Blended Learning so technifying

Is blended learning just “technifying” what we do traditionally? Can we still call it blended learning if we just add a couple of presentations using powerpoint in the middle of our lesson?

Blended learning has become a new buzzword in education and many are convinced of its benefits. Many educators feel a need to jump on the bandwagon without fully understanding the advantages to blended learning. Some believe that blended learning is about the addition of technology and the internet to traditional classrooms, the incorporation of online components to traditional face-to-face learning. This meant that what they are teaching could now reach a wider audience, and some discussions and teachings can be moved to an online environment.

However it is important that educators start to move away from just incorporating/blending some technology into the traditional classroom (Vaughan, 2007).  There is a need for educators to see blended learning as a pedagogy, and thus revitalising their thinking and use technology to enhance the learning experience.

Children grow up in a different world now, and the way they use technology is different as well. How often do we see them sitting in front of the TV on the phone chatting while surfing facebook on their laptop?

So if this is happening shouldn’t education and learning change with the times, and change with the learning styles of 21^st century students? There are examples of schools throughout America who have taken advantage of blended learning, and education institutions in Pennsylvania are providing “home-schooled students with a viable full-time curriculum, support services, and means of access—along with a legitimate diploma upon completion of coursework” (Stone, 2008). How exciting is the prospect that a home-schooled student can now get the benefits of traditional schooling with the advancement of technology.

Blended learning also allows students to learn in a way that is most beneficial to them. Some students may benefit from learning through gamification (https://www.coursera.org/course/gamification), while some still prefer physical books and working with people. “The beauty of well-blended learning is that people can learn in a medium or media that suits them personally” (Trasler, 2002).

Another advantage of blended learning is the greater time flexibility and improved learning outcomes that blended learning model provide the students. To set up an efficient and useful blended learning model may take time on the teachers and the institution, and students may find navigating and becoming comfortable with blended learning to be difficult initially. But once they overcome these issues, students have found blended learning to be more suitable to their individual learning styles (Vaughan, 2007). Although students in a blended learning environment do have to take greater responsibility for their own learning and learn to manage their time, so putting the initiative back to the learner and promoting active self-directed learning may become an important direction for teachers (Trasler, 2002, Vaughan, 2007).

I think as we enter the world of blended learning, it gives educators the opportunity to update and redesign the current learning programs (Vaughan, 2007). It is possible for teachers and policy makers to identify what works well and what could work better, and use e-learning when it genuinely adds value (Trasler, 2002). Educators can break down “existing programme into its constituent parts and identify the most appropriate medium for each to give greater flexibility” (Trasler, 2002).

As we start incorporating more technologies into our classrooms and our teaching, it is important to realize that not all students see the benefits of blended learning and online collaborations with peers (Ellis et al., 2007). Therefore learners and educators need to work together to evaluate the successes of the program, and together find solutions to problems that arise from blended learning.

2 videos that help sums up blended learning through visual methods for those who prefer visual media, and click here if you prefer info graphics.

To sum up, I’ve listed some advantages of blended learning when done well (feel free to add in the comments if you think there are more)

• Flexibility
• Ability to learn with a media that best suits the student
• Ability to reach a wider audience
• Range of variety that can attract, retain and motivate learners

I think as technology advances blended learning will become an inevitable part of our learning and teaching. We just need to embrace it so we can use it to our best advantage.

Reference

ELLIS, R. A., GOODYEAR, P., O'HARA, A. & PROSSER, M. 2007. The university student experience of face-to-face and online discussions: coherence, reflection and meaning. Research in Learning Technology, 1.

STONE, A. 2008. The Holistic Model for Blended Learning: A New Model for K-12 District-Level Cyber Schools. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 4, 56-57,60-71.

TRASLER, J. 2002. Effective Learning depends on the blend. Industrial and Commercial Training, 34, 191-193.

VAUGHAN, N. 2007. Perspectives on Blended Learning in Higher Education. International Journal on ELearning, 6, 81-94.