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MIRS,
December 5, 2008
Lorri Macdonald leads 40 students in two introductory forensic
science classes. As with any high school course, her students
participate in class discussions, complete lessons and do
homework.
But MacDonald's students won't get into trouble for talking,
chewing gum or coming to class in pajamas. Their work is done in
a virtual classroom.
Students from Detour to Grand Rapids meet online at the Michigan
Virtual School to follow lessons and complete assignments,
interacting with their classmates and instructors through e-mail
and online discussion rooms.
MacDonald started teaching online three years ago, and was just
named Michigan Virtual School's teacher of the year. Although
she has more than 20 years of experience in traditional
classrooms, MacDonald said she enjoys online classes because
they allow students instant access to photos, information and
other material during lessons.
"My favorite thing about online teaching is that you can really
have a 'show-and-tell' experience with students," said
MacDonald, who is also an assistant professor in science
education and educational research methods at the University of
Detroit Mercy. "In a normal classroom, you have to stop what
you're doing to find a photo, or flip to a page in a book.
Online, students already have access to that information through
links or photos or video that's already embedded in the lesson."
Michigan has gained national attention as the first state to
make online learning a requirement for high school graduation,
and was recently recognized for growth in online learning by the
California-based Center for Digital Education, a national
research and advisory group for K-12 and higher education
technology.
Programs like the Michigan Virtual School, Michigan LearnPort
and the graduation requirement helped the state rise in online
rankings, second only to Florida, said center Director Marina
LEIGHT of Folsom, California.
"Michigan has provided significant leadership for the rest of
the nation in online learning and is looked to as a pioneer in
the field," she said.
The rankings reflect the growth of the Michigan Virtual School,
a state-founded nonprofit corporation, which provides more than
45,000 online courses to 500 schools in the state, according to
Jamey FITZPATRICK, the school's chief executive officer. Most
high schools pay for their students to take online classes,
which count for credit like traditional ones, he said.
"What's encouraging is that we can offer classes students
wouldn't normally have access to," Fitzpatrick said. "For
example, if someone wanted to take Mandarin Chinese, we could
set them up with an online program connecting them with an
instructor from the Confucius Institute at Michigan State
University."
Approximately one million students are enrolled in online
classes nationally, according to Fitzpatrick, who said he hopes
to make online learning as prevalent as classroom learning.
"We want students to encounter a world that embraces
technology," he said. "Whether pupils can't attend school due to
schedule conflicts, health reasons or their district doesn't
offer summer classes, online courses give people a chance to
learn new skill sets in a different environment."
Although online education continues to expand, Michigan
Education Association (MEA) President Iris SALTERS said it's
often difficult for public schools to keep up with the latest
technological innovations.
"It's often difficult financially for schools to keep up with
technology," she said. "For example, districts built complex
wiring systems for their school computers, and then we changed
to wireless Internet. It wasn't that the money was wasted, it's
just that they thought they were preparing for a different
future."
Though critics of online learning argue that it isn't as
personal as face-to-face instruction, both McDonald and
Fitzpatrick said teachers can tailor instruction to their
students, even if it's done virtually.
"Some students simply want to have their homework graded and be
on their way, but others prefer individual attention," MacDonald
said. "Really, it's the same as a regular classroom. I still
keep in touch with many of my former students via e-mail."
Fitzpatrick said teachers can easily develop individualized
relationship with students in an online setting.
"It's important to have face-to-face learning, but you can get a
lot from an online course," he said. "So much information can be
sent through the Internet that students and teachers can develop
a very personal relationship, even if they're hundreds of miles
apart."
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