There Can Be No Blending Without a Plan.

Chapters 3 and 4 of Blended focus on how to mobilize schools towards a successful blended learning environment. These chapters flow nicely from the first section of understanding blended learning. I've enjoyed reading about this aspect of 1:1 computing because it does not get discussed nearly enough. Developing a vision and creating specific teams are hugely important to focus on the needs of the school first. Schools should thoughtfully consider the reason for investing in 1:1 computing and what type of blended model will serve a school or group of students the best.

What is the Goal? 

Educators must be proactive about technology use because our information society has lulled us into a complacent state with slick marketing making technology appear to be all so easy and wonderful. I am sometimes guilty of getting caught up in this mindset and focusing too much on the buzzwords that can distract from the proper focus: increasing engagement in the classroom. The authors recommend beginning with the mindset of the desired goal that is to be achieved. To accomplish this task, the authors argue it is important for learning organizations to develop a shared vision or strategy and to establish a network of teams. There is no reason to purchase technology infrastructure without a vision for accomplishing a specific task. Expecting computers to be the 'catch all' solution for the challenges schools face is naive. However, this is the approach learning organizations can be prone to follow. Technology use in schools cannot be expected to solve every challenge of learning and instruction.

It's About Priorities.

Schools should expect support from technology facilitators to prioritize problems and identify potential solutions to increase student engagement. However, effective technology can be negatively impacted because of underwhelming professional development. One area where facilitators can lend support is to offer suggestions on increasing engagement. Students will likely be more engaged when the learning taking place in the classroom holds meaning and context. To provide this context on an individual level means gathering and analyzing data during a lesson while providing the student real time feedback. An important transformation occurs with the use of tools such as Socrative because there is no lag time between the learning process and when the student learns the results of his/her performance. However, teachers may not realize the full potential of the data being collected without training and support. In our book discussion group we thought a professional development session that focused on analyzing data and how to use it to create a future lesson would be a worthy task. All teachers use information and grades to plan lessons but the use of technology can shorten this time frame significantly and increases opportunities for helping students be successful amd have fun.

More Than Digitized Worksheets   

Perhaps the most common challenge I see as an ITF is the perception that a simply using the computer is helpful to the learning process. As described earlier, our cultural perspective from outside the school can warp what we expect of technology use inside the school. Use of a computer over pencil and paper is a substitution that can be a starting place towards more lasting change. Teachers should be encouraged to see that blended learning is much more than having students read a digitized worksheet while answering questions on paper. Refer back to my previous blog post on Chapters 1 and 2 to learn about how SAMR can provide ideas for moving beyond substitutions.

Aspire to a Goal

Another worthy aspirational goal is to implement a blended model into a subject area and build slowly. Implementing a 1:1 initiative is best accomplished in a slow and steady manner. Teachers and students should not be expected to use the computers all of the time. Rather, teachers and school leaders should discuss which subjects would be a good starting place for trying more blended learning techniques. Blending more traditional learning methods with newer strategies is a constant process of experimentation, reflection and risk taking that, over time, brings profound impact.

Slow and Steady

So what comes next after a rallying cry and vision have been determined? Teachers and school leaders will need significant support and follow up. Changes to instructional practice are slow in coming and often for good reason. Teachers will need to rely heavily on each other through teamwork and collaboration. The authors' discussion of team design is very interesting, but I am unsure as to how much this team framework can be applied in the school setting. Most of the research for Chapter 4 is based on coporate and commercial examples and the authors' previous book Disrupting Class. The ideas pesented have been around for a long time but with different names or buzzwords. For example, my book study colleagues and I are furthering our understanding of schools and technology through this book study. This is happening whether or not we consider ourselves an autonomous team as described by the authors. These ideas seem to be based in the field of industrial organizational psychology that examines how people coexist in the commercial workplace. Many of the schools described by the authors are charter or private schools that have more flexibility in determining an organizational structure. 

As the book study cotninues, I anticipate seeing a plan of action about how exactly these challenging tasks can be accomplished.