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Mindful Use Of Technology

What Is Mindful Use Of Technology

There are two components to consider when creating a definition; technology and mindfulness. According to Collins Dictionary (n.d), technology “refers to methods, systems, and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical purposes” (para. 1). According to Aaron (2017),

Mindfulness is, in its simplest form, an awareness and total acceptance of the present moment without judgment. This can be an awareness and acceptance of our thoughts, feelings, actions, emotions, sensations or intentions. What are our thoughts right now? What are we feeling? How are we feeling? See it, feel it, sense it but then accept it, allow it, don’t judge it (para. 21).

Based on these definitions, mindful use of technology is a technology trend that encourages the individual who is using a technological device to become aware of their present moment. It is awareness of thoughts, feelings, actions, emotions, and sensations. It is the intentional use of the technology. The purpose of being mindful of the use of technology is to not allow oneself to become lost in the technological device but to remain consciously aware.

Why Is The Mindful Use Of Technology A Trend?

There is a need for teachers to consider the mindful use of technology in their classrooms as a part of their professional obligation to support student learning through the use of technology. A first step is understanding, through education, and a next step is to implement supports that can be used to empower students to be mindful when they are engaged with technology. Rushkoff (2012) sums up this critical issue facing educators.

First, and probably most important, it's because the classroom is the one place where we are supposed to notice things. When we teach literature, we don't just teach the content on the page - we teach the historical context of the writer, the choice of medium and ways in which the medium was used. No book is just a story.

Likewise, no program is just a tool, no website is just information and no social platform is a neutral meeting place. To use any of these unconsciously in the real world is bad enough; to use them unconsciously and thus uncritically in the classroom is even worse.

So the first requirement to using any technology in the classroom is for us to be prepared to talk about it, assess its influence over our interactions and evaluate its role in an ongoing way.

Second, it's our role as educators to judge whether a given piece of technology is really going to enhance our ability to educate. Will it help us engage with our students, or help them engage with each other and the subject more meaningfully? I know that sounds like an easy one, until we consider the very real classrooms I've visited where the very opposite has been true (par. 5-8).

Implementation Of Mindful Use Of Technology In A K-12 Setting

The first step in implementing the mindful use of technology is educating students so that they have an understanding of what mindfulness use of technology is. It is important that students are informed on how not being mindful with technology can be harmful by distracting and undermining learning. Then students need to be empowered with resources that can support their mindful use of technology. This learning can then be used to create classroom norms to which all stakeholders hold each other accountable.

Understanding

Students should be educated on the mindful use of technology. Through research and engaging classroom lessons that use technology, teachers can assign authentic learning activities that are specifically intended to help students understand the pitfalls of using technology without being mindful and the benefits that can be gleaned from using technology with mindfulness.

Support

One of the best approaches teachers can use to supporting their students use of technology is to put guidelines in place on the use of technology and when and how it should be used to support learning. This should be done collaboratively with the students so that they have understanding and ownership. Tech leaders, as an example, put strict limits on the technology use for their own children. Steiner Waldorf Schools do not allow students to use technology in the classroom before the age of 12. Many technology company employees send their children to these school in both the United Kingdom and California (Flemming, 2015). The American Academy of Pediatrics (2013) discourages any screen time for a student under two years of age and recommends no more than 2 hours a day of entertainment screen time for children. It also recommends that approaches to technology should involve a team approach that encourages using technology, when it is not already in place, such as to promote student learning through online education programs for students.

Henrique’s (as cited in Stokes, 2015) strategies for mindful use of technology can be adapted to teaching objectives for classrooms.

• Reclaiming mindfulness by increasing the focus on your intended learning goals and set limits for when you will disengage and then re-engage with technology to meet these goals
• Old habits of being easily distracted by links, videos and connected topics that are interesting but take you off of your intended learning goals should be broken
• Replace old habits with new habits by ensuring you have gained all that you can learn from a technology tool (game, application, Website, video etc.), document the learning, bookmark the resource if applicable, determine the intentional next step before re-engaging in the use of technology

Ducksworth (2017) offers seven practices that can be adapted and taught as a guide for students to use technology mindfully.

