Blended Learning What is blended learning? Blended learning is not the same as technology-rich instruction. It goes beyond one-to-one computers and high-tech gadgets. Blended learning involves leveraging the Internet to afford each student a more personalized learning experience, including increased student control over the time, place, path, and/or pace of learning. The definition of blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns: at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience. What are the most common models of blended learning? The majority of blended-learning programs resemble one of four models: Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual. Blended Learning Universe Blended Learning MOOC May 2013
4 Essential Rules Of 21st Century Learning 4 Essential Rules Of 21st Century Learning by Jennifer Rita Nichols The term “21st century” has become an integral part of educational thinking and planning for the future. Educators and administrators are actively searching for ways to prepare students for the future, and the educational system has been evolving faster than ever before. Various studies have shown us that rote memorization is not an effective learning strategy, and that teacher-centered classrooms may not be the most efficiently structured ones for student engagement. However, despite learning about the skills that students will need to develop to become successful in the 21st century, as well as what beliefs about education may be worth hanging onto or throwing away, schools and teachers are left trying to figure out what their role needs to be in the education of their 21st century students. Nowadays, we don’t live in the same world. So then, what is the role of education in the 21st century? Society has changed. 1. 2. 3.
King - Preparing EFL Learners for Oral Presentations I-TESL-J The Internet TESL Journal Jane Kingjane [at] mail.scu.edu.twSoochow University (Taipei, Taiwan) Introduction This article provides tips and advice to reduce EFL learners' anxieties for oral presentation. Step-by-step procedures of how to prepare students for oral presentations are included: (1) handout guidelines; (2) grouping learners; (3) choosing topics and gathering information; (4) handling technical problems; (5) holding Q & A sessions; and (6) preparing peer and teacher evaluation forms. Oral presentation is an effective communicative activity that has been widely adopted by EFL conversation teachers to promote oral proficiency. The question of whether the adaptation of a mainly student-centered approach would be appropriate in EFL context, especially in Asia, where are still basically teacher-centered is often raised. Coping with Speech Anxiety and Practicing Presentation Skills 1. 2. There are many advantages in using visual aids during the presentation. 3. 4. The Teacher's Role
Blended Learning: Strategies for Engagement There are methods and models for implementing blended learning -- from the flipped classroom, to the flex model. All of them are on the continuum of just how much time is spent online and in the online classroom. Blended Learning can provide a unique way of not only engaging students in collaborative work and projects, but also personalizing and individualizing instruction for students. However, there is still one piece that is missing from a great blended learning environment: engagement! As an experienced online teacher of both K-12 and higher education students, I am familiar with the challenges of engaging students in virtual work. #1 Leverage Virtual Class Meetings with Collaborative Work One of the most prominent features of blended learning is the virtual meeting or synchronous class meeting. #2 Create the Need to Know The key here is an engaging model of learning. #3 Reflect and Set Goals #4 Differentiate Instruction Through Online Work #5 Use Tools for Mobile Learning
10 Reasons Every District Should Open a Flex School - Getting Smart by Tom Vander Ark - AdvancePath, blended learning, Connections Education, K12 Flex is category of blended learning. Innosight Institute in their recently updated classifications of blended learning defined a flex model as “a program in which content and instruction are delivered primarily by the Internet, students move on an individually customized, fluid schedule among learning modalities, and the teacher-of-record is on-site.” While most instruction is online, “The teacher-of-record or other adults provide face-to-face support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed basis through activities such as small-group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring.” In schools using rotation models, student spent 20 to 50 percent of their time online. In contrast, flex schools have a digital backbone–core instruction is conducted online with on-site academic support and guidance, integration and application opportunities, and extracurricular activities. There are 10 existing or potential benefits of flex models: For more see:
