Besides students benefitting from flexible schedules and customized curricula to meet individual needs, schools are saving a significant amount by offering online programs, a necessity in an economy where education budgets are hard pressed. Taxpayers in the State of Georgia were spending nearly $7,650 a year to educate the average student. To educate the average student in the statewide online Georgia Cyber Academy, taxpayers are spending nearly 60 percent less, or about $3,200 per year.

Some educators, however, have expressed concern as to how the lack of face-to-face interaction with other students could affect development. To alleviate concerns,  several states have chosen to adopt hybrid programs that are a blend between online study and classroom interaction with teachers and peers.

Read more here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204358004577030600066250144.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEADTop

To be eligible for funding, each school or library had to develop their own proposal to improve education outside of the classroom. The FCC then selected the winners through a competitive grant process. A range of ideas were submitted for the program, including plans to provide access to e-textbooks for students and create online education programs for homebound students unable to attend their classes.

At the first announcement of the “Learning On-The-Go” program at an event in New York City, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “Education doesn’t stop at the schoolyard gate or the library door, so support of broadband for education shouldn’t stop there either.”

Read more here: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/170767-fcc-launches-new-education-program

One of the panels discussed incentives to innovate as well as technology adoption, featuring the CEO of ePals.com, Ed Fish, Executive Director of the Educational Leadership AT&T Foundation, Marilyn Reznick, and Director of the Program of Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University, Paul Peterson.

Mr. Fish opened up the discussion by noting that K through 12 schools can benefit most from technology. He believes technology allows the ability to host collaboration and in turn saves taxpayers money. Policy efforts that remove technology adoption barriers will help states and schools use new technology models that better engage students, teachers and parents, making the educational experience efficient and compelling.

Ms. Reznick believes private sector investment in education is important to ensure children are competitive in the global marketplace. She would like to see companies engage more with schools and teachers to define talents and skills needed in the workforce as well as map out solutions and best practices.

Mr. Peterson also agrees the catalyst that will move education forward is major investment from the private sector. He used the Middlebury College/K12 Inc. collaboration as a best practice–two entities working together to supply online foreign-language courses that enable college-ready students. Peterson also noted that the abundant broadband capacity of the US is a vital key to driving digital learning.

Colleges like MIT have incorporated an online component to their courses. Nearly 85 percent are taught virtually, increasing the quality of the instruction due to transparency. Online education is certainly growing in popularity and use because of its lower cost and ability to provide courses that traditional schools simply cannot.

NextGenWeb has previously reported on the innovation of full-time virtual charter public schools that have been growing throughout the United States over the past 10 years. And what we’ve learned is that high speed Internet is key to transforming education in our current globally connected, technology-centric environment.

By bringing education online, students receive customized and personalized learning services so that they can learn at a pace and style that suites their needs. This, in turn, will amplify every student’s chance for success now and in the future. Having a knowledgeable, digitally educated workforce will also move this country forward in terms of jobs and economic opportunities.

Governor Wise said in a speech on Tuesday that with states’ high budgets and soaring costs, it’s a great time for innovation. States have the ability to make online learning a reality throughout the country, but they must be willing to redevelop the education infrastructure.

Other session discussions at the 2010 National Summit on Education Reform circled around online education, blended learning, digital textbooks and other customized learning techniques to spearhead this generation of children into our ever-growing digitally connected world. Education expert and Ed Reformer blogger Tom Vander Ark noted in one session that logistically and technologically, the United States is able to teach every child via cyber schooling, but politics unfortunately stand in the way.

It is for such reasons that NextGenWeb has stressed the importance of focusing our policy priorities on issues such as broadband adoption and digital literacy, rather than regulation. Improved education depends on it.

As part of the Aspire program, AT&T provides grants aimed at combating the national dilemma of rising high school dropout rates. These grants go to school districts and non-profit organizations that develop programs that teach and mentor students about the importance of a high school diploma, while simultaneously preparing them for college and the workforce.

While Aspire mission is not overtly aimed at utilizing broadband to empower new and innovative styles of learning, the programs that are enabled through the grants are a necessity in order for America to maintain its competitive edge. As part of the Aspire initiative, AT&T joined together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom to launch a national workforce readiness program titled Get Schooled. As part of the platform, a short documentary was developed featuring President Barack Obama, Kelly Clarkson, and LeBron James.

