Technology has certainly given people a new world view, but it also is changing the way students learn, giving them even greater opportunities for success. Students throughout the U.S. are experiencing this through schools using Global Student Network’s (GSN) online curriculum, which is takes the classroom beyond the walls of the neighborhood school to provide students with challenging courses of study they would not otherwise have available.

Global Student Network collaborates with schools of all sizes to help them develop their own virtual learning academies. GSN provides an outstanding online curriculum and versatile learning management system, schools provide staff and faculty to teach their students - online.

Virtual Learning Academies are part of a solution sweeping the U.S. to deal with high drop-out rates, credit deficiencies, student safety, overpopulated classrooms, and most importantly, budget problems endemic to schools nationwide.

The Virtual Learning Academy venue is best used by students who are self-motivated, have strong reading and comprehension skills and have the ability to express their ideas in writing. It is not for those looking for an easy way out of studying since successful completion of a course often takes three to four hours of commitment each day.

Virtual learning has risen sharply in the U.S. in the past five years. Global Student Network has provided courses to over 40,000 students throughout the U.S. in that period, and continues to offer outstanding and innovative solutions to schools and their students.

Online classes are perfect for students seeking additional courses not available at their schools. They can also aid students with scheduling conflicts for courses they must have and help students homebound due to illness stay on track to graduate.

Although online learning is in its pioneer stage. Global Student Network has collaborated with schools of all sizes to ease the development and implementation of virtual learning environments.

For more information on how to quickly and easily start a Virtual Learning Academy in your community, go to: www.globalstudentnetwork.com/school

Ten years ago, alternative education carried the stigma of at-risk youths in danger of dropping out of high school.

But school districts around the U.S. are trying to change that by offering more options for students to advance, make up credits, and acquire essential learning skills for post-high school life.

Online courses is one of the most significant advances in the past decade for meeting a wide variety of educational needs. Schools using Global Student Network’s online curriculum are better able to meet the needs of students who are credit deficient, have challenges with the traditional 8:30-3 school day, or want to accelerate their education towards graduation.

Global Student Network’s online curriculum offers accessibility to education 24/7 for students, teachers, and for parents. This high quality curriculum, deeply rooted in the national academic content standards, is currently in use by over 250 school districts throughout the U.S.

For more information, go to www.globalstudentnetwork.com/school

From the “I couldn’t have said it better myself” news file:

As you read, keep in mind that Global Student Network advocates for individual districts nationwide to retain their students, and the funding, by easily setting up their own Virtual Learning Academies to serve their students in a cost-effective solution to the encroachment described by Rachel Schleif, World staff writer, The Wenatchee World, in this article, found at:

Online schools siphon area districts’ funding

WENATCHEE — Competition from online schools cost North Central Washington districts nearly $830,000 last year.

For every student who transfers out to join an online school full time, about $5,000 in state education money transfers out with them.

Here’s how it works: An online teaching firm, such as Insight or Washington Virtual Academy, contracts with a school district to provide its curriculum, support and sometimes its teachers. When a student enrolls in the program, they transfer school districts.

As state funding follows the student to the new district, the online school company also gets a cut. How much depends on the contract.

Statewide, 248 districts lost more than 6,600 full-time students and more than $33 million to online schools in 2008, according to a state report released last month. Nineteen districts gained about 7,100 students, worth $35.5 million.

The 21 school districts in NCW lost about 165 full-time students, or about $828,000. Considering the size of school district budgets, the problem is just enough to raise an eyebrow. Most school districts in the region lost less than 2 percent of their students to online schools in 2008.

Smaller school districts tend to hurt most, because they have fewer students to lose. Two students transferred out of Mansfield schools in 2008, which is more than 2 percent of its 80 students. At Eastmont, about 20 of the district’s 5,482 students joined online schools, which is less than half a percent.

The enrollment war is troublesome for districts trying to plan their yearly budgets. Methow Valley School District started the year with a $60,000 deficit because 15 homeschool families unexpectedly transferred out, said Superintendent Mark Wenzel.

