Technology on Campus

Virtual learning may seem like a relatively new concept in the world of education, but distance learning via correspondence schools and other sources has actually been around for centuries. Virtual schools offer students the ability to get at least a portion of their education online, from the comfort of home. Some students even enroll in virtual schools full time, graduating without ever setting foot in a brick-and-mortar classroom! We’ll take a look at how the virtual school has evolved, what the benefits might be, and some areas of the country that are now actively promoting their virtual schools for struggling and overachieving students alike.

What is Virtual School?

According to WhatIs.com, virtual learning involves the use of computers and the Internet to create a classroom environment right at home. The core components of a successful virtual learning experience include:

• Curriculum mapping that breaks curriculum down into assessable segments
• The ability to track student progress
• Sufficient online support for both students and faculty
• Access to electronic communication like email, online chat, and video conferencing
• Links via the Internet to outside resources that enhance the learning experience

When all of these components are included in the virtual learning environment, virtual schools can be just as effective, if not more so, than the traditional classroom for many students today. Virtual schools are available on both the public and private school levels, so parents can often search out the best online learning environment for their child’s unique needs and abilities.

The Benefits

Today's students must be well versed in much more than the three traditional "Rs" that have carried public education for the past century. In order to compete in the global marketplace, students must also know their way around the most recent technology utilized in the workplace today.

To help students and teachers in achieving that goal, Google Apps is ready to bring technology into the classroom – in real-time, no less. In a recent agreement between Google Apps and a host of states across the country, more and more public schools will see the results of technology in the classroom.

Using Google Docs in the Classroom

According to a recent entry on the Official Google Blog, Google Apps can provide a multitude of uses in today's classroom, including:

• Gmail allows students and teachers to easily communicate with one another
• Docs that give students the opportunity to turn in assignments to the teacher right from the student's own computer
• Sites that give students access to assignments, lesson plans, and research material any time of the day or night
• Groups that provide additional opportunities for students to interact with instructors and classmates online

The addition of Google Apps makes the entire classroom more interactive, as teachers have the ability to coach students throughout the course of their assignments, and students have easy access to ask questions and get feedback. The "anytime, anywhere" access allows students and teachers

Today's children must be prepared for tomorrow's demands. Considering technology's paramount role in nearly every career and industry, developing technological fluency is important for every child.

Understanding the relationship between technology and education, public schools have begun to incorporate innovative laptop programs to help improve student learning and performance. According to ERIC Digest, laptop programs have been part of organized education practices since 1988; however, these laptop opportunities have only recently gained national popularity in the past few years.

By incorporating laptops into public school classrooms, teachers can enhance the curriculum, providing students extensive research opportunities, access to up-to-date information, and many other learning benefits.

The Learning Benefits of Laptop Programs

As ERIC Digest further reveals, several leading computer companies have actively engaged in research to evaluate the benefits of laptops in public schools. In examining the perks, researchers and instructors report educational advantages, such as:

• Textbooks are expensive and often outdated, but students can engage in up-to-date research through the internet with laptops.
• Students can reinforce their lessons through their laptop's technological tools, including study games, class-specific discussion blogs, and other digital resources.
• Students can edit and correct their writing with greater ease, as the laptops provide students with instant dictionaries, spell-checking tools, and thesaurus resources.
• Students can become versed in technological tools, which will help provide students with greater preparation for their technology-based careers in the future.
• Students from different financial backgrounds can have

As students in public school today are exposed to endless technological advances, the use of cell phones seems to be an often ignored modern-day issue. While cell phones certainly offer students increased communication abilities, providing students with a tool for added safety and parent contact, many public school leaders assert that cell phones are a severe distraction in the educational process. Whether students are talking in the halls, on the phone in the restroom facilities, or texting during class, phones are proving to be a significant distraction in many students’ educational process.

To counteract the negative implications, many public schools have even issued a ban on the use of cell phones while on campus. Upon the onset of these drastic measures, a fairly glaring debate has arisen between school leaders and many community members.

The Ringing Debate

As school leaders are striving to improve student performance and the overall student learning experience, schools across the country are enforcing strict policies regarding cell phones. Specifically, the entire city of New York issued a general ban against cell phones in their city’s public schools.

According to eSchool News, a group of parents was so outraged by this ban that they have taken legal action against leaders, and they are suing the city for violating student rights to possess cell phones: “The eight parents' lead lawyer, Norman Siegel, said the lawsuit was filed against the city's Department of Education, schools Chancellor Joel Klein, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg after they ‘callously