Leading the way in digitizing education in Michigan

"Digital learning starts with a mindset that we are creating opportunities for students to wrestle with material and take it beyond, so we have more tools to help enhance learning," Bernia says.In 2006, while Bernia was encouraging students to get laptops to fulfill their homework assignments, the Michigan legislature enacted the Michigan Merit Law. It became the first state in the country to make online learning a requirement for high school graduation. But the challenge was finding teachers familiar with digital tools and acquiring funding to make software and hardware available."Much has happened in these 10 years," says Bernia, who now serves as chief academic officer of Warren Consolidated Schools in Warren, a district with more than 15,000 students. The community passed a $134.5 million bond last year, dedicating $25.3 million to digital education, Bernia’s passion. In 2015, he was named one of three Digital Principals of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the only principal in Michigan to achieve this honor."I'm a big advocate of creating time and space for educators to teach other educators about using technology in a way that is focused on learning. The more adept teachers are at navigating and employing technology, the more our students will get on board. We strive to help the digital community extend beyond the school day, to help students think in every facet of their life," Bernia says.As apostles of technology go, Bernia is an early adopter. But certainly not alone, according to now-retired Barb Fardell, who wrote the Michigan Merit legislation while working for the Michigan Department of Education. She said it was a life changing measure for many kids.Autistic kids who could repeat lessons online and home-schooled students requiring access to libraries and lessons had an easier time accessing quality education. Fardell helped acquire a grant from Microsoft's Bill Gates to develop ways for teachers to learn how to use online resources."Organizations around the country invited me to workshops to talk about the Michigan program. Some teachers were pretty angry with us because they didn't like change, especially technological change," says Fardell.Michigan is high on the ranking of digital education, according to Wendy Zdeb, executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals in Lansing. "The digital mandate has grown and evolved over time, adapted by people in all kinds of districts. Some require every student to take computer classes, others embed online research into English classes. Nearly all schools seek to help students become technologically literate," she says.A survey by the U.S. Department of Education finds many ventures across the country supporting teachers and learning, some programs accessible 24/7. The aim is to motivate and engage students, accelerate learning and build 21st century skills.  Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia currently support online learning opportunities, according to the U.S. Department of Education. This can include dual enrollment in community colleges and high schools, credit recovery and online summer school programs. Some courses are homegrown, many others contract with private providers to enhance online learning.For example, Florida Virtual School offers an online school for students to progress from K-12 and blended learning to access the best of real-time and online courses. The North Carolina Virtual Public School is an online school offering 120 courses to students during and after the school day, including Advanced Placement and honors courses.Michigan fares well in this roundup, with the Department of Education citing the Michigan Virtual University and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District as exemplary practices. The goal is for virtual schools to grant course credit and diplomas to students.Comcast, the giant cable company, is helping achieve these goals. Its Internet Essentials program launched in 2011 in partnership with the Federal Communications Commission. According to its website, it serves 350,000 families in 39 states and Washington D.C.The company, which operates in many cities in Michigan, offers low-income families access to an inexpensive, refurbished laptop or desktop and $9.95 per month broadband service that normally could run over $40 a month. They also offer digital literacy training through the Urban League and online. Families with students who qualify for free or reduced school lunch are eligible.The FCC raised the cap on funding so broadband could be available to kids in rural and urban areas where broadband is much needed in schools and homes, according to Bob Farrace, director of public affairs for the National Association of Secondary School Principals. One of the most visible and helpful programs of the NASSP, says Farrace, is naming mentors like John Bernia as one of its National Digital Principals. Other principals have a go-to advisor for questions about purchasing software and hardware, finding grants and engaging students and teachers. The honorees speak at the association's annual conference.Among Bernia's accomplishments at the Oakview Middle School in Oakland Township when he won the award, was leveraging the substitute teacher budget to free a committee of teachers to plan for staff development. He used various meetings and retreats to offer practical tips to teachers to increase the use of the technology purchases the school had already made. He served on a committee to develop the district bring-your-own-device policy to balance technology with reduced classroom interruptions.Michigan is going forward in many ways to help employ traditional and digital learning to help students and teachers cope in an ever-changing world."With technology we can become more efficient -- grading papers faster, closing the feedback loop and much more," says Bernia.