Professional Development: BLENDED LEARNING

If there is a silver lining to trying to do school in the midst of a pandemic, it was the rapid advancement in the focus on using technology as a learning tool in the classroom We live in a world where technology is a large part of our day-to-day lives, and as students progress through school, technology becomes essential to learning and education.

"Practice and exposure to computers in general, are gateway skills needed to access 21st-century learning tools," said Jared Dawkins, Middle School teacher.

Technology is also constantly changing, so our teachers need to learn and to be exposed to the new and advanced ways technology can be used in the classroom. Middle school teachers recently completed a Blended Learning course offered by The University of Texas. Blended Learning is an instructional approach that combines online and inperson learning activities. This type of instruction gives students some control over the time, place, and pace of their learning.

Kids love technology, so having it as an active part of the classroom keeps students engaged and allows them to learn in an enjoyable way.

Crystal shared an example of how Blended Learning has immediately benefited one of her students "I have a student who is very averse to writing with paper and pencil," shared Crystal "Having the work in Google Classroom gives him some flexibility in doing his classwork. Also, apps allow the student to create blogs, podcasts, or videos, so he can better explain his understanding of the material." Teachers find that lessons that embed a technology component help students stay on task, use creativity, and complete work quickly and efficiently.

"Allowing them to experience new creative apps to further their understanding is an excellent way to help the kids," said Jared. "There are a lot of great educational apps available that can help kids enhance their learning "

Jared's key takeaway from the training was that "you can utilize blended learning models to streamline some classroom routines, free up the teachers' availability to facilitate challenging activities better, or offer more assistance to students who need it."

Blending Learning was overall an excellent training for our Middle School staff. This type of learning offers an opportunity for anywhere and anytime learning. It supports differentiation and allows students to work at their own level and pace. The course provided training in how to design instruction for students that is engaging and personalized It develops teachers' skills to design instruction that addresses the "why," "what," and "how" of learning