We Do This Everyday!

Hi Dear Readers and Listeners, Quarter 1 is in the books! Can you believe it? This week we offer you a case study - highlighting the partnerships that have helped students to thrive. We have such great partnerships - districts like Turkeyfoot, Williamsburg, and Blacklick Valley - who have worked with us for a long time. We highlighted those long-standing, and shorter-term relationships. Or, when y...

Hi Dear Readers, I had a blast talking with Tracy Rains, a virtual learning specialist at IU8. Tracy has a deep passion for reaching non-traditional learners and shares her background in diverse educational settings. I admire her commitment to fostering meaningful connections with students. You could hear her enthusiasm as she spoke about her work with the Penn State Readiness Institute , a progra...

Hi Dear Readers and Listeners, It was so much fun to talk to Melissa and Erin in this episode as they shared their passion in supporting both students, teachers, and district folks. And it is so much fun to see how our professional learning plays out in our ‘classrooms’ each day. This summer and school year we are focusing on the Community of Inquiry Theory - teaching presence, cognitive presence,...

Hi Dear Readers, It’s not what you think! Innovation is not always a tool or a trick - In this weeks episode, it’s getting to know your students. That is one of the innovations we talked about in this episode. Stephenie and I also spoke about the wonders of the library. All the things you can check out now, too, that aren’t books - like passes to National Parks, and even clothing! What’s in your l...

Greetings WOL Friends! We are working on getting some clips of the awesome students who dash through our WOL ether. In the meantime, follow us on social media! Instagram - Facebook I asked Lauren and Olivia to share some of the stories they are hearing from our students and teachers. Listen in - the kids are amazing! We also had the opportunity to share how we combine the WOL/IU8 6E model with Sto...

Greetings! I got to be with all of my grandkids this weekend to welcome Fall! We are well into the school year now, and seeing so much good in the classrooms we are ‘visiting’. Students are engaged in their LIVE Zoom sessions, our VLF’s provide meaningful feedback in our asynchronous courses, and we see so much collaboration happening - using chat tools and shared files. It is fun to see authentic...

Greetings WOL Friends! Do any of us doubt the effectiveness of online learning when we are trying to replace the battery in our keyfob? Or figure out how to re-string the cord of our weedwhacker? Two things I had to check in on recently! YouTube, online support, blogs, and podcasts are among the plethora of places we go to learn new things, cement what we know, or explore new ideas and topics. It...

Greetings! We hope that you are off to a great start. The WOL Institute has been happy to have met and welcomed 780 students from 36 districts in 8 Modern and World Languages from Elementary to Level 5 and AP. We have also re-welcomed and met our Extended Campus Students from 11 IU8 districts - to date, 39 returning learners and 31 new learners have joined us and are taking 97 different classes! ...

Hi WOL Friends, It is so good to be back in the swing of things! This podcast episode about building trust in online classrooms hit home for us as school leaders. Olivia Grugan and Allison Rodman bring authenticity to the conversation as we recognize that leading means being vulnerable . Olivia shares how our working relationship with Allison has helped the World of Learning to thrive as we added...

Greetings! Welcome back to Season 4 of our podcast! This year we will take a peak Beyond the Screen: Excellence and Online Education - looking at how everyone - regardless of where you teach or learn can benefit from the best practices of Online and Virtual Learning. We are grateful that you continue to listen in. And, this year we are trying something new because we want YOU - the students, educa...

Greetings WOL Friends, As the school year is winding down, we are all in the familiar place of closing out one year with celebrations and last-minute plans - while we are simultaneously planning for the next school year. We are winding down the podcast for the summer, too. Look for new episodes in the fall as we bring you news of course updates, new members of the WOL Team, and all things authenti...

Greetings WOL Friends, This week the WOL Institute will gather with some of our Virtual Learning Specialists face-to-face as we host our 2nd Annual Design Space. As most of you know - our teachers work remotely, and while we have a robust and positive community it is ALWAYS fun to see our team in person.  The purpose of our work will be to look at our current body of learning experiences in the di...

