Emerging Technologies presentation for TEC-511

1. Emerging Educational
Technologies
Virtual Schooling
Grand Canyon University: TEC-511-
Technical Foundations in Education
Elizabeth Hall
04/21/2011

2. Virtual Schooling- Brief History
• Schools today are descendants of
correspondence schools.
• These schools provide an alternative to a
traditional brick and mortar school setting.
• The first state-wide internet based public high
school was established in Florida in 1997.
• According to the US Department of Education at
least half of the states have a virtual learning
system in place today.

3. Virtual Schooling- What is it?
(2005) Wood The Virtual Classroom Redefines Education

4. Lessons and Activities in Virtual
Schooling
• Students can meet individually, in small
groups, or in large groups for interaction with
teachers via internet ‘classrooms’ to provide
structured learning
• Most activities and lessons found in traditional
brick and mortar can be re-created in a virtual
setting

5. Two ‘Real Case’ examples of lessons
and associated activities completed in a
virtual setting
• Digital Video Production
– Introduction into movie making
techniques, filming and editing
• Audio Engineering
– Introduction into the physics of sound and
learning how to master sound editing.

6. Lesson One: Digital Video Production
• Objective: To learn the importance of creating
Pre-Production documents prior to creating a
movie.
• Activities: Click on this link to review office hours
– Students will utilize the online course materials to
define the scope of their 15 – 30 second movie &
create four pre-production documents .
– Students will make sure to utilize only their work or will
cite resources for sound Fx, pictures, or special Fx used
in the production of their documents and/or movie.
– Students will meet in small groups to evaluate &
discuss

7. Lesson One: Digital Video Production
NETS Standards for Students
• Standards met through lessons and
activities
– NETS Standard #1- Creativity and Innovation
– NETS Standard #3- Research and Information
Fluency
– NETS Standard #4-Critical Thinking, Problem-
Solving and Decision-Making
– NETS Standard #5-Digital Citizenship

8. Lesson Two: Audio Engineering
• Objective: To learn how to create echo effects in sound
files using software called Audacity
• Activities: Click Here to Listen to recorded office hours
– Students will follow the step by step instructions
located in the online section documents to create a
track with an echo effect applied to it.
• Students will download required sound file from course
document share area.
• Students will follow instructions to save in correct format
and upload to dropbox.

9. Lesson Two: Audio Engineering
NETS Standards for Students
• Standards met through lessons and
activities
– NETS Standard #1- Creativity and Innovation
– NETS Standard #2-Communication and
Collaboration
– NETS Standard #4-Critical Thinking, Problem-
Solving and Decision-Making

10. Feasibility of implementing Virtual
schooling
• Virtual schooling is being implemented
nationwide currently and will continue to grow
in the coming years due to:
– District budget restraints
– Families demand for more flexibility in schooling
– As ‘Digital Natives’ (Prensky, 2001) begin to raise
their children they will come to expect this type of
schooling.

11. Benefits of implementing Virtual
schooling
• Held to same high standards as regular brick & mortar
• Certified teachers are instructors
• Similar types of experiences can be recreated virtually
– (Online clubs, Online Science Fairs, Film Festivals)
• Economics
– Less hard costs in the school operations vs.
traditional public school
• Empowers students & families in their education
• Flexibility in schooling –
– Students can school anywhere there is internet service
(School is available 24-7)
•

12. Challenges of implementing Virtual
schooling
• Social Interactions
– Many virtual schools hold outings but not as
much socialization for students
• Student engagement
– If a student does not engage early they can get lost
very easily
• Much higher student ratios for teachers (up to
200+ students)
• Hard to stay on the leading edge of technology

13. Opportunities of implementing Virtual
schooling
• US Department of Education created the
National Education Technology Plan in 2010
• NETP presents a model of learning that uses
technology at its core
– Five models of learning cited that ‘engage and empower
learning experiences for all learners’ Office of Educational
Technology, U.S. Department of Education (2010)
– Requires that we put ‘students at the center and empower
them to take control of their own learning by providing
flexibility on several dimensions’ Office of Educational
Technology, U.S. Department of Education (2010)

14. References
Prensky, M. (2001, October). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon,
Retrieved April 18, 2011 from http://www/edutopia.org/student-centric-
education-technology#comment-56270
Wood, C (2005, March). The Virtual Classroom Redefines Education, Retrieved
April 18, 2011 from http://www.edutopia.org/online-learning-overview-video
Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education (2010, March).
Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, Retrieved
April 18, 2011 from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-exec-
summary.pdf
Following websites used as a resource and information was retrieved on April
20, 2011:
www.wikepedia.com
www.ehow.com/facts_6141158_virtual-school_.html
http://three-fires.com/04/what-is-a-virtual-school
http://www.vlacs.org/index.php/history-of-virtual-schools