4.2 Blending and Teaching
These videos and the following information will help you come to a clearer understanding of blended learning - what it is and isn't in relation to digital teaching and learning.
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In Ontario, there are several resources available to support blended learning in the classroom. You can explore some of these and determine how you would apply them to classroom instruction. The Ministry of Education defines and compares blended learning.
Samples of how technology is integrated into the classroom and changes the role of teacher and learning are provided for clarification.
Deborah McCallum provides insights and tips on her blog post Tips for Running Blended Learning Environment with your Students. Valuable information for teachers new to this form of digital teaching and learning.
Flipped Learning
An awareness of FLIPPED LEARNING is also essential. This term is often used interchangeably with blended learning but has distinctive features. The definition is "a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter. The four pillars, as defined by the Flipped Learning Organization, are shown in the image. Find and follow some teachers who are integrating 'flipped' teaching -
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vLE and OERB - let's explore virtually
From the Ontario Ministry of Education website, there are links to the learning management system (LMS), the Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB) and the e-Community for Ontario teachers and school boards.
Webinars linked from the Ministry of Education website provide an asynchronous way to become familiar with blended learning tools, methods and structures. Once you are into the eLearning Ontario portal, your courses and selections are found along the top navigation bar. For those familiar with Desire 2 Learn, this will look familiar.
You can link directly to the OERB from within the eLearning portal.
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There are a variety of webinars that were conducted and recorded to provide information for Ontario educators about eLearning options. These include
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References and Resources
- Edutopia, Video links related to blended learning http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-blended-learning-resources
- What is Flipped Learning http://flippedlearning.org/cms/lib07/VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/46/FLIP_handout_FNL_Web.pdf
- 7 Excellent Free Blended Learning Resources - Understanding the Whys and Hows of Mixed Mode Instruction, Kelly Walsh
- 16 of the Best Blended Learning Resources, Edudemic, posted Jan. 5, 2015
- Blended Learning - A disruptive innovation http://www.knewton.com/blended-learning/ - also linked from the image below