The Northville School District is in the process of finalizing the details for the 2009 Summer School program. This is to provide information regarding dates for the Northville Public Schools Summer Connections program, along with an overview of the anticipated course offerings. Course offerings will be finalized over the next several weeks. A follow up ListServ communication will be sent to families as soon as the Summer Connections brochures are finalized and posted on the District website.
Advertisement

NPS continues to offer a Summer Connections program which includes enrichment opportunities along with credit recovery options for students, as well as to give high school and incoming high school students the opportunity to fulfill some of the Michigan Merit Curriculum requirements over the summer. This summer program opportunity provides students with greater flexibility in their schedules in order to explore elective courses and/or to take additional higher level courses.

The majority of classes will be held from June 22-July 23 for high school and middle school students, and from June 22-July 22 for elementary school students. All classes will be held at Northville High School, unless otherwise noted.

HIGH SCHOOL CONNECTIONS

A variety of credit classes will be offered to high school students including English Nine and English Ten, Algebra I, Biology, Earth Science Essentials, U.S. History, Civics, International Issues, Economics, Physical Education, and Seminar. New to the schedule this year will be an Algebra I Concepts & Skills class, Geometry, and Health.

Summer Connections will also offer Michigan Virtual School Student Direct courses for high school students in Algebra I, Geometry, English 9 and English 10, Civics, U.S. History, Biology and Chemistry. The online courses are an additional credit recovery option for students who have previously taken the course as part of their regular academic schedule and need to recover credit. These classes are student-directed, self-paced and entirely online with some support from a mentor teacher.

Technology expands toolbox for achieving success in math

By JASON ALEXANDER
Times Herald
February 18, 2009

Learning algebra is no easy task.

And since Michigan high school students must pass two algebra classes to graduate, the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency thought students might need some extra help.

The group is developing after school and summer programs that target eighth-graders who need math tutoring before entering high school.

The program — “Back on Track: Ready for Algebra!” — will be offered at several county schools online through the Michigan Virtual University.

“The more we can provide extra instruction, the more kids can be successful and the happier we are,” said Terry Parks, RESA director of math and science.

This year’s sophomores are the first to be required to pass the algebra classes.

RESA is training area teachers on use of the statewide program. The program begins later this month.

Parks said the hour-long course is offered three days a week.

“It fits right in with tutoring we are already providing for middle school students,” Parks said. “We are thinking we will have pretty good success with it.”

Students will first complete an online test to determine where they need help.

Then, with supervision from teachers, they can work with the program.

Students also can log on to the program from home or anywhere with Internet access.

Terry Harrington, assistant director of education technology at RESA, said area schools are using multiple online courses, including others with Michigan Virtual University.

Port Huron and Port Huron Northern High schools use a program called Education 2020, which also helps students who have struggled with subjects such as math. E2020 is available for geometry and aglebra students at the schools where teachers staff after-school labs. Like Back on Track, e2020 also can be accessed from home computers.

“A lot of students’ learning is technology-based, so some of them thrive in that type of environment” Harrington said.

Contact Jason Alexander at (810) 488-7741 or jalexande4@gannett.com.

by Lynn Moore | Chronicle staff writer
Tuesday February 03, 2009, 10:11 AM

WEST MICHIGAN — Making algebra “fun” and not so daunting is the goal of a special after-school and summer program for 300 area middle school students.

Facing the prospect of having to pass algebra I and II to graduate from high school, eighth-graders needing extra help in math will get to participate in the new online program that a local educator had a hand in designing.

Back on Track: Ready for Algebra! is being used statewide to help prepare students struggling with math. Beginning later this month, students in Muskegon and Newaygo counties will attend four months of specialized after-school learning, said David Krebs, program director for the Regional Mathematics and Science Center operated by the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District.

“The project is focused squarely on helping students learn the critical algebra skills they need help with to ensure they have success earning their algebra credit and therefore graduating,” Krebs said.

Krebs was on a team of educators from math and science centers across the state and the Michigan Virtual University that designed the program that was called for in this year’s state school aid act.

