Several years ago I began blending my instruction in a second grade classroom. Throughout this journey I felt isolated and alone as I planned my instruction, but I quickly realized that I had tons of support from classroom teachers around the world who were also blending their instruction. I began taking advantage of Twitter where I was able to further my understanding of blended learning and found the support I needed to move forward in my instruction.
Image Credit: Ed Tech
This course opened my eyes to the many myths about blended learning. I think I would have found these to be true several years ago, so I can see where people are coming from. However, I know there are effective resources out there that make blended learning just as fabulous for an instructor as his/her students.
I feel that through my instruction over the past few years I have thought about these myths, but was able to quickly dismiss them because of the success I had with my personal students.
Image Credit: Emersive Tech
This year I took on a new role as our school’s Instructional Coach. Our school has also moved to a blended learning focus. I am hoping to learn the best instructional strategies for teaching elementary students in a blended learning environment as well as ways to squash some of these myths with our staff. Throughout this course I have completed research that supports implementing blended learning within the elementary classroom. I am able to take this information back to our professional learning communities as I support teachers within my school to continue with their implementation of blended learning.
I love this infographic from Digital Learning Now.
About three years ago I began providing blended learning opportunities for students in both 1st and 2nd grade. I began researching best practices for implementing online tools as part of my daily instruction. I have since become more aware of TPACK and the SAMR model and continue to think through those frameworks as I design online instruction. As I’ve conducted research around a variety of instructional design models I’ve realized this is a piece I need to be more cognitively aware of as I design online instruction for my students.
I have been able to identify trends, implications, as well as some recommendations based on notes provided by our class after reviewing a variety of literature pieces around instructional design.
Trends:
As I looked through the research for popular trends in the articles read by students within our class, I found that creativity and engagement continue to be trends in online instructional design just as it is in face-to-face instruction. Good teaching is still good teaching even when applied to online instruction. Instructors need to continue modeling, providing time for practice, assessing, and making changes in instruction based on these assessments. These instructors also need to be creative in their instructional design in order to keep students highly engaged.
Image Credit: worldteacher-andrea.blogspot.com
Earlier this year I attended a conference where Dave Burgess presented his idea of “teach like a pirate”. His philosophy has roots in being creative and continuously engaging students. As online instructors use the mentioned instructional design frameworks to design their instruction with a mix of “teach like a pirate” I believe we would have high student success. The research supports the success of using instructional design frameworks that encourage creativity and highly engaging activities. Check out Dave Burgess’ website here
Image Credit: 3rdgradethoughts.com
Implications and Recommendations:
According to the research, there is still little research around the use of blended learning opportunities for higher education. The research also implies that effectively using any of the instructional design frameworks such as the ADDIE model, Universal Design for Learning, Merrill’s First Principles support student success. These models can support instructors in designing effective online instruction for learners in higher education.
As we move forward with online learning in higher education instructors need to make changes to their instructional designs by taking of advantage of an instructional design model that best fits their needs as they redesign their instruction. Even though good teaching is good teaching whether face-to-face or online, the instructional strategies look different and many times these instructors struggle keeping online students highly engaged.
As an instructor that provides online learning opportunities for my students, I look forward to using a mixture of these models as I redesign instruction for my students. I also believe participating in online classes as a student with an amazing professor has been a fantastic model for strong online instruction!
As I’ve engaged with multiple instructional design models I’ve been able to relate to all of them in one way or another as I think about my personal instructional methods. The Universal Design for Learning framework and the ADDIE framework are both very new to me, but I feel that I can relate to these two models the most out of all the instructional designs we are studying.
The ADDIE framework isn’t a linear process, so this gives instructors the flexibility to work through each part of the framework that best fits their needs. I fully support each phase of this framework, however, I feel that this framework is missing some very important pieces to effective instruction. This framework doesn’t mention the importance of engagement. An instructor could spend a tremendous amount of time in these five phases and the instruction would mean nothing if learners are not engaged in their learning. ADDIE needs to have an extra E. . . ADDIEE!! I also believe this framework doesn’t specifically address the need for collaboration and communication which is such an important skill to learn as we prepare students for college and/or a career. I realize this could be included in the design of the course, but I like how the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines include engagement, collaboration, and communication as part of the framework.
I also love the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines. I believe this framework would be a great way for beginning instructors to ensure they are providing strong, effective instruction. I don’t believe this framework encourages the reflective piece that is found in the ADDIE framework. It is so important to think through why you are doing what you’re doing. The ADDIE framework encourages analyzing and evaluating course instruction. The UDL guidelines address the need for reflective practices for the student, but not necessarily the instructor. I also like how the ADDIE framework has the instructor think through the goals and learning objectives, and these important aspects of effective instruction are not mentioned in the UDL guidelines.
