At the elementary school and middle school level, it appears that the most common forms of online laboratories are simulations and at-home labs, as described in earlier blog posts. As I have been searching through various web sites, I have found several applications of virtual laboratories and simulations at the advanced high school level and college level. Here are some examples.
Brigham Young University offers a distance-education degree program that features a simulated chemistry lab known as the Virtual ChemLab, which allows students to conduct chemistry experiments from the safety of their homes, submitting lab reports online. Some college officials feel that the online labs are advanced enough to earn the student college credit. These courses may be suitable for non-science majors, and for science majors to practice on equipment that their university may not have. You can read more about other virtual labs being developed at other universities such as the University of Colorado at Denver, UNC at Greensboro, and University of Texas Medical Branch in the 1/31/03 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education Information Technology at http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21a03001.htm.
Virtual laboratories to teach science and engineering principles have been developed for use at Northwestern University and Oxford University. The courses are designed to allow students to focus on fundamentals of basic science and engineering, allowing students to design, analyze, and test artifacts in a simulated environment. See the project summary at http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/NSF/avl.htm.
Johns Hopkins University offers an introduction to engineering course that uses an interactive virtual laboratory setting. Some of the experiments offered are in logic circuits, diffusion processes, robotic arm control, bridge design, sound propagation and heat conduction. Please read about the experiments at http://www.jhu.edu/virtlab/virtlab.html.
The University of Virginia hosts the UVa Virtual Lab, which was discussed in an earlier blog (see Virtual Science Labs, March 21, 2008). Once you enter the virtual lab, you choose from a floor plan which individual lab you want to enter. I visited the E & M (electricity and magnetism) lab. Here you can investigate such devices as a Van de Graaf generator (and listen to a podcast), a pith ball ping pong, and learn about other topics related to electricity and magnetism. While these programs are interactive, I would not classify them as actual labs, but rather as demonstrations. You can find the link to the UVa Virtual Lab at http://virlab.virginia.edu/VL/home.htm.
The University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center offers three excellent interactive biotechniques labs, were the user can learn and practice basic techniques for use by molecular biologists. The labs are DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, and DNA microarray. The gel electrophoresis technique is used in the high school AP Biology course. This is the best online lab/simulation I have found so far in my research. You can try these out yourself by visiting the link at: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/biotech/index.cfm
Finally, Ohio University hosts the Interactive Science Lab, a virtual lab for middle school students. This lab allows middle school students conduct science experiments online. The experiments include a game with a scoring system to make the students entertained. The two experiments included are the sugar water solubility experiment and the Redi experiment (which disproved the theory of spontaneous generation). Try the labs at http://steam.cs.ohio.edu/interactivescience.html.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
What is the NSTA Position?
What is position of the National Science Teachers Association on distance learning and science education? You can read their position statement at:
http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/distancelearning.aspx
They note that "distance learning" is really nothing new, but the mediums in which distance learning can be accomplished has changed dramatically over the past few years, thanks to the infusion of technology into the schools and scientific institutions. The NSTA defines distance education by adopting the U.S. Department of Education's definition, which is " The application of telecommunications and electronic devices which enables students and learners to receive instruction that originates from some distant location. Typically, the learner is given the capacity to interact with the instructor or program directly and given the opportunity to meet with the instructor on a periodic basis."
This definition perfectly describes the virtual school I have been working with, and has been described in detail in previous postings of this blog.
What then is the position the NSTA has on distance learning in science education? They have 7 criteria, which are listed below. Does this virtual school and specifically its science classes meet these criteria? Look for evidences in italics.
INTERACTION: There must be continuous interaction between the teacher and learners, where the teacher continuously monitors and adjusts the learning environment. This would include feedback from the teacher, dialogue between teacher and learner, and dialogue between learners.
The virtual school teacher has frequent phone calls with each student for course discussions, tutoring, oral assessments, and other needs. The teacher also provides online feedback on every assignment submitted. There are forums where students can interact with one another while the teacher supervises.
FLEXIBILITY: Instructional design is flexible for individual students to accommodate for individual differences in learning.
The virtual school is completely designed with flexibility in mind, both in timing of course work and content of delivery and assessments.
MANIPULATIVE EXPERIENCES: Science education must be hands-on and minds-on, safe, and supervised.
The virtual middle school has students perform labs and activities at home with store-bought materials. Parents are required to supervise. The virtual high school has students perform labs and activities at home with school-supplied materials. Parents are required to supervise.
COMPETENCY: Teachers must be qualified and competent to teach specific subjects and grade levels.
Teachers at the virtual school are certified, many nationally certified, and many hold advanced degrees.
A VARIETY OF APPROPRIATE RESOURCES: Learning resources must be varied and appropriate, supplying learners with many supplemental resources that support distance learning.
The virtual school curriculum provides many links, videos, outside readings, and supplemental experiences for the learner.
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY: Technology should be chosen and used for excellent science education. A combination of technologies is needed for teaching and learning within the class, and linking the class with the outside world.
The virtual school uses the Elluminate! to communicate with the students. Here, the teacher can talk with students, supply modules, assignments, and internet links. The students can upload assignments, and get feedback from the instructor.
EVALUATION: Both programs and student learning must be assessed in an ongoing fashion, to ensure the best possible education in science. Both summative and formative assessments should be used to guide continuous improvement of instruction.
