Lansing – The Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan (REMCAM) and Michigan Virtual signed a multi-year agreement to collaborate on targeted projects. The two organizations formed a strategic alliance to explore greater alignment and coordination with new and existing projects to support Michigan schools as they expand their use of online and blended learning solutions.
One of the goals of the collaboration is to explore the benefits of a joint campaign to promote online and blended learning professional development programs offered by Michigan Virtual and REMCAM. The partnership will also examine the development of a statewide certificate program in online and blended learning for Michigan educators. In addition, the partners will conduct joint research on different learning management system (LMS) tools to evaluate their functionality and features and publish a report to support decision making by Michigan schools.
A key goal of the partnership is to leverage the technology expertise and capacity of both partners to help Michigan school districts innovate so they can address persistent educational challenges,” said Bob Frost, President of the REMC Association and Director of REMC 10. “We are excited about the partnership with Michigan Virtual and look forward to doing more to help schools succeed.”
The two organizations will also work together to disseminate information to school districts aimed at clarifying current rules and regulations related to online and blended learning options. Targeted project discussions will begin in January and a detailed plan of action will be developed for each collaborative project, including timelines, necessary resources and metrics for success.
“The agreement comes at an important time as changes in state policy allow unprecedented statewide student access to online learning options,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President & CEO of Michigan Virtual. “The shift in educational policy has created a new demand for professional development services and consulting support for schools. I believe our partnership with the REMC Association of Michigan will help to expand the capacity of Michigan schools to support digital learning environments.”
Sue Schwartz, Executive Director of REMCAM said “the REMC Association of Michigan and Michigan Virtual are committed to quality educational solutions that leverage online and blended instructional models that are delivered by innovative educators. We need to do everything possible to expand the skills of Michigan educators to teach in new learning environments that are free of traditional time and location barriers.”
About REMCAM
REMCAM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1969. Its members are the directors of the 28 local regional educational media centers (REMCs) operated through the intermediate school district structure. To learn more, visit, http://remc.org.
About Michigan Virtual
Michigan Virtual® is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established by the State of Michigan in 1998 to serve as a champion for online learning. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual®, Michigan LearnPort®, and Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute™.
