PA Cyber to Hold First Ever Virtual Classroom Fair

Event will highlight PA Cyber's unique class offering, bring cyber classmates, teachers together

MIDLAND, Pa., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School will hold its first ever Virtual Classroom (VC) Fair on Monday, October 11 from 2-8 p.m. at The Chadwick in Wexford, PA.

The Virtual Classroom Fair will allow current PA Cyber students taking VC classes to meet their teachers, and interact with classmates face-to-face through a variety of on-site games and activities.

"The goal of Virtual Classroom Fair is to allow our students to meet their teachers in person," said Nicole Gianvito, PA Cyber Director of Virtual Classroom. "Due to their class schedules, most of our VC teachers are not able to attend PA Cyber sponsored events that students attend, which is unfortunate because students want to meet their teachers. The VC fair will give them a chance to make those connections."

PA Cyber is the only cyber charter school in Pennsylvania to offer a full scale, real-time virtual class option to its students. Of PA Cyber's 10,000-plus students enrolled this year, Gianvito said 7,054 are taking at least one VC class.

"One misconception of cyber charter schools is that the student/teacher interaction is not as dynamic as that in a brick & mortar school. The nature of the virtual classroom changes all that. Through the synchronous teaching method we employ, teachers and students find that they do make those connections."

All of PA Cyber's VC classes are taught in real-time with a live teacher. Classes meet at a regularly scheduled time –a minimum two times a week, with most classes meeting three to five times a week –and require the student be present for class. Using the educational platform Elluminate, and a headset and microphone, students are able to:

• Listen to and communicate with their teacher  instantly
• Raise their hand and answer questions
• Write on the board
• Talk with their classmates via a teacher-enabled, web-chat feature
• Participate in group breakout sessions with their classmates
• Have a private conversation with their teacher

"The student/teacher interaction is something that PA Cyber prides itself on. With the new Elluminate platform we implemented for this school year, teachers have a more dynamic and efficient way to connect with students and maximize the learning process. The Virtual Classroom Fair reinforces that."

About The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber): PA Cyber is a tuition-free, online, public school open to all Pennsylvania students in grades K4-12. The largest cyber charter school in the state with over 10,000 students enrolled, PA Cyber has made Adequate Yearly Progress for the last two years. Founded in 2000, PA Cyber recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary and was notified in June that its charter had been renewed for another five years. PA Cyber is located in Midland, PA and has offices in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. For more information, please visit www.pacyber.org.

About the National Network of Digital Schools (NNDS): NNDS is a non-profit management foundation dedicated to providing the highest quality K-12 online curriculum and comprehensive management services to traditional brick & mortar schools, charter schools, and cyber charter schools. As a community foundation, NNDS also lends financial support to educational initiatives that expand opportunities for young people. NNDS was founded in Midland, PA and is now headquartered in Beaver, PA.  For more information, please visit www.nndsonline.org.

SOURCE National Network of Digital Schools