Phase1

__**Organization**__

I am proposing this lesson unit plan for the students of Florida Virtual School (FLVS). FLVS was founded in 1997 and was the country's first state-wide Internet-based public high school. Florida residents in all 67 districts are able to take courses through FLVS for free, although courses are available to students around the world who pay tuition fees. FLVS is the only public school with funding tied directly to student performance. FLVS is a Single Mode Institution, meaning "all the faculty and staff of the institution are exclusively devoted to distance education" (Moore & Kearsley, 4). The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation.

K-12 students of FLVS are able to take single courses or enroll full-time. Students may take single courses for a variety of reasons, such as making up credit (grade forgiveness), taking courses that are not offered at their home school, taking a course that conflicts with their schedule at their home school, working ahead for early or accelerated graduation, or taking courses for additional elective credit. FLVS offers more than 90 courses—including core subjects, world languages, electives, honors, and over 10 Advanced Placement courses. FLVS served over 63,675 students in 137,450 half-credit enrollments in the 2007-08 school year.

FLVS has an "Advisement Center" on their website for students to use. They offer several webinars that students can access at any time from this website: http://www.flvs.net/areas/studentservices/advisement/Pages/Student%20Success/StudentSuccess.aspx. Some of the webinar topics include: Time Management & Study Tips, Test Preparation Tips, College Admissions, and How to Find a Job. I contacted one of the FLVS guidance counselors, Patricia Cordones, and asked her about the services that FLVS to help support students' success. This was her response: " Thanks for your email. To help students be successful in their online courses, our instructors provide much support. To name a few tactics, teachers have tutoring sessions, do one on one assistance, speak with parents regularly to discuss student academic progress, and many courses have recorded study guides to help kids understand material. As for the webinars you saw, you will note a couple really good prerecorded sessions students may listen to, specifically the Time Management webinar.  Another assistance we offer is a New Student orientation which you can find at: @http://nso.flvs.net/ "

The New Student orientation website offers students "critical background information to work effectively in the FLVS environment" (http://nso.flvs.net). The topics of the orientation include: Computer Skills Survey, Time Mangement Tutorial, Basic Computer Skills, Internet Safety, Getting Started with Your Online Course, Communicating Online, Managing Assignments, and Plagiarism.

__**Why Distance Education**__

//Increasing access to learning and training opportunities// FLVS allows students to to have access to their courses 24/7. The FLVS motto is "Any time, any place, any path, any pace." Students are able to access courses that may not be offered at their home school, particularly Advanced Placement courses.

//Providing opportunities for updating skills// FLVS provides opportunities not only for students to update their skills (they offer a course called "Critical Thinking & Study Skills"), but also opportunities for educators. FLVS offers online professional development for teachers of advanced courses. Each online workshop is approximately 3 hours and hosted by an experienced FLVS AP educator.

//Improving the cost effectiveness of educational resources// Florida Tax Watch analyzed the fiscal impact of FLVS and reported that an enrolled student received $1,048 less in government funding than a student attending a traditional public school. This savings estimate does not include the costs for school facilities and maintenance if the student had enrolled in public school (Florida Tax Watch, 77).

//Supporting the quality of existing educational structures// FLVS could support the quality of existing traditional schools by offering hybrid courses, where students attend traditional courses with an online component. This could offer more opportunities for students in traditional schools, by giving them access to aspects of online courses, while still allowing them to have face to face contact with their teachers.

//Enhancing the capacity of the educational system// FLVS can help somewhat with overcrowding in schools by expanding their full-time offerings. As mentioned, there is a significant per pupil savings with virtual schools versus traditional schools. According to Cathy Cavanaugh, "savings come because online schools do not have to deal with building and transportation costs and have fewer employees" (Curry). The University of Florida did a study looking at "20 virtual schools in 14 states and determined the average per-pupil cost was $4,300" compared to $6,873 for traditional students (Curry).

//Balancing inequalities between age groups// FLVS presents a unique opportunity for students to advance in their educational studies. Because students can work at "any pace" and "any time" (part of the FLVS motto), students are able to work ahead, which could really benefit students who may have been held back or missing credits and are not the same age as their classmates. Additionally, FLVS balances inequalities by offering courses that aren't available at every traditional school. So students in a smaller school or more rural area are not at a disadvantage compared to students of the same age at a different school with more course offerings and more opportunities.

//Delivering educational campaigns to specific target audiences// FLVS recently released a version of their American History course that is designed like a video game. The course is called "Conspiracy Code" is an espionage-themed, course-long game that counts for a full credit of American History. By offering a course such as this, FLVS is targeting students who enjoy paying games and are perhaps visual and kinesthetic learners who have a hard time learning in a traditional manner.

//Expanding the capacity for education in new subject areas// FLVS offers courses that usually aren't offered in most schools, such as Latin 1, 2, and 3, and Chinese 1, 2, and 3, and less common AP courses such as AP Environmental Science, AP Microeconomics, and AP Computer Sciece. By enrolling in some of the courses that FLVS offers, students may be exposed to subject areas that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to be exposed to.

