This document outlines Rob Darrow's presentation on blended learning. It discusses the six key elements of successful blended learning implementation: leadership, professional development, teaching practices, operations/policies, content, and technology. It provides examples from schools in the iNACOL blended learning program that illustrate how these elements can be addressed. The presentation emphasizes that blended learning requires changes to teaching, learning, and pedagogy to make them more student-centric and personalized. It also provides resources like checklists and rubrics to help educators evaluate and plan their blended learning approaches.

1. Blended Learning:
What’s It Take?
Rob Darrow, Ed.D.
President, Online Learning VISIONS.com
Hybrid Learning Consortium. June 2014.
Website: http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com

2. How long have you been
involved in blended learning?
 0-1 years
 2-3 years
 More than 3 years

3. Blended teaching and
learning is messy

4. My Belief: Tipping Point
 K-12 Online Learning already there
(close)
 Every school will become a blended
learning school to better personalize
learning for all students
 Ultimate goal: College and career
ready students and 100% graduation
rate

5. The Ultimate School
 Provides learning for students in
the way they need it, when they
need it:
– Face-to-face
– Technology Enhanced
– Blended
– Online

6. This is a journey,
not a destination.
It takes time to transform
thinking and teaching.

7. Blended Teaching Tools -
Handout
 P. 1: Resource List
 P. 2: Continuum
 P. 3: Checklist
 P. 4: Rubric
 P. 5/6: Elements of Blended Learning
** Adapt and use! **
Website: http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com

8. School 2.0 Thoughts
“Read-write” web
(Darrow and others, 2007)
School 1.0 School 2.0 (Blended)
Local --> School and world
One way --> Many ways
One person controlling
website
-->
Everyone has a website or blog or
podcast or wiki
publishing --> participation
Collaborate in library -->
Collaboration online and
throughout school
Static --> Dynamic
ONLY the Library --> THE World

9. Teacher directed, memory-
focused instruction
Student-centered, performance-
focused learning
Isolated work on invented
exercises
Collaborative work on
authentic, real-work projects
Factual, literal thinking for
competence
Creative thinking for innovation
and original solutions
Primary focus on school and
local community
Expanded focus including
digital global citizenship
Isolated assessment of
learning
Integrated assessment for
learning
Transforming Learning Environments
Traditional Environments Emerging Learning Landscape
Knowledge from limited,
authoritative sources
Learner-constructed knowledge
from multiple information
sources and experiences

10. Gordon Bell and Jim Gray in John Seely Brown (2000),
The Social Life of Information
 “By 2047… all information
about physical objects,
including humans, buildings,
processes and organizations,
will be online. This is both
desirable and inevitable.”

11. Purpose:
Blended learning
implementation
 Share ideas
 Identify one tool or activity
you can put in place soon
 Your implementation direction

12. Blended (or online)
Learning: What’s It Take?
 Pay attention to six elements:
– Leadership
– Professional Development
– Teaching/Instructional Practice
– Operations/Admin Systems/Policy
– Content
– Technology

13. Components within each
of the six elements
 Evaluation
 Quality
 Funding

14. Specifically:
 Leadership
– Evaluation, Quality, Funding
 Professional Development
– Evaluation, Quality, Funding
 Teaching/Instructional Practice
– Evaluation, Quality, Funding
 Operations/Admin Systems/Policy
– Evaluation, Quality, Funding
 Content
– Evaluation, Quality, Funding
 Technology
– Evaluation, Quality, Funding

15. Quick Quiz:
Blended Learning: what does “it” look like?

16. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

17. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

18. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

19. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

20. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

21. Teaching and Learning
What the student is
doing and where the
student is.
What the teacher is
doing and where the
teacher is.
What and where the
content is.

22. From Textbook to Online Teaching
Online
Teaching
Textbook
Enhanced
Teaching
Technology
Enhanced
Teaching
Web / Online
Enhanced
Teaching

23. What does “it” look like?
Where do you fit?
(* See handout)
 Textbook enhanced teaching and
learning
 Technology enhanced (not online)
 Web/online enhanced
 Blended
 Online

24. What does “it” look like?
*Teacher vs. student control of
teaching and learning
 Textbook enhanced
teaching and learning
 Technology enhanced
(not online)
 Web/online enhanced
 Blended
 Online
More teacher
control
Shared
control
More student
control

25. What does “it” look like?
*Teacher-centric vs. Student-centric
 Textbook enhanced
teaching and learning
 Technology enhanced
(not online)
 Web/online enhanced
 Blended
 Online
More teacher
centric
Combination
More student
centric

26. What does “it” look like?
*Control of time and pace
 Textbook enhanced
teaching and learning
 Technology enhanced
(not online)
 Web/online enhanced
 Blended
 Online
Set time
structure
Some
Flexibility
Flexible

27. Blended Learning Definition
A formal education program in which a
student learns at least in part through online
learning, with some element of student
control over time, place, path and/or pace
and
at least in part in a supervised brick-and-
mortar location away from home, and the
modalities along each student’s learning path
within a course or subject are connected to
provide an integrated learning experience.
(Horn & Staker, 2013)

28. Not About the Technology
 Change in teaching
 Change in learning
 Change in pedagogy
 Things should look different in a
blended learning environment,
more student centric, more
personalized learning

29. Blended Learning is:
 More student centric
 Students have more control of
their own learning
 Teachers provide multiple access
points to learning (f2f, video, etc.)
 Flexible time for students

30. iNACOL / New York
iLearn NYC
 Two years
 Observations / interactions with 8
lab schools
 What emerged: 6 elements ,
promising practices and tools you
can use

31. Six Elements Emerged
Result:
A Roadmap for
Blended
Learning
Implementation

32. iNACOL Roadmap for Blended Learning:
Six Elements for Successful
Blended Learning Implementation
 Leadership
 Professional Development
 Teaching/Instructional
Practice
 Operations/Admin
Systems/Policy
 Content
 Technology

33. Leadership
School Implementation
 Identified administrator/leader and teachers at each school
 Ongoing interactions (one-on-one, formal and informal) and
meetings of those involved in iLearn
 Administrators, teachers and administrators work together
towards the blended learning goals established in each
school
Promising Practices
 School culture of innovation and empowerment
 Start small and build
 Communication is strong and occurs between involved
people in a variety of ways (one-to-one, phone, email, chat,
etc.)

