Preparing for the
Future of Virtual Schooling
By Amy Tvedt
As the demand for choice and flexibility in public educations grows, so does the idea of virtual education. “The (education) system which we have used for more than a hundred years is not going to vanish overnight, or even in a few years. It is more likely that virtual schools will become a small but permanent part of the educational landscape, and that they will gradually become real competitors” (Russell 5). Like any innovation that has come before, virtual education will require a period of time, probably several years, for experimentation. However, Russell also states, “the acceptance of virtual schools is likely to lead to changes in conventional schooling” (2). The purpose of this paper is to challenge traditional classroom teachers to come out of their box and adapt to that possible future with virtual education.
Clarifying Virtual Education
First, it needs to be understood that virtual education is still about educating students and not about the technology used. It has happened that while “planning for virtual education, the temptation is to focus on the technologies and ignore the important educational policy and strategy issues. This practice has led to virtual programs that are technologically exciting but educationally ineffective – bad education at a distance” (Haddad 1). Virtual schools should be viewed as another model of teaching, in which the information can be delivered, but in a more effective way.
Since there are so many different models of virtual education, it can be complicated to see its possible future. Even though all the models require Internet access, each is unique and Russell has classified them into three broad categories; independent, collaborative, and broadcast. His descriptions of each are as follows (2):
Independent – Learning is unscheduled. Students can access and interact with materials whenever they wish. There are no chat or videoconferencing facilities, but e-mail may be used. This model can also be referred to as “asynchronous”, because it does not rely on real-time, direct communication between students and teachers.
Synchronous – There are scheduled on-line meetings with other students, teachers and tutors, which can include live chats and videoconferencing. This requires collaboration, and communication at agreed times. With this method, there are greater opportunities for socialization, but reduced flexibility because 24-hour access is rarely possible.
Broadcast – Students access lectures or broadcasts, usually on the World Wide Web. The opportunity for interaction is often restricted.
Preparation
Teaching a class online is definitely not the same as teaching in the regular classroom. However, a teacher can make the transition successfully if they are motivated, have realistic expectations, but don’t let tradition stand in the way (Vail 2). According to Vail, when searching for educators to teach virtual classes, one should look for those who are good teachers and not those who are the most skillful in technology (3). Bruce Droste adds, “Some superstar teachers do not necessarily adapt well to the online medium. A teaching environment without verbal or physical cues is often a foreign teaching environment,” (Smith 2). Therefore, training is essential for making the transition from the traditional to the virtual school.
There are two time consuming issues when teachers first begin preparing to teach virtual courses. The training mentioned previously is one and the altering of existing materials and information is the other. First, teachers will need to be instructed on how to use the technology involved with the virtual education system. The equipment used may vary from one school to another, but getting acquainted is usually an isolated incident, with short informational sessions when there are additional changes. The second issue is organizing for the actual presentation of the class. Changing the materials that one already has on hand, such as worksheets and handouts, into functional Internet information can take many hours. So can preparing information that would normally be presented in a lecture. Some additional encouraging information to teachers who spend many hours adapting materials for students with disabilities can be found in a report by Smith that states, “those with disabilities report feeling more at ease” in the virtual classroom environment (2). Both of these steps in preparing to teach virtual courses are one-time investments that do not have to be repeated.
Presentation/Interaction
Once you understand the technology used
and have the materials prepared we need to look at how to provide the information. After all, we may never meet the students and
that can be intimidating to even the best educator. Teachers can view this as an opportunity to be
flexible and creative in their instructional methods. One does not need to change their learning
theory, but adjustments will be necessary.
According to Haddad, “The challenge, is to
align learning technologies with sound pedagogy and instructional design and to
try to do with virtual systems of delivery what could not be done with
conventional modes” (2). Depending on
the model of virtual education, teacher-student and student-to-student
interaction can be encouraged by various methods such as email, discussion
boards, telephone, chat rooms, and videoconferencing. Small group assignments, which require students
to collaborate electronically, are another example that promote
student interaction (
Assessment
Virtual
education requires teachers to reconsider the traditional methods of
assessment. Although it is possible to
use conventional assessment methods, depending on the mode of virtual education
being used, it can be difficult if not impossible to supervise students. The following suggestions and rationale about
assessment were mentioned in a report by
Another benefit of virtual schools is that emails and posting provide a written record of each student’s participation, which is a crucial part of virtual education since students cannot be seen or heard. Unlike the traditional classroom where students can sit and vegetate, virtual classrooms require students to participate in order to receive credit for the class.
With the emphasis
of student performance on standardized tests, questions may be raised on
whether students that take part in virtual schools achieve as well as those in
the traditional schools. A guide on
distance education, published by the Engineering Outreach at the
Conclusion
Virtual schools are becoming more and more common all of the time and although they are currently not trying to replace the traditional school, they do offer solutions to many educational problems. Today’s classroom teacher needs to be prepared for what the unknown future of education may hold. “While some virtual schools specifically state on their website that their intention is not to replace conventional schools or teachers, the way that online technology is used is not always under their control” (Russell 4). As an educator myself, I don’t want to think that virtual education is just a phase that will come and go and then find myself being replaced by someone more open-minded.
References
Haddad, Wadi.
(April-June 2002). Virtual Education: Between Virtuality
and Reality. TechKnowLogia, 4 (2). Retrieved December 11 2002,
from http://www.techknowlogia.org
Jackson, Gregg. (October - December
2002). Distance Technology Teaching: A View from the Trenches. TechKnowLogia, 4 (4). Retrieved December 11 2002,
from http://www.techknowlogia.org
Russell, Glenn. (March 2001). Is Virtual
Schooling a Virtual Reality?. From
Now On - The Educational Technology Journal, 10 (6). Retrieved December 14 2002,
from http://www.fno.org/mar01/virtualschool.html
Smith, Burck.
(No Date). High School Goes the Distance. Converge
Magazine. Retrieved December
14 2002, from http://www.convergemag.com
Vail, Kathleen. (September 2002). A New Kind of School. American School Board Journal, , .
(2002) Distance Education: An Overview.
Retrieved Dec.
11, 2002, from University
of Idaho:
http://www.uidaho.edu/eo