Week 1 - reading reaction

Definition of Blended Learning (BL) 

The reading presented the following definition of Blended Learning.

.... where a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction is replaced by web-based online learning.

.. and when it did, I found myself immediately wanting to rephrase this.

.... where a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction is enhanced or complemented by web-based online learning or vice versa. 

In other words, I see blended learning as involving both a "face to face", instructional component and an "online" instructional component. Both can and should work with a synergy that helps support the other. I'm actually surprised the word is not used or at least I haven't come across it being used to be a key aspect of blended learning yet. Or perhaps I am missing something here? I find the use of 70 / 30 much less important than realizing this synergy. I also sense that it's this synergy .. the seamless nature of it .... that comes from "good design". I don't believe that Blended Learning needs to be focused solely on "face to face" as a starting point - though I can see the rationale for stating it as such because most educators will be approaching it from this perspective. 

I think fellow Blendkit student Bradley Griffith picked up on this as well when he said...

...  Chapter 1 allowed me to see the converse relationship between enhancing online and in-class instruction. It’s not just that the traditional face-to-face classes can be enhanced by providing an opportunity to maintain interaction online, but that online courses can have quite deliberative in-person interactions that serve a true purpose other than a bodily presence through experiential learning.

The definition of blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns: 

1. at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; 
2. at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; 
3. and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience. 

Source: Clayton Christensen Institute.  (Arney, 2015, p1) 

Designing Blended Learning (BL)- building into it "assessment of design" 

Quite often “the process of design is emphasized as one of re-design, implying that those involved in the design process are willing and able to see beyond what has been done in the traditional classroom and re-conceptualize what can be done in multiple delivery modes” (p. 17).

Great and important point. In my own experience of "blended learning", a review process needs to be built into the design of it (when I think about it, the same should really be true with any course, "n'est ce pas?") - one that has the ability to collect data and then examine it to inform design changes. I have found that despite my best efforts to anticipate learner needs or interests and then design activities that engage them, there is almost always something that I had not expected. This usually leads to reflection to sort out how I might incorporate what I've just learned to improve upon the design of these activities. Yet I've also found myself holding back on making revisions too, on the belief that while it may not be perfect, the design problem that I've unearthed may only be a "one off". I'm looking for evidence that it's had a little bit more frequency before I'll resort to anything drastic. I'm curious to know if others take on a similar tact. 

By re-conceptualizing, I'm understanding re-conceptualizing as a process of finding that synergy that I spoke of earlier. To dwell a bit deeper, I also find that I think in greater depth about the learning process and how learning is being realized.

Benefits of Blended Learning (BL)

This list comes directly from the article. 

• for universities - cost cutting, leveraging time when physical expansion is out of the question 
• for faculty / educators - increasing frequency and variety of engagement; transition to fully online teaching
• for students - address access / convenience issues (online 24/7 access) while still offering social & instructional interaction opportunities (classroom) 

.. but I am interested in exploring this a bit further - likely with another blog post. Again, I am amazed that despite working in a Blended Learning environment, there has been very little discussion on these benefits, or any blended learning benefits in general. It's evident that these benefits need to be articulated, made more concrete with example, and then supported.

Am pursuing Liz Arney's "Go Blended" for answers to this. 

• promotes individualized instruction (identifying specific strengths and/or weaknesses)
• promotes differentiated instruction (helping address needs of challenged AND gifted students)
• applies ISTE standards (students learn via the use of technology) 
• provides access to real time data to help make decisions / monitor student progress more closely
• leverages teacher time which improve efficacy and effectiveness 

Blended learning is NOT the same as technology enriched learning (Arney, 2015, p 5) 

 .....we’ve drawn a distinction between technology for learning and technology for teaching. ... SMART Boards, clickers, student apps, open educational resources,flipped classrooms, and so on .. address the latter. (Arney, 2015, p 9) 

Arney, L. (2015). Go Blended!: A Handbook for Blending Technology in Schools (1 edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Designing Blended Learning (BL)

The comment "fundamental to the design is a balance between control and emergence" really caught my attention. I sense that I've got a pretty good handle on what is meant by "control" but the term "convergence" may be another matter.

Blended Learning Design as a Controlled Process

I've understood this to mean that to be effective, blended learning requires a fair amount of planning. It can't be simply an add on to face to face instruction. It should work to make learning more interactive. The term "controlled process" suggesting control by the designer to promote interaction ... and/or .. control handed over to the student to promote self regulated. On the later, the student may have opportunities to complete online activities on their own ... at their own pace .. and with very limited assistance. By doing so ... "the student encounters a learning experience that is deeper and more rewarding".  I've interpreted that to mean, the student has more opportunities to engage with course content.. and build confidence / competency on the topic.

Blended Learning Design as a Emergent Process

I struggled with the term "emergent" in this context, especially in the absence of any direct mention of the term itself in this section of the reading. 

emergent (defn) as in coming into being, coming into prominence 

I interpreted this to mean that as the benefits of BL become better known, BL design has the capacity to emerge as "main street" educational design. But exactly how? Because many technologies used in BL invite learning to be more of a collaborative and/or social activity .. to be more meaningful and/or authentic for students.. they make it easier for students to plot out and create their own purposeful learning pathways. These are all very attractive "drivers", especially in the current context where "main street" education seems to be wanting for ways to promote life long learning, recognize informal learning and support self directed learning. It also makes sense to coral the same tools used by students to carry out their own informal but collaborative / social activity for use in an educational context.

I'm still a bit troubled by this though and the reading seems to suggest reasons why. It suggests a predictable tension between "traditional"education and more "flexible" education. One where traditional education is tempted to use technology to continue keeping learning linear / sequential in design ... yet more closely monitored to ensure consistency, promote accountability (of everyone) and maintain standards. In contrast, new opportunities exist that have only emerged recently where learning is less sequential and more determined by the learner, where the learner defines goals and their pathways to achieving them.  The article infers that a new set of skills, likely meta learning skills, need to be learned by a learner to make such an approach effective (Bates & Poole, 2003). That certainly sounds like it could turn education as we know it on its head.

Case studies

I'm asked to identify patterns between the two case studies. Key item? Both kept their focus on course objectives, plus the needs and interests of students. There's a sense that these were always used as a reference when designers moved to the selection of learning methods and strategies - specifically choosing the appropriate activities for both f2f and online purposes.



Key resource

Thompson, K. (2011, June 27). BlendKit Course: BlendKit Reader: Chapter 1. Retrieved from https://blended.online.ucf.edu/blendkit-course-blendkit-reader-chapter-1/

Arney, L. (2015). Go Blended!: A Handbook for Blending Technology in Schools (1 edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Supporting resources

Blended Learning | EDUCAUSE.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2016, from http://www.educause.edu/library/blended-learning

Blended Learning Design.indd - Blended Learning Design.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.agilantlearning.com/pdf/Blended%20Learning%20Design.pdf

Disruptive Innovation. (2012, July 10). Retrieved from http://www.claytonchristensen.com/key-concepts/

elearnspace. everything elearning. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2016, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/InstructionalDesign.htm

Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies -- October 2010 (PDF) - finalreport.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

Instructional Design Central. (n.d.). Instructional Design Models and Methods. Retrieved February 23, 2016, from http://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com/htm/IDC_instructionaldesignmodels.htm

Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks - vol 16 (4) McGee and Reis. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/wp-content/plugins/olc-download/download.php?post_id=2592

R2R - Models: Replacement Model. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2016, from http://www.thencat.org/PlanRes/R2R_Model_Rep.htm