an update-please note, there is a separate page with a link to the final project also

The format on this page is not quite right. If you click on the Research paper!!!!!!!! page, you can get the PDF File

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER

Evolution …not Revolution

Education is currently faced with two options; evolution or revolution. Some educators suggest that these options are mutually exclusive; however an ‘all or nothing’ approach no longer seems feasible. There is a third choice, called blended learning or hybrid learning, which combines the attributes of a face to face class with attributes of an online class. Although there are many teachers who resist change, adopting online technology for use in a traditional educational setting is the key to remaining relevant. High school students need teachers who can infuse 21st century literacy skills into their face to face classrooms, creating the blend which works best for them.
In his abstract on “Academic Library Data from the United States,” John Budd notes that some people see a revolution in academic libraries, while others see the changes as more evolutionary. The same situation appears in regard to technology in the classroom. Some educators fear the popularity of technology will cause the demise of the brick and mortar classroom and that students will begin teaching themselves online. Others see the move simply as evolutionary; that change happens and teachers need to evolve too. I would argue that teachers must adapt. Those who teach face to face classes need to use a blended learning model, and the result will be students who become more invested in their own learning and will be better prepared for college.

First: a definition of blended learning.
There is no standard term for this type of learning. It is variously called hybrid, blended, e-learning, synchronous, learning system, instructor-led training, and many other names. “Blended learning,” a term adopted by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTa) seems to be the most appropriate. BECTa describes it as “a combination of face-to-face and on-line delivery.” (Gulc) There are as many face to face teaching formats as there are teachers and there are many different styles of the “on-line” delivery portion of this definition,also.
What is on-line delivery?

There has rarely been a time when education has faced as many challenges and changes as those facing high school teachers today. Once upon a time, technology in the classroom may have included mastering a slide projector or a reel to reel tape player. Now, technology in the classroom can include smart boards, blogs, wikis, movie-maker software, or dozens of other applications. Most modern teachers are able to use overhead projectors, computer grading programs, Blackboard or similar applications, email and other forums with which to communicate with students and parents. However, teachers must learn even more skills. High school students must become accustomed to the twenty-first century literacies that will be expected of them when they begin college and as they move into adulthood. Today’s teachers can no longer sit back and be satisfied with their lectures and power points; they must prepare their students for the future.
If a teacher chooses to infuse technology into her classroom, which of the on-line learning skills is most appropriate for high school students? There seems to be no research at all on this, so it is necessary to examine the technologies which are most frequently used by college instructors and professors, and about which there is minimal research, and then apply that information to high school teaching
For the infusion of technology to be meaningful and effective, a teacher must first determine her needs and then look for the appropriate technology to fill those needs. Marcoux and Loertscher suggest teachers should “begin with best practices you want to achieve and then fit the tool to that challenge.” (150) This comprehensive article groups the characteristics of various technologies into six major categories, determined by the way they work for the teacher and the students, which seems to be a fundamentally common sense approach. If each classroom teacher could determine one need she has, and then find the best tool for that purpose, it would be simpler for the teacher to implement, it would make more sense to her, and it would serve a specific purpose. As Marcoux and Loetscher mention, too many teachers are briefly introduced to a new technology at an in-service. They try to fit it into their curriculum and, while it may seem useful, if it does not fill their needs, they soon abandon it. If, however, teachers determine their need and then find the appropriate technology, they are more likely to implement it effectively.

