A Lesson in Blended Learning
By Melissa Benoit
"When you know better you do better.” ― Maya Angelou
As I finish CEP 820, I realize this quote by Angelou is absolutely true. CEP 820’s main focus was to help us make a well-designed blended environment that we could use in our current setting. We spent several weeks developing our online course and adding components to enhance student learning. The final assignment was to write a reflection on our experience while creating the blended environment. The class was filled with information on what it means to incorporate an online component into a classroom.
The first step was to decide on the specifics. I knew I wanted to make a blended environment, since that’s something my district has been talking about. Since I teach mostly Senior English, I decided that would be the class that I would make into a blended experience. It was important to me to pick something authentic that I knew I could turn around and use right away. Once I had identified a concrete curriculum to use in my blended environment, I had to pick a CMS to use. We had a little bit of time to try out different CMS platforms and view previous student’s work. Another thing I wish I had done more of is to check out other people’s sites. If it’s someone you know, meet with them and ask how they did specific things. It was a tough decision to finally decide which CMS to use and because of the time constraints I wasn’t able to actually engage with each one. I finally decided on using Moodle because my school had access to it and I figured it would be a good way to get acquainted. I also liked that Moodle had so many different tools built right in. Picking the right CMS for your context is imperative.
After choosing our CMS platform, in my case Moodle, we were asked to identify a rubric that would help guide our planning and implementation. I chose the NEA’s Guide to Online High School Courses. It was an organization I trusted and the content seemed realistic to what I was trying to accomplish. I worked hard to structure my lessons around the rubric. It definitely gave me a direction and helped me think about how students would approach the online component. I would definitely recommend having a basis for your choices or at least a way to gauge how your online class is developing. After deciding on a rubric, I spent an immeasurable amount of time working on the site. I wanted everything to be perfect and got caught up in details. It was a challenge to make it aesthetically pleasing and functional. I wish I had more Moodle training before I tried making the site. I got too wrapped up in details and didn’t always focus on my learning objective. It’s important to be clear about expectations, but it’s also okay to edit the site as you and your students engage together.
Towards the end of the class, we peer-edited with a classmate. That really helped me. After working on my Moodle site for so long, I was no longer able to see mistakes or where students may be confused. If you have the chance, do a peer-edit of your online space (even if it’s the students). Also, take the feedback seriously and try and look at why things might be confusing or need more explanation. At the same time it was essential for me to set goals for myself as to what I was trying to accomplish. I didn’t do that right from the beginning and I felt that made the task overwhelming. Next time, I’d definitely make sure I knew what I was specifically trying to accomplish. I’d also make it clear what areas I choose to focus on and why, so that others could understand my rationale.
Finally, I looked back over the module and thought about ways I could make the course more interactive to students. Using the UDL principles, it was easy to see what accommodations I could make to help students. That was something I’m constantly doing anyway, but this was a chance to really make sure I was making my choices transparent. It was one more chance for me to look at my site from a students perspective and see ways I could improve. This was something I wish I would have done a little more along the way. It would have been easier to include more content earlier on.
Overall the process was very positive. I learned a lot about creating and implementing a Moodle, making smart decisions when organizing a blended class, and how to successfully engage students with technology. Clear goals and planning help make the process run a lot smoother. Also, having a solid rubric to refer to and incorporate makes the decision -making a lot easier. I’m excited to try out the Moodle with my students. I’m also excited to create Moodles for my other classes. Like Angelou said, ““When you know better you do better”. Hopefully I can prove her right!
The first step was to decide on the specifics. I knew I wanted to make a blended environment, since that’s something my district has been talking about. Since I teach mostly Senior English, I decided that would be the class that I would make into a blended experience. It was important to me to pick something authentic that I knew I could turn around and use right away. Once I had identified a concrete curriculum to use in my blended environment, I had to pick a CMS to use. We had a little bit of time to try out different CMS platforms and view previous student’s work. Another thing I wish I had done more of is to check out other people’s sites. If it’s someone you know, meet with them and ask how they did specific things. It was a tough decision to finally decide which CMS to use and because of the time constraints I wasn’t able to actually engage with each one. I finally decided on using Moodle because my school had access to it and I figured it would be a good way to get acquainted. I also liked that Moodle had so many different tools built right in. Picking the right CMS for your context is imperative.
After choosing our CMS platform, in my case Moodle, we were asked to identify a rubric that would help guide our planning and implementation. I chose the NEA’s Guide to Online High School Courses. It was an organization I trusted and the content seemed realistic to what I was trying to accomplish. I worked hard to structure my lessons around the rubric. It definitely gave me a direction and helped me think about how students would approach the online component. I would definitely recommend having a basis for your choices or at least a way to gauge how your online class is developing. After deciding on a rubric, I spent an immeasurable amount of time working on the site. I wanted everything to be perfect and got caught up in details. It was a challenge to make it aesthetically pleasing and functional. I wish I had more Moodle training before I tried making the site. I got too wrapped up in details and didn’t always focus on my learning objective. It’s important to be clear about expectations, but it’s also okay to edit the site as you and your students engage together.
Towards the end of the class, we peer-edited with a classmate. That really helped me. After working on my Moodle site for so long, I was no longer able to see mistakes or where students may be confused. If you have the chance, do a peer-edit of your online space (even if it’s the students). Also, take the feedback seriously and try and look at why things might be confusing or need more explanation. At the same time it was essential for me to set goals for myself as to what I was trying to accomplish. I didn’t do that right from the beginning and I felt that made the task overwhelming. Next time, I’d definitely make sure I knew what I was specifically trying to accomplish. I’d also make it clear what areas I choose to focus on and why, so that others could understand my rationale.
Finally, I looked back over the module and thought about ways I could make the course more interactive to students. Using the UDL principles, it was easy to see what accommodations I could make to help students. That was something I’m constantly doing anyway, but this was a chance to really make sure I was making my choices transparent. It was one more chance for me to look at my site from a students perspective and see ways I could improve. This was something I wish I would have done a little more along the way. It would have been easier to include more content earlier on.
Overall the process was very positive. I learned a lot about creating and implementing a Moodle, making smart decisions when organizing a blended class, and how to successfully engage students with technology. Clear goals and planning help make the process run a lot smoother. Also, having a solid rubric to refer to and incorporate makes the decision -making a lot easier. I’m excited to try out the Moodle with my students. I’m also excited to create Moodles for my other classes. Like Angelou said, ““When you know better you do better”. Hopefully I can prove her right!