My experience with blended learning and technology integration in my classroom has been both positive and negative. I’ve utilized Google classroom for a number of years, but I often think of it as simply a way to save paper, rather than a digital space that has the potential to create new learning opportunities for my students. I have utilized other apps, such as Wevideo, which is an online video editing tool, And this has provided opportunities for my students to learn skills that can only be caught in a digital space.   

For me, how effective a blended learning tool is very much depends on the effort that I put into learning its capabilities.With Google classroom, I’ve never delved deep into its organizational structure, but rather I’ve used it more like a Facebook feed of links and assignments. On the other hand, I have watched many hours of Wevideo tutorials in an effort to use it in a more fulsome capacity, and through that have been able to teach the program more wholly in the process.

I used to think that this approach was a bad one, but I’m slowly learning that using  technology in the classroom is best coupled with an individual’s interests and curiosities. With so many blended learning tools in existence, I plan on picking up a couple new ones each year, rather than wander aimlessly through a digital horrorscape of half-completed assignments and no logical path to learning. Digital spaces provide great opportunities, and my goal is to one day weave their application into my pedagogy and practice.