PLATO Learning Launches Robust Online Electives Offering

This article is from Virtual Strategy Magazine

PLATO Learning, a leading provider of online education solutions for pre-kindergarten through adult learners, has partnered with Calgary-based eDynamic Learning to deliver an expanded offering of online electives courses. Together, they provide schools and districts with the curriculum needed for core and elective courses to effectively prepare students for college and career.

The Secondary Electives Library includes 24 semester-long courses for students in grades 9-12 including psychology, sociology, forensic science, music appreciation, and photography. This diverse offering of electives keeps students motivated and engaged in the learning process and gives them the opportunity to pursue their choice of a broad range of interests.

Acme Packet University Charts the "Course" for the Next-Generation of Interactive Communications

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal. Here is an excerpt:

Against the backdrop of a complex, dynamic, and sometimes confusing marketplace, Acme Packet(R)APKT -0.40% , the leader in session delivery networks, today announced the first annual Acme Packet University, a day of discussion and discourse to clarify and set the stage for the future of the IP communications industry. This invitation-only event for media and analysts features company executives and industry thought leaders, and will be held Thursday, March 15, 2012 at the Harvard Faculty Club in Cambridge, MA.

House opens up online learning options

This article is from The Miami Herald

 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.

It allows the Florida Virtual School to expand part-time course offerings to children in kindergarten through third grade.

The bill also removes the requirement that public school students spend at least a year in public school before they can enroll in Virtual School classes.

Supporters say it will promote school choice and support homeschooled children.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/06/2678444/house-opens-up-online-learning.html#storylink=cpy

Pushing Free Online Learning in a New Direction

This article is from Bloomberg Business Week

Business professors from several top universities in the U.S. are among a dozen instructors participating in one of the online education market’s latest experiments, a new website called the Faculty Project. Like many free online course offerings, the program, launched in late January, allows professors to upload free courses and supplementary course material. What makes it unique is that it also allows professors to interact with students, and students with each other, via online discussion boards. It is an offshoot of Udemy, a for-profit company launched in 2010 that lets people design and sell courses through its online platform.

Online learning opportunities in Colorado

This article is from Colorado Education

“A full-time Online Education Program in Colorado is defined as..."a non-religious, non-sectarian full-time online education program or school . . . that delivers a sequential program of synchronous or asynchronous instruction from a teacher to a student primarily through the use of technology via the internet in a virtual or remote setting."

Online schooling differs from traditional (brick and mortar) schools since classes do not take place in a building, but instead at home, on the road, or wherever an Internet connection can be found. Students take courses online with support from their teacher via phone, online Web meetings, and sometimes even face to face.

MIT's initiative to promote online learning

This article is from The Hindu

Lending a new dimension to online learning, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has launched MITx, under which selection of its courses will be offered through an online interactive learning platform.

And it encourages students worldwide to take part in the initiative.

MITx course materials are meant to foster learning at an individual pace. It features interactivity, online laboratories and student-to-student communication. MIT officials believe this will help to enhance the learning of their on-campus students as well, supplementing their classroom experience.

Cal State's Online Plan

This article is from Inside Higher Ed

The California State University System on Friday released new documents describing its plans for a centralized online learning hub, moving the system closer to its vision of a top-flight virtual campus while drawing skepticism from some faculty.

The portal, called Cal State Online, will serve as a gateway to all virtual courses offered by the system’s 23 campuses. The goal is to increase capacity at California State, where massive budget cuts have coincided with a rising demand for higher ed degrees. System officials hope a centrally administered approach to online education will enable the university to enroll more online students and turn away fewer qualified applicants.

Sonoma State Offering Free ESL Classes to the Community

This article is from RohnertParkPatch 

Take advantage of this great opportunity at Sonoma State University — let your parents, friends and neighbors know that the campus is hosting free English as a Second Language classes from March 6 through May 4. 

Classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Stevenson 3044. The courses include practice conversation, listening, grammar and reading and writing skills.

