some participation assignments like online meetings or discussion boards. All who participate get a 100.
Succeeding:
Online learning requires more discipline than traditional learning, but it can be much more rewarding. Try to get your work started far in advance. You are much more likely to forgo work on an online class because it can be done anytime than to skip a traditional class. This technique also allows more time to ask questions and get help.
The second suggestion is to ask questions. This may seem to be trite advice, but breezing through the online lesson is not enough to really comprehend the content. It is also a good idea to meet with your teacher after each quiz or test that you do not earn a good grade on to review what you missed.
Resources:
Ask your guidance counselor about the online learning program in your state or school district. He or she will be able to provide specific or targeted help. I would also recommend looking at some of the information on two of the most widely used virtual schools: Florida Virtual School ( http://www.flvs.net ) and Virtual Virginia ( http://www.virtualvirginia.org/ ).
William O'Brochta is a recipient of the William T. Hornaday Silver Medal and William T. Hornaday Badge. He is an Eagle Scout with nine Eagle palms and has earned sixty-five Merit Badges. William is currently an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 17 in Roanoke, Virginia working with Troop elections, new Scout advancement, and Eagle projects. He also serves as an active member on the Blue Ridge Mountains Council Conservation, Advancement, Eagle Board of Review, and Troop Committees. He has been involved in Scouting for more than ten years.
William attends Patrick Henry High School and the Roanoke Valley Governor's School and is ranked first in his class of 500. Currently, he is working on a three-year environmental research project dealing with using plants to remove pesticides from the soil. He has presented this research at the Society of Toxicology Annual meeting. A musician, he plays trumpet and serves as Drum Major for the Marching Band.
Committed to community service, he has volunteered for six months for Habitat for Humanity in Hungary and helped Breakell, Inc. General Contractors achieve LEED energy efficiency certification.
William can best be contacted through his LinkedIn page: http://linkd.in/q8dXm0
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