• Center on why you are going to use the chosen technology
• Examine your beliefs around how much time you will need and re-evaluate once that time has passed
• Set a learning intention as a result of using the technology.
• Create a personal learning vision or goal and determine how your technology interface will help you meet it
• Introduce movement breaks into your technology time
• Feel gratitude for the gift of learning that the technology brings.

Educators can introduce their students to the numerous applications that have been created to promote and maintain mindfulness when using technology. Some of these can be found in the section on recommended resources for mindful use of technology.

Key Issues with Mindful Use of Technology

Technology is an integral part of the life of a student and will increasingly be integrated into all aspects of daily activities, including learning. Used with mindfulness, it can enhance the learning possibilities. When used without mindfulness, it can distract a student’s learning potential and possibly even derail learning through disruptive habits. There are both positive aspects and obstacles that need to be tackled in the mindful use of technology.

Positive

There is mounting evidence that technology, used mindfully, can enhance the learning experiences in a classroom setting. Tablets and computers and the applications they run offer a learning experience that is inherently highly interactive. This creates a challenge to a child’s cognitive load, creating an optimal opportunity for learning (McEwend & Dubé, 2015, p. 9). Even smartphones, when used mindfully, have been shown to increase learning potential in young adults. This is because the technology encourages students to initiate in learning activities significantly faster than if they had been using a traditional pen and paper approach. Those who use smartphones mindfully have the ability to have higher levels of task engagement, are able to overcome external distractions and prevent disengagement that could be encountered because of the length of the learning session (Sarhandi, Bajnaid & Elyas, 2017).

Obstacles

There is growing evidence that technology, if not used thoughtfully, is actually a distraction to learning. As an example, when laptop computers are used in the classroom, if not implemented intentionally and considerately, they can increase off-task behaviors instead of increased student engagement (Donavan, Green & Hartley, 2010).

Dopamine Labs, named after the molecule in our brains that creates desire and pleasure, is a company that writes computer code for applications. Companies are creating applications that are intended to distract users from being purposeful and are intended to prevent the mindful use of technology and their applications. Companies want to hold a person’s attention for as long as possible and then when a distraction breaks that attention, they want to create a desire to reengage with the technology. It creates an experience that students can become lost in (Cooper, 2018). When a person checks their phone, it is like gambling or pulling the lever on a slot machine. Sometimes you get a reward, a text or social media response, and sometimes you do not. The intention is to hijack your attention and create the formation of a habit. This design component can be built into almost any technological device (Harris as cited in Cooper, 2017).

Related Research For Mindful Use of Technology

Aaron, R. (2017, January). How a more mindful approach to your mobile devices could save your life and your relationships [Blog post]. The Coffeelicious. Retrieved from https://thecoffeelicious.com/how-a-more-mindful-approach-to-your-mobile-devices-could-save-your-life-and-your-relationships-3bb2e2a52aa9

American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communication and Media. (2013). Policy Statement: Children, Adolescent, and the Media. Pediatrics. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2013/10/24/peds.2013-2656.full.pdf

Cooper, A. (2017, April). “What is brain hacking”? tech insiders on why you should care. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-hacking-tech-insiders-60-minutes/

Donovan, L., Green, T., Hartley, K. (2010). An examination of one-to-one computing in the middle school: does increased access bring about increased student engagement?. Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol 42, Issue 4, pp. 423 – 441 First Published May 19, 2010 https://doi-org.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/10.2190/EC.42.4.d

Ducksworth, H. (2017, December 15). Mindful Mondays week 7: Mindful use of technology [Blog post]. Meetingsnet. Retrieved from http://www.meetingsnet.com/careerlifetravel/mindful-mondays-week-7-mindful-use-technology

Flemming, A. (2015, May 23). Screen time v play time: what tech leaders won't let their own kids do. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/23/screen- time-v-play-time-what-tech-leaders-wont-let-their-own-kids-do

McEwen, R. N., & Dubé, A. K. (2015). Engaging or distracting: children's tablet computer use in education. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 18(4), 9-23.

