According to The Gallup Poll, 56% of Americans think high school students should not be required to take one online class as part of a mandatory graduation requirement. Michigan--the first state to pass such a requirement as part of their new Michigan Merit Curriculum--strongly disagrees.
Liz Pape, president and CEO of Virtual High School, believes that although students are comfortable with informal online communication for social networking (think MySpace for instance), their literacy skills on the Internet need help. "What has happened to K-12 online education is that we're finally talking about standards. The benefit of that is going to be the fact that the delivery of those online classes will set standards for classroom teachers who will need to have online components. We need to take what we have in online courses and transfer it to classroom teachers, so students can go beyond the walls and into online research."
Sources:
Caronia, Nancy, "Michigan Proposes Online Course Requirement," Government Video, April 1, 2006: 38. "Improving Outcomes for High School Students," Michigan Department of Education
Koren, James, "Graduation Worries," Lenawee Connection
Lyons, Linda, "Should High Schools Require an Online Course?" The Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, October 2005: 66. Watson, Heidi, "Governor Signs Bills Establishing Rigorous High School Curriculum," Michigan.gov
Online Learning Prepares Students
This spring Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed legislation requiring all high school students to have an online learning experience prior to graduating. Granholm proposes that the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) "will help ensure that every student in Michigan is prepared for college or technical training when they finish high school."Online Education in Traditional Classrooms
The MMC states that Michigan's students must either take an online course or have online learning incorporated into each of the sixteen required credits of the MMC. This gives teachers and administrators the chance to emphasize the Internet as more than a place to play video games or instant message friends.Liz Pape, president and CEO of Virtual High School, believes that although students are comfortable with informal online communication for social networking (think MySpace for instance), their literacy skills on the Internet need help. "What has happened to K-12 online education is that we're finally talking about standards. The benefit of that is going to be the fact that the delivery of those online classes will set standards for classroom teachers who will need to have online components. We need to take what we have in online courses and transfer it to classroom teachers, so students can go beyond the walls and into online research."
Online Classes Complement Traditional Classes
Having grown up with technology and the Internet, today's students are comfortable with computers. It makes sense for educators to familiarize students with online learning as opportunities for online continuing education and vocational training become more available. With Michigan leading the way, online education looks to be joining with the traditional classroom experience.Sources:
Caronia, Nancy, "Michigan Proposes Online Course Requirement," Government Video, April 1, 2006: 38. "Improving Outcomes for High School Students," Michigan Department of Education
Koren, James, "Graduation Worries," Lenawee Connection
Lyons, Linda, "Should High Schools Require an Online Course?" The Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, October 2005: 66. Watson, Heidi, "Governor Signs Bills Establishing Rigorous High School Curriculum," Michigan.gov
No comments:
Post a Comment