Call to Action
Blended Learning
Disruptive Innovation
By focusing on how we can improve learning in our classrooms through technology, disruptive innovation has the power to transform our educational system. One of the more disruptive changes to take hold in education is blended learning (Horn, 2015). As part of the Applied Digital Learning program at Lamar University, I am developing an innovation plan to implement blended learning in my classroom over the next year. I explain why in my call-to-action video above!
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As a non-traditional school, our students are accustomed to a flexible schedule and completing some of their courses online. With a blended model, we can take learning to the next level by creating an environment that promotes engagement and empowers students to take ownership of their learning (Horn, 2015). We struggle with attendance and motivation, and our student cannot afford to fall further behind. In fact, we need to do everything we can to accelerate their learning. Although some of the attendance issues are beyond our control because of the difficulties in our students’ lives, there is much we can do to make Cooper a place they want to be all the time. My innovation proposal explains how blended learning can be beneficial for our students.
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My plan is to pilot a blended learning model for my World History course this year. I chose to pilot a program first because I felt it was important for me to have the growing pains to draw from before I advocated for a school-wide implementation. For my literature review, I read an abundance of research on blended learning, but I feel like experience is the best teacher. I also chose my World History course because it has lower stakes as a non-tested subject. There will be more room for trial and error and freedom to learn along with my students since there is not a state assessment to prepare for. The goal is to take everything I learn from this pilot project and use it to inform a school-wide blended learning initiative next year. My two-year implementation outline provides a monthly breakdown of every stage of the project.
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This journey into disruptive innovation has been enlightening for me and I’m eager to share all the possibilities it has to offer for our school. When you are able to change your mindset and view technology as a tool to improve learning rather than an obstacle in the way of teaching, the opportunities for student achievement are boundless. As I’ve travelled along this road of learning, I’ve started a collection of resources that will continue to guide this endeavor. I encourage you to take a look at the list of resources and begin to see all that blended learning has to offer. I have also subscribed to a number of websites and newsletters to stay abreast of the latest news and innovations in educational technology. My learning networks page lists the resources I will use to continue to learn about and improve upon my blended learning initiative.
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Learning and improvement are ongoing processes and I want to be proactive about understanding and leveraging the power of change in educational technology to help our students succeed. We are at a critical moment of change in education and our school is favorably positioned because we already have experience with online and flexible learning. By taking another step forward with blended learning, I want to help transform our school into a student-centered model to deepen our students’ learning.
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References
Horn, M. B. & Staker, H. (2015). Blended: using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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