Sleepy Hollow Addresses 'Needs Improvement' Rating

This article is from Tarry Town 

Sleepy Hollow Middle School has already begun implementing a number of recommendations to help improve its “School In Need of Improvement” designation under the No Child Left Behind Act, officials said during Thursday's board of education meeting.

The programs address the sub-group of students in English classes that did not meet state test standards in the 2010-11 school year, which was English as a Second Language (ESL) students who have passed a language proficiency test but are still not fluent in the English language. To remove the SINI designation, the school must show that every sub-group in every subject meets standards for two consecutive years.

Ga. University System to Look at Online Learning

This article  is from Coosa Valley News
University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby named a task force Thursday to look for ways to improve how the system’s 35 colleges and universities provide online education. The effort will be part of an initiative aimed at increasing the state’s college graduation rate.
`The economic future of Georgia depends upon more Georgians completing some level of college education,` Huckaby said in a prepared statement. `We have to make better use of our distance education resources and ramp up our efforts to help us meet state workforce needs.`
Lisa Rossbacher, president of Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga., will head the 10-member Distance Education Task Force.
The panel also will include Georgia Perimeter College President Anthony Tricoli and administrators from Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University.

NBTHS hopes to have good fortune with new online learning class

This article  is from Sentinel 

About 30 students have shown interest in a new Mandarin class that will be offered online next year at North Brunswick Township High School (NBTHS).

The New Jersey Virtual School (NJVS) program is the high school’s first attempt to offer online learning during the school year, “a 21st-century skill our kids really need,” according to Kevin Farrell, director of guidance.

The course would be offered for one period each school day, but students would work at their own pace. They would be supervised by an NBTHS staff member, but would have access to a NJVS instructor using a chat option. They would learn basic Mandarin, such as numbers, the alphabet, culture and basic conversation. The course would fulfill a one-year world language requirement, because there would be assignments, assessments and participation grades as in a regular instructional class.

MIT launches 'fully automated' online learning courses

This article is from Virtual College

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revealed it is to launch the world's first ever fully automated online learning courses.

It will be free for students to sign up to and will focus on electronics, with the classes set to begin in March, reports BBC News.

The Boston-based university announced its intention to branch out into e-learning shortly before Christmas and the creation of the online courses will come under the MITx brand.

Anant Agarwal, director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, will be one of the teachers in charge of the online learning and stated the aim is to continue to make the course material engaging for those who sign up to take part in the scheme.

Online learning embraced by US educational facility

This article is from Virtual College

A new online learning system has been launched by an educational establishment in the US that is hoping to improve access to studying material to its students as a result.

Iowa Connections Academy has set up the full-time online K-12 public school, which will be taught by licensed teachers across the state, with the same requirements asked of students who sign up.

Sophomore Connor Bacon is backing the new idea and he told local news provider ABC 5 he thinks school is "boring" and "not interesting".

"I think I'll be able to stay more focused and get things done and succeed," he said of the chance to use the online learning system, rather than sit in a traditional classroom and be taught face-to-face by a teacher.

MIT Unveils Free Online Class, is This the Future of Higher Education?

This article is from Geek System

Renowned as a premiere institute of higher learning for the sundry sciences, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a new program that will bring a free version of one of its classes online. The program is called MITx, and the first of its fully automated courses kicks off this fall with 6.002x Circuits and Electronics. In addition to no costs, there are no prerequisites, anyone anywhere can sign up, and will receive a certificate upon completion. Seems like everyone is giving away university courses these days, huh?

As readers will recall, Stanford kicked off the trend for free online learning from major institutions last year with its free A.I. course taught by Sebastian Thrun. The course was, by all accounts, an overwhelming success. So much so that Thrun announced he was leaving Stanford and founding his own free online learning initiative called Udacity, which has quadrupled the number of classes since we last wrote about them.

