Today my reflection is on this idea of a blended classroom. What does this mean? What does this look like? How does this work? How do I plan for it? I do I monitor it?
When technology was first introduced to me in regards to use in the classroom around student devices – it was a push to do “paperless”. Let’s quit doing paper. What I’ve always struggled with around this model is “Where do students do their math then?” Math is one of those things that is just gratifying to do with a writing utensil. I have yet to find a [Student] device that is conducive to students doing their work digitally. Besides pictures of work, it felt like only a replacement. Even then, a replacement I wasn’t sure of.
I’ve had many conversations with people who are respected as people who use “technology” in their classrooms. Yet, when I analyze this. It’s meerly a replacement for what we do. I love the app notability. However, notability is only a replacement for a document camera or a white board. [I’ll add again. I love this app and I actually love what this program does for management.] Are these tools really enhancing student learning though? Or just doing the same thing in different clothes? Same with videos. Is that just the same thing in a different package? Examples and lecture?
It wasn’t until recently that I have had a few “lightbulb” moments around technology in the classroom. The focus isn’t “paperless” or “replacement”. The focus is “blended”. Can we do an interactive task on the computer? Then have a classroom discussion on it? [Until recently, I had no idea this was possible until I sat in on a meeting with an amazing math coach.]
Blended. Doesn’t mean we don’t use paper. It doesn’t mean we don’t use technology. It means we use both differently. It means we use them in harmony. It means that one complements the other. They don’t have to clash. They do have to be intentionally paired. Like good food with good wine.
I don’t have answers. Only questions. How do I blend my classroom better? How do I find harmony between technology and good teaching strategies? What technology tools do I have access to in order to do this. I’m not content with just using technology to assign assignments. There has to be much more to this.
Ormberg Teaching 
Gah! I wish I had read this before today. I just did my favorite structure for a blended lesson with my students this morning. It’s actually just the structure I put on “Learning in the Loo.”
The key for me in your post is that it should be a hybrid of the best elements of digital learning and the best elements of face-to-face learning. There’s a lot of research supporting this, too. In fact, there is a lot out there now that is showing that truly paperless classrooms more often than not harm student learning.
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