MI Learns Online Needs Your Help

[Mike Souden]

The Challenge
In the book Disrupting Class by Clayton M. Christensen schools are challenged to find ways to meet the diverse needs of learners and how online learning will test the school’s ability to meet that challenge.

Online learning provides students the opportunities to engage in a variety of learning activities that more closely align with their needs and abilities. Online learning extends the classroom by making an expanded and varied set of learning resources available to students when the student needs them. Online learning can be a lesson that is a couple of days long, a unit of a couple weeks or a trimester or longer course.

Developing an effective online lesson, unit or course takes a great deal of time. Many teachers are repeating the work of others; some are using purchased online learning material and, sadly, even more are not doing anything because of the resources it takes to develop online learning material. Even with all these challenges, Michigan teachers have developed some exceptionally effective online learning experiences.

A Solution
The REMC Association, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education, has developed the MI Learns Online portal (http://www.milearnsonline.org). A major goal of the portal is to have a repository of online learning materials created by Michigan educators. All materials are screened to ensure there are no copyright issues and all student and staff personal information is removed. The REMC Association has set aside funding to pay teachers a small stipend if they take the extra step to align their material to state curriculum standards and national online learning standards.

Teachers, who revise their materials to meet the submission criteria, align the materials to the Michigan content expectations and provide supportive information, are eligible for compensation. Compensation is as follows:

• $175 for an online learning lesson
• $250 for a multi-week unit
• $325 for a trimester long course

A scoring rubric will be used to decide which online learning materials will be accepted and only those who score at or above the minimum number will get paid. Because there are limited funds available and we want a well-balanced set of online learning material, representing all grade levels and content areas, selection may become competitive.

Once approved, these materials would be placed at the MILearns Online Portal (http://www.milearnsonline.org) for other teachers to download and adapt to their classrooms. The REMC Association and the Michigan Department of Education believe these efforts will save teachers a great deal of time, reward teachers who have done good work and provide students with well thought out learning material.

Online learning material submitted to the MI Learns Online Portal requires permission from the district to use it. A Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license that:

• allows teachers to adapt the materials to meet student needs,
• allows only for the non-commercial use of the materials,
• requires attribution to the creating district and teacher, even if the material is shared again is also necessary.

If you have any questions about this project please contact Mike Souden at [e-mail].