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Michael, Thanks for letting your readers know about our program. I am the advisor for the E--Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate program. I also wrote and teach two of our 5 classes, E-Learning for Educators and the E-Learning Practicum. Our graduate classes are offered by the University of Wisconsin Stout, School of Education. (We are not an extension program.) I'm delighted to be able to talk with those interested in K-12 Virtual Education. I was a public school teacher for 25 years before I went fully online. Working online has been a journey of discovery and a constant reminder of the joys of being a lifetime learner. As you mention we do mix together all kinds of educators in our classes. A typical course will include K-12 classroom teachers, some K-12 online teachers and a good number of community college and university instructors. We also see health educators and some corporate trainers. Folks join us from around the country and the world. It's an eclectic mix of people who all share an interest in teaching online. Our goal is to help people become experienced professional online teachers as a way to expand and grow their careers. To accommodate everyone's interests we have our materials highly differentiated. K-12 teachers have the option of investigating the great resources from iNacol. They are encouraged to build useful quizzes and surveys and to craft discussion prompts as they practice facilitation skills. The topics for all projects are learner selected. We emphasize a practical hands on approach where participants can use what they learn and make right away. The great thing is to see a strong community of practice develop between all kinds of educators. Everyone is richer for it. When it comes to the E-Learning Practicum, I customize each student's experience. I have managed some placements with K-12 Virtual Schools. More often, K-12 teachers take one of two options. Both involve teaching with one of our cooperating

Students learn how to conduct science investigations in the same manner as scientists, as they learn to analyze sets of online real time data to solve problems.

What if every student (and educator) was a good online researcher?  I know, you don't have the time to teach information fluency skills.  What if you could get a significant advance is skills with just a 2 -3  hour time commitment?  Here's a great Prezi 'fly by" of the new Information Investigator 3.1 online self paced class.  Watch the presentation carefully to find the link to a free code to take the class for evaluation purposes. 

A live event hosted by an 8th grade classroom investigating social justice issues. All are welcome to attend.

"Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out fills this gap, reporting on an ambitious three-year ethnographic investigation into how young people are living and learning with new media in varied settings-at home, in after school programs, and in online spaces. By focusing on media practices in the everyday contexts of family and peer interaction, the book views the relationship of youth and new media not simply in terms of technology trends but situated within the broader structural conditions of childhood and the negotiations with adults that frame the experience of youth in the United States. Integrating twenty-three different case studies-which include Harry Potter podcasting, video-game playing, music-sharing, and online romantic breakups-in a unique collaborative authorship style, Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out is distinctive for its combination of in-depth description of specific group dynamics with conceptual analysis."

For those that don't work with an LMS, Engrade looks like a fine tool for educators.  It integrates some interesting power tools. Discussions, wikis, quizzes, messaging.  This might be an LMS substitute for those teachers looking for a free blended tech solution.  Worth investigating!

A list of teacher resources that can easily be modified and incorporated into the earth science classroom.

Projects in science are provided which take full advantage of Internet resources to help students develop a better understanding of the world in which they live.