6.Building Collaborative learning environment in blended Learning

The primary task for any teacher/trainer is to create a meaningful and good quality content. An equally daunting task is to make that content interactive and so build a community of learners that communicate within themselves, with the teacher and thus add value for each other. “Community is more than participation; it requires moving from participation to engagement, involvement, and action.”(: 6 Strategies for Building Community in Online Courses – The K. Patricia Cross Academy ) As a teacher/Trainer whenever I am confronted with a task of working on a Training project; my first few steps are: Understanding the Learning Objectives(which means meeting the stakeholders and understanding their point of view), discussing the plan of administering the module with the stakeholders which includes: Planning everything from activities to logistics to arrangement for building collaborative environment between participants and the stakeholders. I ensure this robust partnership between the stakeholders and the participants so that we have a response team in case of any exigency and also to solve any issues that may arise. These issues can be right from flawlessly working hardware, troubleshooting, collaboration, ensuring learning is happenings and participants are engaged and responsive, and finally assessments. Therefore in my work area of Adult education I function like a team rather than an alone teacher who has the complete responsibility of taking the class through a learning experience(which generally happens in Offline class scenarios). Online learning success is definitely based on team work, empathy and knowledge of subject plus the tools(online technology), constant upgradation in technology.

When I undertake any Online learning project; like I mentioned my first and best effort is to create a great content. This happens with the collaboration between myself as a facilitator, Business heads and Human resource key persons. Once the content is decided then I lay out a complete plan of what tools are available and what is my playground like 🙂
Few steps that I start with:
*Create a WA group/ FB closed group Page/ or utilize the intranet chat group of their own organization. Mostly WA group is the most handy and easy communication tools for my learners.
*Once a topic is complete; I mostly have participants breakout into rooms for a discussion. This is a useful tool for participants to know each other, be vocal about their ideas in smaller groups, discuss their POVs, build a relationship of approachability. It gradually gives them a feeling of familiarity and they start knowledge and resource sharing.
*The LMS I generally use in my classroom is Google classroom which gives me a leverage to create, share documents, use polls, quizzes, share videos, assessments etc. I also generally keep the task of documentation within the group through Google sheets. We supplement this learning with creating an FB page, where all participants can post the content that supports their learning in some way, some fun facts, chat with fellow classmates, post videos and this always brings about a sense of familiarity and teamwork amongst them.

In one of my courses that I did with students globally where all of them came from different geographies, cultures and background; this way of interacting was not only easy but also useful. A lot of knowledge sharing, a mention of apprehensions & Limitations, humor led to a feeling of belongingness and community.

I also customize a lot of my offline activities that I have been using. I change them to suit my online learning modules. For example in communication skills, I use role plays which I let my participants record in the breakout rooms and then e share the video. That way all groups can do their role plays simultaneously and participate in the final discussion.
We also do a lot of energizers that are suited to online learning scenarios.
doing group case studies in break out rooms and then a discussion in the class is also an effective way of learning concepts and theory
I create Buddy system where people form pairs based on some relevance and take ownership of learning

Another way of knowing more about such hacks for building communities I have always learned by myself being a part of the class(as a student). My learning journey is never ending and I have enjoyed being part of various learning sessions with people from across the world and that has introduced me to various such ways of methodology that facilitates learning.

Having a great content with apt activities to interact and build communities is followed assessments that help gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of my course. I normally use summative assessments with adult learners unless we decide(with stakeholders) about doing pre, mid and post training assessments. The reason of doing one formal assessment is because with adult learners the process of assessments is not limited to formally assessing them. As feedback is a crucial part of training with adult learners therefore the onus of learning is taken jointly by learners and teacher. The development that the learners go through, the skills they acquire also adds to their performance appraisals therefore keeping in mind the time available summative assessments are best suited for my adult learners groups.

Building Community out of a class is a challenge and an ongoing task for every teacher/trainer. This one aspect of learning creates bond and ensures we have Go To resource when we are confronted with issues relating to what we learnt together

Image courtesy: https://fltmag.com/community-online-course/

References


https://kpcrossacademy.org/building-community-in-online-courses/

Equity and Accessibility in online learning-An Inclusive Approach

We had an excellent discussion this week about accessibility and how it relates to online courses. I’ve gotten acquainted with accessibility in recent years and felt fairly confident in my comprehension prior to our seminar. However, the farther we got into the topic, the more I realized how broad the term accessibility can be, and how limited my existing perspective was!

What is Accessible Education? – Forward with FLEXibility

What is Accessible Education? – Forward with Flexibility

. In recent years, education has seen a transformational move towards online and mixed learning methods, providing students in Saskatchewan schools with unparalleled opportunities. However, as technology has advanced, the issue of guaranteeing course accessibility and equity has grown even more vital. In this blog article, we look at the notions of course accessibility and equity in the context of online and blended learning, and how these principles can help all students in Saskatchewan have an inclusive and empowering educational experience.

Accessible EducationCourse accessibility in online and blended learning refers to the development of an inclusive learning environment that accommodates students’ different needs and abilities. It is not just about embracing technological improvements, but also about ensuring fair access to education for all learners, regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Instructors and curriculum creators should embrace the concepts of inclusive design, which entails providing learning materials and activities that are adaptable to different learning styles and preferences. “No matter how powerful in educational terms a particular medium or technology may be, if students cannot access it in a convenient, and affordable manner they cannot learn from it.”(Bates, 2019, p.462). Tony Bates (2019) discusses many issues of student access to media and resources in online and blended education. According to Bates, access (or lack thereof) to technology is the greatest discriminating factor when making technology decisions in education. Using a variety of formats, such as text, audio, video, and tactile materials, ensures that students can engage with the subject through their preferred mode of learning Implementing universal Design for Learning (UDL)principles encourages educators to offer multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression, thus addressing diverse student needs and learning preferences.

An Inclusive Approach to Equity in Online and Blended Learning-
Achieving equity in online and blended learning entails ensuring that all students, regardless of their backgrounds, financial status, or geographic location, have equitable access to high-quality education and assistance. Schools should prioritize strategically allocating resources to assist students who may have disadvantages or issues in getting essential technology and internet connectivity. Identifying students who need extra help and delivering personalized interventions can help bridge learning gaps and guarantee that every student has a chance to succeed. Incorporating varied viewpoints and experiences into school policies and curricula develops a sense of belonging and representation among all students: Continuous professional development can help educators better understand and handle the particular needs of their pupils. To achieve course accessibility and equity, multiple parties, including teachers, administrators, students, and parents, must work together. Involving parents and careers in the learning process helps to build a supportive network and improves student results. Using data to identify gaps and track progress can help with intervention design and achieving equitable results for all students. Involving local communities and organizations can give kids facing socioeconomic issues with significant resources and support.Exploring equality and equity in education: View as single page

As Saskatchewan schools adopt online and hybrid learning, course accessibility and equity must be prioritized to guarantee that all students receive an inclusive and empowered education. Educators can create an atmosphere where every learner can thrive and succeed, regardless of their specific circumstances, by applying inclusive design, mindfully integrating technology, and creating collaborative partnerships.

