Many Working Models Available for Virtual Ed

Friday, March 24, 2006
By Eric Crump/Staff writer

Editor's note: This is the final article in a series about a virtual public school proposal in Missouri.
How will a virtual public school actually work if current legislation to create one is approved?
No one can say for certain yet since the details remain to be worked out and the legislation gives the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) a good deal of flexibility in giving the program its final shape.
But there are plenty of existing online learning programs that provide a glimpse of the possibilities, according to James Tice, chairman of the Missouri Distance Learning Initiative (MDLI).
"Currently in Missouri hundreds of students are taking high school courses delivered by I-TV (Interactive Television) in real time over the Internet," he said in an e-mail message. "Hundreds of other students are taking courses over the Internet in synchronous (real time) through Web-based software."
And several thousand Missouri students are taking course work asynchronously -- that is, not in real-time; tools such as e-mail and Web forums are considered asynchronous -- over the Internet from a variety of providers, he said.
Cable and satellite networks will add possibilities as well.
Tice said that MDLI published an interim report in November aimed at guiding members of the Missouri General Assembly and DESE officials. The address is included below.
The legislation, House Bill 1275 and Senate Bill 912, will, if approved, provide DESE with the option to select a variety of providers to create the virtual school, so students may have a number of options to choose from.
One existing virtual public school already in operation suggests the range of possibilities. According to the Florida Virtual School Web site: "To assure student success with virtual learning, a variety of Web-based, technology-based and traditional resources are provided. Teachers communicate with students and parents on a regular basis via phone, e-mail, online chats, instant messaging, and discussion forums."