Four Reasons to use Blended Learning
1. Change will happen. “Ninety six per cent of undergraduate students use the internet as a source of information and 69 per cent use it daily as part of their studies” (HEFCE report). Since students’ skills are changing, teachers need to change, too, in order to take advantage of those skills.
2. It is beneficial to use some of the concepts and constructs of online classes in the face-to-face classroom. Although there is undoubtedly a learning curve that the average classroom teacher will have to deal with, she should take the initiative to learn to use some of the most common online technology to enhance the learning experience of students in her classroom.
3. College students who enroll in online classes, or in those courses which use blended learning, express a high degree of satisfaction, therefore a blended learning environment should increase the satisfaction of high school students as well.
4. Blended learning can increase the communication between teacher and students, between teacher and parent, and even between student and student. 1. Change will happen and teachers need to evolve too.
Words like transformation and revolution often appear in discussions of teaching with technology and online programs. For instance, Glasgow University and Michigan State University have partnered to create the ‘spoken word team,’ and they state in their online power point “multimedia and revolution in scholarly communication …[occur]… in a world of constant change.”
These terms indicate radical changes, changes that are occurring right now whether we participate in them or not. Public education is in flux, with some districts firing all their teachers because the district fails to meet adequate yearly progress, some districts beginning to school students online, and other district administrators wringing their hands and worrying about the future of their particular school or school system. One thing seems for sure and that is if teachers and educators in general don’t change too, they will become extinct because there are programs and for-profit entities waiting in the wings to take over the jobs that teachers are now performing.
Since current high schools are, at least in Michigan, preparing all students for college or trade school beyond high school, it is imperative that the public school classroom prepare those students for the future. They must be schooled in, and practice with, those technologies in order to be successful later on. Many students who go on to college will need the technology skills to work in a hybrid or blended learning environment. The Online Computer Library Center task force determined that as early as 2003, 80% of US institutions of higher learning offered hybrid courses. Although they did not declare what their definition of hybrid learning was, they indicated that it was a fairly narrow definition and if it were broader, there would be an even higher percentage of schools involved.
2. Both students and teachers can benefit from blended learning

Blended learning, according to the OCLC task force, at a very minimum, should enable faculty to “distribute information to students and engage with students individually and collectively.” If a blended learning environment only enabled distribution of information and engagement of the participants, the result would be valuable. But Harvey Singh goes further, indicating that “increasing numbers of learning designers are experimenting with blended learning models that combine various delivery modes. Anecdotal evidence indicates that blended learning not only offers more choices but also is more effective.” (51) He goes on to suggest that blended learning “mixes various event-based activities, including face-to-face classrooms, live e-learning, and self-paced learning.” Singh mentions specifically college or university programs in this case and it is important to keep in mind that, unlike college students, high school students might not be as self-motivated or as able to self-schedule as college students are, so they will need some further training in developing the skills to handle these technologies. However, based on Singh’s work, the outcome should be positive.
In one of the few articles about high school e-learning, “Managing e-Learning: What are the Implications for Schools?” Helen Boulton, argues that younger students of full-time compulsory school age [in the U.K.], need training in using e-learning materials and developing independent learning skills. She proposes that preparation needs to be carried out at an earlier level before introducing students to e-learning, but, most importantly, she indicates that public school students need to learn these technologies.
Many public high schools in America today are suffering cut-backs in their teaching staff due to monetary concerns, which often results in larger class sizes. It is difficult, if not impossible, for teachers of large classes to regularly interact with each student. A common situation in a large class is that the very brightest or most verbal will speak out the most—thereby gaining the most attention from the teacher. Students who are unsure of themselves often will not speak out at all, and there are others who may constantly crave attention using negative behaviors which distract from the lesson. In each of these situations, only a few students regularly interact in class; however, if there is technology available, the teacher might want to devise a lesson whereby students will have to respond to her in a blog or with class management courseware such as Blackboard. This not only affords the opportunity for every student to ‘speak,’ but requires each student to do so. The teacher may not be able to ‘hear’ his actual voice, but she will interact with each student, giving him an equal chance to be heard, to be encouraged, and to interact with the teacher. It the teacher sets up an online community, each student would not only interact with the teacher, but also with the other students. Therefore, instead of interacting with only the noisy two or three students who covet the attention in class, the teacher is able to interact with each student.
In what other ways might a teacher incorporate a blended learning environment into a face to face high school classroom? One major factor depends on the technology, including hardware, available to the student and the instructor. An excellent example was produced by Allen, et.al, at the 23rd annual ascilite conference, titled “Who’s learning? Whose technology?” The authors show how they developed a ‘student-centred’ approach to a large, 300 person, lecture class. The students were set up for a collaborative learning experience to improve student engagement, and to include problem-solving and team-work. The initial result was mixed, however the students agreed that they developed real-life skills, became more self-directed, and developed other generic skills. Although the instructors learned that they needed to prepare the students more thoroughly, the project was deemed to be quite successful and was continued. After two years, the outcome was considerably improved- with the majority of students agreeing that the assignment made them more involved (Allen 39). Although this specific trial was for a college class, one might presume that, if a high school teacher took the time to help her students develop the necessary skills, and facilitate a project, it, too, might be very successful in engaging all students and giving those quiet students a ‘voice.’