The virtual school allows for instant feedback from the teacher during an online discussion. The students have opportunities to upload computer assignments to the teacher, and have the teacher grade them. The teacher conducts oral quizzes over the phone to insure academic integrity. The teacher uses the information gathered from the students to improve science instruction.
In my opinion, the virtual school meets all of the criteria set forth by the NSTA, and has done so in an exemplary fashion. What I would like to see improvement in for the future is the development of more home and online laboratory experiences, making certain that the science is taught in a hands-on and minds-on way.
http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/distancelearning.aspx
They note that "distance learning" is really nothing new, but the mediums in which distance learning can be accomplished has changed dramatically over the past few years, thanks to the infusion of technology into the schools and scientific institutions. The NSTA defines distance education by adopting the U.S. Department of Education's definition, which is " The application of telecommunications and electronic devices which enables students and learners to receive instruction that originates from some distant location. Typically, the learner is given the capacity to interact with the instructor or program directly and given the opportunity to meet with the instructor on a periodic basis."
This definition perfectly describes the virtual school I have been working with, and has been described in detail in previous postings of this blog.
What then is the position the NSTA has on distance learning in science education? They have 7 criteria, which are listed below. Does this virtual school and specifically its science classes meet these criteria? Look for evidences in italics.
INTERACTION: There must be continuous interaction between the teacher and learners, where the teacher continuously monitors and adjusts the learning environment. This would include feedback from the teacher, dialogue between teacher and learner, and dialogue between learners.
The virtual school teacher has frequent phone calls with each student for course discussions, tutoring, oral assessments, and other needs. The teacher also provides online feedback on every assignment submitted. There are forums where students can interact with one another while the teacher supervises.
FLEXIBILITY: Instructional design is flexible for individual students to accommodate for individual differences in learning.
The virtual school is completely designed with flexibility in mind, both in timing of course work and content of delivery and assessments.
MANIPULATIVE EXPERIENCES: Science education must be hands-on and minds-on, safe, and supervised.
The virtual middle school has students perform labs and activities at home with store-bought materials. Parents are required to supervise. The virtual high school has students perform labs and activities at home with school-supplied materials. Parents are required to supervise.
COMPETENCY: Teachers must be qualified and competent to teach specific subjects and grade levels.
Teachers at the virtual school are certified, many nationally certified, and many hold advanced degrees.
A VARIETY OF APPROPRIATE RESOURCES: Learning resources must be varied and appropriate, supplying learners with many supplemental resources that support distance learning.
The virtual school curriculum provides many links, videos, outside readings, and supplemental experiences for the learner.
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY: Technology should be chosen and used for excellent science education. A combination of technologies is needed for teaching and learning within the class, and linking the class with the outside world.
The virtual school uses the Elluminate! to communicate with the students. Here, the teacher can talk with students, supply modules, assignments, and internet links. The students can upload assignments, and get feedback from the instructor.
EVALUATION: Both programs and student learning must be assessed in an ongoing fashion, to ensure the best possible education in science. Both summative and formative assessments should be used to guide continuous improvement of instruction.
The virtual school allows for instant feedback from the teacher during an online discussion. The students have opportunities to upload computer assignments to the teacher, and have the teacher grade them. The teacher conducts oral quizzes over the phone to insure academic integrity. The teacher uses the information gathered from the students to improve science instruction.
In my opinion, the virtual school meets all of the criteria set forth by the NSTA, and has done so in an exemplary fashion. What I would like to see improvement in for the future is the development of more home and online laboratory experiences, making certain that the science is taught in a hands-on and minds-on way.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Positive Attributes of Virtual Science Laboratories
Virtual science labs are popping up everywhere online. It appears that there are several types of labs. There are interactive sites for elementary and middle school science. A few of these were documented in my earlier blog (see Virtual Science Labs, Friday 3/21/08). In some of these sites, students can move objects around with their mouse, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions (such as the Weight and Mass lab from explorelearning.com). The virtual school I am working with has several of these laboratories.
For example, in the sixth grade science course, students learn about density in a virtual lab. The student has a virtual object of a given shape. The student picks up the object with the mouse and places it on a virtual scale. This gives the student the mass of the object. The student then puts the object in a virtual graduated cylinder filled part way with virtual water. The student finds the volume based on the displacement of water. The student is to calculate density by dividing mass by volume. Next, the student is asked to predict if the object will sink or float in a pail of water. The student will look at density to aid in the prediction (density < 1 =" float;"> 1 = sink). Finally, the student will put the virtual object in a virtual pail of water to test the prediction. Throughout the process, there are also questions the student can answer to receive a self-check, and instant feedback.
Wouldn’t it be better to do this lab with real objects, scales, and graduated cylinders? There are many opinions on this matter. In the article “The Virtual Lab Experiment”, Dan Carnevale discusses the positive attributes of virtual labs. His article is written from the college perspective, but I believe the arguments hold true for high school and middle school science. Here is a summary of some of the positive attributes of virtual labs:
1. Students can conduct experiments from the safety of their homes
2. Dangerous chemicals are not used
3. The student has some flexibility to experiment on their own rather than follow strict and rigid rules
4. Students have time to experiment freely
5. Students can experiment with any combination of items without danger to themselves
6. Real lab supplies and equipment are costly
7. Some schools do not have budget for costly items
8. Virtual labs may be adequate for students who need a science course but are not planning on studying science in college
9. Students may be given more variables in a virtual lab than in a real lab
Article from the January 31, 2003 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education Information Technology (http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21a03001.htm).
