The Virtual Learning Consultant

Credit Recovery Program

2011-05-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Check out the details of our credit recovery program. Click here to watch the video.

LOCK Session: Introduction of Think Tank Team

2011-05-11T04:38:00.001-07:00

Hope Johnston and John Martindale introduce the School Support Services Think Tank Team.

SAS Programming Pilot

2011-04-28T03:12:00.000-07:00

NCVPS instructor Leslie Keller discusses the SAS programming pilot.

NCVPS Peer Tutor

2011-04-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

Check out NCVPS Peer Tutoring:

For more information on peer tutoring, click here!

LOCK Session for April 5: Opening a New School with NCVPS

2011-04-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Kelley Townsend, the DLA at Cleveland High School in Johnston County, discusses how her new school opened its doors with NCVPS.

CMS Launches New School with 100% Online Enrollment!

2011-04-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this exciting article! Students at CMS's e-learning Academy will take their courses online with NCVPS and UNCG iSchool.

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/education/CMS-Launches-100-Online-Course-Loads-for-Juniors-and-Seniors-118961314.html

Meet NCVPS Arabic Teacher Rafik Missak

2011-03-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

See NCVPS Arabic teacher Rafik Missak at his day job with Winding Springs Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fantastic job, Rafik!

Watch the full episode. See more NC Now.

Teach for NCVPS!

2011-03-29T04:43:00.001-07:00

Are you interested in teaching for NCVPS? Check out this video from Ellen Minter, the World Languages Division Director.

For more on teaching for NCVPS, check out website here.

NCVPS Arts Department is ROCK Solid!!

2011-03-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce NEW & Revised courses for the Summer and Fall.
See below for explanations and prerequisites.

Visual Arts:
AP Art History, revised (Yearlong, offered in Fall) – Study of the art of the world leading to an understanding and enjoyment of architecture, sculpture, and other art forms within their historical and cultural context.

Art One, revised (offered in Summer and Fall) - an introductory course for students interested in taking art. It provides intensive work with various drawing skills and media while introducing students to the basic vocabulary of art and design. NOTE: This course or its face-to-face equivalent is the prerequisite for Digital Photo, the Art of Game Design, Visual Journaling, and Videography.

NEW! The Art of Game Design (offered in Fall) - This multimedia course teaches the basic elements and thought processes of designing games, both digital (video games)and non-digital (board games, card games, etc.). Created in collaboration with the NC Museum of Art. Prerequisite – Art One.

Digital Photo 1, revised (offered in Summer and Fall) - This course explores the techniques and applications of digital photography while utilizing digital-editing software programs to further enhance images. Prerequisite – Art One.

NEW! Digital Photo 2 (offered in Fall) - This course is for students who are interested in pursuing a more advanced study of digital photography. Through a series of projects and critiques, students will expand their technical abilities and explore their own personal aesthetic. Prerequisites – Art One and Digital Photo 1.

NEW! Non-Western Art History (offered in Summer and Fall) - This course introduces non-Western cultural perspectives. Emphasis is placed on, but not limited to, African, Oriental, and Oceanic art forms throughout history.

Videography, revised (offered in Summer and Fall) - The videography class is about learning to use the tools of video-editing to make your original and creative videos. Created in collaboration with the NC Museum of Art. Prerequisite – Art One.

NEW! Visual Journaling (offered in Fall) - This course will explore the history of the visual journal and will guide students through weekly art-making experiences in their own visual journals. Prerequisite – Art One.

Music:
AP Music Theory, revised (Yearlong, offered in Fall) – AP Music Theory is intended for secondary school students who have an interest in music and would like to further their understanding of musical harmony, form and structure or gain a deeper appreciation for the intricate elements in music.

Music Appreciation, revised (offered in Summer and Fall) - This course provides an overview of music from the early ages to the present. The course focuses on the use and value of music in the lives of the human population.

NEW! Music Business (offered in Fall) - This is an entry level music business course that prepares students for careers in the music industry, both in music management and music recording.

For more information, contact Debra Pylypiw, Arts Department Chair,
debra.pylypiw@ncpublicschools.gov

LOCK Session: "Goal: Student Success"

2011-03-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

(See the video archive of March 22 LOCK Session below.)