Gay Pride Inclusion GIF by Siemens

Let us work together to create a better future in which education leaves no one behind and allows every student to fulfil their full potential.

 

Content creation with LUMI…

The Content

This module seeks to help students develop knowledge related to 2D and 3D shapes, comprehend the fundamental distinctions between 2D and 3D shapes, identify typical shapes present in everyday objects, and investigate each shape’s unique properties, such as sides, vertices, and edges. The module provides a comprehensive list of standard 2D and 3D shapes found in everyday objects, such as squares, circles, cubes, spheres, triangles, cylinders, and more. Visual representations and descriptions accompany each shape for easy recognition. The module discusses each shape’s crucial properties, such as its sides, vertices, and edges. It illustrates how important these characteristics are for describing and characterizing various shapes.

Activities and tools used in the module

After watching this video students can be able to understand the answers of these following questions: What are shapes? What is a shape called? What shapes can you think of that you either see, use, or come across daily? What are the different attributes of the shape? After watching the whole Lumi video, I will have an open discussion with them regarding 2D and 3D shapes. I will Design mini-games or challenges related to 2D and 3D shapes. For example, students might be tasked with matching shapes, identifying attributes, or solving shape-based puzzles. I will provide them with direct feedback so they feel more comfortable talking to me about their issues related to the shape. I have looked for ways to make sure that there are opportunities for kids to form relationships with their teachers and one another through the use of a variety of digital tools and group activities to create a feeling of community in the classroom.

Learning Outcomes 

With the help of this module, students will be able to understand the properties and characteristics of different geometric shapes, such as the number of sides, angles, and diagonals. In order to solve problems and understand higher-level geometry topics, students should be able to mentally manipulate and visualize geometric shapes in two and three dimensions This module will assist students in building their ability to use geometric principles to solve a range of geometry-related challenges. Students should be able to apply geometric concepts to real-world situations, such as calculating the area of a room or the volume of a container. Depending on the module’s level, students may learn fundamental geometric operations with a compass and straight edge, such as creating perpendicular lines or bisecting angles.

Overall, the creation of this blended learning course has been a process of ongoing learning and in-depth reflection. I’ve made a conscious effort to stay true to my initial goal of using a mixed-learning environment to create a fun and interactive course. I’m excited to collaborate with others to create courses with additional grade levels.

click the following link to watch Lumi video

https://app.lumi.education/run/366QoN/

 

4.The empathic and planning aspect of Online Training: Accessibility, inclusion and Equity

Photo by Zen Chung on Pexels.com



Ensuring accessibility, inclusion and equity are as important considerations as is the content creation, planning and the course itself. If these factors are not planned well, it can lead to a chaos in the administration of the course, learning and the assessments. With this era of online/blended learning the classrooms have extended in their geographical boundaries. The students can avail learning without thinking about the location of the classroom. Education has become more accessible in the literal sense however to ensure accessibility and equity it is important for the course facilitator to plan it while designing the content. That is also possible only when the facilitator is fair, empathetic and also well trained on the nuances of administering Online/Blended learning courses. This isn’t only true for online learning but also for Face To Face programs. The principles remain the same however with Online learning the triangular teamwork is what drives the course successfully and it can reach the intended audience. As stated by the OECD (Citation2018), “Equity does not mean that all students obtain equal education outcomes, but rather that differences in students’ outcomes are unrelated to their background or to economic and social circumstances over which students have no control” (p. 13). The Warschauer’s (Citation2003) framework highlights the equity concerns that were a result of the “pandemic-induced shift to emergency remote learning”. Equity in learning is a result of the kind of learning environment when “every learner belongs, contributes, and thrives, regardless of race/ethnicity or socio-economic status.”

The course that I have undertaken is a 2 day workshop on Communication in relationships 101 with a corporate for their Middle management managers. This program was done during the Lockdown time of the pandemic era. All the employees were working from home and were in the process of getting used to the new way of work. The audience were from different parts of my country and were almost 50 in nos. The various challenges for doing this online course for me was:
Challenge 1) It was a group from different parts of the country. Some were cosmopolitan areas and others were less developed. Which meant they may be from different society, ethnicity, economic backgrounds- so some liberal some conservatives, may have lower bandwidth, less access to hardware and software, may not have enough space in their house to sit separately. They maybe large families staying in a small house. They may not be technically very proficient.
Solution – To be sensitive towards the participants and give them leverage to put their video off, to join on mobile if the need be, to keep a tap of the attendance and note who are missing. and more important to create content for asynchronous sessions so that in some way the participants can access the learning material and coordinate in case when disruption is unavoidable during synchronous meetings
Challenge 2) It was a very large number for a focused learning outcome however that was the need of the organization and so I had to find out ways to cater to it.
Solution – To plan activities in a way where grouping the participants for activities likewise was fully planned, the content planning along with activities, the timing and also making arrangements for exigencies was an important part of Pre Training Phase. Having a complete Schedule in place and sharing with the Human resource department for a discussion enabled us to depute a team of 3 IT executives to facilitate the program, they also installed a team viewer, Google Classroom so that they could remotely set up everyone’s laptop/PC. The IT department also fixed an orientation to settle the hardware and software with the participants. The participants were used to google docs and Chat by now so choosing google Classroom as the LMS was the appropriate decision. The IT team also prepared an excel sheet that kept a note of the areas that the participants were in, their hardware and software so that they could manage help when needed.
3) Doing 2 full – One-Day Online programs was a very big challenge. Holding the audience for such long spans is practically impossible unless planned well. The 8 hours day was divided into three, 2 hours program with One hour of lunch, 30 min of 2 Tea breaks and a 10 min break after every module. This made the program doable for the participants and the facilitator both. I also earmarked the participants who were more proficient technically and comfortable with the online programs and made groups likewise for different activities.

Before starting the program there were some activity sheets that were also mailed to the participants and while the program went on there were few videos which reinforced the learning, some reflection exercises which helped them reached the outcomes and a list of some online energizing activities that I learned when I attended Tony Robbins Online – Unleash the Power within. Apart from these preparations I was mentally prepared to be empathetic towards the Performance gaps that may appear, socio-economic-disability – special needs gaps. Therefore I was prepared for Screen Off instances, time Out instances, Internet-power outages instances and for which I created asynchronous content, scheduled those in a given timeline and also used audio plus visual tools for similar content.

It was humongous planning for a program that had to succeed. And the time put in panning was completely worth it. We did face all the issues that I listed however we were also prepared for the same and all in all it was a successful plana and program

Reference:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00461520.2022.2062597


3.Communication Dynamics in Relationships 101

Photo by vjapratama on Pexels.com

One of the most interesting quotes on communication that I have read is by Paul Watzlawick: You cannot not communicate. He has done some good work in the field of Schizophrenia and theories of communication. What intrigues me the most is this, ““Our everyday, traditional ideas of reality are delusions which we spend substantial parts of our daily lives shoring up, even at the considerable risk of trying to force facts to fit our definition of reality instead of vice versa. And the most dangerous delusion of all is that there is only one reality.”
– Paul Watzlawick
” The whole Neuro linguistic programming concept also refers to the fact that The Map is not the Territory. My favorite area of study is – how we communicate inside us and with the outside world. What we do, how we do is what affects the outcome. Fortunately for me as facilitator and life coach there is a lot of opportunity everywhere. This subject or skill is one of the most sought after skills for adults in every sphere of life whether personal or professional. Therefore today my topic of the blog post is not only on Communication but also the new H5P methodology of creating interesting and meaningful content. The video projects a relationship, the dynamics involved in it and how we can choose to be non judgmental and more interested and curious. How we interpret based on the different filters of values, beliefs, thoughts, perceptions, habits, memory etc. and how stubbornly we stick to the reality that we create.