For me, I feel that I follow the ADDIE framework as I think through and design instruction for my students. I feel that I follow the UDL design more closely when I am actually designing and developing course material and activities. However, both of these instructional frameworks are missing the idea of starting with the end in mind and designing acceptable evidence before starting instruction! :) We need the Understanding by Design framework mixed in here as well! Looks like we need a new framework with a whole lot of letters!
This is the first I have learned of the three UDL principles and the guidelines and I can definitely see how this framework would lend itself to great instruction. I feel that I follow some of the guidelines on a regular basis, and other guidelines that need to be improved in my daily instruction.
Guidelines
My Instruction
Multiple Means of Representation
Teaching elementary school really lends itself to multiple means of representation. We are always looking for ways to reach and teach every child. We use songs, manipulatives, videos, games, etc. in order to teach a variety of skills.
We also spend lots of time building background knowledge in reading and our math curriculum is set up in a way that it builds off prior knowledge.
I feel that I can grow in the area of addressing patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships. Sometimes I get so focused on what I’m trying to teach that I forget to think of my instruction in a broader context.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression
As a blended learning classroom, I have been able to provide instructional materials in a variety of ways. I usually model activities, work through activities with them, and then provide them opportunities to show their understanding on their own or in a collaborative group. Through the use of data notebooks I have been able to guide appropriate goal setting and manage progress monitoring.
Multiple Means of Engagement
Through the use of gamification I have been able to provide student choice and eliminate threats and distractions for students by allowing them to work at their own pace. Gamification has also allowed my students to work toward mastery of standards instead of just getting a grade. They were able to resubmit work samples until they were able to show mastery of the skill. Gamification gave my students the opportunity to be responsible for their own learning. I need to give my students more opportunities to reflect and self-assess.
I strongly believe in the power of engagement! I had a friend who recently shared a blog post with me about the levels of engagement. Check it out here. When I first started teaching I had very well behaved students. I realize now that I was running a Well Managed Classroom (see below). I continue to strive for the Highly Engaged Classroom. We all know that our students come to us on different levels and with different interests, so this is a challenge. . . but a challenge I enjoy thinking through every week at planning!
This year my classroom is one of two blended learning pilots in my district. This opportunity has definitely opened my eyes to the idea of providing online learning for young learners. I am excited to share with you my journey with blended learning in a first grade classroom!
At the beginning of the year I had the awesome opportunity to collaborate and plan with Dr. Linton and Miss Mrazez (the other blended learning teacher). We thought through the implementation of blended learning for this school year as well as what a day-in-the -life of blended learning would look like in a first grade classroom. I was able to take all this information and make it my own as I began to provide blended learning opportunities for my students.
Last year, I had the opportunity through our region to participate in their Digital Learning Academy where I attended a session by Lucas Gillespie (@lucasgillespie) in gaming. This session got me excited about gamification and new ways to engage my young kiddos. He introduced me to the 3D GameLab which is a learning managment system used to provide gamification opportunities for students.
I hoped to jump right in to the 3D GameLab (3DGL) with my students, but after collaborating with Dr. Linton I decided to provide these gamification opportunities on paper and through the use of Nearpod before intoducing the 3DGL to my students.
I wanted to ensure my students had choice and that I was meeting the needs of my students. At the beginning of each math unit my students would take a pre-test. This gave my students the opportunity to earn experience points for those skills and concepts already mastered. I would then pass out a handout that listed possible math quests. Students would choose quests they would like to skip by using experience points as well as the order they would complete these quests. The handout would give them a Nearpod code. They would put the code in Nearpod and work through the presentation. At the beginning of the year some of these presentations would include a video of me giving directions (all students could not read), a video of me teaching specific skills and concepts (used to flip my classroom and/or for review), and a way for students to show their understanding. Others would be math journal opportunities with choice, skill practice, and hands-on opportunities. Students were also able to earn badges for quests completed for hard working behaviors (time on task, completing two quests in a day, etc.).
Here is an example of a handout from the beginning of the year.
Unfortunately, these Nearpod codes have expired. Sorry!
As my students became comfortable choosing their quests and working through these presentations, I introduced the 3D GameLab. They now get to their quests through the 3D GameLab. They are still able to use experience points to skip quests, move through the quests at their own pace, earn badges, and level up to more challenging opportunities. My students love the feel of the 3D GameLab and are ecstatic when they earn new badges!
Here is an example math journal quest from the beginning of the year.
I also provide online learning opportunities in Language Arts. Here is an example from earlier this year.
I have learned so much this year about blended learning, but I continue to learn something new everyday! Next year my school will be a blended learning magnet school! It will be awesome to have team members to collaborate and plan with as we all provide online learning opportunities for our students.