Rushkoff, D. (2012, December 11). Computers in the classroom: a mindful lens on technology. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/computers-mindful-lens-on-technology-douglas-rushkoff

Sarhandi, P. A., Bajnaid, A., & Elyas, T. (2017). Impact of smartphone based activities on efl students' engagement. English Language Teaching, 10(6), 103-117.

Stokes, N. (2015). How to balance technology with mindfulness [Blog post]. Techliscious. Retrieved from https://www.techlicious.com/tip/how-to-balance-technology-with-mindfulness/

Technology. (n.d). Collins Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/technology

Recommended Resources For Mindful Use Of Technology

Internet Service Providers Offering Mindful Use of Technology Tools for Parents

Plum Village: Mindfulness Practice Centre, Mindfulness Software

Spire Health Tag

Posture Improving Technology

What Is the Internet Doing to Our Brains?

Simon Sinek

Seven Week Guide to Mindful Use of Technology

Seven Ways to Take Control of Your Tech Habits

Technology and Mindfulness

The Mindful Use of Technology

Mindful Technology Use

Mindfulness and Technology

References

1. Jump up↑ y, J. V. (2018). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.). New York: Pearson.
2. ↑ ^{Jump up to:a b} Smay, D., & Walker, C. (2015). Makerspaces: A creative approach to education. Teacher Librarian, 42(4), 39-43. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.wilkes.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/docview/1774311185?accountid=62703
3. ↑ ^{Jump up to:a b c} Kurti, R. S., Kurti, D., & Fleming, L. (2014). Practical implementation of an educational makerspace. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 20-24. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.wilkes.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/docview/1637635965?accountid=62703
4. Jump up↑ Okpala, H. N. (2016). Making a makerspace case for academic libraries in nigeria.New Library World, 117(9), 568-586. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.wilkes.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/docview/1830312066?accountid=62703
5. Jump up↑ Kurti, S. (2015). Ordinary educators exploring the extraordinary makerspace blast off! Teacher Librarian, 42(3), 54-55. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.wilkes.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/docview/1774311187?accountid=62703
6. ↑ ^{Jump up to:a b} Kurti, R. S., Kurti, D., & Fleming, L. (2014). The environment and tools of great educational makerspaces. Teacher Librarian, 42(1), 8-12. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.wilkes.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/docview/1609564098?accountid=62703
7. ↑ ^{Jump up to:a b} Oliver, K. M. (2016). Professional development considerations for makerspace leaders, part two: Addressing "how?". TechTrends, 60(3), 211-217. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/10.1007/s11528-016-0050-7
8. Jump up↑ Monte, L. D., Elam, J., & Fyfe, P. (2016). Remaking teaching: Prototyping new technologies for the classroom. NCSU Libraries. Retrieved from https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/stories/remaking-teaching-prototyping-new-technologies-classroom
9. Jump up↑ Miller, R. H. (2016). Prototype classroom focuses on student engagement. WSU Insider. Retrieved from https://news.wsu.edu/2016/02/11/prototype-classroom-focuses-on-student-engagement/
10. Jump up↑ Taylor, D. (2016). Prototype classroom combines technology and new techniques. Tuscalosanews.com. Retrieved from Monte, L. D., Elam, J., & Fyfe, P. (2016). Remaking teaching: Prototyping new technologies for the classroom. NCSU Libraries. Retrieved from https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/stories/remaking-teaching-prototyping-new-technologies-classroom
11. Jump up↑ www.hamiltonproject.org
12. Jump up↑ Reed, D. (2011). A balanced introduction to computer science. Pearson.
13. Jump up↑ Schneider, G. M., & Gersting, J. L. (2013). Invitation to computer science. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
14. Jump up↑ Iwona Miliszewska , Gayle Barker, Fiona Henderson, Ewa Sztendur Journal of Information Technology Education: Research Volume 5, 2006, p. 107-120 https://doi.org/10.28945/237

Infographics

What are infographics?

