Blended Learning 101

Session Objectives

• Provide an opportunity to brainstorm and share with colleagues

• Explore models and implementation strategies

• Discuss planning considerations

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Introductions

Name

School

What do you teach?

What does blended learning mean to you?

How are you implementing it?

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Blended Learning Defined

Currently, no universal definition exists for blended learning.

Most agree that it involves some combination of online and face to face instruction.

Blended learning does not occur simply by adding a few online strategies to a traditional classroom. Successful blended learning requires an intentional and integrated approach (Zenger and Uehlein, 2001). The blend of methods should depend upon the needs of the students and the school.

Face-to-Face Learning Experiences

OnlineLearning Experiences

Integration

Vaughan, N. (2010). Designing for a blended community of inquiry. In Blended learning in Finland. Retreived from http://www.helsinki.fi/valtiotieteellinen/julkaisut/blended_learning_Finland.pdf

Why Implement Blended Learning?• Blended learning allows teachers and schools to address a variety

of learning  styles with a variation of instructional methods (Wiffin, 2002).

• Blended learning practices in the K-12 environment increase student motivation (Berson, 1996;Lipscomb, 2003; Pye & Sullivan, 2001; Scheidet, 2003; Wellman & Flores, 2002;).

• Blended learning allows for more personalized instruction.

• Blended learning provides opportunities for teachers to use online curriculum for basic information and for extensions/review and class time for higher order thinking activities.

• Blended learning frequently provides a higher level of interaction  than commonly experienced in face to face courses. (Dziuban, Hartman, &  Moskal, 2004; Waddoups & Howell, 2002; Wingard, 2004).

Implementation Strategies

• There is no universal approach to implementing blended learning.

• There are some fundamental questions that teachers and schools need to consider in determining the most effective approach to implement blended learning.

• Michael Horne has identified 6 different models of blended instruction. These help in understanding what a blended environment may “look” like.

Six Models of Integration

1. Face-to-face Teacher Lead

Teacher lead course in a f2f environment with supplemental online resources> High Tech High School, San Diego, California

http://www.hightechhigh.org/schools/HTH/

2. Flex: Most of the content is online with tutoring in a f2f classroom> AdvancePath Academics, Williamsburg, Virginia

http://advancepath.com/academy.htm

http://www.innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/The-Rise-of-K-12-Blended-Learning.pdf

Six Models - continued

3. Rotation: Students rotate between f2f and online within the same course

Rocketship Education, San Jose, California http://www.rsed.org/

4. Self-blend: Students are online after hours on their own initiative> Michigan Virtual School, Lansing, Michigan

http://www.mivhs.org/

Six Models - continued

5. Online driver: The content is online, student proceed at own pace and meet f2f occasionally with teacher and other students> Alburquerque Public Schools ‘eCademy

https://sites.google.com/a/aps.edu/ecademy/

6. Online lab: Students in computer lab with mentor during school day and teacher is online> Florida Virtual School’s Online Learning Labs, Orlando,

http://www.flvs.net/educators/Pages/Virtual-Learning-Lab> Frederick County Night School Frederick,MD

Many Ways to Blend

Discussion

• What are some activities that might work best face to face in the classroom?

• What are some activities that would work well online?

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Cavenaugh, C. (2009). Getting students more learning time online: distance Education in Support of Expanded Learning Time. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/05/distance_learning.html

Blended OptionsLive face to face (formal)•Instructor led classroom•Workshops•Labs•Field trips•Internships

Live face to face (informal)•Coaching/mentoring•Role modeling•Work teams

Virtual Collaboration (synchronous)•Live e-learning sessions•E-mentoring•Video conferencing/tele-presence•E-debates

Virtual Collaboration (asynchronous)•Email•Announcement pages•Assignment feedback•Online communities•Discussion boards

Self-paced learning•Web learning modules•Online resources•Simulations/scenarios•Self-assessments•E-books/e-workbooks

Performance Support•Print content aids•Help systems•Knowledge databases•Supplemental resources•Documentation/Monitoring progress•Resubmissions

School Model

Class Types Community and Cultural Impacts

Examples

Adding distance learning to the school day.

After school online tutoring connected to school classes.After school online courses as a supplement to or to add to regular classes.

Teachers gain access to a local or broad scale professional learning community through school-based and online colleagues.Teachers may transfer new online and blended learning techniques to their classroom. Teachers may have access to a large mentoring network, as masters or apprentices.School-based teachers may have opportunities to co-teach courses with online colleagues.

Florida Virtual School plans e-learning centers where students can take online classes after school.

Infusing online education into a potentially longer school day.

Blending online experiences into expanded school classes.Replacing school classes with online classes.

