News release
May 20, 2011
For more information:
Sally Lancaster, 425-385-5100
Kevin Corbett, 425-385-5100
Mary Waggoner, 425-385-4049
Korean delegation visits Sequoia to learn about Online High School
In groups of 35, visiting Korean educators gather ideas for their own online learning program
Kevin Corbett works with the district’s Online High School program and is helping host visitors from
Korean Air and Correspondence University, the largest online program in Korea. Online High School
is housed at Sequoia High School, the district’s alternative high school.
Air and Correspondence University is a 39-year-old program funded by the Korean government. It
serves that nation’s youth and adults who couldn’t get a diploma because they were forced to work in
factories to support their families or because they couldn’t afford to pay for high school. “Yes,” Corbett
emphasizes, “students
pay
to go to most high schools in Korea! A high school diploma is a big deal.
Having one allows someone to take a university entrance test or get a job in government or other
higher-paid career.”
The name “Air and Correspondence University” comes from the days when they used radio to deliver
their lessons and mail to exchange student work. Since their beginning, they have taught over
300,000 students and currently have 15,000 students enrolled this year.
As reported in a Feb. 2, 2011 article in the New York Times, Air and Correspondence University has
the planet’s fastest internet speeds and is a world internet leader.
According to the article, “By the end of 2012, South Korea intends to connect
every home
in Korea to
the internet at one gigabyte per second. That would be a tenfold increase from the already blazing
national standard and
more than 200 times as fast
as the average household setup in the United
States.”
Of the first visit to Sequoia, Corbett said, “The teachers LOVED their visit here and appreciated the
ability to visit classrooms. They were especially interested in what was posted on walls around the
school. There was quite a gathering around the Challenge Day ‘Affirmations’ poster in the cafeteria
and explanations about each phrase. They took pictures of everything! Getting most of their camera’s
attention were: the architecture of the building, students, teacher workstations, vending machines,
textbooks, and hallways. We have much to learn from them about technology, and we have much to
share with them.”
The next visiting group from Air and Correspondence University will be at Sequoia on June 3.
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