I facilitate adult learning sessions in communication both for the professionals and others. This clip of communication is based on relationship scenarios. As a life coach I come across a lot of such interactions between couples, families, friends and these videos can be an eye opener. They have the visual, auditory and kinesthetic abilities to appeal to different people who process information differently.

Communication process in every situation is about transmitting information- knowingly or unknowingly. In our social circle we everyday send messages to people and receive messages from them. Mostly our communication consists of talking about people, work, coordinating schedules, “What time will you go for grocery?” or maybe negotiating; who will do a certain task, who will manage expenses; how about certain duties etc. In communicating such tangible expectations we also transmit feelings like: I don’t like you; I hate when you do this; why do you act pricy; who do you think you are; you are——-

The process of Communication, that shows the different dynamics has been a part of curriculum for all the management students atleast and has infact become a clichéd model. However it is important to take it up because it shows how different components in communication can steer the whole scenario in an intended or unintended way. The sender acts based on their perceptions, values, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, habits and memories and the receiver of that message receives in their own perceptions, values, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, habits and memories. This exchange happens through different chosen channels like written notes, letters, mails, phone call, or maybe simply through exchange of glances, music, fragrances, facial expressions. Sometimes these ways of communication may not clearly convey the internal intended communication and may rather convey what was unintended. Another major breakdown can happen when both the sender and receiver are communicating and blowing their own trumpets without waiting for the response- The feedback. Once they take out time from out of their assumptions, perceptions, and adopt an empathetic attitude, suspend judgement and are more curious and interested in the other person and seek feedback on what they intended, that is when everything starts falling in place.

This video is an interactive way of presenting what we everyday do in our relationships with people. How we assume, judge and perceive based on our core systems and take it as a reality. Creating stories like this on videos and interspersing it with concepts is a great way of teaching and will be useful for me as a facilitator because I am planning to begin my own channel and having videos like this will add value to my content. I can also use such videos for my learning sessions, especially blendid learning. I can use them very well for my asynchronous sessions and then take up in In-person workshops. I have a list of experiential games that I conduct in classroom or in spacious setting and then I debrief the outcome, where we translate the learning in the workplace. So these sessions are going to be extremely useful for my adult learners. Therefore the video that I have shared is about a relationship that has its own dynamics and how it moves ahead is also an interesting process. The next step in this learning continues with the next video of the series: The map is not the territory

The brief Content instruction for the module has a below mentioned outline:
It is either a 2 day workshop or a 1 day workshop in which the expected Learning Outcomes are:
1) Understanding the Communication dynamics/ the components inside and outside of us/what makes the process two way
Activities are based on the time available
One common activity that I use for both In person and Online module is mentioned below:


The task is for the participants to create a replica of the diagram just by listening to one of the students who volunteers to give directions. So One student gets up and stands with the back facing the participants; describes the pattern without repeating and answering any question and has headphones plugged.
The second scenario is the student faces the class and gives direction and can answer questions
The third scenario is that the student can even show the diagram and others can copy

The choice of activity depends on many factors, like:
*The current level of awareness of the participants on a given topic
*Their comprehension ability
*The logistics like : space availability, and then Time available
*Does the activity really lead to the outcome that is proposed for the given Target audience?
*Can the activity be debriefed well and the outcome be translated into their workplace?
*Is it effective for Online or Offline course?

So this is one of the activity that I have mentioned for this task otherwise their are many that I se depending on what result I have to drive

This forms the first half of my session and in the second half I take the Concept of Albert Mehrabian Communication model of 3V’s(Visuals, Voice and Words – 55-38-7) where we discuss the importance of different ways of communication and how to fine tune our ability to communicate. This takes the second half of the session where I talk about the different nuances of Body Language, Effective Voice and how to handle the 7% challenge of words.
During the day I also insert a small form of assessment which is based on the debriefing of the activities that I do thus it reinforces the concept, corrects few notions that students have and leads to achieving the outcome too. Below mentioned are the tasks that they do after the Activity:

Q1. What were the factors that led to the failure in completing the task(draw the model)

Q2. When were you able to complete the task successfully? which channel of communication was best suited for this task

Q4. What were the barriers of communication that you faced? Explain
Once these questions are done; the participants have a fair idea of where they need to get corrected

Please take a look at the video that I have made despite all the technical hitches I faced. This being the first video may not be as refined as my upcoming videos will be in future.

https://app.Lumi.education/run/ztEJ55

My LUMI Experience – Cultural Variety in Communities In Saskatchewan

The title Cultural Variety in Communities In Saskatchewan of my blog describes how I motivated myself to become acquainted with the LUMI platform during my initial use of it. The first time using LUMI can be both a thrilling and difficult experience. Its features did pique my interest and anticipation, but as I started looking around and watching the tutorial videos, I discovered a well-organized design with distinct parts that were easily navigable.

It provides real-time support in various ways, such as automating the grading process for assignments and quizzes, offering personalized feedback to students, and assisting with time management and study reminders. Lumi also facilitates interactive learning experiences through virtual simulations, quizzes, and collaborative projects. Additionally, it assists educators with professional development by providing access to educational resources and best practices. Overall, Lumi enhances the online teaching experience by streamlining administrative tasks, promoting personalized learning, and fostering a more engaging and effective virtual classroom environment. Since this is the initial time I’ve heard of or used Lumi, the task seemed a little overwhelming at first. However, after reading the instruction, Lumi was simple to use and it was simple to incorporate the interactive tools. I ran through a few obstacles when making my Lumi video. Learning how to use each of the available tools and how they functioned on the platform was one of the hurdles. Timing was also difficult because I had to halt the video precisely when the speaker finished speaking or when the slide changed. The interactive video creation process took the longest to perfect the timing.

Content

By studying about various cultural groups, traditions, and contributions, students will explore and understand the cultural diversity in communities across Saskatchewan. The main objective is to create an asynchronous learning environment where students may learn more quickly and expand their knowledge. Synchronous activities like debates, Q&A sessions, and group discussions using online technologies will be added as supplements. So i prepared four week class, which was divided into various modules.4 weeks, with the length depends on the class’s pace.

Week 1: An Overview of Cultural Diversity in Saskatchewan

Introduce the idea of cultural variety to the kids and discuss its importance in Saskatchewan communities. We’ll delve into the interesting subject of “cultural variety.” Imagine a box of crayons with various colors in it, each one representing a distinct group of people with their own traditions, languages, and customs.