Twelve math and science centers — including the MAISD’s, which serves Muskegon and Newaygo counties — were granted funds to pilot the program and accepted applications from schools to participate. All schools with eighth-graders in Newaygo County are participating as are most in Muskegon County, Krebs said. He praised area principals for acting quickly to get the programs going in their schools.

Students who would benefit from the program have been identified and invited to participate. Krebs said he expects 200 students will participate in a two-week day camp this summer.

Students will complete online assessments of their math knowledge that will help determine where they need help. Those participating in the after-school online program, which will be supervised by teachers, will be able to access the same software at home or wherever they can hook up to the Internet.

“The presentations of the lessons are fun and interesting,” Krebs said, adding that the online learning that is “very individualized” should appeal to students.

This year’s high school sophomores are the first to be subject to the state’s new graduation requirements. Educators have expressed concern about students getting tripped up by algebra.

Krebs said algebra can prove difficult for some students because “it’s where math begins to become a little abstract.”

“Arithmetic is concrete,” Krebs said. “Algebra opens the doors to abstractions like variables, and variables can represent anything. … You have to use higher-order thinking.”

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — State education officials have given 11 school districts and one charter school permission to let some students take part or all of their required classes online and off campus.

The Michigan Department of Education has given the attendance law waivers to the Ann Arbor, Avondale, Chippewa Hills, Jackson, Marquette, Montrose, Traverse City, Waterford and Wyoming school districts.

Approval also has gone to the Genesee and Manistee intermediate school districts and to Northwest Academy, a charter school in Charlevoix.

Michigan in 2006 started requiring students take an online class or have an online educational experience to graduate. In November, the Center for Digital Education ranked Michigan second behind Florida in online education.

Twenty-four of the state’s 552 districts and 230 charter schools have applied for a waiver of rules that require students be in a school building for about 1,100 hours each academic year, the Detroit Free Press said Sunday.

Most of the districts that submitted proposals were targeting struggling students, particularly those attending alternative high schools.

The Avondale district in Auburn Hills received its waiver last month and already has 10 students taking all of their classes online.

“It gives them a shot at catching up,” said Avondale schools Superintendent George Heitsch.

“I’m able to wake up, turn my computer on and get going,” said Avondale student Conor Helmrich, 16. He said his lifestyle makes him the envy of his friends. “They wish they could sleep in until whenever, and then do their work.”

Kayla Jacques, 18, of Waterford said she would like the chance to take online courses from home. She is a senior at Waterford Alternative High School and stays late after school several days a week to take an online class.

“That would be so much easier,” Jacques said.

Michigan Virtual University is one option students have to take online classes. It offers about 200 high school courses, and its enrollment has grown from 100 in the 1999-2000 school year to an estimated 15,000 this school year.

Some students are taking credits required to graduate, while others want to take on larger course loads or courses their schools don’t offer, or face schedule conflicts.

by Alison Black | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

KALAMAZOO — Michigan is putting fewer cars on the roads these days, but the state is driving more students to the information superhighway.

Michigan ranks second only to Florida when it comes to vision, policies and programs to support online learning, according to a study published in October by the California-based Center for Digital Education.

High school graduation requirements mandate Web-based learning, and in 1998, state lawmakers established Michigan Virtual University (MVU), a portal to more than 150 online courses. Included in the courses are 19 advanced-placement offerings and six foreign languages that are accessible to high school and post-secondary students across the state.

As local educators continue to search for new ways to stimulate and retain students, online learning likely is to see greater emphasis in coming years, according to Kalamazoo Math and Science Center (KAMSC) instructor John Goudie.

Goudie developed and now teaches online science courses for KAMSC and MVU and was honored as a finalist for Online Teacher of the Year at an MVU conference held Dec. 2 at Michigan State University.

“I think we’re at the beginning of a paradigm shift in education,” Goudie said.
“People are realizing that online education may be a better way to teach our students,” he said. “Students learn in so many different ways, and we need all the different avenues we can find to customize education to fit their needs.”

As students face increasing pressure to juggle demanding course loads with extracurricular activities and jobs, online classes offer much-needed flexibility, said Goudie, and are likely to help school districts curb dropout rates.

