Blended Learning... So what is that?

Blended Learning is a major buzzword that is being talked about in the world of K-12 education and higher education.  Many people are wondering what is blended learning and why should I care about it.  Let's start out defining what it is.  First, let's take a look at the definition provided by the Christensen Institute:

"The definition of blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns:

1.  at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;
2. at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;
3. and the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience."

This definition is a great starting point that gets the point across that students must spend at least some of their time in school to be considered blended learning and they must spend some time online.  What this definition leaves open for flexibility is that the online piece can be done at school or away from campus.  This gives educators the opportunity to make blended learning work for both younger students that have to be in class everyday and older students who could have a more flexible schedule with built in release time.

After working with blended learning for the past 3 years, what I began to notice is that this definition is not enough to guide teachers to create exceptional blended experiences.  What I realized is that by following this definition, I could give all my students a video to watch when they get to my class on their own device, then have them complete a worksheet to turn in.  Technically it meets the definition by offering flexibility in pace because students could pause the video or rewatch the video if they wanted.  What it is missing is that personalization.  All the students are still doing the same thing, the same way, at the same time.  This prompted Charles and I to really think about what do we need to add to our vision of what blended learning is in order to inspire teachers to implement really high level blended into their classrooms.

It is at this point that our image was born. 

The missing link to great blended learning is data.  Great blended learning happens when teachers offer flexibility in place, pace, path or time which is guided by ongoing data collection and analysis to provide students with a personalized learning experience that is able to meet their individual needs.