HS online learning bill advances

This article  is from Wane.com 

A bill that would require students in Indiana to take a virtual instruction course before they graduate from high school has cleared its first hurdle, Senate Republicans announced Wednesday.

The bill, authored by Republican State Sen. Jim Banks of Columbia City, is aimed at ensuring high school students are proficient in online learning before they enter college or the workforce. It passed out of the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development Wednesday with a 9-1 vote. The bill will now move on to the full Senate.

“Technology has changed how we work and live,” saidBanks. “The ability to work with new technologies is absolutely necessary for our modern workforce, and students must be prepared.”

Banks’ bill would require students – beginning with the freshman class of 2013 – to have at least one virtual instruction course or credit requirement go toward their Core 40 diploma.

Ivy Tech Community College has said it will provide the technology for these courses, which would enable high school students to get dual credit, according to Senate Republicans.

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett included the online coursework bill in his list of priorities for the 2012 legislative session.

Banks said the bill will be a cost-savings measure, helping schools make better use of time and teacher talent.  He said Florida, Idaho and Michigan have already passed similar legislation.

Essential Learning and the Child Welfare League of Canada Partner to Offer E-Learning Solutions to Members

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

 Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC) is now offering discounts on online staff training solutions provided by Essential Learning. Through CWLC's relationship with the Child Welfare League of America, we have partnered with Essential Learning, the largest provider of e-learning solutions to the behavioral health and human service industry.

Essential Learning offers access to more than 900 hours of online training courses for child welfare and human service workers, clinicians, supervisors, and managers. The courses are designed for both paraprofessional and professional staff on topics ranging from basic work skills to advanced social services skills.

The following topics are only a sample of what is included in the library:

        
        --  An Ethics Primer for Work in a Community or Social Service
            Organization
        --  Confidentiality in Community and Social Services
        --  Depressive Disorders in Children and Adolescents
        --  Trauma Informed Treatment for Children with Challenging Behaviors
        --  Working with Children in Families Affected by Substance Use
        --  Cultural Diversity
        --  Infection Prevention
        --  Co-occurring Disorders
        --  Adolescent Suicide
        
        

"With training budgets already stretched, implementing an e-learning solution is a cost-effective method of making sure all staff is receiving relevant and comprehensive access to courses that will enhance the level of support we provide to the vulnerable children and families we serve." Peter M. Dudding, CEO Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC)

E-Learning Benefits:

        
        --  Reduce overall training costs and increase staff productivity
        --  Meet national accrediting body training requirements -- COA, CARF
        --  Provide high quality continuing education to professional and direct
            support staff
        --  Access courses developed with CWLC/CWLA on child welfare issues
        
        

CWLC members receive 10% discount on Elevate(TM) LMS subscription fees. Elevate is a state-of-the-art learning management system and includes a customized organizational training site and comprehensive online training and management system with top-notch reporting and monitoring capabilities for tracking course completion and compliance with licensing mandates. It also provides on-demand access to all CWLC, CWLA and EL courses for your entire staff, as well as the ability to customize courses from the EL library, add new courses of your own, and develop new courses with the assistance of EL staff.

About Essential Learning Essential Learning, based in San Diego, California, was founded in 2002 by Susan Erskine and Lorraine Watson, PhD. both former healthcare executives with extensive clinical and administrative experience in the behavioral health industry. Essential Learning has grown to become the largest provider of e-learning services to behavioral health, substance abuse, community health, corrections, developmental disability and child welfare service organizations throughout the United States and Canada. We provide flexible E-Learning solutions to meet your needs: CEQuick for individuals, Elevate Learning Management System for organizations, Enterprise solutions for large organizations and partnerships.

About Child Welfare League of Canada The Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC) is the voice for child welfare issues across Canada. Established in 1994, CWLC is a membership-based national organization dedicated to promoting the well-being and protection of vulnerable young people. CWLC plays a significant role in promoting best practices among those in the field of child welfare, child rights, children and youth mental health and youth justice.