Archive for August, 2010
Part 1
Have you heard the latest key to learning that schools are coming up with? Schools across the country have decided to pay students for good grades, high test scores, attendance, and so on. According to a recent poll taken by CBS, 56% called it a bad thing and 37% said it was good.
I stand with the 56% who see this as not a good thing. As a taxpayer, I wonder when the tax revenue allocated to education will ever have the right priorities. I watch taxes and school budgets go up while staffing is cut, class sizes grow and scores drop in the public schools. At Mistacres School, a virtual learning academy for K-8 grades, there are no staff cutbacks or problems with class sizes. And yet, without receiving tax revenues to operate, the school delivers a higher quality education at a fraction of the per student cost of the public schools.
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Learning Online allows children more flexibility to explore and discover things for themselves. But there are times when their interpretation may not be right, but is wonderfully funny. Here are just a few:
My first day of teaching (many years ago) we were discussing what Labor Day was and why it was a holiday. “Labor Day is the day my mother gave birth to me,” was the answer I received from a rather well-informed first grader.
When asked to define H2o and Co2, I learned that H2o was hot water and Co2 was cold.
A discussion about our bodies and our spine brought forth this definition: The spine is a long bunch of bones. Your head sits on top of the bones and you sit on the bottom.
(I wish I was an artist who could draw some of the things I’ve heard. But my students will tell you that I’m not even good at stick people.)
For years it’s been conventional wisdom that the traditional classroom setting was the most conducive learning environment. With the proliferation of technology and an increasing understanding of how our brains work, many people are beginning to question this centuries-old model. Since each child learns in a different manner, new methods are being developed to cater the curriculum and teaching methods to the individual.
One of these new-age teaching techniques is the K-8 virtual learning academy. These schools combine traditional teaching in a brick-and-mortar location with the individualization and specialized methods available through online learning. This allows children to get the irreplaceable peer interaction they need while receiving a catered learning experience.
The decision to homeschool your child certainly isn’t one to be taken lightly. First, you have to be certain you are willing and able to put the time and effort necessary to give your child a quality education. You also need to ensure you have the space and resources required to provide a well-rounded, comprehensive lesson plan.
In order to teach your child effectively, you need to constantly be researching the curriculum yourself and seeking out new teaching methods to instruct your child effectively. There are homeschooling laws in place to ensure that each child has the opportunity to have a quality education. So before you begin, it’s important to review the laws and regulations carefully to be sure you are doing everything by the book.
Did you guessed that last week’ quotes were from Winnie-the-Pooh? Many of this quotes contain words of wisdom to the young and old. Yet he was known as “the bear with little brain”. How often are our children looked at as having little brain? Is it them or the way we teach. A Virtual School has the ability to teach children with methods and tools that fit their learning style and support their educational success. In Pooh’s words:
“A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”
You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
“There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. “
Educators to Get High Quality Digital Resources
posted by admin @ 8:00 AM
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The United States Department of Education has recognized the importance of online learning, especially to help rural schools keep pace with more developed districts. The DOE is creating an Online Learning 
Registry to make historical, artistic, and scientific primary-source materials more available.
At the National Rural Education Technology conference held July 21st, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, Knowledge knows no boundaries, and we cannot allow distance to stand between students, education, and opportunity. This is great news for a virtual school that also has a physical location, such as Mistacres School.
Virtual Learning is a wonderful way to allow children to find, rather then be told answers. This type of learning is longer lasting and certainly more fun,
We are often led to believe that a certain character in a story is not very smart when in reality that character is the smartest of all as is the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. This week’s Friday’s Quotes come from just such a character. Do you know who spoke these words of wisdom?
“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”
“You can’t help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn’t spell it right; but spelling isn’t everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn’t count.”
“People who don’t Think probably don’t have Brains; rather, they have grey fluff that’s blown into their heads by mistake.”
Feds See Importance of Online Learning in Rural Schools
posted by admin @ 8:00 AM
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The United States Department of Education has recognized the importance of online learning, especially to 
help rural schools keep pace with more developed districts. The DOE is creating an Online Learning Registry to make historical, artistic, and scientific primary-source materials more available.
At the National Rural Education Technology conference held July 21st, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, Knowledge knows no boundaries, and we cannot allow distance to stand between students, education, and opportunity. This is great news for a virtual school that also has a physical location, such as Mistacres School.
Earlier this month, New Hampshire received an approximately 11.6 million dollar grant to “support educational innovation in the state.” This came after the legislature lifted the moratorium on creating charter schools.
Charter schools are generally morel flexibility than most public schools. Virginia M. Barry Ph.D., New Hampshire’s Commissioner of Education, said “This grant will enable educators in the state to design bold and innovative educational opportunities for New Hampshire students.”
The grant listed five objectives:
” Increase the number of high-quality charter schools in New Hampshire, particularly those serving educationally disadvantaged students who are most at risk in rural and urban settings.
Offer districts the opportunity to create charter schools within their district to promote innovative practices.
Use federal grant funds to improve student achievement in secondary charter schools and increase graduation rates.
Support the dissemination of best practices developed in charter schools to other public schools and districts in the state.
Empower charter schools to become strong, independent organizations, while ensuring fiscally responsible practices. ” (education.gov/news/charter.htm)
Mistacres School currently provides educational experiences to students, particularly those for whom an alternative approach to learning is beneficial. It is our hope that, with this change in New Hampshire, they can now become licensed as a Charter School, giving them a the ability to reach many more students. We will make sure to up-date our status during the coming months,
I want to share with you some quotes from inspired people in history and literature. These quotes have made me happy and given me something to think about. They have led me to decide to provide online education to children. I hope you will enjoy them as well.
Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you. â¨- Aldous Huxley
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions. â¨- Anonymous
“…there is something you must always remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think….” Pooh Bear ( I was always partial to Winnie-the-Pooh)