Georgia's+Education+Moving+to+Virtual+Learning+Environments


 * Technology: Georgia’s Education moving to Virtual Learning Environments **

** Overview ** Technology has made our lives easier for years. We have moved from typewriters to computers and from maps to GPS. As it grows, we become more and more dependent on it. We can’t seem to remember how life was without it. We use it daily at home but lately it is crossing over into our educational system at an alarming rate. Technology is changing the way we teach students. We no longer use chalk boards in the classroom we use smart boards. Do you remember when we use to borrow a TV from the media center and they would roll it into the classroom? Well now we have video streaming at our finger tips. This has been a gradual change throughout the twentieth century but it has increased its progression in the twenty-first century. We are now seeing a drastic increase in the use of technology in the classroom. Teachers are using computers and smart boards to enhance the learning experience and to convey information to all types of learning styles. They are able to pull up videos, songs and other visual aids to increase the learning potential for all types of learners. The children are not only using computer but also using mp3 player, iPad, iPod, tablets, and the internet to store and look up useful information. There are advantages and disadvantages to this change. The greatest advantage to using technology in the school is the enormous amount of knowledge stored on the internet. The information found there can be adapted to any type of learner. In the past we use to purchase encyclopedia sets but now we have this resource at our finger tips. The internet has greatly enhanced the efficiency of the learning process. It also helps keep students with low attention spans engaged. They tend to like the variety of instruction styles and the learning games are fun. One disadvantage is that computer and the internet can also be very distracting for student. Sometimes the internet will have a lot of pop-ups that will distract the student. The student has to maintain control and not browse social media sites or play games.
 * Pros and Cons of Using Technology **

A traditional classroom is one in which a teacher lectures and provides instructions to the classroom. A virtual learning environment is a classroom where the communication is done via the computer or other online devices. The classroom assignments, information and other learning materials are provided online, a website or via email. Virtual learning is taking place in the elementary and high school, in colleges and at most jobs. Virtual learning can take place anywhere and at any time of the day. A traditional classroom is a classroom with a teacher that stands in front of the classroom and uses lectures as her primary teaching style (as pictured on the right.) These types of classrooms are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Teachers now use various teaching styles and have incorporated a lot of technology into the classroom. In May of 2008 the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers conducted a survey which revealed that 95 percent of public educators believe that students benefit from technology when it is properly used and 89 percent viewed technology as essential to teaching and learning. (Kumar, 2010) K-12 grades have also begun providing students with an increased amount of assignments that require the use of a computer in order to complete the assignment. Georgia is slowly moving into the virtual school era. The concept of virtual learning greatly reduces social pressures associated with High school, there are no peers, thus virtually eliminating peer pressure and bullying. Many colleges and universities have incorporated online courses into their mainstream curriculum. Online course enrollment has increase by 21 percent since 2009. In 2002 only 1.6 million students took online classes and now in 2013 an astonishing 5.6 million students participate in online or web based courses. here are many reasons why a student may choose to take an online course verses a traditional in classroom course. Online courses are usually completed faster because the student is allowed to work at their own pace. One major reason for taking online courses is the flexibility. If you have children and work, then you are not a traditional student. The demands of work and children will prevent you from being able to take courses at the scheduled time. The online courses allow you to sign in and complete your work when it is convenient for you. Virtual learning in the workplace is becoming a valuable asset and saving companies lots of money. Companies are now using elearning as a training tool. The use of elearning’s have replaced the need for actual trainers and therefore saving the company an additional salary to pay.
 * What is a Virtual Learning Environment **
 * Virtual learning in K-12 Education and Beyond **

