thinktanK12 Blog

Help Spread the Word About Online Education

shoaglund — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:13:03 +0000

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Online Education is still a very nebulous concept to many people out there, even though there are literally hundreds of thousands of students currently attending school online in one form or another across the country and around the world. And for those of us ‘in the know’ about online education, we have witnessed how it much it can help a once struggling student, thrive and succeed.

How do we, collectively as a community, help spread the word about online education so that it no longer seems like an “out there” concept and becomes a viable option for parents looking to address their child’s unique educational needs?

What Parents Need to Know About Snapchat

Ashley MacQuarrie — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:40:37 +0000

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Are you friends with your kids on Facebook? Whether out of concern for their online safety, or simple curiosity about their online (and offline) activities, the majority of parents who use social media (92%) say that they monitor their kids’ Facebook use to some extent.

The problem is that the presence of so many adults on Facebook is, in part, causing teens to leave the social network in droves.

Many of these teens are migrating instead to new, smaller networks, where adults have less of a presence. Apps and social networks like Tumblr, Instagram, and Snapchat, are still tiny compared to the Facebook juggernaut, but they are rapidly growing, with teens making up a large percentage of their user bases.

Social media is popular with the vast majority of teens; 90% have used a social networking site. However for students in online schools in particular, whose friendships may form and grow online, and whose friends may be located far away geographically, social networks can play an even more important role in their lives. It’s so important then for kids to understand how to use these networks safely and responsibly, and for parents to be aware of what their kids are up to online.

CrossFit Kids: A Primer for Parents

CrossFit Kids — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:46:48 +0000

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We are partnering with CrossFit Kids to bring you information to help encourage and inspire your children to incorporate health and fitness into their every day lives and to improve their ability to learn. It's important for all online school students to spend some time every day moving, playing, and exercising - not only because in some states, it's required, but because the overall benefits to health and learning are immense!

However, It is very important that you consult a doctor before you or your children begin any type of exercise. Always stop exercising immediately if you experience any shortness of breath, dizziness, or pain.

The posts provided by CrossFit Kids in this series are designed to explain the overall philosophy of CrossFit Kids, review some basic movements, and offer suggested workouts that can be incorporated at home. We will be reviewing different movements throughout the series and providing you with ideas to get your kids moving. The workouts won't be anything you can't handle and you should, by all means, join in!

Remember, this should be fun! Are you ready? 3, 2, 1...Go!

Walk midway into a class at a registered CrossFit Kids program and you might discern the kind of energy that usually emanates from a playground during recess. There is joyful noise: laughter and thrilled shrieks and triumphant shouts. Kids are having a blast. And the trainers look like they might be having an even better time. A well-run program always looks like a boatload of easy fun. But all of that fun, as merrily hectic and aimless as it sometimes seems, is by design, purposeful. CrossFit Kids intends to teach children to associate exercise with fun, with the ultimate goal being that they will value the pursuit of fitness into adulthood. It is the new school when it comes to physical education.

But when parents find themselves acting as their child's learning coache at home, that sense of easy fun can become decidedly uneasy. The urge to get their children to a registered CrossFit Kids program can become strong. But that is not necessary.

Top 5 Signs that You Have an Advanced Learner

Lauren Martin — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:37:23 +0000

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Gifted students may find it difficult to be challenged in a brick-and-mortar school. These advanced learners often benefit from the ability to take more advanced courses in specific subjects. This flexibility allows them to reach their full potential and learn at their own accelerated pace.

But how do you know if a child is an advanced learner?

Children can often be filled with an endless stream of “why is the sky blue” type questions. But if a child is regularly inquisitive, it might be an indication that he or she could learn at a more advanced pace in their areas of interest. And if children ask those questions with a sophisticated vocabulary, they may also be advanced learners.

Early reading skills can also be the sign of a gifted child. If children show an interest in books and become independent readers, they may benefit from being challenged. Another indication is if they retain the details of what they read in a book or heard on TV with great accuracy.

In addition to taking advanced courses, students can take part in clubs and enrichment activities that feed their interest in particular areas, such as in-person sessions about dinosaurs or talking to professionals about a math career.