The school district offered its homeschool students local support and oversight from teachers, plus a $300 stipend for curriculum materials. An online provider out-bid the district with a $2,200 a year stipend. About half of Methow Valley’s homeschool population transferred out. Since then, about five or six families came back to the district because they missed the local support, Wenzel said.

The online school trend is also catching on among traditional students at the 550-student district, Wenzel said. About 30 high school students are taking online classes, from Japanese to Advanced Placement psychology.

“Where online schools are fundamentally changing the nature of public education is it opens up a whole new world of curriculum,” Wenzel said. “It’s tough to balance that with finances.”

Wenzel said the school district is hoping for a regional solution. Instead of 20 school districts competing with each other, Wenzel said he supports the idea of a regional online program.

“We’re all small school districts faced with the same issues and it makes sense for us to work together and look for a regional approach so we’re not competing with each other for those online students but working together.”

Cascade School District already lost 250 students in the last six years to Leavenworth’s expensive housing prices. Last year, online schools cost the district 17 more students — about 1.3 percent of its population — worth about $65,000 in state funding.

“I think it’s an open market, partially that’s what capitalism is about,” said Superintendent Rob Clark. “People experiment with online schools just like they do homeschooling and private schools. We have competition like we haven’t faced before.”

More students left Wenatchee schools than any other district in the area, but overall the impact isn’t much. Those 55 students who left this year for online schools represent less than a percent of the 7,700 student body. Wenatchee gained 250 students because its other programs — Valley Academy for homeschool students, WestSide High School, dual language and the arts.

“My job as a superintendent is to make sure that we’re listening to the voice of parents and students and do what we can within the school district to meet those needs,” said Wenatchee Superintendent Brian Flones. “If we can’t do it, I have no problem with people looking at other alternatives.”

Local school districts call Pete Phillips weekly for advice on how to prepare for the growing popularity of online learning. He is the technology director at the North Central Education Service District, a regional support center for districts.

“It’s definitely on the front burner for all of them as they look at all issues,” Phillips said. “The No. 1 driver is the fear factor of losing enrollment to online schools. That fear is coupled with what’s the best way to teach students while trying to satisfy parent and student requests.”

Phillips said districts have options:

• Contract with a national online company, such as K12, Insight or Advanced Academics, so students can take classes online without transferring out. Still, those outside companies take a cut, or sometimes all, of the public education money for that student.

• Create an in-house online academy, developed and taught by local teachers.

• Offer online classes through the state’s online course database, created this year by the new department of digital learning. Districts pay a per-course fee for every student.

• Create a policy that creates an approval process for students who want to transfer out to take online courses. By law, districts are required to set up some sort of policy regarding online learning by August. A state model policy was published online earlier this month at digitallearning.k12.wa.us.

The NCESD is talking about hosting a regional online school, where local students can take online classes without leaving the school district, Phillips said. He envisions local educators teaching online classes for a period or two a day from their regular classrooms.

“We’re in the very infancy of those talks,” he said. “At first blush it would be modeled after what online providers are already doing statewide, but we would try to keep that locally.”

Yesterday, I woke up a little early, ate my breakfast, and instead of walking three blocks to take an eight mile bus ride to school, I walked 20 feet to my “desk”, and went to school. My name is Mike, and I am one of hundreds of thousands of students nationwide who are completing my high school education by attending an online high school

Today, I worked on Biology, Geometry, and U.S. History. Tomorrow, I’m planning on working on Spanish II, English 10, and an elective, Student Leadership. For the most part, I’ll work on my own, but I do know that if I need them, my teachers are no further than a skype call, an e-mail, or a text message away. I get all the help I need. Most importantly, I’m working at the pace that’s perfect for me.

As Mike said, he is one of hundreds of thousands of students who are attending online schools like International Virtual Learning Academy, a private accredited online school, or public schools nationwide using Global Student Network’s online curriculum, to provide learning opportunities individualized to each student’s needs.

Online programs have long been used by schools to reinforce lessons and skills taught by the teacher in the classroom. But now many school districts are using the programs more broadly as a replacement for traditional classes for students who have fallen behind.

At a time when school districts are judged by overall test scores, graduation rates and dropout percentages, online courses offer students a different way to learn. District leaders say the online courses give students more responsibility and individualized instruction without having to hire more teachers.

