Week 9 Blended Learning and Productivity

This week I will be discussing blended learning and productivity in the classroom.

                Somewhat reeling back a bit, I wanted to touch base on a previous topic: blended learning.  In my post about blended learning, I definitely was pro about using blended learning in today’s education, but I had a skeptical view as well.  In a video that I watched for this week’s post called, “Ending the Classroom Factory Model”, Michael Horn, an educational professional spoke on his thoughts about blended learning.  He was asked how he felt about students going into a classroom and immediately being put in front of a screen and he said that kids need a blended learning environment and the school provides that safe, custodial, and supportive environment for online learning.  This really opened my mind to blended learning because before I did just think that using blended learning was just setting students in front of a screen.  I wasn’t thinking about the complete environment it provided for the students.  The teacher is there for support as they pace their learning and the students still have the opportunity to learn with their peers.  I’m glad I was able to come across this video.

                Getting to more of this week’s topic, productivity is a key aspect of becoming an effective teacher.  Let’s face it, in this age of tech, the students are not the only ones susceptible to becoming distracted and teachers must manage their time efficiently.  Technology can be looked at as the “kiss of death” because of all the benefits it can provide still comes with plenty of distractions.  There is hope for teachers because there is technology available to assist in productivity.  One tool that can assist in this is called RescueTime.  This application basically blocks users from distractions and records the users’ time spent on different tasks.  For the most part I use applications that assist with organization because I truly believe that organization is the foundation for being productive.  As I continue my career, I plan to explore more technology that can assist me even further.

                Technology can also help teachers solve problems.  Some examples would be constant communication with students even when they are not in the classroom.  Another big example would be developing lessons that can cover a wide variety of learners.  Using technology to develop a broad but specific lesson helps teachers connect with all levels of learners in their class, it gives students the opportunity to have a more individualized lesson, and it gives parents access to their child’s education. 

                One productivity tool that I will use as a staple in my classroom will be Google Docs.  With this tool I can have students collaborate on a project or lesson while facilitating the individual creativity of my students.  Another simple tool I would utilize is Google Calendar.  With this tool I will be able to share my class schedule with parents and administration to ensure participation from parties outside of my classroom.  As I have stated in a previous post, the applications for technology in education seem endless and if it is even possible, the opportunities only seem to be growing.