Activities:

Discussion in class: Have a debate about what culture is and how it affects our daily life.
Locate and label the several communities in Saskatchewan that are noted for their cultural variety on the map.
Presenting Cultures Showcase Saskatchewan’s diverse cultural groups in a multimedia show.

Week 2: Investigating Saskatchewan’s Cultural GroupsMcGill Library - De-Stress + Sketch: Digital Edition // Brought to you by  McGill University's McGill Visual Arts Collection Every Sunday for the  upcoming few weeks, we will share an artwork from

Asynchronous Education

Students conduct research on various cultural groups represented in Saskatchewan (such as Indigenous, Ukrainian, German, Chinese, etc.) and develop presentations on those topics.
Encourage your pupils to include audio, video, and traditional music or dance examples in their presentations.
For their peers to view and remark on, students upload their presentations on a digital platform.
Synchronized action

Encourage kids to participate in a virtual conversation about the importance of sustaining cultural variety in Saskatchewan communities.
Divide the students into two groups and give them the task of presenting arguments from various angles.
During the debate, encourage polite dialogue and counterarguments.

Week 3: Communities of Immigrants in Saskatchewan

Explore how immigration has impacted Saskatchewan’s cultural variety and gain knowledge about various immigrant groups.
Activities:
Make a chronology of Saskatchewan’s major immigration waves, then talk about the cultural influences they had.
Cultural cuisine Day: Request that students bring in and share with the class cuisine from their family’s heritage.
My ancestral: Ask students to conduct ancestral research on their own families and display their discoveries through artistic means, such as posters or quick videos.

Week 4: Celebrating Cultural DiversityUNA | Canadian Multicultural Celebrations - UNA

Objective: Understand the importance of celebrating cultural diversity and fostering inclusion in Saskatchewan communities.

Activities:

  1. Cultural Fair: Organize a virtual cultural fair where students can showcase their learning from the past weeks. Each student or group can create a digital booth representing a cultural group.
  2. Diversity Pledge: Have students write a pledge or create artwork expressing their commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in their community.
  3. Reflection and Discussion: Engage in a class discussion about what they’ve learned and how they can celebrate and embrace cultural variety in their daily lives.

Assessment:

  1. Class participation during discussions and activities.
  2. Completion of individual and group assignments, such as cultural presentations and artwork.

Conclusion: By the end of this lesson plan, students will have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the cultural variety in communities across Saskatchewan. They will recognize the significance of cultural diversity in shaping the province’s history and fostering a harmonious and inclusive society.

 

Here is a link for my Lumi Video

Course Profile: Geometrical Shapes , Grade 3

Course overview and description

Greetings to all, Welcome to my mathematics course profile for the third grade. The course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of geometry. I aim to develop their knowledge and understanding of different geometric shapes (regular and irregular), their properties, and their applications in real-life situations. Students will engage in hands-on activities, discussions, and problem-solving tasks to enhance their spatial reasoning skills and mathematical thinking. Learning mathematics must be a fun and joyful experience, and this course is designed to serve that purpose. With your encouragement and suggestions, this is just the beginning of what will eventually be a fantastic course.

Target Audience

This course is intended for students in grades 3 with ages ranging from 8-10. At this age, children start observing their surroundings and questioning the different shapes of objects. Here, I’ll put together a variety of resources to help students understand shapes and the fundamental distinctions between various geometrical forms. This would be an Ideal course for Math teachers who want to make their Math classes more interesting and innovative and add another skill set to their teaching practices. 

Course Timeline

This online course is designed to cover the entire module in four weeks. However, depending on a teacher’s yearlong plan and other relevant considerations, it may take longer or less time. When delivering the course material, the instructor will need to be flexible and consider their audience to see whether particular topics need more or less focus or if some students are struggling to keep up with their learning and assignments.

Course Format (Online/ Blended/ Synchronous, Asynchronous)

One synchronous session, one in-person session, and one asynchronous assignment per week will all be included in the course.

Students must participate in synchronous activities like debates,question-and-answer sessions, and group discussions to easily access their course materials in an asynchronous format and adequately reflect on their learning.

Students may ask questions about the assignments or any other issues pertaining to the week’s theme during the in-person session. Students must use the ‘turn in’ option to submit their work for the asynchronous tasks, which will be uploaded on Google Classroom. The main objective of this technique is to aid students in understanding the learning assessment, textual descriptions, and video explanations connected to their course. While doing this course through self-evaluation, the students will be able to pinpoint their areas of strength and weakness, set goals, and demonstrate strong organizational abilities. Technology is ideal for use in the classroom since it gives students something to be proud of and raises their self-efficacy. Holding students responsible, it keeps them constantly aware of what is happening in the classroom. 

Toolset for the course 

For the purpose of this online course, most Google tools would be used, such as classroom, meet, slides, sheets, calendar, forms, Jam board, and other platforms for providing a variety of learning opportunities, such as YouTube, Kahoot, Mentimeter, etc. In order to run synchronous sessions, the Meet link shared in Google Classroom would be used to access Google Meet. Additionally, during Zoom sessions, I will chat with my students in break-out rooms to see if they are experiencing any academic challenges. I will provide them with direct feedback so they feel more comfortable talking to me about their issues. 

Course material 

According to the student’s grade, this course’s materials are chosen. With the use of pattern blocks, students may create patterns, practice rotating objects, and sort diverse forms. The capacity for pattern recognition is essential for analytical and critical thinking, and it can help pupils find connections between distinct concepts. Geometry may provide excellent hands-on activities to keep your young primary students engaged. Because shapes are easier to understand by viewing them in their natural settings, learning shapes is typically beyond the scope of the course material. In order to present geometric forms to my students, I prefer using audio-visual aids. I’ll encourage them to recognize the forms by giving them the following definitions: A circle has no edges or corners. A triangle is a shape with three sides and three corners. A rectangle has four sides and four square corners. A square is a rectangle that has identically long sides. 

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

This course’s asynchronous, blended learning environment is intended to address the learning outcomes specified in the Saskatchewan Grade 3 Math Curriculum every day. Students will learn to recognize and name common shapes such as squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, and hexagons. They will also understand the properties of these shapes, including the number of sides, vertices, and angles. Additionally, they will take part in games, puzzles, and activities that require them to solve problems in order to deepen their grasp of geometrical shapes. To answer tangram puzzles, shape-based puzzles, and pattern identification problems, they will use their expertise. Symmetry in forms and things will be taught to the students. They will recognize symmetry planes and comprehend that symmetrical objects can be split into equal, mirror-image parts. Moreover, Three-dimensional shapes like cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders, and pyramids will be introduced to the students. They will gain knowledge on how to recognize and characterize these shapes’ features, such as their faces, edges, and vertices. I would use real-life objects, visual aids, and drawings when instructing the task. These educational tools will make it easier for all students to understand the curriculum, especially ESL students.