Another angle on the virtual lab is to combine a virtual experiment with an experiment conducted at home using inexpensive, store-bought materials. The same sixth grade science course offers labs such as these as well. For example, in a laboratory on mitosis, a student works with a parent or guardian and cuts an onion, stains it, and looks at it up close with a magnifying glass. The student should at least see little dots on the onion, which would be the nuclei of the cells. The student then goes online and gets feedback photos of onions, onion cells, nuclei, and cells undergoing mitosis. There are written comments and picture downloads the student can get from their instructors. The student answers questions online about the onion, phases of mitosis, and other similar information. The teacher in turn provides feedback to the student.
Just a note about these online labs at the middle school level: The virtual school requires that all physical labs are supervised by an adult. Prior to performing a lab, the parent must sign and fax in a lab safety and adult consent form.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Virtual Science Labs
How would students complete science laboratories in a virtual school? The students that attend the virtual school I am studying complete their labs in the way I described earlier in this blog (see How the Science Class Works, Friday 3/14/08). Middle School students do labs at home with their own supplies, under parental supervision. High School students get their lab supplies sent from the school. These labs are all actual labs using real equipment and supplies. What kinds of labs are available that are virtual?
I went online to find some services available to teachers and schools that offer online laboratories. The first website I found was called ExploreLearning, which offers interactive math and science simulations. They offer online science activities for grades 3-5 and 6-8. The link is http://www.explorelearning.com/
For grades 3-5, ExploreLearning offers lessons called "Gizmos" in the areas of Radiation, Weight and Mass, Summer and Winter, Germination, and Ants on a Slant (Inclined Plane). I decided to investigate the Weight and Mass unit. See http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?methold=cResource,dspDetail&ResourceID=653
This website gives more of the details of the activities. Students use a balance to measure mass and a spring scale to measure the weight of objects. The program converts the masses and weights on Earth to the same on Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon, for comparison. The website lists the learning objectives, the vocabulary, and the National Science Education Standards covered by the unit.
Another website I looked at was called the Schlumberger Science Lab, offering experiments and projects to do at home or in the classroom. Some of the virtual experiments offered are: Design Your Own Universe, Galileo Drops the Ball, Friction Explorer, Viscosity Explorer, Doppler Train, Earthquake Epicenters, and Geologic History of the Earth. The website also offers more science lab projects about air and space, earth science, electricity and magnetism, and properties of liquids. The link is http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/lab/index_virtual.htm. It looks like these labs would be suitable for middle school and possibly high school students.
The University of Virginia hosts a virtual lab that appears to offer high-end laboratories for college students. The link is http://virlab.virginia.edu/VL/home.htm
When I navigated through some of this website, I found interesting demos and graphics of DNA, scanning tunneling microscopes, nanotubes, and buckyballs, but did not find a way to enter the actual virtual lab. I will keep investigating this website.
Finally, back to the issue of AP labs and College Board approval. From what I can tell, the College Board has adopted lab criteria to determine if lab experiences in science courses qualify to use the AP designation. The National Research Council published these criteria as goals for laboratory experiences. The criteria are:
1. Understanding the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work
2. Developing scientific reasoning
3. Understanding the nature of science
4. Enhancing a mastery of subject matter
5. Developing practical skills
6. Cultivating interest in science and interest in learning science
7. Developing teamwork abilities
I found these criteria at a website that sells AP labs licenses. The company is called Smart Science, and is can be found at this link: http://www.smartscience.net/SmartScience/SmartScienceAPBioLabs.html
This link is for teaching the AP Biology course, the site also offers labs for chemistry and physics. I am the most familiar with the requirements for AP Bio, as I have taught it in the past. There are 12 required labs that are covered in a year of AP Bio, and these labs may be included on the AP exam. Upon looking at the website, it appears that all 12 of the labs are included. Unfortunately the demo did not give me too much insight into how the laboratory works, nor did the website give pricing for their product.
I have mixed opinions about the feasibility of using virtual labs in science courses. If a student can do the lab physically at home with either home equipment or school-supplied equipment, then the lab would most likely meet the educational goals it was designed for. Would a student be able to achieve the same goals if the lab was done entirely on the internet, and no equipment was touched? I think it would depend on what the goals were. It would be difficult for a student to learn how to replicate difficult lab procedures while watching someone do it online. On the other hand, if the goal was to teach someone how to collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions from that data, I don't see why they couldn't do this in an online setting. What do you think?
I went online to find some services available to teachers and schools that offer online laboratories. The first website I found was called ExploreLearning, which offers interactive math and science simulations. They offer online science activities for grades 3-5 and 6-8. The link is http://www.explorelearning.com/
For grades 3-5, ExploreLearning offers lessons called "Gizmos" in the areas of Radiation, Weight and Mass, Summer and Winter, Germination, and Ants on a Slant (Inclined Plane). I decided to investigate the Weight and Mass unit. See http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?methold=cResource,dspDetail&ResourceID=653
This website gives more of the details of the activities. Students use a balance to measure mass and a spring scale to measure the weight of objects. The program converts the masses and weights on Earth to the same on Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon, for comparison. The website lists the learning objectives, the vocabulary, and the National Science Education Standards covered by the unit.
