# Blended Learning in K-12/General Comparisons in Blended Learning

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**Offline and Online Learning** One of the most distinguishable
characteristics of blending learning is its ability to combine two
different forms/setting of learning and instruction. (Singh, 2001) In
blended learning, instruction takes place in an offline and online
setting. In the offline setting, the instruction takes place in a
traditional, face-to-face classroom. The online setting usually takes
place using the Internet. Although there are distance courses solely
designed to have all of its instruction take place online through the
use of the Web, blended learning utilizes the atmosphere of both offline
and online settings.

The *dual settings* of online and offline learning are optimally
combined to administer the responsibilities of sharing content,
establishing and continuing communication, and stimulating interaction.
Ideally, the online and offline components of a blended learning class
are more or less symbiotic, where the interactions and successes of each
setting feed off each other.

In blended learning the web enhancements of the online portion also
contribute to not only aiding in the pragmatic goals of the classroom,
but to augmenting the pedagogical goals as well. (Wingard, 2004) The
percentage of time and activity spent by students either on the online
or offline classroom is usually dependent on the nature of the course
and the preference of the instructor.

Early results of studies show an increase in student-instructor
interaction and student preparation in use of course material. (Wingard,
2005)

**Structured and Unstructured Learning** Structured or formal learning
occurs when content is organized like chapters in a text book.
Unstructured learning takes place informally online through synchronous
and asynchronous discussions as well as e-mail correspondence. In a
blended learning environment instructors can develop a program that
incorporates both types of learning together. (Singh, 2001) Although
traditionally used in higher education, blended learning is making its
way into elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools around the
country.

A structured learning program must encourage students to be actively
engaged. More importantly, it must allow the instructor to track student
use of the program, manage access to the next stage on the basis of
completion or assessment, and follow up with another form of
communication to students who are not completing work. (Hoyle, 2003)
Finally, it should have specific learning objectives and expected
outcomes. A blended learning environment with a structured program can
benefit those students who learn better on their own rather than in the
traditional classroom setting. (Zenger and Uehlein, 2001) This can be
especially helpful in the k-12 classroom as individual student needs
must be met. One common pitfall of structured online learning is merely
the repackaging of current class curriculum and placing it in an online
environment. (Hoyle, 2003)

In an unstructured online environment, students actually have some
control of their learning experiences. Some students prefer the
discovery method of learning while others prefer more straightforward
content. (Zenger and Uehlein, 2001) The freedom to interact and
collaborate with peers without the teacher looming overhead can be
highly motivating for some students. This would be beneficial for
younger students with learning disabilities in that they may recognize
their individual strengths in this new environment. In an unstructured
learning environment, assessment is especially important to ensure
objectives have been met. (Hoyle, 2003)

Best practices in blended learning contain structured and unstructured
components.

-   Create a structured core curriculum of learning activities that are
    taught using a variety of instructional methods.
-   Support an environment in which students can learn smaller parts and
    work their way up to more complex ideas.
-   Create a classroom in which students can learn informally.
-   Provide technological support and for students.
-   Provide an easy to use environment. (Oakes and Casewit, 2003)

Personal Experiences -- Lisa Abate (2004) developed an unstructured
asynchronous component to her classroom while on maternity leave. An
online classroom was created using a common educational website where
Lisa communicated with her students. She integrated the concepts her
substitute teacher discussed in the classroom and included online
extensions for her students. Not only did these teachers "team teach",
but they did it from different places within the blended learning
environment.

**Off-the-Shelf Content vs. Custom Content** One of the greatest
advantages of Blended learning is that it gives students and instructors
the opportunity to utilize a wide range of resource materials. Although
there does not seem to be much research about the types of materials
used, students and instructors are not limited to those resources which
can be exploited in a traditional face-to-face setting. Rather, the
instructor can combine all of the traditional resources, which include
lectures and assigned readings, with interactive, self-paced materials.

Traditional textbooks increasingly offer multi-media components as part
of their ancillary materials. These might include opportunities for
extra skill practice, online assessments, and links to resources that
would not realistically fit into a traditional bound book. The
instructor may include these extra resources as part of the learning
modules in a blended course. Theoretically, the instructor could create
a blended course entirely from these ancillary materials for a
completely off-the-shelf learning experience.

