The first thing that popped out at me was how a school can deny certain courses to a student. In one case, a school can deny a school an online course "is inconsistent with the career interest of the student." Okay, but how does a school district determine a student's career interest? At that age, a student might interested in two different career paths. A student might want to major in Business or perhaps something English related when they move onto college, but they're not quite sure.
Another scenario is the prerequisite scenario. I know a lot of public schools are unfortunately getting cut, especially in this state. Maybe some areas were cut, some classes that were offered previously (perhaps in the art or graphics department, for example) weren't there before and the student could have the skill (perhaps they do graphics and art as a hobby and just take the classes that are offered at the school) but the online classes available are more challenging and advanced than what's currently in the school's curriculum. How can the school deny that? I get there's an appeal process, but I'm curious how long that takes and how much red tape is involved.
When it comes to paying for the online courses, if they really only pay for a small percentage, where is the rest of the money coming from? I understand students will most likely pay for their online courses, but I'm sure they need more money than what's coming in for technology up keep and hardware upgrades. I'm sure more students would take online courses if Michigan would allow more funding.
I don't think a rural school would be ready if a student wanted to take a course that's unavailable. It seems like the state has so many regulations in place that could prevent a student from taking the course (such as if they deem the student not ready). Also, the funding has to be there and the support has to be there. (Can the teacher and staff handle the technical support?) A few districts might be ready, but I don't think most rural districts are ready. The changes are coming too fast.
In the case of a school having one chemistry teacher and a sibling comes along (which the older sibling didn't like the teacher), there are a few scenarios at play. First, did the older sibling just not like the teaching style of the chemistry teacher? Was the child bored? The the older sibling not like the workload? The the child get called on a lot and the didn't know the answer? Was the older sibling a troublemaker and are the parents in denial? Did the older sibling just flat out not like the chemistry teacher? Did the older sibling find the work too difficult and simply not try? Honestly the overbearing parents would probably have their younger child take the chemistry class online. (And there's a teacher perspective, too. If the older sibling did have a "reputation" so to speak, the younger child could already and unfortunately have a terrible impression on the teacher and unfortunately, that's how some teachers think...).
I honestly believe the changes are too fast for most school districts. Some school districts do have the money and funding that they are able to keep up with technology, but most school districts don't have that luxury and aren't quite prepared.
Wow....Erica you really make some very valid points however I feel like the school districts are not moving fast enough. Students need to be given every opportunity to learn all the cutting edge information they can. I don't think we should be making a difference if a child lives in a rual or city area . I also think teachers need to get on board with all the updates as well and be as supportive as they can during the transition period. I always hear the principals say they don't have enough money but if you make a class mandatory for a student to graduate I think you need to make sure the student is able to take that class.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I agree with you that the school districts are not moving fast enough. I think the issue is that they want to fast track these programs but they don't have the infrastructure to back it up and in many cases there is not enough IT support for teachers.
ReplyDeleteHi Erica,
ReplyDeleteI think that the changes involving virtual schools may be a little fast as well. I think the problem is that although there is state policy that tells the "what" of virtual schooling. The challenge is figuring out the "how". Schools really need a blueprint on how to make virtual schooling work.
In regards to the overbearing parent, you brought up a few good points. There are too many variables involved to say the the younger brother should automatically go to a "virtual school". Virtual school has to be offered because it is a viable option, not simply because a parent doesn't like a teacher.
I understand that there are a lot of peices for the Board of Education to put in place however I think it is time because the children are the ones loosing out and that is why parents are looking for an alternative method for their children to get what they need to be competitive with the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteHi Erica. I appreciate some of your questions ragrding which schools might be ready and which schools may not. Interestingly enough though, most inner city school would be ready, as far as hardware goes. Unlike suburban schools or schools in a wealthy district, underpriveledge schools get more state aid and are therfor already equipped with the hardward necessary. My kids school cant even get laptops for the computer room but the school I work in in southwest Detroit has enough new cojputers for a one-to-one balance.
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