Virtual school to open soon

No longer will students have to choose between taking extracurricular courses and core classes to graduate. Some could even stay home and do school work when it's convenient.

Students can also take the online course option to avoid taking a class with a teacher he or she might not like.

Online courses are changing the way the school district offers classes as officials implement an Internet teaching program this month as a way to offer students more choices to make up failed classes or skip ahead.

Students can also take courses in the library or other locations on middle and high school campuses as well as at home.

Beginning this year, Melody Whitaker, a STAR guidance counselor, said students can take all their courses online and graduate with a high school diploma.

Whitaker said home school parents have also contacted the district curious about the program as a way for their child to take advanced courses while still learning from home.

"Students are finding that this offers flexibility in their schedule and can bypass scheduling conflicts in school, since they can choose to take a course online instead," Whitaker said. "And for class sizes, this allows for a greater number of students to take a course and the students in turn can learn at their own pace."

She added colleges and universities are increasingly requiring students to take at least one online course. She said in some cases, classes are enrolling more than 800 students at a time and only allowing a small number of them to attend the classroom while the rest follow along online.

Creating its own franchise, the school district also has the opportunity to recoup education funding for district-registered and home-schooled children. While the district is estimated to recoup $100,959 next year, school officials estimate the amount could be more than $1 million.

Teaching beyond school walls

Beginning Monday, Aug. 2, roughly 25 teachers will begin training to learn how to educate students sitting in front of a computer rather than in front of them in a classroom.

Funding for the teachers in part will depend on how many students succeed in completing and passing the online courses.

Debbie Harris, eSchool and STAR Education Center principal, said it's a big change for teachers to learn the ins and outs of reaching students in addition to knowing how to navigate online through Florida Virtual School.

She said area educators have expressed interest in expanding their instructional skills to the Internet. Those who teach full-time can also teach online and receive additional pay. Harris said the amount of extra income is still being negotiated.

"The program still gives leeway for teachers to add their personal touch to the curriculum," Harris said. "What's great about this is these are local teachers working with local students, so along with communicating through the Internet and telephone, if needed students could meet with teachers face to face for tutoring."

She said some teachers know all too well the importance of online learning. Nowadays teachers nationwide have more opportunities to gain their teaching certification through online courses.

"We've had a number of applicants who've shared their experiences with online courses and what worked and didn't work for them," Harris said.

Meanwhile, as of press deadline, Harris said teaching applications were still being reviewed. The website listing eSchool classes is also being updated.

Once those steps are complete, she said parents and students are encouraged to go to the HCSB website to register which classes they would like to take. They then would have to check back in August to see which ones will be offered next semester."

"This really is the wave of the future - but it will take us some time to get the hang of it," Harris said. "Once we do, I think we'll see online courses take off in leaps and bounds."