Virtual Schooling Growing at K-12 Level (Though not in Madison)

Bill Kaczor:

As a seventh-grader, Kelsey-Anne Hizer was getting mostly D's and F's and felt the teachers at her Ocala middle school were not giving her the help she needed. But after switching to a virtual school for eighth grade, Kelsey-Anne is receiving more individual attention and making A's and B's. She's also enthusiastic about learning, even though she has never been in the same room as her teachers.

Kelsey-Anne became part of a growing national trend when she transferred to Orlando-based Florida Virtual School. Students get their lessons online and communicate with their teachers and each other through chat rooms, e-mail, telephone and instant messaging.

"It's more one-on-one than regular school," Kelsey-Anne said. "It's more they're there; they're listening."

Meanwhile, just down the street at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jan Miernowski, Professor of Italian and French won a national award for his online learning course.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at September 8, 2007 12:00 AM
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