Web-based high school to go nationwide

Changes for current students include
screen conversations, easier navigation.

By Karen Thomas, USA TODAY

Chat and instant messages — those are things that techno-students can relate to.

Starting next month, the Florida High School, a Web-based public school that offers virtual classes to the state's students, will have real-time conversations in courses. That announcement, expected Wednesday at the National School Boards Association's Technology & Learning conference in Denver, also includes plans to make FHS courses available to other school districts.

"We are going to offer our content nationally," says FHS principal Julie Young, adding that the school has "heard daily" for two years from schools that want online learning.

Several states have online high schools, and others are developing programs.

There are so many commercial curricula for virtual high schools that the first symposium was held last month to allow commercial sites and technology developers to mingle with educators seeking to build online programs.

But finding real teachers for the courses is difficult.

"We never had the intention of teaching all students," says FHS resource developer Phyllis Lentz. Instead, teacher-training programs are being developed.

With FHS' new format, students will have the same teachers and coursework, but their screens will look different, and they will navigate the courses in a new manner. The change will begin next month and is to be completed by February.

The new format will allow students who take courses online to talk in real time with classmates. With students on different computers, they will all see the same thing on their screens and will be able to type lines of conversations that appear instantly on all of the computers.

"That'll help with that e-mail delay," says Austin Quinn, a ninth-grader at Daniel Jenkins Academy in Haines City, Fla. Austin is part of a project there that combines traditional school days with virtual academics. Those students go to school every day, and they can access their online academics at FHS using laptops in their "lab/classroom."

USA TODAY is following this Class of 2004, starting with registration last spring and through the drop out period last month, when 15% of the class returned to a traditional high school. (That was less than expected.)

But at least one more student wishes she had made that change. "I regret not getting out when I had the chance," says Erin Brooks, who, like several students, is finding online academics challenging.

"It's hard to keep up with knowing which assignment is for which class," Ashley Dunnahoe says. "All the (online) classes look and feel the same."

A format change might be good, Austin says.

Last week, a new schedule was initiated at Jenkins to help the students who are falling behind: All students were assigned one day a week when they must stay home to concentrate on online coursework. (They still participate in non-academic school activities.)

"Even with online classes, there are disruptions and . . . it's hard to concentrate," Amanda Gashaw says. "That one day a week will really let you concentrate and get focused."

Matt Wilson, 14, says online learning is tough in a classroom, and he "would just like to stay home sometimes and do my work."