Posted: 9/20/05
On-line learning works for Roseville woman, Buffalo family
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Bridgit Riano has never been to Houston, Minnesota, but she has a Houston High School diploma.
She attained it after graduating last spring from Minnesota Center of Online Learning (MCoOL). She was the first person to do so.
Riano, 19, heard about MCoOL after receiving a postcard about an informational meeting for Minnesota Virtual Academy, an on-line program for students in grades K-8 also based in the Houston High School building.
She called for more information and learned about MCoOL, which is for students grades 9-12.
Riano called the school in Houston and registered, then took on-line classes her senior year, such as American government, chemistry, career planning, and literature.
It was a good move, Riano said in a telephone interview from her home in Roseville, Minnesota on September 12. ìBecause I could work,î she explained.
Riano gave birth to a son, Blake, in January of 2004. She felt it would be hard for her to attend a regular high school her senior year because she would not be able to work.
Her school schedule was to go on-line for about an hour in the morning while her mother watched Blake, go to work at A&W Restaurant in Roseville during the day, take Blake to his fatherís house, then go on-line again from about 4:30-7:30 p.m.
She said she could talk to her teachers through emails or on discussion boards if she needed help. Teachers would call once or twice during the course also.
Riano said she is ìquite satisfiedî with her decision to attend MCoOL. Asked about the pros and cons, she responded, ìYou still have deadlines for work.î And you canít ask teachers questions directly, she added. ìThey get back to you,î she said.
The advantages are if you are good typist and can read fast, you can get done with school faster, Riano feels. ìAnd you donít have to be in school for six hours.
ìI just think itís a really good on-line course,î she added. ìIf they [students] were disciplined enough, they could accelerate their schooling.î
MCoOL director Steve Kerska said there will be more students graduating this year and in future years. This yearís ninth grade MCoOL class has about 40 students because they received a whole ninth grade class from MNVA, Kerska said.
One parentís story
Marion OíNeill of Buffalo, Minnesota, has two children in MNVA, James, a sixth grader, and Olivia, grade three.
Marion received a postcard in October three years ago invited her to come to an MNVA information session in Minneapolis. She liked what she heard and enrolled the children.
ìFor us it was a perfect fit,î she said in a telephone interview on September 13.
She receives all the education materials, scanner, printer, and support that is needed. ìAnd I donít have to pay for anything,î she said.
It is the best curriculum she has ever seen. ìMy kids are learning stuff I learned in college,î OíNeill said. She thinks it exceeds what is offered in regular public school systems. She also feels there is too much distraction and not enough learning in a traditional classroom that holds 30 students.
ìI get to control with them what theyíre learning, how fast theyíre learning, how fast they proceed through the curriculum,î OíNeill said. ìThe public school couldnít offer that.î
Itís simple too, OíNeill said. The kids log in with a code and receive a lesson plan for the day done by MNVA. They will have six or seven different lessons. OíNeill pre-plans what they will do for the day. There is English and math every day, and science three times a week. They also log in their attendance and tell how much time they spend on each lesson.
James and Olivia decide what course they want to start with. It might be something on-line or from a text book. ìMaybe read three or four pages of literature, a story or a poem,î OíNeill said. They will answer questions about the subject. ìThen I review answers and discuss material with them as their teacher.î
An assessment is done, and the students have to master each lesson before they go on to the next one so that Mom knows they have mastered it.
MNVA sends workbooks, teachers guides, workbooks, literature. ìThey may have an additional 50 books that we read a year or more,î OíNeill said.
She has a conference every two weeks over the phone with her public school teacher. Teachers can also answer questions via email or talk through webcams.
James and Olivia are involved in the community, OíNeill said in response to a question about her childrenís social needs. They play sports and have a lot of friends. They were heading out that night to serve food at the Buffalo Food Shelf, she added.
ìThatís my choice to keep them involved with friends and meeting new people,î OíNeill said. ìThey have a lot going on.î
MNVA offers field trips twice a month too, like symphony, theater, museums, and the zoo. ìThe opportunities are awesome,î she said.
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