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It’s called blended learning (not blended teaching) for a reason. By Peter WestRead more by Peter West September 11th, 2014 Is your Learning Management System paradigm teacher- or student-centered? Long-term success depends upon the correct answer. Many educators now accept the need to provide course materials online in a Learning Management System (LMS) or Online Learning Environment (OLE) for blended learning to occur successfully.

This allows students to review learning materials at any time and from anywhere, and it opens significant other possibilities. However, this is only part of the solution as we move toward blended learning. An incorrect paradigm might appear to be subtly different, but the ramifications can be large and long lasting. Humanity thought the Earth was the center of the solar system for thousands of years. Who you have placed at the center of your online course development is similar; it will affect the long-term success of your move to blended or online learning. There are two basic paradigms: teacher-centric and student-centric. 7 Tips To Create an Effective Blended eLearning Strategy. Blended learning offers the best of both worlds.

Not only do you benefit from the implementation of a synchronous learning strategy, but also you have the chance to benefit from “go at your own pace” techniques that are part of an asynchronous learning strategy. So, the question is this: how do I develop engaging blended learning courses or modules that successfully merge these two approaches? How do I create blended learning environments that are informative, interactive, and immersive, without sacrificing flexibility?

Clearly identify the blended learning course’s objectives. As is the case with any learning strategy, you'll want to define your blended learning course’s objectives and goals before you even begin to create the content. You should ask yourself: What skills should the learners develop during the blended learning course? Creating your blended learning strategy may be a complex procedure. FE_25-Ideas-Guide_2013_14011. Blended Learning: Integrating Multiple Technologies for Customized Instruction and Assessment Ebook | Gaggle. Rolling out blended learning. Blended and online learning platforms are changing K12 pedagogy by providing students with some control over their path, time, pace and place of learning. This sharp departure from the traditional factory-based model of teaching and learning is increasing student engagement and freeing up time so that teachers can provide one-on-one instruction with each of their students. The tools available within many of the blended learning systems are helping teachers make the move to data-driven instruction by including diagnostic assessment features that help pinpoint areas of student weakness.

In turn, students are being given the type of instruction they need, a shift that is being reflected in achievement scores. For example, when Principal David Norment walked into New York’s P.S. 140 school in Queens three years ago, tools weren’t being used to drive lesson and unit planning. Here are seven main considerations for rolling out a successful blended learning platform: Consider bandwidth Start small. Seven Models for Blended Learning Success. This eBook explains the various types of blended learning models being used in real classrooms throughout the country—and it provides tips for developing the right blended learning program for your school or district. 10 Pages | File Type: Adobe PDF | Size: 308 KB. How a Blended Approach Can Personalize Learning for Secondary Students.

Blended learning gives students access to a broader range of learning experiences, and it allows them to learn at their own pace. Together, these benefits can provide a more personalized learning environment for students. This white paper discusses various blended learning models for secondary schools, as well as 10 principles of effective blended learning design. 22 Pages | File Type: Adobe PDF | Size: 532 KB. How I Blended My Math Class - Education Week Teacher. Blended Learning Kit. The one-stop all-in-one Blended Learning resource. You’ll find white papers, articles, videos, and more about trends and ways to use Blended Learning to raise achievement to higher levels for your classroom or school. Don’t wait! Privacy Policy © 2014 DreamBox Learning, Inc.

All rights reserved. Testimonials: “Since implementing the DreamBox program, my students’ scores on the MAP [Measure of Academic Progress] test have increased an average of 40 points! —Vicki Sacco, Principal, West Seattle Elementary, Seattle Public Schools “The teachers are very happy with the ability to individualize learning for their students, and the kids are mastering math like never before.” —Dominique Lee, Founder of BRICK A DreamBox Learning, Inc. and Getting Smart partnership project. 7 ways humans are critical to online learning. Blended learning done right is the ‘gold standard,’ say experts Online courses that are credit-bearing hold incredible promise for high school and college students eager for flexible schedules and a cheaper education alternative; but as one study shows, it’s the skilled human element part of blended learning that offers the maximum benefits.

The study, “Innovating Toward Equity with Online Courses: Testing the optimal ‘blend’ of in-person human supports with low-income youth and teachers in California,” conducted by the Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence at the University of California, San Diego, aimed to understand whether or not humans played a critical role to credited online learning—and if so, in what capacity? According to the results of the 2013 study, researchers found seven varieties of in-person human supports that were frequent in successful online learning credited courses—creating the “gold standard for online learning.”

A Working Model for Blended Learning in an Urban School. Editor's Note: Dr. Lourenco Garcia, Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University and Principal of Revere High School, co-authored this post. In just two years, Revere High School (RHS) went from a low-performing school as classified by the Massachusetts Department of Education to winning the 2014 High School Gold Award at the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) conference in San Diego. This past April, the school also ranked Silver on a U.S. News and World Report survey of the best U.S. high schools. With a population of approximately 1,500 students, 60 percent of whom are of color and 71 percent of whom are low-income, RHS is a national example of the type of programmatic systems change needed to move our schools forward. RHS students outscored the state average on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test this year. But how does a school that was among the lowest performing in the state experience such a dramatic turnaround in such a short time?

