Conjuring Students: The Politics of Presence in Online K–12 Teaching

• In Event: 14.045 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.045-14 - The Power in Their Actions: The Role of Teachers' Theorizing and Action in Mediating Successful Practices

Abstract

The seemingly simple question of whether or not a child is present in a classroom has become a critical issue for schools and teachers. School funding calculations and definitions of teachers’ work have long been premised on the physical co-presence of teachers and students. But in online schools, students across a state attend the same “virtual” school, participate from their homes, and complete coursework at their own pace.
Drawing on interviews with 22 teachers from 10 online schools in Ohio, this article traces how the physical separation and technology-mediated interaction of teachers and students change the social and political contexts of teaching. How do online schools and teachers make students appear as subjects of instruction, and as legally accountable attendees?

Authors

• Jan K. Nespor, The Ohio State University

• Rick J. Voithofer, The Ohio State University