Infographics are not new. Data visualizations have existed for centuries. Infographics (short for information graphics) are visual representations that merge text, images, data and graphic design. Krum (2014) says an infographic is “a larger graphic design that combines data visualizations, illustrations, text, and images together into a format that tells a complete story” (p. 6). They are most often created and published digitally though many can also be found in print mediums such as newspapers and magazines. What is innovative about contemporary infographics is just how common and accessible they have become create, share and view digitally.

Why are Infographics a Current Trend?

We live in a world where information is cheap, potentially unlimited and readily available but meaning is often expensive, complicated and ellusive. Infographics have become an important part of digital and visual literacy because they are increasingly chosen as a means of presenting content in a visually due to their power encapsulating many details into one clear and precise visual (Dunlap & Lowenthal, in press).

The power of infographics to present concepts at a glance, and the fact they work best for presenting information to novices is what makes them particularly valuable as learning tools in educational situations (Dunlap & Lowenthal, in press). This ability to quickly get information across at a glance with graphics and data has also led to infographics frequently being used to spread false, incorrect or misrepresented information quickly (McCready, 2017).

The rise of easy to use online infographic creation services such as Easelly, Canva, Piktochart, and Visme amongst others has undoubtedly led to more users creating and sharing infographics which has in turn contributed to their ubiquity online (Carlson, 2017).

Implementation of Infographics in a K-12 Setting

• Implementation will be individualized to each subject and grade level though the basic design principles will remain consistent.
• Technology, software and/or a browser with an internet connection is required to create infographics.
• Educationally infographics “may be used as job aids, advance organizers, mind maps, content summaries, and study tools” (Dunlap & Lowenthal, in press, p. 4).
• Infographics should be viewed and created to develop digital and visual literacy (Farrell, n.d.).
• Completed infographics can be printed or viewed digitally.

Key Issues with Infographics

Benefits of Infographics

• Infographics allow creators to combine different modes of still visual content into engaging, informationally dense representations.
• “People learn and remember more efficiently and effectively through the use of text and visuals than through text alone” (Dunlap & Lowenthal, in press, p. 1).
• When “visuals are used effectively, they serve to help people understand abstract, complicated, and complex information, especially when people are unfamiliar with the concept and do not have a pre-existing mental model to assist with the comprehension of new information” (Dunlap & Lowenthal, in press, p. 2).

Potential obstacles with Infographics

• There is little research supporting their use in education
• Research is beginning to emerge about what makes a “good” infographic but as yet there is no consensus about what criteria, how much or how these criteria should adapt for different needs.
• Infographics can be time consuming to create.
• They are much more challenging to create, share and view without access to technology.
• The Terms of Service for many infographic services do not permit those under 13 years of age to sign-up for their service.
• As with any online service that holds data about its users; privacy and local regulations may limit which services can be used and how they can be used.

Related Research for Infographics

Abilock, D., & Williams, C. (2014). Recipe for an infographic. Knowledge Quest, 43(2), 46-55.

Carlson, A. (2017, June 21). 32 stats & facts that prove infographics aren't dead. Retrieved March 3, 2018, from https://www.lucidpress.com/blog/32-infographic-stats-facts

Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (in press). Getting graphic about infographics: Design lessons learned from popular infographics. Journal of Visual Literacy. Retrieved from: http://patricklowenthal.com/publications/Getting-Graphic-About-Infographics.pdf

Elena Gallagher, S., O'Dulain, M., O'Mahony, N., Kehoe, C., McCarthy, F., & Morgan, G. (2017). Instructor-provided summary infographics to support online learning. Educational Media International, 54(2), 129-147.

