LOUISVILLE, Ky., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) released a report entitled Professional Development for Virtual Schooling and Online Learning at their Virtual School Symposium (VSS) today.
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This report aims to raise awareness of misconceptions and provide guidance on professional development for virtual schools as well as providers of teacher education and professional development. It examines the types of professional development necessary to implement successful online learning initiatives.
"Online learning is an important trend in the systemic reform and improvement of our nation's schools," says Susan Patrick, President and CEO of NACOL. "I fully support the recommendation in this report that all universities, colleges and preservice professional development include virtual schooling and online learning in their programs."
Virtual schooling is providing a bridge between the traditional classroom and 21st century education by linking high-quality teaching and high-quality courses with the collaborative, networked, information-rich environments that are a hallmark of the information age. States, districts, universities and schools need to be providing professional development in the operations, budgeting, curricular and instructional leadership for leaders, future teachers and school administrators to understand and support virtual learning.
New professional opportunities are open to teachers to teach full-time and part-time with the advent of virtual learning. For the first time, teachers are provided with more flexibility than ever--some are even telecommuting. Online professional development for administrators, teachers and school leaders will help build new models of schools--both online and blended--and better serve today's students during an information revolution in a global society.
About VSS
NACOL is hosting the annual Virtual School Symposium (VSS) runs Nov. 4 - 6, 2007 in Louisville, KY. It is the leading K-12 online learning event with 750+ attendees. VSS brings together national, state, district, private and virtual school program experts to learn about latest trends, challenges and opportunities in e-learning and gain access to the latest research.
About NACOL
The North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL), is the leading organization for advocacy, research, professional development and leadership in K-12 online learning. NACOL's mission is to provide advocacy, expertise, professional development and research for quality K-12 online learning. Visit http://www.nacol.org/ for more information.
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North American Council for Online Learning
