This week was pretty packed… We had the chance to:
- Learn about Multi-Access Learning, Blending, and Flipped Learning
- Meet a guest speaker
- Create our own 3D project
My 3D Project
Initially when I heard we were creating a 3D project, I felt a little anxious. As mentioned numerous times technology can be very overstimulating and difficult for me. However, thanks to the 3D design and print workshop I was able to follow the steps to make a simple design. To my surprise, customizing and creating a design was a fairly straight forward experience. I’ll even admit that I had fun making it…. Who would have guessed 😉
Multi-Access and Blended Classrooms
We also had the privilege of meeting Nicole Kent, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She shared her research and ideas on flipped learning and blended learning. Throughout this experience, Andy and I ended up getting into an interesting conversation on the benefits and hesitations of these models.
Hesitations
- Accessibility challenges with technology
- Children who are experiencing violence at home may not be able to participate with their audio and video
- Children who need to take care of their siblings at home cannot join virtually or watch later
- Children with learning differences who need extra support may not have support at home
- Children may be anxious or struggle with using technology
Benefits
- Flexibility for students
- Self-paced
- High achieving students can watch lessons once and not need any clarifications
- Lower students can re watch it as much as they would like
- Students can miss school but not feel behind if they can access all the material online at a later time
- Inclusive for non verbal students who already rely on tech for communication
For more information on why blended classrooms are a wonderful educational model, check out this short video.
