Blog
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.
The Case for Coaching and Tutoring
Nikolas McGehee
In the almost 40 years since Ronald Reagan’s A Nation at Risk report and subsequent education reforms, many programs have been developed to help students improve their academic achievement. Some of th
All the things I wish I knew earlier about online teaching
This past year forced most teachers, even those with decades of experience teaching in face-to-face classrooms, into a brand new way of teaching–online! But what was new for many was my day-to-day wor
Why Growth Mindsets Are So Important For Student Success in Math
Michigan Virtual
Meet Christy Trombetta, an online math teacher at Michigan Virtual who has a particular knack for helping students develop growth mindsets in her online math classroom. When a student tells her they’re “bad at math,” she takes this self-labeling as a signal that the student may need extra support to shift their inner dialogue from “I’m bad at math” to “I can actually do this.”
Are Grade Levels Getting In The Way of Learning?
Michigan Virtual
Meet Mike Burde, assistant superintendent at Kenowa Hills Public Schools, who shares his vision for a system of schooling that goes beyond “time-based advancement” and instead revolves around personal mastery.
A Forest Most Beautiful
Michigan Virtual
Meet Kelly Tillman, an art educator at Walled Lake Consolidated Schools who teaches a choice-based art classroom and reminds us that — rather than stepping back to see the forest for the trees — it’s often the variation between the trees themselves that makes the forest most beautiful.
We need to give our teachers the professional trust they deserve
Shannon Smith
While structure and accountability are critical components in the education of children, teachers also need to feel respected as the highly educated, specially trained experts they are, most of whom would not remain in the field if not for their passion.
It Takes a Village to Educate a Child
Michigan Virtual
Meet Kerry Downs, the executive director of the Flint Community Education Initiative who provides insight into the rich history of community education in Flint, shares her belief that every school should be a community school, and reminds us that teachers alone shouldn’t bear the burden of educating the “whole child.”
Eight Years of Research on K-12 Special Populations and Motivation
Kristen DeBruler, PhD
Over the past eight years, Michigan Virtual has paid particular attention to online special populations and subsequently online student motivation. Our research team has focused on topics such as online credit recovery, supporting online students with disabilities, and the role of motivation in online courses.
The Life-Affirming Role Of Authenticity in Learning
Michigan Virtual
Meet Amos Briscoe, an art educator for the Washtenaw Alliance for Virtual Education (WAVE) who shares his journey going from feeling like an actor on a stage to bringing authenticity front and center in his classroom.
Research on K-12 Online Best Practices
Kristen DeBruler, PhD
One of the first themes to clearly distinguish itself during the analysis of the reports published by Michigan Virtual was best practices in K-12 online learning. Over the last several years, our research team has explored factors for online student success such enrollment reason, student pacing, teacher-student communication, and instructor role.
What's Best for Kids
Michigan Virtual
Meet Tanya Leon, an English teacher at Richards Middle School with a vision for rebuilding a system of schooling that’s personalized at scale.
Stop calling it "learning loss”
Stacey Schuh
I kept thinking about how negative the word “loss” sounded when describing my children’s remote learning experiences. It bothered me and made me feel as if all of the hard work done to support students wasn’t being acknowledged or given the credit it deserves.
Teaching for Today & Tomorrow: 2021 Takeaways
Sarah Hill
On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, hundreds of educators and administrators participated in the Teaching for Today & Tomorrow conference presented by Michigan Association of Secondary School Principal
Valuing vs. Acknowledging Diversity
Michigan Virtual
Meet Joy Taylor, a teaching consultant from WAVE who reminds us that there’s a big difference between ACKNOWLEDGING diversity in education and VALUING it.
Podcast: Learning like an Innovator with The Henry Ford
Michigan Virtual
In this episode, we talk to Phil and Lucie from the Learning and Engagement Team at The Henry Ford. We discuss research that indicates that humans are innately innovative, especially in difficult situ
Where Does Tech Belong in Teaching?
Michigan Virtual
Meet Amy Gwizdz & Bob Harrison, an instructional technology coach duo from Dearborn Public Schools with insights on how to leverage technology to create student-centered classrooms.
Best of 2020
Michigan Virtual
A compilation of our top-viewed content in 2020, including blog articles, podcasts, webinars, research articles, and more.
16 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Online Teachers in Your Life
Sarah Pazur
A list of 16 gift ideas to make the online teaching experience easier, better, and, yes, more fun!
Guest Perspective: The Menagerie, Myths, and Merits of the Bitmoji Classroom
Sarah Pazur
Bitmoji classrooms exploded during emergency remote instruction in Spring 2020. Bitmoji classrooms are two-dimensional scenes depicting a teacher-created avatar in a drawn classroom environment; the scenes feature a variety of imaginary objects.
Podcast: Design Thinking in Schools with Ariel Raz
Michigan Virtual
Ariel Raz is the Head of Learning Collaborations with the Stanford d.school k12 Lab. In this episode, we chat with Ariel about design thinking and how it can be used in K-12 schools to unlock innovati
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