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The Digital Backpack
Your resource for online learning
Your trusted source for K-12 online learning insights, teaching strategies, and success stories from Michigan’s leading virtual education provider. Join us as we explore innovative approaches to help students thrive in the digital age.
How Implementing Voice & Choice Can Improve Student Engagement
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Schools will look different this fall, there’s no doubt. However, the need to rapidly adopt virtual learning is no longer an emergency. We knew it was coming. So what can we do differently this time?
District Plans for Shifting to Remote Instruction in Spring 2020
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Should we go fully digital, use paper copies, or use a hybrid model? How will we assess the technology needs of our students? Should we arrange for meal pick up, delivery, or some combination? How will we manage and monitor student learning? How will we continue to meet the social-emotional needs of our students? These are just some of the questions that school leaders faced as they developed their plans for continued learning after school doors were shuttered for the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Student-Centered Learning at Fraser Public Schools
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Competency-based learning. Asking kids to do things rather than know things. Designing learning for all. Just some of the ways in which at Fraser, learning drives innovation.
Student-Centered Learning at FlexTech High Schools
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Student-centered by design. Meeting kids where they are. Competency-based learning. Project-based curriculum. Just some of the ways FlexTech is giving students permission to choose rather than deciding for them.
Creating a Supportive Learning Environment for Online Students: Communication is Key
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
What does a supportive online learning environment look like? Administrators, parents, mentors, and teachers must work together and communicate effectively. While overlap in responsibilities is inevitable, each has a defined role in shaping an online learning environment conducive to student success.
Student-Centered Learning at Hamilton Community Schools
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Flexible learning options. Standards-based grading. Blended learning, teaching, and coaching. Just some of the ways in which “Each Will Thrive” at Hamilton Community Schools.
LMS Selection and Implementation: Best Practices
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
What factors should schools and districts consider when selecting a learning management system (LMS)? What are the key processes that you should follow? What challenges and opportunities exist within the process? Where should you start?
Do Orientation Modules Contribute To Student Success In The Online Classroom?
Dr. Chris Harrington has a conversation with three accomplished researchers (Erin Stafford and Jacqueline Zweig of the Education Development Center, Joe Freidhoff of Michigan Virtual) to discuss the details of their recent study focused on the impact of an orientation on the success of online learners.
Connecting Teachers: A Community of Practice
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
True collegial groups among teachers, in any context, still remain the exception and not the norm in many schools — especially for online teachers.
Student-Centered Learning: Catalysts for Change
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Are there naturally occurring situations or circumstances in education that serve as catalysts, facilitating change and giving student-centered learning momentum?
Conversations on Continuity: Educators discuss the future of education in the face of COVID-19
In this video, Dr. Chris Harrington talks to educational leaders from across the state and nation about the impact of the extended school closures on schools and districts. They compare the teaching and learning we're experiencing today due to rapid shifts to remote learning models to what we know to be effective online and digital learning and discuss new opportunities on the horizon for schools and what we've learned during this emergency remote learning period.
Mentoring Through a Pandemic
Debbie Lynch
We are certainly living in uncharted waters right now. Who would have ever thought that we would be remote learning and teaching for the final 3 months of the 2019-20 school year? Despite mandated clo
Student-Centered Learning: The Impetus for Change
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Student-centered learning isn’t necessarily a new concept. In fact, in one area of education, we’ve already nailed it.
Why Online Teachers NEED Ongoing Professional Development
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
In our last post on instructional leadership, we touched on the issue of professional development (PD) and the necessity of providing online teachers with ongoing training, support, and PD. This post will expand on the critical importance of PD for new online teachers and ongoing PD for all online teachers.
Podcast: SEL During a Pandemic with Lauren Kazee
The Digital Backpack
In this episode, we chat with Lauren Kazee about the impact COVID-19 is having on our social and emotional wellness. We discuss what social-emotional learning (SEL) is, how it’s been used to help stud
March and April Research Round Up
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
What’s new in the world of K-12 research on online, blended, and innovative learning? This month, we take a look at Michigan's K-12 Virtual Learning Effectiveness Report and a recent edition of the Online Learning Journal.
Research study: Do orientation modules contribute to student success in the online classroom?
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Learning online can be an adjustment for many students. It is widely believed that providing students with an orientation to online learning helps them better understand the novel challenges and expec
Instructional Leadership: Supporting Online Teachers
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Supporting your online teachers seems like it should be easy, but what do they really need? Where should you start? In this article, we explore what it means to be a good instructional leader and give you some guidance as to how you can get started.
Parenting through trauma: What to do when things get difficult
Lauren Kazee
Think of a time in your life when you felt totally overwhelmed.Maybe you were grieving the loss of a loved one. Perhaps you or someone you know experienced severe physical pain or injury. Or it was th
23 Team-Building Activities for Staying Connected in a Remote Work Environment
David Young
Most of us are proficient in how to complete the tasks and responsibilities of our positions while working remotely. We have the tools we need to perform our job functions and we have the technical sk
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