Blended Learning course from Athabasca University

With all this buzz about Blended Learning, I took up a free online course offered by Athabasca University as part of my Professional Development (PD). It provided a different perspective on Blended Learning and the frameworks which educators could refer to as they continue to teach students in the midst of his pandemic.

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From the Commonwealth of Learning and Athabasca University:

Introduction to Technology-Enabled Learning
9 January to 13 February (5 weeks)
Dr Martha Cleveland-Innes and Dr Nathaniel Ostashewski
This course is designed for teachers who want to build on their knowledge and practice in teaching and learning with technology. Including both theory and practical applications of technology, TEL MOOC is in some ways a preliminary course for BLP but goes into additional detail on finding and using open educational resources, lesson planning for online learning activities, and model-based selection of learning technologies. Registration is open now.
http://www.telmooc.ca

Blended Learning Practice
Next offering: 7 February to 6 March 2021 (4 weeks)
Dr Martha Cleveland-Innes and Dan Wilton
BLP will begin again from the start early next year. If you have fallen behind in this course or would like to continue exploring the same topics again with another cohort of fellow participants, you are more than welcome to re-register. Registration opens 1 January.
https://www.blpmooc.org

From Athabasca University and Contact North:

Learning to Learn Online
18 January to 21 February 2021 (5 weeks)
Dr Martha Cleveland-Innes and Dan Wilton
In this course intended for both novice online learners and teachers, you will explore the fundamentals of the learning process and various models of online courses to determine your learning preferences and which forms of online learning are best for you. Activities will address common misconceptions, frustrations and fears about online learning, and introduce techniques to help overcome such obstacles and gain confidence as a learner. Registration is open now.
http://contactnorth.ltlo.ca
A second run of LTLO with our partner, the Commonwealth of Learning, will be offered later in the winter.

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The SAMR model is one of the first ideas mentioned in the course's open-access text. I believe it helps to think about how exactly technology is being used in our classroom. Personally, I hope that it should go beyond substitution but for the benefit of educators who have a bit more inertia, progressing up the SAMR model gradually may be ideal. I am glad that besides using EdTech to augment my current work, some of the more exploratory work that I am doing is pushing the frontiers towards redefining how tech is used for teaching and learning.

The other concept covered in the text was the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model. It is a model of inquiry-based teaching and learning, based on the work of John Dewey and constructivist views of experiential learning. It is more relevant when thinking about Social, Cognitive and Teaching presence. 

"The CoI framework describes the necessary elements to create deep and meaningful learning. The original framework identifies the education experience as occurring at the convergence of three presences: cognitive, teaching and social. In our application of this model, presence is defined as a state of alert awareness, receptivity and connectedness to the social, cognitive, emotional and physical workings of both the individual and the group in the context of their learning environments (adapted from a definition by Rodgers and Raider-Roth, 2006, p. 1)

 ... 

The CoI framework supports guided inquiry by identifying teaching activity and provides guidance, based on theory and practice, on content and processes for blended learning. In keeping with the original three presences of the CoI framework (social presence, cognitive presence and teaching presence), blended learning using the CoI framework creates opportunities for self-reflection, active cognitive processing, interaction and peer-teaching. In addition, expert guidance from teachers at the right time encourages engagement and shared application activities, highlighting the importance of creating communities of inquiry in the classroom — whether face-to-face, online or blended."

CoI interactive: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/361878080714702850 

CoI validated survey: https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/coi-survey/

The Complex Adaptive Blended Learning System (CABLS) explains how the six elements Learners, Teachers, Content, Institution, Learning Support and Technology. The framework helps one think about how the learner is affected by others within the ecosystem.

"The learner sits at the centre of the model, but all components impact each other. There are six elements in the system, all with their own sub-systems. ...

Not only does each element have its own character and subsystem, but each acts in relationship to all the others. As in any complex system, the relationships are dynamic and integrative. This adaptive system of blended learning emerges from the relationships and the effects of each element acting with and on the other elements. ...

CABLS framework analyses learning into a complex and dynamic system of six interacting elements: learner, teacher, technology, content, learner support and institution."

The course administrators (also the authors of the text), elaborated on the 7 teaching principles that support blended learning.

Thinking about blended learning in context, there is a need to consider high-quality infrastructure to ensure that students truly benefit from the blended learning experience.

The screenshots below show some of the screenshots from the learning experience on Canvas (a LMS whichhas the same vibes as Blackboard) and Adobe Connect for the Live lesson which was in ungodly hours due to the time difference with Canada.

first time using Adobe Connect

interesting features in Adobe Connect

The following are screenshots from the course closure video and I feel they quite adequately capture some of the important takeaways from the PD opportunity.