The learning course material is based on the Saskatchewan Math Curriculum for Grades 3. The learning outcome SS3.4 will be taught, which will demonstrate an understanding of 3-D objects by analyzing their characteristics, including faces, edges, and vertices, and will be delivered in a module.This course will cover all these following points

Module – Introduction to Geometric Shapes 

  • Differentiating between 2D and 3D shapes
  • Naming and identifying common shapes in everyday objects
  • Exploring attributes of shapes (e.g., sides, vertices, edges)
  • Identifying and describing properties of squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders

Assessment methods

Formative assessment is the most crucial component in evaluating a student’s development; in fact, it is the most successful type of evaluation for improving student comprehension and performance. Use of Kahoot, Mentimeter, Google Classroom Questions, Google Forms, Google Meet Up, Google Chat, and Jam Board may put this into practice. The final project, which will produce one final report, will act as the summative evaluation. In addition to this, as an instructor, the feedback will be delivered orally or in written form. The monthly progress of the kids will also be represented graphically. We can set up alternate meetings with their parents once a month, as well as some face-to-face time, to discuss their ward’s progress more effectively. 

Assignments

Every week, assignments will be shared in each individual Course Module. As specific students require diverse methods of instruction and assignments, expectations may alter depending on the individual student’s needs.

Rationale

This course is created with the understanding that there are other options for learning outside of face-to-face instruction and that students should have the freedom to switch to an online platform. It is estimated that more than 80% of the students enrolled in the course have access to devices at home and have an adult who will help them submit their assignments and attend class.

Attendance

Students who are not in class but have access to technology and the internet can still complete their education at their own pace because the course is delivered using a mixed approach. If students find it impossible to attend the classes, scheduling video meetings, chat sessions, or email exchanges would be useful for them.

Special considerations

EAL learners: It is crucial to provide students who are English language learners with the finest support since some students will need subtitles and a combination of lecture and visuals in order to make the knowledge relevant. We might also teach students how to use Google Translate and give them adequate time to complete their coursework.

 Access to technology at home and school: For students without access to gadgets or an internet connection, online videos will be available. Videos will be published on the YouTube channel so that anyone can view them and use them as a free source of knowledge. Students who don’t have a device or access to the internet can visit the school library and utilize the wifi and devices there to participate in synchronous sessions.

GOAL SHEET 

The following sheet should be given to the students to provide an outline for organizing their thoughts on their goals:

FINISH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES… 

1) I am studying Maths ______________________ 

____________________________________________________ 

2) My aptitudes for maths include_____________________________ ____________________________________________________ 

3) My math deficiencies include___________________________

4) The things I plan to improve upon our _______________________

Here is the link to ADDIE template

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D4RidJ7dCnFfk712SX9jTS0nFqV-a-MxdzdghHjOHFE/edit

 

 

2. Course Profile – ASAP – Adroit’s Soft Skills and Accent reduction Program( A program for a group of employees in a Pharmaceutical Company)

My target audience & their Demographics:

Theses are the employees of the pharmaceutical company ABC. They are a mix of senior management, middle management and also few management trainees. They come from different cities, educational backgrounds and have many years of experience in different jobs. They are a group of 22 employees out of which 8 are women and rest are men. The age group ranges from 25 to 58 years. The group also has a Vice President of Finance who would be soon going to USA for a year-long project and is therefore keen on sitting through the classes for cross-cultural communication and some speaking practice sessions. It is a cross-functional team which means there will be people from production, sales & Marketing, Formulations, Finance and HR. It is crucial to know their current level of understanding in the topics decided for the workshop. Therefore, I will procure the information of participants with a mention of their age, mobile numbers, email ids, designation and department on a google sheet. This will then be used for documentation of their assessment results. As this is an adult learners’ class and the organization has a specific need behind this training so documentation is important to show where we have reached.

The course Format:

ASAP Adroit’s Soft skills and Accent Improvement Program” is designed to be a Blended learning project.

Photo by Julia M Cameron on Pexels.com

The first component of this blended learning program is an In-Person synchronous workshop.

Photo by Monstera on Pexels.com

 It is an intensive and comprehensive training on Cross-Cultural sensitivity, Communication skills, English Language Proficiency & Accent improvement program that eliminates barriers caused by foreign or regional accents, poor diction or voice quality.  The rest of the modules are Online sessions with a mix of synchronous and asynchronous components. The practice session will be asynchronous; which means the participants can practice voice, diction, accent, language aspects based on their personal and work schedules. The new topics will be synchronous online session with a place for 4 in-person sessions in the company’s training facility.

Course Toolset

Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.com

As it is Cross functional team in ABC Pharmaceutical company with a mix of departments and people from top to bottom in one classroom so it is important for me as a trainer to ensure that learning is free from any fear, designation gaps, age related mismatch and everyone gets to participate fully. Therefore, it is important to use a pedagogy, instructional medium and assessment tools in a way that learning is a complete, happy and knowledge experience for all.

  • As a facilitator I will also ensure that the participants have enough choice in curriculum so that the projects and assignments are not only doable but also add value to their work, themselves and the organization.

Having diverse toolset will also encourage learning for the participants who have a vast education/knowledge/age gap in comparison to others. With blended learning they can choose lessons based on their level of comfort, topic, relevance in the subject

Plus, this training will make them more comfortable with technology as every office is tech driven.

The session will be administered on Google Classroom and the schedule will be shared with them on google Calendar. The IT department will assist me in my requirement for all IT arrangements. Simultaneously a WhatsApp group will be created that will serve as a convenient conversation platform and knowledge sharing for everyone. In Google Classroom I will cover; TEFL based Language sessions, business communication assignments, Voice and accent training practise sessions. I will use Canva as a resource for preparing presentations, posters and any infographics

I will use the flipped classroom to record my voice, accent, tone, and stress for each consonant, vowel, and diphthong sound, and participants will practise that before the actual class. I will quickly go one on one with all before sending them off to break out rooms to practise the sounds, voice and phonemes plus give and receive peer feedback. Finally, for assessment, they receive multiple-choice questions on Google Forms and submit based on dates shared on Google Calendar.

The practise recordings are shared on the WA group and the final ones are uploaded on the Google Drive.

Additionally, I’ll create a YouTube channel for learning English voice, tone, and accent, and participants will upload their videos of sound practises and role plays there and share the link on WA.

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Enhance interaction between employees, clients, and friends  
  • Eliminate internal and external distractions, in one on one and one to many communications henceforth making them more productive
  • Eliminate misunderstandings with vendors, customers, and colleagues  
  • Will be able to write correct reports (during audits) that will have negligible grammatical errors and will be precise.
  • Improved speech clarity on the telephone, Emails, Zoom Meetings, and Conference Calls and will be more culturally aware and sensitive towards diverse audience
  • Achieve more effectiveness and efficiency in presentations  
  • Indulge in productive & efficient verbal communication; less time is wasted in repeating or explaining   
  • Heighten self-confidence in all communication situations 

Course content

Summarize the types of learning experiences or activities that learners will experience during the course.

The sessions are planned as: One full day of workshop based on communication skills where the facilitator gets a chance to meet all the participants and develop rapport and create an easy communication passage. The plan for the day is as follows:

Session Plan – ABC pharmaceutical, XX September 2023,

9:30 to 10:15 – Icebreaking – 30 Min – “Labelling” an activity which uses the similar words as mentioned in Johari window activity. This activity breaks ice amongst participants and also brings an awareness of the fact that just knowing names and departments of people in workplace is not enough if we want great team work and camaraderie.

