The document discusses tools and strategies for administrators to support teachers in blended learning environments, highlighting the role of technology in personalizing education. It emphasizes the need for ongoing professional development, leadership support, and effective instructional practices to enhance student learning outcomes. The ultimate goal is to transform educational practices to ensure all students are college and career ready, aiming for a 100% graduation rate.

1. Tools for Administrators
to Support
Blended Learning Teachers
Rob Darrow, Director of Member Services, iNACOL
eLearning Strategies Symposium
December 2013
www.inacol.org

2. Introductions
• A little about you:
–
–
–
–
Teachers
Administrators
Other
K-6; 7-8; 9-12; college
• Me
– Lifelong Californian – Educated in Ca public schools
PreSchool-doctorate
– Online charter school principal, school librarian and
teacher (Taught K-8)
– Full time with iNACOL, Director of Member Services

3. International Association for K12 Online Learning (iNACOL)
• iNACOL is the premier K-12 nonprofit membership
organization for blended and online learning.
• 4100+ members in K-12 virtual schools and online
learning representing over 50 countries
• Provides leadership, advocacy, research, training, and
networking with experts in K-12 online learning.
• “Ensure all students have access to a world-class
education and quality blended and online learning
opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of
success.”

4. Blended and Online
Learning Symposium
November 4-7, 2014
Palm Springs, Ca
• Over 2000
experts, educators, administrators, compa
nies and thought leaders sharing and
networking

5. iNACOL Supporting Documents
www.inacol.org/resources
• iNACOL Blended Learning Roadmap
(NYC)
• Mean What You Say: Defining and
Integrating Personalized, Blended and
Competency Education
• Transforming K-12 Rural Education
through Blended Learning: Barriers
and Promising Practices
Rob’s Wiki: http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com

6. Session Focus
• Administrative support for blended learning teachers
• Tools to assist in blended learning teachers
• An Evolving Field
– Online Learning is just 14 years old
– Blended Learning about 7 years old
• Research is emerging – there is evidence of effective
online and blended teaching
• (Not about merits of blended or online learning, accessibility,
cheating online, or intellectual property)

7. 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

8. But…
• Effective and efficient personalized
learning cannot exist without the use of
technology
• A change in teaching, learning, and
pedagogy cannot occur without the use of
technology
• The classroom cannot be more student
centric without the use of technology

9. The Ultimate Goal
• College and career ready
students and
100% graduation rate
• [Current graduation rate: 70% among
white students, and 50% among
Latino and African American males)

10. My Belief: Tipping Point
• K-12 Online Learning already there
• 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

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

12. What do you do to measure
teacher effectiveness?

13. What do you do to measure or
observe teacher effectiveness?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lesson observation
Walk-throughs
Talk with teacher
Lesson plan observation
Ongoing benchmark data
End of year achievement tests

14. Online Teacher Observation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Instructional design
Student satisfaction surveys
Teacher record keeping
View course management system data
Observe an online class session
Communication / response time to email

15. A Story from New York City
• New Principal and Quality Assurance
Officer observe a teacher in the
classroom

16. Defining blended learning.
What does it look like?

17. Tech-rich = blended

18. Blended Learning Definition
• “a formal education program in which a student
learns at least in part through online delivery of
content and instruction with some element of
student control over time, place, path, and/or
pace and at least in part at a supervised brickand-mortar location away from home…”
- (Horn and Staker, 2013)

19. 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.

20. Michael Horn Tweet

21. Questions?
Comments?

22. The Tools
(handout)
• Continuum from Textbook Enhanced to
Online Teaching and Learning
• Rubric for Blended Learning
– Develop walk-through tool with rubric
• Observation Form

23. Continuum (see handout)
Where do you fit? Where does your school fit?
• Textbook enhanced teaching and
learning
• Technology enhanced (not online)
• Web/online enhanced
• Blended
• Online

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

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

26. The Rubric
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Leadership
New Staff Roles
New Student Roles
Personalized Learning Plans and Progress
Next Generation Curriculum and
Assessment
6. Flexible and Real World Learning
Environments

27. 4-Point Rubric
1.
2.
3.
4.
Under Developed
Developing
Proficient
Well Developed

28. Indicator: Leadership
• 1.1 Measurable goals have been written and
communicated with all staff.
Well Developed
Ongoing progress towards each goal is
being collected and tracked by teachers and
administrators.