I teach first grade in a brick-and-mortar school, but for the past three years I have provided blended learning opportunities for my students. Through these experiences I have played around with asynchronous opportunities. Two years ago I taught second grade and my students were active bloggers. They would blog about our character kid, our science investigations, and about the books we were reading in class. I began facilitating asynchronous discussions through our learning management system about their blog posts. It was a disaster! My students did a great job answering my questions, but they never interacted with each other. The few students who attempted to interact with their classmates only made comments like, “Hi” and “I like your post”. I had a very difficult time getting them to reflect on their own posts and/or think critically about posts made by their classmates. We were able to have fabulous conversations about these posts when we were face-to-face, but I was not able to get these same responses through an asynchronous discussion. It’s not that my second graders (or even my first graders) are not capable of handling asynchronous discussions, it was the method of instruction (or lack thereof) by me.
Online instruction can be difficult, but with the use of synchronous and asynchronous opportunities online instructors are able to provide effective instruction if used appropriately.
Asynchronous instruction allows students to communicate with each other and provides the instructor the opportunity to facilitate the discussions. In order to provide successful asynchronous instruction there are several things to keep in mind. Instructors need to keep in mind the social, cognitive, and teaching aspects of the process. The diagram below allows us to see how these three aspects work together to create effective online experiences for our learners.
Students may find it difficult to develop relationships online. They not only struggle seeing others as real people, they also struggle communicating their own personality. It’s important for instructors to model social presence and set the stage for his/her hopes for asynchronous discussions. Another helpful strategy in building social presence is requiring asynchronous discussions and even grading these discussions. Students are more likely be actively involved in discussions if it’s for a grade.
Cognitive presence is also important in facilitating successful asynchronous discussions. Instructors need to select prompts that require learners to solve a problem or debate with their colleagues in order to engage students are require the use of critical thinking skills As students are building relationships among their colleagues through discussions, it is imperative that these discussions push them to reflect and better understand the concepts at hand. Instructors play an important role in facilitating these discussions by asking appropriate questions to further learning and/or challenge the standing of the post.
Teaching presence is the last piece needed to create effective asynchronous opportunities for your students. Even though we want our learners to learn from each other, the instructor’s presence needs to be felt throughout the discussions. Not only does the instructor need to provide prompt feedback, he/she also needs to provide meaningful responses throughout asynchronous discussions. Another effective strategy is to give students the opportunity to facilitate discussions. You may find that some students are more comfortable responding to someone one equal footing rather than the professor. Check out the video below! Not only does it support using asynchronous discussions with your students, they also provide some strategy in using these discussion boards.
Now I feel more prepared to facilitate asynchronous discussions with my first graders!
Through my research on asynchronous facilitation, I came across this post which is a great resource for effective tools that can be used for synchronous and asynchronous opportunities.
Check out the article below for more information on asynchronous discussions!
For the past few years I have been incorporating more and more technology within my classroom. I have attended several state technology conferences as well as local technology trainings. I was excited to start a digital toolbox because I knew I would have LOTS of tools to add. I didn't add tools to my toolbox throughout the semester, but I would email myself tools that I wanted to try out and then once I was able to check out the tools and decide if it's a tool that I would actually use as a teacher I made the decision as to whether or not I wanted to add the tool to my toolbox.
Once I started reflecting on my toolbox I was surprised by what I saw! It was interesting to me that most of the items placed in my toolbox were tools I would use to create learning objects. Even though these learning objects are interactive for my students, I have very few items in my toolbox that require my students to create using a digital tool. I'm not sure I would have realized this if I wasn't forced to reflect on the tools that I placed in my toolbox. I considered the SAMR model and ISTE standards as I was rating my tools. The tools in my toolbox definitely give me the opportunity to redefine tasks for my students, however, I need to consider the ISTE Standards as I continue to add to my toolbox. I need to continue my search for digital tools that allow my students to create and collaborate with others.
I also realized what was important to me and my teaching as I reflected on the tools in my toolbox. My top priorities were always user friendly (for me and my students) as well as the ability to deliver content. Some of the tools I use on a daily basis are not free, so I need to be thinking about the sustainability of these tools for the future.
I chose Pinterest to house my Digital Toolbox because it was easier to put my ratings, but the more I added tools to my toolbox I was glad I chose Pinterest because of the ease of accessing my toolbox. I now pull up my Digital Toolbox when we are planning as a grade level team and as I plan out my quests. I use Pinterest for educational purposes on a daily basis, so I know I will be able to easily add more tools to my toolbox.
For those interested in starting a Digital Toolbox here is a great article and a LiveBinder with helpful tools to help you get started!