Another website I looked at was called the Schlumberger Science Lab, offering experiments and projects to do at home or in the classroom. Some of the virtual experiments offered are: Design Your Own Universe, Galileo Drops the Ball, Friction Explorer, Viscosity Explorer, Doppler Train, Earthquake Epicenters, and Geologic History of the Earth. The website also offers more science lab projects about air and space, earth science, electricity and magnetism, and properties of liquids. The link is http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/lab/index_virtual.htm. It looks like these labs would be suitable for middle school and possibly high school students.
The University of Virginia hosts a virtual lab that appears to offer high-end laboratories for college students. The link is http://virlab.virginia.edu/VL/home.htm
When I navigated through some of this website, I found interesting demos and graphics of DNA, scanning tunneling microscopes, nanotubes, and buckyballs, but did not find a way to enter the actual virtual lab. I will keep investigating this website.
Finally, back to the issue of AP labs and College Board approval. From what I can tell, the College Board has adopted lab criteria to determine if lab experiences in science courses qualify to use the AP designation. The National Research Council published these criteria as goals for laboratory experiences. The criteria are:
1. Understanding the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work
2. Developing scientific reasoning
3. Understanding the nature of science
4. Enhancing a mastery of subject matter
5. Developing practical skills
6. Cultivating interest in science and interest in learning science
7. Developing teamwork abilities
I found these criteria at a website that sells AP labs licenses. The company is called Smart Science, and is can be found at this link: http://www.smartscience.net/SmartScience/SmartScienceAPBioLabs.html
This link is for teaching the AP Biology course, the site also offers labs for chemistry and physics. I am the most familiar with the requirements for AP Bio, as I have taught it in the past. There are 12 required labs that are covered in a year of AP Bio, and these labs may be included on the AP exam. Upon looking at the website, it appears that all 12 of the labs are included. Unfortunately the demo did not give me too much insight into how the laboratory works, nor did the website give pricing for their product.
I have mixed opinions about the feasibility of using virtual labs in science courses. If a student can do the lab physically at home with either home equipment or school-supplied equipment, then the lab would most likely meet the educational goals it was designed for. Would a student be able to achieve the same goals if the lab was done entirely on the internet, and no equipment was touched? I think it would depend on what the goals were. It would be difficult for a student to learn how to replicate difficult lab procedures while watching someone do it online. On the other hand, if the goal was to teach someone how to collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions from that data, I don't see why they couldn't do this in an online setting. What do you think?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Virtual School and Science Instruction
The virtual school I am working with is in transition this week, so I thought I would visit their website and find out some general information about the school and specific information about their science programs. The school's main mission is to personalize instruction for all enrolled students, allowing them to be in school at the time and place of their choosing, and at the path and pace that best suits their needs. The student has the choice as to how they learn and how they can show what they have learned. The school aims to be flexible, dynamic, and engaging, and prefers to integrate the students' subjects rather than teach everything in an isolated fashion. The students, parents, teachers, and community all share responsibility in each students' education.
This school is an established leader in virtual schooling, and uses what they call the e-learning model. Here are some links for samples of e-learning services (not necessarily used by this particular virtual school):
http://www.aventalearning.com/index.html
http://www.concord.org/courses/cc_e-learning_model.html
The school offers several paths for science studies. In the middle school, there are 3 courses available, each at the standard and advanced level. The courses are Comprehensive Science 1 (for 6th grade), Comprehensive Science 2 (for 7th grade), and Comprehensive Science 3 (for 8th grace). The students have more options available at the high school level. They can take Biology 1, Chemistry 1, Earth and Space Science, Physics, Marine Science, and Advanced Placement Biology. The school makes a point that their science curriculum is on a redevelopment cycle to respond to state standard changes, and College Board criteria for AP courses (see NY Times article referenced earlier in this blog-http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/education/20online.html?_r=2&ref=science&oref=slogin&oref=slogin). In 2006, the College Board, who oversees all Advanced Placement courses, stated that "Online science courses can only be labeled 'A.P.' if the online provider" can ensure "that students have a guided, hands-on (not virtual) laboratory experience." Later that year, after an outcry by online schools, the board issued an apology, stating that there may be new developments in online learning, possibly meriting endorsements. It looks like this issue is still under debate.
The virtual school also offers a unique opportunity for their science students...a science fair. The school states that they are dedicated to promoting a real life scientific atmosphere in a virtual world, so it offers students the chance to achieve higher learning through competitive science projects. They had 5 categories for science projects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Engineering, Earth Sciences, and Health. 19 students participated in this year's fair. Each student wrote up their entire project, from title, hypothesis, research question, materials, procedure, results, data, conclusion, applications, etc. in a slide format. I was able to look at each students' slide show and was impressed by several of the projects. I felt that the student work was similar in quality and caliber to "live" projects I have viewed at school and county science fairs. I would like to get more information on how the projects were mentored by teachers as well as outside scientists, and how the projects were judged.