Online learning also moves beyond textbooks alone to increase the breadth of source material from which to teach, Goudie said.

“Basically, the entire world on the Internet is available to students in your course,” Goudie said, citing a colleague who used baseball history from an Internet database to teach statistics.

In addition to his traditional classes, Goudie teaches bioethics and evolution of scientific thought courses online through KAMSC, as well as Web-based anatomy, physiology and environmental science courses through MVU.

Teaching online, Goudie said, “actually requires far more communication than teaching in person. Your approach is a little different online. You have to respond individually to each student.”

Goudie said online instruction also has “greatly improved” his face-to-face instruction, as he now directs his KAMSC students to online dictionaries, images and movies supplementing course material and is able to communicate quickly with students via e-mail.

While stressing that Web-based instruction should not entirely supplant traditional schooling, Goudie agreed with a recent North American Council for Online Learning estimate that by 2019 about half of all K-12 and post-secondary courses in the U.S. will be delivered online.

“More and more students are going to be looking for online courses, and I’d like to see school districts and teachers design these courses specifically for the students in their schools. They know their students and their needs better than anybody,” Goudie said.

CareerForward, a free online course, aims to help prepare America’s young people for 21st-century jobs
By Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor

To help middle- and high-school students learn about the 21st-century jobs awaiting them and take charge of their own education, Microsoft’s U.S. Partners in Learning program has unveiled a free online course called CareerForward.

The project aims to get students thinking about what they want to do with their lives, what types of careers they might want to pursue, and what skills and training they’ll need to succeed, Microsoft said.

Microsoft developed CareerForward in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Virtual University. The program, announced at Microsoft’s fourth annual School of the Future World Summit in Seattle earlier this month, is available to any U.S. student free of charge.

Students, teachers, and schools can implement the program either through classroom-based instruction or on students’ own time, individually. According to Microsoft, students who take the CareerForward course will be better prepared to embrace the global, 21st-century workplace by learning more about globalization, career planning, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.

The course is organized into four modules, each of which addresses certain questions. It asks students to think about their own interests, abilities, and values, and it encourages them to explore job titles, identify their social network, and assess their ability to manage money.

CareerForward takes a multimedia approach to learning that includes video clips, internet research, and interactive tools. These tools encourage students to write their initial thoughts and then see how their thinking has changed throughout the course, Microsoft said.

“Students and the career choices they make are critical to the talent pipeline and future business prosperity in the U.S.,” said Anthony Salcito, general manager of U.S. public-sector education at Microsoft. “CareerForward encourages the development of a skilled workforce, as it helps young citizens explore global opportunities and recognize the importance in jobs of the future.”

More than 250 education policy leaders from more than 30 countries attended Microsoft’s world education summit this year, where attendees learned how their colleagues around the world are embracing change, incorporating educational technology, and partnering with the private sector.

“Educators today face many economic and political challenges, including decreases in funding in tough economic climates as well as the pressure to generate performance results that allow students to compete on a global stage,” said Mary Cullinane, director of innovation for Microsoft’s U.S. public-sector education business. “This event push[ed] people to collaboratively address new ways of thinking and provide specific strategies to implement within their local context, allowing them to turn possibilities into reality.”

Opening keynote speaker Martin Bean urged educators to adapt to students’ tech use. According to Bean, who is the head of marketing and business development for Microsoft’s education products group, schools are not adapting to students’ digital lifestyles–and students are tuning out as a result.

“Our end users [students] feel that the actual system in which they are forced to [learn] is so disconnected from the world they live in,” he said.

Bean cited a U.S. Department of Education report from 2004, “Toward a New Golden Age in American Education–How the Internet, the Law, and Today’s Students are Revolutionizing Expectations,” suggesting that while most students believe education is important, few think it meets their needs.

“America’s students are our ultimate constituents. We need to listen to them. They have demonstrated that they have a better understanding of the intricacies and opportunities presented by the technological revolution than many of their elders, notably including a generation of teachers and administrators who did not have the advantage of growing up with the internet,” says the report.