Alternatively, the instructor could choose to create a course without
utilizing a traditional textbook at all. Using the wealth of material
that is available online, the instructor can synthesize materials to
create a unique learning context, combining recorded lectures, online
articles, and material up-loaded by the instructor. While this has
always been possible in traditional face-to-face courses, particularly
at the post-High-School level, it has not always been feasible for the
K-12 instructor.

An additional possibility, which would not be possible in a traditional
setting, is the creation of the forum as a learning resource. (NSW,
2005) Although discussion has been a part of face-to-face instruction,
the learning forum provides a virtual space in which discussion can
occur, as well as a mechanism for recording the discussion that ensues.
Students not only construct their own knowledge in this space, but can
return to it at a later time for clarification. The instructor can also
use this permanent record to assess student participation, and include
new viewpoints as resources for subsequent learning modules or courses.

**Implications for K-12 Education**

**Restructuring the Class** One of the most difficult challenges of
transforming a traditional K-12 class into a blended learning classroom
requires a shift in an educator's teaching paradigm. Instead of
preparing the necessary materials for the off-line setting of a
traditional classroom, the blended learning K-12 teacher now must also
organize and maintain the on-line, virtual classroom. The time,
planning, and organization needed to restructure a K-12 blended
classroom requires the educator to, in essence, plan and organize a
class in two settings, which complement each other in terms of
scheduling, content, lesson flow, and organization.

A blended learning classroom requires the K-12 instructor to develop
teaching materials prior to the start of class. Other K-12 classroom
models have also used other characteristics of blended learning for
instructing students through the Web and other electronic tools.
Web-enhanced campus courses, Web-centric courses, Web-courses using
distance learning and campus settings, and traditional distance courses
have implemented web use to certain degrees. Each category of web
integration requires a varied percentage of packaged developed material,
ranging from fifty to one hundred percent. (Boettcher and Conrad 1999)
However, the percentage of prepared material web material in blended
K-12 course ultimately depends on teacher preference, student/school
technological capabilities, and other lesson dependent factors.

Like the other models of Web integration in the K-12 classroom, blended
learning courses need to successfully address and incorporate four of
the following components:

-   Administration -- organization of the syllabus, increase teacher
    productivity/efficiency, distributing/collecting material, and
    scheduling duties
-   Assessment -- providing feedback, tracking student progress, and
    testing opportunities
-   Content Delivery -- communicating content through different learning
    styles, using multimedia, incorporating learning activities, using
    the Internet for the acquisition of knowledge
-   Community -- building the classroom community through
    synchronous/threaded chats, providing office/help hours to
    communicate online (Schmidt 2002)

**Benefits of Blended Learning** One of the more potentially impacting
benefits of blended learning is in the area of student accessibility.
According to Jeffrey, the ability to use the Web for the classroom has
the potential to serve any student, at any time, in any place. (Jeffrey
2003) Likewise, the characteristics of blended learning also allow its
K-12 students the same advantages in terms of accessibility. A blended
learning's online course components could possibly minimize the
accessibility concerns for the following K-12 students who cannot meet
in the traditional classroom:

-   students in rural or small school districts where the proximity of
    the classroom is the main challenge to content/material
    accessibility
-   home-schooled students with instruction in subjects their parents
    feel unable to teach
-   handicapped or hospitalized students who cannot travel to the
    traditional classroom
-   expelled students who are required not to attend the traditional
    classroom as a consequence but still can have access to material to
    prevent falling behind academically (Jeffrey 2003)

In addition to accessibility issues, blended learning also possesses the
ability to collect and organize digital content material can also
eliminate the use of physical textbooks in the classroom. Electronic
content and resources can substitute for the information found in
textbooks, or the electronic copies of textbooks can be downloaded onto
computers and laptops, thus eliminating the high cost of purchasing
textbooks and the physical and problematic concerns some educators have
with students carrying heavy textbooks. The delivery of textbook
information in an electronic format seems ideal for blended learning
classrooms. According to one article, allowing teachers to use digital
media instead of prescribed textbooks can open up all kinds of
creativity and empowering tools of instruction. (Colin 2005)
