# Blended Learning in K-12/Blended Learning in Grades 9-12

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Today\'s high school student often has the maturity and technical
expertise necessary to participate in e-learning experiences. However,
students of this age frequently require the support of a teacher in a
classroom. Blended learning combines the best of both worlds for high
school students: the fluidity of using Internet resources and the
reassurance of face-to-face experiences. It extends learning beyond the
classroom, and expands the breadth of courses offerings, while providing
the personal support and encouragement from a teacher still necessary
for many students. The following paragraphs describe the effectiveness
of blended learning, how to successfully achieve blended learning in a
high school environment, and provide specific examples for teachers.

## Research on Effectiveness of Blended Learning

High school students are often motivated by online learning, and often
have the maturity and self-discipline to work independently and succeed
in online coursework. \"Evidence overwhelmingly shows that ALN
\[Asynchronous Learning Networks\] are at least as effective as
classroom learning\" (Hilz et al., 2004). Much of the evidence of online
learning success, however, relates to college and graduate level
students who demonstrate a better completion rate than younger learners.
Some high schools have found that providing hybrid courses, or blended
learning experiences that provide more face-to-face support to students
have better completion rates. One example is the Mannheim Township
Virtual High School in Pennsylvania. While receiving many accolades for
their success with individual students participating in their online
learning courses, the dropout rate hovered around 25%. The program was
uniquely revamped to address this issue. The solution was a hybrid
online and traditional course model that has resulted in a 99%
completion rate (Oblender, 2002).

The weaknesses of online courses are addressed by hybrid, or blended
learning courses. Blended learning provides more structured time for
student work while still allowing students the opportunity to proceed at
their own pace. Teachers are available to monitor progress and provide
encouragement and support to students who may lag behind. Blended
learning courses provide physical resources that are not available in
courses that are presented completely online, including language,
technology and science labs (Oblender, 2002).

Blended learning also provides many benefits not available in
traditional classrooms. The need for textbooks is diminished. Material
presented is timely and relevant, and student progress is self-paced.
The students\' learning environment is extended to organizations, people
and facilities not available in the classroom. Students who participate
in blended learning gain advanced technological competencies (Oblender,
2002).

Distinct advantages exist for at-risk students when exposed to blended
learning, particularly synchronous activities. Joining a \"cyber-study
group\" results in higher performance for these students compared to
students who study alone. \"Peer-to-peer interactions needed for
collaboration promote a collective sense of responsibility . . .
students who have low self-efficacy or an external locus of control
receive feedback and encouragement from their study partners.\" Also the
presence of the instructor is more frequent, and results in more
meaningful dialogue between teachers and students (Newlin, *et al.*,
2002).

## Getting Started with Blended Learning

For teachers just getting started in blended learning, the simplest
approach may be to choose websites that expand on what is being taught
in class, and/or provide extra practice for specific skills. In this
scenario, the greatest proportion of the learning experience involves
face-to-face learning, with a less significant web component. High
school teachers who are looking to add a web component should start
simple. The purpose is to expand on and clarify topics covered in class,
and provide opportunities for students to extend the learning experience
beyond the confines of the classroom. Some examples:

Foreign language students can utilize My Language
Exchange. At this website, a student
can locate a student learning his language who is a native speaker of
the language he is learning. Together, the two students can participate
in practice sessions using lesson plans, text and voice chat rooms, a
dictionary, a private notepad, etc.

Math students can utilize online simulations of math concepts at The
National Library of Virtual
Manipulatives. Simulations
are available in Numbers and Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement,
Data Analysis, and Probability. Using these manipulatives can provide a
better understanding of math concepts, and well as practice in various
areas.

English students can extend their learning of the writing process beyond
the walls of the classroom by using Principles of
Composition.
This site contains a full high school composition course with
interactive lessons and practice.

Students of American history can expand and develop their knowledge and
understanding of major events in the history of our country by using
The American Memory Collection
published and maintained by the Library of Congress. Another good source
is to use some of the interactive sites provided by National Geographic.
The Underground Railroad trip is especially good for upper elementary
and jr. high students. It forces them to think and make decisions while
explaining what the underground railroad is.