Greetings WOL Friends, Spring is in full bloom for most of us now. I have enjoyed getting ready for this year’s garden the past few days - spreading wildflower seeds, cleaning up the vegetable beds, and trimming back last year’s remains. The cycle of the seasons reminds me of the importance of the different phases of a year and the abundance of each. I am grateful for sharing the cycle of a school...

Greetings WOL Friends, Building belonging in the learning environment is so important to us. We want students who meet their instructors remotely to feel connected to their teacher and what they are learning. To accomplish this goal we do our very best to support our folks as they enter the digital-remote learning space. Through professional learning, sharing resources, collaborative teammates, an...

Greetings WOL Friends!  In the past few weeks we have talked about being human on the podcast. I had the opportunity to be in the path of totality for the eclipse yesterday - and when totality happened - I felt my humanity - with a sea of others standing on the shore of Lake Ontario. It was a breathtaking sight and heartwarming moment to see and hear the collective awe that happened in that moment...

Hi WOL Friends, It’s that time of year when you begin to build your 24 - 25 schedule. We know you have a choice when it comes to selecting an online provider and we are grateful to learn and grow our program and offerings with you. To help you prepare are excited to share our updated course catalog and new offerings . And don’t let the catalog limit you. If your students have other interests pleas...

Hi WOL Friends!  This episode holds a dear place in my heart, as it marks the introduction of a very special guest to our podcast—my friend, mentor, and esteemed teacher, Dr. Sally Hare. We dive into her latest literary achievement, "The ElderGarten: A Field Guide for the Journey of a Lifetime," a captivating exploration filled with stories and anecdotes. This book beautifully illustrates the dual...

Hi WOL Friends, Have you ever heard of the idea or concept of body doubling? It’s a concept that has come to the forefront as the research on ADHD is making its way into popular culture. It was a new idea for me, too, when a friend talked about our ability to be more productive by working side-by-side. It was helpful as she supported me in getting my garden ready last year. I miss her these days a...

Hi WOL Friends, We had to take a hiatus last week - between traveling to the awesome Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) and coming home to a sick dog - I just couldn’t muster the needed energy to accomplish everything on my list. I am sure you all have been there! As you are listening in this week - I wanted to acknowledge that our sweet Babe has crossed that bridge. She gave us a lot of be...

Greetings friends, In our last episode, I talked with Dr. Patrick Crawford and Dr. Christine Davis – and while we looked back a bit, it was interesting to observe how Dr. Crawford - while thinking about the innovation of Blended Schools could not help but be future-focused and learner-focused.  It was great fun to invite him back - along with Dr. Tom Butler , the Executive Director of Appalachia I...

Hi WOL Friends, What do you know about the world of Learning - and how it began? I know a little bit about that - but the person who knows everything about it was one of our guests this week, Dr. Patrick Crawford! He has been in education now for 50 years, supporting and innovating in ways that make sure students get what they need. And, he never gets tired of it. He and Dr. Christine Davis, who y...

Hi WOL Friends, In this episode, we are filled with gratitude for those of you who have been our faithful and consistent followers. We get excited when folks remind us of the podcast's success and engagement, it is so much fun to get positive feedback, from you, our listeners. The comments we receive, both online and in-person, help us to grow and add new topics.   If you have followed us for a lo...

Hi Friends! How did you learn about the World of Learning Institute? Today our podcast will take some of us down memory lane! The World of Learning Institute has been around in a variety of ways for the last 20 years or so - and we hope to keep our mission of providing high-quality, face-to-face virtual instruction to students who may not otherwise have access, moving forward for a long time.  We...

Greetings WOL Friends, As we see the forecast change this week - I am sure we are all hopeful to get back into a rhythm as the second semester takes off like a rabbit.  In this episode, we have the opportunity to talk with Michelle Hughes a colleague we met this summer as we explored Storyboarding and Streamlining with Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Allison Zmuda. You can find out more about Michelle HERE...

Greetings WOL friends, Welcome Winter! While we have been reflecting on how the first half of this school year went, the second semester is creeping up, as is the snow. We are now in the second half of the 23 - 24 school year and planning for 24 - 25 is part of what we will do - as we support all of our second-semester activities. Check out our catalog as you get ready for the 24 - 25 school year....