More About Blended Learning

Previously, I talked about Blended Learning and how you can utilize Twitter search to find content and ideas for Blended Learning in the classroom.  Blended Learning is not necessarily a new concept, however the practical use of Blended Learning in the classroom (and outside) may be a new idea.  Educators from around the world are coming to the understanding that with the use of technologies administered appropriately, student learning and engagement can grow tremendously.  Understanding what Blended Learning is is the first step to allowing us to utilize this method in our own classroom experiences effectively.

Edutopia has several resources on this topic [Side note: If you have not visited the Edutopia site, you are missing out on a very valuable resource].

Here is a collection of 9 short videos explaining what Blended Learning is and how to use it.  Here is a highlight:

Two more articles from Edutopia:

Blended Learning: Resource Roundup

4 Tips for Getting to Know the Blended Learning Instructional Model

Learning From Games - Edutopia

I featured +Edutopia in a tweet on Twitter today.  In turn they messaged me back thanking me for the mention and introduced another video of theirs from their Big Thinkers collection on their video blog.  This one features James Paul Gee and he talks about how people learn from online gaming and how there is more at stake than just the game.

We quickly discredit gaming as a waste of time and a distraction, however once you involve interested participants, learning is explosive; and there is more going on than mere drivel.  Learning is no longer a one-layer or linear method, but becomes massively multi-layered.

Interest-driven Learning

I know this goes against what we are used to and how we have been taught our classrooms should run.  This goes against a lot of what we are required by State and Administration to complete on our curriculum checklists and it almost throws classical classroom structure out the window.  But (you were expecting this), there is some definite food for thought here that can still be incrementally introduced into our classroom curriculum.

From Edutopia.

An Introduction to Technology Integration

This is a great demonstration and explanation of Technology Integration created by Edutopia (great Education resource).  And as scary as it may appear to some, Tech Integration is NOT just within the four walls of our school buildings; or districts.  Successful people know how to and are comfortable with collaborating nationally and globally.

Thanks to +David Lee EdTech.