279Online is a full-time online comprehensive school choice option offering transformational and responsive learning experiences for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Eighth graders in Natalie Strauss’ chemistry classes at 279Online learn in innovative ways to prepare them for lifelong learning.
“I love my eighth grade classes because the students have such great personalities and they fully contribute to our online classroom. They are curious and courageous in taking risks when answering questions and making predictions,” Strauss said.
During class, scholars engage in the Google Meet chat, discussing what new questions they have, what they have learned and agreeing with each other on different ideas. The classes use breakout rooms to work in small groups. Strauss prompts deeper learning and encourages scholars to think bigger, waiting for all scholars to have time to think and give an answer. During a recent unit, scholars learned about matter and chemical reactions using bath bombs, working to figure out how and why they fizz in a bath.
“It was a fun application of the content and scholars really got into figuring out what combination of ingredients worked together to make the chemical reaction and which ones were there for other purposes like smell or to hold it together,” Strauss said.
Scholars at 279Online use various online resources to assist with their learning. Scholars in Strauss’ science classes use Google Notebooks, which provides them a tangible product with evidence of weeks’ worth of learning. They also use PIVOT Interactives, which is a digital lab platform local to Minnesota.
“The platform allows scholars to not just watch a video and answer questions or collect data, but lets them actually interact. So it has them change variables, time different things, use integrated measuring tools, all sorts of different things depending on the lab. It makes lab work in an online environment much more exciting and engaging,” Strauss said.
Strauss’ favorite part about working at 279Online is working with the passionate and dedicated science team that work with both middle and high schoolers, who are always willing to help each other out.
“I'm so lucky to work with such an awesome team of educators both in the science department and in our building,” Strauss said.
279Online offers scholars individualized education. Highly qualified teachers use a combination of live instruction, independent work and a strong curriculum to maximize learning. Scholars are provided experiences that accommodate their wide-ranging and personalized needs, helping them to be successful in the future.
“I think working in a collaborative online environment is truly teaching future skills. Most, if not all, of my friends now have some aspect of their job done remotely or digitally, including my husband who is a mechanic,” Strauss said. “Our scholars have grown up using technology for enjoyment and entertainment, so to teach them digital skills that will be used in the future is so important.”
Interested in learning more about 279Online and the many opportunities a full-time online comprehensive school choice offers? Learn more on our website and connect with one of our principals today!