Contrast
Michigan Virtual Logo

/ Blog

Category: Teaching

The Digital Backpack. Your Resource for Online Learning
Colorful vector business concept with speech bubbles on dark blue background

Street Data and Empathy: Revealing What Educators Truly Want from Professional Learning

What do educators actually WANT out of their professional learning experiences? This is a question my colleague Danielle, who contributed significantly to this study and the writing of these blogs, and I tackle most days....

  • Professional Development, Teaching

A Framework for Empathy: 3 steps leaders can follow to center educators’ Needs and Wants

Part 1 of this blog series digs into the results of a survey on what educators need and want from their professional learning experiences. Here in Part 2, we show you the framework we used...
  • Professional Development, Teaching
Digital illustration of a letter in an envelope marked with a green checkmark against a pink backdrop.

Mastering the email game: Three hacks for getting students to ACTUALLY read & reply to your emails

Discover the art of successful email communication with students. By following these three proven email hacks, you’ll stop sending emails that result in crickets and instead create authentic, engaging digital communications that foster rapport between...
  • Teaching

The Power of the 5:1 Ratio: How Fostering Positive Interactions Can Transform Student Learning

The 5:1 ratio has completely changed my thinking about interactions in the classroom. It all started with a question about grading. After all, part of our jobs as teachers is to provide corrective feedback to...
  • Teaching, Tips and Tools

Time for Teachers: Self-Assessment with Community Support as Individual Solutions

Educators often cite a lack of time as one of their most significant stressors. How can we help teachers find the balance necessary to feel satisfied in their jobs and meet their social and emotional...
  • Research, Social Emotional Learning, Teaching, Tips and Tools

Time for Teachers: Agile Meetings and Short Pulse Surveys as Systemic Solutions

Educators often cite a lack of time as one of their most significant stressors. How can we help teachers find the balance necessary to feel satisfied in their jobs and meet their social and emotional...
  • Research, Social Emotional Learning, Teaching, Tips and Tools

37 Black History Month resources for teachers

Did you know a teacher started Black History Month? It’s only appropriate, then, that we compile a list of unique Black History Month resources for educators. But first, let’s go back to the beginning. It...

  • Teaching
alarm clock in front of calender with circled deadline

Time for Teachers: Importance of Distinguishing Systemic from Individual Barriers and Solutions

Educators often cite a lack of time as one of their most significant stressors. How can we help teachers find the balance necessary to feel satisfied in their jobs and meet their social and emotional...
  • Research, Social Emotional Learning, Teaching

10 New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers in 2022

From filling your bucket to creating boundaries, we created these resolutions to guide you during this irregular year....
  • Teaching

Connecting Teachers: A Community of Practice

True collegial groups among teachers, in any context, still remain the exception and not the norm in many schools — especially for online teachers....
  • Online Teaching, Professional Development, Research, Teaching

Podcast: Student Agency and Google Classroom

Welcome to Digital Backpack! In our first Digital Backpack cast, we chat with Traci Smith, a high school English teacher at De La Salle. She shares some gems about connecting with students, creating an atmosphere...

  • Blended Learning, Instructional Design, Podcasts, Teaching
Thank you letters

An Open Letter to the Teachers Who Changed Our Lives

We asked our staff to tell us about a teacher who changed their lives for the better. The patterns that arise in their responses are cause for inspiration. They reveal that one amazing teacher can...
  • Teaching
Online learning graphic representation

How Does Online Learning Really Work?: A Conversation with Mitch Albom

In celebration of our 20th anniversary, we hosted four panel discussions on Mitch Albom's radio show on WJR 760. In this segment, Mitch Albom explores the day-to-day realities of virtual education in depth with a...
  • Teaching
silhouettes in futuristic setting with cogs and gears concept

The Students of Today & Tomorrow: A Conversation with Mitch Albom

What does the future of learning look like? In this segment of his radio show on WJR 760, Mitch Albom explores this issue in depth with a panel of the leaders of several current and...
  • Teaching
Elementary students raising their hands

Why Are Michigan’s Literacy Rates So Low?: A Conversation with Mitch Albom

In celebration of our 20th anniversary, we hosted four panel discussions on Mitch Albom's radio show on WJR 760. In this segment, Mitch Albom explores Michigan's literacy crisis in depth with a panel of the...
  • Teaching
Illustration of a business man standing at the edge of a cliff

What’s Getting in the Way of Progress in Michigan’s Education System?: A Conversation with Mitch Albom

In celebration of our 20th anniversary, we hosted four panel discussions on Mitch Albom's radio show on WJR 760. In this segment, Mitch Albom explores barriers to progress in Michigan's educational system with a panel...
  • Teaching
A money tree coming out of a book in a library

Michigan’s Literacy Crisis is a Public Health Crisis

Who suffers when our literacy rates are low? In this blog post by Tamara Bashore-Berg, we dive into the startling reality of Michigan’s literacy crisis and explore Dr. Nell Duke's argument that this issue is,...
  • Teaching
Silhouette of kids playing with technology

Turning Digital Natives into Digital Citizens

Two educators share their experiences teaching digital literacy Last week, I had the great pleasure of speaking to two educators about their experiences teaching digital literacy. The conversations that emerged were eye-opening. Both teachers have...

  • Teaching
Child staring out a window in a classroom

Innovation in Education

Students have access to more information in their pockets than ever before, yet they are often told to leave their phones in their lockers....
  • Teaching
Man sitting alone on some bleachers

Should Teachers Connect with Students on Social Media?

Being thoughtful about the barrier between our personal and professional lives....
  • Blended Learning, Online Learning, Teaching

Subscribe to our blog!

Categories