How the Online Education Revolution Is Affecting K-12?

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Flex, Enriched-virtual, Self-blended, Rotational, contrary to your assumptions are not terms used to describe apps or cars or types of virtual gaming. These terms are descriptions of an incipient learning form referred to as hybrid learning or blended learning. In its report published in 2011 the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, abbreviated as iNACOL, indicates the use of blended learning pedagogy is increasing and is being used in some countries more than online learning. Simply put it is growing. 

Contrary to common perception, blended learning and online learning are vastly different as opined by iNACOL. According to it, blended learning happens to be a mode of learning that has room for in class activities of students in a physical classroom while online learning is totally independent of the classroom and requires to physical presence of the student at all. 

To elucidate the position of blended learning, we can think of a curve where there is traditional schools on one extreme and fully online courses on the other. Blended learning falls anywhere in between depending on the particular fusion of online learning and campus based learning being implemented.. You can form a better idea about blended learning and its use in K12 classrooms from the facts and figures below:

As stated by the non-profit think tank Innosight institute more and more K-12 students take part in online learning in one form or the other. The numbers are 45,000 in 2000 to an overwhelming number in excess of four million in 2010. Also the U.S. has witnessed an average annual growth of 30% in K-12 online education from 2001-2011. As things stood in 2012 16 states in the US offered full time online schools to all K-12 students. All states except Tennessee and Delaware offered supplemental online learning to students at one, some or all K-12 grade levels.

This growth of blended learning is not driven by the US alone. Developed countries and urban areas provide the most opportunities for accessing blended and online learning. The regions offering the most access currently are Asia, Australia, New Zealand, North America and Western Europe.

The difference between blended and online learning as measured in terms of methods, location and primary users are:

The methods used in blended learning are some campus instruction and some online instruction while online learning involves online instruction only.. The location is the school or at a school or remote site while that of online learning is at a school or remote site. The primary users of blended learning are students in traditional classrooms and those of online learning are students outside the classroom. 

Coming back to terms like stated before like flex, rotation etc, we will now take a closer look at what they are. In the rotation model the teacher leverages online resources in labs, learning centers, or for homework assignments. It occurs at school and the homework is done at school or off-site. Flex entails learning which primarily occurs online with teacher providing additional instruction or face to face support. It occurs at school and the teacher is on site. In the self-blend model we find students take one or more classes online to enrich learning. It occurs at school or off-site. The enriched-virtual mode is an online whole-school experience that is supplemented by on-site or other instruction and occurs primarily off-site. 

The issue of whether teachers teaching via the blended learning mode require training is one subject to debate. 11% of countries require a special license or credential. 72% of countries with blended and online teachers participate in professional development. 25% of countries require specific training. In the US digital learning is going from strength to strength with 700 plus bills in 2012 were considered in state houses across the country which were related to digital learning and one hundred and fifty two were signed into law. In states like Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Virginia online learning is a criterion for high school graduation.

The 2012 Digital Learning report card issued by digital learning now, measures the effectiveness of online learning programs with the following criteria; student eligibility and access, personalized learning and advancement, content, instruction and choices of quality, assessment and accountability, funding and deliver. The top ranking states were, Utah(92%),Florida(87%), Georgia(83%),Minnesota(83%) and Kansas(81%) and Virginia(81%).

Learning and education is undergoing a major transformational shift and online learning and blended learning are just some of the modes in which learning of the future will be carried out. These developments affect all levels and K-12 is no exception. K-12 learning is as affected and holds as much promise with the incorporation of these elements in its overall form.

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