Sue P

I am a high school social studies teacher with a passion for using whatever works to help my students succeed. Technology and online learning have changed the face of my classroom! See more info at http://masterymaze.wikispaces.com/Palmer%27s+Page I am also an attorney, but I hope you won't hold that against me. :)

Homepage: http://www.spalmeronline.com


Posts by Sue P

NY Virtual School Plan- More News!

February 19, 2010 - 9:07 am

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  More news! In the February 2010 meeting agenda, we see the proposal for the Virtual High School initiative.  I am not going to write too much about it at this point because it is important that you browse the plan.  Here it is! We see the initial roll out in social studies, science and languages for [...]

NY Technology Plan–Digital Learning!

February 13, 2010 - 8:58 am

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Click here for a copy of the New York Technology Plan which discusses the direction in New York and digital learning.  Although no specific mention is made to virtual learning, we see the obvious theme of digital learning beyond the classroom.  The surveys attached also include no surprises as our students are totally on board with [...]

US DOE Online Learning Research Studies

February 13, 2010 - 8:34 am

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According to a recent announcement from NYSED, the United States Department of Education is conducting research studies on the effectiveness of online learning programs at the secondary level.  As 45 states currently have some type of online learning initiative, USDOE is looking at the impact of these programs.  For more information, visit the wiki here.

New York’s RTTT Application

February 6, 2010 - 1:28 pm

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I am posting the link to the full application filed by NYSED in case you have not had the opportunity to browse the same. It is seriously worth browsing the major overhaul proposed by the New York State Education Department. There is mention of the Virtual School as part of the innovative approaches planned to [...]

Race to the Top and Virtual Schools

January 24, 2010 - 9:50 pm

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Posted in Policy Developments, Race to the Top Reform Plan | No comments

Hopefully you are aware of the Race to the Top grant program which the federal government has developed as a carrot to induce states to modify their laws to reform education. Both states and school districts are being induced to modify legislation and contracts to provide for changes in teacher certification, promotion, pay and termination.   [...]

Virtual Schools?

December 6, 2009 - 8:56 pm

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Click here for a video version of this post. Shall we tear down the walls of the schoolhouse? I hope not. As a huge advocate for technology in education, and particularly of late, online learning, I know from my own experience that education and teaching are processes which include many tools. Online learning combined with [...]

Credit Recovery-Be careful!

December 6, 2009 - 8:13 am

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Credit Recovery-Be careful! Remember the old saying, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is?” I think we have to be careful when it comes to credit recovery policy. In the October meeting of the Board of Regents a policy was approved to move forward with new options for credit recovery in [...]

Our Purpose…

November 12, 2009 - 12:50 pm

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This site is designed to provide information and facilitate discussion of the issue of online learning k12.  As a teacher in New York who uses online learning and has created a bit of a “hybrid” class, I am in favor of using these tools to facilitate learning.  In my view, however, there are many issues [...]