Blended Learning

Introduction

Welcome Educators!

For decades the world of education has seen its fair share of changes and has made a multitude of steps to help educate the different kinds of learners in the world today. Educators have come to realize that not every student responds the same to traditional styles of education. Some students need the opportunity to see the lessons being taught implemented or learners need to implement these lessons themselves and make mistakes so that way they can learn more efficiently. The fact is that the expectations from learners and teachers are changing from how they were 10-15 years ago. The implementation of technology in the classroom has changed the game and it’s important for educators to use this as the catalyst for new ways of educating the young learners of today.

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

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!

1. Break into groups of 3 and 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 two schools of your choice and find out what current applications that teachers are using 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 construct 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 and your group brainstorm and create a PowerPoint presentation 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. Be

5. Lastly, you will create your lesson plan! When creating your lesson plan be creative with this ad your own personal touch to the lesson plan and make it your own. Be specific as to what will be done in class and what will bem done at home.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvYFToF97RA]

Process

The Game Plan!!

STEP 1 : Organize yourselves into groups of three.

STEP 2 : Within these groups, you will brainstorm and share your findings. From there 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 and schools 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 and schools that have been chosen that will help to introduce you into what blended learning is:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-online-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron

**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?

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:

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 do you currently teach/what subject would you and your group like to base your lesson plan around ?
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: Create your lesson plan

Image result for Lesson Plan

Evaluation

Image result for Grading survey

Congratulations!! Youre Webquest is complete, 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. Below I have attached the survey for you to complete please feel free to provide any adiitional questions comments or concerns. I will be more than happy to go over all of these with you as a class.

Task: Each group 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.

Conclusion

Image result for hybrid classroom

Overall my goal is to help educators better prepare their students for what’s ahead in higher education. With more schools going to these types of learning environments it’s important to keep students prepared and up to date with today’s education. I also believe that by implementing newer styles of learning to students at younger ages they will be able to reach students who learn differently than others and help them acquire skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. It is also important to educate the educators so that way we can ensure that every student is getting a quality education.

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.