Blending+Statement

Blending the content of this lesson with online and face-to-face components will allow for the students to have control of their learning environment via the speed and repetition of the subject content and control of the class wiki. The more active the students are in their own learning the more they will internalize the content. They will also learn to become lifelong learners and know how to take control of their own learning. The components of this lesson were blended in a manner so that the online and face-to-face portions were interwoven together. Since the students are only 4th graders it is good to have a direct connection between the classroom activities and online activities to ensure that they not only know the goals, but also to sequence the content for better understanding. The blended components of the lesson will utilize Wikis and YouTube videos. The wikis will create a sense of community and have a single area for the class to "gather". "A community is essential to engender commitment and ensure students progressively move through the phases of critical inquiry. Communities of inquiry blend online learning and knowledge management into a dynamic and meaningful educational experience where the focus is constructing knowledge." (Garrison, 2004, p. 99) Every individual will be part of adding information to the wiki to add ownership to the content. Blending content also enhances the options for the student activities and learning styles. Students that learn best in group settings get supported in the face-to-face classroom time, while the students who are better independent learners get supported through the online portion. In addition, with the lectures being held online the classroom time can be utilized for more active learning to incorporate even more learning styles. Blending allows for a greater breath of learning content.

Furthermore, the YouTube videos will replace the teacher directed paradigm. It will replace the lecture �in favor of more active and meaningful learning activities and tasks". The professor then has more time to give to individual students and enhance the quality of the course through sustained course development and innovation as well as teaching development." (Garrison, 2004, p. 100) With the subject information being disseminated at home with the child in control of repetition and understanding, when they come into the classroom they will be ready to create or utilize the facts to enhance their learning. "This reversal of the traditional teaching methods" with lecturing done outside class time and tutoring (or "homework") during it-is "the flip".Watching lectures online, or on a smartphone or iPad on the go, has advantages, " children (or adults, for that matter) need no longer feel ashamed when they have to review part or all of a lecture several times. So they can advance at their own pace." (Economist). The use of YouTube videos to convey the facts of the lesson helps in creating more time in the classroom for activities to practice the content and have the teacher evaluate the student's progress. In addition, it puts the student in control of the content so that they can review any information that they do not understand. This will help with differentiation of learning since student's who understand the material can move on and students who need to see it again can review. YouTube videos and Wikis will blend the face-to-face components of the class with an online portion. They will allow for some independence in learning by the student while still having a sense of community and shared learning experience.

Furthermore, Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) state that communities of inquiry, both face-to-face and online, consist of three elements: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching pres�ence, all three of which, they argue, are "crucial prerequisites for a successful higher education experience" (p. 87). The content of this lesson contains each of those elements. The social presence and teaching is not only covered in the face-to-face components of the elementary class, but also in the class wiki. The cognitive presence is what the content of the lesson will help develop. Having the content both online and in the classroom will touch the various ways for students to learn. The lesson encompasses many learning styles, for example visual or text based content for visual or auditory learners, while at the same time having the students make a physical model for the more hands on learners. Supporting all students through face-to-face and online learning experiences will develop a cognitive presence that does not just stop once the bell rings at the end of the day.