Using Blended Learning to Promote Global Education

Blended learning can come in many shapes and sizes though it is not a one size fits all quick fix. Blended learning is a way to use technology to change what is happening in our traditional classrooms, and not simply a way to fit technology in and maintain the "status quo". (TeachThought, 2013) Blended learning is a way to incorporate online learning experiences to enhance the traditional classroom.


Incorporating online and face to face learning opportunities in todays classrooms can provide a great number of benefits to students around the world. Blended learning, and using online learning opportunities can provide students with endless learning opportunities at a relatively low cost. 

Students in rural areas, with few educational opportunities or experiences can take part in online learning through a variety of courses or programs. For example, Massive Open Online Courses or MOOC are becoming increasingly popular, and can allow students from all over the world to participate in free classes through the internet, often collaborating with people around the country or globe. Students can also attend virtual high school classes to supplement their own high school experience, not just as a replacement. 


Similarly, students in the United States can expand their learning through incorporating digital learning tools such as ePals, Skype, blogs or social media and learn directly from other students about places around the globe. Students can learn about things such as culture, climate, society and education without leaving their own classrooms. In combination with traditional classroom learning, students are able to make connections between textbooks and the global community. 

Also, since online learning can be customized for the individual learning, it can be highly engaging. Blended learning extends the classroom teacher's abilities to individualize learning experiences and provides students with opportunities they may not have otherwise. 





References

Digital Genetics. (Designer). (2012). Global learning [Web Drawing]. Retrieved from http://www.evolllution.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/global-learning-sized.jpg

Global English. (Designer). (2013). Virtual blended learning infographic [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://images.globalenglish.com/files/images/2_awardWinning_BlendedLearning_large6.png

TeachThought. (2013, January 18). The Definition Of Blended Learning.TeachThought. Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://www.teachthought.com/blended-learning-2/the-definition-of-blended-learning/

Schneider, C. (Designer). (2013, August 30). Blended learning chalkboard [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://cdno3.gettingsmart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Blended-Learning-Chalkboard.jpg

Tools for Global Communication

There are many tools available to today’s classrooms that allow students to communicate across the globe.

One of the best hardware tools that should be in every classroom is a computer or other internet ready device (tablets, etc.) as well as an active internet connection. These are the basic tools of global communication. Although it would be ideal to have a device for every student, it is not imperative.

The most basic tool that can be used in classrooms to communicate with others globally is e-mail. E-mail can be sent as a whole class or created by individuals. Sites such as ePals can facilitate the connections between classrooms around the world as well as provide a safe, monitored, email environment.

A step above e-mail would be for students or classrooms to use Skype and webcams to actually talk to other students. This would be a great tool that students can use if they speak the same language or if a group of students learning a language were able to converse with native speakers.

If two groups of students do not speak the same language, it does not mean that they cannot collaborate or communicate. They simply need to use a tool such as Google Translate. Text can be entered in one language and translated into another allowing for truly global communication (see the gadget in the footer to translate this page).

Students can also use tools to communicate on a global platform even if they do not have a specific audience. Students can create wikis or blog (or Kidblog) to present information that is then available to people all over the world.

It is not necessary to have or use all of these tools in the 21st century global classroom. However actively using what is available can help introduce students to avenues of communication as well as diversity around the world.

Web 2.0

Why should we use Web 2.0?


The internet and Web 2.0 tools are fantastic resources in the K-12 classroom. 
When we teach, one of the many goals should be to prepare students for the world in which they currently live, as well as for their own futures. 


Web 2.0 tools allow students to interact with the internet and to create content to share with others. 

When we utilize the internet, a student's classroom is no longer limited to the room they are in. 
Students can find information from resources all over the internet. They can experience works of art located halfway around the world on sites such as SmartHistory.org, or go on virtual field trips. Students can also collaborate with others to share information, whether the students are in the same school or on different continents, the internet and web 2.0 tools allow them to experience things that were once thought to be impossible. 

In my classroom, I utilize Web 2.0 tools for many things. 
For my 5th and 6th grade classes, I am introducing them to project based learning. Currently my students are using Google Apps for Education (GAFE) to research, collaborate, create and present their own redesigned computer lab. My students are utilizing online catalogs to determine the furniture that they would like in the space, and are then obtaining quotes and pricing out the costs associated with their designs. The students are creating their presentations and layouts using Google Docs, which allows them to share their documents among the group and to also share the information with me. This type of real world experience is facilitate by the use of Web 2.0 tools, and allows students to use tools that many will be expected to use in the work place. 

Work in progress: on of the slides from my students' presentation

Web 2.0 tools allow students to have the opportunity to participate in higher order thinking, often at the highest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, providing opportunities to create and evaluate instead of simply to read, remember or understand.