The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Check out my reflection on online and blended learning.

I began my online learning and blended learning experiences within the last two years. I received my Master’s degree in Instructional Technology and have gained many experiences through my degrees work along with our online classes at PLS 3rd Learning.  Most of my entire Master’s degree program was done online using an LMS system. As a student, I’ve explored various online tools and am challenged each day how to incorporate them into my classroom. My thesis, itself researched how using a web-based site can be used to help with English language students. 

As a teacher, I’ve begun to take a more blended learning approach with my students. I’ve adapted many of my previous lessons to add a technology component. As discussed above, I’ve begun implementing the use of online web-based tools such as kidshealth.org. This site is a great tool that takes articles about the human body and translates them for EL students to learn and understand. I use this tool as a way to emerge both the English and Spanish language of the human body. I’ve also changed many of the typical articles printed into interactive projects that get my students to learn how to work with one another face to face paired with the use of laptops to research specific topics in class. I’ve begun to adventure more with my students by opening opportunities to create power points, online Glogster posters  and videos. 

I hope to continue building a blended learning environment in my classrooms and hope to assist my students in online learning. Incorporating web-based sites as a research tool, creating videos, watching videos, and creating ways for students to engage in learning with technology will help provide a great and exciting learning environment. 

The biggest challenge with blended and online learning personally is having enough laptops for each student to work on.  I know there are many other concerns such as accountability and proper use but being that my school doesn’t have enough laptops for each student its a struggle to emerge full use of technology equally. In my classroom, I have the pleasure of seeing my students once a week for forty minutes. This is challenging to fully develop a hybrid style of learning using rotations but this is something I hope to adapt and implement in the near future.  The best part of blended learning however is still having the face to face interactions. Although I don’t have much experience with online learning, I feel the lack of face to face experiences takes away from the personal touch. Students must be self-driven in an online class and as a teacher in fourth grade this would be extremely tough to accomplish. With blended learning, it allows a teacher to still engage with each student directly and use both verbal and nonverbal cues to keep students focused and on task.

We don’t stop playing because we got old, we grow old because we stopped playing… George Bernard Shaw