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Too Cool for school? How about "Virtual High School" in #Boulder
Dec 24th
VHS Brings Blended Instruction to Boulder Area
Fifty teachers in the Boulder Valley School District now working towards filling student achievement gaps thanks to a VHS-facilitated grant.
Boulder Colorado– Virtual High School Global Consortium (http://www.govhs.org), the pioneer of K-12 online learning and course design for teachers, today announced that technology-enhanced courses will soon be a reality at middle and high schools in the Boulder Valley and Thompson School Districts. Thanks to a grant facilitated by Virtual High School (VHS) and funded by the Colorado Department of Education, over 30 teachers are presently learning how to use blended learning opportunities to fill large student achievement gaps in the districts, particularly amongst Hispanic and low income students.
“A number of studies have shown that technology-enhanced learning environments can significantly narrow the student achievement gap that many schools are experiencing today,” said Liz Pape, President & CEO of VHS. “We are excited about this program because it will produce significant outcomes for both students and teachers, as well as will open the door for district-wide implementation in years to come.”
The $200,000 Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant provides for a pilot program that enables up to 50 teachers to take three of VHS’s professional development courses so as to create blended learning opportunities for students. The blended or hybrid learning approach combines face-to-face classroom methods with online activities to form an integrated instructional approach. Internet-based activities, such as blogging and contributing to wikis, are used to supplement face-to-face instruction.
The grant started in September and teachers just completed one of two courses, 21st Century Teaching & Learning or Web 2.0: Collaborative Instruction. Through these online courses teachers learn to use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information. From there, educators will go on to a specially designed course, Creating Blended Classrooms through Open Educational Resources. Teachers enrolled in the program will receive their choice of either a stipend or graduate college credit.
“The feedback so far has been extremely positive,” said Kurt LeVasseur, Director for Career and Technical Education & Online Learning Principal for the Boulder Valley School District. “Our teachers are already using online communication tools with students in their in-person classrooms. Part of the reason this has been so effective is because teachers have been able to implement these technologies as they go along.”
Designed to supplement a school’s in-person curriculum with online courses, Virtual High School (VHS) is a non-profit collaborative of high schools, teachers and students. Teachers who are certified in their specific discipline, and who have completed a VHS professional development program, facilitate and continually monitor all courses. In addition, VHS students benefit from small classes and personalized one-on-one attention from active high school teachers, while mastering subject matter and 21st century learning skills that will increase their chances for future success in higher education and the work environment.
boulder valley schools pr special agency contributed to this story by providing background information
Too Cool for school? How about “Virtual High School” in #Boulder
Dec 24th
VHS Brings Blended Instruction to Boulder Area
Fifty teachers in the Boulder Valley School District now working towards filling student achievement gaps thanks to a VHS-facilitated grant.
Boulder Colorado– Virtual High School Global Consortium (http://www.govhs.org), the pioneer of K-12 online learning and course design for teachers, today announced that technology-enhanced courses will soon be a reality at middle and high schools in the Boulder Valley and Thompson School Districts. Thanks to a grant facilitated by Virtual High School (VHS) and funded by the Colorado Department of Education, over 30 teachers are presently learning how to use blended learning opportunities to fill large student achievement gaps in the districts, particularly amongst Hispanic and low income students.
“A number of studies have shown that technology-enhanced learning environments can significantly narrow the student achievement gap that many schools are experiencing today,” said Liz Pape, President & CEO of VHS. “We are excited about this program because it will produce significant outcomes for both students and teachers, as well as will open the door for district-wide implementation in years to come.”
The $200,000 Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant provides for a pilot program that enables up to 50 teachers to take three of VHS’s professional development courses so as to create blended learning opportunities for students. The blended or hybrid learning approach combines face-to-face classroom methods with online activities to form an integrated instructional approach. Internet-based activities, such as blogging and contributing to wikis, are used to supplement face-to-face instruction.
The grant started in September and teachers just completed one of two courses, 21st Century Teaching & Learning or Web 2.0: Collaborative Instruction. Through these online courses teachers learn to use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information. From there, educators will go on to a specially designed course, Creating Blended Classrooms through Open Educational Resources. Teachers enrolled in the program will receive their choice of either a stipend or graduate college credit.
“The feedback so far has been extremely positive,” said Kurt LeVasseur, Director for Career and Technical Education & Online Learning Principal for the Boulder Valley School District. “Our teachers are already using online communication tools with students in their in-person classrooms. Part of the reason this has been so effective is because teachers have been able to implement these technologies as they go along.”
Designed to supplement a school’s in-person curriculum with online courses, Virtual High School (VHS) is a non-profit collaborative of high schools, teachers and students. Teachers who are certified in their specific discipline, and who have completed a VHS professional development program, facilitate and continually monitor all courses. In addition, VHS students benefit from small classes and personalized one-on-one attention from active high school teachers, while mastering subject matter and 21st century learning skills that will increase their chances for future success in higher education and the work environment.
boulder valley schools pr special agency contributed to this story by providing background information
city of Boulder actually does something to keep business's around
Dec 24th
City Manager approves business incentive for Spectra Logic
City Manager Jane S. Brautigam has approved a flexible rebate application for Boulder-based Spectra Logic for up to $65,000 in rebates. The rebates were authorized for sales and use taxes, and development review and permit related fees.
The flexible rebate program is one of the city’s business incentives, first approved by City Council in September 2006. The rebate incentive covers a wide range of fees, equipment and construction use taxes
“The City of Boulder is pleased that Spectra Logic, a Boulder company for more than 30 years, was able to expand its business in Boulder,” said City Manager Jane S. Brautigam. “The city congratulates Spectra Logic on making sustainability a priority in its building renovation by reusing and recycling to divert almost 30 tons of material from the landfill.”
Spectra Logic is a global leader in innovative tape libraries and disk backup solutions. The company is expanding and recently renovated and moved into an 83,000 square foot building at 6285 Lookout Road in Gunbarrel, occupying a space that had been vacant for several years.
“Spectra Logic staff repurposed all of the existing copper, glass and more than 150 doors and frames when we purchased and redesigned the layout of the new property,” said Nathan Thompson, chief executive officer of Spectra Logic. “We are proud to earn the City of Boulder’s recognition for our sustainability efforts.”
The 2010 flexible rebate program uses social, community, and environmental sustainability guidelines. Companies may choose the guidelines that best fit their company, but they must meet minimum requirements in order to receive the rebate. Spectra Logic has exceeded the minimum community sustainability guidelines. Of note, Spectral Logic has focused on waste reduction by reusing and recycling materials including glass, tile, light fixtures, and hardware in its recent building retrofit. The company will participate in energy efficiency programs such as receiving an energy assessment for its new facility and participating in the 10 for Change Challenge.
