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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.
Michigan Virtual Teacher Professional Learning Community Design Research Blog, Part 2
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
In the second part of this two-part blog series (part one can be viewed here), we continue sharing the action research carried out by Michigan Virtual teachers as part of their involvement in the teac
Michigan Virtual Teacher Professional Learning Community Design Research Blog, Part 1
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
IntroductionThroughout the 2016-2017 academic year, the instructional design and Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (MVLRI) staff at Michigan Virtual recorded in-depth analytics data to moni
Building Relationships
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
This is the seventh in a series of blog posts written by Michigan Virtual’s Regional Mentor Leaders to bring to life what mentors do to build and maintain a supportive online learner environment to help students be successful. If you are a mentor and would like to share a strategy, a success story, or another topic that illustrates how you support students, please email mvlri@michiganvirtual.org.
Design Learning for Visually Impaired Students with NVDA
Jeff Gerlach
Jeff reviews Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA), an open source screen reader for Windows. Screen readers help those with vision impairments to access digital content. Teachers can use screen readers to check that web content for lessons is accessible to students with visual impairments.
The Accessible Classroom: Online Learning and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Jeff Gerlach
The Accessible Classroom is a video series exploring web accessibility for K-12 education. In this first video, Jeff takes a look at the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the perspective of schools.
YouTube Closed Captions for Hearing Impaired Students
Jeff Gerlach
Jeff shows how teachers can use YouTube’s closed captioning to support access to videos for those with hearing impairments and other accessibility needs.
Reflections of a Fourth Year Mentor
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
This is the sixth in a series of blog posts written by Michigan Virtual’s Regional Mentor Leaders to bring to life what mentors do to build and maintain a supportive online learner environment to help students be successful. If you are a mentor and would like to share a strategy, a success story, or another topic that illustrates how you support students, please email mvlri@michiganvirtual.org.
Interview with Highlander Institute's Educational Strategy Specialist Team
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
https://soundcloud.com/mvlri/fuse-architect-an-interview-with-highlander-institute-on-school-progressThis episode is part of our series documenting the Fuse Architect Project, a collaboration between
Conversation with Barrington Principal & Assistant Superintendent: The Value of the iCreate Space
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
“Our students are really working in the iCreate Lab already, and it’s exciting to see.”Given what is happening on a national and international level, the students have decided that there's been a
Conversations with Barrington Teachers: Part 2 The iCreate Space and the Challenges of a New Initiative
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
“We are a little overwhelmed by all of the Fuse Architect meetings with all of the groups involved. We have a lot of initiatives going at the same time, and a lot that is changing in our day-to-day wo
Conversations with Barrington Teachers: Part 1 The Power of the iCreate Space
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
In late 2017, we had the opportunity to catch up with the Barrington High School teachers. They had so much to say about their work in the iCreate Space, a maker space that was set up as part of the F
A Principal's Perspective: Newport Area Career and Technical Center
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
We heard from Rob Young recently the P-TECH High School Director in Newport, Rhode Island, who shared more about their experience in the Fuse Architect project.“I can speak the language.”Because I had
Bringing The Team to the Courageous Side of Fear
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
We had the opportunity to chat with Principal Dan Warner at Narragansett High School who shared with us an organic shift from fear to courage with his Fuse Architect team.One area of growth for our te
Moving beyond student voice to empowering students in designing their learning
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Student-centered learning has exploded as a mantra in many education circles. For the schools involved in Fuse Architects, this is no different. Schools’ applications and design meetings were and cont
Virtual Viewpoints: Roberto Gonzalez, STEAM Box
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
https://soundcloud.com/mvlri/episode-4-roberto-gonzalez-steam-boxThis episode is the fourth in our series documenting the Fuse Architect Project, a collaboration between the Nellie Mae Education Found
Virtual Viewpoints Podcast: Pegah Rahmanian, Youth in Action
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
https://soundcloud.com/mvlri/episode-6-pegah-rahmanian-youth-in-action#t=0:00This episode is the fifth in our series documenting the Fuse Architect Project, a collaboration between the Nellie Mae Educ
The Blended Files — "As Seen on TV: Blended Learning's Greatest Achievements"
Emily Sicilia
Welcome to The Blended Files, our super-secret project (shhhhhhh) where we visit the classrooms of Michigan teachers and share the strategic and thoughtful ways they’re incorporating technology into their lesson plans. In our first case, we explore Mrs. M's 7th-grade social studies classroom.
An Open Letter to "Sit and Get" PD
Erin Luckhardt
My old friend — When I first started teaching, it was always you holding my hand. You were there for my first conference. Since the beginning, you've set my expectations for what professional development should be like. This may be difficult to hear, but it's time for our relationship to end.
The challenge of “thinking outside of the box” while existing inside the box
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
In education as in other sectors, there exists this buzz phrase – “thinking outside the box.” While so commonly used, Highlander and its Fuse Architect partner schools have experienced that this phras
Virtual Viewpoints Podcast: Emily Zilly and Students, Rogers High School
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
https://soundcloud.com/mvlri/episode-5-emily-zilly-and-students-rogers-high-school This episode is the fifth in our series documenting the Fuse Architect Project, a collaboration between the Nellie Ma
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