Blended Learning Research Questions by Brian Conant https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn en-us 2018-03-01 21:19:37 UTC 2026-02-21 04:17:40 UTC hello@padlet.com A Bold New Math Class bconant https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237326096 "Over time, Summit plans to continue to integrate deeper and more creative projects into its curriculum and enable students to pursue their interests through short internships at local companies. Students who are curious about software development, laboratory research, or aerospace engineering could spend time gaining real-world knowledge and skills down the block at Google, Stanford University, or NASA." ]]> 2018-03-02 09:41:30 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237326096 The Techy Teacher / Don't Waste the First Week bconant https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237534952 I wonder what would happen if I used the 36 questions activity Tucker describes in my SPED class.  Would this need to be modified?  Can parts of this be done online?

]]> 2018-03-02 18:14:56 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237534952 What Feedback Is and Isn't https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237543595 Feedback is different from praise and advice- most feedback fits into the latter 2.  Feedback should be clear and descriptive and give a specific corrective 
action ]]> 2018-03-02 18:32:03 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237543595 Student Engagement: Key to Personalized Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237543622 Looking at the four keys to student engagement, I think Blended Learning provides the most benefit, but also the most difficulty with *Autonomy.* By giving students the freedom to learn in more flexible ways, Blended Learning has the ability to meet more diverse learners. However, students that struggle with autonomy may struggle with the more student-centered learning that takes place online.]]> 2018-03-02 18:32:05 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237543622 Student Engagement: Key to Personalized Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544216 *Helping Students find their spark and make their own fire
*Providing students different kinds of choice in personalized learning encourages autonomy
*Question to promote competence-What have you learned in class that you can apply elsewhere?
*Promoting Relatedness- Student says "We learn better by helping each other"

]]> 2018-03-02 18:33:01 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544216 The Big Disconnect ecochran8 https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544229 "Students are enthusiastic digital citizens, but sometimes their enthusiasm trumps their maturity"

I think this quote from the article is a great representation of the issues that arise with students misuse of technology.  

Students are thinking about how their online behavior can have off line consequences.

This article takes a look at how students often can have online and offline lives that may be very different. This makes it complex for us to identify reasons why students are having a hard time in the classroom setting because identifying the issue is difficult with two worlds.

]]> 2018-03-02 18:33:02 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544229 Four Elements to Spark Motivation! https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544425
- Autonomy - What they're doing and how?
-Competence - Do they have the necessary skills?
-Relatedness - Result in relationships with others
-Relevance - Does the content relate to them?

Methods to Promote
- Modified topics on assignments based on specific interest. (Autonomy)
- Self reflection on progress (Competence)
-]]> 2018-03-02 18:33:24 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544425 Does more student autonomy really lead to a higher level of intrinsic motivation. https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544543 2018-03-02 18:33:40 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544543 The National Research Council conducted a study comparing vertical (same standards and learning goals drive assessments at both the classroom and state accountability) vs. Horizontal coherence (at the state level, district, and classroom all hold accountability). How can both models benefit the students and address assessment concerns? https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544731 2018-03-02 18:33:58 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544731 Research Matter/"High Touch" Is Crucial for "High Tech" Students https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544768 "She notes that many students- even those who say they can move deftly between the real and digital worlds- admit that something has gotten lost in our digital age, starting with their own parents' attention as they futz with the phones at dinner, the park, or school events."If we have lost the art of conversation at home how do we renew it in the classroom? This article also emphasizes the importance of teacher empathy with students and how that affects behavior.]]> 2018-03-02 18:34:02 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544768 What Feedback Is and Isn't mhechler https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544844 "Giving a student a score on a test such as 72/100 is feedback. However,  its meaning for action is unclear."]]> 2018-03-02 18:34:09 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237544844 Autonomy and Relevance in Student Learning asanchez60 https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545068 From personal experience, I have noticed that when I give students choices in their reading and writing, they are more motivated to complete the work than when I provide the choices for them. Also, If I can find a way to tie it into their own personal experiences or something that they see as relevant and useful, I will have more success with students completing work. Students love to ask, "how will I use this in real life?" I can see how this would be beneficial to a blended learning classroom because students are already practicing being self advocates and having that autonomy when it comes to their work. ]]> 2018-03-02 18:34:33 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545068 Flip Your Students' Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545743
"We decided to offer projects as a ways students could learn the material right form the start (top-down on Boom's taxonomy)." 

