Archambault, L., Pratt, K., & Barbour, M. K. (2014, March). Preparing for and thriving in K-12 online/blended teaching contexts. A panel presentation at the annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Jacksonville, FL.

1. Preparing for and Thriving in
K-12 Online/Blended Teaching
Contexts: An International
Perspective
 Leanna Archambault, Ph.D., Arizona State University
 Keryn Pratt, Ph.D., University of Otago
 Michael Barbour, Ph.D., Sacred Heart University

2. K-12 Online Teacher Preparation Ed Policy
• As the number of K-12 students participating in
various forms of online learning steadily
rises, teacher quality is of paramount concern.
• State level policy from across the nation beginning
to establish mechanisms to ensure online teacher
quality.
• Policy recommendations needed to help inform the
development of high quality online teachers

3. Education Policy and Virtual Schooling
• Increasing number of changes to state-level policy
governing virtual schooling
• Online learning requirement currently in Michigan
(2006), Alabama (2008), Florida (2011), Arkansas
(2012), North Carolina (2012), and Virginia (2012).
• Florida mandate that all school districts offer some
form of online learning (2011)
• Michigan (2013) now allowing students and parents
the right to attend two online courses per term while
maintaining enrollment

4. • Developments in policy been coupled with an increased
emphasis on preparing educators to teach in online and
blended contexts (Archambault, 2011).
• At present only a handful of states
(Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Louisiana, South
Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah) have adopted online
teacher standards with a state-level teaching license
dealing with online teaching,
• Georgia and Idaho are the first states to offer specific
teaching endorsements in K-12 online teaching.
Education Policy and Virtual Schooling

5. Importance of Policy
• While the call for better preparation and certification of
online and blended teachers is not necessarily a novel
one (Cavanaugh, 2004; Ferdig et al., 2009), it remains
largely unrealized.
• State-level policy needs to be the impetus for the
creation and retention of a prepared online and
blended teaching teacher workforce.
• As a result, a systematic, coordinated approach to
policy and preparation is needed.

6. Research Questions
• What national, state, and local policies currently exist
to ensure teacher quality in the online
environment, including formal mechanisms for
preparation and professional development?
• What policy recommendations can be made to help
ensure teacher quality in the online environment?

7. PolicyAnalysis
• Providing a historical background,
• Presenting a description of the issue, and
• Offering an analysis of the goals, feasibility, and impact
of implementing the policy (Karger & Stoesz, 2009)
• Presenting related data that attempt to clarify a problem
while examining the cause and effects surrounding the
issue, considering the impact of various solutions.

8. PolicyAnalysis
a) existing and relevant literature within the field of K-
12 online teaching,
b) pertinent state laws and state-level policy decisions
made available via the websites of individual state
legislatures, and
c) interviews with three key stakeholders
– Associate Director of Strategic Planning at
Georgia Virtual
– Director of Program Development for the Idaho
Digital Learning Academy
– President of the Minnesota K-12 Online
Learning Alliance

9. Online Teaching Requirements
• Teachers at public schools are required to hold teaching
licenses and maintain their highly qualified status
(NCLB, 2001).
• Currently, however, there is no distinction between the
preparation requirements based on the teaching
environment.
• Exception is Wisconsin, the first and only state to mandate
that beginning in 2010, K-12 online teachers have 30 hours
of professional development pertaining to online teaching
(Public Instruction, 2009), but has been repealed (Wisconsin
Legislative Data, 2013).

10. Avenues of Preparation
• Several disparate avenues of formal preparation
exist intended to meet the demand for additional
preparation:
• national online teaching certificates
• state-level online teaching endorsements
• professional development opportunities
provided by non-profit
organizations, professional organizations, virtual
schools and/or other K-12 online learning
programs.

