22.+Blended+Learning

Type in the content of your page here. **Blended Learning - inspiring, engaging and relevant.**
 * An Information Sheet**

Blended Learning refers to the mixing of different learning environments and techniques. Learners and teachers work together to improve the quality of learning and teaching. The ultimate aim of blended learning is to provide realistic practical opportunities for learners and teachers to make learning independent, useful, sustainable, engaging, collaborative and ever growing.

Blended learning increases the options for greater quality and quantity of human interaction in a learning environment. Blended learning offers learners the opportunity “to be both together and apart.”A community of learners can interact at anytime and anywhere because of the benefits that computer-mediated educational tools provide. Blended learning provides a ‘good’ mix of technologies and interactions, resulting in a socially supported, constructive, creative and collaborative, learning experience.


 * Blended Learning Tools **

· ** Emerging electronic media ** - computer, mobile phone, i-phone, satellite television channels, data-projector, interactive whiteboard and videoconferencing. · ** Computer mediated instructions ** · ** On-line tutorials ** · ** Face to face instruction ** · ** Communicating tools ** - e-mail, Skype, instant messaging, pod-casting, video conferencing, broadcasting, posting and texting · ** Social networking services ** - Edmodo, wiki's, twitter, MySpace and Face Book. · ** Publishing tools ** - blogging, wiki-ing, web-sites, Moodle, Windows software · **Organising tools** - OneNote, Delicious, Net vibes, Google Reader. · ** Information Gathering tools ** - Internet, Google, i-tunes, You Tube, TED, Wikipedia, apps, Go2web20

1. Rose Bay Secondary 'Blended Learning' example. (More to follow)

Class commences - "chalk and talk" - 5 minutes of scaffolding Students log on to computer/net book Students access Edmodo, teacher has posted a question; students post solutions and build on other students responses. Teacher uploads a task from 'My Documents' which requires researching, organising and evaluating. Student opens OneNote and creates a new page with relevant title. Gathers information from the net, their delicious account, asks other students opinions by posting questions on Edmodo, uses screen clippings and creates a response to the task. Student sends a completed task to a word document and then uploads the file to Edmodo. Teacher uses a data projector or interactive white board to display the uploaded files. Students and teacher evaluates the tasks. Students post positive responses and constructive criticism. Teacher posts an evaluation and reply to each task, the responses are transparent

Teachers have the opportunity to select a couple of 'Blended learning' tools and at a comfortable rate the tools can be blended into the lessons and the curriculum. Teachers and students will gain confidence together allowing the tools to be used more frequently and with greater outcomes. Ultimately the goal of, Blended Learning to be inspiring, engaging and relevant will be met.

