Virtual High School and 21st Century Teaching and Learning
Online Courses for Teachers

VHS is a non-profit collaborative of schools offering full semester online courses to high school students. Through membership in VHS through the NH NHSTE collaborative, high schools can offer nearly 150 online courses to their students that students take as part of their school day. These courses are very diverse and typically are not found in the high school curriculums.

All courses are coordinated with school semesters.

Option 1

A school has a teacher trained in the summer and that teacher teaches an online course for the VHS collaborative in the fall and spring. A site coordinator is trained to register students and monitor their progress. During this first year of training the school pays:

$1,250.00 - Site Coordinator training
$3,350.00 - Teacher training
$5,750.00 - Subscription fee

The school receives 25 courses in the fall and spring.

The following year the school pays a 5,750.00 subscription fee only and receives 25 courses in the fall and 25 courses in the spring.The teacher must teach a VHS course each semester.

Option 2

A school has a teacher trained in the Fall and that teacher teaches an online course for the VHS collaborative in the Spring. A site coordinator is trained to register students and monitor their progress. During this first year of training the school pays:

$1,250.00 - Site Coordinator training
$3,350.00 - Teacher training
$2,875.00 - Subscription fee

The school receives 25 courses in the spring

The following year the school pays a 5,750.00 subscription fee only and receives 25 courses in the fall and 25 courses in the spring.The teacher must teach a VHS course each semester.

Option 3

Schools may individually purchase a 5 or 10 semester online courses  package through NHSTE. Contact Cyndy for pricing and details.

 21st Century Teaching and Learning

Course Overview:

Educators need to integrate technology into their curriculum to transform student learning and meet the goals of the 21st century. To succeed in today's information-driven academic environment, students need to know how to find, use, manage, evaluate and convey information efficiently and effectively. This includes not only knowledge of technology, but the ability to use critical-thinking skills to solve problems within a technological environment. Teachers wrap 21st century literacy skills into lesson content using a variety of strategies. This course helps educators plan and assess effective technology teaching methods, incorporate technology into any discipline, and develop key accountability and assessment strategies!

In this six week course, educators wear both a "student hat" and a "teacher hat" as they use digital technology and communication tools to solve problems. Educators experience how to use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information, as well as develop a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information. This valuable, first-hand experience demonstrates the essential technology skills students need to succeed in the 21st Century.

Who Should Attend?

This series is appropriate for:

• Teachers who want to effectively utilize a blended model of instruction, using online components to supplement the face-to-face experience of their students;
• Curriculum specialists who need to understand the critical success elements of blended teaching models;
• Administrators who want to experience first-hand the power of online learning while determining their own district’s online professional development needs.

What Will You Learn?

Participants attending this course will:

• Use the Internet in instruction efficiently and effectively to develop student-centered, project-based learning that supports the development of 21st century skills;
• Create new lessons that incorporate technology applications into their core curriculum;
• Transform curriculum with technology-based real-world learning for students;
• Design content that enhances learning and fosters students' engagement with technology;
• Integrate technology and core content to teach problem solving, analytical skills, and techniques for presentation;
• Cite and evaluate Internet sources;
• Develop assessment and online safety strategies.

Participation Requirements & Graduate Credit:

Best Practices in Online Teaching and Learning courses are 6-week courses taken entirely over the Internet. Courses move forward on a weekly schedule, and they are approximately 5-7 hours of activities per week. This course is eligible for three graduate credits through Plymouth State University.

Session Dates & Pricing

Sessions for 21st Century Teaching Best Practices: 21st Century Teaching and Learning will be offered:

21st Century Teaching and Learning - 01/12/11
21st Century Teaching and Learning - 04/27/11
Web-Enhanced Classroom - 01/12/11
Web-Enhanced Classroom - 04/27/11
Online-Extended Teaching - 01/12/11
Online-Extended Teaching - 04/27/11
Web 2.0: Collaborative Instruction - 01/12/11
Web 2.0: Collaborative Instruction - 04/27/11
Becoming an Online Teacher - 02/23/11

Tuition is $275 per course. First-time participants can take advantage of a special introductory offer - enroll in one Best Practices course for only $175 - a $100 savings off of standard pricing!

Discounted pricing is available for non-member schools who take a 2nd course through NHSTE. Instead os 275.00 per course, you would pay 255.00 per course. For these courses only, you would make your PO out to NHSTE and fax to 763-3473 or mail to: NHSTE, PO Box 358, Georges Mills, NH 03751.

Register today for 21st Century Teaching and Learning or the complete Best Practices Series.