Three Best Practices for Integrating Technology Into the Classroom, Pt 1

Four years ago, a colleague of mine and I gave a presentation at the Learning 2010 conference. Our topic came from a couple theories I developed regarding how Elearning affects classroom learning and the ways each mode has begun to change and shape the other.  Over the next two or three posts, I'm going to outline my theories and discuss the coming of what I believe to be a "New Blended" learning model.  First, let me outline my first theory, which I think other learning professionals will largely agree with.

THEORY 1 - Elearning has improved Instructor-Led Training (ILT)
In the early 2000's, many thought Elearning would be the death of the classroom.  Instead, Elearning has actually strengthened it.  It has done this in a few different ways:

• Elearning as pre-work - One of the banes of instructors in the classroom is having to deal with students with widely varying levels of knowledge or skill.  Instructors have the difficult job of juggling those skill levels to prevent those with less knowledge from being left behind while not boring those with more knowledge.  Elearning pre-work and pretesting flattens the classroom landscape by pushing those with more knowledge forward to more advanced training and bringing those with less knowledge up-to-speed with the rest of the classroom. This is a huge advantage for instructors who can then more easily engage all students without leaving anyone behind while at the same time, meeting the stated goals and objectives of the training.
• Elearning as post-work - Online and/or Elearning post-work strengthens what was learned in the classroom; adding to overall retention and reducing the risk of new skills being lost.  Scheduling post-work at various intervals means the significant investment a company makes in instructor-led training will return value.
• The NEW "Blended" training model - Most of the time when we mention "blended learning" today, we mean a blending of Elearning, Virtual Instructor-Led, and Instructor Led Training.  We blend these distinct "modes" of learning into a whole program or curriculum. So we send out Elearning pre-work to participants, then move them through the classroom training, then reinforce everything with post-work of one type or another  Increasingly, however, "blended" will, I believe, refer to the process of adding Elearning components directly into an Instructor Led Training session.  So, for example, at some companies, longer and more intensive training programs have traditional instructor components blended with learning simulations accessed through computers or, increasingly, tablets.  These are not paper-based simulations or role plays, these are complex simulations which allow companies to take the content just learned and place it into context for the learner.  What this means is that, for the first two hours of a course, we might see participants learning how to interact with a client using a company system in the traditional way; a student guide, PowerPoint slides, and perhaps even a live demo. The next two hours would then be practicing those skills in a simulated environment where they can interview clients, enter data, process orders or deliveries, etc.  In that environment, not only is it safe to fail, instructors are able to track the progress of learners through the simulation and assist only when necessary. Tracking and reporting can also help designers track problem areas in the simulation.  There's much more which can be mentioned in relation to the "new blended" approach, but this is a start.

This is probably enough to think on for now.  When you're ready, Part 2 can be found here!