Blended Learning

Introduction

Welcome Educators!

First, I want to commend and congratulate you for being part of the world's innovators. With education changing everyday right before our eyes it is vital for educators to colloborate and discuss the practicesand changes that can be made in order to improve learning around the world.

With that being said, I want to use this WebQuest to dicuss and introduce to you the new and developingphenomenon of blended learning!

Blended learning is the combination of both online learning and instruction in the classroom.

Have you been struggling to keep up with the times and keep your students engaged in the classroom? Ironically, alot of educators have. The traditional bricks and mortar style of learning is just not cutting it forstudents anymore. Technology is advancing, and students want to be challenged in the classroom in a waythat excites and motivates them to learn. It is important for educators like yourself to be knowledgeable ofthis new learning style in the classroom. Why you ask? Higher Education Universities have alreadyimplemented this style of learning, so we need to make sure that we prepare our students! No worries;

At the end of this webquest, you will be able to:

-Identify the the benefits of using blended learning

-Implement new modified lesson plans that contain portions of both online learning andlecture in the classroom

-Assess and evaluate performance of students partaking in blended learning style; compareand contrast methods.

Task

Lets Begin!

At the end of this webquest you will becomg experts on blended learning and be able to construct either a new or modified lesson plan incorporating this new style of learning. In order to facilitate these goals you will need to complete the tasks below!

We need to mix the ingredients, before we can make the cake!

1. Research what blended learning is. Take notes, and specifically look for both benefits and negatives of this learning style.

2. Once you have a good understanding of what blended learning is, use these findings to research current applications that teachers are using in higher education within the classroom. (Keep in mind, that these applications are being used on either a laptop or tablet that students are using either at home or in the classroom)

3. The last portion of research you will be doing is to visit websites that guide educators how to correctly costruct a lesson plan with online learning implemented. You will be searching for examples of already existing lesson plans that have been created by higher education professors at Universities all over the country. (Keep in mind, that each professor has their own personal touches to their lessons, this does not signify a right or wrong way of how to create one)

4. Once you have tied all this information together, you will be creating a PowerPoint which will present your findings. That way you will have a hard copy of what you have learned and can share this information with colleagues, peers, and board of ed members.

5. Lastly, you will create your lesson plan!

Process

Let's Set this Plan in Motion!

Being that this WebQuest should be presented and looked at amongst your peers:

STEP 1 : Organize yourselves into groups of three.

STEP 2 : Within these groups, you are each going to be assigned a role to play while accomplishing the task. These roles will consist of:

A. Navigator- Types in websites to be searched

B. Recorder- writes down information (organization chart) http://www.timvandevall.com/wp-content/uploads/blank-t-chart.pdf

C. Communicator- Gathers questions and concerns while completing the task; speaker and presenter of the group.

STEP 3 : After the groups are formulated and each person is assigned a role, begin to look through the first set of websites that will help to introduce you into what blended learning is:

**Upon looking through the provided materials, utilize the organization chart to answer these questions:

What is blened learning defined as?
What are the positives and negatives of blended learning?
Why should we implement blending learning into school systems?
Is there current research that shows success rates of blended learning compared to the "bricks and mortar" style of learning?

STEP 4 : Proceed to the second set of websites and materials. These will involve discussion of applications that are currently being used in the classroom:

**Upon looking through the provided materials, your group should be asnwering the following questions:

What are 3 applications that are currently being used in the classroom that allow for blended learning?
Are these applications user friendly?
State 3 benefits that these applications provide.

STEP 5 : Proceed to the third set of websites and materials. You will be able to view and analyze sample and currently used curriculums and lesson plans that have implemented blended learning:

**Upon looking through the provided materials, your group should be thinking and discussing the following:

What subject to you currently teach?
In this subject, is there a specific lesson that your students struggle with and would benefit from utilizing blended learning?
What application would you prefer to use and implement into your lesson plan?

STEP 6 : Proced to the last set of websites and materials. You will now be gathering all of the researched information and tying it together into a PowerPoint presentation showing what you have learned and how you are going to implement blended learning into your lesson plan:

**Upon creating this PowerPoint, you should be including:

What blended learning is; what are its positives and negatives?
How are higher education institutions using blended learning today? What applications are being used in the classroom?
What course material within your classroom would you try integrating blended learning into?
How would you compare and contrast learning styles? How would you evaluate?

STEP 7 : You are now ready to create your new and improved lesson plan!

Evaluation

Now that you have completed this Webquest, I want to evaluate what you have learned. Do not worry, you will be able to evaluate me as well! I want to take any constructive criticism I can get in improving this WebQuest for future viewers. Please complete the survey at the following link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JLB22LJ Below is the grading rubric that will be your guide to how I will grade your PowerPoint presentations.

Task: Each student will be responsible for creating their own PowerPoint presentation containing the information provided from this WebQuest. The goal of this PowerPoint is to be able to demonstrate an understanding of blended learning and exhibit a plan of attack for implementing this new learning style into your current lesson plans or curriculums.

	Excellent	Satisfactory	Needs Improvement
Knowledge/Understanding 40%	The presentation demonstrates a thorough understanding of blended learning. Research and information provided meets requirements of PowerPoint slides. Goes above and beyond what was discussed in the WebQuest.	The presentation demonstrates knowledge of the topic blended learning, but missing 2 or more key points within PowerPoint presentation. Research is minimally presented.	The presentation uses little relevant or accurate information, not even that which was presented in class or in the assigned texts. Little or no research is apparent.
Organization 20%	Presentation has at least 10 or more slides, and is in sequential order aligning with the WebQuest provided. Presentation is imaginative and effective in conveying ideas to the audience.	Presentation has 5-6 slides, but is not in sequential order aligning with the WebQuest provided. Presentation exhibits some creativity but to the minimum.	Presentation has less than the required amount of slides. No indication of creativity or design.
Use of Visuals 20%	The presentation includes appropriate and easily understood visual aids, which the presenter refers to and explains at appropriate moments in the presentation.	The presentation includes appropriate visual aids, but these are too few, are in a format that makes the difficult to use or understand, or the presenter does not refer to or explain them in the presentation.	The presentation includes no visual aids or includes visual aids that are inappropriate or too small or messy to be understood. The presenter makes no mention of them in the presentation.
Presentation Skills 20%	The presenter speaks loudly and clearly for the audience to hear. Eye contact and body language suggests avid interest in the topic.	The presenter speaks loudly and clearly but neglects eye contact and the ability to expand on knowledge being presented.	The presenter is unclear, and hard to hear. Unable to make eye contact; consistently reads straight from the PowerPoint.

Conclusion

The advancement of technology is a phenomenon that as educators we should all be very well aware of. It has greatly impacted not only the way our students learn, but how we teach. Blended learning is a technology trend that has become increasingly popular over the last decade. This consists of using online learning and applications combined with classroom lecture. It inhibits students to collaborate and unleash creativity within themselves.

Now that you have completed this WebQuest, I challenge you to implement this learning style into your own classrooms! Give your students a way to personalize their learning experience. Use your PowerPoint presentation to your advantage, and present it to a Board of Directors in your state! Unveil the knowledge that you have learned to make a change!