Six college students at the University of Central Florida will be taking part of their practical training in education as interns with virtual teachers at the Florida Virtual School.
The trial internship program will help address the online school’s need for teachers with appropriate skills and the university’s need to produce educators who are prepared for a K-12 online learning market that is growing by 30 percent annually, according to officials of the two Orlando, Fla.-based institutions.
The half-dozen education majors at the University of Central Florida will work mouse-in-hand with FLVS teachers for seven weeks, helping provide direct instruction through webinars; meet with middle or high school students and their families in conference calls; interact with other online teachers and teaching teams at FLVS; and grade student work.
The students--volunteers who were selected based on their competence with technology--will be able to complete their internships from home. After their online internships, they will spend seven weeks in traditional classrooms in Central Florida.
FLVS delivered courses to more than 63,000 students in grades 6 through 12 last year.