Georgia’s State Board of Education proved Advance Placement online Courses for qualified high schools students in 2001. These courses were the result of an agreement between Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina to aid high school students to earn college credits while still in high school. The courses include but are not limited to calculus AB, English literature and composition, US government and politics, macro and micro economics. This was the beginning and now Georgia has a fully accredited virtual school (GAVS). A student attending GAVS can obtain a high school diploma and also get some college credits. GAVS has some state funded seats that are available to home school students and it also has a tuition program. In addition to the virtual school Georgia also has an online Credit recovery program. This program allows a high school student to take an online course for a subject that he/she has failed and recover that credit. The course work can be completed at home or at school. The final virtual program doesn’t earn the student any credits but is equally important. The Express (exam preparation for science and social studies) program was developed in response to low graduation test scores in these subjects. The Express is a self- paced tutorial program for science and social studies. This program prepares the student to take and pass the graduation exam in these subjects.
 * The History of Georgia’s Virtual Learning schools **

Despite the pros and cons listed above, online class enrollment is growing yearly. The growth in Georgia’s virtual school enrollment is depicted in the chart below. [] Virtual Learning is a trend that is rapidly becoming an issue. It is a trend because it is a choice and you do not have to participate in any of the virtual programs. However, as our society evolves and becomes more technical, time management is everything. The flexibility of online courses and virtual high schools will soon pose a problem for our teachers. The need for teachers will decrease with expansion of online schools. Virtual school will be able to teach more students with fewer teachers. Another way to look at this trend is that it has the potential to equalize education for all students. By providing the same instruction across the board, we will eliminate the schools that provide below grade level instructions due to lack of funding and lack of materials. However, the courses require independent work and lot of comprehension skills. When taking online courses, they tend to be more expensive than the regular courses. The student also has to pay close attention to the accreditation of the school. Taking a course from a school that is not accredited has no value. Therefore, students should be sure to check the school accreditation.
 * Trend or Issue? **

So the questions that arise and that we will be faced with answering in the future are:

> > > Download a proposal focused on this education trend/issue here: >
 * Are we going too far with technology?
 * Will computers take the place of teachers?
 * Is technology making our children lazy?

** Annotated Bibliography **

Georgia Virtual Learning. (2011). from Georgia Department of Education Web Site: [] This is Georgia virtual learning site which provides the history as well as current information about Georgia’s virtual learning environments.

Wayne, Johnny (2005-2011). [|The Pros and Cons Of Virtual Learning Environments] [|http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Pros-And-Cons-Of-Virtual-Learning-Environments/3983434#.Ua5fSKIUvdE] This article discusses the pros and cons of virtual learning environments. The author is sharing information about blended learning and virtual learning environments.

Andrews, Mark (2011, September 7). G eorgia Virtual School expanding h [|ttp://www.daily-tribune.com/view/full_story/15408988/article-Georgia-Virtual-School-expanding]. This article discusses Georgia expansion into virtual schools and that funding is an issue. The article describes that Carnegie units measure the amount of time a student has studied a subject.

Moe, Terry, Cuban Larry and Chubb John (2009, Winter) Vol 9. NO. 1. Virtual Schools: Will education technology change the role of the teacher and the nature of learning? [] This article discusses virtual learning as it relates to technology. It talks about home school and if technology will increase the amount of home schooling and the rapid growth of charter schools and private schools.

Martine Michael, (2012 November), Elearning Provocateur, “The classroom option you should not ignore”, Blog at workplace.com, [] This is a blog that discusses the pros of the virtual classroom. It also points out the cons of the traditional classroom and has comment at the end.

Jackson, Abigail, ( 2012, April 17), Everywhere You go….” Georgia Virtual Learning Blog [] Abigail Jackson is an adjunct teacher of French 2 at Georgia Virtual School since 2007. In this blog she discusses technology and how it is making our world a better place.

Kumar Priya, (2010, February 25), “Online vs. Traditional: Using Technology in the classroom.” Great Degree.com [] This article talks about the use of technology in the classroom and compare it to the traditional classroom.

Kaya, Travis (2010, November 16), “Enrollment in Online courses increases at the highest rate ever.” The Chronicle of Higher Education [] This article discusses the increase in the enrollment in online co