Activity1

According to the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES), online learning provides options to fill voids that school districts may find difficult to address, such as the lack of access to courses, a scarcity of highly qualified teachers, growing student populations and limited space, and course scheduling conflicts (as cited in Duncan & Barnett, 2010).  To meet the needs of today’s internet savvy students, Christensen, Horn, and Johnson as cited in Duncan and Barnett (2010) predict that by 2018 in order to provide all students with individualized opportunities to meet their educational needs every school will offer teacher-led, online courses, both blended and distant. If precise, their forecast has the ability to disrupt K-12 schools staffing trends. Teachers are an essential part of learning online. However, the skills and competencies regarding effective online teaching and instruction extend beyond the proficiencies required for successful teaching in the traditional classroom (Watson, 2007). In order to successfully master the virtual environment, online educators must be able to modify instructional practices and pedagogical techniques used in traditional settings (Duncan and Barnett, 2010). Not only do K-12 administrators need to understand the impact of the virtual classroom including technology and instructional theory, but they must be able to navigate a variety of staffing challenges. The National Education Association reports that most traditional teacher education programs do not prepare new teachers for teaching online ( Duncan and Barnett, 2010). Virtual K-12 schools and use of online courses is rising in popularity and presence and Dipedro et. al (2008) indicates there is still a lack of research related to this teaching and learning modality. To effectively staff today’s K-12 teacher, it will require careful consideration skill sets. Educators will need to be able to modify the instructional practices and pedagogical techniques used in face-to-face settings for the online environment (Dipedro et. al, 2008).They must also develop skills to foster interaction and communication with students during their online learning experience. This requires the utilization of pedagogical techniques and learning theories that draw on and integrate the available telecommunication tools to support student collaboration and knowledge acquisition (Dipedro et al., 2008). An obvious solution is reliance on sound pedagogical practices that incorporate technologies and draw from social constructivism theory promoting the formation of collaborative social learning communities enabling educators to meet these educational challenges (Klein, 2009). Akyol, Garrison, & Ozden ( 2009 ) concur this is consistent with the constructivist, collaborative process that grounds the design and instruction of the a virtual course (Duncan and Barnett, 2010).

**References **

Akyol, Z., Garrison, D. R., & Ozden, M. Y. (2009). Online and Blended Communities of Inquiry: Exploring the Developmental and Perceptional Differences. //International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning//, //10//, 65-82.

DiPietro, Ferdig, R., Black, E., & Preston, M. (n.d.). Best practices in teaching K-12 online: Lessons learned from Michigan Virtual School teachers. Retrieved from http://ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/7.1.2.pdf

Duncan, H. E., & Barnett, J. (2010). Experiencing online pedagogy: a Canadian case study. //Teaching Education//, //21//(3), 247-262. doi:10.1080/10476210903480340

Klein, K. (2009). Promoting Collaborative Social Learning Communities with Student Response Systems. //Merlot Journal of Online Learning and Teaching//, //5//(4), 709-718.

Rice, K. L. (2006). A Compreshensive Look at Distance Education in the K-12 Context. //Journal of Research on Technology in Education//, //38//(4), 425.

Watson, J., Gemin, B., & Ryan, J. (2008). Keeping pace with K–12 online learning: A review of state-level policy and practice. Evergreen, CO: Evergreen Consulting Associates. Retrieved from http://www.kpk12.com/downloads/KeepingPace_ 2008.pdf