The Virtual School Symposium that took place last week can be considered as the coming-out party for blended learning in the field of virtual education. Throughout the three-day conference, blended learning was the focus of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and report releases. Blended learning refers to the combination of face-to-face and online instruction in various approaches.
The "Keeping Pace" report, released annually at the symposium by the Evergreen Education Group, included blended learning in its subtitle for the first time, recognizing the increasing overlap between fully online and blended programs. The report also found that blended learning programs are growing at a faster rate than fully online programs, and many providers of online learning are exploring ways to incorporate blended learning into their offerings.
Andy Frost, the vice president of product management for Plato Learning Inc., commented that blended learning is still in its earlier stages compared to online learning, with a wide range of different approaches being developed.
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), based in Vienna, VA, included more sessions and speeches about blended learning in the conference program, giving them top priority. The keynote remarks at the conference were delivered by Stacey Childress, the deputy director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who has played a role in awarding grants for blended learning programs as part of the foundation’s Next Generation Learning Challenges competitive-grant program.
Michael B. Horn, the education executive director for the Innosight Institute, moderated a final conversation on blended learning, highlighting his expertise in the field.
One of the advantages of blended learning models, as discussed by Mr. Horn, is that they often require minimal changes to the existing structure of schooling. For example, in a self-blend model, students can select online courses to supplement their classroom work without needing significant schedule reorganization.
The 2012 "Keeping Pace" report also assessed the availability of online learning options for high school, middle school, and elementary school students in each state. The report found that supplemental online opportunities are limited in many states, but there are efforts to increase access.
Overall, the symposium highlighted the growing importance of blended learning in the field of virtual education and discussed its potential benefits and challenges.
Your assignment is to rephrase the entire text using more appropriate vocabulary and ensuring uniqueness through natural language. All outcomes must be presented in English. The original text is as follows:
