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Virtual reality: Online courses bring local schools into new era of instruction By Katy Moore, Staff Writer
Tell-tale white cords trail from the ears of teenagers bent over their homework as they listen to iPods.
Students settle behind laptop computers in the middle of math class.
Next fall, a few students won't even attend every class in their schedule.
In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, technology department leaders say their district is at the beginning of a new wave of thinking about technology and education using iPods for learning, curriculum that includes the use of laptop computers and even virtual classrooms for some subjects.
Chief technology officer Andy Berning says the new V-Campus or Virtual Campus program is intended to provide flexibility in learning opportunities and more chances for students to add electives, foreign language study and extracurricular activities to their schedules or to take classes that the district isn't staffed to offer.
Students already are participating in online classes and learning Japanese, American Sign Language and even advanced statistics. Next year, Berning says, that technology door will swing open and it just may turn out that "the sky's the limit," though, for now, those students seeking instruction in subjects not normally covered by district curriculum are working with their guidance counselors to determine the best courses for them.
"I think online course work used to be just as easier way to do it,"
Berning said. "What we're finding is that it's even more work now, sometimes even harder than traditional."
Other items on the district's technology agenda are growing its iPod project and hybrid virtual class models.
Mornings in Richard Lewis's Algebra I class at R.L. Turner High School are spent with students bent over their laptop computers and following along with the lesson being presented on the screen in front of them.
They use sheets of scratch paper to work their problems and complete a chunk of the work on the computer.
By the end of the class period, Lewis has the percentile of math problems his students work correctly and has an idea of how well they understand the material.
Lewis's class is not an all online class. The class model uses laptop computers for students to work on, and students access the content over the Internet. However, they also are in a classroom with an instructor if they need additional help.
Lewis said he already sees positive results from students who previously struggled.
"(Online classes) are not a one size fits all thing," Lewis said. "But it's definitely engaging…I am seeing some successes with students."
Lewis said that several of his students are in credit recovery classes because they failed Algebra I in the fall and are retaking it using a new online program the district piloted recently.
Some students who struggled last semester are now doing well with the material, evidence that this mode of teaching works better for some students.
Berning notes that the program allows students to pace themselves.
They do have a semester schedule they must stick with in, but if they want to work ahead, they are able to do so.
One student enrolled in the Algebra I hybrid class said being able to work at his own pace keeps him engaged in the material.
"You can move at your own pase," 15-year-old freshman Cameron Burwell said. "I'm usually ahead of the class, so I like to work ahead. You can also do the work at home on your own."
Berning said students will eventually have to take online classes in college or use technology for continuing education in the business world.
He says the district's technology initiative allows students to get a grasp on the technology before they enter the real world. He said students already are technology savvy, and this program encourages that development.
"Online learning is a twenty-first century educational skill," he said. "Most students will be required to do some college work online.
Most people will take some kind of online continuing education in the workplace at some point. We're teaching twenty-first century skills, as well as trying to give these students some flexible learning opportunities."
Berry Dodson, the virtual campus principal, said he sees an opportunity for students on smaller campuses to receive more instruction and take classes they are interested in.
At Ranchview High School, the district doesn't have the staff or the students to make it efficient to add more AP classes, though a small number of students want to take them. Dodson said V-Campus allows more students to get quality instruction in AP classes and saves the district money.
"Two students at Newman Smith High School are enrolled in Multivarient calculus through Stanford University," Dodson said. "We're able to provide advanced online content to students, and they don't have to travel to Stanford. Our parents and students want more offerings, so we're working to expand that for next year."
Through the district's iPod project, teachers also can load lectures, video lessons and notes on the district's stock on iPod MP3 players so that students can hear lessons as often as they need to complete work outside of class or even to work ahead.
Berning said the only drawback so far is that online classes tend to have a higher dropout rate as students decide the program doesn't work for them and switch into more traditional classes. Berning said most of the feedback the district has seen on the project thus far indicates that students are learning, though there isn't much hard data yet.
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD isn't the only district in the area trying to integrate technology. Plano ISD piloted a similar online campus program, allowing students to pursue classes online, in 2001.
Jean Parmer, who coordinates the online program for Plano ISD, said that the program started with just a dozen teachers. Now, almost 90 teachers are involved and more than 7,000 students have received credit through the program.
"We believe firmly that the central experience is on campus," Parmer said. "What we want to do is to supplement that and give them opportunities to prepare for college and business world."
Carrollton-Farmers Branch district officials echoed that sentiment, saying that the online program will never replace traditional classroom teaching.
"We're trying to blend digital tools with high-quality education,"
Berning said. "That's the balance that we're struggling to find n integrating digital tools while maintaining rigor and quality."
Contact staff writer Katy Moore at 972-628-4087 or at kmoore@acnpapers.com.
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