I see how this could work in a setting where a problem was presented like math or science and students had to figure out the solution, but I wonder how this could work in a class like World Languages. Do they decide what they want to present about and figure out what they need?]]> 2018-03-02 18:35:44 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545743 Research Matters/ "High Touch" Is Crucial for "High Tech" Students https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545858 "...today's students demonstrate the lowest levels of empathy--a 40 percent drop...".

Technology/smartphones have replaced the ability for our students to hold real and meaningful conversations with one another. As teachers we need to demonstrate/model how to engage in meaningful conversation with fellow peers in order for our students regain that ability.  

"The best teachers, she found, displayed 'high personal warmth with high active demandingness'"]]> 2018-03-02 18:35:57 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545858 The Two E's https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545931 The 2 E's are efficient and effective and refer to feedback. Feedback should be both descriptive and prescriptive- consider not putting a score on formative assessments so students pay more attention to the feedback versus the grade. Make sure to create well-designed formative assessments that will lend themselves to students potentially making mistakes that you know they struggle with, giving an opportunity to give some effective and efficient feedback]]> 2018-03-02 18:36:08 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237545931 The Atlantic: "My Students Don't Know How to Have a Conversation" https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237546934 Barnwell doesn't take the typical approach of berating Millenials/Gen Z kids for their addiction to technology. Instead he suggests that we should actually do more to teach conversation in real time, face-to-face. He talks about assessing this by recording their conversations. 
I connect it to dinner table conversation practice, where you pick up the subtleties of conversation with your family first--knowing when to speak up/fill a lull/ask a question. These skills then make it--or don't--to school and other conversations. 
It could be interesting to actually try and use technology to teach this skill and have kids express how the selfishness of digital conversations are a different way to communicate. We can wait to respond to a text; we can read a tweet and offer no response at all. Communicating into the void of technology is just a different skill and maybe we can teach them the difference.  ]]> 2018-03-02 18:37:47 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237546934 The Big Disconnect https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237547686 Two things stuck out to me in this article--1., That it was written in 2015, before we had a President that engages in the same types of behavior this article identifies with as troubling and bullying, and 2., while interesting and informative, this article offers no real options to address the problems beyond, "...looking particularly to see if tech is undermining school culture ..." and, "find ways to strengthen school spirit." Come on. We have to be better than that. 

]]> 2018-03-02 18:39:16 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237547686 Online formative assessment in higher education: It's pros and cons mhechler https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237548210 "Although formative assessment can help all students, it produces predominantly good results with low achievers by focusing on specific glitches with their work and providing them with a clear comprehension of the mistakes and how to correct them."]]> 2018-03-02 18:40:10 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237548210 Flip your Student’s Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237548867 “A student has an IEP and needs extra time to process what he’s learning….The flipped model has made it easy to provide these accommodations.”  

This model does seem to have the ability to give each student what they need: extra time with the teacher, videos they can watch again if they need to, the ability to pause and rewind just the part they need extra help with, different ways to take in the information.  ]]> 2018-03-02 18:41:21 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237548867 "Engagement is not about baiting a hook. It's about helping students find their spark and make their own fire." https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237548886 2018-03-02 18:41:24 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237548886 The 2 Es ecochran8 https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550622 "Formal formative assessment activities are planned in advance, designed to gather information from all students in the class at the same time, and intended to move students forward by providing feedback on instructional adjustments"

I feel that this is a great definition of what a FORMAL formative assessment should be. I think it still leaves room for some of those more "informal" formative assessments to take place in the classroom as well.

The article also points out the importance of acting on the results of a formative assessment. It says that "A teacher who carefully designs, plans, and implements a task but doesn't act on the results is not fully engaging in formative assessments."]]> 2018-03-02 18:44:31 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550622 The BIG Disconnect https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550719 "Research tells us that, at the most basic level, children's social skills may be in decline from spending less face to face time and more time on screens"]]> 2018-03-02 18:44:39 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550719 FLip Your Students' Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550865 The idea of more effectively using F2F instructional time is key to Blended Learning's success. Flipped tries to create an environment where surface level content knowledge is delivered digitally outside of the brick and mortar classroom, and is then delved deeper with the actual content in a the F2F environment. This could be a classroom discussion or something similar.]]> 2018-03-02 18:44:51 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550865 Student Engagement: Key to Personalized Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550975 -Encourage students to have a growth mindset--build a classroom environment that pushes for students to have this type of mindset.
-Promote autonomy by giving students choices that may be related to their interests. 
-Provide students with school work that is relevant and "useful for improving their present lives or achieving their hopes and dreams". ]]> 2018-03-02 18:45:01 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237550975 K-12 Media Literacy- Fake News https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551004 Media Literacy - "Ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create information using multiple forms of communication, with the larger goal of creating informed and responsible citizens."]]> 2018-03-02 18:45:03 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551004 What feedback is and isn't https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551497
"The middle two are NOT feedback; they are advice (which are different)."