John Martindale, the DLA at Southern Wayne High School, provided an outstanding overview of the e-learning program at his school.

John demonstrated how to best manipulate NCVPS enrollment and grade report data in Excel and how his school uses that data to track attendance and grade progress.

John also discussed how the school schedules students to take their NCVPS courses in a lab environment. Experienced e-learning students are allowed to take their classes off campus; although, if they run into grade difficulties, they bring the students back into a lab environment.

John has also created several great templates to use for progress reports, enrollments, grade tracking, and attendance. He has shared those at https://public.me.com/jmartindale

Watch the archive here:

(Video Link)

Thanks for the outstanding presentation, John!

LEARNING WITH THE WORLD: Global Languages in North Carolina

2011-03-22T11:35:00.001-07:00

Tune in to UNC-TV this Thursday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. for LEARNING
WITH THE WORLD: Global Languages in North Carolina, and the second
story in the series about critical languages in North Carolina.

The 7-minute feature will be part of the nightly newsmagazine show
NORTH CAROLINA NOW on UNC-TV, statewide public television.

This presentation’s focus is on Arabic language programs in our
schools and features Raffik Missak, who is teaching at Winding Springs
Elementary (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools), and Lt. Col. Ken Ratashak,
who will share an innovative Arabic program for ROTC students at North
Carolina State University.

LOCK Session for March 8: Registration Reminders

2011-03-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

This VLCs give an overview of fall and summer registration.

NCVPS Overview

2011-03-15T03:03:00.000-07:00

LOCK Session for March 1: The virtual learning consultants give an overview of the North Carolina Virtual Public School.

NCVPS Art & Music Job Fair: March 29, 2011

2011-03-09T03:21:00.000-08:00

NCVPS is seeking qualified teachers for art and music positions. If you are an NC-certified teacher in those areas, be sure to check out our job fair March 29 at 6 p.m.

The job fair will be in a Wimba live classroom. Follow this link to the Wimba room: http://ncvpsclassroom.wimba.com/launcher.cgi?room=_ncvps_s__11381_1_193139

You can also join the conference by phone by using the following access information:

Phone : (201) 549-7595

PIN codes :

Student : 15058162

The job fair will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Debra Pylypiw will present.

Generation Text

2011-02-25T04:56:00.001-08:00

[Blog post by David Edwards, NCVPS Chief Communications Officer]

One of the biggest gaps facing education today is that our Digital Immigrant

instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are

struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language. In other

words, the education system generally speaks analog, students listen in digital.

Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people

our educational system was designed to teach. Today’s students think and

process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors. Engaging

these digital connoisseurs is going to take a shift in how we “listen” to our

students and address their learning needs. Dr. Michael Osit’s book helps us to

take a look at this fast paced, instant gratification set of learners as well.

NCVPS is preparing a new series to help NC educators better understand this set

of learners we are calling “Generation Text”. This video series of interviews with

local, state and national educators will give viewers a good sense of how school

districts, policy makers, and others are working to “speak digital” and engage

their students. If you have ideas for speakers or topics, please contact Adam

Renfro at adam.renfro@ncpublicschools.gov . Our first session will air in the second week of March!

Please join the conversation.

2011-02-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

Catch the latest Virtual Advantage Digest here!

Modular Learning Update

2011-02-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

[blog post by Jennifer Nobles, Modular Learning Specialist]

A few weeks ago Dr. Weeks introduced the four service options NCVPS offers NC students. This week's vidcast takes a deeper look at the what, how, and why of the Modular Blended Learning program Dr. Weeks introduced. Take a few minutes to explore the modular blended learning approach by watching this vidcast. To learn more about the Modular Blended Learning program stay tuned to our website under the Courses tab where more information will be coming soon!

URL: http://www.screencast.com/t/4jomDFv0r

NCVPS on My Carolina Today

2011-02-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

Dr. Setser discusses NCVPS on My Carolina Today.

Going LIVE with NCVPS: The Four C’s of Innovation

2011-02-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

Blog post by Don Lourcey, NCVPS Innovation Director and GO LIVE Coordinator.

