S.M.A.R.T. Rallying Cry--To maximize the impact of BL we started with the Problem we are trying to solve and the Goals we are trying to achieve. This became our rallying cry and we state it with S.M.A.R.T. Objectives. For those who have not used SMART objectives, it is an acronym with the following Criteria:
Specific--Specific area for Improvement.
Measurable--Quantify an indicator for progress
Attainable--Setting the benchmark
Realistic--Can results be achieved given available resources.
Timely--When will results be achieved
The screenshot below identifies what our SMART goals are schoolwide for 2015-16!
The next step in our Blueprint we Adopted from Horn and Staker's 'Blended' is to organize the right team to turn a rallying cry into a concrete, high impact initiative. In 'Blended', 4 teams are mentioned but we will focus this year on 3 teams: Functional, Lightweight, and Heavyweight teams. Every staff member at HDES is on a team this year as we added a Blended Learning Buddy, Bounce Buddy, Tech Buddy, and Mentor Buddy. We will discuss these latter teams in future posts!
Functional Teams--This team is grade level specific and works best to make improvements at their grade level.
Lightweight Teams--Is to take grade level chairs and heads of departments to collaborate and plan for coordination that crosses their grade level.
Heavyweight Teams--Team that looks for significant breakthrough improvement. This transcends the boundaries of the functional and lightweight teams. The thinking process is to figure out a better way to knit things together to meet the overall project's goals.
Example of our teams:
Designing the Ideal Student Experience:
If you have not watched the Coursera Mook on Blended Learning produced by Horn and Greenberg, there is an outstanding piece on designing the ideal student experience.
As we created our ideal student experience, the goal was to get the design right from the students' perspective so they feel that school aligns well with the things that matter to them, students show up to school motivated and eager to learn!
Designing the teaching Experience: To gain teacher buy-in teachers as much as students must benefit from Blended Learning Implementation. BL creates an opportunity for teacher motivators such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and growth that are difficult to provide in the traditional classroom. According to Horn and Staker, getting the design right for Ts may be the single most important determinant of whether the rise of BL will net out as a win overall. Below is our design.
Designing the Admin Experience: This is an additional piece that is not included in 'Blended' as part of the Blueprint for implementation, but we felt as administrators that we needed goals, experiences, and next steps as much as the students and teachers need to hold one another accountable and to look for ways for continuous improvements. We hope that Horn and Staker would give us a thumbs up on this addition!
This is the 1st of half of the blueprint for implementing BL. As you can see, to create these steps and designs will require countless hours of discussion, surveys, and research to create a personalized Blended Learning Blueprint for your school. We will continue with the Blended learning models, definition of High Quality BL, and creating the culture for implementation future posts! Stay tuned!
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