Thinking About Blended Learning

Lately, I have really been trying to think through an easy way to communicate the benefits of blended learning, and what is needed for blended learning. This is primarily to help my students in a course at BYU that focuses on K-12 online and blended teaching. In trying to think through these things I came up with this graphic. It's pretty busy, but helped me to conceptualize blended teaching.

The top triangle represents the reason we blend; blending increases pedagogical practices, saves us time and money regarding the development and distribution of learning objects, and increases flexibility in regards to access and time. In order to reap these affordances, teachers must first have a solid foundation of technology skills (using an LMS, accessing the Internet, finding online learning materials, etc.).

Then, teachers can begin building their competency with each of Blended Learning’s four pillars:
Online Interactions (including synchronous and asynchronous communication with students and peers, as well as fostering learner-learner interactions and learner-content interactions),
Real Time Data (using data gathered from online applications or an LMS to direct, modify, and improve student learning or engagements),
Integration (using the online learning systems in tandem with effective face-to-face practices), and
Personalization (allowing students to work at their own pace, in a flexible space or place, with chosen content or activities).