Amid Skepticism, Blended-Learning Models Aim to Transform Teachers' Work - Education Week Teacher. Published Online: June 18, 2014 Nancy Gardner, a veteran English teacher at Mooresville High School in North Carolina, admits that when her school district launched a laptop-oriented instructional program six years ago, she “may not even have known enough [about the approach] to be skeptical.” But at this point, she’s glad she kept an open mind. Gardner says the now-lauded 1:1 laptop program in the Mooresville Graded School District—under which students in grades 4 through 12 do a significant portion of their learning on district-provided MacBooks—has had distinct benefits for teachers as well as their charges. “There were serendipitous results,” she said. “It immediately broke down barriers for collaborative work between teachers.”

With the teachers now looking to leverage digital resources and tech tips, “Everyone began to share information a lot more than we used to. In Gardner’s own classroom, students sit at tables rather than in rows of desks. New Career Possibilities? Nancy Gardner. Blended Learning: Does Your LMS Make The Grade? | Learning In The Cloud. 6 Success Factors for a “Blended Friendly” LMS By Caleb Johnson, Director of Strategic Accounts, Expertus Caleb Johnson,Director of Strategic Accounts,Expertus Blended learning.

Integrated learning. Hybrid learning. Of course, the concept of blended learning is nothing new. 10 years have passed since one of the most recognized experts in corporate learning, Josh Bersin, wrote a definitive guide on this subject. A lot can change in only a decade. Blended: Achieving The Best of Both Learning Worlds What’s the best mix? POTENTIAL FOR LEARNING FAILURE40% — Before Event — Advance preparation. In other words, without appropriate attention to essential steps before and after a training event, participants will “lose” the lesson. Can an LMS Keep Failure Out of Your Mix? To avoid missteps, your technology foundation should be built from the ground up for continuous learning and performance support.

How do you decide if a learning management system is “blended friendly”? TechLEARNING.com | What is Blended Learning? Four ways to extend the ‘fast’ blended learning student. By Peter West Read more by peterwest June 4th, 2014 There is often insufficient time in the fast paced world of blended learning to create these materials ‘on the fly’ Self-paced blended learning (and any type of blended learning that provides access for students to “future” learning materials) produces a wonderful “problem” – what should be done with those students who successfully complete the assigned learning quickly? There are a number of possibilities. The linear extension model Linear extension allows students to progress to the next topic. This is a fairly traditional approach; allow the students to progress through the course at an accelerated pace. The current topic (Topic 2) is shown in dark blue. Role of the teacher: In this model, the teacher does not have to do anything different; all of the topic materials simply need to be complete and available to students at the beginning of the course.

Assessment when using this model may need to be modified. 5 examples of blended learning success. Discover how New Hampshire is sustaining positive blended learning policies in its schools As new educational models gain support among educators and students who want to learn in new and different ways, blended learning is perhaps one of the strongest among these new models. Now, researchers have discovered that some of these models work well together–for instance, blended learning and competency-based learning, another strong model in which students advance based on mastery and not grade level or time-in-seat, have evolved to overlap and complement one another. A new report from the Clayton Christensen Institute, authored by Julia Freeland, notes that blended learning supports competency-based learning in at least four ways: 1. “Online content can offer a continuum of learning along which students can progress at a flexible pace.” 2. 3. 4.

(Next page: How blended learning supports competency-based learning in five New Hampshire schools) Teacher Resources. To Make Blended Learning Work, Teachers Try Different Tactics. By now, most would agree that technology has the potential to be a useful tool for learning. Many schools have invested in some form of technology, whether it’s in computer labs, tablets, or a laptop for every student, depending on their budget. But for many schools, finding a way to integrate the use of tech in a traditional setting — teacher-centered classrooms — is proving to be a challenge. What educational software should be used?

What criteria should the software be judged against? And what happens to the role of the teacher and classroom activities when students are using software for practice exercises? At this point, just a couple of years into the movement, there are no definitive answers yet. “It’s going to be more about teachers having nimble classrooms.” But for any of those tactics to work, educators agree that the key is to have a clear vision of what the technology is being used for, and how that will affect the teacher’s role. That might be easier said than done.

Related. 10 Blended Learning Trends. 4 Tips for Getting to Know the Blended Instructional Model. The days of talking at students are finally over. I recall many a college class filled to the brim with students feverishly taking down notes, as our professor talked at us. Sounds familiar? Probably. Recently, I finished my Masters degree in what was a new environment for me: blended classes.

I left this experience determined to bring the concept to my classroom, and due to the Common Core's adoption, we all need to embrace this concept. Tip #1: Kids Aren't as Tech Savvy as You Think Like most subjects, your students' knowledge in regards to technology will vary. True, I had the occasional student that could hack into a supercomputer, but that student was generally rare.

