It's 9 a.m. on a Monday in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, students are taking their places in the classroom. This might not seem to be an extraordinary event, since Pennsylvania students have been gathering in public school classrooms since the late 1800s. But when you consider that these students, many of whom live hundreds of miles apart, are gathering in the same classroom, a sense of wonder sets in. As a state-certified teacher, from her home in Beaver County, begins teaching a multimedia-supported lesson in mathematics to a classroom full of eager learners — each of whom is located in their own home someplace else in the state — the magnitude of what you are witnessing becomes apparent. A student in Wilkes-Barre raises his hand and asks a question, and another in Butler raises her hand to provide the answer. You think: this is a revolution.
Welcome to the Virtual Classroom, the Pennsylvania Cyber School's innovative approach to providing real-time instruction online. Available to students in grades 4 through 12, the Virtual Classroom features unparalleled course offerings and curricula; direct instruction with a professional teacher; small group activities; and individual tutoring. Just like in traditional classrooms, students in PA Cyber's Virtual Classroom interact, live, with their teacher and classmates using spoken, written, and auditory communication.
"PA Cyber's mission is to connect great teachers and the best curricula with students who, regardless of their zip code, want and deserve them," says Karry Simmel, Virtual Classroom coordinator. "The Virtual Classroom is one method we use for accomplishing that goal, and it makes our school unique. The Virtual Classroom puts us, and our students, at the forefront of education."
While the high-tech aspect of the Virtual Classroom is impressive, parents believe it also provides some old-fashioned benefits.
"It offers the kids more structure and more of a framework for learning," says Eddie Bailes, whose sons, Nicholas, 13, and Jeremy, 11, have been students at PA Cyber for four years. "We come from a home-schooling background, and my wife and I value the direct, personal connection with a teacher the Virtual Classroom provides," he says. "The staff at PA Cyber have this attitude that the kids come first, and you really see that in the day-to-day contact between students and the teachers."
The level of personal attention the Virtual Classroom affords is something that surprises many people, according to Bryan Bown, who teaches history and civics.
"People have a misperception that this style of education is impersonal," says Bown, who taught in a brick-and-mortar school prior to joining PA Cyber last year. "Actually, the Virtual Classroom has enabled me to get to know my students better than I ever could in the traditional classroom." Bown says that because students are online and have a variety of ways to communicate — including speaking live in class, instant text messaging privately with the teacher, and e-mail — they are more comfortable with letting the teacher know when they have questions or need extra help.
Tami Riggle says that teaching in the Virtual Classroom allows her to focus on teaching — and students to focus on learning.
"All of the distractions of the traditional classroom are non-existent in the Virtual Classroom," says Riggle, who teaches Algebra 1 and 2 and Pre-Calculus. "It doesn't matter how you're dressed, what economic background you come from, or whether or not you are popular socially," she says, comments that Bown echoes.
"I never have discipline problems in my classroom, and the only peer pressure I notice is positive — all of my students seem motivated to do their best work, to learn as much as possible," he says.
Indeed, students in the Virtual Classroom tend to form friendly and often tightly-knit bonds with their peers. Nick Bailes, an 8th grader from Middletown, comes from a home-school background, and says having peers is something he particularly likes about the Virtual Classroom. "There's kind of a healthy competition we have in our classes," he says, "so we kind of spur each other on. But there's also a lot of support, with classmates always willing to help each other grasp concepts or get together online for a study group."
His brother Jeremy, who is in the 5th grade, agrees. "I think it's very cool to be able to interact with other kids, to make friends, and to have teachers who are able to connect with you if you need extra help or just have a question."
"I think it's very cool to be able to interact with other kids, to make friends, and to have teachers who are able to connect with you if you need extra help or just have a question." — Jeremy Bailes, student
The Bailes brothers also agree that discipline problems and other distractions typical in traditional classrooms are not factors in the Virtual Classroom. "The teacher has complete control over who has speaking rights so there's never an issue with talking or misbehaving," Nick Bailes says. "You can just focus on the material being taught."
PA Cyber's Virtual Classroom is designed to combine the benefits of real-time, or 'synchronous', instruction with the advantages of online learning. Turning that concept into a reality hinged on finding the right technology partner.
"Many months of intensive research went into choosing the best technical foundation for building the Virtual Classroom," says Ray Rozycki, PA Cyber's director of instruction technology. "We considered other products, but Interwise clearly established itself as the premier online communications platform, the 'Cadillac' of the industry."
Founded in 1994, Interwise has consistently led the market in developing innovations for live online interaction, collaboration, and learning. The technology, known as the Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP), was initially developed to enable corporations to connect with employees, customers, partners, and investors around the world, using real-time multimedia communications via the World Wide Web.
Rozycki says that once PA Cyber was committed to the idea of offering real-time instruction, it was equally committed to using the best technology available.
"When we decided to do this, we decided to do it right, to use and to provide only the highest quality products and services," he says. "It has been a very expensive undertaking, but it's worth it. We are dedicated to providing our students with the best educational opportunities available."
"Our school is all about choice because we recognize that each student learns in a different way from his or her peers. PA Cyber wants to offer every student and family options that fit their unique needs." — Jane Price, Sr. Vice President
Providing the best education possible depends on offering curricula of the highest quality. To make sure that PA Cyber is doing just that, the school began creating its own courses in 2004 under the brand name Lincoln Interactive. Jane Price, director of curriculum, says the school offered 24 courses in the first year, a figure she says will double in the 2005-2006 school year.
"The development of our own curricula is really tied to the Virtual Classroom," Price says. "The Virtual Classroom is unique and we just saw it as a natural progression to offer our own material, as opposed to relying exclusively on third-party vendors. We see this as a benefit to our students, and we never say no to making improvements that benefit our students."
While the Virtual Classroom served as the catalyst for the creation of PA Cyber's own curricula, the Lincoln Interactive courses are also available in the 'asynchronous' mode for students who desire to study at a more independent pace.
"Our school is all about choice because we recognize that each student learns in a different way from his or her peers," Price says. "PA Cyber wants to offer every student and family options that fit their unique needs."
As the school day draws to a close and your visit to the Virtual Classroom is completed, you think about all that you have experienced. You've spent the day with students from across Pennsylvania, sitting in on classes ranging from 5th grade math to high school fine arts. As impressed as you are with the technology, what is truly striking is the way students, teachers, and curriculum are connecting with each other, and you can't help but think that you've only scratched the surface. You have seen the future, and it looks fantastic.