Publication Outline 

Title of proposed article- 

“Blended Learning: Bridging Traditional and Digital Education"

What is the topic of your article?

I am interested in writing about implementing blended learning in the classroom. 

Where do you plan to submit?

1. Education Week –They accept submissions within the K-12 education community. My submission would be informal and needs to be concise and to the point. The article I submit must be within 600-1000 words. Please refer to guidelines for more information.

2. Education Next- This is a more formal submission that is fact based off of research and must be 3000-3500 words. Once you submit your work it gets sent off for peer review. Please refer to guidelines for more information. 

3. We Are Teachers- This is another informal option I was looking into and is more like a blog post. Each submission is from 500-700 words.  Please refer to guidelines for more information. 

What is the connection to your innovation plan or initiative?

The topic I mentioned above connects to my innovation plan because my plan is to establish a blended learning environment based on personalization and student choice. The ideas and methodology behind my innovation plan are centered around my learning manifesto and my learning philosophy. Curiosity and inquisitiveness are essential in cultivating a passion for learning and developing lifelong learners, which is what I hope to cultivate with a blended learning environment. 

How can this information help others?

As educators we should always be looking for ways to improve the way we are involving our students in their own learning journey. I believe my article could be used as a tool or reference teachers can utilize in their own classrooms. Whether it be starting the implementation of a blended learning environment or for new ideas they can incorporate into what they are already doing. The world as we know it has changed. It is technology driven and constantly changing. The old factory model education system we all grew up with is outdated and doesn’t harbor critical thinking opportunities for our students. Schools are trying to become one-to-one with technology, but do they truly know how to combine that technology and available digital resources for collaboration with peers, and a hands-on approach for content mastery. I hope and believe my article and innovation plan can help ease this transition. It will provide insight into the practical benefits and also help others learn how to give their students choice, ownership, voice, and authentic experiences by using the blended learning model. 

 

Lessons learned or hoped to learn?

I hope to expand my knowledge on blended classrooms and ways to incorporate it into a daily routine to help my students develop content mastery while also giving them COVA. I also want to get data on short and long-term benefits of using a blended classroom based on student academic success. I want to increase student engagement and collaboration by creating a different and fun way the students can choose the way they are learning the content. I hope to influence other educators to intentionally create a blended learning environment while also embracing technology-based lessons that will incorporate real world situations to build critical thinking and communication skills through collaboration among their peers. I feel this will be more effective and engaging for the students and they will in turn retain more knowledge. 

What digital resources will be included in your article? Briefly describe.

In my article I will be referencing some digital resources I am currently using in my classroom already. Such as, Kahoot! Google Classroom, Blooket, progress learning, and Flocabulary. I will also discuss how teachers can integrate these programs into their lesson plans in a meaningful way to help foster a love of learning in their students. 

• Kahoot! - A free online game-based learning platform that lets the teacher create multiple choice quizzes and turn it into a game. The students can play these games on their own screen, and it can also be displayed at the front of the classroom on a big screen. 

• Google Classroom- A web-based platform that assists teachers in organizing, distributing, and overseeing coursework. It also enhances communication and cooperation among students and teachers. I am able to post assignments, videos, interactive study games, and much more. Students may use this platform at home and in the classroom. 

• Blooket- A free online game-based platform that lets teachers and students create multiple choice quizzes and turn them into games. There are several game options to choose from and rewards to be won. Teachers can also search for blookets that have already been created by other educational professionals they can view and use if they are short on time. 

• Progress Learning- A platform for K-12 schools and districts that helps students master state standards. It has a pretest that measures where the students currently are in a subject and the teachers can assign certain TEKS based on their grade and what level each student is at. There are videos, and games mixed in with questions and the students' progress through the program at their own pace. 

• Flocabulary- An online platform that uses hip-hop songs, storytelling, and videos to help teach vocabulary and comprehension through different subjects. 

• Ed Puzzle- Another online platform that allows educators to create and share educational videos on certain topics/subjects and students are allowed to pause and replay to learn at their own pace. There is also a search option where teachers are able to search videos that have been made by other educational professionals and they can use them as well. These can be educational videos and can also have questions embedded throughout the videos students must answer before continuing with the video.

Think of your audience, digital presence, and the message you hope to communicate.

My audience would be professionals in the education field who are interested in innovative teaching methods by incorporating technology into a blended learning environment to help their students gain knowledge through exploration. My digital presence would include my article I publish, and my ePortfolio. I will create a blog post to summarize my article with key points and a link to the full article. I will also use my social media platforms such as Facebook, and LinkedIn to help target a larger audience. I aim to demonstrate to educators the variety of methods available for teaching and sharing content, while cultivating a love for learning. By employing the COVA principles within a blended learning environment, we can spark a desire in our students to become proactive in their own learning journey.

References