PVUSD Virtual Academy

Dynamic strategies to go beyond traditional learning

Is the learning in your school’s classroom static or dynamic? Meaning, does your traditional classroom offer one-and-done type of learning activities, or does the learning grow, inspire, and evolve throughout the year and beyond? When Kasey Bell talked to us about Dynamic Learning, she could have been speaking with the Buzz platform in mind. With digital tools like Agilix’s Buzz for Education, available 24/7, the learning doesn’t have to stop when the bell rings, or when the worksheet is turned in. The learning takes on a life of its own – it becomes dynamic.

As a platform, Buzz enables content providers to easily distribute, update, and manage courses, enrollments, and reporting in blended and virtual environments. As a partner, Agilix leverages a vast API and high-touch services to brand and customize Buzz where needed and enable effective implementation of innovative, student-centered learning models.

Virtual Academy

For the virtual educational needs of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (@PajaroValleyUSD), Buzz has been an ideal platform to leverage its nationally available online Virtual Academy (@pvusdvirtual) K- 12 full-time online public school. At every grade level, students take core courses in math, science, language arts/English, social studies, and electives, as they work from a state-approved curriculum with support from certified teachers. For the Virtual Academy, collaboration with parents is key. Students academically and emotionally prosper when parents take an active role in their education.

The Virtual Academy’s teachers work diligently to ensure each student’s Personalized Learning Plan is differentiated to meet each student’s academic needs. The Virtual Academy offers Parent Observer accounts to BUZZ as well, which is very helpful to ensure a successful parent-teacher-school relationship. The Virtual Academy collaborates with students and their families to create school and community engagement events through virtual technologies and services to ensure their students graduate ready for the 21st-century workforce. Their primary goal is to provide individualized instruction for all students in an effort to accelerate performance while ensuring alignment with the California Education Code.

The Virtual Academy utilizes technology to support inspired teaching and an interactive curriculum, so students can learn in the differentiated ways that work for them. Virtual Academy’s tuition-free option meets K–12 students where they are educationally and helps them grow to where they want to be. With California state-certified teachers supporting the structure of an online school and hands-on curriculum, students learn in ways that are right for them.

Buzz is optimized to:

• • Deliver quality custom and publisher content.

  • Deliver engaging Professional Development for teachers and staff.

  • Personalize learning in blended and virtual environments.

  • Enable project-based and competency-based learning models.

  • Align learning activities with objectives.

  • Engage students, mentors, and parents in the learning process.

  • Track and deliver critical data.

Technology alone is not the solution for education, but it is the way to do things more effectively, to deepen the learning, to engage students in new ways, and an opportunity for Dynamic Learning characterized by constant change and activity. Where learning takes place organically, as students grow and evolve as learners collaborate, create, and communicate to demonstrate educational progress and mastery.

Kasey Bell’s Dynamic Learning Framework

BEYOND THE BELL

Learning doesn’t have to end when the bell rings. With digital tools and devices that are available 24/7, students can continue to learn, collaborate, grow, and dig deeper into their learning on their own terms. This doesn’t mean homework. This is a mindset for students that means learning can take place anytime, anywhere, and students can own it.

BEYOND THE GRADE LEVEL & SUBJECT

Let’s take kids off the conveyor belt of education and give them opportunities to learn about the things that interest them beyond the subject areas we teach and even beyond what it says they should learn in each grade level. Learning doesn’t have to fit inside a box.

BEYOND THE WALLS

Bring the world to your students, and bring your students to the world! Every student in every grade should have opportunities to connect and learn globally as well as publish their work for a global and intentional audience.

BEYOND THE TOOLS

Think beyond using digital tools to do traditional things like typing a paper. Use digital tools to do NEW things! Just going paperless or digital isn’t enough; use tools to go further, go deeper and extend the learning, and consider using tools in alternative ways—beyond their original purpose.

BEYOND THE DUE DATE

Consider allowing students to continue the work that interests them beyond the final assessment of the assignment or task. Thinking, learning, and exploring, shouldn’t be stifled simply because it was time to turn it in.