Edit: Here is the video link to my Course Prototype Walkthrough and my course profile.

Here is the link to my Google Site where my course prototype is housed. For students, this link is available via Google Classroom.

At the start of the school year, I modeled how to navigate our math website with students. Here are the steps to follow if you would like to look at my completed course prototype.

1. Google Sites link
2. Shape and Space
3. Chapter 1: Understanding Angles
4. Lesson 1: In the Real World

Once students reach the lesson they are on, they then complete the 4 or 5 steps listed out for them to complete. When finished, they can move on to lesson 2 by clicking the link at the bottom of the page, or they can use the drop-down menu at the top right of the screen where it lists each lesson for Shape and Space.

Teaching my split classroom in a blended learning style has allowed me to facilitate my students’ learning more efficiently. My main goal for this course prototype was to make my lessons more interactive and engaging for my students. I don’t want to just use technology to say I did. I want to incorporate technology in a meaningful way that facilitates student learning in the best way possible. With the help of Lumi I feel confident that I am moving in the right direction. I look forward to collecting student feedback on their level of engagement with the new version of my lessons.

For the feedback on my course module, I received an overwhelming amount of positive comments both in our small group session and peer evaluation. It is refreshing to have an outside perspective view your work and applaud the time and effort that is put into the logistics of a blended classroom environment. Areas for consideration and improvement come down to the technical side of things. One of my reviewers had trouble accessing my instructional video as the link was broken. I usually don’t double check my links so this was a good reminder that I need to view my site as a student and make sure everything is in order. Another technicality that I may have overlooked is the drop-down menu. It may be more convenient if those tabes were out and visible rather than hidden. This is something I would like to check in with my students about. I have never asked them for feedback on how they navigate their learning. 

After reading through the Technological Equity and Accessibility For Virtual and Hybrid Learning article I realized that my communication on announcements and due dates may be a bit conflicting for my students. I use Google Sites to house the majority of their modules and Google Classroom is used as a navigation tool. Sometimes I embed assignments between the two platforms and that is probably confusing for students. Another area that I will focus on in my upcoming modules is video captions. I have not considered this to be an issue in the past because all students use headphones to listen and view the videos. However, there have been times when students forget their headphones and need to leave the room to listen to the audio. If I can ensure my videos have clear captions, then I will be able to accommodate those students who don’t have headphones.

Next month my grade 6 students will begin to look at the Shape & Space strand,  starting with Understanding Angles. My module focuses on the first lesson of the unit “In The Real World”. Grade 6 is the first year that students really dive into working with angles, and I have always believed that it is important for students to see their math outside of the classroom. With Lumi I was able to create a video that visually accommodated this goal. Students will access this module from Google Classroom with a link to their Google Site. When they get to the site they will navigate their way to Lesson 1: In The Real World. The layout is quite simple so that students do not get overwhelmed and can ease into their learning. Below is a breakdown of how students will work through the module.

Step 1: Video – Students will watch the interactive Lumi video.

Step 2: Notes – Students can choose to copy their notes during or after the video is complete. I decided to do fill-in-the-blank notes to save time and keep students engaged. Having notes to go along with the video also ensures students will watch it (or at least part of it).

Step 3: Paper Practice – These questions are meant to support the video and notes provided in steps 1 and 2. They are not graded but students will have a chance to correct their work during the “pause” portion of the module.

Step 4: Padlet – In the past, I have used Mathletics as a formative assessment for each lesson. However, real-world application is never an assignment option. In this case, I decided to use Padlet so that students can see and share the experience with their classmates. With the focus of this lesson being that angles are everywhere, I thought it was necessary for students to physically find objects around them. If you are unfamiliar with Padlet, it is a digital board on which students can collaboratively post comments, pictures etc. The expectation for my students on this step will be for them to walk around the class and find 5 examples of angles, take a photo of one and post it on Padlet for their classmates to see. I will then use their responses as a formative assessment.

Step 5: Every 2 lessons students will complete a paper exit ticket which they hand to me before moving on to lesson 2. Since this is lesson 1, they will not do an exit ticket.

My students have been using Google Sites since the start of the school year. I have been trying to figure out how to make it more engaging and personalized. With using Lumi to create my own videos (own voice) instead of random YouTube videos I think my students will look forward to watching the videos and actually being able to interact with them. Padlet will also help with engagement as students get to see what their classmates post and share their learning with one another.

Module Links

• Google Site
• Lumi Video
• Padlet

Student/Student-Instructor Interactions

For my course prototype, I have decided to stick with Google Classroom and Google Sites as my LMS. My students have been using Google Classroom since they were introduced to using Chromebooks in grade 2, and all but one teacher in our school uses the platform. As students move into grade 7 (except my grade 6 students) they begin navigating Google Sites. I would like to keep the consistency with the platforms that my colleagues use so that it is a smoother transition each year. 

Within Google Sites, I will be embedding lesson videos using Lumi. I have not explored this tool to its full potential yet, but I plan to create engaging videos using my voice that not only introduce the topic but also have interactive elements such as polls, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions. Up until this point I have been using YouTube videos created by other teachers for my 6th grade website. After watching the videos from Micheal Wesch last week, I have reflected on my approach and realized that I am missing the personal connection with using YouTube videos. Even though I am still in the classroom with students and they connect with me that way, the videos that they are currently watching aren’t me. 

Another tool that I will embed into my Google Sites is MindMeister. I plan to use this tool as a collaborative discussion area where students can post questions and reflect on their learning as they go. With my math class having the “at your own pace” element I find it challenging to have discussions because not all students are on the same lesson at the same time. With utilizing MindMeister students can enter the conversation as they complete the lesson. 

