We’ve been discussing blended learning on Edudemic for several months but I had been struggling to find a video that helps explain what it actually is and why you should care.
Then I happened upon one of the startups I’ve been watching. Education Elements has a terrific page along with a video to describe exactly what blended learning is, what it hopes to achieve, and what it looks like.
I’ve embedded the video and some helpful snippets of information below. Be sure to check out the page for more information!
Benefits of blended learning
Blended learning allows teachers to do what they do best – work directly and closely with individual students and small groups – by harnessing the adaptive power and precision of technology. The best blended learning approaches use technology to:
- help each student master the content and skills they need,
- allow teachers to get the most out of their planning and instructional time, and
- streamline operations with costs similar to – or less than – traditional schooling.
What blended learning *isn’t*
Simply adding online computer games or videos to a student’s day or homework time doesn’t count as blended learning. Neither does rolling a laptop cart into a school. Nor does it mean that students are isolated at their keyboards with no social interaction.
In great blended learning schools, technology and teaching inform each other. Students alternate regularly between engaging with teachers and peers and focusing on online content tailored to their learning pace and progress.
Exploring the possibilities
The result of smart blended learning is richer and deeper interactions between teachers and students (and between students themselves) than in traditional classrooms. Integrating technology and teaching allows students to fully master content and skills, and at the pace that’s right for them.
Think about it this way: an average classroom sets a “speed limit” for the class – bounded by grade-level standards and assessments – making it hard for some kids to catch up and holding others from moving ahead when they’re ready. But blended learning revs up students’ learning velocity, allowing them to go further and faster. Who knows how far they’ll go?
I am excited by the potential opportunities that blended learning brings as well. It builds upon the foundation of best practices that have existed in education since its inception and leverages technology as a tool to take those best practices to the next level. One road block that blended learning proponents may find may come from the approach that some are taking to differentiate blended learning from what already exists and has existed. The approaches to teaching and learning are nothing new, nor is the framework and structure. The only new item is the integration of technology as a tool for teaching and learning. Yet it sounds like “we” have come up with a whole new methodology to both teach and learn. Let’s not make that critical mistake as it will hasten adoption for many teachers who are already overwhelmed by technology. Let’s be clear that how they are teaching doesn’t need to change entirely. Technology is there to enhance their methodologies. The pedagogy is the same so let’s keep it simple. Technology is a tool that can be used in certain situations to assist in teaching and learning. A great tool as we look to integrate 21st century skills – communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity – into every classroom.