Officials say blended learning provides the chance to offer the best of face-to-face and online instruction. Examples of blended learning can be found in the Kettering, Northmont, Huber Heights, Springfield, Urbana, Tipp City, Valley View and New Lebanon school districts.
Kettering City Schools Superintendent Jim Schoenlein said school leaders decided five years ago that every Kettering Fairmont High School student would take an online course before graduation “on the theory that individuals will have to deal with online training throughout life.”
Fairmont seniors are involved in a blended government class. While some of those seniors students take government totally online, the rest go to a lab and take the course online with a teacher in the room to help.
“We are very interested and focused on all teachers moving portions of all their courses on-line, based on the same theory,” Schoenlein said.
Patricia McNerney, director of technology for Huber Heights City Schools, said blended learning can take many forms.
“Our goal is to blend face-to-face teaching with the flexibility of e-learning utilizing a variety of technology resources” that can be used in and out of school to enhance learning access and opportunity.
She said the district piloted with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center on a blended learning hybrid course in high school algebra.
The Valley View Local School District offers blended learning opportunities, too, including two Modeling and Simulation courses and various Advanced Placement courses.
“Offering these courses, in this structure, provided more opportunities for our students to take classes they may not have had access to in the past,” said Lindsey Schmidt, an instructional leader for grades K-12.
New Lebanon Local Schools Superintendent Barbara Curry said the district also will offer a Modeling and Simulation course next semester that will allow students the chance to develop an understanding of that field.
Tipp City Exempted Village Schools Superintendent John Kronour said they offer one blended learning opportunity, a credit recovery program that consists of online and traditional classes to help kids graduate.
Vandalia-Butler City Schools offered a pilot summer government course last year and this fall it began offering Mandarin Chinese in partnership with the University of Dayton. “Students can earn UD credit for the course. We are also working on a blended learning health course but it has not yet launched,” district spokeswoman Bethany Reiff said.
Reiff said a committee was created to evaluate and refine blended learning proposals for the district.
“We are looking at innovative ways to continue to deliver quality education in the most cost effective manner possible,” said Reiff, whose district saw its third straight levy request for new money defeated in November.
Springfield City Schools spokeswoman Kim Fish said they are using blended learning in such classes as advanced math and English and summer geometry.
“We are seeing teachers now using ‘blended learning’ to expand the breadth of materials for their students, to allow students to go deeper or further with their learning,” she said. “In general, we are using it to allow our students to better personalize their education and to advance faster.”
The Northmont City School District plans to expand it successful iPad Pilot program that involved 132 students and nine teachers at Northmont High School this year.
“Our plans for next year are to expand the program to include all incoming freshmen. They will receive and iPad mini. It is less expensive and can run all the apps the current iPad runs,” said Debbie Baker, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and technology.
Baker called the infusion of mobile technology into the hands of students “true blended learning.”
“The response from students, parents and staff has been very positive. Students are finding they are more organized, which helps with productivity. They report spending more time doing school work because they have the iPad 24 hours a day and it is fun to use,” she said. “Parents are supportive because they have seen changes in their children. Though we are still in the process of collecting data, we are comfortable enough with what we are seeing to expand the program.”
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