It's has been nearly ten years ago that an ACT Report found that there was a lack of resources available to prepare students for collegiate reading. In a fast-forward to today, we find a proliferation of quantitative and qualitative data in response to need and which address technological changes in instructional delivery. Blended Learning is quickly taking the lead during this welcomed instructional transition. There are many instructional models that utilize Blended Learning, with variations reflecting both the academic audience and the classroom's level of technological integration. With decades of research and through practical field experience, those of us involved in the AdvancePath Academies nationwide are most often utilizing a Flex Blended Learning Model in our instructional environment. I am affiliated with the Academies of Michigan and would like to share today, a fantastic example of Flex Blended Learning in action at Lansing School District's Woodcreek Achievement Center AdvancePath Academy.

At the Woodcreek Achievement Center, you will find a community of learning that celebrates student autonomy and flexibility that enables teachers to maximize the use of technology, small group instruction, and 1:1 student support. Principal Carl Word and the teaching team at Woodcreek are experts in leveraging technology and providing a personalized learning experience for all students. Students play an integral role in developing their learning plans and teachers are very creative in their approach to delivering instruction that is engaging and meaningful to their students.

During one of my site visits I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful example of learning in a positive, energized setting. Here instruction incorporated multiple modalities, matched to student learning styles - the Weekly Book Club Event. The classroom is a spacious "family room," furnished with plush seating, chairs, sofas, fluffy pillows, and a large screen television. Students arrived for the day's session with books that each had completed and ready to discuss. To my surprise, their teacher, Ms. Howe, turned on the television, "popped-in" a compact disc and dimmed the lights! The movie was the film version of the assigned reading and we were off to viewing its story in large-screen format.

A: Learning becomes a collaborative, lively event.