Enriching science students through technology is made possible by the
wide array of interactive resources available on the web. Students can
conduct an in depth and interactive study of Biology at Interactive
Biology. Chemistry
students can expand on textbook information with information and
animations on periodic table elements by using The Visual Elements
Periodic
Table.
Students of physics can enrich the learning experience by spending time
at The Physics Classroom.

## Moving Forward: Incorporating Synchronous Web Components Into the High School Class

As teachers and students gain confidence in the incorporation of blended
learning, they can discover numerous web components available to enhance
the learning experience for students. Live synchronous experiences are
good examples. These include video conferencing, instant messaging, chat
rooms, and virtual classroom modules.

Video conferencing serves a variety of purposes. Most video conferencing
options are not free, but available for an hourly fee, or through a
subscription service. Students can benefit from the expertise of
specialists in various areas and can participate in virtual field trips.
Students living in remote areas can benefit from resources and people
only available in more populated areas. The Albany Institute of History
and Art
offers numerous \"virtual field trips\" for high school students.
Students are active participants as they join in real time with the
Institute\'s historians, examining artifacts and collaborating with
experts. History students can interact with holocaust survivors via
video-conferencing through The Holocaust Memorial and Educational
Center in New
York. These are just a few of numerous video conferencing options
available across the curriculum.

Video conferencing has purposeful academic applications in language
courses, but some controversy exists over whether these needs can be
addressed via asynchronous video. CUSeeMe was the grandfather of two-way
video conferencing. Successors include NetMeeting, PalTalk and iVisit.
Live Video conferencing has its drawbacks, however. Many schools lack
the bandwidth necessary for effective and problem-free two-way
conferencing (Godwin-Jones, 2003).

Instant messaging, discussion boards and chat rooms provide a means for
remediation and consultation for students outside the school day.
\"Communication tools like discussion boards and chat rooms can be
effective in inter-team collaboration as well as in faculty-student
communication\" (Eastman, *et al.*, 2002). Students can become motivated
in directing their own learning. Through these synchronous activities,
students become empowered, can develop better communications skills, and
develop their ability to work cooperatively. Students who are more timid
in a face-to-face environment often gain confidence in online
discussions. Teachers frequently become more accessible to students
through these types of synchronous activities (Eastman, *et al.*, 2002).
Traditional text chats can now be enhanced with voice and/or video.
\"Apple recently announced multimedia enhancements of its iChat
application, along with introducing the new iSight camera\"
(Godwin-Jones).

## Use of Asynchronous Web Components in Secondary Education

Blogging, which began as an online journal several years ago has
escalated to \"several hundred thousand diarists . . . actively posting
blogs about almost every conceivable topic.\" Blogs provide an instant,
online writing space with the potential for an audience of thousands;
free and instant publishing. Teachers will find that the \"presence of
an audience can increase engagement and a depth of writing\" (Bull,
2003). \"Blogs also help students exchange ideas much like a group of
students waxing poetic at a . . . coffeehouse. Blog sites often
prominently display the e-mail addresses of \[their\] creators, letting
readers instantly provide feedback to the site\" (Toto, 2004). Blogging
has numerous instructional applications in high school. Literary
activities using blogs include character journals, character roundtable,
think-aloud postings, and literature circle group responses. Revision
and grammar activities include nutshelling (extracting a line from a
paragraph that holds the most meaning), devil\'s advocate writing
(online debate), and exploding sentences (slowing down a student from an
earlier post and adding rich, descriptive detail). At Hunderdon Central
Regional High School in Flemington, New Jersey, students use a blog to
discuss \"The Secret Life of Bees\" by Sue Monk Kidd in an American
Literature Class (Bull, 2003).