“Schools are trying to find ways to reach kids that, unless we give them a more viable option, they are going to continue not to graduate, they’re going to get behind, they’re going to give up,” said Don Posson, VP of Operations and Technology for Global Student Network.

Not every student is suited for taking all of their courses online. Many schools using GSN’s online curriculum provide a blend of online and on-ground classrooms, depending on each student’s needs.

Global Student Network, a provider of online curriculum, collaborates with schools and school districts nationwide, to provide learning opportunities for traditional and non-traditional students - outside of the brick-and-mortar classroom. Schools find that offering online courses makes sense fiscally in hard economic times, and provides vital opportunities for students who are behind, or who want to accelerate.

“You can never replace the teacher,” said GSN’s Director of Online Learning, Carla Tiedeman. District’s high schools use the online program for students who are struggling, and middle school teachers use it for student enrichment. GSN works with each school district and their schools. GSN provides the curriculum, trains the faculty and staff, and support the district schools educational goals. It’s an ideal blend of public-private collaboration that puts the best interest of students and families first.

Laurie Bloom, Director of International Virtual Learning Academy, said that the school gives students the chance to take a larger variety of courses, including foreign languages. Bloom said with the help of the online program, she can spend more time with each student instead of creating quizzes or grading tests.

”We are better able to serve students and work together as a team,” she said. “It’s been a blessing.

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The online-based classes have given 16-year-old Mike a second chance to be successful in school. Before he came to IVLA he would get frustrated when he didn’t understand something, and he would skip class. Computer-based classes allow Mike to stop taking a test for a moment, do something else and come back to it later. “It’s helped a lot,” he said. Mike said he’s become a better student by using the online program. When he doesn’t get something right on a test, he learns right away what he missed and what he needs to improve on. In a teacher-led class, he didn’t get that automatic feedback, he said.

  “In class, if you fail it the teacher is not going to always explain why,” he said.

Elementary, middle, and high school students world-wide may take advantage of emergence of online schools, and their ability to provide flexibility and learning resources tailored to each student’s needs.

“Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace.”  The title of a 2001 National Association of State Boards of Education report on the future of e-learning still says it all.  Online schools offer students unparalleled opportunities to design their own school programs.

Online schools, also called virtual learning academies, and Cyber schools emerged in the late 1990s as a natural fusion of advances in internet accessibility and the increased need for education delivery.  With over 45 virtual schools nationwide using their outstanding online curriculum, Global Student Network is on the vanguard of this movement.

Students in a cyber school log in daily for lessons and class discussions, which they access via the internet from their home computers, wherever “home” may be.  Cyber students are held accountable to state standards for attendance and performance, and receive diplomas at the completion of their educational programs.  While daily attendance is required and assignments must be completed on schedule, the pace and specific content of each student’s program can be individually tailored.

Cyber schools can operate as part of a public school system, or as a private school. When operating as a part of a public school system, tuition is free to in-state students.

At the heart of a cyber school’s flexibility is the inherent efficiency of a school program reduced to its academic core.  It is suggested that students budget one hour a day for each major subject.  Compared to a typical seven-hour school day with a bus ride at either end, that schedule creates significant additional time for students who need to spend it on their studies.  Those who don’t, are able to use the extra time to dig deeper into course material that interests them, or to pursue outside activities.

“Typical” cyber charter school students include the physically disabled and junior Olympians; musicians, dancers, actors and other artists; as well as young parents and working teens who support themselves or their families while earning their diplomas.

This diverse mix of student interests and backgrounds raises a common question from outsiders about the cyber school environment: what about socialization?  One high school student from the International Virtual Learning Academy, a private, accredited online school, answers this question with the assurance of real life experience. In a cyber classroom, she says, “you can’t see the person you’re interacting with, but the kids certainly do interact.”  Unencumbered by the superficial elements of socialization, students are free to make friends based on shared values and beliefs.

By maintaining a relatively small class sizes, International Virtual Learning Academy, as well as many of the online schools using Global Student Network’s online curriculum, deliberately cultivate an environment in which every student is known as an individual and given personal attention.

