Susan Patrick to Testify in Favor of Virtual Ed

Virtual delivery of instruction empowers great teachers to work more closely with each of their students and prepare them for working in a global economy, says a former Department of Education technology director.
President and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) Susan Patrick, will testify in Salt Lake City at 2:05 PM in front of the Utah Education Interim Committee. This committee consists of members of both the Utah State Senate and the House of Representatives. Patrick will speak about the benefits of online education and field questions from the committee during her testimony.
Patrick is the former Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. In her testimony, she will explain what online learning is, what it isn’t, its benefits, and its limitations. Students from an online school will provide a demonstration.
According to Patrick, “We can increase high-quality learning opportunities for today’s students to be prepared for college and ready to compete in the global economy. New models of student-centered learning using technology to personalize educational approaches are needed. Online learning provides this customized approach and opens new educational opportunities for students to access a world class education any time, any place.”
In the United States, virtual education is growing at 30 percent annually in K-12 schools, with an estimated 1.5 million students in online courses last year.