Today's Blended Teacher: A Massive Online Open Course

Blended Learning Defintion:  to combine any form of instructional technology (e.g., videotape, CD-ROM, Web-based training, film) with face-to-face instructor-led training.

I am currently enrolled in a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) called "Today's Blended Teacher." sponsored by the Blended Learning Network.  The course is pretty much one big online collaboration and resource sharing party among teachers working in the various area of education.  Since many educators are active learners, we have all come together to experience what enrolling in a MOOC is like.  Not only that, but it is also a way for educators to become more in tune with the idea of the blended classroom and curriculum.

I wanted to give you a little sneak peek into the layout of this course as I will be referencing quite a bit on this blog over the next month:

1. The course interaction occurs using Google+ on a community page titled "Today's Blended Teacher."

This is where the class participants share resources, review content, and collaborate with other educators.

The whole course is divided into 4 sections: Learn, Curate, Connect, and Create.

2. In the "Learn" section, Dan Lucas, the class moderator posts a video of the weeks theme.

This week is theme is "An Introduction to Blended Learning."

3. In the "Curate" section, participants find resources about the week's theme and post it to the community and curation page on Google+.  

4. In the "Connect" section, the course encourages participants to then connect to other educators working in similar areas of the education by tweeting, creating their own Google+ circles, or connecting with other educational bloggers on matters that concern their day to day issues around Blended Learning.

P.S.-This blog entry is my "connect" homework assignment for this week.  I want to connect with more educators in the area of education and assistive technology as a whole.

5. Finally, the last part of this course is called "Create."  Participants create a lesson plan or activity designed around the theme or concept from the week and share it on our blogs or post on the Google+ site.  I will be networking this blog with BSN Share to further collaborate on innovative ideas in the area of educational technology and receive feedback for my ideas.

I am very excited about growing my technical knowledge in the area of Blended Learning!  What an amazing way to blend technology with connection and inspiration.