Kentucky Virtual School makes online and blended courses available for blending into classroom courses. Cincinnati Public Schools offers online courses to students in school gifted programs. Louisiana Virtual School partners certified online algebra teachers, including some in high need rural schools, with classroom students and tutors seeking to become certified. Chicago’s VOISE Program offers self-paced online courses with a teacher in a lab.

Expanding the School Day

School Model Community and Cultural Impacts

Examples

Part-time attendance in school plus online learning.

The home and community are valued and formalized components of the learning environment.

Students have flexibility to participate in community and service activities.

Families and school staffs have opportunities for flexible scheduling and job sharing, enabling adults to participate more fully in professional development and continuing education.

Odyssey Charter School of Nevada offers online students a weekly meeting with mentors and a learning strategies course.

The Chicago Virtual Charter School brings online students together one day each week for instruction, remediation, clubs, activities, and parent workshops.

The Hoosier Academy of Indiana balances online learning with 2 days in school each week.

Fluid individualized combination of school-site and online learning.

Commonwealth Connections Academy in Pennsylvania offers online students a drop-in center where teachers work. Students come as needed for instruction and school activities.

Reconfiguring the School Day

Plan Your Elevator Speech

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Example of Elevator Speech

As a Spanish teacher, I have students at varying skill levels, including both native and non-native speakers. Blended learning allows me to teach each student Spanish language skills at their point of entry ensuring a rigorous program that meets all student needs.

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Planning1. What do you want students to know when they have finished

taking your blended course?

2. As you think about learning objectives, which would be better achieved online and which would be best achieved face to face?

3. Blended teaching involves developing or utilizing challenging and engaging online learning activities that compliment your face to face activities. What types of learning activities do you think you will be using for the online portion of your course?

4. How will the face to face time and out of class components be integrated into your course? How will the work done in each component feed back into and support the other?

Planning5. Online asynchronous discussion is often an important part of blended

course. What new learning opportunities might arise as a result of using asynchronous online discussion? How will you leverage it to increase class engagement and participation?

6. How will you divide the time between the face to face portion and the online portion of your course? How will you schedule the percent of time between the face to face and online portion of your course?

7. How will you divide the course grading scheme between face to face and online activities? What means will you use to assess student work in each of these two components?

8. When working online, it is not uncommon for students to have problems scheduling their work and managing their time. What do you plan to do to help your students to address these issues?

Thank You

Questions?

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Getting Started

F2F Teacher Blended Teacher Teachers usually spend some time setting up and decorating their classrooms by hanging up posters, arranging furniture putting pictures on their desks, etc.

A blended teacher should also spend some time setting up his or her classroom. Teachers might set up an announcement page or a series of announcement pages introducing themselves and their content to their students. This might include pictures of themselves and/or their families and some marketing of the course. What should students expect to learn? Why will this be important to them?

Teachers usually cover the class rules and expectations some time in the first week, whether these are determined by the teacher, the students, or some combination of both.

Blended teachers should also cover rules and expectations regarding behavior specific to the online environment. Students should know proper Internet etiquette, known as “Netiquette.”

Teachers may have the students engage in ice-breaker activities to get to know one another to establish a positive classroom climate and prepare students for collaborative work assignments.

This should also be done in the online classroom. Blended teachers can do live or synchronous ice-breakers virtually with students using collaboration tools or can use the discussion area to have students get to know one another in an asynchronous environment.

The first week of school a teacher often distributes textbooks and other materials to students.

Some of the online content providers do have supplemental materials. Will these be used in class or assigned to students to take home? The teachers should make sure that students have the required materials and explain the procedures for using them.

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Getting Started Continued

F2F Teacher Blended Teacher Teachers might provide students an overview of their textbook or create a textbook scavenger hunt.

It is important to orient your students to the online course as well. Where will they find content? How do they submit assignments? Where will they go to find discussions? What is the best way to navigate through the course?

Some times a teacher will implement some type of diagnostic assessment to help them determine what knowledge and skills the students have coming in to their class.

Several of the online content vendors provide diagnostic assessments. In addition, teachers can create their own assessments in the iLearnNYC platform. Teachers should think about how they will use this data. Will they use it to assign content? Group students? How will this data assist in personalizing the education of this student?

Some teachers send home an introductory letter to parents the first week of school and may gather contact information or other relevant student data.

It is important for online teachers to also think about parent engagement. Teachers should think about how they will introduce themselves to students, how to provide an explanation of the online course, and how they will communicate with parents throughout the student’s course experience. It may also be helpful to provide parents with tips and strategies for supporting their children if they are working on their online course from home. Parents should be aware of the number of the Help Desk in case students have difficulty working from home.

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