A lot of the time we rely on advice and treat it like feedback, but it's not because the comments are not clear and descriptive enough, the "feedback" is random and mysterious, the "feedback" is random, or the feedback is given too late. Can my feedback motivate and engage my students?]]> 2018-03-02 18:45:50 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551497 My Students Don't Know How to Have a Conversation https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551908 This article details the importance of finding a balance between students utilizing devices, which they are very comfortable with, versus having face to face conversations with peers and adults. As educators we want to capitalize on the technology, which students are comfortable with and is a great medium for learning, versus talking to someone face to face which is a skill set required for adults in the work place.]]> 2018-03-02 18:46:36 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551908 Flip Your Student's Learning mhechler https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551910 So what does this look like? Instead of starting off with a lecture, a class might begin with a question-and-answer time. We require every student to come to class with at least one question about the video -- question they don't know the answer to -- as well as the notes they took on the recorded lecture. The teacher gets to interact with each student, and students get to point out things they don't understand or simply wonder about.]]> 2018-03-02 18:46:36 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237551910 A Bold New Math Class https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237552587 "To ensure that students were using this time effectively, teachers began asking students to write weekly goals for their work... such as which exercises they planned to complete or which videos they planned to watch."  This would be similar to having the students write their own action plan and to see the results of it.]]> 2018-03-02 18:47:46 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237552587 Flipped Learning asanchez60 https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237553039 Flipped learning is something that I have been curious to try in my classes. I like the idea of less lecturing and more time for students work in class, as well as more time for me to conference with each of them and be available for questions. As it states in the article, teachers would have to do some sort of assessment to check for understanding at the beginning of class, which is where my concern is. What do you do if no one watched the video and does not understand, or if you run into a situation where this is a constant problem? ]]> 2018-03-02 18:48:25 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237553039 The first week should be used to learn about the students, pique their curiosity, learn about their passions, and start building relationships. https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237553214 2018-03-02 18:48:44 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237553214 Educational Leadership: "Technology Rich Learning" https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237553546 The article talks about personalizing more for kids and providing more resources that are optional. 
Google Classroom would provide an easy way to have a Doc with a number of other activities linked; the question I have though, is how to get kids to want to invest time in optional activities? I'd guess the answer is that the optional activities must be engaging, but without assessing them, will students do them? 
There's also a part that talks about where to post lectures. I've seen some classes where students just don't want to watch Office Mixes or Screencasts because they are too long/not engaging. Again, motivation and engagement is an integral part of this personalization idea. ]]> 2018-03-02 18:49:13 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237553546 What feedback is and isn't https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554149  
“Rubrics are NOT specific enough for the performer; they are inherently general.  Models plus rubrics provide the basis for useful feedback.” 
]]> 2018-03-02 18:50:24 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554149 Flip Your Student's Learning mhechler https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554622 "Instead of taking an exam and getting a permanent grade -- perhaps the student didn't understand key components of the unit and got a D on the major test -- students are required to demonstrate a minimum level of mastery before proceeding in the curriculum."]]> 2018-03-02 18:51:29 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554622 Research Matters/ "High Touch" is Crucial for "High Tech" students https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554652 Relationship building between teachers and students should not suffer as a result of the implementation of technology in the classroom. 

]]> 2018-03-02 18:51:33 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554652 Let's Celebrate Personalization:But Not Too Fast https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554868 This article said nothing. It acknowledged the idea of personalized learning, but did not describe what it would look like or how it would be implemented, bc (Paraphrasing) "It will look different in each school, for each child and teacher." I am assuming that in our case, personalization is blended? 
I do not care much for educational articles that engage in grandiose ideas but say nothing. 

]]> 2018-03-02 18:51:58 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237554868 Flip Your Students' Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556006 "As teachers start to flip their classrooms, they gradually build up a library of videos and screencasts for their lectures."  Our students now have an entire library of instructional videos at their disposal to work at their own pace.

