Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Everyday we are inundated with technology. We wake up in the morning and watch television, we listen to the radio on the commute to school; but when we arrive to a traditional school, technology becomes a banned distraction entirely. As technology is enhanced, education has the opportunity to improve simultaneously. Blended learning is a unique method of teaching that combines in-person instruction with online learning. Instead of just throwing some iPads into a classroom, blended learning relies on the effective use of technology in which both students and teachers benefit. Websites like “Edmodo,” a teacher/student interaction page that resembles Facebook, and computers with required books already loaded onto them are small examples of technologies that make a real impact. Center School District Superintendent George Welsh said, “I foresee a time when technology will take the place of textbooks.” In the classroom and in the checkbook, the blending of online and site-based learning has the potential to completely change the way we approach education.

The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation uses four primary blended learning models: rotation, flex, self-blend, and enriched virtual. Rotation model ensures that students switch between online instruction and in-class lessons. This method seems familiar to the structure of elementary classes in which there are always different stations for separate activities. An example of a rotation model-based setting is a “flipped classroom” where students learn lessons virtually and then apply them in class. Self-blend model involves students taking traditional courses at school and additional courses at home.

When I attended traditional high school a few years ago, many online classes were offered in addition to the required courses. This seems to be the most natural high school level implementation option for blended learning because it is not a major adjustment. Enriched Virtual model is simply when students take courses online and then meet with teachers as needed. Flex model is when an entire course is online and teachers are available for in-person support and tutoring. Blended learning tackles the issue of student achievement and having accessible teachers ensures clear student expectations and ownership of resources. In 2013, RAND Corporation researched the effectiveness of blended learning in an algebra class and found that those who spent 60% of the time in the classroom and 40% of the time on Cognitive Tutor software outperformed students in traditional setting.

Not only does blended learning keep students accountable, it also keeps teachers working their hardest to provide the best education. Teachers report that the online lecture is the easy part; the face-to-face aspect of lesson, however, is where the challenge lies. With less classroom time, teachers must plan purposefully to address exactly what they want the students to gain from the lesson. Blended learning demands the most from both teachers and students and causes individuals to work their absolute hardest.

The thing that fascinates me the most about blended learning is how well it contends arguments against virtual learning. Online learning critics often point at the discipline and time-management skills needed to achieve academic success, but blended learning ensures that students are accountable for their education. Meeting with a teacher face-to-face eliminates the idea that students will not aspire to their best on their own. People, especially children, thrive when they get to make their own choices. There is something compelling about having control of your own decisions, and blended learning ensures that students feel connected to their own educations.