19-Online+Learning+-+ILO+Update

This session will focus on giving participants a great opportunity to learn more about the resources provided by Iowa Learning Online. For example, we are currently exploring various different areas: - Identifying and providing more resources to help schools dealing with struggling learners. - Assisting schools develop regional class-sharing consortia to enable them to expand, in an affordable manner, their existing course offerings. - Connecting 1:1 schools as they seek to share instructors and courses with other 1:1 schools from across the state. - Enhancing the number of world language offerings in Spanish, German, French, Chinese, and Arabic - Discussing the upcoming three million dollar ARRA grant and the online training course acquisition that will be sharable statewide through an easy accessible repository system. - Paying any ICN video costs associated with at-a-distance courses using the ICN for teacher-to-student virtual office discussions or daily direct instruction purposes.

Basically, we see some very exciting things coming down the online pike right now!

This session will allow participants to become more aware of what we are currently attempting to do as well as solicit your input on where schools want ILO to go in the future.

Please ome join us and give us direction as to how we need to plan for the future.

Arlan Thorson, ILO School Liaison

These are some documents related to this presentation:

This PowerPoint will provide an overview of ILO.

This Word document will give you a feel of the different types of classes provided through the ILO network. Some courses are provided free through a federal grant; some are brokered and shared (or sold) from one Iowa school to another; and still others are provided by the Iowa AP Online Academy.

This list is a non-inclusive list of free or affordable online courses or units that teachers are using to build or enrich their own online courses.

Probably the most critical person determining the success of the online learner is the 'coach.' This person wears many hats in this process. Sometimes s/he is an adult advocate; sometimes this person acts much like an accountability agent checking on student progress. Other times, this person is a liaison with the local technology specialist; and, ALWAYS, this person is the 'nagging mother or father' that 'keeps on the student' to ensure that s/he stays engaged in the course. This person is, by far, the most important person in the entire online learning process!