BLENDED LEARNING

BLENDED LEARNING

Blended learning is a disruptive innovation in education that can take many forms. The development of technology helps teacher to combine this amazing invention with ‘conventional’ way of teaching. One example of this combination is Blended Learning.

Being combined with traditional classroom methods and independent study to create a new, hybrid teaching methodology is the definition of blended learning as the way of e-learning. Many use terms like hybrid, mixed, or integrative to describe the same trend. In 2000 an estimated 45,000 K-12 students took an online course, and almost a decade later more than 3 million took the courses. 

There is a general consensus among education innovators that blended learning has three primary components :

a.       In-person classroom activities facilitated by a trained educator.

b.      Online learning materials, often including pre-recorded lectures given by that same instructor.

c.       Structured independent study time guided by the material in the lectures and skills developed during the classroom experience.

According to Knewton.com there are six models of Blended Learning :

1.      Face-to-Face Driver

Face-to-face teachers deliver most of the curriculum. A physical teacher employs online learning in a technology lab or the back of the classroom to supplement.

2.      Rotation

Within a given course, students rotate on a fixed schedule between self-paced online learning and sitting in a classroom with a face-to-face teacher.

3.      Flex

An online platform delivers most of the curriculum. Teachers provide on-site, as-needed support through in-person tutoring or small group sessions.

4.      Online Lab

An online platform delivers the entire course, but in a brick-and-mortar location often students who participate in an online lab program also take traditional courses.

5.      Self-Blend

Students choose to take remote online courses to supplement their school’s traditional curriculum. This model of blended learning is extremely popular among high school students.

6.      Online Driver

An online platform and teacher deliver all the curriculum. Students work remotely and face-to-face check-ins are either available or mandatory.

In addition, there are some development of blended learning :

1.      Integrated systems is supporting the seamless assimilation of online content from different sources.

2.      High-quality dynamic content aligned to national standards such that students can stay powerfully engaged through continuous adaptive learning technology

3.      Analytic that allow operators to provide more personalized learning experiences for networks of students.

4.      Automation to simplify educators’ lives by eliminating low-value manual tasks like attendance and students assessment data entry.

5.      Applications that enhance student motivation using features like social networks, games, personalized playlists, badges, and micro rewards to engage and incentivize students in their own learning.

In some situations, the move to blended learning has inspired educators to redefine traditional roles. The word “facilitator” has emerged as an alternative to “teacher,” bringing with it a slightly different focus. The facilitator places an emphasis on empowering students with the skills and knowledge required to make the most of the online material and independent study time, guiding students toward the most meaningful experience possible. Facilitators focus on four key areas :

1.      Development of online and offline course content.

2.      Facilitation of communication with and among students, including the pedagogy of communicating content online without the contextual clues students would get in person.

3.      Guiding the learning experience of individual students, and customizing material wherever possible to strengthen the learning experience.

4.      Assessment and grading, not unlike the expectations for teachers within the traditional framework.

Blended learning is one of approaches in this era. The optimal achievement of blended learning depends on many factors. We can participate to apply in our classroom or construct this approach so that it will be better.

Tugas summary ICT in Language Learning

Mustika Purwandari

2201413018 / 301

ICT in Language Learning

Artikel 1

Technology and Global Education:

The Present and the Promise

James Veitch and Pi-Kuei Tu

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

New technologies and telecommunications networks have dramatically transformed all facets of life, from medicine to agriculture, entertainment to politics, and economics to service industries (Milken Foundation, 1999). These developments represent a watershed of opportunity. Access to information, and therefore knowledge, is becoming increasingly available to citizens in many countries where access was formerly enjoyed only by a privileged few (Hallberg and Bond, 1996). There are profound implications for governments, educators and students around the world. This is the case for the delivery of local education in specific countries, and extends to the potential availability of an American education to millions beyond the borders. Most observers acknowledge that there are barriers associated with technology acquisition and use, no matter what the intended purpose. These are sometimes in the form of government policies that restrict access for political reasons, as in China, for example. Many of the world's economic systems are deeply steeped in a principle of tradition that discourages access to technology. Those political, cultural and economic institutions that do seek access to information generally do so in pursuit of economic development.