As teaching science in a virtual world is still a new notion for me, I have not obtained enough data and information to form an opinion on its' effectiveness yet. I see many pros and cons, and will be discussing these in my next few posts. Please feel free to add any comments, links, questions, or general information to my blog.
This school is an established leader in virtual schooling, and uses what they call the e-learning model. Here are some links for samples of e-learning services (not necessarily used by this particular virtual school):
http://www.aventalearning.com/index.html
http://www.concord.org/courses/cc_e-learning_model.html
The school offers several paths for science studies. In the middle school, there are 3 courses available, each at the standard and advanced level. The courses are Comprehensive Science 1 (for 6th grade), Comprehensive Science 2 (for 7th grade), and Comprehensive Science 3 (for 8th grace). The students have more options available at the high school level. They can take Biology 1, Chemistry 1, Earth and Space Science, Physics, Marine Science, and Advanced Placement Biology. The school makes a point that their science curriculum is on a redevelopment cycle to respond to state standard changes, and College Board criteria for AP courses (see NY Times article referenced earlier in this blog-http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/education/20online.html?_r=2&ref=science&oref=slogin&oref=slogin). In 2006, the College Board, who oversees all Advanced Placement courses, stated that "Online science courses can only be labeled 'A.P.' if the online provider" can ensure "that students have a guided, hands-on (not virtual) laboratory experience." Later that year, after an outcry by online schools, the board issued an apology, stating that there may be new developments in online learning, possibly meriting endorsements. It looks like this issue is still under debate.
The virtual school also offers a unique opportunity for their science students...a science fair. The school states that they are dedicated to promoting a real life scientific atmosphere in a virtual world, so it offers students the chance to achieve higher learning through competitive science projects. They had 5 categories for science projects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Engineering, Earth Sciences, and Health. 19 students participated in this year's fair. Each student wrote up their entire project, from title, hypothesis, research question, materials, procedure, results, data, conclusion, applications, etc. in a slide format. I was able to look at each students' slide show and was impressed by several of the projects. I felt that the student work was similar in quality and caliber to "live" projects I have viewed at school and county science fairs. I would like to get more information on how the projects were mentored by teachers as well as outside scientists, and how the projects were judged.
As teaching science in a virtual world is still a new notion for me, I have not obtained enough data and information to form an opinion on its' effectiveness yet. I see many pros and cons, and will be discussing these in my next few posts. Please feel free to add any comments, links, questions, or general information to my blog.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Virtual Recess
What an interesting experience I had on Friday. I was able to participate in a sixth grade "virtual recess" with my science teacher host and several sixth graders. How can kids have recess in the virtual world? My host teacher and I logged into her Elluminate! virtual office beforehand, and we discussed what the students would do. She had several games form them to play together online, under her supervision. The games were: Hangman, Concentration, Tic Tac Toe, Connect the Dots, and Build a Picture.
There were several reasons for conducting a virtual recess. The teacher felt the students would come to the recess sessions to learn, and to become more familiar and less scared of the Elluminate! program. She also wanted them to have a chance to interact with each other. She is able to control who could use the whiteboard feature, and when they could use it. They were also able to IM each other as the recess continued. If the students wanted to use the microphone feature, they had to ask the teacher to turn it on. In this way, she was able to keep the recess orderly and under control.
As the six students logged in, she welcomed each by name, and introduced them to me, a visiting graduate student. She reminded the students how to use the tools, such as the select button, erase, pen, highlighter, text, shape, and draw line buttons. The first game was Hangman, with Albert Einstein ready to take on the noose. Her theme was March Madness, and covered the words with green tiles. (For the first time, I realized that the game "Wheel of Fortune" was loosely based on the kid's game Hangman!) She invited each student by name to guess a letter. When someone had a guess for the full answer, they could IM it to her. They played another round with Scooby Doo.
The second game was Concentration, with the theme being Great Women in History. Students were invited to select two tiles each and search for matches. The teacher kept score, and announced the winner after all of the matches were found. The third game was Tic Tac Toe. She paired the six students up by twos, assigned one as X and one as O, and had the X's go first. All six students could see what was going on in each game. They switched places, and played a 2nd round. There was one winner and five cat's games.
The next game was Connect the Dots. This went rather slow, as each student connected 2 dots, looked for squares, and initialed the completed squares. After about 10 minutes, she called the game, counted the squares, and declared the winner. The students were then told that Recess was over (she had to grade papers). They did not get to do Build a Picture. The entire Recess session took about an hour to complete. After the students logged out, we had a chance to talk. She told me about the control features and rationale behind the virtual recess (which I outlined earlier in this post). It was a interesting experience for me, and the students as well.
Here are some of my observations. First, the students loved playing with each other online with the virtual recess. I would say that sixth grade is the perfect age for such an activity. Knowing they were playing with real people was exciting for the students. They seemed excited to know a visitor (me) was observing as well. They liked IM-ing each other, and used the standard abbreviations (LOL, etc.). They also liked using the pen tool, as I observed during Tic Tac Toe and Connect the Dots (they refrained from scribbling too much). The games went a little slow, but the students seemed to stay engaged. The teacher had a good feel for when the students became bored with a game, and moved on to the next game in a timely fashion. Overall, the virtual recess seemed to be a pleasant experience for the students.
