Blended+Virtual+Environment

At the first meeting, the following questions were posed as ones to be examined during the planning process:

 * Shall we purchase courses from a vendor or create our own, or have some sort of hybrid model?
 * Should we divide the content “ownership” by grade or by discipline? (Needs assessment of strengths of each member town)
 *  What will we need from a technology infrastructure perspective to deliver the curriculum?
 * What are other states doing? FL, MI, etc?
 * Curriculum for both alternative and virtual or just virtual?
 * Vendor or teachers creating? Hybrid?
 * Technology concerns: if no vendor, will lack of technology compromise?
 * If we create, will it be substantially better than a vendor?
 * If created, how many offered, how many teachers?
 * Full curriculum with electives?
 * Licensure endorsement for virtual teaching?
 * Individual courses to homeschool families?
 * Grant a diploma?
 * Next steps: research existing programs in other states/vendor – Wiki
 * Will outside vendor hire the teachers?
 * International Baccalaureate School as a possibility?

At the 2/8/12 meeting, the following next steps were discussed as ones to explore by an interested working group:

 * Thinking about multiple entry points into a blended virtual environment (combined brick-and-mortar and online model for course delivery), i.e. flipping the classroom, taking some classes in a regular class setting and others online (online could be done during study halls or at home), all online (homebound/home hospital students)
 * Assessing our strengths as a consortium - what might we be able to offer from one district that isn't available to the others?

See graphic below from EdWeek regarding virtual vendors:

For more information on "flipped classrooms", see below:

http://flipped-learning.com/?page_id=1