Barbour, M. K. (2010, March). The impact of virtual schooling curriculum on in-service teachers preparing for the new roles in the virtual school environment. A poster presentation to the Educational Design Research: Local Change & Global Impact – A Special Conference to Honor Professor Thomas C. Reeves Upon His Retirement from the University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

1. The Impact of
Curriculum on
Preparing for
Virtual School

2. Virtual Schooling
In-Service
TeachersNew Roles
in the Environment

4. Growth
Students Enrolled in Online Courses
• 2001 = 40,000 – 50,000 (Clark)
• 2009 = 1,000,000 K-12 (Picciano& Seaman)
Students Enrolled in Online Courses
• 44 States reporting significant K-12 online
learning activity
2006 – Michigan adds online learning graduation
requirement

5. MI Online Learning Requirement
• Added 3 new standards for teachers in Educational
Technology
1. Online Technology Experience and Skills
2. Online Course Design
3. Online Course Delivery
• Necessitated changes to all endorsement programs in
the state
• At Wayne State University changed reflected in IT6230
– preparing teachers for three new roles
1. Virtual School Designer
2. Virtual School Teacher
3. Virtual School Facilitator

6. IT6230 – Internet in the Classroom
1. Generational Differences (2 weeks)
– dispelling digital natives/millennials myths
– exploring “Generation Me”
1. Web 2.0 Tools (6 weeks)
– blogs, RSS, wikis, microblogging, social bookmarking,
social networking, collaborative tools
1. K-12 Online Learning (7 weeks)

7. Data-Driven Decisions
• Content analysis of the students reflective
discussions
• Analysis of artifacts from student assignments
• Student evaluation of teaching
• Instructor’s personal reflections
– doctoral students’ (i.e., co-instructors’) reflections

8. Cycle 1
Winter 2008

9. • Adopted Teacher
Education Goes into Virtual
Schooling (TEGIVS)
curricular wholesale
– Multimedia scenarios
– Individual project
– Group project
• Discussion prompts from
TEGIVS scenario tasks
• Practitioner-focused
readings
4 week unit

10. Cycle 2
Winter 2009

11. • Localized and revised
TEGIVS scenarios
• Modified individual
project
– Added tasks from
TEGIVS scenarios
• Discussion prompts
more closely tied to
readings
• More research-based readings
• Added ILO case studies to focus on VS teacher role
5 week unit

12. Cycle 3
Summer 2009

13. • Modified individual
project
– added specific tasks
related to ILO case
studies
– added tasks related to
Converge special issue
• Discussion prompts
forced students to
explore new resources
– with a continued
emphasis on the
readings
6 week unit

14. Cycle 4
Winter 2010

15. • Created Michigan-
specific online teaching
case studies
– used as part of
Individual Project
• Better sequencing of
topics
• Better coverage of topics
related to all three roles
• Better illustration of Web
2.0 tools for online teaching
7 week unit

16. Lessons
• First you have to confront students’
preconceptions and dispel any myths
• Michigan-specific examples
• Discussions more meaningful when tied to the
readings, but push students to use resources
beyond (particularly with research-based
readings)

17. Still Needed
• More Michigan-specific content
• Continued revision of the Individual Project
• Better mix of practitioner-focused and
research-based readings
• Increase in materials related to “virtual school
designer” role

18. Michael K. Barbour
mkbarbour@gmail.com
http://www.michaelbarbour.com