What Your Education IT Customers Need To Offer "Blended Learning"

"Blended learning is generally applied to the practice of using both online and direct instruction when teaching, blending technology and traditional practices. Also called hybrid learning and mixed-mode learning, blended-learning experiences may vary widely in design and execution from school to school." reports Business Solutions Magazine.

Photo: Business Solutions Magazine

According to Christensen Institute blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns: (1) at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; (2) at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; (3) and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

As the opportunities for incorporating technology into educational pedagogy increase, it will become more important for educators and their solutions providers to understand the options in order to craft the best overall learning environment for their students.

Some of the strategies for engagement through blended learning are suggested by Andrew Miller, educational consultant and online educator, in this blog post from Edutopia. Among the strategies Miller proposes are to leverage virtual class meetings with collaborative work; create a model of learning where student see relevance and need to do the work; reflect and set goals for tasks; differentiate instruction to individualize learning through online work; and utilize tools for mobile learning, with apps like BrainPop or the Khan Academy.
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Source: Business Solutions Magazine