Why?: The Meaning Behind Trash | K-Pop Amino So, since I'm not a super k-pop fan like many of you I have decided to start a blog series called "Why". Each week or so I will post a new blog about questions I have regarding the k-pop Universe and I'll also share some of my criticisms over the topic of said week. For this week I want to know about the term "trash". So, why trash? Trash is a rather derogatory term and I don't really understand why people want to be called trash. Personally, I wouldn't want to label myself as that. So, why degrade yourself. Disclaimer: This post is for the most part satarical. edutopia P.K. Yonge views blended learning as the combination of digital content and activity with face-to-face content and activity. It looks very different in each class at the school. When a teacher has an activity that works well face-to-face, there isn't any reason to look for a digital replacement. P.K. Getting started on using the technology or transitioning curriculum can be intimidating for some teachers. How It's Done Planning a Blended Curriculum In partnership with the University of Florida, P.K. The institute itself was designed in a blended learning format. Target One Grade Level at a Time P.K. Set Goals for Each Class Interested teachers were asked to fill out a proposal with the ideas they had for transitioning their curriculum. Some of the needs teachers had were to provide students with differentiated instruction, to find quick and easy ways to do formative assessment, and to give students access to content 24/7. Keep it Face-to-Face or Make it Digital? Plan for Resources and Access
The Flipped Learning Process Visually Explained April 2, 2015 After yesterday’s post on “Flipped Learning Resources” one of our readers emailed us this beautiful visual outlining the six main steps involved in the creation of a flipped classroom. These steps include: planning, recording, sharing, changing, grouping, and regrouping. Read the graphic for more details on each of these steps. As a refresher for those who are not yet familiar with the concept of a flipped classroom. via Daily Genius Courtesy of eLearning Infographics
The Everything Machine by Tinybop Interactive Video Learning The Secret Is the Blend | Higher Ed Beta Recently, a Dean’s office asked me whether they should deliver blended classes in their college. Specifically, they wanted some evidence that showed that students enrolled in blended courses as they do online courses. Our online courses can sometimes fill up far faster than our face-to-face (f2f) courses. Through the years, I have had a couple chapters on blended learning, one of which I just wrote a little over a year ago, so I had some literature, but I wanted to know what was happening on other campuses as of late. This request led me to ask my tweeps (peeps or friends on Twitter) what research was out there and resulted in a working blog post that listed some of these resources. Let’s remember that blended learning is not new, but it has had a resurgence in the past couple years. I am a bit partial, I know. However, as recent as last month, I was asked to come talk to a university that was starting a blended program (Hi, friends at U of Tampa). Why the growth?
Difference Engine: The woes of Windows 10 DESPITE its having been available for 18 months, three out of four PC owners have not bothered to upgrade their computers to the latest version of Microsoft's operating system, Windows 10. More than 700m of the world's 1.5bn or so computers continue to run on Windows 7, a piece of software three generations old. A further 300m users have stuck with other versions—half of them stubbornly (and rashly) clinging to 16-year-old Windows XP that Microsoft pensioned off three years ago. The business world has been even more recalcitrant. In a recent study by Softchoice, an info-tech consultancy, corporate computers were found to be running a whole gamut of legacy versions of Windows. That said, some 400m or so copies of Windows 10 are now thought to be in circulation. Can Windows 10 do the same? Things were dandy during the first 12 months following Windows 10's carefully orchestrated launch in July 2015, when upgrades were free for existing users of Windows 7 or 8.1.
The Jigsaw Classroom Blended Learning: What and Why? In the ongoing quest for improved workforce training, organizations often find they don’t know where to turn for the best advice. Is it better to outsource or to train in-house? What are the newest tools and techniques for delivering training? The traditional instructor-led, classroom training model has typically been thought of as the standard for delivering high quality training to learners. However, studies have shown the effectiveness of training has less to do with face-to-face instruction than it does with the design of the course material1. One thing is certain; companies want more value from their training programs, i.e. better results for less capital outlay. What is Blended Learning? Take one part classroom training, one part e-learning, a dash of self-study, and add a pinch of on-the-job training. Often blended learning is thought of as a compromise between delivering classroom-only training, or online training. Benefits of Blended Learning 1 U.S. By Designing Digitally, Inc.