by Kim Loomis | Jun 25, 2016 | Blended Learning, Online Learning, Research
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Instructure Canvas Learning Management System staff about preparing teachers for a digital learning classroom. Over the last five years working with Nevada’s Clark County School District, with over 10,000 teachers, in this area we’ve seen the full scope of educators from early adopters, to middle meddlers, and the slow to change. Moving to digital learning takes a mind shift in pedagogy and philosophy that embrace technology as a tool for instruction. Too often professional development is focused on the tool’s “point and click how to” leaving teachers with little ideas on “why to” or “when to” deploy the tools. It is important to take the time to start with pedagogy and philosophy, so that teacher understand initially why and how to adopt digital learning. Concerns that teachers bring to digital learning professional development range from making the change from a comfortable known environment, being replaced by technology, lack of control over pace and content, to fear of failure. Internal voices scream these concerns loudly through participant’s heads as they partake in professional development. What we do to calm these concerns and reduce the internal chatter is key to helping change teacher’s mindset. To reduce teacher concerns about the digital learning classroom have them become a digital learner themselves. Having them step into the role of an online/blended learner makes the unknown and makes it known. Learning through technology helps participants see that technology does not replace the classroom teacher, but rather changes their role. By being an online learner, participants discover the teacher’s role and allows them to become...
by Kim Loomis | Jan 26, 2016 | Blended Learning, Digital Learning Models, Online Learning
There are many vendors in the digital content market that sale online secondary semester-based courses, which they will all claim are aligned to every state and national standard. Before making a purchase, start with confirming they meet your specific state standards. Then ponder how best to deploy the courseware. There is no one right solution, but many ways courseware can be utilized. Here are ten different deployment models to consider. These different models demonstrate how to reach more students with a single product. Exceeds our typical 500 word post, but well worth the read, plus bonus infographic at end. Traditional Semester Calendar-based Online Courses. Use the product as intended within an 18-week semester calendar to pace student. Highly qualified subject area teachers can be in the room with students or from a distance. This is ideal for programs with limited enrollments, such as Advanced Placement or world language courses. For example use courseware to assign AP Calculus to students who sit in the back of the room in a mathematics instructor’s pre-calculus class. Using an 18-week semester calendar will help pace students (and posting of grades to transcripts in the student information system), as the immediate access to the instructor and ease for one-on-one instruction will enhance student opportunity for success. Single Content Area Virtual Lab. Schedule students in a lab for one period of the traditional school day. Assign one subject area (e.g. English, grades 9-12) hosted in the lab with a highly qualified teacher in the room. The instructor may conduct whole class activities (great for hands-on investigations or projects to enhance the digital content),...
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