As I work on this course I am enjoying the information as it gives me more questions to look for, inquire and build upon. This chapter raises the questions of what does a blended program look like for a class. What strikes me is that over and over it is stressed is that the designer needs to be open minded and creative. It is important to determine the type of program that is to be delivered. During my research I came across a description of 6 models of blended learning ( http://www.dreambox.com/blog/6-models-blended-learning). They described the following models
1. face-to-face as in a typical school setting
2. rotation which is where students move between stations that include computer and teacher time (such as when I taught using READ 180 by Scholastic)
3. flex where the students take all classes online in a brick and mortar setting for all classes with support
4.online lab where the school does not have a teacher but provides a lab for one online course
5. self blended where the students attend all day traditional and take enrichment or credit recoup courses online
6. online driver where students have material and lessons delivered online and face to face is optional and check ins are online with teachers.
You as the designer need to determined based on the audience and the class what is the best format for success. Next, determine clear course objectives and which objectives can be delivered better face to face or online. Lastly, decide how to bridge between the two in a logical and smooth way and the amount of time for each.
As I search for ideas I came across some examples of blended classes. In the blentkit group on diigo site( https://groups.diigo.com/group/blendkit) I liked the article My Flipped Classroom – I Will Never Teach Another Way Again( www.emergingedtech.com/…-never-teach-another-way-again) as it gave an example of a college class that gave more instruction online and explanation/clarifications and practice activities face to face. In ch.1 it also gave two good case study examples to give different format structures. The two quotes that I am taking away with me from ch. 1 are from case study 1, “…context is always at the core of the planning and design process.” and “Creating good online learning experiences require effort.” I look forward to next week ch. 2 Blended Interactions.
blendforsuccess 