11
What is your district’s posiƟon on ‘online’ classes?
Alabama, Florida, Michigan,
Virginia and Idaho require high
school students to take an online
course
for
high
school
graduation. Minnesota highly
encourages students to take an
online course. Florida has
multiple choices for high school
students to take online courses
from the state virtual school, local
district virtual course offerings
and charter opportunities.
In Illinois, an educational
technology company attempted
to start a virtual school in the Chicago suburban area
that led to protests from many local public school
districts. Do you think this is the end to private
challenges to public education in Illinois? What is
your district’s plan to stay ahead of these challenges?
Do you learn the same way you did even five
years ago? What about 25 years ago? What will your
schools look like in five years? In 25 years? What if
public education experiences more violent actions in
schools such as what happened at Sandy Hook?
Who will even send their child to public schools if we
cannot adequately protect the students?
High school online or virtual courses have been
around for some time in Illinois. Many rural students
have enrolled in these courses because the local
district’s curriculum did not offer the course. Some
students enroll in virtual courses to fill in for required
courses needed for graduation or because of school
expulsions or suspensions that limit students’
enrollment in the public schools.
During this time of limited financial resources in
Illinois, school districts may have to offer virtual
courses because of budget cuts and subsequent
course and program eliminations. Progressive school
districts may seize the opportunity to generate
revenue by offering online courses that either
individual students or other school districts pay for
students to attend.
What is your district’s plan? The advances in
educational software, wireless Internet access,
devices in all shapes, sizes and price points,
familiarity with operating systems, the popularity of
“flipped classroom” methodologies, and the desire to
meet the needs of all students might be reasons for
your district to consider this important topic in your
next strategic plan.
There is no doubt that the classroom of tomorrow
is changing. The new Illinois performance-based
teacher evaluation system based on the Danielson
Frameworks for Teaching demands student
engagement. The days of students sitting in rows and
columns listening to a teacher lecture will be a
learning environment of the past. No longer would
Abraham Lincoln be able to recognize the same type
of classroom in which his generation was taught.
The classroom of tomorrow will include
individualized instruction based on the student’s
needs with technology directing the learning based on
successful completion of specific education
standards. Students will work in teams to solve
problems. Classroom furniture will be flexible. Walls
will be made of material on which students and
teachers can write ideas and concepts as they work
in small groups. Students will blog and communicate
24/7 about what they are learning in school and how
they are applying these concepts in their “real” world.
Grading of writing, assignments, performances
and the like will be handled by technology. Students
will be in control of their own learning. They will
determine their own learning goals with help and
guidance from educators. Technology will replace
books, copiers, and paper.
What is your school district doing to get ready for
this paradigm change?
Dr. Richard Voltz,
Associate Director/
Professional
Development
Technology in the classroom
