Redefining Education through the Virtual Classroom

The article I read talked about how almost 300,000 high schoolers are attending online classes. (And that was estimated in 2002-2003!) Many take an online class to obtain access to classes their school may not offer, to gain more knowledge for college, or accommodate to a jammed schedule. Virtual schools and classes make available a whole new world of courses. For unique college electives to high school advanced placement classes, it challenges students to work independently and helps them portray time management and efficiency. Some advantages for using online classes are; the flexibility of courses, the easy access to teachers through email, the teacher can use live instruction to lecture, the course material can be given in many electronic formats, and the ease of not traveling a far distance to a classroom.
I have taken a total of three online classes in college so far and I absolutely love them! I do not live on campus so it makes it so much easier to not have to travel up to FGCU every time my class meets. It lightens up the amount of traveling making me feel more at ease and less stressed about driving 40 min to school every day. I love the fact that the teachers can be emailed and respond quickly for any problem. I also like that I can work on projects or class work at any time, not just a certain hour every week.
I think it would be great to know how Online Virtual Classrooms affect younger students such as middle schoolers or higher elementary. My brother is a sixth grader and he uses the computer for school work all the time. I think under the teacher’s supervision, having young students take quizzes on the computer or use Virtual Fieldtrips would help them learn how to use a Virtual Classroom in the future.

Article:
http://www.edutopia.org/high-school-dot-com

Video Streaming in Education

What is Video Streaming? Video Streaming is a great educational resource that gives students and teachers access to standard-based video programs instantly - over the Internet. It works by enabling the real time, or on-demand distribution of audio, video and multimedia on the internet. Streaming media is the simultaneous transfer of digital media (video, voice, and data) so that it is received as a continuous real-time stream. It is transmitted by a server application and received and displayed in real time bu client applications such as Microsoft Windows Media Player or the QuickTime Player. These applications can start displaying the video as soon as enough data has been received and stored in the station’s buffer.
Some benefits of using Video Streaming in Education are; being able to find video online for any subject and any grade (such as chemistry, general science, and language arts and reading.) Another use for video streaming in the classroom is to provide samples of lesson plans, teacher activities, guides, and correlations for teachers’ use. The dynamic content of Video Streaming catches students’ attention, helping to keep them focused on the lesson at hand.
I believe that there is a great deal of information about using Video Steaming in Education online and have not only included the cite to this article for your viewing but also links to other educational Video Website.
Article:
http://www.ripbs.org/Education/video_streaming.html
Other Educational Streaming Video Links:
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm (Check out this website by Discovery Channel! It is a awesome online group of Videos for students and teachers.)
http://edtech.guhsd.net/video.html (Video in Education)

Students and Teachers Hit the Podcasts

I am not very familiar with podcasting so this article from The New York Times, helped me not only learn how it can be used in education but also what Podcasting is. Podcasting is an audio recording online that can be heard through a computer or downloaded to a mobile device like an iPod. Currently, iTunes carried more then 400 educational podcasts from kindergarten through 12th grade classes and Yahoo has nearly 900 education-related podcasts. Many are produced by teachers wanting to reach other educators with teaching tips, while others are created by students for students.
Although students and teachers have been producing podcasts for years, typically with tape or reel-to-reel machines, podcasting is more popular and much easier. Educators say that they are much easier to edit digitally using a computer. One of the biggest difference though is that they are available to the world through the web.
One misconception teachers may have about podcasting is that they need an Ipod or other portable audio device to create and listen to podcasts. But the truth of the matter is you only need a computer and a microphone to record an educational podcast. The sound can be edited, and music and other audio elements can be easily added.
More information would be useful in the area of podcasts by seeing how they could help disabled students. Those who are blind, or have mental disablities. I think listening to a podcast could be a great way for these students to learn.
I have attached a link to a National Geographic Podcast that talk about the week’s top nature stories. This would be a great educational podcast in any science class of all ages! http://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/ngnews.html

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/technology/techspecial2/25podcast.html