"A flipped classroom gives teachers the flexibility to meet the learning needs of all their students, and it gives students the flexibility to have their needs met in multiple ways. By doing so, it creates a classroom that is truly student-centered."]]> 2018-03-02 18:54:15 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556006 My Students Don't Know How to Have a Conversation mhechler https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556436 "It might sound like a funny question, but we need to ask ourselves: Is there any 21st-century skill more important than being able to sustain confident, coherent conversation?"]]> 2018-03-02 18:55:02 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556436 The 2 Es https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556684 This article discussed the idea that assessment needs to be both descriptive and prescriptive. By doing so, we see a situation where the teacher is constantly re-evaulating their work from what they've seen.]]> 2018-03-02 18:55:32 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556684 Flip Your Students' Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556741 - How to use videos in your classroom
- Is course better with face to face or flipped?
- Library of videos allowed for self pacing for students
- Mastery of skill required for continued movement

]]> 2018-03-02 18:55:39 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556741 The Techy Teacher/Using Data to Personalize Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556916 -In my own classroom students have created their own Kahn Academy account where they can practice their math and science skills.  The site will keep their information so students can track what they've done, what they need more practice on, and can move ahead if they need to.

-...it's crucial that the information we collect makes sense to our students and motivates them to continually improve". Data collection is important for teachers so we can design personalized lessons, but it's also important for students to track their data so they can determine if they are reaching their goal or not. ]]> 2018-03-02 18:56:02 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237556916 Ed Week: "K-12 Digital Media Literacy" https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237557268 This article focuses on the importance of media literacy for kids. While in the past media literacy often focused on what we post online and being a good "digital citizen," this article looks at the idea of helping kids to discern quality information from...Fake News. Sad.
Something to consider for research here would be examining where kids are starting out in terms of digital literacy, asking them to metacognitively think about how they read articles online/research information and see what their approach is currently, and then try to foster in them a sense of being responsible researchers and how that can change what they read, what they post, and how they share both. ]]> 2018-03-02 18:56:48 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237557268 Research Matters/"High Touch" is Crucial for "High Tech" Students ecochran8 https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237557291 The article presents a study that proves that students have shown the lowest levels of empathy since the study began in 1979.  This is something that we as teachers often speak on and it's good to know that there is actual evidence of it. 

"conversational competence may be the most overlooked skill we fail to teach our kids" 

We're learning that more than ever before students need us to model empathy.]]> 2018-03-02 18:56:50 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237557291 The Big Disconnect asanchez60 https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237557599 What stuck out to me the most about this article is the part where Catherine Steiner-Adair points out that there is a significant contrast between what we try to teach students and school and how they act online. We teach them to be authentic, compassionate, accountable, and mindful of they things they say, yet on social media they are able to be the complete opposite of all of these things. They can hid behind fake profiles, they can bully without any real consequences, and they are in a constant need to impress everyone on their newsfeed, which leads to them not being themselves. ]]> 2018-03-02 18:57:28 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237557599 K-12 Media Literacy https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237558155
"bills to promote media literacy in schools have been introduced or passed in more than a dozen states"

It's great that we're taking the initiative to promote media literacy because this isn't just going to help out our students use valid sources when composing an essay, but it can potentially help out our world by lessening the false accusations made towards cultures, gender, religion, so on.]]> 2018-03-02 18:58:31 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237558155 "My Students Don't Know how To Have A Conversation" https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237559155 The main idea of this article is to blend tech with the real world, rather than becoming overly dependent on digital tools for teaching ideas. 
2 thoughts on this-
1.) I agree that conversation is becoming a lost art--but a specific type of conversation. The conversations that take place among people that don't really know each other, without fear of being subtweeted or made fun of on social media by peers, seems to be gone in the classroom. I think anyone in the world of education can attest to that.
2.) HOWEVER-kids can still converse IRL--they just have to feel comfortable and "safe"-they have to feel like they know they are sharing their thoughts with someone they trust. Which means big, impersonal convos may be a thing of the past, but one on one convos are still real. So how do we transfer the type of environment that fosters those convos into the classroom, both digital and "real"?

]]> 2018-03-02 19:00:25 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237559155 Student Engagement: Key to Personalized Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237560506 Students are much more capable then we give them credit for.  By creating a culture of autonomy, self-efficacy, relatedness and relevance we can create a student who experiences success in the classroom]]> 2018-03-02 19:03:14 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237560506 Allow students to self-direct their learning. Similiar to motivaiton topics. https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237561055 2018-03-02 19:04:16 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237561055 Flip Your Students' Learning https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237561462 2 things that i got out of this article was the best use of face time and self paced learning. and perhaps flipped doesn't always mean that students are doing the lecture at home, but working at their own pace with the teacher acting as a facilitator of learning for them.]]> 2018-03-02 19:05:10 UTC https://padlet.com/bconant/gryzb44e7vwn/wish/237561462