Hi,

I'm new to this forum but have found many of the post informative and inspirational. I've taught in public and private schools and have recently started an online learning program, which was initially a continuation of my hybrid "brick and mortar"/virtual tutoring program.

I'm interested in hearing feedback on the ideal online learning program. So far, here's what I've incorporated into my courses:

1. A teacher leads/facilitates each course and meets with students twice weekly for chat sessions/workshops. Teachers are available via telephone and email.

2. Students receive an initial assessment and are allowed to progress/accelerate at an individual pace. Mastery is set at 90%. Students also take frequent quizzes as well as a final exam.

3. Parents receive monthly progress reports and are immediately notified if the student falls behind (3 days of no activity in the course room).

4. Individual tutoring is available through Smarthinking.com

5. Courses offer a variety of multimedia resources and interactive games.

6. Open/rolling enrollment.

I'd appreciate any suggestions, advice, etc. regarding what makes an ideal online learning environment for gifted students.

Thanks!

One thing I find lacking in many online programs is the ability to print out the lessons and quizzes.

For some reason my DD performs better on pencil & paper.
She needs the option to print out the tests and enter her answers, to show her true skills.

Thanks, Gifted Mom. I tried searching, but didn't find anything.

Floridama, I definitely understand the need for an option to print worksheets/exams. Waterford has a program (Rusty & Rosy) that allows students to print worksheets after each lesson.

Thanks for your input!

My kids and I tend to like things done graphically well.

https://secure.brainpop.com/
This has very nice graphics.
My kids have not been interested in this website and I'm not sure why. I like how they incorporate movies. I also like how there are many options to encourage more learning within subjects.

http://www.mathletics.com/
This is a competitive way of learning. My DS9 loved this.

http://www.oldtrail.org/libraryclassresearch.htm.
this is a lost of Path finders, leads to sources of information for research and learning.

My son did an online course thru Northwestern university and found the class chat to be a good learing experience.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck

Thanks, onthegomom!

I've been using Brainpop for years and just introduced Mathletics to the students. Old Trail looks very interesting, so I'll be sure to check it out. Your info has definitely been helpful.

We currently have chat, but I've been looking into a virtual world chat environment (like Sims) where students can take quizzes, complete assignments and interact with instructors and peers.

BTW...If you like Brainpop and Mathletics, you should look into Gizmos and Adaptive Curriculum.

http://www.explorelearning.com/

http://www.adaptivecurriculum.com/us/

My DS uses www.superchargedscience.com as part of his curriculum. They use teleseminars along with viedeos for many of the units. It has worked well for us and is something to consider failing having access to full live access. Some of the video conferencing software could probably be adapted to a classroom setting. The other thing I like about this program is the speed with which they respond to e-mailed questions as it's important to get an answer while the child is still interested in the subject.

Thanks, BWBShari. Supercharged Science looks like a great program. I especially like that Aurora meets with students in a live session. I wonder if synchronized meetings are more beneficial for elementary or high school students. Although online learning is geared to cater to different schedules/lifestyles, it seems learning would be better facilitated with increase student/peer/teacher interaction.

This is a very interesting thread. One of my dsisters has a Masters in Math and accreditation in teaching, and has started tutoring in her small town. She and my other sisters are all checking out skype, and this seems like a great *free*/somewhat low-tech way to interact with a student and other folks. With webcam in place you can talk and see someone for free. I was freaked the first time I checked it out - finally part of the future has arrived!!

We were talking about her tutoring my ds9 in math (just fun projects) as I want him to enjoy math and for now there is not much challenge in math, and only a little enjoyment when something is a bit new/hard for him, so Skype seemed like a good way to do this.

I will forward this thread to her, however, I think she would be interested in the listed resources. thanks!

Most recently, we've used Stanford's EPGY math online. We are, however, using it through a homeschool group formed on this website, so we do not have access to the tutor feature that you get when you sign up as an individual. The cost savings is so substantial that we were happy to make that trade off, though.

What dd has liked about it are the audio lectures, although she does "mute" the voice at times when he is interfering with her thought processes. I do think that the flash player lectures that pop up are very useful and it has a good methodical method for introducing concepts.

This sounds like something that we would find appealing. I like the concept of being able to form a virtual community for homeschooled gifted kids. Having access limited to enrolled students would also provide some degree of safety for the children.

Accreditation is important to me at the high school level in case we wanted to go for the HS diploma through the district.

We haven't done online courses this year, but we always had software troubles--so another thing that's important to me would be bug-free software. I don't ever want to talk to tech services even once during the course!

Another thing that's important to me is that the entire course is ready to go at the beginning--no waiting for lessons, links, or videos to be uploaded.

Tutors/teachers that respond to student questions/emails in a timely manner (we'd wait weeks to get a response or grade back).

I really like the online community of AoPS that "chatter" before and after class, that have a personal blog space to work out problems, get to know each other, etc.

Skype is fantastic for online tutoring, chris1234. It's free with a simple download. I'd also recommend a good headset with mic, which are relatively inexpensive. I also recommend the Wacom Tablet, especially for math. Elluminate offers free whiteboard along with conferencing.

http://www.wacom.com/index2.php
http://www.elluminate.com/

Cricket2, you're absolutely right about limiting admission into the virtual learning environment for student safety. That aspect can be handled by limiting admission to enrolled students. There are virtual world programs that incorporate into learning management systems. I particularly like this type of chat because it appeals to visual, audio and kinesthetic learners.

Your program sounds very similiar to Connections Academy. They have live lessons with a white board and interaction with a teacher and other students. My DS7 enjoyed that feature. They also use BrainPoP and Discovery streaming. They have the print feature you mentioned as well.

We love Supercharged Science too.