The Wonderful World of Blended Learning
My Experience with Blended Learning
When I was in elementary school, it was a big day when each classroom got four desktop computers. We would crowd around and work on group PowerPoints, and rotate who got to type every few minutes. We loved using this new tech, and everything was more fun when we got to use it. When I was in high school, we had two computer labs for the school, each with 20 desktop computers. One was the Mac lab, primarily for photography students, and the rest of the school shared the generic lab. Seeing “meet in the computer lab” on our classroom door always meant we were in for a fun and engaging class, learning at our own pace through exploration. Blended learning positively impacted my educational experience as a student, and I love that I have the resources and opportunities to enhance my students’ learning in this same way.
According to Bates, “‘blended learning’ can mean minimal rethinking or redesign of classroom teaching, such as the use of classroom aids, or complete redesign as in flexibly designed courses, which aim to identify the unique pedagogical characteristics of face-to-face teaching, with online learning providing flexible access for the rest of the learning” (2019). I have experienced all three; as a brand new teacher, I used tech more so as a classroom aid, and students would occasionally have access to the shared laptop cart. Now I am a Connected Educator for my division, which means I have access to 1:1 technology for my students at all times, get licenses and subscriptions for certain programs to use with my students (like CoSpaces or WeVideo), and act as a tech support for my coworkers. I have been a part of this program since 2019, and I taught fully online in our online school during the 2020-2021 school year. During that year, I provided real-time instruction from 9:00am-2:00pm, after which was my prep time and students worked independently on Arts Ed, Phys Ed, French, or homework. I have had a lot of experience in online and blended learning environments, and have seen both the challenges blended learning creates and the benefits that come from effective blended learning practices.
Challenges and Opportunities
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Opportunities |
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Successes with Blended Learning
Blended learning, in my experience, takes a lot of work to implement effectively. Each year and group of students are different, so each year my Connected Classroom looks different depending on the needs of my students. However, each year brings new stories of successes because of the blended learning model. Some examples:
- Using CoSpaces to code a chapter of our novel study brought successes for my EAL students, who were able to communicate understanding through character design and story progression (this was especially cool, because we got the VR headsets and students were able to explore each other’s chapters!)
- Using Canva to record presentations for students who have anxiety for presentations and public speaking. They are able to build speaking skills, communicate their learning, and build their confidence without needing to present in front of a group right away
- Participating in Virtual Heritage Fair, where students could pick points of interest, build research skills, design their own projects based on their skills and many even won prizes for their work!
What are some questions you still have about blending learning? What are some successes you’ve found? Let me know!
You make many interesting points about blended learning, and I agree with your list of challenges and opportunities. I had a similar experience with computer usage in my first year, where it was more of an aid used to type out documents and complete minimal research. As I entered the Connected Educator program, I focused more on the idea of giving the students a toolbox to showcase their work and connect with others to share ideas. Digital book clubs were a great example of this connectivity we were trying to promote with 1:1 computers. However, as great as the project was, there were still many challenges with digital citizenship, as you can imagine when 140 grade 7/8 commented on each other’s work and participated in weekly live chats. That said, we worked through these challenges in a safe environment, and I would like to think that students didn’t repeat the same mistakes in the future. All in all, blended learning gives every student a voice, and during COVID-19, I was shocked to see how my shyest kid bloomed, whereas the loudest kids shied away from the screen. I believe that when we provide a balanced approach, we are hitting the needs of many different learning needs.
Hey Meagan!
You make many interesting points about blended learning, and I agree with your list of challenges and opportunities. I had a similar experience with computer usage in my first year, where it was more of an aid used to type out documents and complete minimal research. As I entered the Connected Educator program, I focused more on the idea of giving the students a toolbox to showcase their work and connect with others to share ideas. Digital book clubs were a great example of this connectivity we were trying to promote with 1:1 computers. However, as great as the project was, there were still many challenges with digital citizenship, as you can imagine when 140 grade 7/8 commented on each other’s work and participated in weekly live chats. That said, we worked through these challenges in a safe environment, and I would like to think that students didn’t repeat the same mistakes in the future. All in all, blended learning gives every student a voice, and during COVID-19, I was shocked to see how my shyest kid bloomed, whereas the loudest kids shied away from the screen. I believe that when we provide a balanced approach, we are hitting the needs of many different learning needs.
Hey Arkin – sounds like we had similar experiences with Digital Book Clubs! It was managing organized chaos, and a lot of time invested to ensuring things went smoothly.
Agree completely about the balanced approach – I like the flexibility that blended learning allows when working with so many different students with different needs, abilities, and strengths.
Hi Meagen,
I’m interested to learn more about CoSpaces. You mentioned that you have a subscription/license for this program. Have you ever used the free version? If I were to trial it in my classroom would there be a lot of restrictions?
I love that the kids were able to code a chapter. This would be especially helpful for your visual learners! Not to mention adding a more in-depth understanding of the novel. In my 6/7 split, we are currently reading The Maze Runner for our novel study. It would be cool to see them bring it to life.
