Unfortunately, I have had much more success as a student than a teacher with online and blended learning thus far…
But in all seriousness, I feel that I would not be able to successfully carry out my day to day or meet the needs of my students without the effective implementation of blended learning strategies. Prior to reading about what constitutes blended learning, I did not realize that it existed in my classroom daily.
This graphic depicts the range of strategies that constitute blended learning. I think that many teachers do not actually realize the amount of blended learning they already include in their classroom.
The pandemic has also brought new challenges to teachers in delivering meaningful and effective instruction to their students. Online and blended learning has needed to be expanded or adopted by teachers across the province. It has also shown just had adaptive and resilient educators are in their planning and preparation. I don’t think that effective teaching that fosters the individual success of students can be done without the use of blended learning.
Through triumphs and trials, I have had many experiences with blended learning in a professional context.
Challenges of Blended Learning
-Students not having access to technology
-Technology advancing faster than teachers & students can adapt
-Websites/Links/Videos becoming obsolete
-Designing lessons with the proper or best blended design
-Being innovative
Opportunities of Blended Learning
-Synchronous and Asynchronous learning
-Allowed learning to persist through the challenges of the pandemic
-Used to help build classroom routines
-Increased student engagement
-Assessment opportunities
When returning to the “new normal”, I was resistant to the reliance on online and blended learning that was making its way into the classroom. Rather than changing for the benefit of my students, I was only holding out hope that I could return to the teaching practices I believed to be superior. I felt that there was a superiority of face-to-face learning as outlined by Bates in Chapter Ten his book. Since the start of my involvement in graduate studies and the opportunities and challenges brought on by the pandemic, I now have a new attitude towards online and blended learning.
One of they ways I have brought more blended learning into my classes is the use of Microsoft Teams. If you asked me about this program a year ago, I would tell you it was the worst thing to ever be mandated by the school division. Now, me and my students effectively use it to improve our communication. I can post my daily lesson plans so that students are able to see hat to expect for the class that day and check in on to catch up on work they have missed. I am also able to communicate with student regarding missing assignments, upcoming exams, and many more things.