North Carolina Virtual Public School, through its Leadership and Innovation division, offers the GO LIVE Innovation Initiative. GO LIVE stands for Getting Organized to Lead Innovatively for Virtual Education. This initiative engages Leading Edge Districts in 21st century conversations in order to lead innovatively, build leadership capacity, and further SBOE 21st Century Learning Goals. To that end, NCVPS offers four levels of servicing options, the Four C’s of Innovation. They included Comprehensive, Component, Collaborative, and Customizable. Please watch this short video that outlines each option and an integrated portfolio approach for school districts participating as a GO LIVE Leading Edge District.

If you are having difficulty viewing the video, follow this link: http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXniDbInC

For a deep dive into the the Go LIVE initiative, check out the following links:

The Four C’s of Innovation Presentation (the slides featured in above video)

Apply of be a GO LIVE Leading Edge District

Visit the GO LIVE website for Mission, Vision, and Values if Initiative

The following image captures the flow of the Portfolio Support Approach that will be implemented for each participating Leading Edge District.

As a district leader, please complete the following survey to help our Leadership for Innovation and School Support Divisions understanding how to best integrate our portfolio support approach.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHlMdi1tb2lobVVOa3c2N1hiNUNvRWc6MQ

Rethinking Education

2011-01-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

This video was produced as a contribution to the EDUCAUSE book, The Tower and the Cloud: Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing, edited by Richard Katz and available as an e-Book at http://www.educause.edu/thetowerandth.

NCVPS Courses Across the Service Options

2011-01-25T08:27:00.001-08:00

Documentary Photography: How to Create a Photo Essay

2011-01-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

The NCVPS Arts Department invited special guest Anne Darling to discuss documentary photography.

You can learn more about the event here, and watch the presentation below!

Thanks, Arts Dept!

Search Analytics Can Lighten the Blue

2011-01-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

[Blog post by Adam Renfro, Virtual Learning Consultant]

Have you heard the one about the most depressing week of the year being the third week of January? Psychologists created a mathematical model that declared January 24^th to be the epicenter of our funk. Check that out here on Wikipedia. They’ve even appropriately named it Blue Monday! And really, how could someone dispute something like this

when it comes to determining our mood?

Just the thought of that has made me a little more moody while I sit in my North Carolina ice cave this January. And the 24^th is approaching.

But guess what? The Internet tells us that this is a meme that took flight before the power of the Google, MSN, and Yahoo (etc.) search engines were analyzed.

Bill Tancer, in his book Click: Unexpected Insights for Business and Life, explains that the most depressing week of the year happens right around Thanksgiving.

Okay, and how does he determine that? Simple: He studied the search habits of over 10 million American Internet users. I’m not sure how big the sample size was for the psychologist/mathematical model, but 10 million is, shall we say, a rather large sample size.

After he filtered out student searches for “The Great Depression” (apparently a nation-wide mandatory research paper since 1929) and included searchers for depression pharmaceuticals like Zoloft, Tancer found that “a significant number of us turned to our search engines the week of Thanksgiving in hopes of understanding our holiday blues.”

I’m only mildly concerned about depression as I watch ice-covered branches snap off trees in my backyard, but I am curious if we are paying enough attention to search analytics. While Tancer doesn’t completely answer “why” America searches about depression at Thanksgiving time (psychologists can still have a go at the “why”), he does lead us to the power of search analytics. It should be noted, though, that the searches do give an insight into the “why.” For example, “Why does a frozen turkey cost more than filling up my SUV with premium” might give us one of the “why” answers.

Therefore, do we understand search-engine analytics and how easy they are to access? What could students do with those analytics as they research material for class? What could districts do if they studied the search habits of students and teachers?

How interesting would it be for a science teacher if he or she knew a student had searched for “but why does E = mc2?” Imagine how much teachers could extend learning if they knew what students were searching for. Despite what we might think, today's students are still curious by nature.

Today’s students, let’s call them Generation Text, love that search engine. They might be reluctant to ask a question in class (“the nerd in the front row just asked why E = mc2”) , but they’re not afraid that the search engine will pass judgment on them. And if they’re like my own kids, they know that I have to google half the questions that they ask me anyhow.

Did you know that you can create your own custom Google search engine for your students? Set up is easy, and you can determine which sites are searched. This helps teachers keep students on task, and it’s very easy to add to the list of searchable sites. And, most importantly, if you embed the search engine into your own site, you can also turn on the analytics to see what students are searching for when they use it.