Realistically, you might to be forced to instruct students on how to use various mechanisms for your class. Tip #2: Be Wary of Online Textbooks and Online Classes Online textbook software is just a category of tools, so use these products as such. Tip #3: PowerPoint is for Planning Lessons, Not Delivering Lectures. Blended Learning: Resource Roundup. The Role of Humans in Blended Learning - EdTech Researcher.

Last month a colleague at U.C. San Diego sent along a lovely piece of research that begins to address one of the most important gaps in online learning research: what roles do people play in blended learning environments? When people take an online course for credit, or a MOOC, or some other self-contained online learning experience, they don't just learn from the software or the online content. Sometimes they learn online but off-platform, by looking up terms on Wikipedia, posting questions on sites like StackOverflow, or looking up answers in search engines.

And sometimes they learn from the people around them, either by deliberately seeking expert help, deliberately creating social venues for working together like study groups, or they find people in their network who can support their learning. These activities are invisible to people studying data from online learning platforms, so at present we know very little about them; they are not in our Big Data big datasets.

Five-Minute Film Festival: The Basics of Blended Learning. The Backchannel: Giving Every Student a Voice in the Blended Mobile Classroom. How a Blended Approach Can Personalize Learning for Secondary Students. TechLEARNING.com | What is Blended Learning? Blended learning simplified and explained in video. 34 Diverse Blended Learning Apps For iPad. A Two-Gear Construct for Envisioning Blended Learning. Blended learning revolution: Tech meets tradition in the classroom. TechLEARNING.com | What is Blended Learning? Silicon Schools Fund and Clayton Christensen Institute. Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning.

To Make Blended Learning Work, Teachers Try Different Tactics. 20 tips and features of blended learning programs. Self-paced blended learning highlights ‘average’ student myth. How to Successfully Implement a Blended Learning Program | Gaggle Speaks Blog | Rob Yoegel. How do students cope with self-paced blended learning? Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: Expanding Student Creativity and Literacy | Gaggle Speaks Blog | Jennifer Duncan. Hidden successes, public shortfalls and a make-or-break year for one Newark school. Sizing Up Blended Learning. This hybrid innovation is about to change your school forever. Districts Weigh Blended Costs, Savings - Education Week. Bringing Blended Models Home No Easy Task - Education Week. 7 Excellent Free Blended Learning Resources -- the Whys and Hows of Mixed Mode Instruction.

Blended Learning and 70:20:10. Transforming schools with blended learning. The Definition Of Blended Learning. January 2013 eSchool News. New York City Schools’ Blended Learning Experiment. New York City Schools’ Blended Learning Experiment. To Make Blended Learning Work, Teachers Try Different Tactics. 10 Predictions and 20 Stories for Blended Learning. Humanising Language Teaching Magazine for teachers and teacher trainers. Is the Technology 'Ready' for Blended Learning? Is the Technology 'Ready' for Blended Learning? How Blended Learning Saved My Teaching Career. What Is Blended Learning? These Videos Will Get You Started. The Rise of Blended Learning | Ideas & Innovations. Blended Learning for Today's Teachers. Blended Learning: Strategies for Engagement. - From Blended Learning to Creating Innovators. View.s6.exacttarget. Blended Learning: We Are All New Teachers. Leadership Implications of the Brave New Blended World - Vander Ark on Innovation.

New Report: Teacher Prep Programs Need To Better Prepare Candidates for Online, Blended Learning. Breathing Life into Urban Ed with Blended Learning - Vander Ark on Innovation. 10 Reasons Teachers should Try Blended Learning. What Is Blended Learning? These Videos Will Get You Started. How Blended Learning is gradually influencing the Present Education Scenario - Distance Learning. Today’s Blended Teacher: A MOOC made for Community and Curation. Going Blended in the Classroom - Teaching Now. Will Rocketship Change Its Learning Labs? Transforming schools with blended learning. The Challenge Of Blended Learning: Why EdTech Is Still In Its Infancy. Blended Learning Booklets for Teachers. 6 Types of Blended Learning. Examples_of_the_six_models_of_blended_learning.jpg 1,782×2,214 pixels. Blended Learning. Erb0407. Blended Learning at GrayHarriman.com. Blended Learning Toolkit |

13 Real-World Examples Of Blended Learning. Blended Learning: A Disruptive Innovation [INFOGRAPHIC] #edtech #edutech. What is Blended Learning? — Web Learning @ Penn State. Why Haven't Districts Adopted Blended Learning Faster? - Vander Ark on Innovation. 37 Blended Learning Resources You Can Use Tomorrow. District's answer to overcrowding: Blended learning. 'Embodied Learning' Blends Movement, Computer Interaction. What Will Work in New Blended Learning Experiment? Blended Learning: Strategies for Engagement. Blended Learning: Combining Face-to-Face and Online Education. Blogs on Blended Learning. To Make Blended Learning Work, Teachers Try Different Tactics. Is the Technology 'Ready' for Blended Learning?