Colleen Worrell Virtual High School Blended Learning: Strategies for Success

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Today’s Presentation  Why blended learning?  Who are we?  What is blended learning?  How do I create a successful blended classroom?  Show & Tell – blended learning initiatives  Q&A

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Why go blended? Image credit: What are your reasons?

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Here are some we thought of…  “Best of both worlds"  Creates effective, technology-rich learning environments  Flexibility – promotes differentiated learning  Builds 21 st -century competencies  Student-centered  Extends school day, classroom walls  Engaging content & delivery  Opportunities for authentic learning & assessment

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved.

Who are we?  Virtual High School is a non- profit, global consortium of nearly 700 member schools offering innovative online courses  Currently in 14 th year of operation and 13 th year of online course delivery  Originally funded by the Federal DOE through a 7.8M technology grant – five years of research & development

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. We reach students in 32 states... and 40+ countries!

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. VHS Mission to develop and deliver standards-based, student-centered online courses, to expand students’ educational opportunities and 21st century skills, and to offer professional development to teachers to expand the scope and depth of their instructional skills.

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. in student centered, cohort- based online courses educational opportunities should not be limited by barriers of time, space, or lack of qualified instructors online teaching should supplement, not supplant, traditional education that a collaborative model allows for sharing of resources to improve the quality of education for all students in the schools, not just VHS students VHS believes…

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. How Do I Get Started? Strategies for Success Photo credit:

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Administrative Considerations FundingTimingTechnologyOrganizationDelivery Photo credit:

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Strategies for Teachers 4 C’s of Blended Learning: Contemplate Customize Communicate Cultivate Photo credit:

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Start with thoughtful planning Contemplate Photo credit:

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Think about Design not Technology Design should determine your use of technology, not the other way around Focus on course goals & learning objectives Plan ahead and start early

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Blended Learning is a Process Start small and build your blended course one step at a time Rely on student/peer feedback and self- reflection to constantly improve your course Be flexible – learn as you go!

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Photo credit: / Customize

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Incorporate a variety of media and voices into your approach (e.g., text, video, podcasts, websites, discussion forums, wikis/blogs, journals, slideshows, etc.) Diversify your approac h Use Open Educational Resources to integrate quality content, create engaging learning experiences, and take students beyond the classroom Move beyond the textbook Rethink how to measure student progress and mastery in a blended environment Realign assessment

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Photo credit: Communicate

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Establish clear expectations, directions, and lines of communication Use multiple modes and voices (syllabus, announcements, , blog, podcasts, etc. ) Provide timely feedback as often as possible to your students Be present online: students need to know you are there Communicate

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Photo credit: Cultivate

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Collaboration & community for your students Professional community of peers for yourself Knowledge: seek opportunities to build upon your own content knowledge and technical competencies Photo credit social networking: Photo credit stack of books :

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Photo credit:

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. NYCOOL (NYC Opportunities in Online Learning) ICT literacy At-risk students Professional Development for teachers Problem solving and critical thinking  and academic years  Students from 11 NYC high schools  Student course entitled “Digital Literacy for a Digital Age”  Teachers enrolled in VHS PD courses to improve skills with Web 2.0 tools and took skills back to other faculty  Student course delivered in conjunction with classroom teacher – combined mastery of ICT skills and classroom content

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved.

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Sample Mixbook Sample Mixbook from Spanish I Class

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Wiki on British Imperialism in Africa from an Honors Global History course

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Blog from a Chemistry Class

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Photostories & Videos Social Bookmarking Podcasts

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Project ABLE (Achieving Blended Learning Environments) Ten participating school districts Targeted PD for grant teachers Emphasis on 4 C’s Train the trainer Focus on using OERs  Two-year professional development grant initiative  Funded through MA DESE  Promotes development of blended classes in STEM  Teachers trained in course development and facilitation  Professional Learning Communities for ongoing support and mentoring

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Professional Development Module from Project ABLE

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Moodle site created by a Project ABLE teacher for a blended Digital Photography course Schedule for F2F vs. online class meetings set by school administration Authentic assessment Student blogs, wikis, forums

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. hhspress is a student run news site produced by Hopkinton High School students (Hopkinton, MA)

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Blog from blended Digital Photography course

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Professional Development at VHS Six-week, cohort- based course Rich facilitator-led discussions Step-by-step development of a blended module

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. Image credit: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2010 Virtual High School. All rights reserved. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THIS SESSION! Colleen Worrell