My kid wants to take a course..online?!?!!!

A musing about parents opinions of online courses:

My child wants to take an online class!  And while, the websites look authentic they do not address my concerns.  I don’t understand all this technical talk.  How much time will my child be spending on the computer?  Will he/she ever see their instructor?  Is using a webcam safe?  How will they be evaluated?  And what about interaction with other students?  I monitor his/her chatting/facebook use etc…none of the online school websites address these security concerns.

I like the idea of personalized attention to my child’s needs from the instructor at various times during the day and week.  But, the website for the program doesn’t say how much interaction I can have with the instructor along the way.  In (f2f) classrooms I have contacts at school.  Please someone guide a parent through the process.  It would be helpful if comments (like user feedback) was included on the website from students and parents who participated in the past.  

Week one: Online Schools smart business?

What did you learn this week that surprised you? What was the biggest question you were left with at the end of this first week? 


Clayton Christenson argues, very compellingly, that we are on the cusp of a breakthrough in business with virtual schools and online learning.  He articulates through statistics and graphs and draws on similar models regarding disruptive innovation that the online virtuoso will change the way the world learns.  It was surprising to me that in relation to mega giants like Apple, online learning can truly change the way we view education.  The biggest question I have after the end of this first week and I imagine will continue to have throughout the course, is what next?  In order to sustain the mission of online learning must encompass a foothold on the future and while expressing validity in the present.  How can online learning stay grounded (as Christenson predicts) and keep up with changing technology?

About Adrienne...the virtual art museum educator

Hello, and welcome to my blog. This is not my first blog. Three years ago I started a blog with the idea of discussing musings about art.  Thus, the name of the blog traveling ART muse. At the time, I was working in an art museum in the Education department managing school programs for over 120,000 visitors per year. I worked with teachers and docents and tried to meet demand. It was overwhelming and disheartening that physical resources were not available to give all eager classes a guided tour and valuable museum education experience. I had completed a MA in Humanities - Art History and worked on a 2007 exhibition (Venice and the Islamic World 898-1797) before accepting the position in Education. I read all the books about blogging and was convinced that I would be committed to it unlike the 98% that on average fail. In my head, I was going to make millions talking about travels and art! Well, I blogged for one week and made $13.29 through google adsense. Of course, google pays out the first payment when it exceeds $30. So, ultimately, I made money for google. 

I loved the idea of musing about art. After working at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for 5 years and upon acceptance into the doctoral program in Art & Art Education here at Teacher's College, I decided to be a full-time student this past summer and entrench myself in the academic environment. My interest lies in the area of museum education and art education in the classroom. Specifically, I want to focus on how multi-media technology can assist in expanding interest and better fulfill the education mission for those who are unable to visit in person. 

Based on the model of Teach for America, I hope to expand my research globally and into socio-economic challenged schools. How nice would it be to have an expert in the field leading a video-conferencing discussion about a work of art in a museum with a student in Kyoto, Japan, another student in Africa and a class of visiting students from Harlem? I will never discount the value of being in front of a real work of art. However, virtual technology now allows us the ability to expand our imagination into the areas of realizing our dream destinations. Social networking, and living socially, has given the platform to the masses to have a voice. I see the need for the experts to fill the void with rich content and validity in the art education field. 

I am interested in this class to discover how online learning and virtual learning is being used in K-12 settings and how it is being received and evaluated. I do not have any direct experience utilizing distance learning or online classes in my repetoire, but have had some exposure to successful teacher development programs that were taking place at the museum utilizing a distance learning strategy. I am looking forward to this class and to meeting all of you!