Blended Learning

BLENDED LEARNING

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AN INTRODUCTION

Joel Dodd MSc(Hons) Waik., Dip. Tchg (MUCE), 2010 CORE eFellow

Coastal Taranaki School

Blended Learning: An Introduction! ! ! ! ! ! Joel Dodd 2010

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Abstract

Blended Learning Environments are shaping the future of educational practice in New Zealand and worldwide. An integration of information-based technology and the metacognitive processes of generating, accessing, synthesising and transmitting information, Blending Learning Environments and associated educational practice have been evolving in pace with the development and accessibility of information technology hardware and software, and are now at a point where optimal practice and learning will supplant traditional modes of instruction. For this progression to occur, schools must fully commit to the personal and professional development of their staff within the context of a carefully planned strategy for change.


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ContentsWhat is Blended Learning?! 4

Definition! 4

Impact Upon Students! 4

Role of the Teacher! 5

Technology Used! 7

Pedagogical Models! 7

History! 9

Blended Learning in New Zealand! 10

Creation of Blended Learning Environment and Practice ! 11

Basic Requirements! 11

Classroom Design! 12

Developmental Phases and Curriculum Design! 13

Professional Development! 15

Active elements! 15

Passive elements! 16

Summary ! 16

References ! 17


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What is Blended Learning?

DefinitionBlended Learning is a term that refers to teaching practice that involves a combination of different learning environments. A collective concept, the practice of Blended Learning includes more specialised practical concepts that have been termed e-learning and m-learning, referring to the use of electronic information technology within a classroom environment, and the use of mobile technology to allow a greater depth of learning outside the formal school environment.

A simple definition is that provided by Proctor (2003):“Blended learning is the effective combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning.”

Blended Learning is an adaptive practice of combining traditional pedagogy with modern technologies. There is a range of degrees of integration of tools, method and practice that is customised to reflect the learning objectives, the studentsʼ access to technology, the tools that are most appropriate for the subject matter, the physical location and degree of separation of students and teacher from each other. As described by Valiathan (2002), There is no single model that can be applied to all classes or learning environments. Rather, it is a dynamic environment and practice that necessarily evolves and develops to best suit all factors involved.

Impact Upon StudentsThe most significant impact upon students is the removal of the physical and metaphorical walls of a classroom, enabling them to become independent learners. Specifically, by purposefully expecting and training students to use the information technology tools (ITT) that are becoming ubiquitous in modern society, an effective blended-learning practice (BLP) will develop habits of mind and thought in the students that will be forever an integral aspect of their continued use of their chosen ITT in their lives outside of the formal school environment.

The critical impact upon students is in their metacognitive abilities - how to access, synthesis, utilise and communicate information. The direct application of these abilities is


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the resolution of problems, by which is meant the broad range of issues that students will be confronted with through their professional, personal and recreational lives. The use of ITT within a BLP facilitates the development of the students cognitive skills, creating and reinforcing modes of thought through the methods of information research, transmission and integration that are shaped by the nature and constraints of the ITT used.

Markless and Streatfield (2007) summarised the information flow as a three-way interaction of accessing, interacting with, and utilising information, with more detailed networks of interaction within each aspect. Their model is summarised in figure 1:

Essential to the development of new models of thought is a requisite attitudinal shift from treating research assignments as exercises in collecting information to a conceptual understanding of assignments as a means to inform their own perspectives and develop new insights.

Role of the TeacherFor Blended Learning to be effective and to approach its potential as a means for students to acquire the skills and ability to mentally synthesise and integrate information to form personalised knowledge and independence of thought and action, the teachers must accept fundamental changes in traditional pedagogy and the roles that they are expected to take on. The nature of the paradigm shift is discussed by Markham (2010), and is summarised as occurring when new components are introduced to the educational

The drivers behind the models are student choice and reflection to support effective learning.During three key stages (which do tend towards the sequential) students choose which strategy toadopt at different points in their research. Help and guidance is available for each of the keyelements. Importantly, if one avenue fails they can go back to the big picture and choose another.The framework is designed for students to construct their own problem-solving approaches tofinding and using information. The impact of context on learning should lead students to makedifferent choices depending upon the nature of the task they are addressing.

