Get the Facts on Homeschoolers & the Homeschool Curriculum in Michigan

Michigan Virtual

Just like many things in life, misconceptions and myths abound when it comes to homeschoolers. If you have thought about educating your child at home, you’ll want accurate information and answers to all your questions. In this article, we will help you navigate through the myriad of information and give you the facts you need to make an informed decision.

November Research Round Up

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Each month our team of researchers highlights K-12 online, blended, and innovative learning research, reports, standards, and other noteworthy resources published nationally and internationally in the preceding weeks. Our hope with this series is to inform the educational community of the latest digital learning research in order to better serve students.

Close Relatives: Student-Centered Learning and Blended Learning

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

As school leaders, we sometimes confuse the labels that we place on educational strategies and models. This happens frequently when we talk about “blended learning” and “student-centered learning,” two closely related terms with distinct meanings. In this article, the research team of Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (MVLRI) discusses how student-centered learning relates to the ideas and promise of blended learning.

Mentoring as Personalized Learning

Justin Bruno

The mentors of K-12 online learners wear many hats and serve as a critical pillar of support for their students. What is less commonly recognized is how mentors act as stewards of personalized learning for their online students. The constant pulse-checking mentors do with their students allows them to work with an online teacher to customize instruction and support based on their students’ needs.

What Do Successful K-12 Online Programs Have In Common?

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

What do successful K-12 online programs have in common? Beyond obvious variables like student support and quality curriculum, there are many systemic supports that effective programs put in place to provide a foundation for student success. In this article, we break down the importance of leadership, multi-level support, and program evaluation.

October Research Round Up

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Each month our team of researchers highlights K-12 online, blended, and innovative learning research, reports, standards, and other noteworthy resources published nationally and internationally in the preceding weeks. Our hope with this series is to inform the educational community of the latest digital learning research in order to better serve students.

What Exactly IS Student-Centered Learning?

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

In education, we often talk about “student-centered learning,” but what does a student-centered learning environment actually look like? In this article, we define what student-centered learning really means and outline the common components of a truly student-centered learning model.

Strategies for Mentoring Online Students

Debbie Lynch

In this month's Mentor Forum, we hear from Debbie Lynch, our Outreach Coordinator for Mentors about the important role that mentors play in online learning and some strategies for connecting with and supporting online students.

Setting Online Learners Up For Success

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Each month our team of researchers will be discussing all things K-12 online learning in Michigan and across the nation. Our hope with this series is to provide a primer on K-12 online learning, cover established and emerging topics, and provide relevant research and resources.

September Research Round Up

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Each month our team of researchers will be highlighting K-12 online, blended, and innovative learning research, reports, standards, and other noteworthy resources published nationally and internationally in the preceding weeks. Our hope with this series is to inform the educational community of the latest digital learning research in order to better serve students.

What makes for quality online teaching? — Revised national standards

Michigan Virtual

What makes for quality online teaching? In this blog post, we overview the latest revision to the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching, which offer a consensus from national online learning experts on what constitutes effective online teaching.

Using Genius Hour to help students cultivate their passions and transform their world

Katie Tasch Bielecki

The most powerful thing we can do as educators is to invite our students to explore. Service-learning and project-based learning are two ways to allow students to explore and get involved in their communities. These two experiences continue to be woven into Katie Bielecki’s teaching and have spurred on the implementation of Genius Hour in her classroom.

Using Roadmaps to create deeply digital lessons for students

Denise Gallemore

Roadmaps is an open educational resource that allows teachers to create interactive, graphical, collaborative, and adaptive deeply digital lessons that are easy to use. This tool promotes collaboration between students and teachers which is why Denise Gallemore regularly uses it in her 5th-grade social studies and ELA classroom.

Pacing Guide for Success in Online Mathematics Courses

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Using computer science and computational thinking in the kindergarten classroom

Taylor White

Kindergartners have the ability to do a lot more than we often expect from them. Taylor White’s use of computer science and computational thinking lessons opened her eyes to what kindergartners have the capacity to do at a young age. While she witnessed them break down problems with machines and codes, she began to see it bleed into how the students broke down problems with their peers.

Podcast: Digital Well-being

The Digital Backpack

[Webinar] Supporting Student Success Through Predictive Analytics

Michigan Virtual

Podcast: Strong Student Relationships in Online Courses

The Digital Backpack

Are online courses "easier" than face-to-face courses?

Michigan Virtual

Debunking the common misconception that online courses are “easier” than face-to-face courses.

It’s not about the tech, but how you use it: a mindset for blended learning

Erich Ziegler