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Montana Digital Academy will hold “open house”

Posted: Aug 17, 2010 5:52 PM Updated: Aug 17, 2010 6:52 PM The Montana Digital Academy will change how some area students take their classes, as the future of some classes has now gone online.Susan Quinn, associate principal at CMR High School, noted, “Some people really are hesitant to say what they’re thinking right when something is happening in a classroom. but yet, when they can read a comment and really formulate their answers and feel like they’ve articulated it well, they’re much more interested in participating.”Created by the Montana Legislature in 2009, the Montana Digital Academy has been under development for the last year. one problem it helps solve is not being able to offer certain classes because of a lack of students.Ryan Schrenk, director of extended learning at MSU-Great Falls, said, “All those classes that, if you offered it in your school, you’d have one or two people show up, but if you take one or two people from eight or ten places around the state, you have a class.”Schrenk also says having classmates from other areas helps add diversity to the learning experience, adding, “You have a high school with ten kids in your class, or ten other students in your class, and then all of a sudden you’re taking class with students from all over Montana in all corners, and they all bring different perspectives to the classroom.”Although there’s a lot of interest in the program, it still might take a while for it to really take off, according to Quinn, who said, “Online learning is so new to some people that I think it’s going to take being able to see students find success taking those classes before people can kind of wrap their mind around it and envision themselves taking a class like that.”You can learn more about Montana Digital Academy at an information session on Wednesday night (Aug 18); there are three 30-minute sessions between 5:30 and 7:00 pm at the Paris Gibson Education Center.

(July 14, 2010) On Tuesday night, the great Falls Public School district helped students log on to a whole new world of educational possibilities by introducing them to the Montana Digital Academy. the program starts up in the fall and will offer 45 online courses for high school students across the state.In an informational meeting on Tuesday, high school sophomore Jared Smith said that he’s excited about the virtual classes. Smith said, “I wanted to do online school so I could have a more flexible schedule to work around, and because I’m in a band, so it’d be nice to do…some of my classes, show up early for band practice…that’d be pretty cool.”Smith tells us he had planned to take only core classes online, but might also pursue uncommon courses such as Chinese.Students in great Falls will be limited to just two online classes in this first year of the program.You can learn more about the Digital Academy at the next informational meeting on August 18th at 5:30 pm at the Paris Gibson Education Center. (May 14, 2010) High school students in Montana will soon be able to earn class credit online, as the Montana Digital Academy will enable students from across the state to complete courses on the internet beginning in the fall. The state-funded academy is a product of the 2008 Montana Legislature.during the inaugural year, 45 classes will be offered, including some regular core classes, but also specialized courses in science, arts, and language. the digital academy is based at the University of Montana, but the instructors come from all over the state. You can learn more at the Academy website, including this brief overview: The Montana Digital Academy provides courses for students across the State of Montana.  If you are in a public or private school setting, homeschooled or need courses to meet college enrollment standards, make up missed or failed classes, resolve scheduling conflicts or provide advanced learning opportunities, MTDA is a full-featured program for you! KRTV – Great Falls News – Montana’s News Station