Platte High School
Distance Education Interviews
Superintendent of Schools
The superintendent of schools at Platte High School is very in favor of using distance education classes to expand the high school curriculum. He is very concerned with the prospect of declining enrollment and cuts in state budget. He feels that distance education cannot replace face-to-face learning at the secondary level, but he must also balance monetary concerns for the school district.
Two things the superintendent especially wanted to discuss were collaboration with post-secondary institutes and encouraging Platte High School staff to expand into distance education. The school board in Platte recently passed an initiative to supply every student in grades 9-12 with a laptop computer. The superintendent feels this will open new opportunities for our students in the area of distance learning. He spoke of attempting a partnership with one of the state colleges to attempt to fully utilize the new laptops for distance education but was very vague about how this would work or which colleges would be involved. He also would like to encourage Platte staff to develop classes for the DDN. Platte High School would then offer the courses to neighboring schools for a per student fee. He stated that the majority of the money collected would go to the course instructor with only enough to cover administrative costs going to the school.
High School Principal
The high school principal also sees a place for distance education at Platte High School, but he has more reservations about the program, probably because he has been handling the discipline problems associated with the on-line classes. He does not feel that on-line classes are for every student. He discussed the fact that two students failed to complete their on-line classes during the fall semester and talked about steps he intends to take to prevent this non-completion next year. He is in the process of developing a written application for students who wish to take on-line classes in the fall of 2005. He is also planning to conduct a face-to-face interview with those who apply before he approves their enrollment in the on-line class. Unlike the superintendent he is not convinced that distance education is the answer to problems facing small schools in South Dakota.
Guidance Counselor
The guidance counselor also has some reservations about distance classes. She (as well as the principal) is mainly concerned about the on-line courses as the DDN calculus class has been offered several times with positive results. She said, "It's a great opportunity for some students, those who are highly motivated, organized, and goal oriented. Others have not done as well." She pointed out that some of the spring on-line students will not pass their courses. She believes that the school needs to be more selective in choosing which students are allowed to enroll in on-line classes and feels the selection process needs to begin with a teacher recommendation. She also stated that these on-line courses cannot just be classes we make kids take because there's nothing else that fits their schedule, and she felt that this is how they were utilized during the 2004-2005 school year.
Class Proctors
The proctor for the DDN course feels the class works well for our school. Her only concern was with the occasional technical difficulties the class has experienced, and she feels these have been a minor concern. Overall, her experience this year has been a positive one.
The proctors for the on-line course raised more concerns. Their first concern involves the amount of time the on-line students spend off task. Students try to sneak to other web sites, spend time using MSN Messenger or other instant messaging programs, or play computer games. One of the proctors has been trying to convince the administration to block access to MSN Messenger but has had no luck so far. Both commented on how the students seem to resent having someone watch over them but note that these are the same students who were causing trouble before proctors were assigned to the computer lab. Both of the proctors feel like they need more training if they are to continue in this role next year, and one expressed concerns that the school isn't monitoring the grades of the on-line students as closely as it does other students. She said, "There should be consequences if they fail."
The proctors have noticed some technical difficulties experienced by their students; use of videos has been especially problematic. They also feel that it is sometimes hard for students to find the information they need though they admit that this is sometimes because students skim materials instead of reading carefully. The proctors also echoed the principal and guidance counselor in saying that on-line courses are not appropriate for all students. The benefits they see to on-line classes include having expanded course options, working at your own pace, and learning to be responsible for your own learning.