Farrell, T. (n.d.). Integrating Visual Literacy Skills into PK-12 Education by Teresa Farrell. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from https://visualliteracytoday.org/integrating-visual-literacy-skills-into-pk-12-education-by-teresa-farrell/

Krum, R. (2014). Cool infographics: Effective communication with data visualization and design. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley.

McCready, R. (2017, August 10). How writers use misleading graphs to manipulate you. Retrieved from https://venngage.com/blog/misleading-graphs/

Nuhoglu Kibar, P., & Akkoyunlu, B. (2017). Fostering and assessing infographic design for learning: The development of infographic design criteria. Journal of Visual Literacy, 36(1), 20-40.

Sudakov, I., Bellsky, T., Usenyuk, S., & Polyakova, V. V. (2016). Infographics and mathematics: A mechanism for effective learning in the classroom. Primus, 26(2), 158-167.

Tufte, E. R. (2001). The visual display of quantitative information (2nd ed.). Cheshire, CT: Graphic Press.

Recommended Resources for Infographics

• Infographic creation services: https://www.easel.ly/, https://www.canva.com/, https://piktochart.com/, https://www.visme.co/
• 7 Common types of infographics
• Infographic: Citizenship in the digital age
• https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/11/09/what-is-digital-literacy.html
• https://visualliteracytoday.org/integrating-visual-literacy-skills-into-pk-12-education-by-teresa-farrell/
• https://www.visualnews.com/2016/06/14/100-best-infographics-education/
• https://www.udemy.com/crash-course-in-infographics-with-easelly/
• https://blog.kissmetrics.com/12-infographic-tips/

Chapter 13-Using Technology in Professional Development from the Return on Investment Perspective

13.1 What is Technology Guided Professional Development?

In a global economy, with ever changing technologies teachers need to prepare themselves and their students to have ingenuity and creativity to meet the needs of the 21^st century. The trend of technology guided professional development, integrating new technologies such as online courses, online tutorials, and personal learning networks (PLNs), is consistently growing in popularity. Teachers are able to access resources from around the world to assist with their PD. The fact that PD is so easily accessible and adaptable also allows for it to be personalized to the individual needs of the teacher as well as the needs of the district.

13.2 Why Is Using Technology in Educator PD A Current Trend? What Are the Effects on Return On Investment (ROI)?

Professional development (PD) is an integral part of teacher effectiveness in education.  New policies, technologies, professional growth plans and changing educational avenues are requiring teachers and school leaders to embrace new technologies and have the willingness to change to meet the diverse needs of the education sector in order to prepare students for their future. School districts analyze PD and the impact is has on the teachers and students in the classroom through evaluation of return on investment (ROI).  With the seemingly decreasing budgets for educational organizations and the increase of new technologies it is very important that educational leaders evaluate ROI carefully as to not waste district funds for PD. Using technology in educator PD has allowed districts to cut costs associated with traditional forms of PD, such as travel expenses, including mileage, hotels, and food purchases, as well as additional money for substitutes during these times. Technology allows for educators to save time, by creating flexibility for teachers to learn at their own pace and decide what meets their personal goals or the goals of the school for the focus of their PD. The key to success for all professional development is simplistic goals, proper support, adequate time to implement and observe ROI and monitor implementation and feedback

13.3 Implementation of Technology Guided PD from the ROI Perspective

Technology has given the opportunity to and even inspired educators to teach one another on their own time through edcamps, communicate via social media platforms, and work together through online collaboratives. One way ROI is measured is through teacher effectiveness, by analyzing data such as student achievement on standardized tests, performance-based observations, value-added modeling, and student growth percentiles. Technology guided PD allows teachers in rural areas or poorer districts the ability to participate in beneficial PD from their computer, which they would not have otherwise been able to attend. This increases the amount of teachers that can gain effectiveness through online PD.

