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Infrastructure
Schools that are beginning to consider the addition of online curriculum will need to assess their readiness for such initiatives. This includes internal initiatives as well as using consortia and/or outside vendors.
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1. What software and hardware infrastructure and tools are needed to facilitate online learning?
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2. Is there sufficient on-site technical support for students and teachers? Off-hours support?
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3. Is there sufficient bandwidth to handle the additional traffic?
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4. Is there sufficient server space to handle course materials and student project work?
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5. Are there a sufficient number of software licenses and web 2.0 subscriptions to accommodate teachers and students?
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6. Has the school investigated open source products to keep costs down?
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7. Are web filters open enough to allow for teacher and student access to the tools used in blended and online learning (e.g. YouTube, wikis, blogs, Twitter, social networks, etc.)
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8. Does the school have a course management system that will allow teachers to organize course materials? How easy is it to embed tools in the course management pages?
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9. Are web 2.0 subscriptions ad-free and configured safely for student use?
Beth Marchant
Do schools need to evaluate privacy issues when hosting coursework on outside resources? Are student identities and work visible to the outside world? Does the service provider store student work on an ongoing basis? Who controls access? Will comments made during a heated high school online discussion be visible years later when the student is an adult seeking a job or running for public office?