Greenhaus Education and Other "Effects"

I have been reading lately about several school districts who are mandating that students take some online courses as a requirement for graduation. This article by Michelle R. Davis , Districts Require E-Courses for Graduation ,  talks about a district mandating that students take one online course before they graduate. Another article by Michelle R. Davis , State and District Measures Require Students to Take Virtual Classes , explores some more districts and states who are requiring online learning for graduation.  The reasons vary but include the desire to get students familiar with online learning that they may experience in a college or work situations, or to cut costs, as online learning is seen as a cheaper alternative, or to provide more options for students.  All great reasons. The arguments against mandating online learning also vary. I will just list a few here. Access to computers and Internet is an obvious problem, requiring schools or other locations to ...

I found this very interesting TED talk this morning by Daphne Koller from Stanford University. She speaks about the power of online learning to reach thousands of people who otherwise do not have access to education opportunities, as well as the capabilities of the online learning environment. Coursera is the social entrepreneurship company she helped develop that works with the universities to sponsor the courses she is referencing. Koller gives a great argument for using technology to not only reach more students, but provide personalized curriculum and feedback and expand the creativity and thinking of students via the online environment. Online learning can bring active learning and formative assessment and ignite student creativity and learning rather than just giving them information.  Her approach is that universities should be providing this content free so that anyone can change their lives, expand their minds, and make the world a better place. While listening to her, ...

Just completed my second round of face-to-face workshops with my two cohorts I am doing my blended learning professional development with on Sketchpad and technology integration in mathematics. In my previous postings ( Planning for Hybrid PD , Follow Up Day 1, follow Up Day 2, Online Community Part 1 , Planning for Hybrid PD Part 2 ), I have been documenting this professional development experience, sharing my planning process as well as what has been happening in the face-to-face and online components as these groups move forward.  The ultimate goal by the end of this process is that these teachers have not only learned the software, but more importantly, have learned  to integrate Sketchpad into classroom instruction to help their students learn mathematics in an engaging way that improves student understanding and achievement in mathematics.  This week we met face-to-face after teachers had a month+ online to try some activities on their own to help lea...

In my first posting, Planning for Hybrid PD - Comfort Level and Confidence First  I shared my thoughts on how I planned to start a long-term hybrid Sketchpad professional development that is combining monthly face-to-face meetings with continued online learning and support. My first lesson was as follows: Lesson One: Begin a professional development experience assessing the background skills of participants.Ensure they are given the necessary tools, starting points, and resources to feel comfortable with what they are going to be doing, see the purpose behind what they will be doing, and know where and how they can get continued support. In my first face-to-face meetings, I did my best to follow Lesson One, assessing the needs, providing the necessary tools,etc. You can read more details about that in my reflection posts related to both the first and second face-to-face meetings ( Day 1 and  Day 2 ), as well as the first online unit . I am now planning for our s...

I saw this article, "Idaho to Mandate Online Classes" the other day and am just now getting around to responding to it.  Idaho, apparently, has approved the graduation requirement that all students must take two online classes to graduate from high school. I have to ask - why online?  They say that it is so students can develop skills in that area, which I assume means online learning.  But, I don't know that it requires students taking online classes.  Don't get me wrong - I am a huge advocate of online learning, but not necessarily online classes for all.  Online learning is NOT the same as taking an online class. Online learning can mean many things - looking at videos, finding resources, participating in online communities, listening to podcasts....I could go on and on. I definitely think all students should be exposed to aspects of online learning when appropriate and when it enhances or extends the learning of a particular content or topic.  An o...

Here I go again - reading articles.  This one struck me as it is totally what I am a firm believer in - online learning for adults, which includes online degrees and professional development courses. The article, Technology's Continuing Struggle to Disrupt Higher Education , basically says that online learning has the great potential of providing higher education degrees to more students, but these degrees do not earn the respect they deserve. Because "consumers of higher education use prestige as the signal of higher quality because commonly accepted measures of actual student learning do not exist" online learning is not considered as prestigious or worthy as learning from a 'brick and morter' institution. I completely agree that this IS the stigma that online institutions suffer.  Unfairly so I think.  Hopefully this will change.  Online learning is the wave of the future and, as someone who would not be finishing my doctorate degree from a 'brick and mor...