Virginia Online High Schools» Virtual Virginia

Virginia Beach may require online class for all students

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:00:54 +0000

Board members debated the plan for nearly two hours before agreeing to delay a vote and allow its staff time to answer questions about implementation and cost.

Under the plan, students entering the ninth grade in the fall of 2012 would be required to earn at least one half-credit through an online course offered by the school division or through the state’s Virtual Virginia.

The goal would be to “better prepare our students to navigate the online world,” said Joe Burnsworth, assistant superintendent of curriculum.

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Inkling(TM) Partners with Virginia Dept. of Education to Move “Beyond Textbooks”

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:28:34 +0000

Inkling, maker of an exciting new publishing platform for tablet devices, announced its participation in the Virginia Department of Education’s “Beyond Textbooks” program to move digital learning content into the classroom. Across the state, a cohort of Advanced Placement (AP) Biology students enrolled in Virtual Virginia, the VDOE’s online learning program, will receive iPads with one of McGraw-Hill Education’s bestselling textbooks enhanced with features like 3-D molecules, interactive assessment, social note sharing and more. The interactive textbooks are powered by Inkling.

“Digital technology holds enormous potential for transforming instruction and for cost savings for Virginia school divisions, which currently spend $70 million a year on textbooks,” Governor Bob McDonnell said.

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Students seek academic challenges online

admin — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 03:53:37 +0000

Online language classes have been offered at FHS through two programs, Virtual Virginia and Virtual High School, for the past four years. In addition the programs offer business classes, electives, and a variety of AP courses. Online classes may be the school of the future, as online course participation has increased 21.5 percent each year for four years, according to a survey by Online Nation.

Junior Maggie Collins is enrolled in Arabic through Virtual Virginia, a class she thinks will stand out on a college application.

“My travels in the Middle East sparked [the] interest,” Collins said. “My dad works there, [and] I’ve been there a few times since 2007.”

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States Eye Standards for Virtual Educators

admin — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:27:03 +0000

“The assumption . . . was that student demand was going to drive this,” Mr. Garn said. “One component of that is that most of our state virtual schools are capped. They have a finite amount of funding. Many of them are at the capacity of their funding, so they also have the teachers they need right now.”

Instead, schools like the state-run Virtual Virginia high school must screen instructors themselves, through a process that involves both extensive interviews and hands-on training.

Lan Neugent, Virginia’s assistant superintendent for technology, said the creation of state certification for online learning in Virginia is not only unlikely, but undesirable.

For the rest of the article, go to States Eye Standards for Virtual Educators

North Tazewell, Va., native Teresa Dove honored as National Online Teacher of the Year

admin — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:45:45 +0000

“For online teachers, it’s the biggest honor you could receive,” Dove said. “To be recognized as one of the leaders in a field that is evolving and changing every day is really empowering. It just takes your breath away.” Dove was among three finalists for the inaugural award, which was created to recognize outstanding online teachers and their exceptional contributions, the education board said in the announcement. The judging committee selected Dove and the other finalists from more than 50 nominations in 24 states.

Steven Sproles, a Wise, Va., psychology and economics teacher who offers instruction online through Virtual Virginia was one of the other two finalists. The third was high school social studies teacher Gabrielle Bray from the Gwinnett County, Ga., Online Campus.

Dove said Southwest Virginia should be proud that it produced two of the top three chosen as finalists for the inaugural award.

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Teacher wins Nat’l Online Teacher award

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:55:41 +0000

Dove has taught math to students in grades 6-12 at Florida Virtual School. She also is a literacy coordinator with the school, which serves more than 125,000 students and employs more than 1,100 teachers.

The other finalists were high school social studies teacher Gabrielle Bray from the Gwinnett County, Ga., Online Campus, and Steven Sproles, a Wise, Va., psychology and economics teacher with Virtual Virginia.

For the rest of the article, go to Teacher wins Nat’l Online Teacher award

Delivering Education Direct to the Desktop

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:44:02 +0000

There are several platforms for online programs. The simplest platform is an example like Verizon Foundaton’s Thinkfinity – recently named a “Best in Tech” website by Scholastic Administrator magazine. It offers lesson plans and supplemental aids for classroom teachers, students and home-school parents that will soon be linked to Virginia’s Standards of Learning by grade level and subject.

The oldest example is a state virtual school. Virtual Virginia, operated by the state Department of Education, offers more than 60 middle and high school courses ranging from Latin and AP Art History to Spanish and AP Statistics. But enrollment in Virtual Virginia is capped and has significant restrictions – one reason why, in 2008-09, fewer than 5,000 students were enrolled. In fact, Virginia’s enrollment ranks only midway among states with state virtual schools and is far outpaced by states like Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.

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Views differ on online classes

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:08:05 +0000

Courses in Spanish and Latin, above year three and in Advanced Placement, will be offered online through Virtual Virginia. This is a new tactic in teaching a foreign language to students — especially a “dead language” such as Latin — but it’s not without concern from parents.

“I was really surprised,” said Vandeveer, whose daughters take Latin and Spanish at Smithfield High School. “It messed up their plans in progressing through the classes.”

Virtual Virginia, a program of the Virginia Department of Education, offers online courses in AP studies, foreign language, core academics and elective classes to students across the nation.

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Video: Virtual Virginia

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:42:09 +0000

Virtual Virginia