The activity is an exploration into each other’s personal and professional lives. There will be a free flow of conversation, laughter, and sharing. The audience is the best resource for making this icebreaker a fun/learning part of training, meeting, or team-building event.

A Debrief of the activity is conducted once it concludes and the participants present their views based on these questions:

How did you like the activity?

What made it interesting?

How do you feel after having gone through this activity?

Next

Internal Communication (Commodity of kings, Knowledge is potential power, the power lies in the ability to communicate that knowledge to the world. We have seen the world transition from all these stages and now in today’s world, a whole new world) and the easier communication has become, the more challenging it gets.

VBT example (example of Nick )

An activity that demonstrates how we can achieve when we program our mind for being limitless in achieving our results and how it can drastically change the results that we achieve. Finger demonstration

The choices we make, generate results. So, if I am stressed, happy, distressed……it’s the result of choices that we make

NLP model of Communication

Dynamics of Communication (25 min game) Housebuilding – teaches the dynamics of communication. The importance of feedback loop, the sending and receiving of message, the physical, emotional and social barriers and what affects that process

30 Min Debriefing on Barriers of Communication

Q1. Which factors led you to success or failure in building a perfect house?

Q2. Did you strategize before starting the activity? How would you alter your strategy if you were given a second chance?

Q3. Which prominent factors made the task tough in your case? And what were the ways to overcome them?

Q4. What were the barriers of communication that you faced? Explain

Various Challenges: Semantic barriers (Lack of Vocabulary, clarity), Communication Overload, Wrong choice of medium, Noise, Environment, Assumptions, Poor Listening, Attitude,

So, let’s take this scenario in the workplace:

  • What can happen when communication goes wrong in workplace, family and friends?
  • Which barriers you generally see in your workplace
  • What steps can you take to overcome barriers
  • How will you ensure correct communication as a sender/receiver to ensure there is no miscommunication?

Through this experiential activity I take participants into an Inquiry based learning and the answers are an eye opener for them and then we discuss how can this learning be translated into their work. This brings about tangible ways to improve their work life and better the systems that they are using in their workplace.

Listening Skills,

I begin with a question: Ask…..Who is that one person in your life who you feels understands you the best and you go to that one person always?

Listening creates relationships

So Seek first to understand- Stephen Covey’s example, I tell them stories of what happens when listening is distorted in workplace thus using humor as a tool.

For people to learn experientially and construct on their concepts of previous learning, I will use Role Plays for building rapport – Role Play (20 min)

I will use PowerPoint presentation for talking about the 3 Vs of Communication along with a lot of examples from their work life thus making examples authentic and relatable. I start with inquiry-based approach of asking them the first question: what is more important for you in communication words/ visual or voice?

Thus, the one day concludes with a happy note, satisfied participants who took their day off from work and took learning ownership. As a facilitator my session was a mix of Lectures, PowerPoint presentation, experiential learning, management activities, inquiry-based learning, simulations and role plays, Audio Visual Tools etc.

The assessment was summative which was more like: what were their take aways from the one-day work shop

List the tangible ways of incorporating your learning from the day into your daily tasks.

Case study on communication

We will also form a WA group where we will reinforce our learning of the day by sharing videos and articles: this will ensure that the participants are in touch with their learning and are building on it.

They will also mention how they improved even the smallest of their work processes and were more productive and happier.

The rest of the course will be taken up as online sessions of 1 hour each on the Google classroom that will be managed by a moderator from the IT department of the company itself. The course that I plan to cover in these sessions covers lesson plans for English comprehension covered through 4 skills of communication. There will be sessions on reflective skills of language (reading, listening) and productive skills (speaking and writing). One useful online resource that I used was www.linguahouse.com the session will be based on topics like;

Assessment Strategies

The selfie revolution

Business news

Film making

Expenses and Income

Internal customer services etc. and they will cover listening and reading activities based on these topics, see movie clips, read magazine snippets, articles and then finally the participants will produce language in the form of Speaking and Writing. The facilitator ensures adherence to correct language, para language and gives assignments and at the same time takes up grammatical aspects related to these topics. For e.g., selfie revolution will have adjectives, verbs and sentence construction using formal tone used in workplace.

Voice, tone, Accent correctnessYouTube, WA for recorded voice notes and MCQ on google forms
Cross cultural sensitizationMCQ’s based on caselets in Google forms
Communication effectivenessMCQ’s based on caselets in Google forms
Effective and efficient business communication (Reports, emails and Telephone etiquette)MCQ’s based on caselets in Google forms, Topics for writing Emails and reports and submission in google drive
Assessment Criteria

Addressing the concerns for Technology Bloopers or any unavoidable circumstances for Participants:

WhatsApp group will be the quickest means of communication for the participants

The IT department is given the responsibility of owning the tech part of the program and because it is inhouse for the participants so communication gets easier and quick in that case. Apart from that resolution will also be faster and easily available for them. However with technology there will always be a small or big glitch and we have to be prepared to face it

Rationale for choices made in the design of the course prototype

The need for the program is urgent because the company has already started facing problems because of ineffective emails, reports written to their Client organizations and therefore the company is ready to spare them from their schedules and get into training & Development. Considering less full time availability, travel schedules and work targets this type of blended learning module has been conceived.

As the target audience is a group of professional people so I will have to be considerate about their and organization’s priority of work. Based on my prior experience I am expecting problems in Attendance and therefore rescheduling as a normal part of the program. Therefore, I will be flexible with dates but only for a given timeline. Beyond that I will charge them extra for every day.

I will also ensure that the class is sans any type of fear, prejudice, attitude, ego so the group work, pair work, individual task and presentations will be planned likewise. The motive is that all should have relevant take aways from the program so the participants will be encouraged to connect with the trainer as and when needed.

I will also promote buddy system at workplace so that they help each other utilize the learning from the class into their workplace.

Go for the – ADDIE Template

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Course Profile the origins of the Cultural Diversity and Impact of the Land on the Lifestyles and Settlement Patterns in Saskatchewan communities.(Grade 4)

Overview and Course Description

It will be a preparatory course for students in elementary school. In my course, the causes of the cultural variety in communities in Saskatchewan will be described. Many Indigenous communities, including First Nations, MĂ©tis, and Inuit peoples, may be found in Saskatchewan. The distinctive cultural traditions, dialects, and practices of these communities add to the province’s cultural variety. It will serve as a prerequisite subject for primary school students. Students will research and learn about many cultures in this course. I want the students to have a thorough awareness of cultural values. Teachers must be knowledgeable of the province of Saskatchewan’s history and topographic scenario. Overall, the interaction of historical, social, economic, and political circumstances that have produced the province’s diverse population can be blamed for the cultural diversity in Saskatchewan localities.

Photo by https://giphy.com

Targeted Population( Age, Grade, Gender)

The audience for this subject is students in grade 4, who are the target group for this learning. They range in age from 6 to 12. At this age, kids start examining their environment and beginning to wonder about the various shapes of the items. Here, we’ll construct two distinct programs to aid pupils in understanding cultural diversity and beginning to understand the fundamental distinctions between various cultural groups.

