A new school year has started and Inhave much to share about my attempt to more fully embrace the blended learning model. The journey so far has had many highs and the occasional low. 

My Blended Learning Journey [Updated]

Introduction

As teachers we are always hearing about the importance of high-yield instructional strategies, timely and effective feedback, differentiation, assessment as or and for learning, and authentic tasks. These are great best-practices, but we struggle to do it all in a dynamic environment where there are more tasks than there is time to complete well.

Blended learning provides an opportunity for teachers to manage all of these best-practices a bit better. A blended learning model makes efficient use of technological resources to free up the teacher so that they can provide more individualized support to their students.

A blended classroom takes what is great about brick and mortar classrooms while adding the best elements of online e-learning. Here is a short video of what a blended learning model could look like:


That all seems great, but is it realistic? While not as glossy, many classrooms are already using a learning model similar to the one above. This blog entry chronicles my first few attempts at using the blended learning model in my classroom in an older school built in the 60s.

The Vision

I am fortunate in that my school has made an investment in classroom technology in the past two

Classroom arrangement for my first few attempts.

years. This was a school-led initiative, a focus we felt as a staff would help to prepare our students for a 21st century economy. We broke up our computer lab and installed those computers into classrooms so that students and teachers could use them right away when needed. This also allowed students to use assistive technology programs like Kurzweil, WordQ, and Dragon Naturally Speaking immediately rather than waiting to have access. We installed data projectors, document cameras, laptops, and even a few SMART boards to enhance instructional practices and student engagement. I am fortunate to say that all of these tools are available in my particular classroom plus some additional recycled desktop computers that our helpful I.T. professional setup for me.

In planning what my version of a blended classroom would look like, I came across some case studies by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, on how American charter schools are using this model. These case studies profiled a variety of blended learning arrangements. I settled on an approach that has three learning centres:

• a modelled learning area that features a guided component and interactive SMART board lessons;
• a group activity area for hands-on learning;
• an individual learning area focused on the use of computers to explore concepts.

Students will work in groups that move around the classroom at set intervals of time. For my first few attempts at this model, I will have the group rotate every 20 minutes. I have a feeling this won't be long enough, so I will probably have to look at adjusting my daily schedule to accommodate more time in the future.

Each blended learning session will be focused around a specific learning goal with each centre helping to reinforce that concept. The idea is to use a gradual release of responsibility where students learn something from the teacher, practice it in a group setting, and then work independently. In practice it will likely be difficult to have students move through the centres in this way unless they have staggered starts.

Modelled Learning Area

This is a teacher led area where a small group of students receives expert instruction in curriculum. Lessons have an interactive element that uses the SMART board to get students up to explore concepts. The teacher is able to do breakout groups at the guided table for individualized support that uses timely and effective feedback.

Group Learning Area

Students move from one centre to another
throughout a period of study.

The group learning area is where another small group of students is working collaboratively on a task related to a skill or curriculum expectation that is all related to the period's learning goal. Students at this area don't have access to the teacher and must instead work collaboratively to accomplish the task. Students will be able to ask questions about what they learned when they come to the modelled learning area.

Independent Learning Area

At this area, students work on their own using adaptive software (when available) on classroom computers. Because there are so many different sties and online resources that would be difficult for students to keep organized, I will be using Edmodo. Edmodo is an online platform that is visually similar to Facebook where I can post content in a safe school-centric environment. Edmodo allows me to keep track of students' activities while some adaptive software titles (like Reflex Math) allow me to track student achievement).

Conclusions

I am excited to be trying a new learning model that uses the technology available in my classroom to help me use more effective use of my time. I am hoping that I will see an increase in student engagement and increased academic growth. I will post some updates in the next few weeks including photos and a discussion on what worked well and what needs improvement.

Introduction to Blended Learning

I stumbled across this video a while back and I couldn't quite shake it from my thoughts. What an exciting and glossy version of a blended learning! At first I was thinking about how cool it would be to have all of that technology, then I realized I do have all of that technology! It may not be as flashy, but I am able to do nearly everything in that video.

I can:

• Speak to experts using video conferencing through VROC
• Provide interactive lessons using my Smartboard
• Tracking learning, facilitate student collaboration, and connect with parents using Edmodo.

The real challenge is in integrating all of these technologies along with the other more occasional resource I use like Reflex Math, Gizmos, Ted-Ed, and WestPoint Bridge Designer while keeping aging hardware going in a facility with inadequate infrastructure.