Bean said the internet, mobile phones, text messaging, and other technologies are second nature for K-12 students in the digital age, and schools need to look for new ways to incorporate these technologies into the educational process.

“That horse is out of the barn, and it is unstoppable,” he said. “We better figure out a way to harness and do something meaningful with it.”

NEWS RELEASE
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

CONTACT: Mike Nowlin
517-853-3867 (office)
989-450-0855 (mobile)
nowlin@paceandpartners.com

Online K-12 instructors from Dearborn, Bay City, Kalamazoo and Hartland recognized for statewide excellence in virtual classroom

LANSING – Lorri MacDonald, an online forensic science instructor from Dearborn who teaches students throughout Michigan in a virtual classroom, has been chosen the first-ever Online Teacher of the Year Award by Michigan Virtual School (MVS), a division of Michigan Virtual University (MVU).

MacDonald, a part-time teacher for Michigan Virtual School and an assistant professor in science education and research methods at the University of Detroit Mercy, was one of four finalists for the Online Teacher of the Year Award.

The other finalists were Molly Bruzewski, a consultant from Bay City who serves as an MVS online instructor in American Government, Legal Issues and Advanced Placement Government and Politics; Melanie Laber, a mathematics teacher at Hartland Middle School who teaches math online for MVS; and John Goudie, a biology teacher at the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center who teaches Bioethics online for MVS.

The four MVS educators and MVU faculty and staff were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Michigan student learning by Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm. Michigan ranks second in the United States (after Florida) in a 2008 survey of online learning policy and practice recently released by the Center for Digital Education in consultation with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL).

“Michigan has taken a leadership role in the nation in online learning and because of their efforts and those of their colleagues across our state, I feel confident that we will continue to be a state others envy and emulate,” Granholm said. “Because of the great work of Michigan Virtual University and others who are spurring the use of online learning, we are using the technology that links us to the international marketplace to make sure that Michigan comes out on top in that global competition. I could not be more grateful for their pioneering work.”

Online learning is expanding dramatically in Michigan and nationwide. Michigan Virtual School has seen its course enrollments climb from 100 during the 1999-2000 academic year to more than 12,000 during 2007-08. National estimates for online enrollments have jumped from 40,000 to 50,000 in 2000 to about 1 million last year, according to NACOL. Michigan Virtual School has trained more than 400 online instructors like MacDonald since it was launched eight years ago.

“Online instructors are a critical component to effective online teaching and learning,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of MVU. “Just like in face-to-face teaching, online instructors must be engaging, knowledgeable and available. Lorri is all of these things and more, and she represents the very best in what is a new and growing field. She truly believes all students can learn and does a remarkable job of developing rapport with students she never gets a chance to meet in person.”

This semester, MacDonald has 40 high school students in her two Introduction to Forensic Science classes. She teaches another 17 in Advanced Forensic Science. Her students are from schools all across Michigan, from tiny Detour Village in the Upper Peninsula to Grand Rapids to Ferndale just outside Detroit. All of the course content and instruction occurs over the Internet, with students logging in to follow lessons and complete assignments, and MacDonald interacting with students through e-mail and discussion rooms.

“Lorri represents a growing number of elementary, middle and high school teachers in the U.S. that are honing their skills as online instructors,” said Susan Patrick, NACOL president and CEO. “She is a true educational pioneer and is helping all of us reshape how educational services are delivered at the K-12 level.”

MacDonald has seen the expansion of online learning first hand. She developed the MVS Forensic Science course three years ago and started with just a handful of students. Today, the classes are so full that two other online instructors are helping MacDonald teach the introductory course. Currently, MVS has more than 100 trained instructors as faculty members.

“It is an honor to be named Online Teacher of the Year,” MacDonald said. “I am part of a talented and dedicated staff of teachers at Michigan Virtual School, to be recognized as Teacher of the Year is quite humbling.”

MacDonald, who earned her doctorate in education and master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan, also has more than 20 years of experience in teaching and building administration at the middle and high school levels. She started teaching online three years ago.

