Why Implement Blended Learning in the Classroom?

Blended learning has caught on in schools and universities, and with that teachers can optimize the timeliness and focus on the curriculum and students can better fit learning time into their schedules.  

Benefits of online learning:

Simple Flexible Logistics: Time is the greatest limitation on learning, and that goes for both teacher and students.  Each of whom has to be both available and in alignment and with the other for face to face instruction. By removing that requirement both teachers and students can participate at a time and for a duration that suits both of their schedules. 

Immediate Results and Feedback: Anyone who has graded papers knows how time consuming it could be.  Many of the standardized tests still rely on evaluation techniques that slow results. Most online learning technologies integrate online quizzes and testing and other tools to more rapidly evaluate the pace of learning. 

Better Retention: With smart design, user experience and multimedia, online instruction can prove to be a richer and more effective learning experience than traditional methods and channels.  

Greater Access to Expertise:  If you take away the limitations of geography and expertise is free to travel almost anywhere.  This transformation allows information on highly specialized subjects to reach more people, paving the way for advances in different fields.  

The Most Up to Date Content at a Much Lower Cost:  Anyone who has enrolled in a college course knows the cost of textbooks.  With the remote delivery of curriculum allows instructors to keep materials up to date, and the lower cost over time.  Remove what for some are obstacles to furthering their education.  


Online learning is still a relatively young industry promising a rich future of breakthroughs, new models of teaching are already emerging that have the potential to take online learning to greater accomplishments.  

5 Blended Learning Skills for Teachers

As schools implement the blended learning models, the role of the teacher is shifting and teachers will need different skills to be successful. There are 5 common skills that will help teachers be successful in the blended learning environment.

1. Comfort the Chaos
Teachers need to learn to be comfortable facilitating a learning environment where students will be engaged in different activities and working on different concepts and skills. The teachers shouldn't be alarmed with seeing students conferring with peers when she is working with other students. Teachers need to create a strong culture up front with expectations and clear norms, where blended learning will amplify that culture.

2. Student Learning Data Analysis and Decision Making
Teachers need to use more data to drive better instruction for students.  Responding to individual student data in real time or on a daily basis, happens in many blended learning models today. This is a significant and important shift for kids to master.  Teachers will be able to spend more time analyzing and figuring out what to do with the data they collect on students from their intuition and observations.

3. Targeted Learning Opportunities
Teachers have been forced to deliver a unified educational experience.  Teachers will now need new skills to learn how to support students who are learning different things at different paces, through different approaches.  Teachers need to be able to facilitate different learning opportunities for students, such as one-on-one tutoring, small group instruction, project based learning and lectures.

4. Specialization
Teachers won't have to be all things too all people.  As blended learning models mature there will be opportunities for team teaching and differentiated roles for teachers.  Some teachers may be content experts, other learning coaches or facilitators and others may be teachers who look like case workers.

5. Technological Prowess
Technology is being simpler to use in our daily lives and because of this teachers won't actually need as much in the way of technology skills to teach in a blended learning environment.  Teachers will skill need basic skills and teachers will be able to communicate through a variety of mediums to explore, identify, and use a variety of online tools to meet students' needs and be able to do basic trouble shooting such as helping students download plugins and reset passwords etc. For teachers being able to teach effectively offline as well as online will be critical.

With the use of these five basic skills it will help teachers provide a unique way of engaging students in collaborative work and projects and personalizing and individualizing instruction for all students.