My Experiences with Blended Learning
My experience with blended learning in a school environment varies. As a teacher, I have integrated technology into my lessons such as watching science videos using materials that were difficult to access, utilizing Mathletics to assign engaging games to practice concepts and challenge students from around the world when practicing basic skills. I have also created Smart Board lessons and PowerPoint presentations for concepts that I would be teaching again and I have incorporated apps like RazKids into my Language Arts Centers to help track assessment data and provide an engaging individualized student activity. Blending individualized activities that involve technology also free up time for the teacher to work with small groups of students, allowing for deeper learning. Integration of technology can be highly engaging and a lot of fun but does require the teacher to be confident and take risks, as emphasized by Bates in Chapter 4.
As an experienced educator, I have had to grow and adapt as the access to and integration of technology in schools increases. I have moved from hand written attendance and report cards to many different digital platforms. This process has not been seamless and I still have a lot to learn about our latest platform, Edsby. Learning and adapting to new technology in schools has many benefits as well as a few challenges. In my school experience, changes to technology can bring a staff together, providing a collaborative atmosphere where we can work and learn from each other, sharing in both triumphs and frustrations. Often, this is where natural leaders emerge becoming a catalyst teacher who is able to provide support for others. However, without the right supports, training or when working with people who are not interested in collaboration, learning new technology on your own can be very time consuming, and frustrating.
Can anyone share a staff bonding experience while learning new technology?
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Hey Bev,
Great question! I was the tech person on staff to help assist teachers and parents with tech issues as they happened during supplemental and remote learning over the last few years. Very exhausting. And without being able to sit down in a room with all staff members and go over some of the issues we all had, we tried to work through problems on Teams, but it just wasn’t the same. We have had really great bonding experiences back in the day when we would hold tech-breakfasts and do a little tutorial on Twitter, SeeSaw, or other apps commonly used in our classrooms and have a little fun. We are slowly getting back to those days… it was always fun to get people together and have a little fun while learning!
It is true that it is sometimes easier to trouble shoot issues in person rather than on teams. Social interaction is always good too! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Bev,
Like you said, “integration of technology can be highly engaging and a lot of fun but does require the teacher to be confident and take risks.” I agree completely with this. In my two years of experience, I was not a connected educator and found that because I didn’t have full time access to laptops, they were often an impediment to learning within the classroom. A lot of time was spent on setting up devices, troubleshooting, switching laptops due to old equipment, etc. I felt that I was less likely to take rewarding risks because of the time lost due to tech problems. Because of the lack of consistency, I didn’t have the confidence that my students or I could manage anything beyond relatively basic technology integration.
I have had many similar situations where a lot of teaching time was lost due to technology issues. I am hoping to learn ways to streamline the learning for students and troubleshoot more effectively in this class. I am finding the student response to Discord in this class very helpful.