Follow this link to find out more about creating your own custom Google search engine: http://www.google.com/educators/p_cse.html

And be sure to celebrate during the week of January 24^th. Despite what the model says, we survived Blue Monday months ago.

References

Tancer, B. (2008) Click: Unexpected Insights for Business and Life. New York: Hyperion.

Blue Monday: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(date)

Internet Meme: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme_(disambiguation)

Click: http://www.amazon.com/Click-Millions-People-Online-Matters/dp/1401323049/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294764297&sr=1-6

Google Custom Search: http://www.google.com/educators/p_cse.html

NCVPS/LEO Strategic Plan

2010-12-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

Follow this link to see the NCVPS/LEO Strategic Plan.

Curriculum and Instruction Celebrations

2010-12-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

NCVPS Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Emily Parrish who has been selected to be the 2010 NCVPS Teacher of the Year!

Emily is a Credit Recovery and OCS teacher as well as the Credit Recovery Department Chair. Her nomination has been sent to SREB to put her in the running for the National Online Teacher of the Year. I know you will all join me in congratulating Emily!

We also want to congratulate the following individuals for being nominated by their peers for this honor:

Beth Wolz, Rebecca Stone-Danahy, Kendra Gallos, John Spicer, Stephanie Thurow, Heather Yungbluth, Robin Filter, Karen Carroll, Maguy Yancey, Jose Sequera, Elizabeth Lovelady-Alfonso, Celine Ascas-Wormhood, John Chen, Kim Small, Dolka Vindas, and Consuelo Schwatrz.

National Art Education Award

We are excited to announce that Rebecca Stone-Danahy, one of our Digital Photography teachers, has been named the National Art Education Association National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year!! This is also exciting because last year’s recipient was Arts Department Chair, Debra Pylypiw. Back-to-back honors for NCVPS AND North Carolina Art Educators.

National Boards

Congratulations to Science teacher, Jamie Smith, who received news that she passed her National Boards.

Teacher Outreach

Shout outs to Denise Guidotti for her diligence and persistence to reach out to a HUGE number of students enrolled on the traditional schedule whose school is pushing for the students to finish on the Early Calendar schedule. I think she has two of the mass number of affected students, that may be behind. Amazing efforts and persistence to work with the DLA and see these students to success.

Thanks to all teachers and efforts to work with schools who are requesting for students to finish on the Early Calendar schedule, though they are enrolled on the Traditional schedule. Reach out to the VLCs as needed on these transactions.

School Services Support gives thanks to all of C&I staff for a year of expanded growth and support to the students and our team. We appreciate your long hours and passion for eLearning.

Holiday Mentions

Thank you to Darlene Schaefer to the wonderful POEM that was presented during the DC Meeting this week to celebrate the holidays with NCVPS style.

Twas the Month Before Christmas (NCVPS Style)

- By Darlene Schaefer

- Adapted from the poem, “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore

Twas the month before Christmas,

And all through VPS,

All the teachers were stirring and starting to stress.

Excited of the holiday break soon to come,

But wondering how they would get everything done.

There were emails to send

And synchronous contact to be made

Announcements to post,

And piles of work to grade.

PD needed completing,

And revisions were not done.

“Oh darn,” one thought. “I forgot that meeting at one.”

Wimba was crashing,

And Pronto needed a reboot.

Another number out of service, one sighed, “Oh, shoot.”

Yet, they kept tarrying on, and doing their thing

Knowing support was as close as a ping.

“We’re in this together,” they all thought with a smile.

And working for NCVPS is a great place to spend the while.

And although worked piled from floor to ceiling,

Working among the best in NC was a great feeling.

And as December 24 shifted over on the clock,

They remembered to update that one last Googledoc.

“The work will still be here,” they smiled with cheer.

For now was the time to spend with those they held dear.

They shut down their systems and turned off their lights,

As Dr. Setser tweeted, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

Thank you to Katya Decker, DC for Critical Languages for sharing her virtual gift of a Russian song "Russian Father Frost". He always comes with his daughter "Snegurochka" and little boy "New Year". They are shown on some pictures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trN9VslZGb8&feature=related