Whatever their interests and aptitude, many students can benefit from advanced learning programs. To help you identify if advanced courses would be a good fit for their child, review this list:

Agora Teacher is the 2013 national winner of the American Pioneer of Teaching Award

shoaglund — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:30:40 +0000

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Agora Cyber Charter School (Agora) music teacher Andrew Rinaldi has been named the 2013 national winner of the American Pioneer of Teaching competition. The award is given annually by PublicSchoolOptions.org, a national alliance of parents, students and teachers that supports and defends parents' rights to access the best public school options for their children.

The American Pioneer of Teaching competition recognizes top performing K-12 teachers who work in nontraditional public schools, such as virtual, charter and magnet schools. Thousands of students, parents and teachers from across the country cast online votes through Facebook to determine the winner of the award, which is held each year in honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week.

What's Your Story: Online Learning Offers Flexibility to Accommodate Special Needs

shoaglund — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:51:17 +0000

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Meet K¹² parent and learning coach Jill, who chose online schooling for her daughter because it gave her the flexibility her family needed to accomodate her serious illness.

Why Google Drive is the Perfect Tool for Online School Students

Ashley MacQuarrie — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:22:20 +0000

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Online students want flexibility. They want the freedom to do their work when they want, where they want, without being tied to a desk in a classroom. One tool that can help provide that flexibility is Google Drive. Drive is a cloud-based tool for creating, storing, and sharing files. It gives you the freedom to bring your files anywhere, no matter what device you’re using. Here are 7 reasons Google Drive is an awesome tool for students attending an online school.

Access your documents anywhere

Your files no longer live only on your home computer’s hard drive. Now they’re on your phone, your tablet, the library computer, or anywhere you are. Drive takes the place of gadgets like thumb drives which can easily break or get lost, and which aren’t compatible with mobile devices.

Teacher Appreciation Week 2013

shoaglund — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:08:31 +0000

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This week is Teacher Appreciation Week!

Many of us have special memories of that one teacher, or if you were lucky, a group of teachers that really left their mark on our childhood. They inspired us, put their faith in us, made us feel special and with their support, made us feel that there was nothing we couldn't do. Think about the influence and impact teachers have on the development of our children. Great teachers recognize that it's a partnership with parents that works best and together they teach them, help develop their knowledge, and lend support and inspiration so they grow up having all the opportunities available to lead a successful life, whatever that looks like to them.

Meet the Hostetler Family: Making the Switch From Homeschooling to an Online Public School

Ashley MacQuarrie — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:14:51 +0000

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What led you to choose an online school?

For some parents, it’s a student who learns in a different way or struggles in a classroom setting. For others, it’s the need for a safer environment or a more personalized learning experience. Some choose an online school right from the start of their child’s education; others come to it after the traditional options have failed.

For the Hostetler family, the journey to K¹² began 14 years ago, before their children were even born. Tennille, a mom of two, shared that she was a senior in college when she made the decision to give her future children a different kind of school experience. While still in college, Tennille taught biology (her major) to an extraordinary group of homeschooled students. She observed their eagerness to learn, their maturity, and their kindness towards one another, and decided she wanted the same for her own children someday.

Years later, despite a background in teaching and a Master’s degree in Education, Tennille found that homeschooling on her own was not working for her family. The expense and time-commitment involved in choosing and purchasing curriculum and lesson-planning for multiple grade levels was taking its toll. That’s when she found K¹², and our partner school, Oregon Virtual Academy.

In our interview, Tennille shares her thoughts on the K¹² program, and offers some advice for other parents on transitioning from homeschooling to an online school.

Announcing the What’s Your Story Winners!

shoaglund — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:00:28 +0000

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The packages are on their way to our What’s Your Story? ‘Most Liked’ winners. These 10 lucky people are about to receive one of 10 Kindle Fire HDs given away because their submitted story received the most likes.

Congrats to the giveaway winners and thank you for sharing your stories. All of us at K¹² recognize that what success looks like is unique and is based on each individual student and their story and all of the shared stories reflect just that. We are honored to have a part in shaping the future generation.

Here are the winners' stories:

The Mendoza Family from California shared two stories crediting K¹²and online school with helping their twin daugthers thrive. They are "happy, positive and motivated to learn things we hadn't dreamed of in public school, and the world has become an exciting place for them!".

A six year old a dvanced learner, golfer, and volunteer, "K¹²has provided her all the possible opportunities to succeed at her early age."