Two points should be kept in mind when considering this framework:• the heavy emphasis on transformation and construction of knowledge is designed to encourage

students to stop seeing research/assignments as a process of collecting information and insteadto see in terms of forming their own perspectives and creating new insights. In HE, coursesproclaim their desire to create critical and independent learners. Information literacy shouldenable students to discover and present their own authentic voices.

• The framework can be populated by exercises, problems or advice - both from librarians andother academic staff. To this end, the professional jargon of librarians has been assiduouslyavoided.

There are three elements to the new framework (see figure 1 below):• Connecting with information• Interacting with information• Making use of information

Figure 1: Information and Critical Literacies

Information

Literacy

Connecting with Information

(orientation; exploring;

focussing; locating)

Making use of information

(transforming;

communicating; applying )

Interacting with Information

(Thinking critically; evaluating;

transforming; constructing )

monitoring Reflecting on experience and outcome

Each of these elements is unpacked below.


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environment, adding to the complexity of educational programs as teachers are expected to use the new elements within an established model of practice. The shift develops as the status quo is disrupted and teachers either attempt to incorporate the new elements into traditional practice, or to adapt and change their practice to better suit the new elements.

Barajas et al. (2003) identified the seven key roles of a BLE teacher as:learner - recognising that some students may be more skilled than the teacher, who must

be prepared to learn new skills from them;tutor - subdivided into further roles of modeller, coach, consultant, referee, assessor,

managercollaborator - working with the students as a project leader and, as a radical challenge for

traditional roles, as a peer of the students in the project team;developer - preparing new IT-based resources, or providing input to other developers;researcher - teacher develop their own learning pathways and monitor their progress

through active research of student participation, feedback and achievement, effective innovation, self-reflection and recording, and the research of other teachers;

life-long IT trainee - the pace at which IT has developed in the last fifteen years has outstripped the collective progress of the previous forty, and has required teachers to become familiar and competent users of new technology and to modify their teaching practice. It is likely that IT will continue to develop at the current pace, as the current level of technological attainment provides a deep foundation for further development.

member of team of teachers - as BLE extend beyond the traditional physical confines of a classroom, the learning activities of students extend through to collaborative activities with students in other classes, other schools and other countries, requiring their teachers to increase the level of their intercommunication and joint planning. The teacher team may be neighbouring classrooms, or with teachers in different schools.


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Technology UsedAll tools used relate to the creation, storage, transmission and retrieval of information. A blended-learning environment engages students in each of these aspects, but to be truly effective the BLE supports a pedagogy that develops studentsʼ ability to access, create, integrate, utilise and transmit information to fulfill a task.

Available tools include:

tool generate store transmit retrieve

digital camera ✔ ✔

cellphone - static ✔ ✔ ✔

cellphone - web enabled ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

mp3 player ✔

computer ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

video conference suite ✔

interactive whiteboards ✔ ✔

data projectors ✔

stylus tablets ✔ ✔

digital microscope ✔ ✔

data loggers ✔ ✔ ✔

internet ✔ ✔

robotics ✔

GPS ✔ ✔ ✔

personal digital assistant (pda) ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

books ✔ ✔

scanners ✔ ✔

Pedagogical ModelsFor a school to adopt a policy of developing Blended-Learning Environments in its classes, it must be prepared to undergo a radical change in models of thought of both staff and students, each of whom have experienced a potentially small range of learning


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environments, almost certainly of a traditional teacher-focussed tradition with the board and books being the principal tools of information transmission. The classic paradigm of education is being challenged by a new model that breaks down old barriers, both physical and conceptual, and involves a world of directly-accessible digital information.

Of note is the distinction of term pedagogy, which Markham (2010) defines as both the science and art of teaching, and as a model of the learning environment that allows its participants to achieve certain learning outcomes, with the distinction that the sub-models of instructivism, constructivism, progressive, distributed cognition, activity and critical theories are not themselves pedagogies, but are each equally-valid models of how people learn, with none of them directly defining instructional practice. A model of the interaction of these sub-models was draughted by Carman (2002), and is depicted in figure 2. Implicit in each model of learning is epistemology, described by Markham (2010) as the theory of knowledge acquisition. As described earlier, each ITT that is available will generate or access information. The challenge is how to use each tool to best effect to not only make information available to the student, but to teach the skills of information synthesis - these metacognitive skills are central to any developed model of education in a BLE.

