I ran across this Infographic from DreamBox that talks about the 10 Blended LearningTrends.  Here are just a few of my comments about the 10 tends.  

• Student Centered- Students need to take control of their learning.  But this is a hard concept for both the teachers and students to grasp at first.  Students are used to being told what to learn and teachers don't always enjoy letting going of the control.  Once both parties come to realize the power, then Blended Learning becomes a powerful way of learning. 
• More Wifi- While working with schools across the country, this seems to become one of the biggest problems with Blended Learning.  The teachers are ready to implement BYOD and more technology into the curriculum but the connectivity is just not enough to support the learning.  
• Personal Devices- I am amazed at how many students own their own personal devices.  Especially, in the K-2 classrooms.  Training needs to be provided to the teachers to help them manage the devices and how to use the mobile learning for more than just pictures.  Here is an idea for using the BOYD in your classroom, take the 1 Second Everyday Challenge with your students between now and the end of the school year.  

As a Blended Learning Coach, I get asked the question, What does Blended Learning look like in the classroom?  My response is a Reese Peanut Butter Cup.  (Mainly because I love peanut butter and chocolate) 

No but really, the Blended Learning Classroom is like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup, let me explain.  



Direct instruction from the teacher is like the Chocolate.

• Students still need to have some type of direct instruction to gain information from the teacher.  
• I teach teachers to pull small groups of students throughout the day to provided the direct instruction at the students current level of learning. Using the data collected from the online assessments/activities, group projects, and hands on learning centers, the teacher will be able to deliver direct instruction to students to enhance or revisit the skills needed to move onto the next chapter, unit, or project. 
• Giving whole group direct instruction is only for the first five minutes of class or at the end of the class to recap the daily assignments. Mainly, because the students should be working at their own pace and the students will be at different places in the curriculum. 

The technology, group projects, and hands on learning stations are core or the Peanut Butter of the Reese Peanut Butter Cup.  

• Technology-  Using the mobile and web based application, students can learn at their own pace.  There are so many great resources out there to help generate individualized learning plans for students.  I always teach the teachers how to use BlendSpace and PowerMyLearning as the first resources to use to generate the technology aspect of the blended learning environment.  
• Technology Assessments-  In order the Blended Learning process to work, teachers need to build in assessments that can provide data on current learning level of each student.  Using Google Forms teachers can quickly assess the students and find out what the students know or need to know in order to move onto the next section of the curricula.  Check out this video on Differentiating Assessment using Google Forms.  
• Group Projects and Hands on Learning-  I like to call these section "Show off What you Know." As part of the Blended Learning environment, students need a chance to display what they are learning through real world problem solving.  Students can work on their own or with a group in order to solve the problems.  If all of the learning took place on the computer with some interaction with teacher, then this would become online learning.  But once we add in the projects, collaboration, hands on learning, and team building then we develop more of the Blended Learning concept. Yes, technology can still be used for the projects but the students can drive the type of outcomes during the "Show off What You Know"

A Blended Learning Classroom can not have work with out the Chocolate-AKA the teacher and the Peanut Butter- AKA Technology/Projects.  Therefore, when someone asks me "What does a Blended Learning Classroom look like?  I always say, a Reese Peanut Butter Cup

The above video came from this website.  This is just an example of Blended Learning in a school setting.  I am not working with this school.  I just wanted to share out this video.  

One of the best parts about Blended Learning is that the students get a chance to learn at their own pace.  There are times when a student might already have background information about a topic or concept.  Then there are times where they need a little extra support or guidance.  Using Google Forms is just one of the ways to allow students to move through the curriculum at their own pace.  

Today, I created a mini video on how to use Google Forms as a differentiated assessment tool.  I set up multiple pages with questions for the students to answer.  If a student gets the question correct, they will move onto the next question.  If the student gets the question wrong, I break down the question and give them time to explore the question in more detail.  Here is a direct link to the Google Form that I created so you can explore the questions as if you were a student in a my science classroom. 

Students and teachers are bringing their devices to school everyday.  In fact, many times, teachers and students have a laptop, a cell phone, and a tablet that they carry with them to school.  How can we harness those tools into devices that will engage learning.  
Today, I am going to explore three different tools that can be used in the blended learning classroom that can be used with any tablet, cell phone, or laptop.   How can we better use the devices that the students bring to the classroom?  Or better yet, how can we use the devices that WE bring into the classroom? 