I would recommend that the virtual school look for some other educational interactive online games the students could play during virtual recess. I found a few websites that offer such games:
http://www.funbrain.com/
http://funschool.kaboose.com/
http://www.lethsd.ab.ca/mmh/games/top100.htm
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/games/Games_Online_Educational_Games.htm
http://www.primarygames.com/
http://www.gamequarium.com/
http://www.theproblemsite.com/games.asp
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/
Please feel free to add other links as well.
There were several reasons for conducting a virtual recess. The teacher felt the students would come to the recess sessions to learn, and to become more familiar and less scared of the Elluminate! program. She also wanted them to have a chance to interact with each other. She is able to control who could use the whiteboard feature, and when they could use it. They were also able to IM each other as the recess continued. If the students wanted to use the microphone feature, they had to ask the teacher to turn it on. In this way, she was able to keep the recess orderly and under control.
As the six students logged in, she welcomed each by name, and introduced them to me, a visiting graduate student. She reminded the students how to use the tools, such as the select button, erase, pen, highlighter, text, shape, and draw line buttons. The first game was Hangman, with Albert Einstein ready to take on the noose. Her theme was March Madness, and covered the words with green tiles. (For the first time, I realized that the game "Wheel of Fortune" was loosely based on the kid's game Hangman!) She invited each student by name to guess a letter. When someone had a guess for the full answer, they could IM it to her. They played another round with Scooby Doo.
The second game was Concentration, with the theme being Great Women in History. Students were invited to select two tiles each and search for matches. The teacher kept score, and announced the winner after all of the matches were found. The third game was Tic Tac Toe. She paired the six students up by twos, assigned one as X and one as O, and had the X's go first. All six students could see what was going on in each game. They switched places, and played a 2nd round. There was one winner and five cat's games.
The next game was Connect the Dots. This went rather slow, as each student connected 2 dots, looked for squares, and initialed the completed squares. After about 10 minutes, she called the game, counted the squares, and declared the winner. The students were then told that Recess was over (she had to grade papers). They did not get to do Build a Picture. The entire Recess session took about an hour to complete. After the students logged out, we had a chance to talk. She told me about the control features and rationale behind the virtual recess (which I outlined earlier in this post). It was a interesting experience for me, and the students as well.
Here are some of my observations. First, the students loved playing with each other online with the virtual recess. I would say that sixth grade is the perfect age for such an activity. Knowing they were playing with real people was exciting for the students. They seemed excited to know a visitor (me) was observing as well. They liked IM-ing each other, and used the standard abbreviations (LOL, etc.). They also liked using the pen tool, as I observed during Tic Tac Toe and Connect the Dots (they refrained from scribbling too much). The games went a little slow, but the students seemed to stay engaged. The teacher had a good feel for when the students became bored with a game, and moved on to the next game in a timely fashion. Overall, the virtual recess seemed to be a pleasant experience for the students.
I would recommend that the virtual school look for some other educational interactive online games the students could play during virtual recess. I found a few websites that offer such games:
http://www.funbrain.com/
http://funschool.kaboose.com/
http://www.lethsd.ab.ca/mmh/games/top100.htm
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/games/Games_Online_Educational_Games.htm
http://www.primarygames.com/
http://www.gamequarium.com/
http://www.theproblemsite.com/games.asp
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/
Please feel free to add other links as well.
Friday, March 14, 2008
How the Science Class Works
There are many features available on the science teacher's virtual office. The first thing I noticed on the web site was an area called "course information". It included the following items: Teacher Contact; Education Orientation; Teaching; Getting Started; Pace; Contact-Drop Policy; Standards; Materials List; Student Resources; Integrity; Calendar; Modify Contact; Task Sheet; Surveys; New Surveys. My host teacher explained each of these features to me.
The science course is divided into modules similar to a textbook. There is an agenda for the student that includes an assignment sheet, points for each assignment, and time to complete each assignment. There is a course navigation section that includes the "extreme agenda", which provides the student with the background information in science on that module; there is an upload section that includes content, resources, and assignments. If a student is in an advanced course, there are additional assignments to complete.
Teachers have several ways to supply feedback to students. They can make phone calls, emails, and IM their students for discussions. The student and teacher participate in Elluminate! sessions, whiteboard sessions, and chat groups. When a student submits an assignment, the teacher tries to have it graded and returned within 48 hours (my teacher reported she had 54 assignments to grade at the present time!) The teacher makes monthly calls to the parents, and can submit progress reports. Each student is asked to complete two oral exams each semester that covers the content of the completed modules.
Some comments about the science course. The state has recently updated the science standards, so my host teacher is participating in the realignment process. She is also involved in several new course developments along with a team of teachers.
Do the students and teachers ever get to meet each other? The teacher said that occasionally Barnes and Noble book stores host an open house for virtual school students that live in an area of the state. They also may participate in group field trips to science-related attractions, museums, or centers. These activities are often difficult to coordinate.
I wondered how a student would complete a science lab with an online course. The middle school science students complete labs at home. Each student has to fax in a completed lab contract to the teacher stating the student and parents agree to adhere to lab rules. The student and parents have to supply their own materials. At the high school level, the school will mail the materials to the student for more complicated labs, such as a chemistry lab. The student has to reserve and request the materials. The school will mail the materials to the student's home. The student will complete the lab, submit the lab report to the teacher, and mail the materials back to the school.
