Blended Learning Options

By Anonymous -
I have become a true believer in using blended learning in our 1 to 1 computer classroom.  Blended learning is an approach that combines face to face classroom methods with computer- centered activities to form an integrated instructional approach.  

Blended learning gives my students the opportunity to access digital media content any time that they need it.  It also is strengthening their computer literacy skills through the multi-media rich content.  Our students are really loving learning through different modes of blended learning.

 Here are some of the ways that I have been creating blended learning lessons and units for my students:

 #1 - Schoology
Schoology is a free LMS that I have been using quite a bit lately.  What I love is the fact that it helps to organize and host the content  in one place.  Students can access videos,  quizzes, discussions, files and links easily.  I also love that my students can turn in an assignment from their Google Drive and I only have to open one window to view all of the students' Google documents for grading. Schoology's grade book is awesome!

 Currently I am using Schoology for blending my math class and my reading class.  I am also using it for my Tiger Time group (RTI) to quiz my students and have digital discussions as they read a novel.


#2 - Google Sites  
I have been using Google Sites and Course Director for some time now.  Google sites makes it very easy for me to add content, including Google documents, Google Forms or Videos.  When I create a course with a Google Site, I can customize the look and layout of the site to make it fit the class I am teaching.
#3 - Glogster Edu 
I have just recently started using Glogster as a way to host content and blend my instruction.  Glogster is used for creating online posters.  What makes it so appropriate for hosting content is that a Glogster can include all forms of multi-media:  video, images, audio, text and graphic art.  Glogsters are easy to embed and share.  Another great feature of Glogster is the ability to create a template and share that template with students.  In this way students can access content on the template, but can also add their own content to the Glogster.
Here is a great example of using Glogster for blended learning:


Here are some more benefits of blending instruction in the classroom:

  • we use much less paper since students turn in their work electronically
  • students are becoming more digitally literate 
  • students are more in control of the pace of their learning
  • my online units and lessons are ready to go from year to year
  • quizzes and tests are graded within Schoology or a Google form to save me time
  • students are engaged in the online discussions and the classroom  activites
  • I am preparing students for the 21st century and for the future of online learning
I highly recommend giving the blended learning model a try if you have the technology available to do so.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Concrete Poetry Sites - This Is So Much Fun!

By -
Image
Poetry Month is Right Around the Corner Are you getting ready for Poetry Month in April? If so, I have some resources to share with you for creating concrete poems. Concrete poems are words written in a shape to convey a poem. They look like this: Recently I went on a mission to search for a site to use with a fellow colleague and her students. They wanted to make concrete poetry on their Chromebooks. There aren't many sites that allow the user to actually write words into any shape.  There is the Read, Write, Think interactive for Theme Poetry.  Here is what it looks like. The words can be added inside of a shape. The interactive guides students through the writing process There is a site from WildAboutWoods.org  where a person can choose a shape or draw one of their own and add words inside of the shape. There are word banks to choose from or a person can type in their own words to add to the shape. I like that adding words is as simple as click ...
Read more

My Blog Makeover - How I Did It

By Anonymous -
Image
I love change and and rarely do the same thing over and over.  So a blog makeover was  inevitable .  It takes quite a bit to make a blog look completely different, but I have found ways to make it easier on myself. Here are the resources I used to complete my blog makeover.   I found the background at the Dotty Dot Dot blog.  I chose Summer Sunset and simply had to copy the code and insert it.  I found directions on how to do this here .  I could have use the header (the title at the top of a blog) from this site as well, but I decided it was too plain, so I searched for a different header. Shabby Blogs provided me with a header that fit my background perfectly.  I found directions to change my header here . I wanted to add my blog title to the header, so I used a photo editing site called Fotoflexer .  This was the first time I had used this site and I loved it!  I have since used Fotoflexer for some other projec...
Read more