29. Indicator: New Staff Roles
2.1 Teacher as facilitator/coach
Well Developed
• Teachers regularly circulate around the room meeting
with small groups and individuals identifying progress
toward learning goals.
• Teachers regularly document student progress daily
through some digital record keeping system.
• Student data is regularly used as a means for
differentiating instruction.

30. Indicator: New Student Roles
3.1 New Student Roles
Well Developed
• Students regularly take active role in their learning and are
able to choose types of content (e.g. textbook, video or
online) that causes their best learning.
• Students regularly track their own progress towards learning.
• Students regularly have ability to complete work at own pace.
• Students regularly know where to find help or support when
needed.

31. Questions?
Comments?

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

33. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

34. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

35. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

36. Blended? Yes, No, Maybe?

37. How to Observe a Blended
Learning Teacher
•
•
•
•
•
•
Adapt the Rubric
View student computer/device screen
View teacher interaction with students
View data teacher uses
Talk with students
Talk with teacher

38. Classroom Walk-Throughs
• Evidence of student centric
– Student learning focus / Students in groups
– Student computers/devices on a course management
system (access school and home)
– Students can explain what and why they are doing
• Evidence of personalization
– Teacher working with individual or groups
– Student data used by teacher
– Variety of ways for student to communicate with
teacher (verbal, discussion boards, email, twitter, etc.)

39. What does
blended learning
really look like?

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

42. Management

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

45. Prep Academy at Southeastern High School
Detroit, Michigan
Science Classroom

46. Prep Academy Management:
Student chooses their weekly schedule

47. Data to personalize learning

48. iNACOL Webinar
• A Day in the Life of a Blended Learning
Teacher
– Alex Paraskaveides (Mr. P), Lead Blended Learning
and Science Teacher, 7th Grade, Mott Hall V, New
York City
– Haley Hart, PASE Prep Academy Science Teacher,
Southeastern High School, Educational Achievement
Authority, Detroit
• Recording:
• https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2013-1121.1455.M.A4AD5CB70B5A4D831FFD0B6FB3AD
9A.vcr&sid=253

49. An Effective
Blended Learning Teacher
• Classroom is controlled chaos:
– students generally in groups
– teacher circulating
• Student centered learning
• Students focused on work, but may be in
different places in a unit
• Teachers use data on a daily basis to
personalize learning / re-group students

50. Questions?
Comments?

51. Now, the Technology Needed
•
•
•
•
Robust Network
Student Devices
Course Management System
Content

52. Successful Blended Learning
Involves Six Elements
•
•
•
•
Leadership
Professional Development
Teaching/Instructional Practice
Operations/Admin
Systems/Policy
• Content
• Technology

53. 1. 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.)

54. 2. Professional Development
School Implementation
• Both formal and informal (Schedule ongoing group and
individual support – online and face-to-face)
• Modeling, webinars, small conferences, workshops, cohort
meetings
• Support teacher / school librarian / implementation managers
are key
Promising Practices
•
•
•
•
Scheduled Time (within work week)
Participating Teachers as Resources
Professional Sharing / Professional Learning Community
School Support

55. 3. Teaching/Instructional Practices
School Implementation
• Common Vocabulary / Resources
– Blended Learning Continuum, Blended Learning Rubric, Observation Form
• 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

56. 4. 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
•
•
•
•
Removal of institutional barriers / policies
Operational support
Policy development examples
Data-driven instruction

57. 5. Content
School Implementation
• Common course management system
• Content providers to choose
• Professional development and teacher sharing about content
provider and platform use
Promising Practices
• Content Decision Making (purchase or build your own)
• Customizable platform – teachers use base curriculum and
customize based on student needs
• Customizable for individual students

58. 6. 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 – Technician on site
• Hardware and Software in place to use

59. Handouts - Use and Improve
• Links / Documents
• Resources
– Continuum from Textbook Enhanced to Online
Teaching and Learning
– Rubric
– iLearnNYC Observation Form

60. Questions?
Comments?

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

62. Contact Information
Rob Darrow - rdarrow@inacol.org
Rob’s Wiki: http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com
www.inacol.org