The model that is developed by any school will be a unique reflection of the skills, abilities and personalities of the staff and students who will form the dynamic partnership within the schoolʼs evolving BLE.

Figure 2: Interactions of pedagogical sub-models. Carman (2002)


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HistoryBlended Learning, as an integration of digital information technology into teaching practice and environments, has existed for as long as digital computing has been accessible to the public. With the introduction of mainframe computers into businesses during the 1950ʼs came the need to teach employees how to use them. Bersin (2004) gives examples of some of the earliest purpose-written educational software, which contain the same elements of modern BLE. A useable interface, a sequence of structured information-based tasks with feedback provided to inform and shape the progression of learning.

As technology improved, the existing infrastructure allowed further advances in the range and utility of hardware, driving the cost down and improving the accessibility of the available technology to non-commercial society. As ITT became more pervasive, the need to train people at younger

ages to use ITT became apparent, and as educators became more familiar with the available technology they became more willing to use it to support their programs.

The 1960ʼs saw the introduction of sound recording equipment, followed by early video recording gear. Office technology was quickly adopted by teachers who were keen to mass-produce teaching resources. The greatest developmental phase came in the early 1990ʼs with the introduction of CD-ROMs. With the internet still in its infancy, the development of the market for CD-ROM publications - educational games, encyclopaedias, desktop publishing software - brought the regular use of computers into most classrooms and schools. When the internet became sufficiently functional for its productive use in education, the skill-set required by both educators and students was already in place.

Figure 3: Development of Blended Learning, Bersin (2004)

2 THE BLENDED LEARNING BOOK

Instructor-LedTraining-ILT

Mainframe-BasedComputer-Based Training

1960s–1970s

Satellite of GroundBased Video

“Distance Learning”1980s–1990s

PC-BasedCD-ROM

“CBT”1980s–1990s

Integrated Blended LearningWeb, Video, Audio,

Simulations, ILT,and more ...

2002 ...

LMS BeginningsAICC

Standards

First GenerationWeb-Based TrainingVirtual Classroom

“E-learning”1998–now

© Bersin & Associates4 Blended Learning: What WorksTM

Figure 1.2. Evolution of Technology-Based Training

The Evolution of Technology-Based Training

Blended learning is the latest step in a long history of technology-based training. What we describe in this book is the continuationof thirty years of experience using technology for training and edu-cation. Although this evolution is far from over, where we aretoday is an important place, built on several major steps and learn-ings in this exciting industry. This short chapter on history will pre-vent us from having to “relearn” what has been learned before.

In the evolutionary steps which led us to where we are today,we start with traditional instructor-led training. (See Figure 1.2.)

Instructor-Led Training

There will always be a role for the teacher, professor, or subject-matter expert to teach and entertain us in a classroom. Instructorsconvey enthusiasm, expert knowledge, experience, and context.

bers14381_ch01.qxd 7/19/04 12:09 PM Page 2


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Blended Learning in New ZealandAlmost every school in New Zealand uses ITT to manage, deliver and record teaching practice, but to a wide variety of extent and character which is a direct reflection of the skills, IT competence, motivation and conservatism of the educators involved in each learning environment.

Conservatism is perhaps one of the greatest retarding influences upon the development and implementation of an optimal BLE. Many teachers incorporate ITT into their teaching practice, which remains teacher-led in principle. Typical examples include classrooms which may have a smartboard, but all desks are arranged in rows facing forward. The IWB has simply replaced the whiteboard as a means of presenting information, and the actual teaching practice remains an analogue of that described in literature, examples including Hardy (1895) and Eliot (1859).

Many schools were quick to introduce computers from the 1980ʼs onward, but the classic model was to isolate all machines in a single room - the computer lab. This was a modification of the traditional “typing” room, and was a convenient way to manage the use and maintenance of what has always been a significant financial investment in technology that was later to prove depreciate in value extremely rapidly as the development of ITT gained momentum.

The development of ITT since 2000 has become more integral with the internet, which itself has developed from static pages of information (Web 1.0) to a more interactive information management system (Web 2.0), where the content of web pages can be created, edited and managed actively and in real time by those who access it, using the new generation of cheap mobile technologies, which include cell phones, GPS units and portable laptop computers.

