Day 141: 10 Must Knows for Blended Learning Implementation

Day 141: As we continue our Blended Learning Journey, want to share with you 10 simple must knows as you consider your BL implementation and iterations. Of course, there are many more but remember this is a blog and not a novel. Use these 10 to reflect upon and consider:

1) Must have a working definition of Blended Learning. Horn and Staker have the best on the market. If you can't define BL as an administrator then your implementation will suffer. What is your definition?
2) Must know the taxonomy of models. Do you know the difference between the rotation model and the flex model? Do you know why the station rotation model is different from the individual rotation model?
3) Must know how you are going to combine Balanced Literacy into Blended Learning. It fits like a hand in a glove. Blended learning is the best way to implement Balanced Literacy!
4) Must know the difference between technology rich and leveraged technology.
5) Must know that at least in part in a supervised brick and mortar location is ultra important! Without a clear, consistent discipline system with incentives and consequences your implementation will fall apart.
6)Must know that your teachers are the catalysts and trust them to run their classrooms as facilitators!
7)Must Know that blended learning online programs that you select need to have an element of student control of the time, place, pace, and path. Do you know what is meant by element of student control?
8)Must know that your modalities in the station rotation model need to be interconnected to provide integration.
9)Must know that Blended Learning will make you loathe whole group instruction. Small group instruction done by a teacher facilitator is the most powerful thing in education today! Why? Because it meets the needs of every student, every class, every day. Do you have the confidence to say that about whole group.
10) Must know that Blended learning implementation is easier said then done. Easier thought than implemented. Many people and schools will say that they are already doing it or that they have been doing it for years and they just didn't call it blended learning. If you can't answer adequately question one, I encourage you to start digging deep into blended learning because it is the best instructional model in education today!
Below are some pics I snapped of some of our teachers doing their station rotations today. This is on a Friday!