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The lack of synchronized
bell schedules
shows up in combined
regional DL surveys
as one of the most
frequently noted
issues that challenge
DL teachers, students
and teaching assistants.
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In some cases, with
a DL teacher hosting
to two remote schools,
all three classes
arrive and leave
at different times.
While it is a constant
goal of everyone
involved in the
DL Program, and
all three DL Projects,
to work around the
issue, getting any
two schools, even
in the same county,
to align their bell
schedules is a demonstrably
Herculean effort,
if not simply impossible.
This almost always puts additional constraints on Distance
Learning teachers who often initiate creative ways to
deal with a limited amount of common class time.
Independent study
assignments closely
monitored during
common class time,
assignments given
and submitted by
DL room fax and
email are some of
the ways to leverage
the effectiveness
of limited face
to face, over the
network time.
Web-based online course systems are being widely used
as professional development tools and in college level
independent study.
Clearly, as stand-alone systems that do not rely on
teacher-student interaction, they are only effective
when the student has highly developed study skills,
is strongly self-motivated, goal oriented and mature.
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BOCES
Distance Learning has developed
a pilot program with interested
DL teachers to implement an online
course development system not
as a stand-alone system
but as an available
auxiliary asynchronous component
to our traditional full motion
video, real-time
teacher / student interactive
classes.
The concept is a logical extension of the email interaction that many
teachers have already found to be an effective tool for assignment
exchange and extra help.
A teacher has the option
of making course material, assignment
exchange and a course discussion
forum available to students online,
outside the constraints of limited
common class time.
Students then have access at school,
at home or anywhere with an Internet
connection and at any time, to
download and upload course material
and assignments, and to participate
in asynchronous course discussions
on message boards. All
monitored and supervised asynchronously
by the DL teacher at his or her
convenience and referenced during
common class time.
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