Blendkit Module 1: Snapshot of My Background

For the past three years, I have been developing blended courses that involve teachers that are graduate students and taking a series of courses leading to Reading Endorsement certification. My course has three Saturday face-to-face sessions and the remainder of the course is online.

I have developed modules that include content, supplemental materials (i.e., links to online videos, pod casts, and readings), a module assignment based on the reading, and a blog. I have learned that the blog is helpful for many purposes. Probably the most important is forming an online learning community. Students interact with each other through this online social networking tool. It adds the social connection to learning and to the course. Many course participants know about blogs through instructional technology courses, but very few blog for personal or professional purposes. Thus, another benefit of blogging encompasses the experience of blog as an educational resource and tool for learning. Some teachers actually begin to use blogging in with their students, although the local school districts block blogger. We have found secure alternatives, such as edmodo.com and kidblog.org.

When I first ventured into blended courses, I was somewhat apprehensive. I thought I would not get to know my students and establish a bond as I had in my face-to-face courses. You see, I was under the antiquated impression that online courses were solely content driven and independent learning. As I read and attended professional development session, I framed my courses more as online learning communities and included an active blogging component. My requirements were minimal for blogging, and in each course, I notice how student extend and exceed the blogging requirements as they see this less as a course assignment and more about interacting and learning with their colleagues. Two added benefits to blogging are that all students participate, while in face-to-face some students are reticent. Blogs also provide me with an assessment about questions and interests that allow me to include differentiated content in learning modules.

My interest in this Blendkit opportunity is to go even further in developing my courses and opening up new resources and possibilities for learning online.