21st Century Learning and Teaching

Blended learning, however, is not meant to replace teachers with computers, but rather empower them with new possibilities.

Educational technology gives teachers more career options and better working conditions. As technology ventures into the classroom students will grow with personalized, tech-empowered learning. Consequently, teachers should evolve as well.

As teachers are challenged with increasing demands the solution to switch to individualized online learning arises. As a result, the role of the teacher is redefined and opportunities increase.

Blended learning is very beneficial to teachers. Teachers have extended time with students, the ability to reach hard to motivate kids, and eager students. Students can get access to better information and can get an education with more of a focus on deeper learning.

We’ve been discussing blended learning in the Edudemic Magazine for several months but I had been struggling to find a video that helps explain what it actually is and why you should care.

Then I happened upon one of the startups I’ve been watching. Education Elements has a terrific page along with a video to describe exactly what blended learning is, what it hopes to achieve, and what it looks like.

A must watch...:

http://edudemic.com/2012/10/what-exactly-is-blended-learning/

Keynote speeches, panel discussions, and new reports all put the spotlight on models for combining face-to-face and online instruction.

While the rise of blended learning has long been on the radar of leaders in virtual education, last week's Virtual School Symposium may have been its unofficial coming-out party.

From beginning to end, blended learning—briefly defined as any of a variety of approaches that combine features of both face-to-face and online instruction—took headline status in keynote speeches, panel discussions, and report releases throughout the three-day conference hosted here by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, or iNACOL.

Read more, very interesting...:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/31/10virtual.h32.html?tkn=TSTFGWDiV4fMIvbt%2B%2BOEQhmwLimL6xAJ58qM&cmp=clp-edweek