//Offering combination of education with work and family life// Students who are full-time, or even part-time, FLVS students may have more time to spend with their families or more time to work. For example, a student might take all of their classes through FLVS and be able to travel with their family or work during the day, when they would not have those opportunities if they had to attend traditional school.

//Adding an international dimension to the educational experience// "FLVS serves students not just in Florida but in 44 states and 39 different countries across the globe, many of whom are able to access core subjects, electives, foreign languages and even honors and Advanced Placement classes that may not be offered at their own school or district" (Florida Virtual Partners). Because of their enrollment in FLVS, students in the U.S. may be able to interact with students from all over the world.

The mission of FLVS is to deliver high-quality distance education. This is their mission statement: " Our commitment is to deliver a high quality, technology-based education that provides the skills and knowledge students need for success in the 21st century" (flvs.net). I really think their focus on skills and knowledge needed for success in the 21st century is an important focus. By taking online classes through FLVS, students have the opportunity to really develop their written communication skills, netiquette, and Internet research skills. They gain verbal communication skills (students are required to communicate with teachers over the phone on a regular basis), and they gain experience with learning at their own pace, time management and organization skills.
 * Outline ways that the values, ideals, or mission of FLVS can be expressed through distance education:**

FLVS has been delivering distance education for the last 13 years. What is now being offered is nearly 100 courses and an "enrollment of 154,000 [students] in 2008-2009" (Lips, 2010). FLVS recently offered their first game-based course, an American History course called "Conspiracy Code", and they have plans to offer additional game-based courses in the future. FLVS plans to beta test this first game-based course and look at the research to fine tune the game. In the future, they plan to add "multi-player capability in the next version, as well as other tools to help student collaboration" ("Online School Implements Game-Based Course"). Enrollment is also expected to increase over the next few years. "Enrollment in online learning programs is expected to grow over the next decade. One analysis has predicted that half of high school classes will be online within a decade" (Lips, 2010). As enrollment and course offerings continue to grow, FLVS will be looking for new ways to revolutionize education.
 * Outline the current status of distance education in FLVS. What is now being offered or planned, and how long has FLVS been active in distance education?**

FLVS could build relationships with school districts all over the country to offer online courses. There are many states and districts that offer their own online courses, but there are many that do not. " Today, 27 states offer statewide virtual schools that allow students to take a class online, and 24 states and the District of Columbia offer students the opportunity to attend a virtual school full-time" (Lips, 2010). A recent article from THE Journal ("Florida Virtual School Takes Courses Across State Lines") talks about FLVS partnering with Agilix Labs to "provide schools, districts, and states a means to deliver accredited online courses to their students" (Schaffhauser). There is a growing trend in education to require every high school student to take at least one online course as a graduation requirement, so FLVS's expansion of their distance education could help states and districts to offer this opportunity to their students.
 * What relationships among individuals or groups could FLVS build using distance education?**

The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) offers a lot of helpful resources for online teachers. They offer webinars on cutting edge topics; I "attended" a webinar last year on the use of gaming in online education and it was very well done! They also offer great research and professional development opportunities. Professionals can network on the message boards, and at the annual Virtual School Symposium. FLVS has been a long-standing member of iNACOL, and the President and CEO of FLVS, Julie Young, is on the Board of Directors for iNACOL. Their mission statement is actually very similar to the mission statement of FLVS: "iNACOL strives to ensure all students have access to a world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success" (inacol.org).
 * How can iNACOL guide you and FLVS in developing its distance education programs?**

__**References**__ Ash, K. (2009). Florida Virtual School Makes History Learning a Game. Education Week.

Curry, C. (2009). Web Classes Save Cash, Study Finds. The Gainesville Sun.

Florida Tax Watch (2007). A Final Report: A comprehensive assessment of Florida Virtual School. Center for Educational Performance and Accountability.

Florida Virtual Partners with Blackboard to Improve Virtual School Experience for Students (2009). Retrieved on January 15, 2010 from: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/florida-virtual-partners-with-blackboard-to-improve-virtual-school-experience-for-students-81483797.html

Florida Virtual School (2010). Retrieved on January 10, 2010 from: http://www.flvs.net

International Association for K-12 Online Learning (2010). Retrieved on January 16, 2010 from: http://www.inacol.org

Launching a District Virtual School: Featuring Tips for Success from Florida Virtual School (2009). Retrieved on January 11, 2010 from: http://www.slideshare.net/BlackboardK12/florida-virtual-school-slides

Lips, D. (2010). How Online Learning is Revolutionizing K-12 Education and Benefiting Students. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on January 17, 2010 from: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/bg2356.cfm

Online School Implements Game-Based Course (2009). School News.

Schaffhauser, D. (2010). Florida Virtual School Takes Courses Across State Lines. THE Journal. Retrieved on January 17, 2010 from: http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/01/14/florida-virtual-school-takes-courses-across-state-lines.aspx