3.Blended learning technologies often increase student satisfaction.
Collins and Halverson in “The Second Revolution: Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology,” state “information technologies have pushed us to a radical, learner-oriented understanding of knowledge acquisition. Information technologies foster a more hands-on, activity-based education.” If this is, indeed, true, then teachers in face to face classrooms need to harness this technology for use in their classrooms in order to enable their students to gain this knowledge.
According to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Online Learning Task Force, students who participate in online learning show greater satisfaction than those in face to face classrooms.
Students increasingly expect that their experience of higher education (HE) will involve the use of online and other learning technologies. As in many other areas of people’s lives, an ‘instant and on-demand’ attitude towards learning has developed, where students expect easier, 24-seven access to learning resources and support. Students see technology as providing them with ways to study more flexibly …
A blended classroom can enhance a teacher’s ability to communicate with her students and their parents. She might use such tools as websites, blogs, wikis, or other calendar, or assignment functions. She could encourage her students’ parents to communicate with her by e-mail and she might even develop a synchronous discussion format such as IM or Skype for her students to use in group discussions with each other or with a class across the state or the world. As students are able to access their grades, their assignments, and sometimes their teachers, online, they become more self-directed and self-sufficient learners. Since most colleges offer online or hybrid classes, and it is likely that the students might take these classes in the future, this will prepare them for college.
4. Blended learning technologies open lines of communication between teachers, students, and parents.

Based on their review of several studies (including Desforges 2003 and Chrispeels 2006) Harris and Goodall state “empirical evidence shows that parental engagement is one of the key factors in securing higher student achievement and school improvement.” A major reason parents are not involved in schools is their work commitments, therefore parents will become involved if they feel they have the capacity to contribute. (Harris 280) They also say, “We need to know more about the ways in which parental engagement can be enhanced and facilitated across different sectors of society.” (Harris 281) This would suggest that if teachers had a regular way to communicate with parents (by way of Blackboard, Zangle, class blogs, etc), and if the parents had a way of communicating back to the teachers (even if after-hours or in the middle of the night), this new line of communication would help everyone stay connected, and help parents, even those whose work prohibits telephone calls or visits during the school day, to connect..
In addition to parental communication, when students have opportunities to clarify information with their teachers via email, blog, the teacher’s website, or other electronic means, students are able to take control of their own learning, and therefore to be more successful.
Where do we go from here? How do we start? What to consider first?
There are potentially hundreds of methods to incorporate technologies into the 21st Century high school classroom. The biggest problem is that there does not seem to be substantial research on what works best. Potentially, as with all lessons, what works best for one teacher might not necessarily be a good fit for another. So, how does a concerned teacher with little experience in on-line technologies decide where to begin for her own particular classroom and her own lesson plans? Part of the answer must include the technologies which are readily available to her and to her students. But, Derek Mueller, in his “Digital Underlife in the Networked Writing Classroom” echoes one of the most common theories. “Curriculum designers [or teachers who are designing their own curriculum] may need to stop using the face-to-face interface as the standard for what education should be. Instead, studying how online teaching practices can be adopted in the face-to-face classroom may create a whole new resource for discovering sound pedagogical practices, especially for writing classes.”
If a high school teacher wishes to create a blended learning classroom, she must decide what exactly she wants to accomplish. If she wishes to create a collaborative writing environment, she might try a blog, or wikis, or use the school’s Blackboard application. She might encourage her students to use Google docs, or any other collaborative writing program (and there are several). If she wishes to enhance communication with her students’ parents, she could set up a Blackboard account, or create a website or a Blog. If she wishes to connect her students with a class in another country or state, she could use Skype. At the very least, she could accept students’ papers by email and return comments to them by email as well. At any rate, there are a myriad of opportunities. Each teacher needs to discover the right one for her purposes then have the courage to make it happen.
In conclusion
There is a need for research into what technology is most effective for high school classrooms. However, lacking research in high schools, one must look to the nearest available resource: empirical information from college studies. Most of the information concludes that if students are taught in a face to face classroom with some of the added elements of on-line classes, students become more self-directed learners; they become more satisfied and engaged learners, and most importantly, they are learning the skills they will need for their future scholastic careers and for life.
As Kylene Beers stated at her 2009 NCTE convention address, “We say to each other, perhaps loudly and adamantly, that times they sure are a’changin’, but I’m not sure we stop and ask ourselves ‘what do those changes compel me to do?’” She goes on to answer her own question, “the best teachers teach from a cornucopia of pedagogy, choosing the right instructional strategy for each student …The best teachers, like good leaders, have the courage to overcome obstacles, the courage to sail into the unknown, even though, here, there be dragons.” And the best teachers must use technology wisely to teach their students skills they will need for the twenty-first century.