Course Timeline

There will be at least four weeks throughout the course. The instructor will need to be flexible when delivering the course material and evaluate their audience to see if any topics need more or less attention or if any students are struggling to keep up with their learning and tasks. Furthermore, because this course supports what the students are learning in other subject areas, the instructor may need to alter deadlines and coursework to suit the needs of the students.

Course Format (Online/ Blended/ Synchronous, Asynchronous)

This course’s primary goal is to establish an asynchronous learning environment where students can increase their knowledge and learn faster. Additionally, synchronous activities like debates, Q&A sessions, and group discussions are necessary so that students can easily access their course materials in an asynchronous manner and efficiently synthesize their learning. By taking into account the features of flipped classrooms, this course has been specifically created for both in-person and online instruction to promote the mixed learning method. The main objective of this technique is to aid students in understanding the learning assessment, textual descriptions, and video explanations connected to their course. The students will also be able to evaluate themselves to determine their strengths and shortcomings, make goals for themselves, and demonstrate strong organizational abilities. Technology is usually my preference while teaching because it gives the kids something to be proud of and increases their self-efficacy. By holding students responsible, it keeps them constantly aware of what is happening in the classroom.

Photo by https://giphy.com/gifs/HopkinsWrestling

Toolset for the course

My main platform will be Google Classroom. Although I am pretty familiar with it, I still need to learn more about it in order to use it more effectively for the benefit of my pupils. Along with the homework and exercises that have been provided, I will use some instructive films. Moving on, the teaching resources I’m using here include some photographs with guided discussion, PPT notes, and online notes in pdf format. In addition, I favor using Kahoot because it is a user-friendly tool. Additionally, I’ll use Jam boards to encourage dialogue and discussion among the students and let them express their thoughts. In addition, I will chat with my students in small groups to find out whether they are experiencing any academic challenges. Likewise, I’ll give them honest comments so they feel more comfortable talking to me about their issues. I might also offer them to come meet me in person if they feel more at ease doing

Another option  for  learning materials, objectives, and assessment data will be recorded in Canvas. Parent/Teacher/Student communication will also take part in the LMS.

 

Demographics

All of the students taking this course nowadays have access to modern technologies like laptops and computers. The population of Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, is very diversified, which greatly diversifies the audience that is being targeted. The population is more diverse since not everyone has access to technology equally. Due to this, there may be a range in the student body, but the bulk of them have easy access to technology, and even those who have difficulty getting it can use it in the classroom.

Course material

The course material used here is according to the grade of the student. Teaching cultural diversity to second-grade students in Regina can be an engaging and enriching experience. Role-playing games: such as “Guess the Tradition” allows students to describe a cultural practice or custom while others try to identify the culture to which it belongs. Encourage children to dress up in traditional garb from other cultures for “Cultural Dress-Up” and describe their ensembles to the class. Keep in mind that all materials and activities should be modified to account for the unique requirements and cultural variety of the Regina pupils. The goal is to establish a welcoming, courteous learning atmosphere that encourages respect for and knowledge of many cultures.

Course objective

The learning outcomes included  Saskatchewan Grade 4th social science curriculum are intended to be addressed every day through the asynchronous, blended learning environment of this course objectives includes, Recognize that people come from various cultural backgrounds and that these distinctions ought to be acknowledged and valued. Recognize and value the distinctiveness of many cultures, including their practices, languages, and traditions. Using a variety of extra materials is essential to ensuring that students comprehend the topic. When demonstrating the task, I would use tangible objects, visual aids, and drawings. All students, especially ESL students, will find it simpler to understand the curriculum thanks to these teaching aids. The course materials used to teach second-grade pupils in Regina about cultural diversity should be created to promote understanding, respect, and admiration for many cultures. These objectives can be accomplished by using a number of materials. To explore the significance of embracing diversity and human similarities, books like “The Name Jar” by Yangsook Choi, “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz, and “Whoever You Are” by Mem Fox can be incorporated. Making multicultural masks, designing flags of other nations, and constructing a class “Cultural Diversity” collage are just a few of the art and craft projects that promote hands-on participation and artistic expression. We can incorporate music and dance by taking in ethnic music, learning about other dance styles, or even by setting up cultural dance performances. Playing games and acting out scenarios, like “Guess the Tradition” or “Cultural Dress-Up,” can make learning engaging and fun. Additionally, the curriculum should promote empathy and teamwork, promote reflection on stereotypes and prejudices, and draw attention to the cultural diversity of the neighborhood. In DR 4.1  Students can Compare how Saskatchewan’s inhabitants’ ways of life and patterns of settlement are affected by the terrain. In DR 4.2 Students can get a deeper awareness and respect of cultural diversity in Regina and beyond by utilizing a variety of resources and activities.

Indicators for this outcome

(a) Determine the historical locations of the various First Nations tribes and linguistic clusters in Saskatchewan before the arrival of the Europeans.

(b) Describe the manner in which Saskatchewan’s First Nations population helped early European immigrants survive.

(c) Explain the history of European immigration to Saskatchewan, including those who came for economic (explorers, fur traders, homestead farmers) and religious (Mennonites, Hutterites, Doukhobors) reasons.

(d) Explain the motivations behind why European immigrants left their home countries and chose to settle in Saskatchewan, paying special attention to the local area and/or the specific student families.

(e) Describe the struggles that Saskatchewan’s First Nations, MĂ©tis, and immigrants have encountered throughout history and in the present through speech, writing, theatre, multimedia, or another form.

Assessment methods

Formative assessment is the most crucial component in evaluating a student’s development; in fact, it is the most successful type of evaluation for improving student comprehension and performance. Use of Kahoot, Google Classroom Questions, Google Forms, Google Meet Up, Google Chat, and Jam Board may put this into practice. The final project, which will produce one final report, will act as the summative evaluation. Additionally, as an instructor, you will provide feedback verbally or in writing. The monthly progress of the kids will also be represented graphically. We can set up alternate meetings with their parents once a month, as well as some face-to-face time, so that one can discuss their child progress in more efficient way.

Special considerations

Student attendance: Because the course is taught utilizing a blended approach, students who are absent but have access to technology and the internet can still complete their education at their own pace. If students find it impossible to attend the classes, scheduling video meetings, chat sessions, or email exchanges would be useful for them.

Wifi: Accessing Wifi may be challenging for some of our families. Consider suggesting that kids visit the neighborhood library or look into other options for how the school district might be able to help them if they don’t have access to a hotspot, the internet, or Wifi at home.

EAL students: It’s critical to provide the finest support for English language learners because some students will need subtitles and a combination of written instruction and visuals to make the material relevant. We might also teach students how to use Google Translate and give them adequate time to complete their coursework.

Technology access at home and at school: If a student doesn’t have access to technology at home, they can do their work in class or, if they will be out of class for a long period, they can borrow technology. Additionally, flexible scheduling should be used in schools to provide pupils more time to connect with technology.

Aim Sheet

The pupils should be provided the following sheet to serve as a guideline for structuring their goals.

