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. Enter the work of Mica Pollock at UCSD's CREATE lab. The Scout courses are designed to be taken entirely individually, so this motivates the question: what are the teachers in the EAOP doing to help these ambitious but underserved students take the Scout courses they need to get into the UC system?
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
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. The experience allowed me to further communicate with my colleagues and classmates in a manner that I hadn't been accustomed to. 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
Blended learning simplified and explained in video
Director of Personalized Professional Learning in Denver Public Schools Ben Wilkoff on why blended learning is much simpler than we have tried to make it You would never ask students to write without giving them something to write with. You would never ask students to read without the right reading materials. You would never ask a student to collaborate with other students without giving them the right guidelines, processes and tools to do so. Blended learning is really just learning, using ALL of the tools at our disposal. When a student needs a mobile device to look something up on the fly, they should have access to one. When they need access to a collaborative document to work with experts outside of their classroom, they should have access to that. In this video, I walked around Denver talking about why blended learning is much simpler than we have tried to make it. Ben Wilkoff is the Director of Personalized Professional Learning in Denver Public Schools.
34 Diverse Blended Learning Apps For iPad
34 Diverse Blended Learning Apps For iPad This post is promoted by the app X-Mirage, software that allows you to mirror content between your iPad & Mac, and record the displayed content. Blended learning is a potentially powerful way of mixing the power of asynchronous access with face-to-face facilitation and instruction. It’s this mixing of old and new that makes it tempting for many schools and districts wanting to dip their toes in the water of eLearning and far-reaching technology access while still depending on the expertise and training of human teachers. But it’s this combination–and subsequent flexibility–that also makes it a challenge to setup. We even included a sock puppet app, because we like sock puppets. And you never know. 34 Diverse Blended Learning Apps For iPad
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? 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. Catlin Tucker, an English teacher in Windsor, Calif., who integrates tech into her students’ school and homework, takes full advantage of what the technology affords her. That might be easier said than done. Related
A Two-Gear Construct for Envisioning Blended Learning
Teachers using blended learning correctly can be one of the best ways for students to meet the challenge of the Common Core and develop ownership of their learning. But what does "done correctly" mean? If a teacher moves from a traditional teaching style (Point A) to using blended learning correctly (Point B), what does Point B look like? What is the optimal blended learning model? My organization, CFY, conducted a pilot in 2011-12 that worked with teachers on incorporating blended learning into their classrooms. After more than a year of discussions and visits, CFY derived our construct. The Personalized Instruction CycleThe Student-Driven Learning Cycle Envision these cycles as gears that are interlocked and running as one to drive student achievement and student ownership of learning. The Two-Gear Construct Credit: CFY The "Personalized Instruction" Gear The "Student-Driven Learning" Gear Like the first gear, technology can also help to effectively propel this gear. The Tools to Succeed
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. 2. 3. 4. (Next page: How blended learning supports competency-based learning in five New Hampshire schools)