11. Georgia
• Enacted in 2006 as the first
state-level endorsement
• Add on to existing certificate
• Programs are approved by
the Georgia Professional
Standards Commission
(GPSC)
• Curriculum based on
Southern Regional
Education Board (SREB)
Standards for Quality Online
Teaching
• Includes required practica
component
• Not required to teach online
Georgia
Idaho
• Enacted in 2011
• Add on to existing
certificate
• Curriculum based on
International Society for
Educational Technology
National Educational
Technology Standards
(ISTE NETS)
• Includes a required 8-
week online K-12 teaching
experience
• Not required to teach
online in Idaho
Endorsement in K-12 Online Education

12. “Allcolleges anduniversities approvedbytheBoardof
Teachingtopreparepersons forclassroomteacher
licensuremustinclude intheirteacher preparation
programs theknowledge andskillsteachercandidates
needtodeliverdigitalandblendedlearningand
curriculumandengage students withtechnology. This
sectioniseffective forcandidates enteringateacher
preparationprogramafterJune30,2014”
– Minnesota Senate Bill 273 § 1528.1.3a, (2012)

13. Minnesota
• The law also requires that staff development for in-
service teachers include activities that “effectively
deliver digital and blended learning and curriculum and
engage students with technology.”
• Statute is still relatively new and its full effects have yet
to be seen.
• Initial critiques is its vague, non-prescriptive language.
• Concern that the well-guided intent of the statute to
recognize and provide instruction related to online and
blended teaching will be thwarted by insufficient or
misguided implementation.

14. Policy Recommendations
• Curriculum should be aligned with
national standards for online
teaching
• Mandate field experience or online
teaching experience for
endorsement
• Teacher prep programs need to
partner with online course providers
and districts
• Move toward more widespread
integration of online and blended
teaching into teacher prep programs
for preservice and inservice
teachers
prepare
innovate
lead

15. Acknowledgement
Special thanks to the
Michigan Virtual Learning
Research Institute for
supporting this research
through their Fellowship
program, and in
particular, thank you to
Dr. Kristen DeBruler and
Dr. Joseph Freidhoff

16. Preparing for and Thriving in K-12
Online/Blended Teaching
Contexts: A NZ perspective Keryn Pratt

17. Context: Country

18. Aotearoa New
Zealand
• 4.3 million people
• Approx 1.6 times the
size of Florida
• National
curriculum, school
based
interpretation, extern
al exams

19. Context
Call for schools to cater for students with
diverse needs (Alton-Lee, 2003)
New Zealand has a sparse population, and
rural populations are declining
Schools, particularly small, rural
schools, have insufficient
specialised teachers to provide
wide range of subjects

20. OtagoNet Solution
Utilise the specialist teachers throughout the
region to teach each other’s students
One hour videoconference per
week, supplemented by other tools
• Textbooks, workbooks, online tools
Classes start on the hour, and are
prioritised over other classes

21. The OtagoNet model
2001 OtagoNet planned
2002 OtagoNet first started offering classes
2002 11 classes to 60 students
2011 26 classes to 340 students
• between 26% and 90% of students involved in
some form of blended learning
20+ clusters throughout New Zealand
Over 200 schools and other organisations

22. The OtagoNet model
Staffed by:
– Project Leader
– eDean
– eLibrarian
– Executive officer
– eTeachers
– School coordinators
Reciprocal model
eHui

23. Research
OtagoNet evaluation (2001 – 2004) (CTO):
• Longitudinal evaluation of this new collaborative and
innovative approach to teaching and learning
Blended learning part 1 (2009):
• Small scale mixed method study exploring students’
experiences
Blended learning part 2 (2010) (TLRI):
• Built on previous study; involved students and teachers
from 10 schools in a mixed method study
Blended learning part 3 (2012) (UoO):
• Building on what we know so far
• Increasing focus on supporting students

24. So what did the research say?
What skills and knowledge are needed?

25. How to use the technology
I felt confident enough with the technology to cope
and, I mean if I managed to push a wrong button, I
just think, whoops, pushed the wrong button, sorry.
And then just keep going. I don’t feel phased or
scared by it (e-teacher).

26. How to use the technology effectively
I would love to go and watch some other classes
instead of me being in this seat all the time (e-
teacher).
And there’s still plenty to learn and I think we need
that ongoing, because it’s like anything, you get in
your comfort zone, you get used to doing
something, you need to be urged into that next
level otherwise, we could just stay at the level all
the time and not get better at it (e-teacher).