Infrastructure and hardware have been a consistent problem since I started at my older school. We have been able to slowly make upgrades to the number of desktop computers, provide wireless internet, and install two premium SMART interactive whiteboards. Our electrical system will have to undergo upgrades because we keep flipping breakers! This is a great problem (in a way) because it means the entire school is making more effective use of our technology than in the past.

New this year is a shift in the teaching and learning model used in my classroom. I have more fully embraced the blended learning model so that it now operates daily in language and mathematics; accouning for 50% of the instructional day. My students love the freedom to learn at their own pace, the opportunities to collaborate with their peers, and the benefit of smaller group instruction. I love that I have more formative assessment data than ever before, can provide more timely feedback, and increased differentiation. 

Blended math learning in my class consists of four math centres. The first centre is in the computers where students receive personalized math lessons and practice through Moby. Moby is an app versions of the website Moby Max that can be installed into Edmodo.  Edmodo is a learning management system designed for elementary classrooms that draws from the visual styling of Facebook. Edmodo is where I post class and school news, assignments, marks, feedback, and quizzes. The Moby app administers a diagnostic test to see determine each student's placement in a math developmental continuum. Students recieve individualized learning experiences that adapt to student learning. Moby also provides rich assessment data on everything students are doing and provides a clear picture in where students may be struggling so that teacher interventions can be developed. 

HOW TO: Basic Classroom Podcasting

Classroom podcasting is something I had heard a lot about, but hadn't seen in practice. So when I decided that podcasting would be my next techie project, to the Internet I turned.

Our podcasting centre - cheap, old, but effective!

I discovered that if you a have a Macintosh computer in your classroom, the app Garage Band is probably the easiest way to produce a podcast. Garage Band makes recording, editing, importing effects/music, and publishing pretty easy. The problem though was that we don't have Macs at our school - we rely on ancient PCs running Windows XP.

To make my plan work I had to come up with an easy to use audio editing app that works on older computers. Audacity was the answer, and better yet, it's completely free. After installing Audacity and playing around with it for a few minutes I felt pretty confident that my students (grades 4 and 5) could learn it. The controls are very simple, the app uses the same symbols for recording and playback as you would find on an old tape reorder. The menus are simple and straightforward.

I attached a cheap microphone and headphones I found in the school basement to the back of the computer and we were in business. Students started recording their poetry as an oral communication centre during literacy centres time.

To make the recordings more interesting for the listener, and to get students thinking about their audience, I created an account at freesound.org where students could download sound effects and music. Freesound is a fantastic website full of audio content that is freely available for this sort of application.

Audacity for Windows screenshot.

To get the downloaded content into Audacity, students downloaded the track they wanted, then simply imported the sound file using the "Import" option in the "File" menu. This added a new track to their projects. With some simple exploration, students were able to loop, trim, and adjust the volume of the effects to compliment their spoken words.

As students finished up their work and were happy with the results, they exported their podcast as a .wav file using the "Export" command in the "File" menu. When exporting, students have the option to add a track title and artist - this will show up when playing the file on an iPod. I suggest making sure that students know to save their Audacity project files as well as their exported .wav final product so that they can go back and make changes if needed.

Later on, I imported all the .wav files into iTunes to upload onto the class iPod. The next week, students were listening to and reflecting on their peers' podcasts as a literacy centres activity.

Ear Defenders

A cheap pair of ear defenders.

When I first heard "ear defenders" used in a sentence, I had no idea what to picture in my mind. An autism specialist in my school board thought they may protect my student from sensory overload. I thought, "Great! What are they?"

It turns out that ear defenders is just "Educationeese" for ear protectors - the kind you may use with your gas powered leaf blower or weed whacker. I was intrigued by this low-tech solution and quickly adopted its use for my student. Fortunately, ear defenders along with a few other strategies really did help to make my student feel more comfortable. Not long after though, I wondered if other students who suffered from auditory distractions could benefit.

I went to a local auto parts retailer (Princess Auto) and bought myself five more ear defenders that were quickly in use throughout my class and in high demand. Students who struggled with auditory distractions and anyone who wanted to escape from the sounds of the classroom loved this tool.

One tip to keep in mind, is that ear defenders should be adjustable to a size that is comfortable for the smaller size of children's heads. I also wouldn't invest in a ton of one particular model until it is known that they are comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time.