Supporting Blended Learning Teachers

Kristen Fitzsimmons

I began using blended learning four years ago as a secondary school teacher in Ontario. I started small, using one feature at a time, but quickly became hooked. The more I learned how to do, the more I wanted to explore and try new things. This learning and growth gave my teaching a renewed energy because I was excited about new things that I was now able to do, and for the first time in my adult life, I was excited about my own learning. My love of blended learning and new-found interest in technology soon led to seeking other ways to integrate technology into my classroom. At this point, there was no turning back.  Last year I moved out of the classroom and into a different position, as an Instructional Coach. My job is to support teachers at my high school in adopting new practices and trying new approaches, so much of what I do is related to technology. Both as a classroom teacher and in my new role I’ve seen colleagues begin a semester by setting up a course in our Learning Management System (LMS), but for a variety of reasons, some of them don’t end up using blended learning as the semester progresses. Why does this initial interest not always mean that blended learning is adopted?