online_class


 * Internet Safety**

Last week we talked about assessing credibility of online resources. This week we will talk more about keeping kids safe when using the Internet. While Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, social bookmarking) can be very powerful teaching tools to support collaboration, they can also be potentially dangerous, presenting opportunities for our students to communicate with others inappropriately. There are ways for us, as teachers, to mediate our students interactions and controls that we can put into place within web resources to monitor communication.


 * Please do the following:**
 * **Complete the following reading,**
 * **Watch the slidecast that I have provided**
 * **Explore some of the links**
 * **Respond to the blog prompt found on our class blog**


 * Reading:** [[file:THSum07RulesforSocialWeb-4.pdf]]


 * Slidecast:**

This slidecast was originally created for teachers at a specific school, St. Anne's-Belfield, so you will see this school referred to in the first slide. All of the information applies to any school except for the mention that no websites are blocked at St. Anne's. Federal regulations require that websites are filtered in public schools. St. Anne's is a private school and, therefore, not subject to this regulation. While the degree to which the web is filtered in public schools can vary, some sites will be blocked. Once you start teaching, it is often helpful to ask your technology support professional about the filtering policy at your school.

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 * Links to explore:**

As mentioned in the slidecast, some of these stories are very rare, but are representative of extreme cases that parents and administrators view on news shows. Television may make it appear as if these situations are more prevalent than they actually are, leading parents to fear having their children use the Internet. You should be prepared to explain the safety precautions you are taking in your classroom so that this could not occur, as well as how you are teaching kids to be safe when using the Internet as home or friends' houses.

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 * Blog:**

See Class Blog


 * Virtual Schooling **

The first objective of this session is to find out what Virtual Schooling is. If you were to ask 50 people what Virtual Schools are (assuming they've even heard the term), you would likely get 50 totally different definitions. As you will learn from the two scenarios you will watch, Virtual Schooling can take on very different forms. Not surprisingly, there are no comprehensive descriptions of Virtual Schooling available on the Web. That could either be because the term is used differently by so many people, or because the idea is new enough that people are still trying to define it. My definition of Virtual School is any time a teacher or student uses Internet technologies to deliver/receive instruction over a distance. This could take on many forms:
 * What is it?**


 * Students attending a Virtual School from home (or Panera) through the Web. An example of this is the Florida Virtual School. In this case, the student does not actually attend a brick and mortar school. He has classmates and a teacher, but they never occupy the same physical space for the purposes of learning.
 * Students from a variety of rural locations taking a course not offered at their school from a teacher at another site. This could be done synchronously (everyone at the same time) through teleconferencing, or asynchronously (not at the same time) through e-mail, video and discussion boards.
 * Students in one high school receiving instruction from a teacher at a different site. In most cases, this is done synchronously through teleconferencing and the teacher is teaching a class face-to-face while the distance class watches on the monitor. There are even ways for the distance students to raise their hands and ask questions.
 * Classes at different schools work on one project and communicate back and forth.
 * Students take one course, or all their courses, online either because they are home schooled, they want to get ahead on credits or can't attend school for medical reasons.

While most of you will teach in face-to-face schools, not virtual schools, it is important to understand the situations in which virtual schooling is necessitated and/or appropriate. You may have a student who must use virtual schooling due to health reasons and you should be aware of ways that you can support this. Many schools are also saving money by virtually combining classes at different schools that do not have high registration. An understanding of this topic is important for you even if never teach in a virtual school.
 * Virtual School Scenarios**

Please watch the following videos as an introduction to virtual schooling: video, video

The following scenarios explain a bit more about why certain students may decide to utilize virtual schooling: video, video, video, video, video


 * Now respond to the blog prompt located on the class blog**

Parental involvement is one of the most important factors affecting students' education - This includes not only communication with parents, but providing opportunities to learn and stimulating experiences outside of school. Technology can help to provide structure and guidance to family learning activities.
 * Home-School Connection **

Again, while most of you will not ever teach in a virtual school, it is important for you to understand when and why virtual schooling may be appropriate in particular situations. In addition, we can use the same tools that are used in virtual schools to supplement our face-to-face teaching practice in the following ways:
 * Extend the school day by providing extra practice for students
 * Provide enrichment/extension activities
 * Provide ways for students to collaborate outside of class
 * Communicate with parents
 * Allow for feedback from teacher and other students


 * Respond to blog prompt**