Michigan is planning to boost access to education content through public television with the rollout of a statewide channel providing K-12 instruction. Current has reported that the Michigan Learning Channel is expected to be available from all six of the state’s public broadcasters by early 2021.
Detroit Public Television provided a preview of the channel on Nov. 2. The channel will start by delivering lessons for pre-K through third-grade students in half-hour and hour-long blocks over a multicast channel; upper grade content is expected to rollout quickly. The 24/7 programming will also be available as a digital livestream and on-demand at MichiganLearning.org.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been forced to partake in school from home, with many schools relying on broadband and laptops to provide lessons, which can be a disadvantage for some students based on the area they live in or their economic status. Many states have been using public television in some capacity to provide educational resources.
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“We reach every, virtually, every person in state [sic] of Michigan,” Rich Homberg, president of DPTV, told Current. “We can light up these devices called televisions that are in every home. An $8 antenna and a television and a broadcast signal—it’s a great place to start.”
Current has more information on the Michigan Learning Channel (opens in new tab).