The Milken Foundation identifies five criteria that characterize a scenario for technology acquisition, informed use, productive output, and contributions to development.

1. First, what is it that technology will do for students and educators that is compelling enough to make all the effort worthwhile? (The Incentives)
2. Second, what is it that communities need in order to make informed decisions and wise use of technology and telecommunications for improvements in learning? (Capacity building)
3. Third, what is getting in the way of educators and students effectively using technology and how can we fix the system to get rid of these barriers? (System Changing)
4. Fourth, what is it that we need in order to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn in a technology-enriched learning environment? (Mandates)
5. Fifth, how will we know it when we see it? What does success look like in terms of student performance? What indicators will we be using? How will the data be collected? What evidence will be analyzed and evaluated against which benchmarks? (Benchmarking) (Milken Foundation, 1998.)

These questions have been developed for western-oriented consumption and represent a conceptual framework for policy-makers as they consider the role of technology in providing educational services to a community of learners.

At the local level, the key to progress towards internationalization is systematic planning and support of multiple points of contact across an entire faculty, student and administrator body. Frequent and extended contact with the technology is a further requirement, i.e., sustainability (Dyrenfurth, 1992). Individual consumers need to ask these questions of themselves to determine their own personal "best use" approach to technology in their own lives. The rapid development of global technological capacity and abilities create opportunities for students worldwide. Where institutions and individuals recognize the importance of education to national economic development, available opportunities are plentiful.

The World Links for Development program links students and teachers in secondary schools in developing countries with students and teachers in industrialized countries for collaborative research, teaching and learning programs via the Internet. So demanding has been the response to the program that capacity of the World Bank has been exceeded (McGinnis, 1999). As a result, WorLD has linked with two organizations, Schools Online and I*Learn to form the Alliance for Global Learning (AGL), which creates sustainable school networking models in developing countries by providing technology, training and support for collaborative educational projects with peers around the world. AGL enhances teaching and learning, promotes equity of access to communication and information technologies, and fosters global citizenship and understanding. The Alliance is therefore able to meet the training and equipment needs of the growing number of schools desiring to connect globally (Jobson, 1999).

American public institutions of higher education are also beginning to address means by which to accommodate increasing domestic and worldwide demand for distance education. They are discussing minimum standards for professional education and practice, creation of an open international market for professional services, and enhanced access to professional services (Palin, 1997). Many of California's institutions of higher education offer online courses and other services offered by California colleges and universities. Students may access information about courses and certificate or degree programs offered at a distance by California's leading institutions of higher education (California Distance Education Project, 1999). Students from all over the world are eligible to participate. The trend towards distance education includes other organizations as well. The International Center for Distance Learning (ICDL) is an international center for research, teaching, consulting, information and publishing activities based in the Institute of Educational Technology which received world class rating in the 1992 and 1996 Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Research Assessment Exercises. ICDL promotes international research and collaboration by providing information from its library and databases; other audiences are reached through publications.

The Globewide Network Academy (GNA) is a non-profit organization in Texas, USA that provides assistance in all aspects of virtual and distance learning with an Online Distance Education Catalog (ODEC). GNA consults on the development of virtual organizations and training materials, and is involved in the searches; set up and maintain mailing lists; and set up and maintain mail robots that return files in response to an e-mail request (GNA, 1999). There are practical implications for school administrators in developing countries. The existence of instant communication is now a practical reality rather than just a theoretical possibility. Practicing administrators all over the globe possess the means to improve educational delivery systems. Assuming that incentives do exist to integrate current technology into a developing country's educational system, there are several practical applications available to the practicing school administrator. Access to education information and best practice research is plentiful. Educators in developing countries face several challenges in access to staff development. Long distance/high cost travel, visa acquisition, and prohibitive professional journal costs present insurmountable difficulties. Technology allows these barriers to be overcome, however.

There are unquestionably endless possibilities associated with technology. Many initiatives, as noted above, exist and will ultimately provide educational opportunities to tens of millions of people. The resulting information, knowledge and economic development are positive benefits. These initiatives reflect a political, cultural and economic will on the part of participating institutions and individuals.

