1. What is excellence in blended teaching/learning?
1.1. "sound pedagogy" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
1.2. "creating an effective and engaging learning environment" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
1.3. "generating meaningful learning experiences" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
1.4. "promoting high student satisfaction" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
1.5. note: where is better student learning or is it inferred by the above?
1.6. The medium becomes irrelevant and you can focus on the course (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
1.7. "creates learning groups ... put the students in charge of their own learning" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
1.8. course is designed for online delivery (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
1.9. "the theoretical framework of instruction must be considered when designing instruction; technology itself is not enough to make people learn" (Uzun & Senturk, 2010, p. 204)
2. Results
2.1. What do I expect to get from the work done?
2.1.1. A clear picture of what will work in our division
2.1.2. Increased teacher competency and undertstanding
2.1.3. An educated base with which to dispel misconceptions
2.1.4. One blended learning resource developed and used per investigation
2.2. How can this investigation be continued/developed?
2.2.1. By staging the research into manageable classroom applications
3. Methodology
3.1. What innovative approach am I going to apply in my investigation?
3.2. What kind of methods will be used in the work?
3.2.1. Mixed methods
4. Literature Review
4.1. What do other scientists say about the problem I will analyze?
4.1.1. Blended learning is a unique teaching/learning situation, unlike the traditional classroom or strictly online classroom.
4.1.1.1. "it is possible to identify numerous varieties of online education, such as online, web-based, web-enhanced, blended, hybrid and mixed mode online learning." (Uzun & Senturk, 2010, p. 196)
4.1.2. You must study both the tools and the pedagogy acting as a facilitator
4.1.2.1. "Over and above any financial or professional incentives which training offers, awareness raising and pedagogical understanding need to be prioritised when training teachers, particularly those who are not enthusiastic about online teaching" (Comas-Quinn, 2011, p. 229)
4.1.2.2. if teacher poorly understands value of tool, s/he will not promote it (Comas-Quinn, 2011, p. 228) and response will be poor (p. 227)
4.1.3. Without a proper mindset, excellence in teaching will not occur
4.1.3.1. Inadequate training ..."it is often about learning to teach online rather than learning to become an online teacher" (Comas-Quinn, 2011, p. 230)
4.1.3.2. "this paper has highlighted the centrality of the concepts of teacher identity and teacher self in determining the success or failure of training practices designed to guide teachers in their adoption of online technologies for language teaching" (Comas-Quinn, 2011, p. 230)
4.1.3.3. "teacher willingness to change is powerfully influenced by learners expectations and traditional ideas shared by teachers" "the most frequent comment made by teachers int he survey is that their students want more face-to-face lessons instead of online ones, although some teachers admit that once their students try online synchronous learning they tend to enjoy it." Comas-Quinn, 2011, p. 228
