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Week 4: Blended Learning

 What is Blended Learning? 

    Blended learning "is a term used to describe the way eLearning is being combined with traditional classroom methods and independent study." (Trainor)  So ideally blended learning is learning both in person face to face and online as well. Whether that's online reading assignments, quizzes, discussion boards, etc...  

     Now that we know what blended learning is, a question remains. Is it beneficial or not? Blended learning played a huge role in keeping up with education during COVID-19. When everything was locked down and no one could go to school we used applications such as Zoom, Google Classroom, Blackboard, etc. It was a very easy and quick way to switch how we learn and make sure we were still up to date with our classes. Even after Covid-19 we still use technology a lot more than previously before. Almost everything we do in school now is digital. Which has a lot of pros and a lot of cons. 

    Blended learning has personally helped me a lot with keeping track of all my assignments. With most assignments being online today it is much easier to keep track of it all because it all saves right on your computer. I lost a lot of papers in my middle school and high school days, and with them being online now it is so much less stress and worry about trying to find everything. It also makes vacation and sick days a lot easier. Missing class 3-4 years ago was a big issue, you missed the whole lesson, didn't get the papers passed out, or got the homework for that day and will have double the workload when you come back. With assignments and lessons being posted online now, it is a lot easier to still do assignments even on sick days and not fall behind. 

    What are the cons? When it comes to blended learning I see two huge issues. 1. financial situations, 2. Technology knowledge. The bigger issue is the financial situation. If you are making all your assignments online and a particular student can't afford a computer or tablet how are they going to complete the assignments and get a good grade? Now if this school is providing all the tools necessary then this is no longer an issue. Lastly, If a student has not had much experience with technology it will be extremely difficult for them to keep up with assignments. It is a learning curve and will take time for them to get a feel for it. But at the beginning of the year, they may have trouble figuring out where assignments are, how to turn them in, etc. 

    Although blended learning is becoming progressively more popular, we still have to pay attention and make sure too many issues aren't slipping through the cracks that let students fall behind.  

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