Connections Academy
This institution is Accredited by AdvancED the national
accreditation commission that represents tens of thousands of educational
institutions across the United States. Ohio Connections Academy is also
accredited by The North Central Association Commission. A parent looking to
evaluate educational programs for their own prospective student would feel some
assurance by these accreditations.
The FAQ’s page on the site provides information a multitude
of topics a first time visitor would inquire as well as the parent or guardian
of a current student. Topics such as
student time spent on the computer, curriculum, financial structure of the
organization, books and materials and a host of other topics. I found this feature very helpful as I
strived to become familiar with this school choice.
I also appreciated that the school provides specific
expectations for the role of the parent or learning coach of each student. They
also limit the number of students that each parent/learning coach can
manage.
The learning management system Connexus is accessible 24
hours a day. Students can view daily and
monthly schedules, access lessons and watch their progress, all from the
learning platform. Web mail and message
boards are provided to facilitate communication between students and teachers.
There are online learning resources and also a product called LiveLesson® that
allows for broadcasts of live lessons.
Another tool for students that I thought was unique was
something called Teachlets® are tutorials and learning games that uses
graphics, video and audio to engage the learner.
Connections Academy provides the following subjects
English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Geography, Art, Physical
Education, Music, home-life, World Language, tech literacy and other enrichment
subject areas.
Connections Academy would definitely be on my short list
with its high Parent Satisfaction rates and efforts to connect parents with
prospective families. This reassurance
goes a long way while navigating the Distance Learning Choices in Ohio.
Virtual Schoolhouse
Virtual Schoolhouse is a K-12 charter school that boasts
their acceptance of students of all abilities, backgrounds and needs. They
offer a “mix of delivery methods” in their academic program. I do appreciate their professed commitment to
economically disadvantaged students, special needs students as well as ethnically
diverse students. The student body is
however well over 80% African-American. This in my mathematical calculations, a
largely homogenous student body.
There are multiple areas in which Virtual Schoolhouse (VSH)
could improve as they present themselves as a quality option for Distance
Learning.
There is no specific information on the curriculum being
used by the school. No evidence of
accreditation that I could find on the website.
There is no information about what learning management system is being
used or what the DL user interface entails. Three calls to the institution in
order to inquire of this yielded no answer.
Descriptions for their programs are vague and offer little
insight into the school. The digital
copy student handbook offered on the site is several years old.
I was interested in seeing the subject area offerings,
Parent contact for feedback.
Judging from the website alone, this school would not be my
first choice. A site visit and interview
would be necessary before I would even put it on a list of prospective
schools.
ECOT
The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) has been around
for over 10 years. It is fully accredited
by the North Central Association and is certified by the Ohio Alliance for
Public Charter Schools. This accreditation and the over a decade of distance
learning education is a huge selling point with parents with multiple distance
learning options.
ECOT provides one computer per student and also provides a
high speed cable connection for students to connect to ECOT’s secure Web-based
network. Students may log on 24 hrs. a
day, 7 days a week. The broadband connection is a great option for families who
do not have an internet service provider.
The ECOT website does not offer a FAQ’s page. However I
believe that most questions would be answered after visiting the information on
the various pages. The information is
quite comprehensive.
The learning management system, IQity® is a cloud-based
learning platform with high reviews due
to its dynamic learning objects and customizable classrooms and content. I deem
the learning management system as an important factor because it should be easy
to navigate and appropriate for the learner and the age group in question. User friendliness is imperative when school
age students are the users vs. adult learners.
I would definitely put ECOT on my short list of distance
learning options. They have the
experience, the technology and the professional wherewithal to offer a quality
educational experience.
Ohio Virtual Academy
This online k-12 institution professes to use the K12
curriculum. This school does not provide
laptops like many other distance learning offerings. They do state that computers, printers, books,
CD and tools such as microscopes are offered.
They also provide a stipend for internet services. I must say that as I browse the site, I don’t
get the gist of what the school is truly about.
The school offers F2F events for socializing with students
and teachers and a parent advisory council to allow parents the opportunity to
participate in school events and be able to voice their concerns. It seems Ohio
Virtual Academy is a part of a larger network of schools in the K12
enterprise. I think the site is
comprehensive in the information it provides, however I think the organization
of the site is clumsy and confusing at times.
Where is the mission of the school? the vision? I couldn’t find anything on mission or the
goal of the school. As far as K12 as a
viable option for my child’s distance learning choice, I’d need more information. Perhaps an interview or phone conversation
and visit.
Virtual School Community of Ohio
This school has been in operation since 2001. This community
school is sponsored by Reynoldsburg Community Schools. Once enrolled in the
VCSO, students in grades K-5 use the Connections Learning Curriculum. Students
in grades 6-12 use the Florida Virtual Global School Curriculum. This is the first distance learning option that I
noticed making use of Blackboard. Students are able to interact socially during
live online Blackboard instruction. VCSO
also offers face to face learning in their local office. Students are equipped
with a laptop and a box of learning materials to facilitate their coursework. As I browse the site to get more information,
I get the feeling that the school really tries to live up to the word community
in its name. There is a sense of familial
warmth I get from the images in the pics of staff and students as well as the
parents. The vision and mission for the school are clearly stated, albeit
brief, on the website. It is
their mission to make a difference in the life of a child. Their vision is to become a world-class educational
organization. I believe this school is
well on its way. I saw very few red flags
that would be indicative of me eliminating this school as a distance learning
option. My first step with this
institution would be to find out more about the Florida Virtual Global School
Curriculum.
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