I Hear the Train a Comin’

Dr. Rob Darrow Dr. Kelly SchwirzkeFall CUE, Oct. 2011

Contact

Dr. Kelly SchwirzkeCoordinator Online Learning. Santa Cruz County Office of Education. • kschwirzke@santacruz.k12.

ca.us• https://sites.google.com/site/s

ccoealted/

Dr. Rob DarrowPresident, Online Learning Visions• rob@onlinelearningvisions.co

m

• http://robdarrow.pbworks.com

What are your train journeys?

What are your train stories?

Sacramento Train Station, c. 1850

What are your train stories?

What are you doing with online learning?How did you start?

What models work for online learning?

What did you learn writing your dissertation?

What are the implications of what you learned?

9th 10th 11th

56%

48%46%

64%60%

57%

Online Charters Traditional Schools

Year: 2008-2009CST ELA Comparisons (Darrow, 2010)

Percent Proficient and Above

Year: 2007-2008 Dropout Percentages by Grade (Darrow, 2010)

9th 10th 11th 12th

22%

29%32%

59%

0.70% 0.50% 0.70%4.00%

Online Charters Traditional Schools

Recommendations (Darrow, 2010)• Need a uniform way to count online school students

• Innovation grants and research grants needed for online learning in California

• Common standards for K-12 online learning should be adopted

• Ongoing finance model for online schools needed in California; current school funding finance models don’t fit with online courses

Key Trends (Schwirzke, 2011)

• Decision-makers are sometimes school-based but moving towards district-wide decisions

• Key factors are cost, competition, and addressing gaps in opportunities

• Gap between superintendent perceptions of the importance & need v. current implementation

13

Implications for California2009

Lack of state level leadership

Lack of cohesive vision

Lack of quality standards

Lack of funding model

Restrictive UC Online Course Policy

Lack of teacher training

Lack of California actionable data.

2011 CDE Online Learning projects

CCSESA eLearning Framework

iNAOCL/CLRN Quality Standards

CUE Leg Advocacy Committee

UC a-g Advisory Board

Leading Edge Teacher Certification

Rob and Kelly

Defining Terms: Teaching and Learning

• Textbook Enhanced Teaching• Technology Enhanced Teaching (not online)• Web/Online Enhanced Teaching• Blended Teaching• Online Teaching

Why does this matter?

The goal is student achievement, but…if we don’t know what “it” looks like:–We can’t count it–We can’t study it

(research)–We don’t know if

it’s making a difference

–We can’t teach it to others

What guides your ongoing learning about online learning?

What are the barriers that derail conversations and moving forward?

Transcontinental RR Barriers

• Congress could not decide on a route– Some wanted southern, some northern

• 1849 – Gold discovered in Ca. Silver in Nevada(but still Congress could not agree)– Nevada builds railroad and Ca builds to Sacramento

• 1853 – Congress set up a committee – sent out 4 survey teams– Results shared: south wanted south, North wanted

north

• 1861 – South secedes (Civil War)• 1862 – Congress authorizes a Central Route to

Ca– to bind California to the Union

1

2

3

4

Proposed Railroad Routes, 1859

First State Online Schools, 1995

The Visionaries/Innovators

Key Barriers (Schwirzke, 2011)

Barrier 2007 2009 2011

Restrictive federal, state, or local laws or

policies

18.

1 20.0 28.1

Limited technological infrastructure 15.1 23.8 43.8

The need for teacher training 36.3 37.5 39.7

Concerns about funding based on student

attendance 39.9 43.8 41.1

Course development and/or purchasing costs 42.9 48.0 44.5

Concerns about course quality

51.

1 48.6 56.2

What guides your ongoing learning about online learning?

• iNACOL• VSS

conference• Keeping Pace• JOLT• SLOAN surveys• CUE

conference• eSchoolNews• Colleagues

What guides your learning?

• Reading• Writing• Blogs • Google Plus• Twitter• Conferences• Conversations

What is your path/plan? Individual, classroom, school, or district?

• Implementation• Definitions• Legislation

Think in terms of 3-5 years from now (not just today).

Think about what can be, not what is.

This is a journey, not a destination.