The International Virtual Learning Academy, using Global Student Network’s outstanding online curriculum, also creates Individualized Programs of Instruction for students.  In the words of IVLA superintendent Don Posson, “We want our students to believe that ‘thinking outside the box’ is the norm, not the exception.”  Attending IVLA is itself a practical lesson in unconventional thinking. “Every aspect of our school is designed to help our students experience new ways of exploring our world.”

Whatever form it takes, online education requires a significant commitment on the part of students and their families.  But for a growing number of students world-wide, the freedom and flexibility to direct their own educational destinies make online schools worth the effort.

There is an education revolution sweeping through the United States. Discerning parents are seeking the best education for their child. For many plugged-in students, the best education may come in online schools, not in a traditional classroom. According to the Sloan Consortium, more than 1 million U.S. elementary and secondary students now take all or part of their class load online, according to The Sloan Consortium. That’s a 2000% increase since 2000, when only 50,000 pioneering students ventured online for their education. Global Student Network has assisted schools and students in 50 states and 26 countries to offer online education to primary or secondary students, and some experts predict that by 2015, half of all classes will be online. School administrators who are curious about this exploding trend in education and want to develop this outstanding resource in their own school are always impressed with Global Student Network’s ability to assist them in offering online courses to their students. Typically, a school can move from thinking about having a Virtual Learning Academy to operating one in days, not weeks or months. GSN informs and assists administrators every day on leveraging the power of online learning so they can offer a robust educational program for their schools, students, and families.

To schedule and join Global Student Network in an online webinar in starting a Virtual Learning Academy and optimizing student education, go to: www.GlobalStudentNetwork.com and submit a contact form. The Director of Online Learning will contact you within 24 hours and set up a personalized webinar.

Virtual Learning Academies are One of the fastest growing uses of technology for education today. College enrollment of online courses has increased substantially in recent years, but even more interesting is the increase in elementary, middle and high school students who are attending virtual classrooms either full or part-time.

Global Student Network (GSN) is one of the leading provider’s of online curriculum for public, private and charter schools, as well as homeschool students in grades 2-12. Many schools using GSN’s online curriculum offer tuition-free and private supplemental learning, blended online/offline programs, and full-time online programs in the United States and internationally. GSN’s online curriculum allows students to learn at their own level, at their own pace, and within their own lifestyles.

Great as all this sounds, the trend towards online learning raises the question of just how effective online education is compared to traditional education. According to a recent study conducted by SRI International for the US Department of Education, online learners perform slightly better than students in traditional face-to-face classrooms. The study analyzed research that compared online and conventional learning at institutions of higher education and in K-12 settings between 1996 and 2008.

A key finding of the report is that students doing partial or all course work online rank, on average, in the 59th percentile, meaning better than 59% of all those who were scored; whereas students in traditional classrooms ranked in the 50th percentile. Though this significant difference doesn’t quite mean the end of institutional schools, it will help put an end to the myth that online learning is inferior to traditional learning. It will also help foster greater interest in developing technology geared specifically to education. Global Student Network has seen substantial growth of schools using it’s curriculum, developing their own Virtual Learning Academies.

Although Twitter may not penetrate the classroom just yet, social media help students maintain an active social life beyond the classroom. One of the biggest myths about online education is that students will become socially inept. Instead, learning online allows students to study at their own pace, usually opening up hours for sports, hobbies, volunteer work, and time with friends. GSN’s online curriculum also allows students to study what interests them. Not that learning online is easier. In fact, quite the opposite: students require tremendous discipline and excellent time management skills.

One would imagine that high school and college students are more likely to take advantage of online programs, but homeschooling has existed as long as education has, so it’s a viable option for those in younger grades as well. Some children have special needs and talents, others have disabilities or simply struggle in the class. Parents looking for an alternative to traditional schooling for their child now have options other than special classes, tutoring and expensive private schools. Online education offers students more one-on-one time with their instructors. And, as a bonus, most K-12 online programs are inexpensive or even tuition-free.