34. School Example: Leadership
At Mott Hall V:
Daily walk-throughs at Mott Hall V by
principal and assistant principal
Weekly meeting time built into school
work day
Designated lead blended learning
teacher

35. Professional Development
School Implementation
 Both formal and informal (Schedule trainings to one-on-
one customized PD)
 Modeling, webinars, small conferences, workshops,
cohort meetings
 Implementation Managers are key
Promising Practices
 Scheduled Time
 Teacher Resources
 Professional Sharing
 School Support

36. School Example: Professional Development
At Goddard HS:
– Implementation Manager (IM)
identified two teachers to work one-on-
one to encourage individual growth
– Scheduled time to collaborate and
share for participating teachers
– Leadership and IM communicate
regularly about PD needs, offerings and
resources to meet these needs

37. Teaching/Instructional Practices
School Implementation
Created Resources
– Blended Learning Continuum, Interactive Applet, Blended Learning Rubric
Support for new blended learning teachers – modeling and
mentoring
Analyzing real-time data to personalize learning for each student
Promising Practices
Classroom Setup
Data Analysis
Individualized Instruction
Student Engagement
Digital Content

38. School Example:
Teaching/Instructional Practice
 Flex model of blended learning with content and
instruction
 Students move on individual customized
schedule.
 Structure of classroom includes face-to-face
support through as small-group instruction, group
projects, and individual tutoring.

39. Operations/Management Systems/Policy
School Implementation
 Restructuring of the traditional school class / school day
 Emphasis on using real-time student performance data
 Change in instructional delivery model
Promising Practices
 Operational support
 Policy development examples
 Data-driven instruction

40. School Example:
Operations/Management Systems/Policy
 Specially targets students who are at least
16 year of age and are behind in credit
acquisition
 Recognition that students need different
supports that include online content
 Instructional practices that are adaptive to
their personal needs
 Allows for flexibility in pacing.

41. Content
School Implementation
Common platform
Content providers to choose from
Professional development and teacher sharing about
content provider and platform use
Promising Practices
Content Decision Making (purchase or build your own)
Customizable platform – many teachers using base
curriculum and supplemental based on student needs
Customizable for individual student needs

42. School Example: Content
 Expand foreign language options by
offering online French offered by a
teacher at another school (A la carte
model)
 Expand AP options by developing AP
Environmental Science (A la carte
model)

43. Technology
School Implementation
 School leadership ensures that technology needs of
students and teachers are addressed, and proper training
provided.
 Dedicated technical support for the blended learning
programs.
 School leadership is visible in their own use of
technology; modeling expectations.
Promising Practices
 Technology Training
 Technology Support
 Hardware and Software Needs

44. School Example: Technology
 Dedicated tech support person onsite to
support administrators, teachers with the
network and devices used in the school.
 Common Learning Management System
Used
 Teachers use variety of content including
vendor content, Open Educational
Resources (OER) materials, and teacher-
created online content.

45. Key Observations
 Clear Goals need to be established, written
and discussed in ongoing way
 Leadership determines sustainability and
success (Administrators and Teachers)
 Collaborative leadership style is essential
 School culture of support, innovation
(it is ok to try and fail)
 Ongoing professional development
(formal and informal)
 Weekly check ins both formal and informal
 Support person on staff for tech integration

46. Questions?
Comments?

47. What does
blended learning
really look like?
Is it different than face-to-
face teaching?
Yes!

48. Mott Hall V, New York City
7th Grade Science
One-to-One
Group Projects

52. Southeast Prep
Academy - Detroit

53. What data do I use?
Test 1 60.0% avg
Test 2 76.6% avg
review activity

54. How do you keep students
organized?

55. PASE Mastery Tracker

56. Resources
 See hand outs
 Continuum
 Rubric
 Checklist

57. Roadmap Tools / Resources
Implementation and
Teacher Reflection
 Continuum from Textbook
Enhanced to Online Teaching and
Learning
 Blended Learning Checklist
 Rubric for Blended Learning
 Implementation Timelines
(Year 1 and 2-4)

58. Blended Learning Wiki
Preparation
http://ilearnnyc.wikispaces.com/

59. iNACOL Resources
 iNACOL Blended Learning Roadmap (NYC)
 Mean What You Say: Defining and
Integrating Personalized, Blended and
Competency Education
 A Day in the Life of a Blended Learning
Teacher Webinar -
https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=20
13-11-
21.1455.M.A4AD5CB70B5A4D831FFD0B6FB
3AD9A.vcr&sid=253
www.inacol.org/resources

60. Introducing a new tool
today – Join us!
 The Blended Teacher Network

61. www.blendedteachernetwork.org

62. Blended (or online)
Learning: What’s It Take?
 Pay attention to six elements:
– Leadership
– Professional Development
– Teaching/Instructional Practice
– Operations/Admin Systems/Policy
– Content
– Technology

63. Margaret Mead
 “Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can
change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing
that ever has.”

64. Questions?
Comments?

65. Contact
 Rob Darrow
 Rob@onlinelearningvisions.com
 http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com