My trip down the blended classroom rabbit hole started out with the idea of "flipping" my classroom. I read some research; I did some homework; and I started my adventure by video recording my lessons. I was content that my students could access my lectures at anytime, my absent students could stay caught up, and I was putting the responsibility of learning back on the students. At this point, I was uploading my videos to YouTube and sharing the link on my classroom website. To share assignments, I experimented with Google Drive. To administer quizzes, I played around with Socrative. All of these apps and programs were working well, but I was missing some cohesion. I was searching for a platform that could host all of my needs.
One day while sharing stories and experiences with another teacher (a total teaching rock star) who is "flipping" her classroom, she mentioned using Moodle in her classroom. Since that moment my classroom hasn't been the same! I quickly bombarded her with questions. I had heard of Moodle. My mom (who has been a great inspiration, coach, and sounding board) is a professor of nursing, and has been raving about the use of Moodle in her courses. I knew that Moodle could offer me the cohesion I was searching for in my classroom.
Without much effort my Moodle site was up and running. The more I experiment and tinker with Moodle, the more confident I am that I can offer my students a learning experience tailored to their style of learning and technology culture. Moodle has allowed me to truly transform my classroom into a blended learning environment.
For each module in my course, I am able to share videos of my lectures, pdfs of textbooks, practice sets, notes, and assignments electronically. Essentially, my students are taking High School Algebra "online." Except it's better than an online course! Because my students have access to all "nuts and bolts" at their fingertips 24/7, we are able to spend our classroom time clearing up any misconceptions, working in small groups or one-on-one, and taking our knowledge and applying it to real world applications. I create a quiz at the end of each module from a test bank of questions. If the student scores an 80% or above, then they are awarded an electronic badge to signify their mastery of that particular module. If the student scores below an 80%, they are asked to go back to their notes, re-watch the lecture, re-read the text, or come in during study hall to receive extra help from myself or a math tutor in order to correct their mistakes. Then, they are asked to retake the quiz until they earn an 80% or higher. This model for learning has worked great so far, and I believe it will only get better as I gain more experience and find solutions to minor issues.
Looking out from the inside of this rabbit hole it all seems to make sense. Blended learning is taking the very best benefits of online learning and combining them with all the very best benefits of "brick and mortar" learning. We have to remember that this generation of learners don't simply listen to the radio; they choose what song they want, and when they want it. This generation of learners don't simply watch TV; they choose what show they want to watch, record it, and watch it when they want it. Why would they expect anything different from their education? I have come to the realization that this generation of learners is the generation of personalization and choice. For this reason, I believe Moodle grants me the opportunity to create a blended learning environment that is both relevant and effective to today's learners.