The challenge that is now being taken on by a range of schools through New Zealand is to acknowledge the availability and functionality of mobile ITT and to create new educational programs and practice that utilises and exploits the new level of learner connectivity with the internet and each other that extends beyond the walls of the classroom and is demonstrably already a part of the learnersʼ personal lives outside of the school


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environment. Some schools are already working with advisors to develop new practice, and some schools are working independently on their own projects. The advisors, for example CORE Education and the Virtual Learning Network, are supported by the Ministry of Education and are facilitating the creation of networks of educators who are actively investigating new BLE practice in order to foster inter-communication and mutual support consultancies. The schools and educators who seek out and become actively involved in the clusters and national networks are becoming more progressive in their adoption of BLE practice and are forming the vanguard of a radical change in education.

It is certain that learners who progress through the new BLE schools will be equipped with a range of cognitive abilities that are superior to what can be provided through the classic teacher-led practice. Anecdotal observations have been made that adult workplaces that involves workers sitting in rows facing their supervisor are rare, and that current changes in BLE are modelling the skills and characteristics of the adult work and professional workplaces environments.

Creation of Blended Learning Environment and Practice

Basic RequirementsTo develop an effective BLE in a school, four main aspects (Robinson et al., 2005) must be accounted for:classroom design - the traditional layout of a room focussed upon a whiteboard reduces

the effect of a BLE that works to break down traditional barriers and involve the world of information that can be accessed through the managed use of ITT;

professional development - ensuring that the teaching staff have an appropriate minimum set of ITT skills and the knowledge of how to use and integrate the range of available ITT into their teaching practice;

infrastructure - the BLE must have a workable, reliable IT infrastructure that can be easily accessed by all learners;

curriculum design - within the flexibility and scope of the governing national curriculum, collective and individual teaching programs must be developed that best utilise the optimum combinations of available ITT.


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Classroom DesignThe classroom is the principal learning space, but it should not be the only learning space. Well-managed use of ITT allows students to access information that is beyond the physical bounds of the school environment, and also allows them to share information that they generate with the same outer world. Oblinger (2005) describes how an effective learning space can contribute to the formation of new interactions between students, both socially and intellectually. A BLE departs from the traditional focus of student attention on the teacher and blackboard, once partnered with books as the sole means of information transmission. According to Oblinger, an effective learning space should:

★ support discussion, experience and reflection based learning★ enable face-to-face and online discussion inside and beyond the BLE★ enable communication and support positive relationships between team-mates

and external facilitators★ dynamic, and able to be easily and quickly reconfigured for short periods of time

to enable short-term group and individual activities without losing overall functionality

★ fully accessible at all times★ provide students with adequate personal working spaces and the capacity to

bring in additional ITT as required


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Developmental Phases and Curriculum DesignAny BLE must evolve alongside the developing skills of both students and teachers. The tools may be available, but the model that reflects optimum practice for any class will be unique to that group of learners and their teacher. in essence, the BLE is a product of personality, technology used, and the subject being learned. For an environment that is being created, the process of developing an effective BLE has been summarised by Gilly Salmon (2000) in her Five-phase model as described in her landmark research in e-moderation (http://www.atimod.com/e-moderating/5stage.shtml)


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http://www.atimod.com/e-moderating/5stage.shtml

http://www.atimod.com/e-moderating/5stage.shtml

These provide a guide to the development of an effective elearning environment in a school, but an earlier decision must be reflection upon the nature of the BLE that is be developed. Valiathan (2002) summarises the different approaches as being defined by either skills, attitude or competency:

Why How

Skill-Driven Model:

Learning specific knowledge and skills requires regular feedback and support from the trainer, facilitator, or peer.

• create a group-learning plan that's self-paced but bound to a strict schedule

• pad self-paced learning material with instructor-led overview and closing sessions

• demonstrate procedures and processes through synchronous online learning labs or a traditional classroom setting

• provide email support• design long-term projects

Attitude-Driven Model

Content that deals with developing new attitudes and behaviors requires peer-to-peer interaction and a risk-free environment.

