Reaction to Chapter 4

After reading more about what blended learning is and the things that are needed to be taken into consideration before implementing blended learning, this week's chapter focused more on the actual content itself and what instructors need to do before implementing that content.

Below are the questions that I will try to reflect on and answer:

• How will you present content to students in the blended learning course you are designing? Will students encounter content only in one modality (e.g., face-to-face only), or will you devise an approach in which content is introduced in one modality and elaborated upon in the other? 

I hope to use a mixture of both face-to-face and online. Perhaps I can introduce the content online and elaborate upon it face-to-face with the students or vice versa. I think a lot of it has to do with the content as well as the goals of the module itself. Sometimes there could be some modules that have you rely on face-to-face interactions, especially if it's something that can only be demonstrated live, while there are objectives where both modalities can work.

• Will there be a consistent pattern to the presentation of content, introduction of learning activities, student submission of assignments, and instructor feedback (formal and informal) in your blended learning course? How can you ensure that students experience your course as one consistent whole rather than as two loosely connected learning environments?

I teach English language learners, and I think in the beginning, some consistency is needed. Some of my students may be familiar with using the technology, but they may not be used to using the technology for a class. There may be others who may not have access to technology or limited experience with it, and so they will need to learn how to be comfortable with using the technology. So, definitely for the first part of class, consistency is needed. I also think that students need to see things as a whole, so making sure that my objectives are clear and that all of my assignments are clearly meeting the objectives should help.

• How can specific technologies help you present content, provide meaningful experiences, and pitch integration to students in your blended course? With your planned technology use, are you stretching yourself, biting off more than you can chew, or just maintaining the status quo?

While face-to-face interaction can be helpful, sometimes I think certain technologies can help students get something more from an experience and a class. For instance, with the communicative tools, students are able to share their views on a subject and help each other with the content by collaborating with each other online. With the experiential tools, the students can take it one step further by working together on a project (which can range from videos to experiments) and learn how to communicate with each other. They can also walk away with a product that they can share with future employers and their family. I think I am maintaining the status quo with just using online tools for posting information, but if I push myself to have more experimental experiences in a blended learning environment, then I am stretching myself as an instructor.