For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

As the Ontario March Break comes to an end, I should be refreshed and rejuvenated.  I should be ready to get back to my students with excitement as the final two-thirds of the semester approaches and the final push of learning in the year is planned for.  I am not. Instead, I am stressed, I am anxious, I am tired, I am terribly worried.

Our Government’s well timed announcements this week regarding the future of education in this province have my head swirling.  I can’t turn it off. In addition, some of the social media discussions and comments by the public are making my blood boil.

You see, I am an eLearning secondary school teacher.  My small school board (Trillium Lakelands District School Board) has a fully operational online secondary school.  It is called the Virtual Learning Centre. I have taught for this school since 2001, and have worked tirelessly to help make it one of the most admired eLearning programs in the province, the country, and quite frankly, the world.  It is admired so much, that we not only serve students locally, but also from across the province. Our school grows year over year, and our full time staff gets larger and larger.

I do not believe eLearning should be mandated, and no student should be forced to learn this way.  I do not agree with a provincial centralization of eLearning delivery, and I do not support 4 eLearning credits as a mandatory requirement in earning an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.  I also do not agree with the public perception of eLearning in general - that eLearning teachers are simply markers, that “eLearning teachers are the laziest teachers,” that eLearning is disengaging and unsupportive.  This might be your experience or perception, but it is most definitely not mine.

I want to share my eLearning and teaching perspective, so here goes...

My school delivers live, synchronous classes.  I teach live, just like any other teacher Monday through Friday.  My live classes are timetabled, just like in a brick and mortar school.  My students meet me in a safe and secure online classroom at a specific time, for a full 75 minute class period at a time.  My lessons are carefully and strategically planned. I activate and ready my students for learning through engaging and interactive Minds-On activities and discussions, I plan small group collaborations and sharing opportunities, I build in tasks that allow students to drive their learning through inquiry, I provide opportunity for consolidating and reflecting on learning, and I do so while continually using ICT applications to facilitate all of this in real time.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

Every live class is recorded.  Any student who has a time conflict still has full access to every live class recording.  Even students who attend all classes, can go back and review them at any time they need to - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Every single word I say, every lesson activity, every classroom discussion, every answer to every question, is recorded. I am under a microscope, I am accountable for everything I say and do.   Any parent or guardian can hear every word I say, and can experience any learning activity from any of my live classes. They can also see how their son or daughter behaves in class, how they treat others,  and if they are actively participating in their learning, or not. Any administrator in my school board can also do the same.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

My live classes incorporate real and authentic experiences.  As a Business Studies Teacher, it is very easy for me to incorporate real business practices, processes, and current events into daily learning.  I frequently have community business leaders attend my classes as guest speakers. My neighbour, University roommate, and lifelong friend, Dap Thach, has been a regular guest speaker in my grade 11 Accounting class.  What better way for students to learn about the day-to-day workplace responsibilities of a CPA, then directly from the mouth of a professional Accountant. My students research to learn about what a CPA does, develop lists of common misconceptions, and generate truly rich and engaging questions for Dap, prior to his visit.  They interact with him in real time, and ask additional questions as they arise. They also extend their learning by hearing about what life was like for Canadian newcomers, and what it really means to work hard to get ahead in life. My students also have live class time to reflect and consolidate this learning in meaningful ways.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

In addition to all my timetabled live classes, I hold regular live office hours.  All of my students have access to me in real time to ask questions, to get formative feedback on learning tasks they are working on, to review key concepts, and sometimes just to share something exciting that they are proud of.  In addition, all students and parents have direct email access to me at anytime. I respond to hundreds of emails in any given school week. I typically respond to emails received during the regular school day, in the same school day - in between teaching live classes all day, holding office hours, assessing and evaluating student work, and preparing engaging live class lesson plans.  By the way, these emails do not stop when the regular school day ends. I currently have 8 emails in my inbox that have accumulated over the March Break. I am responding to those today, Sunday, because I do not want to get behind on Monday.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

A quick snapshot of the kind of learning that happens at our school (Video created by S. Mckenzie - VLC Math Teacher):

​My school has a full student council that meet every week.  The council members are elected by their peers just like in any other school.  We have special interest, extracurricular clubs, just like any other school - music club, healthy living club, coding club, etc.  Our students run a school newspaper and publish several amazing editions each year. For several years I ran a real, live streaming radio station with a motivated group of students https://www.muskokaregion.com/news-story/3571476-virtual-learning-students-produce-online-radio/  
​Our students are well-rounded, motivated, actively engaged, and committed.  They take action for their own learning, and help drive the success of our school.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