4.1.4. PD must be carefully planned, required, and deliberately include depth, frequency, and networking.
4.1.4.1. "The expertise involved in developing excellent online courses is not options; it is essential" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
4.1.4.2. cannot expect a good teacher to be a good online teacher
4.1.4.3. "Excellence in online education requires multiple areas of expertise. A content expert is necessary but not even close to sufficient."(Henry & Meadows, 2008), based on team work
4.2. the instructor as facilitator
4.2.1. "the online world is a medium unto itself" (Henry & Meadows, 2008) meaning work has to be "retooled" to work online, i.e. shorter lectures
4.2.2. "In the online world content is a verb" (Henry & Meadows, 2008) meaning focus on engaging the learner to work with the content more than simply reading or listening
4.2.2.1. "The blended group used the web site containing instructional videos, screen captures, assessment simulations, reading texts, self-paced learning materials, synchronous and asynchronous communication tools and various other tools from information and communication technologies" (Uzur & Senturk, 2010, p. 203)
4.2.2.1.1. It in not blended but rather F2F ... "however, the F2F group took the course with traditional learning activities such as PowerPoint presentations, books, lecture notes, tutorials, classroom discussions, and question and answer techniques" (Uzur & Senturk, 2010, p. 203)
4.2.3. "a judicious selection of technologies" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
4.2.4. "excellence in web-based courses is founded on excellence in teaching" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
4.2.4.1. "quick turnaround time by instructor on email and assignments"... "frequent and engaged contact and individual feedback... having goals and objectives that are clearly stated ...and detailed enough to clarify..great communication skills ... regular use of student names ...being real and genuine" (Henry & Meadows, 2008 from a variety of other sources) - emphasized based on outcomes
4.2.5. creates sense of community and social presence
4.2.5.1. "It is also important to emphasize that community will not happen on its own" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
4.2.6. "excellence requires multiple areas of expertise" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
4.2.7. need to constantly evaluate the course and improve it based on feedback, based on criteria for effective blended learning
4.2.8. "In an online course, students need to be able to find everything they need to be successful learners and how to do so easily" (Henry & Meadows, 2008), meaning a good study guide to lead student through course or a syllabus and constant feedback
4.2.9. "sometimes the little extras go a long way" (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
4.2.9.1. provide exemplars, discussion forums, detailed rubrics, brief guides and tutorials, "brief personal email messages", calendar reminders, brief audio clips, video material respecting copyright
4.3. What relevant literature may be reviewed in the course of research?
4.3.1. 1. Study of online teachers in Southern Manitoba (Nantiais, Gawletz, & Terry, 2009)
4.3.2. 2. Study of blended learning language teachers (Comas-Quinn, 2011)
4.3.3. 3. Study of _____ (Henry & Meadows, 2008)
4.3.4. 4. Study of _____ (Uzur & Senturk, 2010)
4.4. What is important about the chosen sources?
4.4.1. 1. Similarity of situation - rural, local, secondary
4.4.2. 2. Examination of mindset and appropriate training
4.4.3. 3. Looks at teacher as facilitator
4.4.4. 4. Blended focus
5. Conclusion
5.1. Why is it really necessary to conduct this research?
5.1.1. We are beginning staff training and our work must be based in research in order to be successful.
5.1.2. We need staff buy-in.
5.2. Am I satisfied with this plan of work?
5.3. What are my requests?
5.3.1. That the research be staged into a series of smaller investigations to encourage more usage and staff buy-in
6. Introduction
6.1. Why is this research important?
6.1.1. a recent reinvestment in blended learning in our division (financial investment and board commitment)
6.1.2. we cannot assume that a good face-to-face teacher is automatically a good online teacher
6.1.3. the blended learning situation will require different supports and planning than the regular classroom
6.1.4. much of the research is for post-secondary and not secondary situations which have a different clientele
6.1.5. Successful student learning is the end in mind
6.1.6. There is a perception that the existing web-based resources may not be adequate and a need to develop a blended resource base
6.2. What is the major issue to be studied?
6.2.1. What will make blended learning a success in our division? As this is a large area, the focus will be on knowledgeable staff for this action research study.
6.2.1.1. Mindset (parents, students, teachers, schools)
6.2.1.2. Sound logistics: Reliable connectivity and access to equipment
6.2.1.3. Knowledgeable staff
6.2.1.3.1. Training in online tools
6.2.1.3.2. Valuing the pedagogy
6.2.1.3.3. Community of learners
6.2.1.4. Knowlegeable students
6.2.1.4.1. reinvestment in LwICT skills development K-10
6.2.1.5. A solid plan
6.2.1.5.1. with clear goals which are attainable
6.2.1.5.2. with a means to measure achievement
6.2.1.5.3. flexible enough to change as needed
6.2.1.5.4. long-term
6.2.1.5.5. student-centered
6.2.1.5.6. based on action research for our situation (rural and K-12)
6.3. What are the estimated results? Why?
6.3.1. a better understanding of how a blended classroom functions versus a traditional classroom
6.3.2. more use of appropriate strategies
6.3.3. more ownership for the success of the students in this environment