 

1)       I am a social studies student.———————————————–

 

2)       My areas of expertise in social studies are—————————

 

3)       Among my social studies deficiencies are———————————-

 

4)        The ways I intend to enhance our learning——————————-

 

Thanks Everyone, My link to (ADDIE Model Template)

My Experiences and Challenges with Blended and Online Learning

My name is Navneet kaur. I am from India, and this is my second course in the Master of Education program. In today’s fast-paced world, Technology plays an essential role in everyone’s life. Technology like computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones is becoming more and more integral to our daily lives. Technology’s integration into education is inevitable because technology has always been a crucial component of sustaining and developing society. Online education technologies make access to the most recent and superior information possible. Textbooks and other printed materials can soon contain out-of-date content, and updating them might take a long time. I believe that when people use online resources, educational materials are always up-to-date and relevant, and they may be seamlessly incorporated into the learning process. Technology can provide students with access to large amounts of online resources and information. They can conduct independent studies as a result of this, which motivates and supports them. Through the use of instructional films and audio streams, technology can help make learning simpler by making complex concepts easier to understand for a variety of learning styles. Technology helps to keep pupils’ attention, which improves their ability to learn. By moving from a traditional classroom environment to an online learning platform, educators are able to use more interactive tools and approaches that engage students. The transition from static learning materials to more dynamic interactive media content is made possible by technology. When students are actively engaged in academic activities while passively listening to a teacher and reading textbooks, they frequently learn more quickly and effectively. Technology in education is a powerful tool that can enrich and improve the education process for both teachers and students. The use of technology in education has transformed learning and the way that people retain information. It has become a fundamental part of learning, and its development and application should be embraced by all educators in a way that best suits them and their students.

2019 saw the beginning of my use of a virtual learning environment due to pandemic school closings. Due to the pandemic, traditional in-person education has given way to hybrid or distant learning methods. Most of the teachers in my school were getting used to using computers, learning how to best transfer the benefits of in-person training to the online environment, and figuring out how to use technology-supported instruction to enhance student learning. In my classroom, this educational strategy was employed. When I switched to remote study in 2019, I had to make the most of hybrid learning in a completely virtual environment. I had already researched the well-liked classroom model, which combines independent viewing of educational films at home with class time devoted to completing tasks. As I transitioned to remote learning, I worked to replicate the advantages of traditional in-person learning by using live, virtual small-group classes that gave students the opportunity to ask clarifying questions in real-time and to provide peer-to-peer learning opportunities as well as crucial social interactions. I also created activities that promoted participation and engagement among young children in order to teach them. I used many strategies, including online discussion forums, virtual breakout rooms, interactive quizzes, multimedia presentations, and collaborative projects. These strategies helped provide opportunities for students to talk to one another, exchange ideas, and work together on assignments to promote a sense of community. I also used the strategy of the short student presentation, in which I asked the students to make a presentation on the topic of their interest. Short presentations provide an opportunity for students to engage in peer instruction. This type of activity invites students to synthesize and communicate their knowledge In addition to learning from their peers, this enables students to relate the course material to their own interests and personal experiences. Before beginning the actual learning, I tried to show online sources of knowledge and learning. To develop dynamic, inclusive, and personalized hybrid learning experiences, innovative teaching techniques must be combined with new technologies and collaboration tools. Digital tools are used to promote and provide opportunities for teachers to improve their teaching methods. For example, various activities in the learning process could increase motivation and engagement among students. Nevertheless, one of the biggest obstacles to blended learning is teachers’ lack of digital literacy. Teachers must become digitally literate in order to teach a digital curriculum, and students must comprehend how to use technology effectively. In order to improve teachers’ skills and effectively implement blended learning, I think boosting teacher empowerment and professional development funds is essential. In addition to this, Technical and network problems made it difficult to teach and learn effectively. Teachers encountered a variety of technological hurdles, including erratic internet connections, restricted access to hardware and software, and challenges diagnosing technical problems for both themselves and their students.

We rely on technology more than ever before as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I still remember the day I started working at D.R.S. Convent School in 2019 after receiving my bachelor’s in teaching. Schools were closed because of COVID-19, and I had been a science teacher. Learn how things function in reality by studying science. I was eager to instruct students in a lab setting because it is a subject that is also highly practical. Teaching students in grades 6 through 10 was a remarkable experience for me, but after COVID-19, everything was different. I started using technology regularly in my classrooms to teach the students. When I initially started teaching online, I fully embraced Google Classroom. At first, I faced trouble using technology, but when I started using it, I learned so many things from it, and after some time, it was quite easy for me to teach students with the help of technology. Using technology has made teaching and learning more enjoyable. I still remember that time when my colleague assisted me in creating a lesson plan and uncovering different methods of instructing students, and thanks to an online and connected design, interactive displays assisted me in tracking student performance and attendance, whether in class or from home. As time goes on and conditions necessitate new modes of instruction, blended and hybrid learning become more common and useful. However, as the value of new educational technology for blended classrooms increases, obstacles also do. The metaphorical digital barrier between students from various backgrounds and circumstances can be addressed by using tools like interactive screens as focus areas for hybrid learning. While online and blended learning offers several advantages, they also come with their fair share of challenges. The digital gap is one of the major challenges I’ve encountered. It is inevitable that not all students and even teachers will have the same amount of access to technology due to economic, social, and personal factors. Families with multiple children may only have one laptop, which makes managing remote learning challenging. A lot of students don’t have personal smart devices, so when they go for in-person teaching, bringing their own devices isn’t an option for them. However, internet access is far from universal in terms of speed and reliability across all households worldwide. Due to the inability of educators to directly address the fundamental causes, these availability gaps provide enormous difficulties when attempting hybrid learning that depends on individual digital devices and ongoing high-speed internet access. The most frequently cited in-class blended learning challenge for learners identified by me was a lack of basic computer and digital skills including being able to navigate different platforms and devices, keyboarding, using a password, etc. Other typical problems were being easily distracted, having poor desire and independence, being afraid of and uncomfortable with technology, and having difficulty understanding others’ languages. Concerning the lack of fundamental digital knowledge and abilities in particular, as well as affective problems and distractions, respondents’ expectations for learners engaging in blended learning outside of the classroom overlapped with those observed within. The two most common issues that I noticed were a lack of or subpar internet service and inadequate or obsolete gear. Poor motivation or self-direction, a lack of time, and poor time management skills were additional difficulties specific to home-based blended learning activities.

Allowing every student to fully engage in their studies and take an active role in their education is the ultimate goal of incorporating technology in the classroom, regardless of their abilities, talents, or requirements. Technology creates an inclusive work environment, increases engagement, provides seamless experiences, promotes transparency, and ultimately saves both time and money. Students will gain self-confidence and empowerment. Teachers have access to a wide variety of instructional resources and materials because of technology. They have access to open educational resources, digital textbooks, online libraries, and educational websites, which broadens their range of possible lessons and improves the caliber of their instruction. Students are provided with new abilities as digital learners with encouraging direction, well-defined objectives, and careful training on how to utilize technology appropriately and effectively. All of these skills assist students in improving their academic performance and achieving success in their professional lives.