#6

After typing school into google, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) was one of the first things that came up due to my computers' location triangulation capabilities. FLVS serves K-12. As a past FLVS student (during high school), I find it interesting that I had no idea kids as young as five were involved in the virtual classroom. When I did it it was very hard for me to discipline myself due to my traditionally teacher led classes. I wonder if children develop a greater sense of autonomy with online classes for their first year. I also wonder what affect this has on their social relationships with children who are similar aged.

The website is straightforward and easy to use. There are many options for the online learner like full and part time online schooling. Navigation is simple, especially for parents who are not digital natives, the parent login portal is easy to find and there are many ways to contact support through working social media links. There is also information on becoming a FLVS teacher. I wonder how teachers feel when they transition to a concrete environment from virtual and vice versa.

I would consider working on FLVS if given the opportunity, in this course, I feel as though I can learn the proper tools necessary to teach kids online. Using my new love, pictograph I can make infographics and/or power points. I have learned how to use garage band and I can record podcasts. I know that there are more ways I can utilize technology but I wonder about the burnout a VS teacher goes through (if they do)? For instance, instead of dealing with 20 students at once for ~8 hours a day or contacting 20 students separately and explaining the same concepts to different kids. I feel as though the most important aspect is to be organized and setting timers for yourself. My friend told me that if they see an alarm for a task without completing it, the guilt heightens until you absolutely must complete it. Thats a good way to learn to be efficient, I think.

Last week, I was unable to attend class to visit the tech sandbox because of some weird stomach stuff that I'd rather not talk about. I did get the chance to look at the website. I think it would be important to allow students to use VR in order to learn and simulate situations to gain confidence for the real deal, like driving. I think that it is also pertinent to highlight the dissociation that comes with the safety of VR simulations no matter how awakening the content is.