For the past couple of years we’ve been discussing how best to meet the learning needs of our Soldotna area high school students. With the enrollment at our two Soldotna traditional high schools at less than 800, we are exploring whether it makes sense to combine the two schools or leave them alone and let the declining numbers cause a gradual reduction in service. The difficult part of this consideration to combine the schools is that we need to have a good sense of what students will need in the near future. In sum, I don’t think that it makes sense to have one high school do the same as what the two are doing today. Instead, I feel that we should use the opportunity to explore how we can modify our Soldotna high school experience to better prepare our students for the future. Included in all this is the role that online learning will play; regardless of what we do, we know that online learning will be a greater part of high school than it is today.
The rate of growth of online learning at the high school level is rapid. With the understanding that this mode of delivering content is a regular part of adult education, many states now require students to take at least one online class to graduate. While I am not an advocate for Alaska doing the same, I do feel that the district should consider adding this requirement if it is a part of a blended learning environment. The blended learning environment-one that combines digitally delivered content with human interaction- offers more individualization to allow students to run faster. The blended environment unties some of that which is limiting in our schools e.g., micromanaging minutes, and if done right, increases innovation and enhances our students’ motivation to learn. Online learning does not have to be students working alone all day. The blended environment combines the efficiency of individualized digital instruction with teachers engaging their students in a deeper level of learning. While bringing a blended learning environment to our high schools is still a little ways away, I feel that we should use the Soldotna conversation as an opportunity to explore how we can make this a reality.
Blended Learning
For the past couple of years we’ve been discussing how best to meet the learning needs of our Soldotna area high school students. With the enrollment at our two Soldotna traditional high schools at less than 800, we are exploring whether it makes sense to combine the two schools or leave them alone and let the declining numbers cause a gradual reduction in service. The difficult part of this consideration to combine the schools is that we need to have a good sense of what students will need in the near future. In sum, I don’t think that it makes sense to have one high school do the same as what the two are doing today. Instead, I feel that we should use the opportunity to explore how we can modify our Soldotna high school experience to better prepare our students for the future. Included in all this is the role that online learning will play; regardless of what we do, we know that online learning will be a greater part of high school than it is today.
The rate of growth of online learning at the high school level is rapid. With the understanding that this mode of delivering content is a regular part of adult education, many states now require students to take at least one online class to graduate. While I am not an advocate for Alaska doing the same, I do feel that the district should consider adding this requirement if it is a part of a blended learning environment. The blended learning environment-one that combines digitally delivered content with human interaction- offers more individualization to allow students to run faster. The blended environment unties some of that which is limiting in our schools e.g., micromanaging minutes, and if done right, increases innovation and enhances our students’ motivation to learn. Online learning does not have to be students working alone all day. The blended environment combines the efficiency of individualized digital instruction with teachers engaging their students in a deeper level of learning. While bringing a blended learning environment to our high schools is still a little ways away, I feel that we should use the Soldotna conversation as an opportunity to explore how we can make this a reality.