These labs are done physically by students. I wonder how a virtual science laboratory would work? The New York Times ran an article posing this very question (please see http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/education/20online.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin). I have used virtual dissections on a computer CD of invertebrates, frogs, and pigs in my own classroom. My students love the simulation. I couple the virtual dissection with the dissection of a real specimen. Over the next several weeks, this is one of the areas of the virtual school I plan on investigating. Can a virtual laboratory really replace the classroom laboratory? How would you navigate AP labs? I asked my host science teacher this question, and she is going to ask the virtual school AP science teachers, and get back with me on it. Look for future blog posts from me on this interesting topic.
The science course is divided into modules similar to a textbook. There is an agenda for the student that includes an assignment sheet, points for each assignment, and time to complete each assignment. There is a course navigation section that includes the "extreme agenda", which provides the student with the background information in science on that module; there is an upload section that includes content, resources, and assignments. If a student is in an advanced course, there are additional assignments to complete.
Teachers have several ways to supply feedback to students. They can make phone calls, emails, and IM their students for discussions. The student and teacher participate in Elluminate! sessions, whiteboard sessions, and chat groups. When a student submits an assignment, the teacher tries to have it graded and returned within 48 hours (my teacher reported she had 54 assignments to grade at the present time!) The teacher makes monthly calls to the parents, and can submit progress reports. Each student is asked to complete two oral exams each semester that covers the content of the completed modules.
Some comments about the science course. The state has recently updated the science standards, so my host teacher is participating in the realignment process. She is also involved in several new course developments along with a team of teachers.
Do the students and teachers ever get to meet each other? The teacher said that occasionally Barnes and Noble book stores host an open house for virtual school students that live in an area of the state. They also may participate in group field trips to science-related attractions, museums, or centers. These activities are often difficult to coordinate.
I wondered how a student would complete a science lab with an online course. The middle school science students complete labs at home. Each student has to fax in a completed lab contract to the teacher stating the student and parents agree to adhere to lab rules. The student and parents have to supply their own materials. At the high school level, the school will mail the materials to the student for more complicated labs, such as a chemistry lab. The student has to reserve and request the materials. The school will mail the materials to the student's home. The student will complete the lab, submit the lab report to the teacher, and mail the materials back to the school.
These labs are done physically by students. I wonder how a virtual science laboratory would work? The New York Times ran an article posing this very question (please see http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/education/20online.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin). I have used virtual dissections on a computer CD of invertebrates, frogs, and pigs in my own classroom. My students love the simulation. I couple the virtual dissection with the dissection of a real specimen. Over the next several weeks, this is one of the areas of the virtual school I plan on investigating. Can a virtual laboratory really replace the classroom laboratory? How would you navigate AP labs? I asked my host science teacher this question, and she is going to ask the virtual school AP science teachers, and get back with me on it. Look for future blog posts from me on this interesting topic.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Virtual Office & Laws Regarding Online Learning
I was able to meet with the sixth grade science teacher online in her virtual office and discuss some specifics regarding her virtual school. I was interested in how the curriculum was designed and in the demographics of the school.
The curriculum was designed by an outside company. This company utilized the services of curriculum resource persons, teaching teams, subject specialists, and web designers to create and publish online the school curriculum. All courses, lessons, and assessments were designed by this group. The curriculum is aligned to the state standards. The school also has a global services division who has franchised and marketed their curriculum to other states.
Each teacher has a goal of completing 130 credits in a school year. One student who completes two semesters of sixth grade science would account for one credit. The science teacher said she began with about 200 students for the 07-08 school year. The school stagger-started the students. Many students began their work in May of 07; more entered in October and November. The pacing for the course varies from student to student, but most students try to complete a course according to the traditional pace of 32 weeks for a year course (16 weeks per semester). An accelerated pace would complete the course in 16 weeks. Students are allowed 2 weeks of vacation time per semester. Some students are allowed extended time to complete a course. These students require special permission from the school. The pacing would be designed collectively by school counsellors, teachers, parents, and students, and work off a individualized pace chart.
While the science teacher began the school year with about 200 students, a percentage of students have dropped the course for various reasons. Once a student begins a course, they have a 28 day grace period to drop the course. If a student wishes to drop a course after the 28 days, they would receive a Complete Fail if they have completed over 50% of the coursework, and a Withdraw Fail if they have completed less than 50% of the course. Reasons for dropping a course vary from student to student, but may include moving out of state, enrollment in a public or private school, illness, personal reasons, etc.
Many of the virtual school students are home-schooled, who require online support from qualified teachers as they complete the work required of a middle school and high school curriculum. Some students are completing their MS/HS coursework online because of other circumstances, such as travel, participation in competitive sports, illness, or other personal reasons. Some students have dropped out or been expelled from traditional schools, but desire to graduate from a high school. Whatever the reason, the virtual school provides excellent opportunity for any and every student to be successful at the MS/HS level, provided the student is willing to do the work.
I visted the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) at www.nacol.org to investigate other virtual schools. Click on a state to find out about the virtual schools in each state. I went to Georgia, and found some interesting information. Georgia currently has no state laws on the books regarding virtual schools. The state lists 5 virtual schools. Three are private schools, one is affiliated with a university; two are public schools.
