[November 29, 2008] San Juan High School students earning credit for online courses Tweet Nov 29, 2008 (The Sacramento Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- San Juan High School Principal Ward Andrus doesn't think his students ought to limit their learning to the confines of a traditional campus. And because Andrus can't offer some courses, such as German, he's found a way for students to take for-credit lessons outside school and on the Internet. His students are taking Spanish III or German I at home, at the local library or at coffee shops -- wherever they have Web access. Ten students are part of his pilot program. "It shouldn't be that between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. is the only time (students) can learn, because that's when teachers are there," Andrus said, "As if English can only happen between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m." According to the U.S. State Department, about 1 million elementary and high school students nationwide were taking online courses in 2007 -- 22 times the number in 2000. Harvard professor Clayton Christensen, an expert in classroom innovation, said that by 2019, about 50 percent of all K-12 courses will be online. But California doesn't pay for students to learn outside school walls. Andrus cobbles together money for fees -- about $200 to $300 per course -- from his school budget. "Online education is student-driven and student-centric, (but) that's not how our high school systems are built," said Andrus. "If that butt is not in a seat, we don't collect ADA." Average daily attendance is the average number of students in school each day. Schools receive most of their funding from ADA -- about $40 per student, per day. The San Juan students' online courses are, for now, extracurricular. The students' school day is still dominated by classroom instruction. Julieta Millan is one of San Juan's online pioneers. Because Spanish III isn't offered at San Juan, she's taking it through the National University Virtual High School. Spanish III adds to Millan's already heavy course load at San Juan: advanced placement history, ceramics, physics, pre-calculus, and other college-prep classes. "With this online course, I don't have to go anywhere, look for a ride or worry about who can take me to a community college class," said the 16-year-old Millan. "I can do this on my bed." On Tuesday, she sat at home, atop an orange bedspread. She was focused on her computer screen and logged onto lesson No. 2 of Chapter 5: El Habitat Natural para los Animales. Tap, tap, tap. The virtual textbook popped up. She clicked to Page 156, then opened Microsoft Word and began writing answers for an exercise about habitats and animals. When she's done, she'll upload it all to National University. It's not a perfect system, Millan said. "It's technology, and sometimes technology doesn't want to work with you," she said. Though the course provides a teacher for e-mailed questions, sometimes Millan has to wait a day for an answer. That's frustrating, she said. But she soldiers on. She said she hoped to finish Chapters 5 and 6 during Thanksgiving break, and complete the course by semester's end. Despite the kinks, Millan thinks she'll probably take Spanish IV online if San Juan offers the program next year. "It's my goal to get to college," she said. "I have to stay up late sometimes, but it's worth it." It may seem strange for Millan's principal to advocate online learning. Taken to its logical end, Internet-based courses could overturn traditional constructs of where, when and how a student learns: in school, at their desks, arrayed before teachers and principals. Andrus, who is completing his dissertation, "The Allure of Online Education for the Millennial Student," likes the outcomes for his students, and how San Juan High is embracing what he said is the future of public school learning. "There is this elitism in public education that we are the only show in town," Andrus said. "I don't mind the competition; I invite it. It makes us better at what we do." Sitting in his office on a recent afternoon, he logged into an online course Web site with his administrator password, pulled up a student's progress report and checked that she'd completed the assignments. What grade did she get after completing a German I course in 21 online hours? That B the student earned was going on her official transcript, Andrus said. ------ Call The Bee's Melissa Nix, (916) 321-1090. To see more of The Sacramento Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sacbee.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]