MY BLENDED LEARNING PORTFOLIOSheila Majask

Chippewa Valley Schools

                          

My Blended Learning Portfolio by Sheila Majask is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

BACKGROUND I teach 9th Grade Global History at Dakota High School. I

use many digital tools in my classroom instruction including Edmodo, Weebly, and Prezi. I also assigned technology projects to my students. I wanted to do more!

In 2014, I enrolled in the BLiC course offered by REMC to learn more about the topic of blended learning. Although I had taken another course in online teaching, I needed a refresher course and to see what was new.

This course introduced new information to me, but also challenged me to try to implement what I had learned right away.

Barren, Angela. Dakota High School. 2014. JPEG File.

THE COURSE…..The course was divided into 8 modules, each covering a different important topic related to the iNOCAL Standards.

iNOCAL Standards are created by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning for Quality Online Learning

Click on the image to see the standards

iNOCAL. Standards Teaching V2 Cover. 2011.Majask, Sheila. "BLiC Course Modules." 2014. PNG file.

WHAT IS BLENDED LEARNING?

Majask, Sheila. “Screen shot of definition of blended learning from http://www.christenseninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Classifying-K-12-blended-learning.pdf ,” 2014, PNG File

Blended Learning takes the traditional face-to-face classroom in a brick-and-mortar building, and adds an online portion to the class where students monitor their own time and place to learn.

Self Blend Model

Rotation Model

Flex Model

Enriched Virtual Model

There are several different models of Blended Learning. They range from implementing a flipped classroom where the teaching is done outside of class and projects/assignments are done in class, to a self blended model, where students choose to take some of their classes entirely online.

ARE YOU READY TO BLEND?

An online class is not for everyone. Students that want to find out if they are ready for a blended course should take this self evaluation.:http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/selfEval.asp

Or view these tips for being a good online learner:http://teaching.uncc.edu/academic-technologies/moodle-2/students/tips-being-successful-online-learner

StudentsTeachersTo teach online, educators should posses the following skills:1. Experience with a wide range of

technology 2. Good time management skills3. Knowledge of current online teaching

laws and practices4. Ability to communicate online

synchronously and asynchronously5. Knowledge of Copyright Laws

Majask, Sheila. “Distance Learning is right for me." 2014. PNG file.

MY BLEND? My blended classroom is classified as a Lab Rotation model, where my

students use the online resources when lab time is available. They will also access parts of the lesson at home.

I am using Blackboard as my learning management system. Students will use Blackboard for lessons, assignment submissions, discussions, group work, and assessments.

Majask, Sheila. “Blackboard Safe Assign Module." 2014. PNG file.

TIME MANAGEMENT & BALANCE Time management is one of the biggest challenges in a blended

environment. Teachers often have to be available outside of the normal school day to address issues, answer questions, or to communicate with students.

To best manage time and live a balanced life, you have to plan for AMPLE time. Analyze work patterns to ensure the best

management of time and to work more efficiently

AMPLE

Map your tasks to ensure that everything is completed and nothing is missed

Plan & Prioritize to get everything done and the most important items get done first

Leave time for yourself to connect with friends and family or participate in sports and hobbies, so that you don’t get burned out

Execute the plan!

TIME MANAGEMENT – DIGITAL CALENDARS

Digital Calendars are a great way to manage your time.

I use Google Calendars for my family life, I import calendars for important groups (cub scouts, boy scouts) and from important people with whom I need to coordinate calendars (my husband).

I use Microsoft Outlook for my work life.

I have all my calendars synced to my phone, iPad, and computers with reminders set up so that I don’t miss anything!

Majask, Sheila. “My Outlook Calndar”. 2014. PNG File

TYPES OF BLENDED LEARNING

Majask, Sheila. “Classifying K-12 Blended Learning”. 2014. PNG File

Click on the image to read more about different types of Blended Learning

There are many different types of blended learning

It is important to learn about the different types of blended learning to see what will best fit into your plan and which will meet the time constraints of your school day and to ensure that technology will be available when needed.

Blending your classroom should also be discussed with your principal, technology department, and others that will need to support your blended classroom.

INTEGRATING THE BLENDED COURSE Integrating the blended course takes much planning and preparation

Good blended learning shifts the focus from the teacher to the student. This can be achieved with the implementation of Project Based Learning (PBL). To learn more about project based learning at: http://bie.org/

Blended learning promotes increased engagement of students in the learning process.

