Year 6 - Whale of a Tale

Blended learning Project

Mary Chisnall – Oxford Area School
EDEM628 Assignment 3
Blended Learning for Me and my Year 6 Class.
• An opportunity
to deliver a course over 3 weeks on the
computer via Educo -moodle

•Integrate a field trip from LEARNZ web site

•Provide a unit of work where students needed computer

access as much as teacher access

•Combine a range of technologies in one unit to be taught

through OAS Inquiry model

The online teacher must also develop skills to foster interaction and communication with and between students during the
online learning experience. This requires the utilization of pedagogical techniques that draw on and integrate the available
telecommunication tools to support student collaboration and knowledge acquisition (Rovai, 2001; Swan et al., 2000). Cited in
Meredith DiPietro Richard E. Ferdig Erik W. Black Megan Preston: Volume 7, Number 1, Spring 2008
The Basic plan was to:
•To link Conservation week with the LEARNZ site of
Wandering Whales as a focus
•Write a course that incorporates the activities and learning
•Approach the findings through an inquiry focus and
encourage children to follow their own learning path
•Set up an email link/skype link with a whale expert in CHCH
•Use a range of templates
•Develop many choices of sub areas to follow – historical,
tourism, conservation, types, etc.
•Find plenty of websites to build knowledge to develop higher
order thinking
•Follow the school’s inquiry learning model
 
Purpose: Enhancement.

•Build knowledge
•Importance of conservation
•Changes in attitude –historic
•Spark interest in role of Rainbow Warrior from
earlier course work
•Allow a personalised approach with variety of ICT’s
PP, poster, blog, movie, song
•Encourage all students to become involved in a
moodle course
Hardware
Availability

•2 periods weekly
in the computer
suite

•Access to laptops
in class when
required

•Data projector in
class for group
work and skype
Getting Started:

•Top Reading Group completed a moodle unit on novel

about the Rainbow Warrior
(forum comments brief, opened new windows, not deep discussion, followed Teacher
guidelines closely, all participated)
•Second unit – novel early settlers to NZ
(higher order thinking, independent learning/study, own extension, group discussion,
improved ICT skills, strong point of view expressed, inspirational)

•Interest shown by other class members so I decided to

involve everyone in the Blended Learning Project

A report by the US Department of Education (2007) found that school districts that are using online courses,
as well as providers of these courses, indicate that the more support students receive at school, as well as online, the
better chances they have for success. There are suggestions in the research that a school-based facilitator may be
essential (e.g., Kirby & Driscoll, 1997) to student success. Cited in Wallace H. Hannuma*, Matthew J. Irvina, Pui-Wa Leib
and Thomas W. Farmerb aUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; bPennsylvania State University, USA
 Independent learning
Blogging first Educo moodle second
 Students worked through each task
Whale Unit
Plan of work Learning Intention – Success Criteria

Serving the selection of the strategies, activities, and techniques is a teacher’s understanding of the
relationship between content and pedagogical knowledge (Shulman, 1986).
Forum Comments - Reflection:

1.Thomas on Hunting Whales (15 replies) –

“i reckon thay deserve a chance to live not fall
asleep for ever because they are just like your
pets and it would be sad if they went extincted
because their already an endangered
spiecies and it would be like the
dinosaurs the other people that
like them lots seem sad”
2. Kasey about Whaling as a culture (20 replies)-

“Well in other countries they eat dogs and keep cows as

pets then we eat cows and keep dogs as pets...
and then in India and other places people kill elephants
and then Japan kills whales then here we kill ducks and
eat salmon I mean there is a food chain but we could
watch how much we kill and allow the animals to
regenarate there speicies! so that nothing goes
exstincted because they are already
endangered!”
3. Sheryll – What can we do?(11 replies)

“They can tell them to stop and show them

what its doing to the environment and to the
whales and ask them how would them feel if
that was being done to them!!!”
Presenting our
focus question
•One group
created a poster

•Most groups
shared a power
point

•One group
created a movie
My reflection: BL and Pedagogy – taken from VLN
•Skype –new experience, assisted with creating focus
questions. 7 Sept.
•“Best use of resources and limited time to cover primary
curriculum” 17 Sept.
•“…all at different stages which is great. I am enjoying the
flexibility and availability that I am to be a supporter during
working time.”22 Sept.
•“powerful teaching and learning, lots of supportive students
and much evidence of building K C.” 23 Sept.
•Embraced the technology and opportunities presented to
them. Incidental learning. 28 Oct.
Student Reflection
VLN –Reflective Blogging

•Both the students and I reflected weekly on our

learning

•For me it was an opportunity to critically reflect, to

plan, consider what I would have changed and
comment about individual student needs.
•Also useful when reviewing my progress preparing
this project power point.
 Student reflective Blog
Sarah writes about her learning A blog post
 E-Portfolio for blogs and saving work

Melanie’s Page Jessica’s Page

Student’s Blogging
 Was it worthwhile?
•An amazing journey of discovery for all students
•Independence for those more able as well as extra face
to face help for those who needed it.
•Strong evidence of students using the technologies to
follow their own thinking path
•Relevant model of the inquiry process used
•Incidental learning and improved ICT skills
•Good use of external resources like LEARNZ
•Pre-planned unit was a base allowing for flexibility for
teacher and students
•Stronger student ownership of their learning
•A fun way to learn
Definitely YES!
Overcoming Implications for OAS

•Teacher openness to embrace and plan new

learning opportunities

•Consider your pedagogical approach to

teaching and learning

•Access to a bank of computers for individuals

•Patience to support student learning

Students completed the BLP with the
question…..So what can we do to help
whales?
I ask you as an OAS staff – So what
are you prepared to do to support
your students with blended
learning opportunities in our
school?
The attention virtual schooling has gained from the K-12 arena leads to the consideration of blended, or hybrid
learning environments where aspects of online learning are integrated into traditional, face-to-face settings.
Having an established, research based set of practices associated with successful virtual school teaching can
facilitate the exploration of the best practices for teaching in blended, or hybrid environments.
Meredith DiPietro Richard E. Ferdig Erik W. Black Megan Preston: Volume 7, Number 1, Spring 2008
 References:
• Best practices in teaching K-12 online: Lessons learned from Michigan Virtual School
teachers Meredith DiPietro Richard E. Ferdig Erik W. Black Megan Preston University of
Florida, Gainesville Volume 7, Number 1, Spring 2008 ISSN: 1541-4914

•Education Week - 9 Articles on E learning and K12 education PDF document 16/08

•Effectiveness of using learner-centered principles on student retention in

distance education courses in rural schools
Wallace H. Hannuma*, Matthew J. Irvina, Pui-Wa Leib and Thomas W. Farmerb
aUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; bPennsylvania State University, USA
1TC0aD.y1IlE0o8r 0Aa/n0d13 53F89ra7n94c13i0.ss8g0m2395763 (Received 25 May 2008; final version
received 6 August 2008)

•Ko and Rosen chapter11 Classroom Management :Special Issues angela 16/08

•Forum comments in assignment 2 for background information and ideas.