Today I read about a ruling in California from late February that basically banned all forms of homeschooling in the state. This includes homeschooling that is coordinated through a public school district, homeschooling that is combined with online schooling, or homeschooling that is administered in a way that does not include full-time face-to-face instruction from a certified teacher. This ruling potentially may have an impact on virtual schools, and should be watched closely. Find the information at the following links:
http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22205
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B192878.PDF
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL
The Governor of California and homeschooling advocates are challenging this ruling.
The curriculum was designed by an outside company. This company utilized the services of curriculum resource persons, teaching teams, subject specialists, and web designers to create and publish online the school curriculum. All courses, lessons, and assessments were designed by this group. The curriculum is aligned to the state standards. The school also has a global services division who has franchised and marketed their curriculum to other states.
Each teacher has a goal of completing 130 credits in a school year. One student who completes two semesters of sixth grade science would account for one credit. The science teacher said she began with about 200 students for the 07-08 school year. The school stagger-started the students. Many students began their work in May of 07; more entered in October and November. The pacing for the course varies from student to student, but most students try to complete a course according to the traditional pace of 32 weeks for a year course (16 weeks per semester). An accelerated pace would complete the course in 16 weeks. Students are allowed 2 weeks of vacation time per semester. Some students are allowed extended time to complete a course. These students require special permission from the school. The pacing would be designed collectively by school counsellors, teachers, parents, and students, and work off a individualized pace chart.
While the science teacher began the school year with about 200 students, a percentage of students have dropped the course for various reasons. Once a student begins a course, they have a 28 day grace period to drop the course. If a student wishes to drop a course after the 28 days, they would receive a Complete Fail if they have completed over 50% of the coursework, and a Withdraw Fail if they have completed less than 50% of the course. Reasons for dropping a course vary from student to student, but may include moving out of state, enrollment in a public or private school, illness, personal reasons, etc.
Many of the virtual school students are home-schooled, who require online support from qualified teachers as they complete the work required of a middle school and high school curriculum. Some students are completing their MS/HS coursework online because of other circumstances, such as travel, participation in competitive sports, illness, or other personal reasons. Some students have dropped out or been expelled from traditional schools, but desire to graduate from a high school. Whatever the reason, the virtual school provides excellent opportunity for any and every student to be successful at the MS/HS level, provided the student is willing to do the work.
I visted the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) at www.nacol.org to investigate other virtual schools. Click on a state to find out about the virtual schools in each state. I went to Georgia, and found some interesting information. Georgia currently has no state laws on the books regarding virtual schools. The state lists 5 virtual schools. Three are private schools, one is affiliated with a university; two are public schools.
Today I read about a ruling in California from late February that basically banned all forms of homeschooling in the state. This includes homeschooling that is coordinated through a public school district, homeschooling that is combined with online schooling, or homeschooling that is administered in a way that does not include full-time face-to-face instruction from a certified teacher. This ruling potentially may have an impact on virtual schools, and should be watched closely. Find the information at the following links:
http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22205
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B192878.PDF
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL
The Governor of California and homeschooling advocates are challenging this ruling.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A Virtual School
I have the chance to participate in the Virtual School Observations for an education graduate class along with seven of my classmates. This course is taught by one of the university professors and is an online course. Our task will be to observe a virtual school for the next six weeks, and blog about what we see and learn, as well as write a scholarly paper about our experiences.
Last night, we had our kick-off session on hosted on Elluminate! We learned about a virtual school from the director of the school. We also heard from some of the associates and teachers of the school, and our professors from our university. Also in attendance were five undergraduate students from the university.
Many issues regarding the virtual school were discussed. First were the underlying principles and beliefs of the school. The school believes that the student is the driving force behind every decision made by the school. Student confidentiality was discussed; after we receive clearance by school, we will be given access to student information.
Last year, the virtual school had over 700,000 students state-wide. The school is in its tenth year, and serves the sixth through twelfth grades. It is a public institution. The school has about 425 full-time instructors, and over 100 adjunct teachers.
Each student from our class was introduced to one of the virtual school's teachers to serve as our host. I will be working with Ms. Science, a sixth grade science teacher. I teach sixth grade science, as well as third, fourth, and fifth grade science.
Each time I post in the blog, I will add more information I have gathered from the virtual school, from the research on virtual schools, and questions to consider.
Last night, we had our kick-off session on hosted on Elluminate! We learned about a virtual school from the director of the school. We also heard from some of the associates and teachers of the school, and our professors from our university. Also in attendance were five undergraduate students from the university.
Many issues regarding the virtual school were discussed. First were the underlying principles and beliefs of the school. The school believes that the student is the driving force behind every decision made by the school. Student confidentiality was discussed; after we receive clearance by school, we will be given access to student information.
Last year, the virtual school had over 700,000 students state-wide. The school is in its tenth year, and serves the sixth through twelfth grades. It is a public institution. The school has about 425 full-time instructors, and over 100 adjunct teachers.
Each student from our class was introduced to one of the virtual school's teachers to serve as our host. I will be working with Ms. Science, a sixth grade science teacher. I teach sixth grade science, as well as third, fourth, and fifth grade science.
Each time I post in the blog, I will add more information I have gathered from the virtual school, from the research on virtual schools, and questions to consider.
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