Online, Blended, and Distance Education in Schools

Tom Clark is president of Clark Consulting, a research and evaluation consulting firm with a focus on online and blended learning. In this role, he has undertaken many successful evaluations for a wide variety of organizations, including a federally funded $9.1 million online professional development project, state-led virtual schools, large district-led online learning programs, and cyber charter schools. He was an advisor for U.S. Department of Education’s Evaluating Online Learning (2008). Recognized as an author in online and distance learning in Who’s Who in America, he has a wide range of publications in the field, including white papers, policy studies, books and articles. He co-edited Virtual Schools: Planning for Success (Teachers College Press, 2005), authored an early overview of K–12 online learning in the United States, Virtual Schools: Status and Trends (WestEd, 2001), and co-authored one of the first American texts in the field, Distance Education: The Foundations of Effective Practice (Jossey-Bass, 1991). Michael Barbour is Director of Doctoral Studies for the Isabelle Farrington College of Education and an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He completed his PhD in instructional technology from the University of Georgia. Originally from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Barbour’s interest in K–12 distance education began after accepting his first high school teaching position in a rural high school, he was troubled by the inequity of opportunity and began a program to offer online Advanced Placement social studies courses to students in his district. For more than a decade, Michael has worked with numerous K–12 online learning programs in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and around the world as an online teacher, course developer, administrator, evaluator, and researcher. His current research interests focus on the effective design and delivery of o

• Tables and Figures Series Foreword—Michael Grahame Moore, Series Editor Foreword—Cathy Cavanaugh Acknowledgements Part One. Overview 1. Online, Blended, and Distance Education in Schools. An Introduction—Tom Clark and Michael K. Barbour Part Two. Research and Policy 2. Identifying, Evaluating, and Fostering Quality Online Teaching—Kathryn Kennedy and Leanna Archambault 3. Instructional Design. Teaching With Intention—Christy G. Keeler 4. Technology Infrastructure and Tools—Rob Darrow 5. Research Into K–12 Online and Blended Learning—Richard E. Ferdig, Cathy Cavanaugh, and Joseph R. Freidhoff 6. Cyber Charter Schools. An Alternative to Traditional Brick-and-Mortar Schooling?—Victoria Raish and Ali Carr-Chellman 7. Ensuring Equitable Access in Online and Blended Learning—Raymond M. Rose, Alese Smith, Karen Johnson, and David Glick Part Three. Case Studies on Practice 8. A Case Study of External Evaluation in Support of a New Virtual School—Kevin Oliver and Tracy Weeks 9. Boise State's Journey to a K–12 Online Teaching Endorsement Program—Dazhi Yang and Kerry Rice 10. Building Blended Charters. A Case Study of the Nexus Academies, U.S.—Mickey Revenaugh 11. A Case Study of Clark County School District's Virtual High School—Jhone M. Ebert and Allison Powerl 12. Virtual High School (Ontario). A Case Study of an Online Private School—John Smallwood, Jennifer Reaburn, and Stephen Baker 13. Barriers to Online Learning in Developing Nations. The Case of Nepal—Cathy Cavanaugh 14. Online Learning in Australia. SCIL as a Case Study—Stephen Hariss 15. Using Virtual Learning Environments to Personalize Learning in U.K. Schools. A Case Study—Helen Boulton and Lisa Hasler Waters 16. A Case Study of Korea's Cyber Home Learning System—Hyeonjin Kim and Jeonghee Seo Part Four. Summary Thoughts 17. Online, Blended, and Distance Learning in Schools. Summing Up—Michael K. Barbour and Tom Clark Editors and Contributors Index

"This book will help practitioners, administrators, researchers, and policy makers to examine effective practice and future policy developments. This book is accompanied by a wiki that would be useful as part of a course of study or for those undertaking research in this area. The wiki includes Chapter 1, abstracts of the other chapters, and links to related literature and other resources. More resources are likely to be added, making this an enormously valuable site for researchers working on K–12 open flexible and distance learning."Rachel Whalley, VLN Primary SchoolJournal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning, New Zealand"Clark and Barbour understand that they have a tiger by the tail. Like any other mega-technology, virtual teaching and learning has enormous potential for both good and for abuse. They have assembled a distinguished cast of scholars to examine the potential and the perils of K-12 technology-mediated instruction. It is the most thoughtful examination of the issues I have ever read."Gene V. Glass, Emeritus Regents' Professor, Arizona State University & Research ProfessorUniversity of Colorado, Boulder"This volume represents a timely, practical and scholarly focus on K-12 online, blended and distance learning edited by leading scholars on the topic. Through case studies of actual teachers in actual schools primarily in North America but in other countries as well, the book provides compelling insights into the growth and value of new forms of K-12 learning mediated by information and communication technologies (ICTs). In spite of this growth and value, there is a dearth of literature on these new forms of K-12 learning. As is the case with many educational technology initiatives, our integration of these new forms of learning with ICTs advances at a much faster pace than does our understanding of the effects of that integration. Clark and Barbour’s book helps address this problem by drawing on experts and experienced practitioners to highlight effective practices and instructional design and pedagogical approaches while at the same time raising important issues and questions that need to be addressed. The part 1 emphasis on research, policy and management considerations followed by part 2’s emphasis on actual case studies of implementation reflect the complementarities and complexities of the phenomenon of this form of K-12 learning. In the final section of the book, the editors look back at lessons learned and forward at future directions in order to focus their audience’s attention on key issues of policy and practice. A must-read for all those involved with K-12 learning, this book will no doubt become an essential resource. "Elizabeth Murphy, internationally recognized researcher on technology-mediated learning, Professor, Faculty of EducationMemorial University of Newfoundland"If there is one book you should to read that will bring you into the digital present and future, this is the book. Tom Clark and Michael Barbour take you on a journey with global experts that will change the way you think about education, digital technologies, and the teaching and learning professions."Dr. Don Olcott, Jr., Professor of Leadership and Open and Distance Learning and Co-Director of the uImagine Digital Learning Laboratory at Charles Sturt University in Australia."This book is a must read for Ministers of Education, policy advisors, and school leaders seeking transformation in K12 learning. Whether innovating on curriculum, assessment, or mobile technology, embracing new digital pedagogies, or preparing students and teachers with the skills and experiences needed in our global society, this book is something you will keep coming back to again and again.Online, Blended, and Distance Education brings together leading experts in learning with technology highlighting the depth and breadth of critical questions and conversations every K12 leader should be having today. Whether you are considering new mobile learning, digital curriculum, and professional development initiatives or preparing students for the new world. I recommend starting with Ferdig, Cavanaugh and Friedhoff chapter, as it helped set my frame of reference by 'Asking the Right Question'.With supporting global case studies highlighting innovative practices and up-to-the-minute easy to read research, together with the important considerations of scale, sustainability and equity, this book provides the necessary deep thinking needed to begin and evaluate vision, policies and strategies required for holistic change and transformation."Aidan McCarthy, Global Digital Learning StrategyMicrosoft Corporation"This book brings together experts in online and blended teaching, learning, policy, and technology and left me excited, inspired, and yearning for more! Anyone interested in ensuring students are prepared for a world that is not yet invented, needs to read this book!"Michelle Licata, Ed.D. Florida Virtual School Teacher of the Year, 2012 and National Online Teacher of the Year finalist, 2013