"For some students, things are best learned online"
Rochester Post-Bulletin; featuring student A.J. Worth
"Online study options growing in popularity"
The Chanhassen Villager; featuring student Jessica Schlauderaff
"Online school alternative path to success"
The Coon Rapids Herald; featuring student Senna El Bakri
"Oronoco student enjoys online high school"
Zumbrota News Record; featuring student Emily Pass
"For some students, MCoOL is alternative "
The Stewartville Star; featuring graduate Julia Steggman
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For some students, things are best learned online
Rochester Post-Bulletin
January 31, 2009
By Elliot Mann
A.J. Worth prefers taking his classes online to sitting in a classroom, and his mother says he's getting better grades.
High school junior A.J. Worth wipes the sleep from his eyes, throws a black hooded sweatshirt over his head and flips on his laptop computer.
With that, class is in session.
Worth, 17, is one of more than 5,000 Minnesota students who are bypassing the brick and mortar idea of high school for its virtual counterpart -- an online curriculum.
Students taking classes entirely online almost doubled statewide from the 2006-2007 school year to 2007-2008, a jump from 2,544 students to 5,042 students.
According to data from the Minnesota Department of Education, more than 8,100 students enrolled in at least one online class.
Minnesota's state colleges are also projecting growth in online enrollment. About 9 percent of all credits registered by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities were online classes. That number is projected at 11.4 percent by the end of the current school year.
Worth takes high school classes through the Minnesota Center for Online Learning, offered through the Houston school district in southeastern Minnesota.
"It's awesome," Worth said. He enrolled in January after transferring from Victory Christian Academy, a private school in Rochester. His short time at Victory and in public schools produced mixed results.
"It didn't seem like I could connect with anyone that (well)," he said.
Going online has caused him to be more organized, he said. He can view upcoming assignments on his computer.
Lori Worth said her son deals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also a mild form of Asperger syndrome, a social interaction disorder linked to autism. A.J. has benefited from moving at his own pace on his own schedule, his mother said.
"His grades have really improved," she said.
Many students have similar issues or don't want to deal with bullying or teasing, said Steve Kerska, director of secondary options for the Houston school district. Others have health or mobility issues.
Online classes aren't meant to someday take the place of regular schools, he said, but they gives some students another option.
"It's advantageous for some students, but it's not for every student," Kerska said.
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Online study options growing in popularity
The Chanhassen Villager
August 28, 2008
By Forrest Adams
Jessica Schlauderaff is 16 years old and trying to maintain a 3.9 grade point average, all from her favorite recliner.
Her classroom is her home, or wherever else she has access to the Internet.
The Chanhassen resident attends a virtual high school. She is one of a growing number of Minnesota students taking advantage of the option to study online.
They attend virtual classrooms, submit digital assignments and communicate with their classmates and teacher without ever setting foot in a traditional brick and mortar classroom.
Jessica's Story
Shifting employment assignments have kept the Schlauderaff family on the move for much of Jessica's life. Before coming to Chanhassen in 2007, they were in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to that,m they had lived at times in Oklahoma, Colorado and Alaska. Jessica was born in Alaska, but her family moved away when she was 2.
Jessica has been homeschooled her whole life by Scott, her father, a former 9-year firefighter in the U.S. Air Force. Entering her junior year, she has been an online student since eigth grade. She's enrolled in a program called MCoOL (Minnesota Center of Online Learning), a popular public online middle and high school program based in Houston, Minnesota. Students from all over the state are enrolled in it. She enrolled in online school when they lived in Ohio because as she began studying more complex subjects, Scott decided she would be better off academically under the tutelage of a certified teacher.
"I was nervous about how it would work," Jessica said. "I was used to home schooling. With online learning, you have to go online to find out what the teacher wants you to do instead of just asking your dad what he wants you to do. It's harder to organize."
True to form, she adapted. She said what she appreciates the most is the ability to think for herself. The teachers are close by, virtually, is she needs to ask questions, but she enjoys figuring out for herself what's expected for an assignment.
"I like having teachers to talk to if I need them but not having people talk to me all the time because I'm really self-motivated," she said. "I like being able to ask people questions if I need them, but not have them intrude all the time."
Now a junior, having lived in Chanhassen for the past year, she still communicates with friends in Ohio but said she like the MCoOL program. Her favorite classes are art, English and American history, while her least favorite are mathematics and sciences.
