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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.
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
Parenting in a pandemic: Encouraging positive behaviors and self-discipline
Lauren Kazee
As everyone continues to stay home to stay safe, new routines may have begun to normalize for parents and their children.As this new way of life continues, behavior patterns also begin to adjust. Ever
Online Student Support and Enrichment
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
We’ve talked previously about monitoring student progress as an essential responsibility of online instructors. Today’s blog post will dive deeper into instructor responsibilities around monitoring student progress, including providing support services or enrichment opportunities to students. These services are incredibly important as they can make the difference between student success and students failing to thrive in their online courses.
Your brain in crisis: Why it’s so hard to learn during difficult times
Lauren Kazee
It’s 10 o’clock in the morning, and you glance at your to-do list. You have emails to send, phone calls to make, school lessons to complete with your child(ren). With the whole day ahead of you, you f
Self-care for parents: Why you need to take care of yourself first
Lauren Kazee
Attention all passengers:In an emergency, a mask will drop from a container above your seat. Please fit the yellow cup over your nose and mouth and place the elastic strap around the back of your head
Supporting your child's social and emotional needs during school closures
Lauren Kazee
Right now, parents and children across the globe are under a lot of stress. On top of this, parents are being asked to do even more to support the academic needs of their children than ever before. While it's easy to focus on the logistical concerns of living through a global pandemic, we also need to tend to the emotional impact such events can have both on ourselves and our children.
What Does Research Say About Mentoring Online Students?
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
There exists an ever growing body of research on mentoring online students. In this article we seek to answer the question: What does this research tell us about mentoring K-12 online students?
Communication & Engagement in the Online Classroom
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Most teachers would agree that communication and engagement are key factors for student success in any classroom. In the online classroom, however, these variables play out a little differently than they might in a face-to-face setting. In this article, we break down what communication looks like in an online course, who is responsible for student engagement, and, finally, how communication and engagement interact in practice.
January & February 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 learning to teach mathematics online, coaching instructional coaches, the value of project-based learning and high-level knowledge activities, and a framework for affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement in online courses.
Digital Learning Day: Ways to Support Successful Online Learning
Michigan Virtual
On Digital Learning Day, what can be done to improve online instruction? In this article, we share suggestions for researchers and practitioners from EDC's Erin Stafford and Jacqueline Zweig.
What if Michigan Had eLearning Days?
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
With eLearning, students can learn from home when extenuating circumstances (such as snow storms) prevent them from being able to attend their brick-and-mortar schools. Many states in the U.S. have eLearning policies, but Michigan's not one of them. Why is that and what would it look like if we did have eLearning days?
Using Autocrat to showcase student work
Stacey Schuh
As a teacher, it's great to showcase student work, but it can be time-consuming to compile and share these accolades with parents. In this article, we walk through how teachers can use the Google add-on Autocrat to showcase student work in an efficient way.
Using image annotation tools to bring assignments to life
Stacey Schuh
Looking for ways to make your classroom resources more interactive? In this article, we share two free image annotation tools that teachers can use to bring assignments to life in their classroom.
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