The
Expanding Learning Opportunities Consortium (eLo) recently completed their
first year offering online learning opportunities for students. Indian Prairie School District 204, Naperville Community Unit School District
203, and Community Unit School District 200 joined forces to form eLo in August of 2014. Select faculty from across the consortium teach
eLo courses as part of their school assignment coupled with their face-to-face
classes.
In this
post, I offer a five reflections from the first year. Please advise, these reflections are my own.
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Faculty
Rise to the Occasion
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If you asked
100 people to define a “professional” you might receive 100 different
definitions. However, you might receive one commonality—a true professional
challenges oneself to grow, and the growth is what allows the professional to
become a leader in his/her field. Whether your profession lies in the trades,
medicine, law, finance, or education, the growth allows your profession to
remain relevant, valuable, and sustainable.
During the
2014-2015 school year and summer, near 30 faculty members accepted the
challenge to learn how to teach in an online environment. The faculty embraced the challenges that accompany change—such as discomfort, conflict, and
confusion. However, they navigated change with enthusiasm, an
open-mindedness, and an astute focus to improve their craft in ways never
imaginable. Therefore, my first reflection states, “a profession can’t make
substantial advancements without an unwavering commitment to professional growth and the
willingness to embrace risk."
Our 30 +
faculty members emulated the positive qualities that school districts across
the nation desire—a commitment to servant leadership. We are quite fortunate to
have exceptional faculty part of the #eLoteam. We look forward to their perpetual growth in the
educational technology field, and especially the direct benefit that growth
will have on students.
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Students Deserve Options
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What is the
first action most people take when they sit down to dine? After engaging in a
few minutes of small chat, most reach for the menu and explore the
options.
• How hungry am I today?
• Do I feel like fish, meat, pasta, or
poultry?
• Does the menu have choices that meet my
dietary restrictions?
We often gauge
our dining experience by customer service but especially by the diversity of
the menu—assuming the quality of your meal meets your expectation. If you dine
at a restaurant with limited options, you become dissatisfied with your
experience. On the other hand, when you explore a menu with a wealth of
options, your tablemates, and you often comment on how impressed you are with
the menu.
Is it not
our responsibility to provide students with a menu of learning options similar
to the options present at five-star restaurants? In year’s past, high school students have
opened their menu of learning options and have seen one—seven courses delivered
in a traditional format per semester. Students have amazing variety in that single option, whether honors or advanced placement, career and elective, dual-credit
courses, etc. By broadening the variety inside student learning menus such as
internships, blended learning, and online choices, we are empowering more
students and their families to make informed decisions.
No one learning option
exceeds the other. All learning options have limitations but by broadening the
base of options we are reducing the limitations some students experience in
specific learning environments. My second
reflection states, “students deserve options in today’s schools. Students and
their families deserve the autonomy to select the best and most appropriate
learning environment for their wants and needs. For many, that choice might
remain the face-to-face environment but for others it might be a blended or
online format. Regardless, by extending the options more students “win”, and we
are all in the education profession to help students win."
eLo is thrilled to expand the learning menu for students. We recognize
it is not the best option for all but it is the best option for some. The next
time you sit down at a restaurant and explore your food choices, take a moment
and reflect upon a similar menu for students. I get chills imagining the world
of possibility for students when presented with a broader menu of learning choices.
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Faculty Deserve Options
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Do all
teachers thrive in the same teaching environment? Would some teachers excel in
a face-to-face environment while others in a blended or online format? Do some
want to join the profession but can’t due to travel or family restrictions?
By adding
layers of options for students, we are generating options for aspiring and
present faculty. By expanding teaching options, we become a more welcoming
field to attract and retain the best and brightest educators. My third
reflection states, “educators, like students, deserve options. Imagine
accepting a teaching position but presented with three choices: teach your
course in the face-to-face, blended, or online environment. Personally
speaking, that sounds amazing to me and empowers a teacher to share their craft
with a student in the environment they feel most comfortable.”
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Discomfort is Okay During Change
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Change is
uncomfortable to many. However, discomfort should not trump the profound
benefits reaped through positive change. When transforming change, it is
pivotal to keep the value of your change close to heart. 34% of higher
education students participate in an online course, roughly 7,000,000 students
per year. Over 40% of Fortune 500 corporations use educational technology as part of their employee training. Also, as indicated earlier in the post, some students and
faculty simply prefer and deserve, to learn/teach in different formats.
My fourth
reflection states, “keep doing what you are doing when you know it makes a
difference in the lives of others. Listen, respect, and reflect over
constructive criticism. Discourse is okay and to be expected in most fields.
But allowing discourse to grip and stifle change prevents your profession from
reaching its pinnacle.”
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Celebrate the Human Element
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We live in a
very competitive society where corporations race to exceed earning’s
expectations and satisfy shareholders or schools face pressure to achieve
specific test scores. As a result, the human element sometimes diminishes due to
these external pressures. My final reflection states, “we must never lose focus of
the people working together to advance the mission, values, and goals of any
organization. We should invite collaboration including discourse, encourage
risk-taking, build organic trust, and celebrate people.”
Today, I
celebrate the near 30 eLo faculty members for rising to the occasion. Today, I
celebrate the hundreds of students who were able to take advantage of a
different option inside their academic menu—online learning. Today, I celebrate the
future our aspiring educators might experience, one rich in opportunity. Today
I celebrate the support and leadership provided by three school boards and district/building level administrative teams across eLo serving as model change agents. Looking forward to another year
and the anticipation of what next year’s reflections might bring.