Blogs can also help improve student writing. While students often begin
their blog experience with sloppy grammar and spelling, the presence of
an audience generally changes that. Since students are often the most
critical audience, the blog writer begins to strive to improve writing
to avoid criticism. Also blogging \"forces students to become more savvy
about the world around them.\" The need to feed the interest of the
audience inspires students to be clever and interesting (Toto, 2004).
Blogging is a tool that inspires collaboration, and encourages students
to extend learning well beyond the traditional school day. Appropriate
use of blogs \"can empower students to become more analytical and
critical; through actively responding to Internet materials, students
can define their positions in the context of others\' writings as well
as outline their own perspectives on particular issues (Oravec, 2002).

Course management systems provide a mode of presentation and
organization for blended learning. Moodle is a good example. Moodle was
design to \"provide a set of tools that support an inquiry- and
discovery-based approach to online learning\" (Brandl, 2005). Being
available free of charge, it also has good financial benefits for school
districts, as opposed to commercial course management systems. Teachers
using moodle are able to provide a virtual classroom round the clock.
\"Moodle has great potential for supporting conventional classroom
instruction, for example, to do additional work outside of class, to
become the delivery system for blended course formats (Brandl, 2005). It
is based on socio-constructivist theory, promoting cooperation among and
between students and teachers. It provides for both synchronous and
asynchronous discussion through a chat option and threaded discussion.
\"At the core of the concept of an asynchronous learning network is the
student as an active---and socially interactive---learner\" (Hilz et
al., 2004).

## Pulling It All Together: The Teacher\'s Perspective

The goal of blended learning is to use technology as a tool for learning
and to promote a discovery-based approach to online learning. It is also
intended to help students become \"anytime, anywhere\" lifelong
learners. Keeping abreast of the technology is a challenge for teachers
as well. The teacher needs to participate in ongoing professional
development, read the latest research, and share ideas with other
teachers. Teachers must actively seek out and utilize individuals that
can act as mentors and technical support providers in their quest for
effective blended learning techniques. If teachers must be lifelong
learners themselves in order to promote lifelong learning among their
students \-- they must lead by example.

## The Role of Blended Learning in the Future of High School Education

While teachers grapple with the challenges of staying up-to-date on new
technologies, students being educated in this technological era are
confident in their use of technology. New teachers enter the workplace
well-equipped to face the technological challenges that await. As access
to technological resources improves for all students and the digital
divide narrows, high schools find themselves better able to implement
blended learning. In the near future, high school learning will no
longer be limited the length of the school day or the confines of the
school building. Resources will be available for all students to learn
anywhere, anytime.

Across the country, high schools are already making this vision a
reality. One example is the Urban School in San Francisco, which has
incorporated a 1:1 student laptop program. Foreign language courses have
been improved with the use of voice files to improve listening and
speaking skills. History students contribute meaningfully beyond the
confines of the classroom and school to the broader community beyond by
providing web-based election materials to the local community and
producing an award-winning website that contains oral histories of area
holocaust survivors. Math and science simulations are available for
extra practice and enrichment to students when and where they need it,
and language arts students participate in online literature circles,
generating "more thoughtful and meaningful responses" than would
typically be expected in a traditional classroom discussion (Levin).

## Summary

The benefits for students abound in blended learning. Teachers have the
opportunity to individualize instruction at all levels and for all
students. Extra help is available to students who need it, and
enrichment opportunities can be provided for students who move at a
faster pace than the rest of the class. Teacher availability extends
beyond the confines of the school day and the school building. Learning
opportunities are expanded for all students. Students become actively
engaged, and are well-prepared for the technological workplace that will
be theirs. Collaboration is encouraged, and students have the
opportunity to collaborate with a diverse and worldwide student body.
Curriculum connections can be made which encourage higher level thinking
(Morehead et al., 2004). Great potential exists for both students and
teachers, and the future of blended learning is significant. What of the
questions that would seem to need to be addressed is the availability of
the technology to allow for blended learning. It would seem that
wealthier districts would have a significant advantage in the resources
available to them. Many poorer districts have poor student to computer
ratios or do not have the ability to make computers available to
classroom students on a regular basis.