While teaching for The Virtual Learning Centre, I have received several Character Education Awards, I have been invited to share eLearning best practices and expertise with faculties of education, the Ministry of Education, various professional development events, and countless teaching and learning conferences, including as far away as New Orleans, Louisiana.  Every other teacher at my school, can share similar personal accolades. We have the hardest working and most dedicated teaching staff who are all committed to the same goal - making sure our eLearning students have the same, or even more, supports and opportunities for success, as any other secondary school student. 
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

Our students do not drop out because they are disengaged.  In semester one I had 110 students, and zero failures. That’s a 100% success rate.  I can’t remember how many students I started with in September, but I do know my retention rate was extremely high - very few students who started, and didn’t finish.  Research suggests that eLearning attrition rates can be improved and retention rates increased by implementing four practices: (a) increasing student motivation and satisfaction, (b) reducing technical roadblocks,(c) creating substantial opportunity for learner interaction, and (d) ensuring e-learning instructors are capable in terms of e-learning competencies and that they possess e-learning expertise.  All of our educators have worked tirelessly to implement all of these practices. This was the content of my final literature review paper, as the final requirement for my Masters of Education degree. 
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

​By the way, you can read that full review below:

My school has provided learning opportunities for some students who may have never received them without eLearning.  I often have various students in some of my senior level Business Studies courses that come to me from the brick and mortar high schools in my district.  I quite often have those students in grade 11 Accounting, grade 12 Business Management, and grade 12 International Business because their homeschools do not, and likely cannot offer these courses (small enrollment, staffing limitations, etc.).  Without our school, and without these eLearning alternatives, those students may have never had the opportunity to explore this learning. How many students don’t further their education in Business at College or University because they did not have these learning opportunities?  I regularly get emails from former students who share updates regarding their Business learning experiences at College and University, and aspects of their working lives after graduation.  Some have even returned as guest speakers at times.

I have taught many students who just cannot attend a regular brick and mortar classroom.  I have a picture of a student, sent to me by her Mother, attending one of my live classes via her laptop at Sick Kids hospital in Toronto.  I have countless stories of elite student athletes travelling and competing all over the world. I have had students attend my live classes at all hours of the day and night from China, Kazakhstan, Germany, Italy, and many other countries because these Ontario families are currently oversees for work.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

Due to the geographic location of my school board, we always have the potential for severe winters (especially on the Muskoka side of the board).  Typically, my school board experiences anywhere between 5 and 10 snow days each winter.  These are days when all school busses are cancelled.  Brick and mortar high schools are open, but classes are cancelled.  Most secondary students stay home.  My classes do not stop - they keep on rolling.  I continue to teach, and my students continue to learn - there is no interruption to that learning.  We have experienced instances of two, and even three snow days back to back to back.  This extended interruption of learning does not happen at my school.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

My school holds a real, in-person graduation every year in June.  Yes, we have students who start with us in grade 9 and graduate with us after grade 12.  They obtain their entire OSSD with us. Families travel from across Ontario to attend in person.  We celebrate four amazing years of learning with all grads, and recognize academic excellence with various academic awards, just like any other school.  The day is organized collaboratively with our students, teachers, administrators, and support staff.   Senior Administration and Board Trustees attend to share in the celebration and applaud our extremely successful eLearning program.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.

As I stated earlier I do not believe eLearning should be mandated, and no student should be forced to learn this way.  I do not agree with a provincial centralization of eLearning delivery, and I do not support 4 eLearning credits as a mandatory requirement in earning an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.  I am worried that the centralized delivery of eLearning will mean that my school no longer exists. I am worried that all of our blood, sweat, and tears of making eLearning supportive, engaging, and fantastic, will be all for naught.  I am worried that the students and families, who need and want access to this model of learning, won’t. I am worried that our Government’s model of eLearning will become teachers in cubicles marking work and responding to questions, or even more dangerous, a private enterprise performing that “work.”

Tomorrow morning, Monday after March Break, I will be in my 8:00 a.m. grade 10 Information Technology in Business live class for another engaging lesson.  Even though it is an 8:00 a.m. class, I regularly have 22 of the 31 students in active, real time attendance. I will have a brave face, and voice, and teach as I always do - these learners deserve that.  By the way, the focus of this lesson is on word processing, and the professional communication and formatting of a formal business letter. By the end of this week, these students will have written a real and authentic business complaint, or praise letter, and will have sent it off to the corresponding business.  The goal is to receive a written response from each and every one of these businesses.  They are performing a real life skill.
For those of you that think eLearning is not engaging and supportive, that is not my experience.