Getting educators to a place of power with a powerful method

When I think about educational technology, it has never for me been divorced from pedagogy.  As soon as I encounter a new digital tool, although it might attract me at first based on its novelty, my mind immediately jumps to the connection of how can I use this with my students to __________.  I fill in that blank with all manner of things to include: uncover what they’ve learned, inspire deep thinking, provide a visual prompt or clue, create an engaging hook, etc.  So, sometimes I’m taken aback when colleagues suggest teachers who embrace technology “tool hop” without any intentionality or simply like to play with then next new, shiny toy.

Continue reading Blended learning and teacher empowerment →

Here at the TIIE, we talk a lot about the gap between students’ in-school and out-of-school technology lives. As this gap narrows, the terms ‘blended learning’ and ‘hybrid’ have become pervasive in our edu-speak. But what is blended learning? Is it truly the disruptive force, as many claim, stimulating positive educational change? Or is it simply a matter of smattering of technology tools across lessons?

This infographic, created by Knewton and Column Five Media, provides several models of blended learning and, perhaps even more helpfully, examples of schools where we can find those models in action.

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media