Hey Class!!

For my article I read about rural districts implementing online learning in their schools. For many of us that went to school in more populated areas, online courses and resources seemed to be readily available. For these four districts in the rural areas of Oregon, online courses was more a lifeline to them than anything else. Online courses allowed the students to take courses that were not available to them because of under staffing and lack of financial resources. The idea of online learning was new to them and they are just beginning to understand the advantages of multiple educational resources. It allows them a richer selection of offerings. The goal for them was to remove barriers that were created due to lack of resources and teachers, and have low cost shared services between schools, and ultimately promote student innovation. Unfortunately classes offered online were only really available to those with high GPAs and that were either seniors or juniors. Some districts offered them to other students but at a cost. These courses allowed students to catch up on credits and graduate on time. It gave them the support to continue progressing in their education and not give up. I think that the use of technology in areas that are so rural give students the opportunity to communicate with other schools and to share ideas. I think that this is extremely beneficial, however, I feel that they need to come to some solution so that every students is offered the availability of taking online courses.

Thanks,
Brooke Gerrard

Brown, Don W. (March/April 2012). Rural Districts Bolster Choices With Online Learning. International Society for Technology in Education, 39(6). Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Rural_Districts_Bolster_Choices_with_Online_Learning.aspx