13.4 Key Issues with Technology Guided PD from the ROI Perspective

Technology integration is an investment in the change of a school's culture to adopt and revere technology, not just and investment of time and money. The key challenges faced are the unwillingness to change or try to techniques from veteran teachers, or the resources to support the initiatives of the teacher or the school. Many teachers are not willing to try new technologies in the classroom if they do not feel confident with the application, if there is a lack of support for the use of the technology, or if they did not choose it themselves. Technology guided PD can be measure through increased teacher productivity, improved differentiation of instruction, impact on instructional practices, and influence on student learning, observable through classroom walk-through(s), student reflections, examples of student work, and growth on behalf of the student and educator. If not done correctly, costs of implementation of technology could be more costly and the ROI could be negative.  For this reason, planning and preparation of technology needs to be thorough to avoid a technology failure. To achieve a positive ROI on technology PD a district must start out by only implementing technology in large investments, rather than trying to implement every new thing that pops up.

13.5 Related Research for Technology Guided PD from the ROI Perspective

Hanover Research.  (2014). Professional development for technology integration.  Retrieved from https://ts.madison.k12.wi.us/files/techsvc/Professional%20Development%20for%20Technology%20Integration.pdf.

Heick, T.  (2018). How rapid technology change impacts your teaching.  Teach Thought. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/technology/5-ways-rapid-technology-change-impacts-education/.

Graham, K.  (2015). Measuring return on investment for technology.  Idealware.  Retrieved from https://www.idealware.org/measuring-return-investment-technology/.

Hanover Research. (2014). Professional development for technology integration. Retrieved from https://ts.madison.k12.wi.us/files/techsvc/Professional%20Development%20for%20Technology%20Integration.pdf.

Logan, L.  (n.d.). 5 ways tech has changed professional development.  Amplify. Retrieved from https://www.amplify.com/viewpoints/5-ways-tech-has-changed-professional-development.

Mazella, N.  (2011). What are we learning about technology integration and professional development?  Educator’s Voice.  Retrieved from https://www.nysut.org/~/media/files/nysut/resources/2011/march/educators-voice-4-technology/edvoiceiv_ch7.pdf?la=en.

Metiri Group. (2010). Professional development: Ensuring a return on your investment.  INTEL. Retrieved from https://www.intel.com/content/dam/doc/white-paper/education-professional-development-paper.pdf.

Peterson, T.  (2016). Technology starts with professional development and training.  EdTech Focus on K-12.  Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/06/technology-starts-professional-development-and-training.

Rogoff, L.  (2015). Technology and professional development: Trends, challenges and empowerment.  Teachstone. Retrieved from http://info.teachstone.com/blog/technology-professional-development-trends-challenges-empowerment.

Sabzian, F. & Gilakjani, A. P.  (2013). Teachers’ attitudes about computer technology training, professional development, integration, experience, anxiety, and literacy in English language teaching and learning.  International Journal of Applied Science and Technology.  Retrieved from http://ijastnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_1_January_2013/9.pdf.

The U.S. Department of Education.  Reimagining the role of technology in education: 2017 national education technology plan update.  Retrieved from https://tech.ed.gov/files/2017/01/NETP17.pdf.

13.6 Recommended Resources for Technology Guided PD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZXP02Az6ds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puiNcIFJTCU