America’s broadband providers are stepping up to the plate to combat some of the nation’s most pressing education issues. While NextGenWeb spends most of its time focusing on the services provided by these providers, it is important to take a step back and applaud those companies who are taking seriously their corporate social responsibility.

K12’s online public school program incorporates its curriculum with certified teachers and state-of-the-art technology. Regardless of geographic location or educational needs, this customized tuition-free public school program is available to any child with an Internet connection. Watch our interview with Jeff Kwitowski as he explains how broadband brings a quality education to students.

And check back with NextGenWeb as we continue to focus on broadband and education this week.

One of these programs is Verizon’s Thinkfinity. Thinkfinity is an online portal that provides free resources to teachers, students and parents in the form of lesson plans, networking communities, tutorials, professional development training, at-home activities for students, and more. The Verizon Foundation has made significant investments to provide this unique content, all in one easy-to-find online portal – powered by broadband.

The resources available on Thinkfinity’s portal are a great example of how broadband is providing new, unique and tailored learning opportunities for students like never before. Outdated textbooks, limited curriculum, and passive learning have all gone the way of the Dodo. Instead, current topics, expanded curriculum and interactive learning are the wave of the future – and the future is now.

To be competitive in the 21st century, students need to be equipped with 21st century skills. America’s broadband providers have realized the role that broadband can play in delivering these skills. A world of learning opportunity is at every child’s fingertips – all they need is a broadband connection!

This week, NextGenWeb will be highlighting the role that technology, and specifically broadband, plays in enabling distance education and online learning programs (We’re not the only ones focusing on education this week. Apparently, so is the White House). The goal is to highlight some of the cutting edge applications utilized in the virtual classroom, while also providing resources on how they work, what their benefits are, and where you can learn more.

The Washington Post had a recent feature story on how advances in technology are leading to a more interactive and collaborative online learning experience. Thanks to broadband, students can be connected virtually with other students around the world, an expert lecturer in a specific area of study, or a real-life field experiment. And while many of the gizmos and gadgets enable these types of interactions, it is important to remember that our state-of-the-art, modern communications infrastructure makes them possible.

So stay tuned the rest of the week as NextGenWeb will be live streaming the Education Week Leadership Forum titled, “Unleashing Technology to Personalize Learning,” as well as posting feature spotlights on how broadband is being utilized by others to improve the education experience.

Dr. Nick Trombetta, founder and CEO of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, along with Dr. Jim Moran of State System of Higher Education, led a presentation about the many benefits online schools can give children. Dr. Trombetta explained it best when he said the words “attend, comply and regurgitate” are no longer words that can be used in the educational system. Students do not have to sit in a classroom at set times, listening to a teacher lecture about only the basic subjects. Students are now demanding more and the education system must comply. This is exactly what online schooling can provide, and throughout the country, increased access to broadband in transforming the educational system.

Right now, 60% of US high schools offer Advanced Placement classes. That number is increasing rapidly each day as more and more students attend online schools or take a greater proportion of their classes online. There are 450,000 K-12 students attending virtual online schools in America today, and 1.75 million students take at least some classes in an online setting. In ten years, Dr. Trombetta believes that 50% of students will be taking online classes. Students are able to choose what subjects they want to learn about and can gather advanced knowledge of the subject by being taught by a real professional in the field, no matter where they are located. Students can take field trips to anywhere in the world and not even leave their computer chairs.

Online learning has been recognized as vital to US competitiveness, which led to its inclusion in the National Broadband Plan as one of the “national purposes.” We need to continue to recognize what enables online learning – high speed broadband.

The Digital Learning Council will “create a set of best practices that would cover a range of digital learning issues, including: online and virtual schools, classroom technology, equity, security and privacy, and digital content,” noted a blog post from EdReformer. The second phase of this plan will encourage states to adopt these new and innovative technologies to help push education to the next level.

Online learning is one of the fastest growing segments in education today. Companies such as K12 Inc and Apex Learning have been in the forefront of this type of technology based education. K12’s online public school program offers a high quality curriculum using online lessons and hands-on education materials for kindergarten through high school students. Apex Learning provides digital curriculum for secondary education to school districts using comprehensive, standards-based online courses to help schools engage students in coursework.

Check here to read the Digital Learning Council’s full release.