Virtual School and Stigma

After reviewing the readings and watching the video clips on the history and current state of virtual schooling in the U.S., I would have to say that there were some surprises. First, I was rather shocked to read in Watson and Ryan (2007), that in order to teach for the Michigan Virtual School, I must first pass Michigan Virtual University's Online Instructors Course. I found this particularly disturbing, given the monopoly on MDE's alliance with MSU for provision of this training. If Virtual Schooling is indeed a growth area, one would think that the state would have the forethought to accredit more than one teacher prep school for this endeavor to meet growing demand. Further, nowhere does it state in Public Law 123 or 124, that Highly Qualified Teachers according to NCLB (MTTC qualified and graduates of state approved teacher education programs) cannot teach these courses. How is it I can teach Virtual High School in another state that has reciprocity with Michigan, but I cannot teach at the only VS system in this state? This one is begging for a court challenge under the Full Faith and Credit Article in the Constitution (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_Faith_and_Credit_Clause ).

Secondly, I did not realize that there was such varying degrees of support, either financially or politically, for virtual schooling as one reads the state-by-state comparisons in Watson & Ryan. Some programs receive Federal funding (Colorado), some states fully embrace it (California), while others treat it with the stigma that correspondance schools once had (New Mexico). While I realize that Public education is mostly a state controlled venture, there are already enough inequities built into the system to hinder student progress. In addition, until Michael made note of the differentiation in definitions of Cyber School and Virtual School, I wouldn't have known there was a difference. Overall, I am suprised at the level of work that appears to go into planning and preparing for teaching a virtual school class using the course management system with it's high levels of feedback and communication requirements. As the NACOL article suggests, the isolated virtual school student is definitely a myth from the examples of Synchronous and Asychronous modules provided in Michael's lecture on IVHS.

Next, what I did know about Virtual School was that it existed in just about every state in the U.S., and every province in Canada. In fact, my experience as a participant of online learning and its early forms span more than a decade. While trying to complete my undergrad degree, I had taken a few courses that were hybrid correspondence, video, audio, and even web-based over that time. Fast forward to 2004, where I even spent a year in a California law school pursuing a J.D. via online/correspondance before the state passed a law requiring all Baby Bar participants to have a Social Security Number (I'm still waiting!). Since then, I have taken almost all of my Graduate CTE classes at WSU in a virtual environment, which for a commuting Canadian I am most grateful given the tie-ups at the tunnel on some days.

Finally, I have to admit that I have gained quite a bit of knowledge on the subject of the history of Instructional Technology, ergo virtual school, because of the IT 7100 course I am taking this semester with Prof. Mihalak. She had us do some readings on the history of IT, which included the many independent learning forms discussed in the Clark (2007) reading . It also happens to be the subject of my term paper in that class too.

Brad.

Note: California is the only state that allows alternative forms of earning a J.D. God Bless the Republic and Arnie too! Someday, I will finish that degree too.