27. The limitations of the technology
• The frequency of the system was such that it
affected physic experiments
• Teachers learnt rapidly that the picture would be
better if they did not use rapid movements (or
wear stripes!)

28. Be willing to step outside your comfort
zone
Feelings of, well this is interesting, this is new, this
is different, could be a challenge and also feelings
of I guess excitement and stimulation . . . there
was also sort of lots of feelings of . . . and then I’m
sort of thinking, ohh God, this technology leaves
me cold and I’m thinking no, I can’t feel like that . .
. I’m trying to sort of be positive and sort of treat it
as a bit of a personal challenge (e-teacher prior to
initial lessons).

29. Be able to deal with frustrations
Frustration, at the early days . . . with the
technology when the picture freezes and there’s
no sound, or you can’t dial in or the person is not
there, you arrange a time and they’re not
there, there’s been no message that they’re not at
school today (e-teacher).

30. To be organised
I think that teachers have to be twice as prepared
for this type of lesson as for any other lesson
because they cannot just casually wander off and
pick up another resource. The resources have got
to be there (principal).
• Also need to ensure that students at remote
sites had the resources they needed.

31. To ensure you can create relationships
with your students
The last lead group meeting I was at, there was
quite a bit of concern from the e-teachers that they
weren’t getting this two-way communication from
their students and their classes and that was a bit
of an issue and I think that all of our students need
more support in how to, and more direction in
using the e-mail (principal).
I still feel I do too much talking and trying
to make sure they’re included (e-teacher)

32. To create ways of getting feedback
If I’m sitting in an ordinary class and I teach them
something and give examples, all the usual stuff and
say okay, anyone not understand, you can tell by
their body language who’s got it and who hasn’t, but
not this one because there’s nothing . . . Only the
one the camera’s sitting on can you tell. The others
you can’t see and if you actually poll around them
one at a time, it’s too late then because they’re all
attentive then . . . So there’s a loss of feedback from
the class (e-teacher)
There’s a lot of visual and verbal feedback
that the video doesn’t quite give you the full

33. To have support
Lots of TLC for the staff that are involved at times.
The stress factors when the technology breaks
down and you get stressed staff at one end or their
e-mails get lost or something along the line or their
faxes don’t get through or the assessments don’t
get done and so it can be a bit more stressful if the
kids are further away so there’s probably more
support needed (principal).

34. To think about pedagogy
It’s a huge jump from taking a programme that
you’re used to delivering in a class, face-to-
face, five days a week and then getting it into this
medium (e-teacher).
It was very, very obvious that I really had to pack a
full week into one hour, or a full four hours into one
hour. So the preparation for that, working out
exactly what to put in and what to leave out, what
to send by mail and what to deliver on air became
quite,
quite critical (e-teacher).

35. Their pedagogical approach changed
Most times they’re not sitting there for a whole
hour. I do try to put some practical work into each
hour so that they are having their input as well . . .
because it would have been terribly boring for
them to sit there for 50 minutes listening to me
rabbit on (e-teacher).
I think teachers have adopted, by and large, a
good philosophy about the type of teaching. Less
lecturing, more question and answer, more direct
feedback to students and good hands-on
sort of teaching (principal).

36. Flow on effect
Over time, the pedagogical changes made
in the distance classes started affecting their
traditional classes

37. Acknowledgements
Co-researchers:
Kwok-Wing Lai, Ann Trewern, Andrea Robertson, University of
Otago
Ken Pullar, Lynda Walsh-Pasco, Linda Miller, Lyn Cooper, John
Buchanan
Funding agencies:
Community Trust of Otago
Teaching and Learning Research Initiative
University of Otago
Participants

