Lori's LOLz

Colorado Cyber School Day at the Capitol

2012-02-15T16:31:14Z

Today is the last day to register! Registration will remain open after today and all families are welcome to attend, but by registering you will receive a free lunch and museum access. Colorado Cyber School Day is an annual event hosted by the Colorado Coalition of Cyberschool Families and the Colorado Cyberschool Association. Students, parents, [...]

In response to “Full-time online learning is actually detrimental to student success”

2012-02-08T19:03:08Z

As a parent of 2 students currently enrolled in a full-time online program and one graduate of a full-time online program, I completely and wholeheartedly disagree with almost every one of Dr. Barbour’s comments in this article. I’ll go one step further to say that this article along with other negative press that has been [...]

A Shout Out to the Colorado Cyberschools Association

2012-02-06T15:37:07Z

The Colorado Cyberschools Association (CCA) is blogging, Tweeting, and now on Facebook too! Today’s post:3 Perspectives of Colorado’s Celebration of Digital Learning Day is written by 3 leaders in education and offers great perspectives about online learning as well as last week’s Colorado’s Digital Learning Day celebration. Check out CCA’s blog, FB, and Twitter to learn [...]

Online School Student Waits 6 Years

2012-02-03T17:53:33Z

My oldest, Sean, is a 2011 Colorado Virtual Academy (COVA) graduate currently attending CU-Boulder. He was SO excited today to wake up to a RAVE alert, which is a text-messaging service enabling the campus to notify students via mobile phone in case of a campus emergency. Today’s emergency message is that CU Boulder campus is closed. [...]

Digital Learning Day in Colorado

2012-02-04T17:07:46Z

Yesterday’s Digital Learning Day event was a great day of celebration and sharing in Colorado! The event took place at the University of Denver and was hosted by the Morgridge Family Foundation, and the University Of Denver Morgridge College Of Education. It was well attended with representation from the Clayton Elementary School Tigers, the Colorado Cyberschools [...]

Digital Learning Day

2012-02-01T00:05:54Z

Today is Digital Learning Day, a national awareness campaign to improve learning and teaching for all children. The Alliance for Excellent Education invites you to participate in the Digital Learning Day National Town Hall Meeting which begins at 1 PM ET. Register to reserve your virtual seat for the National Town Hall Meeting and get all of [...]

Finding Your Legislator 101

2012-01-31T14:48:33Z

Years ago when I moved to Colorado and started advocating for school choice, it was very helpful to have the resources necessary to learn who my elected officials were and I’m hoping it will help others too. Finding your elected district representatives requires your 9-digit zip code. Don’t know it? Click on USPS and input [...]

The Atlas Model: Helping to Ensure Student Achievement and Student Engagement in Online Schools

2012-01-30T15:35:13Z

In a virtual school, learning happens in similar and yet in some very different and unique ways than it does in a traditional brick and mortar school. Consequently, it’s necessary for teachers who teach in an online model to learn the skills that are essential to becoming an effective online instructor. As a parent of students who [...]

Publication: Choosing a Colorado Online School for Your Child

2012-01-26T21:42:14Z

A great publication for parents! The Education Policy Center has recently released a great publication for parents entitled Choosing a Colorado Online School for Your Child by Ella Peterson, Research Associate and Pamela Benigno, director, Education Policy Center. Colorado currently has 46 full-time online programs and each program offers something different. Learn about what a [...]

Outstanding Online Teachers and a Prepared College Student

2012-01-26T17:51:17Z

There are so many above and beyond teachers that my family has had the pleasure and opportunity to work with over the years in Colorado Virtual Academy. Our Colorado Virtual Academy Teachers ROCK! Sometimes you come across teachers who impact your student’s life in a very special and meaningful way. This shout-out is so long overdue, [...]

A conversation about the future of online education in Colorado

2012-01-25T16:01:45Z

On Monday, the Independence Institute and the Donnell-Kay Foundation co-sponsored a discussion focused on shaping a legislative vision for Colorado online education. The event was facilitated by Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and co-facilitated by Amy Anderson, Assistant Commissioner of Innovation and Choice, CDE and Randy [...]

2nd Annual National School Choice Week

2012-01-22T21:24:27Z

January 22-28: Join thousands of school choke supporters in celebrating the 2nd annual National School Choice Week. Help in the movement to make high quality education options available to every single child! Check out National School Choice Week to see how you can make a difference. As of today there are 364 events going on [...]

Colorado’s online schools work for thousands; do Colorado’s policies work?

2012-01-11T16:49:06Z

This is a podcast worth listening to or revisiting if you’ve already heard it. It’s a 13-minute podcast that aired on October 25, 2011. Ben DeGrow, Senior Policy Analyst at the Independence Institute interviews Michael Horn, digital learning expert and Executive Director of the Innosight Institute. It’s not a question of getting rid of a [...]

Highlight of a Virtual School Family: Alisa Hug

2012-01-10T15:26:20Z

Alisa Hug is sharing her virtual school experiences with us today. Alisa, aka Lisa, is Mom and Learning Coach to 2 children in grades 6 and 8 who are enrolled in their first year with Georgia Connections Academy. Enjoy Lisa’s story as she shares about her 4 years with Colorado Virtual Academy and 1 ½ [...]

Highlight of a Virtual School Family: Christine Beard

2012-01-09T15:24:26Z

Today’s highlight is from an OHVA family. Please help me welcome a good friend, Christine Beard, who shares her story of how Ohio Virtual Academy helped her daughter succeed when the traditional public school could not meet her needs and living in a rural area was an obstacle to overcome. When my youngest daughter started [...]

Highlight of a Virtual School Family: Tillie Elvrum

2012-01-05T15:39:55Z

Today Tillie Elvrum shares her virtual school journey with us. Tillie’s 15 year old son J.D., is a 9th grade Colorado Connections Academy student. Tillie is a good friend of mine and a passionate supporter of virtual schools and choice in education. Tillie is an active and valuable contributing member of the Colorado Coalition of Cyberschool Families [...]

Highlight of a Virtual School Family: Nico’s Mom

2012-01-04T16:11:02Z

Today, our Highlight of a Virtual School Family comes from the state of Washington. Nico’s mom and I met several years back through my work with the National Coalition for Public School Options. Nicolas is 7 years old and in his third year attending the Washington Virtual Academies (WAVA), an online public school. Nico’s mom makes [...]

Highlight of a Virtual School Family: Amy Johnson

2012-01-03T15:29:34Z

Today our virtual school family comes to us from Arizona. Amy Johnson is a fellow blogger and author of The Adventures of JAMC. Amy shares some great posts on her blog about School Successes as well as School Troubles. Today Amy shares about her experience with the virtual school, Arizona Virtual Academy, where both of [...]

Highlight of a Virtual School Family: Kathy

2012-01-02T16:10:34Z

Today’s highlight is of a Colorado Connections Academy family. Kathy enrolled her oldest, John, in Connections Academy 4 years ago, and this year he is a senior. My family has known John and his family since 2007 through the Civil Air Patrol. I am very proud of John and all of his accomplishments, especially for [...]

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T01:14:16Z

Happy New Year to all of my readers! Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2012!