A Blended Learning Environment: Using Technology to Create a Wall-less Brick & Mortar Classroom

1. A Blended Learning Environment: Using Technology to Create a Wall-less Brick & Mortar Classroom Sandy Anaka Jill French

2. Who Are We? Sandy Anaka

3. Jill French • Masters of Educational Technology through UBC (2005) • I teach grade 5 using a blended environment • guiding questions: why, how, when, and which technology best supports my students’ learning (high/low) • goal: to use technology purposefully & seamlessly throughout the day

4. What is a blended learning environment? one definition….. • face-to-face + computer mediated learning (Charles Graham) • wikipedia (check)

5. Goals for this Presentation • to briefly explain why using technology in diverse ways is important • to demonstrate practical methods of how you can gradually shift towards increasing your use of technology • to provide numerous support links to help you with this gradually shift This presentation is available online at

6. Why use digital technology in the classroom? • changes is society • online Connectivity Conference 2007 • changes in learning • leads to some changes in teaching practices

7. Why….Benefits We Have Noticed • increased engagement levels • easier access to experts • transparency of learning (support material, daybook etc) • supports independent learning (e.g. wiki) • provides diverse types of reading (e.g. instructions, information) • provides new ways to learn about your students and to inform your teaching (blog) • easy access for me • provides new ways to teach, model, extend student learning

8. Why….Supports Synchronous Learning • synchronous: information or learning occurring at a specific time • examples: • Elluminate (e.g. V-class) free for 3 participants • benefits: • ideas and thoughts can be exchanged immediately

9. Why….Supports Asynchronous Learning • asynchronous: information and learning not dependent on a specific time • examples: • video cams (San Diego Zoo) • current events (CBC news) • follow a researcher (Catt Trax 2 ) • conference session video • benefits: • information accessed at own convenience

10. How….Slowly, inch by inch • Table showing traditional small change

11. How…Daybook Online • interactive daily schedule • example daily schedule • benefits • schedule is archived • accessible to parents (homework, child away) • accessible to teacher to revisit a lesson • accessible to students to revisit a lesson

12. How…Cross Curricular • holistic instruction • for example: • CattTrax2: BC researcher exploring global connection i.e. economic, environmental (project) • benefits: • constructed knowledge (wiki) • non-linear learning

13. Language Arts vocabulary • vocabulary: easy access for daily vocabulary building • for example: • vocabulary building Daily Buzz Word • benefits: • dynamic: new word daily • social construction

14. Language Artsmini-lessons • access to mini lessons quickly & efficiently • example: • mini-lessons online • spelling rules • benefits: • students can access at any time • teacher faces students, easily monitoring participation level • minimal time used to access, discuss lessons

15. Language Arts assignments • example: • novel study • story writing • benefits: • enhances the ability to explain the activity (hyperlinks provide further information) • can be linked to mini-lessons chapter summaries • exhibit work e.g. student stories

16. French • Teaching French can also be supported with interactive sites • examples: • support teaching (resources, lesson plans) • support learning (resources) • benefits: • online pronunciation (essential phrases)

17. ScienceSturgeon Recovery Project • real life, current and relevant science units • example: • Sturgeon Unit • benefits: • current, relevant text can provide the information Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative • connections to local field trip opportunity • review material e.g. Jeopardy

18. Science & Social Studies • access current scientific research • examples: • Catt-Trax2 • Units with goals, vocabulary, assignments, and support links online • benefits: • real-life, current research • relevant • constructed knowledge (wiki) • networks students with global issues

19. Math • supporting students’ learning in math • examples: • visualization tools (addition with regrouping) • math term definitions • post lessons and quizzes online • see the ‘story in data’ weekly graph • pie charts or a variety Create a Graph • pie charts compared to other graphs

20. Math continued • benefits: • instruction: diverse tools • helps address different learning styles: visual learners • access by students and parents at any time • practice from concretemid to abstract

21. Fine Arts • supporting our Fine Arts content • for example: • music (theory, how to play, class music) • Drama (Readers’ Theater) • visual arts lessons • benefits: • provides support material • supports independent learning

22. Examples from the Classroom • e-journals • story writing • French: Preparing for an Immersion Class • Show What You Know: representing new knowledge • Power Point Presentation • Socially Constructed Knowledge • wiki “comesee” • blog “Northern Muses”

23. Technology Used to Support These Activities Hardware • SMART Board • digital projector • Computers Software • All The Right Type • Macromedia Dreamweaver • Elluminate (free access online) • MS Word (we originally used OpenOffice) Other • Internet • web space (our FirstClass provides this) • Blogger (https://www.blogger.com/start) • pbwiki (http://pbwiki.com/education.wiki) • Jeopardy (How to create a Jeopardy Power Point)

24. Further Resources • Learning Theories http://www.emtech.net/learning_theories.htm http://tip.psychology.org/theories.html http://www.learningandteaching.info/ • Instructional Strategies http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/categ.html http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/models/

25. Resources continued • Other Professional Development links (more on Jill’s site) • Tutorials http://catalyst.washington.edu/help/ • Blended Learning Environment (video) http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=-4338441514462445595&hl=de

26. Resources continued Social Networking Tools • Global Learning Communities • Curriki http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome • Taking it Global http://www.takingitglobal.org/ • Learning Circles http://www.iearn.org/circles (video clip) • Global Campaign for the right to Educationhttp://www.campaignforeducationcanada.org/en/index.php more……….

27. Social Networking Tools • Technology software available online SMART Technologies http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-us/ Elluminate: http://www.elluminate.com/vroom/ Wiki: open-source software http://c2.com/cgi/wiki moodle: open-source software http://moodle.org/ Blogging: open-source software http://wordpress.org Blogger.com http://www.blogger.com

28. Social Networking Toolscontinued • Questions & Answers: Teacher Magazine hosted this chat with Will Richardson, author of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms and founder of Connective Learning. http://www.edweek.org/chat/transcript_10_10_06.html

29. Online Technology Newsletters • This link will take to a list of online newsletters, journals etc. Resources Online (put in the actual address)

30. Ideas in Practice • working with the experts: Virtual Astronomy • Pro D Connectivity global conference (52 countries, 1000 registered participants) at home: University of Manitoba • daily technology use (example from Jill’s class) • Why use technology in the classroom? a summary (continually evolving)

31. If you are interested in anything you have seen and would like support from a peer, please email Sandy at sanaka@sd91.bc.caor me at frenchj@mail.sd91.bc.ca and I will try to provide the help you need.