Barbour, M. K. (2011, March). Introducing in-service teachers to virtual schooling through the lens of the three teacher roles. A paper presented at the annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Nashville, TN. This study will examine the third and fourth rounds of data collection from an action research project designed to help in-service teachers become better virtual school facilitators (currently being analyzed). The data included blog entries and comments from five of the seven graduate students in an instructional technology course related to K-12 online learning. The specific discussion prompts relate to virtual school readings and the Teacher Education Goes into Virtual Schooling (TEGIVS) curriculum. Based upon initial analysis, the TEGIVS curriculum was effective for providing these graduate students some experience with how K-12 online learning opportunities were delivered, along with some of the possibilities and challenges associated with K-12 online learning. The analysis of this data is continuing, and there are plans to continue this line of inquiry with additional students in future offerings as we continue to improve upon the course design.

1. Michael Barbour
Wayne State University

2. Students Enrolled in Online Courses
 2001 = 40,000 – 50,000 (Clark)
 2010 = >2,000,000 K-12 (Watson et al.)
 48 States (plus DC) reporting significant K-12 online
learning activity

3.  2006 – Michigan adds online learning graduation
requirement
 Added 3 new standards for teachers in Educational
Technology
1. Online Technology Experience and Skills
2. Online Course Design
3. Online Course Delivery
 Necessitated changes to all endorsement programs in
the state

4.  At Wayne State University changed reflected in IT6230
– Internet in the Classroom
 preparing teachers for three new roles (Davis, 2007)
1. Virtual School Designer
2. Virtual School Teacher
3. Virtual School Facilitator
 most middle and high school teachers in Michigan were more
likely to play the role of the facilitator the majority of course
activities focused on this position

5.  Limited Existing Resources through various
universities
 Iowa State University
1. Good Practice to Inform Iowa Online Learning
2. Teacher Education Goes Into Virtual Schools

6. 1. Examine impact of TEGIVS curriculum on the
opinions of graduate students enrolled in IT6230
about the role of the virtual school facilitator.
2. Examine the effectiveness of the chosen K-12 online
learning curriculum, with the goal of making
continual improvements to the course.

7.  Adopted Teacher
Education Goes into
Virtual Schooling
(TEGIVS) curriculum
wholesale
 Multimedia scenarios
 Individual project
 Group project
 Discussion prompts from
TEGIVS scenario tasks
 Practitioner-focused
readings
4 week unit

8.  Localized and revised
TEGIVS scenarios
 Modified individual
project
 Added tasks from
TEGIVS scenarios
 Discussion prompts
more closely tied to
readings
 More research-based
readings
 Added ILO case studies to
focus on VS teacher role
5 week unit

9.  Modified individual
project
 added specific tasks
related to ILO case
studies
 added tasks related to
Converge special issue
 Discussion prompts
forced students to explore
new resources
 with a continued
emphasis on the readings
7 week unit

10.  Created Michigan-
specific online teaching
case studies
 used as part of
Individual Project
 Better sequencing of
topics
 Better coverage of topics
related to all three roles
 Better illustration of Web
2.0 tools for online
teaching
7 week unit

11.  Created Michigan-
specific online learning
scenarios
 used as part of
Individual Project
Add focus on “Virtual School
Designer” role
 Current underway
 students will begin
content in two weeks
7 week unit

12.  Two Semesters
 Winter 2008 - 9 of 15 students
 Winter 2009 - 5 of 7 students
 Summer 2009 – 5 of 14 students*
 Winter 2010 – 4 of 10 students*
 Winter 2011 - ?? of students*
* course moved to online delivery
 Data
 Blog entries & comments based on instructor prompts
 Individual & group projects
 Student evaluations of teaching

14. Summer 2009
 Consistent with Winter 2008 and Winter 2009
 Benefits at-risk students
 More teacher preparation
 Supportive of online learning
 Communication/interaction
 No longer apparent
 Appropriate access to technology
Winter 2010 data still being analyzed

15.  First you have to confront students’ preconceptions
and dispel any myths
 Michigan-specific examples
 Discussions more meaningful when tied to the
readings, but push students to use resources beyond
(particularly with research-based readings)

16.  Continued revision of the Individual Project
 Better mix of practitioner-focused and research-
based readings
 Increase in materials related to “virtual school
designer” role

17. Questions
and/or
comments?

18. Michael K. Barbour
http://www.michaelbarbour.com
mkbarbour@gmail.com
http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com