Unit One September WSQ: Fundamentals of Blended Learning and the Flipped Classroom WSQ

The inquiry based blog post below is designed to get you to thinking and reflecting on what blended learning means to you, the elements that are going to be necessary for success, and any modifications that are going to need to take place in order for your course or unit transition to be successful! 

Please post a reflection to the following inquiries as you complete the readings and view the videos for this unit. We will continue this discussion at the beginning of our face-to-face meeting on September 5th, 2014.  I encourage you to also start a dialogue prior to the meeting by commenting on you colleague's posts as well!

1. What do the terms blended learning and flipped learning or the flipped classroom mean to you? Are they one in the same or different, and why do you believe that?


2. What is your experience thus far with blended learning?  Have you taught using this format prior to this program?  If so, how long and in what ways? Previously, how did you prepare for your blended learning courses or units? How did this preparation differ from the process used in your face-to-face courses?  What are you looking to change in your preparation for blended learning in the future? If you have not used blended learning, what did you pick up from the readings that will assist you in preparing to teach using this format?  How do you feel your preparation might need to be tweaked when designing blended learning than traditional face-to-face teaching and learning? What main elements should you include in a blended learning unit or course?


3. In what ways can blended learning courses be considered the "best of both worlds"(i.e. face-to-face and online?) What could make blended learning the "worst of both worlds?" (Question adopted from BlendKit14: https://blended.online.ucf.edu/)


4. In what ways will your teaching methods, course activities, assessment and engagement with your students change in the blended classroom? What do you feel will be the most advantageous and disadvantageous effects of blended learning for your students? For you as the instructor?


5. Please post at least one "burning question" regarding the readings and outside of class activities that we can discuss in our September meeting.


6. As a take away of this inquiry activity and our first in-meeting discussion, each of us will be developing our own philosophy of blended learning to post here on our individual blog pages.  Meeting time will be provided to write your philosophy and share it at our September meeting. I am hopeful that these philosophies will be something  you can share with your students who will be learning in what may be a new format for them to familiarize them with your approach to teaching and expectations of them as your students.  We will return to this philosophy many times throughout the program for revision and expansion.