https://tech.ed.gov/netp/teaching/

http://gamedesk.org/project/professional-development/

http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/

http://schools.bloomboard.com/

Public School Virtual Academy

Description and Need of a Virtual Academy

Over the last decade, parents and students seeking a more flexible and individualized educational experience have increasingly turned to virtual public charter schools, the newest trend in an age old U.S. debate about school choice (Bausell, 2016).  These cyber charter schools or cyber schools have made a huge impact on the amount of money that public school districts are paying out for tuition each school year.  Since the 2007-2008 school year, charter school enrollment has increased by 65,000 students across the state of Pennsylvania.  Tuition payments from school districts to charter schools have increased by $865 million, which is an increase of 139.3% (PSBA, 2015).  An innovative trend that has started across the country is the development of public school virtual academies.  Public school districts are building their own in-house cyber school program or academies.  A virtual academy gives a school district the ability to offer a flexible virtual method of instruction to the students who have left the traditional school setting. This is a growing trend in many school districts and is also being supported by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. “A reasonable solution would be to permit local school districts to run their own cyber charters under local control, allow students from those districts to choose between local schools, local cyber school or a blend, and cap existing for-profit cyber charters so that local districts can keep some of their badly-needed resources in the community” (Baugh et al, 2017, p. 8).  In order for public school districts to gain some of their lost money back, they need to change their train of thought.  School districts need to plan and build virtual academies in hopes to gain some of their lost students back into the district.  Along with these students comes hundreds of thousands of dollars. This simple trend or change will allow school districts to bolster their yearly budgets with a new found way to help their financial struggles.

Planning Phase and Various Models of a Virtual Academy

A virtual academy has flexibility and meets the needs of each individual school district. Some examples of current models are transition programs or an alternative setting that focus on the students who are transient in a school district.  This method is used for students who have an outlying circumstance that causes them to be removed from the traditional school setting.  Some examples include: drug and alcohol treatment, concussion or traumatic brain injury, students who participate in demanding sports schedules, residential therapy, etc.  This program is designed for short amounts of time but in some cases lend itself as a place where students experience success.   The programming, instructors, and curriculum are provided by a third party vendor, ex. https://www.educere.net/ .

The second phase that is utilized by most school districts is an in-house virtual academy where students come into the public school but are still offered the non-traditional learning environment that is given to the student(s) virtually.  There are various ways that a school district can accommodate these students.  The school district can buy a site license for student seats in the virtual environment. The content and instruction is provided by an outsourced accredited educator.  The more cost effective method is to purchase a learning management system (LMS) or framework where district employees provide the content and instruction. This is the best practice due to the fact of the student receiving the same content and instruction as other age specific peers in that specific community.

The third model or cyber café is a method used for enrichment purposes.  A Cyber cafe is usually setup in a library or media center, students are assigned a time slot versus taking a traditional class.  Courses are offered through this type of venue are courses that are not offered through the regular curriculum.  An example would be:  A student wants to study Mandarin Chinese and in the past had no option. Today students from around the world are able to participate in this type of class from a virtual gateway.  Mandarin Chinese  No matter what the need is for a specific student, a public school’s virtual academy should have an option for that student. This allows students who have left their home schools to return to an educational environment that was productive to them outside of the traditional school setting.

The cyber café model also helps the students who are not seeking enrichment but in fact the opposite.  Students who have fallen behind and need to make up courses or go through a credit recovery program.  This is offered by the same companies who provide regular curriculum.  Credit recovery is a condensed eight week course that is taking virtually.  The eight weeks are crammed with the most important content.  If a student is successful completing this type of course(s), it is possible for a student to graduate high school on time if that fell behind.

Curriculum that is offered through a Virtual Academy

Each school district will have a different plan of attack when they develop their curriculum and delivery mode of the content.  There are a few options that are available and these options can also be modified to develop a hybrid model.  The best part about this new innovation is the built in flexibility and ability to meet the needs of many different types of students.

1.  The first model that can be utilized by a virtual academy is a fully accredited and purchased curriculum.  A school district has the option to pay for their curriculum, instruction, and learning management system all from one vendor. The content is accredited and is standards-based to comply with each state’s educational policy for curriculum. According to Molnar et al. (2017) “many believe that online curriculum can be tailored to individual students more effectively than curriculum in traditional classrooms, giving it the potential to promote greater student achievement than can be realized in traditional brick-and-mortar schools” (p. 3).  Some companies, Educere , actually ask a school district for their current course of study so that they can offer a curricular solution that is closely related to the public school’s curriculum.

