Something wicked this way comes? Okay...this is an unfair way to introduce blended learning. In fact, after viewing materials for this week, I feel a lot better about it. But, I must admit as someone who really values face to face learning I have a deep suspicion of blended learning. However, I need to learn to get with the program. As our speaker indicated, several states are now requiring students to take a fully online course as a graduation requirement. We, as educators, also have to be aware of the technological divide. Students are expected to be well versed in technology when they arrive on many college campuses. We need to prepare students for that.
"Pez Witches" by ronsrandomstuff is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Our guest speaker this week was Stacy Hawthorne who has become a guru in helping teachers and school districts implement blended learning environments. She is a second career teacher who turned to technology to help her become more engaged with her students. She is one of the people responsible for bringing a technology rich environment to Medina City Schools.
I find several of Stacy's points to be beneficial to me as a future educator. First, I found it useful to see all of the different models of blended learning. They include rotation, flipped classroom, flexed, and enriched virtual. As someone who really likes to spend class time in discussions, I think a flipped classroom could really be beneficial. Students could get the information electronically and then spend our time together applying it into debates, writing, and other enriching activities. Second, I liked the idea of using a fully online course to supplement what a high school can offer. Wouldn't it be great to be able to offer new foreign languages in high school? Or to be able to allow students to move into more specialized math, science or social studies classes? Finally, I found a lot of what she said to be encouraging to someone who is a bit suspicious of this whole thing. She reminded us that one of the biggest predictors of success is the teacher's mindset. A teacher needs to be open to change and see technological learning as more than a course management system and technological tools. When choosing to move to a blended classroom, it take steps. A teacher can start with a few steps and keep evaluating. For people like me who are just starting out there are tools and online centers to help those who are moving their classrooms to blended environments. Additionally, the iNACOL consortium provides frameworks and training for blended learning.
"Thought" by NeilsPhtography is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
My personal philosophy of blended learning is a function of where I am right now. I am aware that I may feel differently when I get into a classroom or if I see amazing results because of increased use of technology. I like the idea that blended learning offers many great opportunities for students. As What is Blended Learning? suggests it allows for personalization, better use of face to face instruction, and empowers students to make their own decisions about their education. I also like that online interfaces can serve students better who may not feel comfortable in a traditional classroom. This article suggests that those who are quiet in class discussion may feel more comfortable contributing in an online forum. Finally, I am intrigued about the added challenges for even high achieving. This article suggests that it takes a different set of skills to be successful in a blended course. Offering these opportunities helps students to build those skills. With pushes for authentic assessments, this blended learning can lead to the sort of engaged citizenship dreamed by people like Margaret Mead. And who doesn't want to prepare students to change the world?
Out of all of the concepts around blended learning, I am most intrigued by the flipped classroom. This infographic gives some great information about why teachers ought to try this method. I love the idea that basic concepts can be covered at home while class time can be spent in engaging projects and discussions. I like this particular blog because it shows how the principles of a flipped classroom should just be part of good teaching, whether or not you choose to use technology.
In this course, I think we have done some great work in implementing a blended model. It is great to have access to all of our course resources through Springboard. It helps when writing reflections to know exactly where we can find pieces of information that we need. The tech rich environment also allows for us to engage guest lecturers far more than any other class I have taken. It has been great to meet teachers in the field who are using technology extensively. Also, many of those featured in the class, are considered to be experts in educational technology. However, I do wish we had used our face to face meetings a little differently. I like doing engaging activities when we are face to face like when we made our own ebooks. I would suggest thinking of more projects like that to do in the face to face meetings. Also, I wish we collaborated a bit more. Maybe we could have done our major project in collaboration with a colleague.
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