For more information about Global Student Network’s online curriculum for public, private, and charter schools, CLICK HERE

For more information about Global Student Network’s online curriculum for homeschoolers, CLICK HERE

There is an education revolution sweeping through the United States. Discerning parents are seeking the best education for their child. For many plugged-in students, the best education may come in online schools, not in a traditional classroom. According to the Sloan Consortium, more than 1 million U.S. elementary and secondary students now take all or part of their class load online, according to The Sloan Consortium. That’s a 2000% increase since 2000, when only 50,000 pioneering students ventured online for their education. Global Student Network has assisted schools and students in 50 states and 26 countries to offer online education to primary or secondary students, and some experts predict that by 2015, half of all classes will be online. School administrators who are curious about this exploding trend in education and want to develop this outstanding resource in their own school are always impressed with Global Student Network’s ability to assist them in offering online courses to their students. Typically, a school can move from thinking about having a Virtual Learning Academy to operating one in days, not weeks or months. GSN informs and assists administrators every day on leveraging the power of online learning so they can offer a robust educational program for their schools, students, and families.

To schedule and join Global Student Network in an online webinar in starting a Virtual Learning Academy and optimizing student education, go to: www.GlobalStudentNetwork.com and submit a contact form. The Director of Online Learning will contact you within 24 hours and set up a personalized webinar.

In our generation, innovation transforms the way we buy, sell, learn, and interact. Amazon.com revolutionized the retail industry.  iTunes modernized the music industry. E-Learning is transforming education in America.

Access to high quality educational content via the internet now overcomes the primary obstacle to student achievement. Global Student Network, for example, provides over 95 superbly developed and fully aligned courses via the internet. No books, no pens, no papers. Education delivered anywhere an internet connection exists.

Virtual education allows students to access courses beyond those offered at their brick-and-mortar school. Students aren’t limited by what is offered at their particular school. Nor are they limited to the traditional brick-and-mortar school hours or school schedules. Global Student Network provides curriculum to public and private schools throughout the world. Many of those schools operate year round, have open enrollment, and allow students to work at the pace that is perfect for them, whether that pace is accelerated or more eased.

Economically feasible, Global Student Network’s Learning Management System’s world-wide availability enables educators to provide a customized education for each student by tailoring lessons and teaching techniques to complement different learning styles. This child-centered approach allows students to learn at their own pace, whether it is faster or slower than their peers. Success could be measured by the mastery of skills rather than time in seats.

Global Student Network is ahead of the curve. Since it was founded as a leading provider of a public school district’s online curriculum, GSN’s online curriculum has been used in over 250 school districts nationwide, and by students in 50 states and 28 countries. Despite these tremendous accomplishments, the nation is nowhere close to reaching maximum potential in the area of virtual education.

As part of the $787 billion spending package authorized this spring, Education Secretary Arne Duncan gets $5 billion to spend on projects that will transform America’s education system. Called the ”Race to the Top Fund,” the money is meant to pay for innovations that improve student achievement and ultimately revolutionize our economy and workforce for the 21st century.

These federal dollars may provide the path for jump-starting dramatic change in the way education is delivered. As Clay Christensen and Michael Horn, authors of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, recently suggested, let’s leverage these funds wisely by bolstering innovation in schools, increasing access to online learning environments and investing in bandwidth as school infrastructure.

The success of this bold reform will require the support of many different stakeholders with diverse and often competing interests that have a vested interest in the status quo, including content providers, textbook publishers and teachers’ unions.

For technology to truly take hold in public school classrooms across the country, state and local leaders must address issues today that could prevent this revolution of our educational system in the future. School funding formulas must be modernized from seat-time to outcome-based models. Antiquated rules, such as certain certification requirements that effectively bar high-quality teachers from educating in virtual classrooms, must be revised. Most important, all students — public, charter, private and home school — must be able to access quality virtual content.

Technology shouldn’t be merely a resource used periodically in classrooms, but the primary mechanism of transforming our education system into a 21st century model of student-centered learning. From access to customization to superior content, technology may be the key to helping us keep the promise of a quality education for every American student, but transformation must commence now.

For more information on how your school can begin this transformation to the E-Learning promise of tomorrow, go to: www.GlobalStudentNetwork.com/school