Artikel 2

Tech For a Global Early Childhood Education

Globalizing Early Learning with Technology

Why is global important?

Our world is becoming both increasingly diverse and increasingly connected, which means that children will need new skill sets in order to communicate and collaborate and to work and play together. By creating global learning experiences, early childhood teachers have the ability to expose children to concepts of diversity, multiculturalism, and multilingualism at an early age. This type of early exposure can make issues of equity and equality, as well as global understanding, accessible and relevant to children and hopefully less of a struggle to understand and practice as they grow into adults.

Why Technology?

I believe that technology can be instrumental in creating global learning experiences because technology has the power to breakdown geographical, economical, language, and time-zone barriers. Technology also allows for a two-way street . Instead of just sending information out about a holiday, custom, or community that children in your classroom experience, you can have an exchange and receive information back in return about cultural practices, customs, and communities other children experience around the world.

Artikel 3

Global Education Αnd Language Learning Technology

The Challenge Of Global Education And Language Learning Technology

Today, we are increasingly connected to the rest of the world :

1. Economic crisis as far away as Greece have an immediate effect on our stock market.
2. An Ebola outbreak in Africa spreads fear globally and dominates the news.
3. Cyber attacks that cause disruption or compromise information are launched from any location on earth.
4. Automobile exhausts in the U.S. and coal-burning power plants in China both contribute to air pollution and global climate change.

Today’s challenges can be addressed successfully only if we can develop cooperative and trusting relationships across the world. If the emerging global society is to be a healthy one, we need American students to acquire other languages and to learn about other cultures and customs—and we need people from other counties to learn American English and to have a more accurate understanding of American culture and values.  However, there were many barriers to preparing students adequately for a global economy and society. The most significant barriers include limited resources, language barriers, and lack of mobility of students.

Meeting The Challenge

New technologies provide ways to overcome the traditional barriers to global education and language learning. We communicate with people in remote parts of the world and read documents without physically holding them. Text, voice, and images are transferred with a click on a cellular phone or a computer.

A significant benefit to instant global communications is that students can improve their language skills through student-to-student conversations regardless of where they live. The introduction of Peer-to-Peer video conferencing using devices students are familiar with can increase personal interaction. Peer-to-Peer video conferencing also creates the opportunity for students to build an international network of friends and contacts. A contact network can help students to develop business leads, find new job opportunities, and increase their knowledge of other countries and cultures. A global contact network built from having personal conversations with other students around the world will provide lasting benefits throughout the student’s career.  Through the use of Peer-to-Peer video conferencing, students can study new languages and to learn about cultural differences while building a global support network.

Best Practices for Online Access Tools

Using Online access tools provides many advantages to students including:

1. Choice

Large choice of tutors and others with varying ages, backgrounds, and geography.

2. Flexible and convenient scheduling

Wide calendar availability, on demand, cancellation policy

3. Pricing

Variable pricing, no contracts, trusted payment methods

4. User experience

User interfaces tailored for language learning & cultural exchange

5. Social attraction

Personal interactions that reach across cultures and borders for friendly fun while learning

6. Safety

Proper consent policy, policies to prohibit inappropriate conversations

7. Privacy

1-to-1 classes using secure video

8. Rating

Options for students to rate their experiences with tutors.

Artikel 4

Do You Engage in Technology-Supported Global Education Practices in your Classroom?

The writer are interested in learning about how primary and secondary teachers are using technology in their instruction to address global and multicultural education. Additionally, they want to learn more about their global education experiences and how such experiences have shaped their teaching practices. Professional development related to global educational practices with technology is of particular interest. They have designed a survey geared for those involved in global education practices that takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Artikel 5

Welcome To GET Website

GET is a global education and technology offshore company aims to provide a complete education and technology solutions provided by best selected international and local partners organizations and sister companies to obtain the optimum. GET board members code of ethics focus on the added value strategies that empower the education entities and support on the learning leadership transformation to the third millennium education strategies.