38. http://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/5256025796/

39. Michael Barbour
Sacred Heart University

43. Jurisdiction # of K-12 students # enroled in distance education Percent involvement
NL 67,604 1,232 1.8%
NS 128,131 ~2,550 2.0%
PE 20,406 62 0.3%
NB 101,079 ~2,250 2.2%
QC 1,306,848 39,618 3.0%
ON 2,051,865 76,337 3.7%
MB 195,152 11,351 5.8%
SK 169,939 ~8,000* 4.7%
AB 616,375 63,238 10.3%
BC 638,835 78,168 12.2%
YT 5,122 74 1.4%
NT 8,300 267 3.2%
NU 9,074 11 0.1%
Federal 138,400 1,805 0.1%
Total 5,456,800 284,963 5.2%

45.  Limited Canadian opportunities focused on
preparation of K-12 online teachers
 Growing number of US-based opportunities
 Some open access online resources

46. Diploma in TeleLearning and Rural School Teaching
 TeleLearning in a Rural School Intranet
 Effective Teaching Strategies for Multi-grade/Multi-age Classrooms
 Special Needs in the Context of Rural Schools
 Leadership Perspectives in Rural Schools
 Contemporary Educational Issues in Rural Schools
 Resource-based Learning in the Context of Rural Schools
Choose four of the following:
 Curriculum Connections in Multi-grade/Multi-age Classrooms
 Rural Schools and Community Relations
 Rural Schools as Community Learning Centres
 Curriculum Implementation in All-grade Rural Schools
 Student Assessment in the Context of Rural Schools
 General Classroom Music
 Special Topics Courses in TeleLearning and Rural School Teaching

47. Teaching and Learning Online
 Course Aims and Objectives
o to critically examine present and proposed uses of
the Internet/Web in teaching and learning
o to collaboratively construct images of what
effective online learning could be
o for each class member, to increase understanding
and skills related to the
development, presentation, and delivery of online
content and learning resources
 Includes an alternate practicum to allow students to
do some student teaching online

48.  Additional Qualification for Teaching & Learning Through e-Learning
 Introduced in August 2009
o analyzing, interpreting and implementing Ministry of Education curriculum and district
school board policies and guidelines particularly in the area of e-Learning
o having and applying the theoretical understanding necessary to design, implement and
assess e-Learning programs and practices
o modeling and adapting expectations, strategies and assessment practices in response to
the individual needs of students in the e-Learning environment
o facilitating the creation of e-Learning environments conducive to the
intellectual, social, emotional, physical, linguistic, cultural, spiritual and moral
development of the student collaborating with in-school personnel, parents/guardians
and the community
o accessing and exploring a variety of resources, including technological resources, within
and beyond the educational system to enhance professional knowledge in support of
student e-Learning
o refining professional practice through ongoing inquiry, dialogue and reflection
o supporting and modeling ethical practices
o understanding the need to respect and conserve resources in the environment
o understanding how to create and sustain professional e-Learning communities
o developing awareness of First Nations, Métis and Inuit (Aboriginal) ways of knowing and
perspectives integrating environmentally respectful practices
o creating and sustaining safe, equitable and inclusive learning environments that honor
and respect diversity.

49.  Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
o http://etfo-aq.ca/catalogue/teaching-and-learning-through-e-learning/
 Nipissing University
o http://www.nipissingu.ca/academics/faculties/schulich-school-of-
education/pd-for-teachers/courses--programs/Pages/AQ.aspx
 Queen’s University
o http://www.coursesforteachers.ca/OurCourses/1-sessionAQ/e-
learning.html
 University of Ontario Institute of Technology
o http://education.uoit.ca/aq_abq_courses/course_offerings/e_learning/
 York University
o http://profdev.edu.yorku.ca/imis15_Prod/ProfDev/Profile/Courses/Core/Ev
ents/eventdetails.aspx?TemplateType=A&iKey=LU12LTEZ

50.  Graduate Certificate in Online Learning
Facilitation
o Royal Roads University
 Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching
and Learning
o Thompson River University
 Graduate Diploma in Online Learning
and Teaching
o Vancouver Island University

51. http://www.teachertube.com/videoList.php?pg=uservideoli
st&user_id=1790

53. Director of Doctoral Studies
Sacred Heart University, USA
mkbarbour@gmail.com
http://www.michaelbarbour.com
http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com