Blog Post #8: Right on Course

In the article, “Right on Course,” talks about the 16 school districts of Lane County, Oregon and its new online learning program. The online program acted as “go-to” support center for all the districts and provided correspondence courses along with online curriculum delivery. Because the interest was extremely high, it resulted in many changes for the 16 districts. There were more part-time teachers than full-time and there was a desperate need for technological infrastructure and communication to maintain these owned online courses. In order to make this program successful there were a number of things that had to be done. For example, they had to expand course offerings, improve student retention, increase options for non-traditional students, and establish regional oversight. They also began to run into some problems, for example some principals and superintendents felt that the only subjects that could be taught online were language arts courses and they were afraid to have high school students solely rely on online courses instead of an in person teacher. The next step they took was to partner with a local community college for advice and tips. The first tip was to use Moodle and they continue their partnership by using this site. They then selected different course plans, pricing, and teachers willing to run the online programs. After their first year of using the program and over 525 individual enrollments, they found that online learning can be very successful and they have a 75% passing rate of students. 

I never would have wanted an online course in high school. I think that at that age most students aren’t motivated enough to participate in Webinars and respond to online curriculum. While I think it could be a good experience for high school students to prepare them for college course and introduce them to new technologies, I do not think that a 75% success rate is an OK number to continue the program. I also think it sounds like an easy way out to get more part-time teachers rather than paying for full-time. Again, while I think most students wouldn’t be ready for online courses in high school, i do however, think it benefits them by learning how to use the internet and computers more efficiently. 

This article related to NETS Standard number six “technology operations and concepts.” Through using online courses students are able to select and use applications effectively and productively. They are also able to get a better understanding of technology systems and applications. 

Brown, Don. "Right on Course." Learning & Leading. ISTE, n.d. Web. 2012. http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Feature_Right_On_Course.aspx.