• hold synchronous Web-based meetings (Webinars)

• assign group projects (to be completed offline)

• conduct role-playing simulations

Competency-Driven Model

To capture and transfer tacit knowledge, learners must interact with and observe experts on the job.

• assign mentors• develop a knowledge repository

(LCMS/LMS)

With the nature of the model agreed upon, care must be given to the content and delivery. Carman (2002) has summarised this aspect into five required elements:

1. Live Events - real-time, teacher-led activities that involve all students;2. Self-Paced Learning - assigned tasks that students undertake individually in

their own time;3. Collaboration - team-based activities and assignments that require

communication - personal or online - between team members;


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4. Assessment - pre- and post-testing to regularly assess both the degree and pace of student learning and the effectiveness of the learning strategies being used;

5. Performance Support Materials - physical ITT hardware and software-based reference materials that are available to assist with the generation, storage, synthesis and transmission of information.

Professional DevelopmentBlended Learning Environments require a minimum level of teacher competence with the range of ITT that the school plan involves. Not only must the teachers be able to use the ITT available, but they must have a thorough understanding of the potential uses of the ITT both as individual tools and as a part of an integrated activity with other ITT, other teachers as a part of a collective developmental team, and between other students. The dynamic nature of an optimal BLE requires a depth of thought, creative solutions and novel ideas that can be developed as a combination of personality and training.

Robinson et al. (2005) have described the different aspects of the professional development of the staff in their subject school as an integral part of the development and implementation of their plan for a valid BLE. The PD program has elements that can be classed as either active or passive.

Active elements• Group tutorials• Mentoring by other teachers• External courses• Focus Groups, on an as-needs basis, for example the introduction of a new ITT• Teacher-directed skill implementation for students - teachers participate in the

direct tuition of junior students in fundamental IT skill acquisition.• Extended workshops


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Passive elements• online self-paced tutorials - using the content of the International COmputerʼs

Drivers Licence• Learning technologies Steering Committee - fluid group of teachers who

research and develop the use of new technologies, and train other staff once their own expertise has been developed.

• Expos and Showcases - opportunities for staff to share their own innovations,• Helpdesk - an email contact for assistance from other teachers or available

technical experts.

SummaryBlended Learning is integral to the future education of students if they are to fulfill the stated expectations of the New Zealand Curriculum - that they become confident, resilient lifelong learners who are contributing positively to the well-being of New Zealand, able to relate well to others and are effective users of communication tools, and are active seekers, users and creators of knowledge. For a school to equip its students with these skills and attitudes, it must make an on-going commitment to create and develop the learning environments that utilise and exploit all available technology in a dynamic fashion. Integral with this commitment is the continual development of the the skills and creativity of the teaching staff. A school cannot be a partial blended learning environment, nor can it achieve its goal with only partial participation and commitment of its staff and students.


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References

Barajas, M., Scheuermann, F., Kikis-Papadakis, K., (2003), Is the Role of the Teacher as the "Knowledge Authority" in Danger in an ICT-Learning Setting?, elearningeuropa.info

Bersin, J., (2004), The Blended Learning Book, John Wiley and Sons, Incorporated

Carman, J. M., (2002) Blended Learning Design: Five Key Ingredients, KnowledgeNet

Eliot, G., (1859) Adam Bede, John Blackwood

Hardy, T., (1895) Jude the Obscure, serial form.

Markham, S., (2010) A SocioCybernetic Approach to Educational Systems, Computing Education Research Group Monash University (Draught)

Markless, S., Streatfield, D., (2007) Three decades of information literacy: redefining the parameters, in Andretta, Susie (ed) Change and challenge: information literacy for the 21st Century Adelaide: Auslib 2007 (http://www.informat.org/pdfs/streatfield-markless.pdf)

Oblinger, D., (2005) EDUCAUSE review, educause.edu

Procter, C., (2003) Blended Learning in Practice, In Inaugural Education in a Changing Environment conference, University of Salford, Salford

Robinson, J., Thistlethwaite, C., Wong, T., (2005) Breaking Out of the Box, National Institute of Education, Singapore (conference)

Salmon, G., (2000) E-Moderating: The key to Teaching and Learning online. Kogan Page Limited: London

Valiathan, P., (2002) Blended Learning Models http://www.astd.org/LC/2002/0802_valiathan.htm


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