Personable and chatty, she said she isn't lonely in a classroom that fits onto the screen of a computer that the program provides her. MCoOL also provides opportunities for virtual classes to meet for field trips and other activities; she's also involved with the youth group at church and has friends from the neighborhood.
Her three younger sisters - Lindsey, 12, Faith, 8, and Korrie, 6 - also study online, and through their shared experience, Scott said the girls have grown close.
Jessica admitted that as much as she has enjoyed online learning, she plans to choose a more traditional post-secondary classroom experience. She's not sure where that will be, but in her junior year is taking several courses offered by Crown College in St. Bonifacius.
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Online school alternative path to success
The Coon Rapids Herald
August 14, 2008
By Jennifer Kivioja
Senna El Bakri, a Coon Rapids resident, enrolled in the Minnesota Center of Online Learning (MCoOL), a public, online middle and high school program open to Minnesota students in grades seven-12. Since she enrolled in the online program two years ago she has seen an improvement in her grades and self-esteem.
Senna El Bakri, 17, was struggling in school. So, her mother started to home school her. For a while that was fine, but El Bakri said it "just wasn't something that I wanted, I'm a social person and I needed something else."
For her an alternative option was to enroll in an online school.
El Bakri, a Coon Rapids resident, enrolled in the Minnesota Center of Online Learning (MCoOL), a public, online middle and high school program open to Minnesota students in grades seven-12.
Since she enrolled in the program in 2006 she has seen a drastic improvement not only in her grades but in her self-esteem.
"I was never an 'A' student. I just went through the day. Once I started at MCoOL I started to care about my school work," El Bakri said.
An example of her improvement has been in math. Before attending MCoOL she said she would get 50 percent on math tests and now it's not uncommon for her to get 80 or 90 percent.
"Now that I am able to do a good job it makes me feel capable that I can do more," El Bakri said.
So much so that she has been accepted as a PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Option) student to attend the University of Minnesota during her senior year.
"I want to learn and do good in school," El Bakri said.
Steve Kerska, director of secondary operations at MCoOL, said that this program was started six years and is one of 19 online schools in the state.
The program offers 100 different courses and students enroll in both core courses (i.e. English, math, science and social studies) and elective courses, he said.
According to Kerska, there are two groups of students who are registering for MCoOL - those who have not found success in their school or those who are not challenged enough.
MCoOL is similar to public schools in that it offers core classes and electives, follows Minnesota Department of Education guidelines and has certified teachers, Kerska said.
But the differences are that classes are done online, each student dictates the pace of the class and the curriculum for each student is customized.
Because the courses are offered online students can take more time to learn subjects, especially if they are struggling, and excel as a result.
"It's a demanding curriculum and the students have to be self-motivated, self-disciplined and willing to ask questions," Kerska said.
"For example a student sitting in a classroom can start daydreaming and miss what was happening. But when taking a class online things don't happen until the student engages things to move forward."
Because of the ideology of the online courses, El Bakri has found success.
El Barki, who once attended private schools, is now attending Coon Rapids High School for two classes, then takes the rest of her courses online.
"It's flexible and there are no distractions or other people around you," El Bakri said. "MCoOL gives me the opportunity to go at my own pace."
El Bakri is unique in the online program in that she is still attending a school.
But for her this works. At the high school she gets to interact with her peers and is involved in extracurricular activities, she said.
At the high school, she also takes classes that are more hands on like chemistry, biology and public speaking El Bakri said.
And the online courses are working for El Bakri. "For whatever reason math makes more sense to me online than it did sitting in a classroom," she said
"I'm not sure why, but it just makes more sense learning and seeing the problems on the computer."
Since El Bakri started attending online courses she said that it has changed how she feels about school.
"It's kind of a balance for me," she said. "I like being in the classroom and around people in the high school, but I also like having more time to do my work in the online classes and have the time to work on my assignments."
Her mother, Adrianna Sutherland, said that the high school has been wonderful working with them to help get El Bakri registered for the right classes.
"I have seen such a huge improvement in her self- esteem and her grades have improved so much," said Sutherland.
Even though classes are offered online, MCoOL students meet with teachers in weekly online "classroom" sessions.
Students can also contact their teachers via e-mail or phone anytime they have questions on their homework.
