You can read more #DigiLitSunday posts at Margaret Simon’s blog, Reflections on the Teche.

What is blended learning?

One definition is that:

“Blended learning is an education program that combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods. It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace.” Source

I appreciate Beth Holland’s view in the quote that began this piece. . . “not only the opportunity to gain . . . but also an element of authority over this process.” The students are an integral portion of this work.  Blended learning, implemented well, has the potential to provide some of the best differentiated instruction.  Blended learning done poorly has the potential to provide mind-numbing, electronic worksheet type practice in a “one size fits all environment”.  The key is “some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace.”

Here’s an example:

“Tracy is a language arts teacher who has posted all of her lesson plans, assignments, and quizzes online so that students can access them at home, as well as at school. Tracy’s school recently implemented a one-to-one program in which each student has access to a personal computing device. To leverage the technology, Tracy has all of her students follow along on their devices during a guided reading exercise, during which the teacher and students examine a piece of text together. After a class discussion on the text, Tracy has the students switch over to Google Docs where they each write their own agreement or disagreement with the central argument of the text. During this time, Tracy roams the classroom making sure students are on task and answering any questions that arise.

Is Tracy using blended learning in her classroom? No. Let’s understand why:

• By posting all class material online, Tracy is using the Internet to merely host information, not to manage the delivery of content or instruction.
• The fact that Tracy’s school is a one-to-one program is irrelevant to whether blended learning is taking place. One-to-one is not synonymous with blended learning, as it doesn’t imply a shift in instructional delivery or an element of student control. Although equipping all students with devices can be a crucial component of creating a blended-learning program, if not implemented correctly, the devices themselves can easily be used to support traditional instruction (as in Tracy’s case).
• Tracy’s students are all using the personal computing devices s to read and write, but they are moving through the content as a single batch doing the same thing at the same time with no element of control over the time, place, path, or pace of learning.
• Tracy’s use of Google Docs for the student writing exercise is no different than if her students were writing with pencil and paper.

Tracy is participating in a “technology-rich” classroom, not a blended one. Technology-rich instruction shares the features of traditional teacher-led instruction with technological enhancements. This includes electronic whiteboards, digital textbooks, online lesson plans, Google Docs, virtual reality, and so forth. These tools may enhance learning experiences, but do not fundamentally shift instruction in a way that gives students some element of control.” Source

Are you providing blended learning environments?

Are you providing technology-rich environments?  

How could students have more control over time, place, path or pace?

Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Lanny, Lisa, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum and the #SOLSC that runs from March 1 to the 31st. Check out the writers, readers and teachers here.