Virtual education

Virtual Education:Online or in the Classroom

W200 Final ProjectChelsea Chalfin

MenuPlease click on the following boxes one at a time to review the three articles related to virtual education. Each article has been summarized and reflected by myself on several

slides. After taking a look at each one, please click here to read my conclusion.

Hopes and Challenges of Virtual Education: 5 Questions with Julie Young

• In 1995, the idea of online learning was just beginning to be researched. One woman named Julie Young joined a team at this time to investigate how online learning could benefit children of rural and high-minority districts. Today, Young works as President and CEO of one of the first virtual schools known as Florida Virtual School, or FLVS.

Wanchek, N. (2010). Hopes and challenges of virtual education: 5 questions with Julie Young. the Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com.


• FLVS works as a K-12 grade school that offers both in-class lectures and online lectures. This allows students to attend school for the classes they enjoy and take classes they are not particularly interested in online. In fact, there are locations, such as libraries and computer rooms in various buildings set-up around the community to help students without access to computers and to ensure students are taking the online courses seriously.

• Also, online courses typically gave for more one-on-one interaction and communication among teachers, students, and even parents than in traditional classroom courses. Julie Young



• Just like at IUPUI, virtual courses are offered along with traditional courses held in classrooms. However, there were several items in this article that surprised and amazed me.– Virtual classes provide better communication outlets among students

and teachers via email, phone, meetings, etc. (Just like in our class!)– Virtual classes are offered to students that may not be the most

interesting courses, so it is great that students can take them online and enjoy traditional lectures in classes they do like.

– Computer labs are set-up around the community near FLVS to help students who do not typically have access to those, which is great because they too can then take the online courses.

• “[A]s leaders in education, we need to create educational experiences that mirror life beyond the schoolhouse.“ – Julie Young


Meeting the Needs of Special Needs Students Virtually

• As virtual classrooms have become more popular for children and schools across the country, virtual classrooms and conferences have become more popular among students who require special needs.

• One student from Washington is a selective mute. In this area, there are no specialists and there had been no case like her in previous years, so teachers, the parents, and administrators did not know what to do. But, through virtual conferencing, the administrators, teachers, and parents were comforted to find that they could create an IEP (individualized education plan) for her.Harrison, D. (2010). Meeting the needs of special needs students

virtually. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com.


• Like the selective mute student from Washington, many students not receiving proper diagnoses in certain areas can also benefit from virtual conferencing because then professionals in other areas would be able to help the students from afar. Also, virtual classrooms and conferences could benefit students expelled get back on the right track, students severely ill, students who are physically unable to attend, etc.

Harrison, D. (2010). Meeting the needs of special needs students virtually. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com.


• I had previously not known that virtual classrooms and conferencing could be so beneficial to special needs students.– It is interesting that even expelled students can benefit from virtual

courses because they can prove they want to continue schooling by being attentive in virtual classes.

– It is also interesting that students needing to be diagnosed can be diagnosed by therapists even from thousands of miles away, so that they still receive the best education.

– I always thought of virtual classrooms as disconnecting peer interaction, so I am glad to see that it encourages peer interaction when webcams and voice recorders are often used.

• “Technology today is allowing students with special needs to receive specialized learning programs while retaining key peer interaction.”Harrison, D. (2010). Meeting the needs of special needs students virtually.

Retrieved from http://thejournal.com.

Virtualization: Trial and Error

• Three years ago, virtualization software was a rare topic in the world of electronics. Since then, though, many schools including Rockdale County Public Schools of Georgia have begun to incorporate this into their school system. The main reason for doing so: to cut school costs and move towards the future in computing.

McCrea, B. (2010). Virtualization: trial and error. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com.

Virtualization: Trial and Error

• In many schools, a common problem in the computer labs is computer crashes. In fact, computers crash so often that virtualization software has really taken off. Virtualization software provides more information to be on one computer or laptop based on the fact that it is virtual and does not need to take up as much space as before. Though this is a new topic in the world of technology, it is a huge part of what the future of technology will be like not only in school systems, but anywhere.


Virtualization: Trial and Error• I was surprised by this article for three reasons:

– I did not realize that there was virtualization software that can help save items on computers without using much of the actual computer’s space.

– I also did not realize that this would be cost effective because most new technology items can be quite costly.

– Lastly, I did not realize that virtualization software existed let alone that it was a common technological item now, being offered by Microsoft and all

• “After researching its options, the district decided to test out a concept that was just coming into its own in educational circles at the time: server virtualization. Using specialized software, this technique allows for more than one server to operate on the same piece of hardware at one time.”


Conclusion

• As we move towards a more technologically savvy world, we must keep virtual education in mind. Virtual classes, conferences, and software are a thing of the now present and the future. Virtualization helps provide information to students, teachers, parents, and administrators near and far, so it is definitely a technology triumph that will not be going away anytime soon.

Virtual education

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