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Response to Intervention in the Blended Learning Environment
A Guide to Common Core
Three Strategies for Consistently Engaging Learners
The importance of cultivating a growth mindset with students
Becoming a reflective educator
Developing prosocial behaviors and interactions within the classroom experience
Identifying at-risk learners. Two critical components
Three key factors in igniting the fire in learners
Memories of school veterans. Thank you
Keeping early course finishers engaged
The right curriculum for blended learning
Blended Learning Technology. Selection Process
Students who finish early. Four ways to keep grads-to-be engaged
Generation DIY. Benefits of blended learning that transcend instruction
Generation DIY. Benefits from the Blended Learning homefront
Top 6 Lessons from Madness. NCAA March Madness
Preventing the Dreaded: "Why Do We Need to Learn This?"
8 Blended Learning Space Considerations
5 Favorite Practices for Effective Communication
Second-Order Change: The Blended Learning Mandate
6 Ways to Match Blended Learning Models
Using the SAMR Model in Blended Learning
Planning for 1 to 1 Learning: Making the Blended Learning Model Local
Eight Elite Questions to Ask When Selecting Online Content Providers
Five Tips to Overcome the "January Syndrome" in Professional Development
Blended education: Student-led discussions
Next Generation Learning Spaces eBook offer and conference information
Learning from Reality TV. Five Important Presentation Lessons for Teachers
Six steps to great technology training
Why I’m "Bullish" on Blended Learning
Lessons from the One-Room Schoolhouse
6 Keys to Deliberate Practice in Blended Learning
Top Fifteen Skills Students Need for College and Career Readiness
6 Ways Google Drive Docs Rocks in Blended Education
Effective Instructional Probing Questions
6 Career Types for Personalizing Learning
Back to school thoughts
Using data to inform instruction. Rigor, Relevance, and Results
Teaching to Learn
Social and Emotional learning matters
Infographic: 7 Blended Activities to Start the New Year
Tips for electrifying instruction (even when the lights go out)
Lansing's Woodcreek Achievement Center: Blended Learning ideas to improve reading comprehension
Top Five Blended Learning Tweets (of the summer so far)
Infographic: 8 key points to include in digital citizenship
Deliberate practice makes remember-able perfect
The 'One Minute Manager's' advice to teachers and students
Ways to Get the Most from ISTE 2014
Educators advocate for new programs, more technology, increased funding. 3 simple steps.
7 Favorite Ways Students Like to Learn
Adapting Teacher Observations to Blended Learning Environments
Celebrating Successes. Student Learning in a Blended, Personalized Environment
Teaching in a Blended Environment: 12 Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Great ways to support teachers in blended, personalized, and online learning classrooms
Engagement doesn't necessarily equal buy-in. Working through pushback in Blended Learning environments
Connecting Classroom Instruction to Online Content
Blended Learning Classrooms Start with Blended Learning Professional Development
Top 3 Ways Blended Learning Really Works in Professional Development
Must Follow Organizations Supporting Blended, Personalized Learning
Great Probes for Blended, Personalized, Online Teaching
Four Key Considerations for Selecting Blended, Personalized, and Online Learning Tools
Four Creative Ways to Share the Vision for Blended, Personalized, Online Learning
Series: Planning for Blended and Personalized Learning: Blended Learning Goals
Planning for Blended and Personalized Learning Series: Crafting a Vision
News from the Field: eLearn Magazine – Call for K12 Blended Learning Articles
Does Big Bird "Tweet"? Teaching Generation Z
Five Characteristics of Great Blended Learning Teachers
Empowering Students with the Top Four Blended Learning Models
Three Interrelated Parts of Real Blended Learning
"Tell me and I’ll forget: show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand."
– Chinese Proverb
Yesterday, I received an invitation to a party – "Come celebrate the special occasion!" Popping graphics and energetic words caught my attention. Yet, I set the card down and walked away. Maybe, if it opened and played a video showing all of the expected fun and games, I would remember and think it was important or enjoyable enough to put on the calendar. If, however, I knew ahead of time about the party because I'd talked with the host, other potential attendees, played a role in bringing decorations, or something that involved me in the process, then I’d definitely go. I’d feel involved and a part of things.
The same principle above applies to sharing a new vision and goals with the people who will ultimately carry them out. Telling and showing create awareness; engagement and understanding require involvement and "doing." Ever wonder why Nike’s slogan "Just Do It" never defines the "it" part? "It" relinquishes importance to "do." So, how can we creatively share our vision and goals for blended, personalized, and online learning with all of the involved parties? What will help them understand, feel involved, and want to engage? Let’s look at five options.
Use Allegories (Stories) to Set the Stage
Employee training and team building efforts often use books or allegories to bring people together and start conversations related to change, new vision, new ideas, etc. They connect the storyline to current and future environments. Use both asynchronous and synchronous online and in-person debriefing activities to involve the various teams. One good possibility is If You’re Riding a Horse and It Dies, Get Off! By Jim Grant and Char Forsten. (Available in print at Amazon or through SlideShare.)
Hold Contests
Every year now, Doritos holds Super Bowl commercial contests. Fun to follow, they also develop a sense of brand loyalty. Even now, when I visit their website, I get instantly drawn into their ongoing challenges where I get to "complete a mission," submit my evidence, and join the party. Launching the vision and/or goals with a contest such as a "Create the Logo" challenge brings people together, especially when done in administrative units or school teams.
Map the Change
I often facilitate a Delta Exercise in professional development sessions. Using this same technique helps everyone plot where they are at the start of the new program and watch their individual and collective progress as things roll out. Tying this to the high-level timeline also establishes a sense of "joining the mission."
Make it Personal
I often facilitate a Delta Exercise in professional development sessions. Using this same technique helps everyone plot where they are at the start of the new program and watch their individual and collective progress as things roll out. Tying this to the high-level timeline also establishes a sense of "joining the mission."
- What, within education, am I deeply passionate about?
- What can we be best in the nation at? (Or state, county, etc.)
- What drives our academic/instructional engine?
Today's Challenge:
Remember, if we tell them information they will forget over 85% of it. If we involve them in creating the information and connecting to the vision, we greatly increase our chances for engagement.
NOTE: Not everyone has to "buy-in" initially. We’re shooting for engagement first. Thinking about your specific community, how would you create an interaction to get people involved with your mission for blended learning? List out the resources (people are resources, too) you will need to get started.
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