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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.
What ASU+GSV 2026 Revealed About the Future of AI in Education
Scott Watkins
What emerged from ASU+GSV 2026 was clear: AI is no longer an emerging trend in education. Michigan Virtual reflects on the conversations shaping the future of teaching, learning, workforce readiness, and student agency in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Understanding How Students and Teachers Think About Responsible AI Use: An Interview with a Researcher
Kristen DeBruler, PhD
Students and teachers generally understand the risks of AI misuse, but they are less clear about what responsible AI-supported learning should look like in practice. This interview highlights findings from a Michigan Virtual study showing that students need clearer examples, consistent expectations, and practical guidance for using AI transparently and appropriately in schoolwork.
What Happens to Students' Online Course Scores After the Course Ends?
Christa Green
The moment an online course ends, a new question begins: how will that score be recorded locally? Drawing on a 2025 brief and a small follow-up survey, this blog post outlines three common approaches districts use to interpret and record students’ online course scores and why the differences can matter for students.
Kinds of Thinking
Tovah Sheldon
We all have a default way of thinking and most of the time, we don’t even notice it. In a complex, fast-changing world, how we think matters just as much as what we think. Overusing one kind of thinking can quietly limit our decisions, our leadership, and our growth. Becoming more intentional about how we think is one of the most important shifts we can make.
The Environmental Trade-Offs of AI in Michigan Education
Michigan Virtual
Written by Michelle Gierman, Michigan Virtual AI Ambassador & Avondale School District AI Strategist.As both a Michigan Virtual AI Ambassador and the AI Strategist for Avondale School District, I
Leadership Coaching for Innovation Part 3
Michigan Virtual
At Michigan Virtual, innovation is not a one-time initiative, it is an ongoing, human-centered process. Through the Innovator’s Journeys framework and Leadership Coaching for Innovation, leaders are supported in navigating complexity and driving meaningful, lasting change.
Leadership Coaching for Innovation Part 2
Michigan Virtual
At Michigan Virtual, innovation is not a one-time initiative, it is an ongoing, human-centered process. Through the Innovator’s Journeys framework and Leadership Coaching for Innovation, leaders are supported in navigating complexity and driving meaningful, lasting change.
Leadership Coaching for Innovation Part 1
Michigan Virtual
At Michigan Virtual, innovation is not a one-time initiative—it is an ongoing, human-centered process. Through the Innovator’s Journeys framework and Leadership Coaching for Innovation, leaders are supported in navigating complexity and driving meaningful, lasting change.
Portrait of a Graduate 101 Part 4
Michigan Virtual
For decades, education systems have relied on familiar benchmarks but struggle to capture what young people actually need to navigate a rapidly changing world. This gap between what we measure and what truly matters has led many districts to a powerful organizing idea: the Portrait of a Graduate.
Portrait of a Graduate 101 Part 3
Michigan Virtual
For decades, education systems have relied on familiar benchmarks but struggle to capture what young people actually need to navigate a rapidly changing world. This gap between what we measure and what truly matters has led many districts to a powerful organizing idea: the Portrait of a Graduate.
Portrait of a Graduate 101 Part 2
Michigan Virtual
For decades, education systems have relied on familiar benchmarks but struggle to capture what young people actually need to navigate a rapidly changing world. This gap between what we measure and what truly matters has led many districts to a powerful organizing idea: the Portrait of a Graduate.
Portrait of a Graduate 101 Part 1
Michigan Virtual
For decades, education systems have relied on familiar benchmarks but struggle to capture what young people actually need to navigate a rapidly changing world. This gap between what we measure and what truly matters has led many districts to a powerful organizing idea: the Portrait of a Graduate.
Just the essentials: What mentors of online students want and need from professional learning
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
Research indicates that online learners perform better when they have strong onsite mentor support. But mentors need support, too. Drawing on survey responses, this blog examines mentors’ current practices, key challenges, and unmet needs—and what those insights mean for designing more effective professional learning.
How Students Really Use AI (with Karle Delo from Michigan Virtual)
Michigan Virtual
In a recent episode of Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning, host Seth Fleischauer sits down with Karle Delo, AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual, to explore how students are actually using art
Self-Efficacy, Culture, and the Path to AI Adoption in Schools (with Dr. Nikolas McGehee)
Michigan Virtual
In this episode, Dr. Nikolas McGehee talks about how confidence, curiosity, and a supportive school environment influence the way educators approach AI. He shares what he is seeing in the research, wh
Every School Needs an AI Playbook
Jamey Fitzpatrick
Educators Must Move Beyond a Strong DefenseIn the arena of public education, artificial intelligence has rewritten the rules of teaching and learning almost overnight. Schools didn’t choose to start o
AI Can Fix What’s Broken in Schools—If We Do It Right (with Aaron Baughman from Michigan Virtual)
Michigan Virtual
Why Equity, Policy, and Practice Must Evolve TogetherIn this episode of Make It Mindful, host Seth Fleischauer sits down with Aaron Baughman, AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual, to discuss how artifici
The Human Side of Systems Change (Part 2) with Dr. Tovah Sheldon
Michigan Virtual
Why Real Innovation Starts With PeopleEducational change often takes a top-down approach—fast, structured, and impersonal. In this episode of Why Distance Learning?, Dr. Tovah Sheldon, School Design S
Everyone Has a Story
Danielle Peck
Learn how one Michigan educator helps students connect with each other and with the power of storytelling.Back when I began teaching high school in the early 2010s, it was easy to search the internet
Have You Considered AI in Your Classroom? A Khanmigo Pilot Story
Christa Green
In a two-phase pilot across Michigan schools, educators used Khanmigo, an AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant, to explore how AI might support teaching and learning. Their reflections surfaced both opportunities and challenges. The big takeaway? AI has potential, but only with intentional support.
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