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VSKOOL is a new consortium working to offer online K-12 classes and tutoring to students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Participants include online-learning organizations, virtual schools, technology companies, foundations, and other corporate and nonprofit organizations.
According to the consortium, VSKOOL will:
- • Find virtual school programs to offer courses, tutoring, and open seats to affected students.
• Find teachers with online-teaching experience to volunteer to take extra students and tutor students.
• Find organizations to provide support for online-learning enrollment (e.g., through scholarships) for students; and
• Coordinate with computer hardware, software, and infrastructure providers to supply computers and broadband Internet access to create learning centers to run online courses.
VSKOOL listed a number of organizations last week as interested in supporting the initiative:
| • Alberta Distance Learning Center | • Alberta Online Consortium |
| • Apex Learning | • Blackboard Connections Academy |
| • DeKalb Online Academy | • Discovery Education |
| • Education Industry Association | • Florida Virtual School |
| • IEARN-USA | • Impatica |
| • Learning Through Sports | • LibraryU |
| • Michigan Virtual High School | • National University Virtual High School |
| • Netday | • Northern Star Online |
| • Plano (Texas) Independent School District | • Texas Virtual School |
| • Virtual High School | • Virtual Library Co-op |
| • Wisconsin Virtual School |
SOURCE: www.vskool.org