Hey Amber! I have used the free version – there are limits on characters, environments, objects, etc., that you can place in your scene. I haven’t looked into the free version in a couple years but I had some students who were able to use it effectively for some other projects – however if you have more than 2 scenes going, you’ll have to delete one to start a new one! With the licensed version, you have unlimited use of all the pre-made characters, environments, objects, and create as many scenes as you’d like.
I like CoSpaces a lot because it makes block coding really easy for beginners. I did this same project with my grade 4 class a few years ago and they nailed it, and have never done block coding before. Scratch.MIT is another great website to learn how to block code – I had some students code an escape room as their Genius Hour project using Scratch!
My first experiences with technology (including the initial “wow” factor) in the classroom as a student were very similar to yours. The use of digital technology seemed like an event. Thinking back on it I see a lot of the same issues that we are facing in the classroom today. When I first took computer science the school was scrambling to find an instructor with the right skill set. Our teacher was literally learning how to code at the same time we were. Now as a teacher I can empathize with his plight – he was given an assignment and had to make the best of it. My school has recently implemented an integrated STEAM program (Science technology engineering art and math) and the launch has been rocky. Once again the teachers are doing there best to build the airplane while they fly it. I would love to see administration place a larger emphasis on professional development and training rather than just on the acquisition of hardware. While it is great to take photographs of the shiny new toys you’ve acquired they will never be utilized to their full potential without ongoing training.
The ‘wow’ factor is right!
That’s really interesting about the STEAM program and I’d like to hear more about it. I work with elementary students so my experience would be different than an extensive high school program, but something I do enjoy about the blended model is the ability to learn with students instead of always being many steps ahead. If I am testing a new program, I am far from an expert in it. Students often rise to the occasion when trialing them with me, and I’ve seen some of my more reserved and shy kids step up and lead when they’ve figured the program out early.
That being said… investment into effective PD and training is so important, especially for those facilitators who might feel a bit more stress or uncertainty with tech.
Hey Meagan!
Wow that intro really took me back! I have a very similar memory of the excitement of seeing the few computers that popped up, at the back of the room, in elementary school and the good old computer lab in high school. That excitement felt back then, upon finding out I got to use a DESKTOP computer to make a PowerPoint, is likely comparable to the cheering I hear (in my own classroom) nowadays when I send a student to get one of our school’s laptop carts for a period. At that point, the students have literally no idea what they are about to do, but the fact that the task involves tech excites them to no end. I should be thrilled about this level of engagement and be actively finding the best ways to harness it. I continue to experiment with different tech implementation options for my students to not only get excited about, but learn something from.
I appreciate your challenges and opportunities lists. I laughed reading ‘digital literacy skills’ in both columns. So true – I find these skills are difficult to teach (especially when you are anxious to get into curricular content) but SO necessary before allowing students any amount of autonomy on tech. Digital literacy for younger kids has been something I struggle with. Where to start? So far, in my career, I’ve taken the excessive supervision approach when students have technology. I think finding better ways to explicitly teach digital citizenship and literacy would help me immensely feel trust in students to work more independently.
Thanks for the reflective post. It had me reminiscing and gave me lots of ideas. I loved reading!
Hey Teagan! Glad I could stir up some nostalgia for you .. 🙂
I have been using Common Sense Media for digital-literacy specific classes with my middle years kids. I’m not sure how it would translate to teaching grade 3, but they have some great resources for teachers and for families for some discussion at home. The themes and games associated are super engaging and are definitely worth checking out!
Hey Meagan, Thank you for sharing your journey and experiences with blended learning!
It is encouraging to see how you have improved student engagement and learning outcomes using cutting-edge tools like CoSpaces and Canva. You’ve put a lot of time and effort into creating engaging lessons that meet the various needs of your students. Learning about your accomplishments with initiatives like the Virtual Heritage Fair emphasises how blended learning can significantly improve students’ critical thinking and creative thinking.
As you go deeper into the potential of blended learning, I’d like to know more about how you handle digital literacy and ensure appropriate technology use in the classroom.
Hi Olajide! How I approach digital literacy changes every year as it depends on the students I have, their experience with tech, and issues that come up as we go through the year. However, some things stay consistent. I start with a conversation around appropriate tech use – what the students think that looks like, some examples of inappropriate tech use, and what some consequences should be around inappropriate use. We also talk about some privileges they can earn with proper use and earning more responsibility. We create a class contract which each student and their parent has to sign so everyone is on the same page. We review it and come back to it frequently during the year.
My school division uses a site called Clever, through which they can access different digital tools, sites, and resources and it saves their log-in (it’s great for that home-school connection!). It allows me to create a classroom page, where I link approved sites and resources. Here, I have a ‘When I’m Done” tab with different things students can do when they’re finished their task/all their assignments, including coding sites, chess, checkers, RPL, or different student resources. One of their privileges is expanding some of the options they have under this tab.
I also use a website called Common Sense Media which is GREAT for engaging digital literacy lessons! If you haven’t used it, I recommend it as a good starting point. It also has resources for families which I always send home after our lessons to hopefully facilitate a good conversation around the dinner table that night!