BlendKit

Interesting reflections on how blended learning facilitates self determination and independent learning

"End of Semester Evaluation Form Student Survey of Teachers Teacher Assessment Survey Teacher Feedback Form Course Evaluation Form Evaluation of Teacher Use of Technology Form Daily Feedback Form"

"How Sedaris Writes Great First Sentences I don't know David personally, so the following tricks are pure speculation. But I have no doubt he would agree-or at least say I was close. 1. Find the hook. What draws people? Sex. Violence. Strange circumstances. Bizarre people. Surprising statements. Controversial positions. Of course you won't know the hook until you've written the first draft, which brings me to the next point. 2. Get rid of the first paragraph. Or two. Often, just to get started, we will throw everything on the table in the first couple of sentences. This is a tendency from school to explain what you are about to tell the reader. Break this habit if you want to seduce a reader with a first sentence. 3. Read lots of Sedaris. Or Truman Capote. Hemingway. Any great writer of fiction or non-fiction. 4. Type out a list of great first lines. Make this a long list. This will get you to concentrate and absorb the elements of the sentence. But it will do something else. See next point. 5. Review your list every time you write a first sentence. Need I say more? Your Turn"

Working on the DIY task on formulating assignments, I was looking for some writing tips that could be helpful for students. Here are four from Hemingway.

Onother list from content marketing... Ask yourself 5 questions when you create valuable content: : Is it ... - Findable - Readable - Understandable - Actionable - Shareable Link the checklist (pdf-file): http://www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/leibtag_content_checklist.pdf

This is a good site to write either a diary or keep a journal

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for prompts or creative ways to use journals in the classroom as well as in your profession. "Journal Keeping: How to Use Reflective Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight, and Positive Change" by Dannelle D. Stevens and Joanne E. Cooper

A majority of the time when hybrid/blended learning courses are created, they also incorporate a "flipped classroom" approach. This approach includes having online lectures done outside of the classroom prior to class and using in-class time for active hands-on application that extends learning. To help clarify what is expected prior to class and what is expected after the face-to-face session having separate objectives as stated in this article is a good best practice.

Another great post by Jackie Gerstein on what it really means to design tasks that really engage with the three Cs of Education 3.0-  connectors, creators, constructivists. 

Excellent summary of some of the online commentary and a great synthesis model for activity design that goes beyond simple lecture flipping

Very comprehensive overview of current blended learning best practices - Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments compiles pedagogical strategies and technologies and their outcomes that have been successfully applied in blended instruction. Highlighting best practices as elementary, secondary, and tertiary educational levels; this book is a vital tool for educators who teach or plan to teach in blended learning environments and for researchers interested in the area of blended education knowledge.

Article by NACOL about Blended Learning. Includes case studies of several US K-12 blended schools. Lessons learned (p. 15) and Looking Ahead (pp. 16-17) worth reading and reflecting upon.

Looks like an interesting way to add a formative assessment component to a video clip to help focus learners on what's important. A free sign-up and free to use tool. An example of the tool in action accompanying a viral video for Mother's Day can be found at: http://www.educanon.com/public/12221/40843?twitter

Thank you for sharing! I will try this out and see if we want to add it to our flipped classroom training.

Even though this MOOC is based on Hybrid/ Blended courses, it is still important that the instructor/teacher engage in the learning in and out of the classroom. Here is some ways to do this...

Mobile Learning - Are we designing our courses to meet these students?

While reading this, couldn't help but wonder how the basic principles here might have specific application to blended learning design.

Multiple choice tests are easy to score but difficult to write well, particularly if you want to assess critical thinking. In this tutorial, you can learn how to analyze multiple choice test questions and get some tips to help you revise / write effective multiple choice questions.

This paper by Terry Anderson and Jon Dron of Athabasca University is relevant to our discussions in Blended Learning. Although their focus is pure distance education, the constructs presented in their material are relevant to our BlendKit2014 work. I think we need to be more clear about how our pedagogical approach drives our learning design.

This is my Board "Learning and Education 2.0" on Pinterest. It has pins on various information, articles, links on Online Education, Online courses, MOOCs, etc.