1. Build a strong sense of community – try icebreakers!2. Communicate often3. Create standards for behavior in the online environment4. Model positive interactions5. Plan ahead6. Stay in touch with the latest news and research via social

networks and professional learning communities

Tips for Success

Majask, Sheila. “LMS Icebreaker”. 2014. PNG File

COPYRIGHT AND BLENDED LEARNING

Online teachers have to be aware of copyright and what they post on the Internet. In a brick-and-mortor classroom, teachers often overlooked copyright law, but that is not possible in an online environment.

We can’t expect our students to avoid plagiarism if we ignore copyright law.

Be sure to make yourself aware of copyright law. Copyright Basics: http://

www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf The Teach Act: http://

copyright.lib.utexas.edu/teachact.htmlBlogs, Mike. Copyright Logo. Digital image. Flicker. N.p., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 9 May 2014.

Learn about royalty free resources available through the Creative Commons: http://us.creativecommons.org/

WHAT ABOUT THE LEARNER? Accessibility for students is a concern in the digital environment. Websites

and media are not always friendly for all students.

Watch the following video to see how the Target website makes it hard for those with visual disabilities to shop online.

http://youtu.be/wQT9yVeu_js

Majask, Sheila. “Internet Access for the Blind on You Tube”. 2014. PNG File

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING

Universal Design for Learning is a framework that provides teachers with a structure to ensure all learners can be successful.

UDL, encourages educators to embrace the use of technology to meet the needs of all learners.

The 3 networks are: Recognition networks - the what of learning Strategic networks - the how of learning Affective networks - the why of learning

See the UDL Guidelines here: http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines#go

See how technology can make a difference: http://youtu.be/SkhpmEZWuRQ

UDL Wordle. Digital image. Http://udl4all.pbworks.com/f/1214179044/UDLWordle.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2014.

ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY

Assistive Technology. Digital image. Flicker. Leeward Community College Library, 4 May 2012. Web. 9 May 2014.

• According to section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, all Web site content be equally accessible to people with disabilities

• This includes any online portion of a blended learning experience.

• While blending a class it is important that all websites and media meet the needs of all learners

CLOSED CAPTIONED VIDEO• As part of the BLiC class, I created a

video tour of my website, created a transcript, and closed captioned the video.

See the video here:http://youtu.be/RmPB-uxwlcA

Majask, Sheila. “Website Tour”. 2014. PNG File

Learn how to create your own closed captioned video here:http://youtu.be/9K4WJs94FfY

Majask, Sheila. “Closed Caption Video How To”. 2014. PNG File

ASSESSMENT

Kid Connectivity. Digital image. Flicker. Huston Public Library, 24 Jan. 2008. Web. 9 May 2014.

Both formative and summative assessments are necessary in any environment to evaluate that students achieving the objectives for each unit.

There are many tools available for assessments in the online environment.

SocrativeRubistar

Google Forms

Weebly

LinoEdublogs

BLENDED CLASSROOM POLICIES

For the best results in a blended learning

classroom, it is important to have established

standards and rules. A syllabus with blended

learning expectations will establish let students,

parents, and administration know that you have policies that are expected to be followed.

Majask, Sheila. “syllabus”. 2014. PNG File

RESULTS OF BLENDED LEARNING

Implementing blended learning has caused me to reevaluate how I teach my classes. I need to give up some of the teaching control, and allow my students to take control of their own learning.

I am piloting a “Bring Your Own Device” policy in my classroom next year to open up more possibilities for blended learning

Students are more engaged with digital technology, which makes it exciting to teach my students and find ways to make it better.

I use data, which is easy to gather with my online environment, to evaluate student success.

I am implementing new ideas as a result of blended learning including online assessments, discussion groups, and project based learning.

Coghlan, Michael. Learning With IPads. Digital image. Flicker. N.p., 31 July 2012. Web. 9 May 2014.

FEEDBACK

Bernhardt, Ingo. Homework on the Beach. Digital image. Flicker. N.p., 201o. Web. 9 May 2014.

Not having a classroom of my own this year has made it difficult to see how this will change my teaching practices. However, the changes I have made on the way to get to this point have been overwhelmingly positive. Students love to use technology and are excited when they get to use it.

The best feedback has come from colleagues and administrators who are encouraging my efforts to blend my course. I have been asked to train others, and my colleagues seek out my help.

THE BLIC PROJECT The Blended Learning in the Classroom Project is a free course offered by

the REMC Association of Michigan

To find out more information about the BLiC project watch this video: http://mistreamnet.org/videos/2740/introduction-to-the-remc-blended-learning-in-the-classroom-project

Majask, Sheila. “Screen shot of BLiC Moodle Course,” 2014, PNG File.