2.  A second model is a hybrid model that allows a virtual academy to use their teacher’s and their teacher’s content to build courses in their virtual academy.  A framework or LMS still needs to be purchased and developed in order for the content to be loaded into the virtual environment.  Two main companies that offer this solution are Blackboard and Canvas.  After that framework is established a school district will need to build its course offerings.  These courses are developed by the school district teachers and these teachers also are responsible for checking in with their students. Teachers also can offer tutoring sessions or office hours to help support these students.  The students could meet face to face or virtually with a conferencing program.  Ideally this model may be the best solution, since the content and instruction is being delivered from teachers who are employed through the same school district.

3.  Virtual Academy Curriculum Solutions

·        https://www.educere.net/  - A very flexible and economical solution

·        http://www.k12.com/  - Top leading provider of online learning curriculum

·        https://www.edgenuity.com/  - offers curriculum with an easy interface and huge course selection

·        http://www.vlnpartners.com/  - Overall selection for any E-Learning needs, based out of Pittsburg

·        https://www.connectionsacademy.com/  - Harrisburg, PA – Largest academy in PA but offers its curriculum out to public schools

·       https://www.pearson.com/us/ - Large company, curriculum, piece of educational market worldwide.

Legal Aspects of a Virtual Academy (PA Code and Education Association)

School choice is the issue in debate and where charter and cyber charter schools were developed.  The first charter schools were introduced as a way to offer low performing school district students the option to leave and attend a charter school with the possibility of improving the educational environment and their overall success.  On September 1^st, 2006 the Cyber Charter School law was established, 24 P.S. §17-1741-A,.  Cyber Charter Schools were introduced through a Basic Education Circular on this day (PA.gov., n.d.).  Over the past couple of years there has been a lot of scrutiny of these cyber schools because of their low performance ability to meet student needs.  According to Bausell (2016) “dysfunctional schools, huge student attrition rates, dismal test scores, overworked teachers, and reports of an abounding cheating culture” are some of the reasons why students are returning from cyber charter schools (p. 110).  Due to these reasons and the fact that public schools were losing millions of dollars a year to cyber schools is why public schools have developed their own virtual academies.  These programs are under the same Pennsylvania school code as are their traditional brick and mortar class offerings.  As long as these courses meet the PA common core standards, are taught by a certified content area teacher, and are fulfilling credit requirements, as do the traditional students, then the virtual academy is in compliance. There may be a sticking point between the school board of directors and the education association if the virtual academy course work is outsourced to another company.  If the program is first offered to current teachers and any teachers who may need to be hired to run the virtual academy then the program would not face any political discrepancies.

How to invite a student back to their home school district’s virtual academy

·        Send letters to all current cyber school students inviting them to an open house presentation about the new Virtual Academy.

·        Invite small groups of parents and students to meet individually at a coffee shop or local diner.

·        Develop a Cyber Boot Camp – program that introduces students to their new equipment and how to navigate the learning management system.  This can be teacher or student led.

·        Notify students that they will be receiving a diploma from the school district even if they are participating in the virtual academy.

·        All students will be able to participate in extra-curricular activities and sporting events.

·        In-house virtual academies offer flexible learning environments to fit individual student needs.

Recommended Resources

Baugh, D., Gilliland, B., Estep, & DiRocco, M. (2017). Charter School Reform: Recommendations for Policy Makers. Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators White Paper, 1-20

Bausell, S. B. (2016). From the editorial board: Virtual charter schools: Where did all the children go? The High School Journal, 99(2), 109-112. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.wilkes.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.wilkes.edu/docview/1760242651?accountid=62703

Molnar, A., Miron, G., Gulosino, C., Shank, C., Davidson, C., Barbour, M.K., Huerta, L., Shafter, S.R., Rice, J.K., & Nitkin, D. (2017). Virtual Schools Report 2017. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schoolsannual-2017

PA.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.education.pa.gov/

PSBA (2015). Charter School Revenues, Expenditures and Transparency. Retrieved from https://www.psba.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Charter-School-RtK-08172016.pdf

Rocking the Virtual Chinese Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2018, from http://www.mandarininstitute.org/articles/Rocking_the_Virtual_Chinese_Classroom