“Online learning has changed my teaching practice in my face-to-face classroom,” MacDonald said. “I have become more creative and constructivist by encouraging students to build on their own prior knowledge rather than relying on ‘pearls of wisdom’ dropped during lectures.

“Online learning is much more than just ‘sit and get,’ which is a common misconception that I have encountered,” she added. “Online learning is the way of the future, the way to reach more students in remote places and more students with up-to-date information. If we don’t use this form of learning, our students are deprived of learning the skills necessary to compete effectively with the rest of the world.”

According to a 2005 Pew Internet Project survey, 87 percent of kids between the ages of 12 and 17 use the Internet, and close to nine out of 10 of them believe the Internet helps teenagers do better in school.

“Online instructors are helping define the classrooms of the future,” said Robert Currie, executive director of Michigan Virtual School. “Our online instructors use powerful communication and presentation tools to engage students in an online learning environment. Today’s students turn to the Internet for everything from shopping to social networking. Online instructors reach out to students through a medium with which they are extremely comfortable.”

MacDonald, along with the three other finalists, were honored during an awards banquet at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in Lansing on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The event, hosted by Michigan Virtual School and MVU, was attended by educational leaders from around the state.

About MVU

MVU is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established in 1998 to deliver online education and training opportunities to the citizens of Michigan. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual School and Michigan LearnPort®, an online learning portal that delivers professional development opportunities and more to the Michigan education community. To learn more, visit http://www.mivu.org
XXX

LANSING, Mich., Dec 02, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — Online instructor Lorri MacDonald excels in the virtual classroom

This fall Lorri MacDonald has 40 high school students in her two Introduction to Forensic Science classes. She teaches another 17 in Advanced Forensic Science. Both are popular courses, think CSI with homework. But there is something else unique about MacDonald’s classes and, specifically, her classroom.

MacDonald is an online instructor teaching in a virtual classroom. Her students are from schools all across Michigan, from tiny Detour Village in the Upper Peninsula to Grand Rapids to Ferndale just outside Detroit. The course content and instruction all happen over the Internet, with students logging in to follow lessons and complete assignments, and MacDonald interacting with students through e-mail and discussion rooms.

MacDonald excels in the virtual classroom. That is why she was chosen earlier this month as the first ever Online Teacher of the Year by Michigan Virtual School(TM), a division of Michigan Virtual University(R) (MVU(R)). Michigan Virtual School has trained more than 400 online instructors like MacDonald since it was launched eight years ago.

“Online instructors are a critical component to effective online teaching and learning,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of MVU. “Just like in face-to-face teaching, online instructors must be engaging, knowledgeable and available. Lorri is all of these things and more, and she represents the very best in what is a new and growing field. She truly believes all students can learn and does a remarkable job of developing rapport with students she never gets a chance to meet in person.”

Online learning is expanding dramatically in Michigan and nationwide. Michigan Virtual School has seen its course enrollments climb from 100 during the 1999-2000 academic year to more than 12,000 during 2007-08. National estimates for online enrollments have jumped from 40,000 to 50,000 in 2000 to about 1 million last year, according to the North American Council for Online Learning.

MacDonald has seen the expansion of online learning first hand. She developed the MVS Forensic Science course three years ago and started with just a handful of students enrolling. Nowadays the classes are so full that two other online instructors are helping MacDonald teach the introductory course.

“It is an honor to be named Online Teacher of the Year,” MacDonald said. “I am part of a talented and dedicated staff of teachers at Michigan Virtual School, to be recognized as Teacher of the Year is quite humbling.”

Like most of the more than 100 Michigan Virtual School instructors, MacDonald teaches in the face-to-face environment as well as online. She is an assistant professor in Science Education Methods and Educational Research Methods at the University of Detroit Mercy and teaches for MVS on a part-time basis.

MacDonald, who earned her doctorate in education and master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan, also has more than 20 years of experience in teaching and building administration at the middle and high school levels. She started teaching online three years ago.

“Online learning has changed my teaching practice in my face-to-face classroom,” MacDonald said. “I have become more creative and constructivist by encouraging students to build on their own prior knowledge rather than relying on ‘pearls of wisdom’ dropped during lectures.