Tools that I will use for check-ins are Mathletics and Google Forms. Both applications offer students instant feedback to help them reflect on their learning and decide if they need to review or move forward. In addition to these online check-ins, students will complete an end-of-lesson exit ticket that they will hand to me. With my module being math-focused, I believe that students still need paper/pen practice. The exit ticket with allow students to show their work and get an official check-in with me. 

Experiences Related to Blended Learning

Without realizing it, I have had a wide range of blended learning opportunities throughout my teaching career. I have always used technology in some form to aid my teaching. Ever since I began my teaching career I have used the LMS platform Google Classroom. Not only did I use it to deliver activities and assignments to students, I used it as a virtual grade book and to give feedback to students. When I moved into lower elementary grades in a distance learning setting I used Seesaw to engage and track student progress and communicate with parents. I also frequently use a variety of technology apps to engage students like; YouTube, Plickers, Kahoot, Quizziz, Gimkit, and Mathletics. As well as Zoom and Google Meet for virtual calls or workshops.

Perceptions Related to Blended Learning

Prior to our EC&I834 class, I viewed blended learning as a simple blend of both asynchronous and synchronous learning with technology aiding the delivery of the asynchronous portion. I also thought that blended learning was something new and current. However, after analyzing Tony Bates continuum of online learning I quickly learned that blended learning could in fact be as simple as technology being used as a classroom aid such as; Kahoot, Powerpoint, etc. When thinking of the continuum in its simplest form, many teachers have been teaching a blended learning style for a very long time but probably hadn’t considered it to be that. 

When diving into blended learning further with The Landscape of Merging Modalities article I begin to understand that it is a complicated topic. With technological advances blended learning can look very different depending on your access to technology. Terminology associated with learning outside of the traditional classroom is astounding and quite overwhelming. I understand classification helps keep order in an ever-evolving world, but sometimes less is more. Even within my own school and teaching circle, there are a variety of definitions for what blended learning is. Throughout this week I have asked a few of my colleagues what their perception of blended learning is. One colleague laughed and said, “Can you tell me what your definition is first?” The second one said “A blend of online and in-person learning”, while the third said, “It’s what I do in my math class. I teach a portion face-to-face then I lean on technology to do the rest”. No one seems to be on the same page, and/or can not keep up with the ever-changing models, but many are interested in learning more.

Challenges & Opportunities I’ve Experienced With Blended Learning

Challenge #1: I have always had a keen interest in trying new apps and platforms. However, sometimes I find myself overwhelmed by “what’s new” and “must try” tech-related resources. Through trial and error, I’ve learned to stick to quality not quantity as I assume that if I am overwhelmed with all that is available, I imagine my students might be too. My current teaching role has 1:1 Chromebooks. I sometimes feel a sense of pressure to use technology every day because some schools and students do not have the same privilege. 

Challenge #2: Throughout my 11 years of teaching I have rarely taught the same grade or subject level. Although this has made me a very adaptable teacher and I have gained a lot of general knowledge and strategies, it has not helped me develop and reuse my material. Building an in-depth blended learning classroom is time-consuming, especially when you are starting from scratch each year. Just when I get into the groove of things, I get switched to a different subject or grade level impacting my countless hours of time and preparation. 

Opportunity #1: When COVID-19 hit, I was teaching abroad at an international school in Guatemala (Interamericano). I was already planning on moving home in June of that year, and with permission from my school, I was released early and able to teach at a distance from home in Canada. This created a unique opportunity for me and my students. I was teaching grade 6 math to 6 sections (120 students). Thankfully I had already been using Google Classroom with students before the pandemic and all students had access to technology at home. The expectation for each day was that I meet with each section of students synchronously through a scheduled Google Meet (similar to Zoom) call to check in with students and their progress, clarify questions, and have a class discussion on the current math topic. Once our meeting was over students would then head over to Google Classroom and complete the day’s lesson asynchronously. My Google Classroom lessons were created using Google Slides and Screencastiy. I recorded myself teaching the lesson of the day, with a digital follow-up activity that I would review at the end of each week. My school had a paid subscription to Khan Academy which I also utilized for formative assessment and instant feedback for students. Within the first week of distance learning, I sensed a bit of disconnect and boredom with our new way of learning. I began to realize that the personal aspect of teaching was missing, so I started to get creative with our situation. I started to introduce my math lesson each day by taking my students on a virtual field trip. Since many of them had never been to Canada, I started to take advantage of my location and incorporate it into my teaching. These short videos brought laughter, and excitement back into my synchronous Google Meet calls and sparked curiosity about what was coming next. This simple added element brought an unexpected motivation to my math class that I seemed to be missing. I will forever be grateful for the experience we shared during that time. If it wasn’t for my access to technology and our blended learning scenario, I wouldn’t have been able to show my students that part of my life. 

Opportunity #2 – This year I am teaching a grade 6/7 split, and utilizing technology has been my saving grace. Teaching in a split classroom is already a challenge in itself, however thanks to technology I can better balance my learning. The Modern Classroom Project is a model that my grade 7 colleagues have been developing for math, over the past 3 years. If you are unaware of what it is, it is a Google site designed for students to navigate independently at their own pace. Each lesson contains 5 steps; video (made by the teacher), notes, practice, digital check-in, and an exit ticket which they physically hand in to the teacher. Although it takes time for students to get used to, it has proven to be the most efficient and effective way to teach a split class. While I am giving direct instruction to my grade 6 students, my grade 7 students are simultaneously working on their class content independently. It offers a realistic balance for teaching two grade levels at once.