Everest boosts Florida Virtual School’s laptop loaner program

Everest University Online, one of the nation’s leading online career colleges, has donated $14,000 to The Foundation for Florida Virtual School.

The donation is in support of the Laptop for Learners Program, which provides needy Virtual School students with a loaner laptop. Currently more than 35 students are being assisted through the program, according to a news release.

The 2011 Florida’s Digital Learning Act requires all public high school students to complete an online course before graduating. Florida Virtual School is a free public option.

For the rest of the article, go to Everest boosts Florida Virtual School’s laptop loaner program

Florida Virtual School Nation’s Top Online Course Provider

The Florida Virtual School remains the largest provider  of online courses in the country, according to a new report fromEvergreen Education Group.

Students enrolled in nearly 260,000 courses through the school in the 2010–2011 school year.

Florida trails other states in the number of students enrolled full-time in online programs, but a recently approved bill that expands full-time enrollment could raise those numbers. In addition, 56 school districts operate online programs offering full-time and part-time instruction.

For the rest of the article, go to Florida Virtual School Nation’s Top Online Course Provider

Vidyo First to Demonstrate Telepresence Quality Video Conferencing on New iPad with 3 Mega Pixel Data Collaboration

The new iPad’s 3MP Retina display leverages VidyoMobile’s data sharing feature, offering greater detail in content collaboration for vertical market applications like healthcare, government, education and manufacturing. Several Vidyo customers already use content sharing to enhance collaboration, for example, schools conduct virtual learning sessions using iPads, geographically dispersed manufacturing organizations enhance productivity by collaborating globally, and construction companies sharing blue prints to expedite decision making on remote projects without requiring expensive travel.

“VidyoMobile on the iPad provides physicians at Miami Children’s Hospital with a critical tool for treating patients as well as for clinical decision-making with other physicians,” said Ed Martinez, CIO at Miami Children’s Hospital. “The superb clarity of VidyoMobile on the iPad allows real-time collaboration. The new iPad’s increased screen resolution has the potential to enhance the ability of our physicians to diagnose and treat patients from wherever they are, not just in their offices or within the hospital boundaries.”

For the rest of the article, go to Vidyo First to Demonstrate Telepresence Quality Video Conferencing on New iPad with 3 Mega Pixel Data Collaboration

Registration for adult ed, community classes starts Monday

There are 26 Adult and Community Education school sites in the county, including one full-time Adult Education Center and one Virtual Education program.

During the 2009-10 school year, more than 25,000 community members participated in Community Education programs, according to the school district. The Adult Education program served 9,630 students and the ESOL program served 16,328 students, with 1,585 residents earning their GED diploma.

For the rest of the article, go to Registration for adult ed, community classes starts Monday

Explaining Florida’s Booming Online Academy

The school only receives funding for students who successfully complete a course. That provides incentives to actually teach students, but penalizes the school for students who withdraw from a class prior to completion.

In addition, the school turns millions in profit providing classes out-of-state, licensing curriculum and training educators in online education.

The results have pleased lawmakers. The Florida Legislature approved a bill this year that will make it easier for students to pick and choose which courses they take and open up online courses to more elementary schools students.

For the rest of the article, go to Explaining Florida’s Booming Online Academy

Fallacies about teachers

According to a report in Florida Today, the Florida Legislature, supported by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), plans on portraying teachers as “overcompensated underachievers” in an apparent effort to continue dismantling Florida’s public school system, replacing it with corporate-run, for-profit, public charter/virtual schools.

Another report, co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute, concludes teachers are overpaid, underworked, not as smart and receive better benefits at lower cost than nonpublic employees.

Malarkey! I’ll use personal career experience to debunk this travesty of intelligent reasoning.

First, a brief biography. I have an electrical-engineering degree and worked in private industry for 24 years. I have been a teacher for seven years, a union member since day one and a part of Marion Education Association’s leadership for six of those seven years.

For the rest of the article, go to Fallacies about teachers

Florida Virtual School could offer elementary school options

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – A bill that expands online learning opportunities to elementary school-age children has been passed by the Florida House.

The bill (HB 7063) was approved by a vote of 100-16 on Tuesday and now goes to the Senate.

For the rest of the article, go to Florida Virtual School could offer elementary school options

Charters taking from public schools

As this year’s legislative session nears an end, those reformers are pushing to allow charter schools greater freedom to expand, to take over public schools if parents want that, to give charter schools a slice of property taxes for construction and maintenance, provide more vouchers and to expand virtual education programs.

These reformers, instead of wanting to improve public schools, seem intent on turning their backs on them.

And while their motives may be good, their cumulative actions are destructive.

Any one of these suggestions, in and of itself, may not be harmful. But they all cost money — money for the most part taken from public schools that are already struggling financially.

For the rest of the article, go to Charters taking from public schools

Jeb Bush’s foundation has shaped education policy in Florida

This session, Bush and his nonprofit organization, the Foundation for Florida’s Future, have helped to fast-track a stream of legislation that could reset the education equation in Florida. The bills, moving steadily through both the House and Senate, could gradually shift the financial and competitive advantage away from traditional public schools to private schools and charter schools, which are often managed by for-profit companies. Other proposals push virtual-learning initiatives.

The foundation says it supports high standards and accountability for all schools: public, charter, private and virtual included. Its supporters say the efforts will lead to dramatic improvements in student achievement – and make the Sunshine State a national leader in education reform.

For the rest of the article, go to Jeb Bush’s foundation has shaped education policy in Florida

Legislation could benefit schools

Conservative education reformers are back in the state Capitol this year with an array of proposals that would strengthen alternatives to Florida’s traditional public schools, from more private school vouchers to expanded virtual education programs.

But the bills promoting charter schools are generating the most resistance from public school districts.

After years of budget cuts, many district leaders oppose the plan to share property tax collections for building and maintenance programs with charter schools. Legislation that would allow a majority of parents to shut down a traditional public school and reopen it as a charter has drawn intense debate.

For the res of the article, go to Legislation could benefit schools