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Oronoco student enjoys online high school
Zumbrota News Record
August 20, 2008
By Michelle Huneke
ORONOCO-Emily Pass, 16, of rural Oronoco, has been participating in online schooling since fifth grade. "I really enjoy it," she said. "If s easier to work on my own." Pass is currently enrolled in the Minnesota Center of Online Learning (MCoOL) which is a part of the Houston Public School system in Minnesota. MCoOL is a free public school, which furnishes their students with a laptop. The school has been in operation for six years and has over 500 full- and parttime students. Before MCoOL, Emily was enrolled in a different online school for middle school students. "I like MCoOL better," Pass said, "because of the individual teachers."
"Everything is pretty much up to me," Emily Pass said. She gets to decide when to work on her tasks for class and homework, as long as she finishes it before the due dates. Time management and planning ahead are some of the critical skills that students who are doing online schooling must possess.
Emily's mother, Teri, points out that Emily schedules her time nicely. "It's a valuable lesson they learn," Teri said. Steve Kerska, Director of Secondary Options of Houston Public Schools, agrees with Teri. He said, "The three most important skills in an online student are self-motivation, self-dedication, and the ability to ask questions."
As one might expect, Emily sometimes feels like she misses out on normal high school activities. "Every once in a while I feel like I miss out," she says. "I mean, obviously my school can't have a prom. But I have a lot of friends and we hang out a lot." So even if she doesn't meet directly with classmates every day, her social life isn't a problem. MCoOL also has discussion boards and chat rooms where students can interact. Discussions are even mandatory for some classes.
If some people think online high school is easier, they would be mistaken. "The curriculum is very challenging; it stretches them," Teri Pass said. But if Emily has problems or questions, she can always email her teachers. In case of emergencies, she can call, too, even though she's never had to. "It's definitely not easy," Steve Kerska says. He pointed out that even if the courses are demanding; students can go as fast or slow as they need to, as long as they complete their work on time.
With technology having an ever-increasing presence in our everyday lives, Steve Kerska predicts the online schooling field to grow very quickly. "Currently this year there are over one million students enrolled in online courses," Kerska said. That is quite an improvement from ten years ago when Kerska began looking at online curriculum. "It was horrible." he said. Obviously the technology has improved, and many students have chosen to partake in this particular form of education. In fact, Emily' s brother will be starting MCoOL this year. "I would recommend [online schooling]," Emily said. "I really like it."
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For some students, MCoOL is alternative
The Stewartville Star
August 19, 2008
By Mark Peterson
The Minnesota Center of Online Learning (MCoOL) is fast becoming an attractive alternative for students in grades seven through 12 who have difficulty fitting in with their classmates in a traditional setting, says Steve Kerska, director of secondary options for Houston Public Schools.
More than 500 students from across the state are currently enrolled in MCoOL classes, up from 26 part timers when the school began five years ago, Kerska said.
"A growing number of students have found that they're not able to be successful at a traditional school," he said. "Some kids have social issues, others have medical issues. Some kids don't learn at the pace a traditional school goes at. Some kids have been bullied or picked on. For some kids, (MCoOL) is the fresh start they're looking for."
MCoOL offers more than 100 courses and a strong core curriculum that features a wide range of technology and business courses, Kerska said. MCoOL students have achieved the highest writing scores among all of Minnesota's online schools.
The curriculum includes many classes found in a traditional school setting, including math, social studies, science, English, more than 15 world language classes, more than 20 Advanced Placement courses, and high-tech classes such as digital video production, game design and Flash animation.
"The curriculum is hard and our expectations are high," Kerska said. "It is challenging."
Julia Stegmann, 18, of Rochester, earned all A's as a MCoOL online student in 2007-08. She enjoyed the flexibility of online learning, which allowed her to complete her work at times most convenient to her.
"I was able to do my homework really late at night," she said. "The teachers were really, really nice."
Stegmann's MCoOL classes included creative writing, physics, psychology, macro-economics, health and personal finance. She enjoyed MCoOL so much that she recommended it to her younger sister Sarah, 16, who will be a high school junior this fall.
Stegmann said she liked the fact that MCoOL's teachers were always available to answer her questions.
"They're really nice," she said. "They tell you that there are no stupid questions, and they never made me feel like I was impinging on their time."
Minnesota students may enroll either full- or part-time at MCoOL for the 2008-09 school year, which begins Sept. 2. The enrollment deadline is this Wednesday, Aug. 20.
MCoOL will host a series of open houses throughout the state where students and their parents can meet with teachers and current MCoOL families to learn more about this education option. For more information or a complete list of open house dates and locations, visit www .MCoOL .org
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