“Online learning is much more than just ’sit and get,’ which is a common misconception that I have encountered,” she continued. “Online learning is the way of the future, the way to reach more students in remote places and more students with up-to-date information. If we don’t use this form of learning, our students are deprived of learning the skills necessary to compete effectively with the rest of the world.”

MacDonald was one of four finalists for the Online Teacher of the Year Award. The other finalists were Molly Bruzewski, an education consultant from Bay City who serves as an MVS online instructor in American Government, Legal Issues and Advanced Placement Government and Politics; Melanie Laber, a mathematics teacher at Hartland Middle School who teaches math online for MVS; and John Goudie, a biology teacher at the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center who teaches Bioethics online for MVS.

“Online instructors are helping define the classrooms of the future,” said Robert Currie, executive director of Michigan Virtual School. “Our online instructors use powerful communication and presentation tools to engage students in an online learning environment. Today’s students turn to the Internet for everything from shopping to social networking. Online instructors reach out to students through a medium with which they are extremely comfortable.”

According to a 2005 Pew Internet Project survey, 87 percent of kids between the ages of 12 and 17 use the Internet, and close to nine out of 10 of them believe the Internet helps teenagers do better in school.

“Lorri represents a growing number of elementary, middle and high school teachers in the U.S. that are honing their skills as online instructors,” said Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the North American Council for Online Learning. “She is a true educational pioneer and is helping all of us reshape how educational services are delivered at the K-12 level.”

MacDonald, along with the three other finalists, will be honored during an awards banquet in at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in Lansing today, Tuesday, Dec. 2. The event is being hosted by Michigan Virtual School and MVU. It will be attended by educational leaders from around the state.

About MVU
MVU is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established in 1998 to deliver online education and training opportunities to the citizens of Michigan. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual School and Michigan LearnPort(R), an online learning portal that delivers professional development opportunities and more to the Michigan education community. To learn more, visit http://www.mivu.org

SEATTLE, Dec 01, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ — This week, school administrators and policymakers from more than 30 countries are gathering in Seattle for the fourth annual School of the Future World Summit, hosted by Microsoft Corp.’s Partners in Learning. The theme, “What’s Possible,” will enable more than 250 participants to facilitate a global discussion on what schools in the future can look like by examining the areas of instruction, organization design, technology, the challenges of implementing new policy and emerging trends everyone faces as they prepare students for the 21st century global workforce.

“Educators today face many economic and political challenges, including decreases in funding in tough economic climates as well as the pressure to generate performance results that allow students to compete on a global stage,” said Mary Cullinane, director of Innovation for U.S. Public Sector Education at Microsoft. “We fundamentally believe improving education is a global imperative and strong investment is vital to our future success. This event will push people to collaboratively address new ways of thinking and provide specific strategies to implement within their local context, allowing them to turn possibilities into reality.”

Innovative Agenda and Speakers to Demonstrate the Possibilities

Summit participants will explore the evolving role of technology as a disruptor and accelerator in education and address factors that enable sustained change and transformative innovation in classrooms. Attendees will learn from education, business and policy leaders who will discuss what’s possible with systems, processes and integrated technology, specifically in this time of a global economic crunch. Leading speakers include the following:

- U.S. Senator Patty Murray will welcome the international audience to Seattle and challenge the group to spend its time looking at what’s possible through collaborative community partnerships to ensure the needs of tomorrow’s global workforce are met. Murray, who has prominently focused on education as a core reform area, will showcase how investment in 21st century career pathways is critical to securing a bright economic and job future.

- Michael Horn, co-author of “Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns,” will explore how disruptive innovation can and will change the way the world learns.

- Randy Fielding, chairman of Fielding Nair International, a design firm focusing on creative and interactive learning spaces, will discuss the need to design environmentally responsive campuses that foster personalized learning and strong connections to the community.

- Tony Wagner, author of “The Global Achievement Gap,” will discuss how we can better teach, motivate and prepare students for the 21st century workforce.

- Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, a global political risk research and consulting firm, and author of “The J Curve,” will discuss globalization, the effects on education, and the paradigm shifts happening across the world that will help countries think about how they want to invest resources.

Education leaders from around the world will share their best practices at the summit, including the following:
- Australia. How teachers and students can create multi-lingual virtual Avatars and immersive 3-D learning environments in their classrooms.

- India. Discussion on the right technology integration model and how educators can unleash the benefits of technology without getting in the way of educating their students.

- Mexico. A solution to encourage teachers to share and leverage course content via the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement worldwide.

- Netherlands. New learning strategies in a digital age where educators need to adapt to the uses of technology and how that affects students’ learning behavior.

- Northern Ireland. How teachers can be creative and innovative in their learning and drive their professional development activities via e-Portfolios.

- Singapore. The possibilities of emerging technology and its transforming teaching and learning effects at the elementary school level.

- U.S. How the Web is forcing education leaders to rethink the ways they operate and the basic foundations of teaching and learning.

New U.S. Partners in Learning Resources Available Today

The U.S. delegation will also showcase an innovative approach to ensuring students understand the 21st century jobs awaiting them. CareerForward, a project that started in Michigan in partnership between the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Virtual University and Microsoft Partners in Learning, is now being made available free in the U.S. Students, teachers and schools can implement it either through classroom instruction or individually. The media-rich online learning program helps to get students thinking about what they want to do with their lives, what types of careers they may want to pursue and what they need to do to succeed. Students who take the CareerForward course will be better prepared to embrace the global 21st century workplace by learning more about globalization, career planning, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. More information about CareerForward is available at http://review.careerforward.org/careerforward.

In light of the economy and recent surge in the number of partnerships between corporations and school districts promoting student achievement and workforce readiness, the U.S. Partners in Learning team is publishing a policy paper and sharing its lessons learned on the critical elements required for establishing effective and successful public/private partnerships. Case studies from Michigan, New Mexico and Washington state Partners in Learning projects are evaluated and candid feedback is shared on how businesses, government agencies, universities and school districts worldwide can determine whether to engage in a new partnership, and if so, how to advance beyond the image of just granting money to becoming a full and collaborative strategic partner.

About Microsoft’s Partners in Learning

The School of the Future World Summit is part of Microsoft’s Partners in Learning program, a global initiative under the company’s Unlimited Potential commitment designed to help increase technology access for schools, foster innovative approaches to education, and provide educators with the tools to manage and implement change. Since its inception in 2003, Partners in Learning has reached more than 123 million teachers and students in 103 countries. Microsoft employees, school districts, community members and government officials work side by side in Partners in Learning projects around the world. More information about Microsoft Partners in Learning is available at http://www.microsoft.com/Education/PiLUS.mspx. More information about the School of the Future World Summit is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/sof/default.mspx

Creation of Michigan Virtual School, along with the state requirement that every high school student take one online course, has put Michigan second in the nation for online learning, according to a ranking released Tuesday by the Center for Digital Education.

The first ever such ranking put Michigan behind Florida for online learning opportunities and students taking advantage of them. The top five also included Idaho, Arkansas, Louisiana and Maine.

State officials said the MVS was a primary reason for Michigan’s ranking. The program, run through Michigan Virtual University, provides a variety of courses to 45,000 students in 500 school districts in the state. The program launched in 2000 as Michigan Virtual High School and was accredited in 2005.

“In a world that demands knowledge workers, we are giving our students and our state a competitive advantage when it comes to preparing for the 21st century economy,” said Governor Jennifer Granholm <http://www.gongwer.com/index.cfm?link=bio.cfm&nameid=6701&locid=1 > . “This national ranking reinforces Michigan’s vision for innovation and our commitment to use leading-edge delivery methods to ensure our students are ready for higher education and today’s workplace.”

“Michigan has provided significant leadership for the rest of the nation in online learning and is routinely looked to as a pioneer,” said Marina Leight, director of the Center for Digital Education. “The creation of the Michigan Virtual School, Michigan LearnPort and the nation’s first high school graduation requirement for online learning are all significant milestones that demonstrate Michigan’s leadership position in this area.”