Tellagami- A free talking avatar that students or teacher can create to show off what they know, or to send out a message about a project.  Check out my Tellagami- https://tellagami.com/gami/Q1OE4C/

QR Codes:  Create a scavenger hunt using QR codes.  This easy to use template turns your questions into QR codes within minutes.  Post the QR codes around the room as way to promote students to get up and move and to answer questions together as a team.  Here is a sample of my QR codes for Blended Learning http://www.classtools.net/QR/qr_generator.php?fold=20&fname=BKBRR&diff=0

Show Me:  Show me is mobile app device that turns the learning over to the students.  The teacher can pre record mini lessons, post the lessons onto the LMS or Website and the students can then watch the lesson in class or out of class.  I also allow the students to create mini videos to explain a concept or idea that other students can watch.  (Don't just turn it in, publish it)  Here is a mini Show me that I created for a Blended Learning Math Classroom
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=FkNwMOu

On April 11th, DSD Professional Development teamed up with Generation Network Schools to present at the Coalition for Community Schools.  The presentation covered a brief overview of Generation Network Schools and how they are teaching schools how to use time more effectively during the school day.  Generation Network Schools will be helping to open up a new school in Cincinnati, Ohio for the 2014/15 school year. Here is a link to the video that was presented by Jon Reinhard, the Vice President of Learning and Teaching for Generation Network Schools. 
After the fantastic introduction by Jon Reinhard, I started my portion of the Blended Learning experience by sharing out how I set up a blended learning classroom.  When creating a blended learning classroom, I often set up the room like an Apple Store. I have a place where the students can "play or explore" new concepts or ideas, a "genius bar" where the students can ask and post questions, a "theater session" where I can pull all of the students together to have a group conversation, and finally, "lab sessions" where the students are either learning on their own or with a teacher in small groups.   I used this type of classroom structure when I ran a Blended Learning high school in Columbus, Ohio.  Next, I shared out a couple of my favorite blended learning tools that I use when I create blended learning lesson plans for schools all around the country. Here are just few of my favorite online tools. 
Class Badges- This online tool will help to motivate, progress check, and monitor the students through the blended learning process.  
Padlet-  Creating a space for the students to share out ideas, thoughts, or even a place to post a finished product.  I often use Padlet as a mini discussion board that they students can post to during or after class.  
YouTube Time- Cut to the chase and show only the most important parts of the online video.  
Smore- Don't just have the students turn in a project but rather have them publish a project through tools like Smore. 
BlendSpace-  When designing or creating a blended learning lesson plan, I use the online resource BlendSpace to help the students navigate through the blended learning course.  Here is an example of one of my Blended Learning lessons using BlendSpace
If you would like to learn more about how to set up a Blended Learning Classroom feel free to contact me, Marcia Kish, at kishmarcia@gmail.com or follow me on twitter @dsdpd
Next Amanda Kudron from West Generation Academy in Denver, Colorado presented on how she uses blended learning in her humanities classroom.  Amanda teaches 9th grade humanities and has been using the Blended Learning model in her classroom for two years.  During the presentation she talked about how she sets up the rotational blended learning model and rotates the students through hands on activities, a teacher station, and finally through a computer station.  Using this model, Amanda has seen the students achieve at higher levels of learning.  Also, Amanda explained that by using this model, she is able to differentiate instruction to all learners.  If you would like to learn more about the blended learning classroom through the eyes of a 9th grade teacher, feel free to contact Amanda at akudron@gmail.com. 

On April 8th, I presented at the Campus 2014 Technology Forum in Long Beach, California.  My presentation was on how to Blend online learning with face to face learning at the college level.  Many of the college campus around the country are moving to this type of format because of the flexibility for students, the connection with the professor, and the ability to work with collaborative teams online and in small group sessions.  
With 25 plus participants on hand to learn about Blended Learning, we were able to successfully deploy a hands on workshop that demonstrated the blended learning model as well as learning about new tools to implement into the higher education courses.  
Below are some of the top resources, handouts, and articles that were presented at the conference.   
Blog written by Marcia Kish, Blended Learning Coach.  Feel free to contact her on twitter @dsdpd