In online education, Hartland teacher in a class all her own by Frank Konkel

During the 2009-2010 school year, Laber, a Hartland Middle School at Ore Creek math teacher, teaches six seventh-grade classes.
Because of her full load, Laber doesn’t even have a prep hour, but teaching middle school math is only part of her work day.

Seventh-grade math teacher Melanie Laber.
Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

The rest of her time she spends teaching trigonometry and geometry to students across the state online through Michigan Virtual School.
For her efforts, Laber was recognized this month as Michigan Virtual School’s 2009 Online Teacher of the Year. She accepted the award two weeks ago at a ceremony in Lansing.

“You’re seeing now, with the Michigan Merit Curriculum, that every student has to have an online experience, and I believe that’s how the future is going to be,” Laber said. “I’m interested in a blended approach between face-to-face teaching and online learning.”
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About MVU
MVU(R) is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established by the State of Michigan in 1998 to serve as a champion for online learning. 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.

Source: Livingston Daily