Works Cited

Allen, B., Crosky, A., McAlpine,I., Hoffman, M. & Munroe, P., (2006). A blended approach to collaborative learning: Can it make large group teaching more student-centred? Proceedings of the 23rd annual ascilite conference: Who’s learning? Whose technology? (pp 33-42) Sydney: The University of Sydney. (web).

Beers, Kylene. Sailing over the Edge: Navigating the Uncharted Waters of a World Gone Flat. The NCTE 2009 Presidential Address. Pub. Dec 2009, NCTE Magazine (pp 1-8). Also available online

Boulton, Helen. Managing e-Learning: What are the Real Implications for Schools? Electronic Journal of e-Learning. (6-1) March 2008.

Budd, John. LIBRES Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal Volume 19, Issue 2, September 2009 Pg 1 LIBRES ISSN 1058-6768 Volume 19, Issue 2, September 2009 , . Academic Library Data from the United States: An Examination of Trends. (web).

Collins, Allan & Halverson, Richard. Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America. 2009. Teachers College Press. New York, NY. (print)

HEFCE “Update of the Work of the Online Learning Task Force.” Higher Education Funding Council for England. Report Published March 2010.

Gulc, Eddie. Using Blended Learning to Accommodate Different Learning Styles. British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. September 2006. 30 March 2010. . (web).

Harris, Alma and Goodall, Janet. “Do parents know they matter? Engaging all parents in learning. Educational Research (50-3). September 2008. (pp 277-289) ) ISSN 0013-1881. print ISSN 1469-5847 online 2008 NFER. (print).

Marcoux, Elizabeth & Loertscher, David. Achieving Teaching and Learning Excellence with Technology. Teacher Librarian, v37 n2 p14-22. Dec 2009. (print).

McLean, Neil & Sander, Heidi, Eds.. OCLC E-Learning Task Force, Libraries and the Enhancement of E-Learning. October 2003. White Paper prepared by the Task Force.

Mueller, Derek, Digital Underlife in the Networked Writing Classroom, Computers and Composition, (26-4) 2009 (pp 240-250). http://www.sciencedirect. com/ science?_ob/

Singh, Harvey. Building Effective Blended Learning Programs. November- December 2003. Educational Technology, 43-6. (pp 51-54). (print).

A NOTE ABOUT ANNOTATED BIBS and RESPONSE TO READINGS

I have two pages of annotated bibliographies here on my blog.  The second page has 12 entries because I used two entries on my paper that are not specific to technology and so I added them, as I must, but they will not apply to most people in the class. I also need to add a few more since I have finished my paper.

SECONDLY— I have a “response to readings” page–where I have blogged every week. Apparently it has not been seen so somehow it is believed that I am not blogging every week–but I AM!

DONE! last readings!

Ok, so after reading Selfe, then Hesse, then Selfe, I have decided to put more aural modalities into my lesson plans.  I do believe that there is definitely a place for more traditional rhetoric in the high school English class. However, I also agree with Hesse that in college, there should perhaps be “truth in advertising’. If a class is going to focus more on rhetoric or on traditional composition, then it should be listed as such.  I do believe there is room for overlap, however, I do believe that professors of more advanced classes need to depend on a certain level of expertise from students after they have had a class and if they depend on written modalities, then those should be taught.

A really cool article…..

found in my research today–does not apply to my topic–but definitely does apply to teaching college classes online–last week’s topic:  http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/feature/college_for_99_a_month.php?page=1

online teaching……..

Now we are getting into some articles that I feel I can really sink my teeth into.  The problem is that I wish I knew back in the beginning of class what I know now.  I would have chosen a different topic to research. My topic seems so elementary now and very general.  But, I firmly believe it is still relevant and I am excited about taking this last step into the research. 

Home this week for Easter Break and diving into the final phases of research at this point.  Although, admittedly, a little blue due to Butler’s loss last night.  However, I still think they should hold their heads high–if it weren’t for the 2 pointer that Hayward made which didn’t count, it would have been tied and gone into overtime.  Once a Hoosier, always a Hoosier……… (me).