OTAN News
Reasons to Implement Blended Learning (and Your TDLP)
The Technology and Distance Learning Plan, or TDLP, is an annual deliverable due to the California Department of Education on Thursday, January 31. Hopefully, your agency is close to finishing the TDLP in time for submission next week. If you have any questions about your TDLP, please contact us at 916-228-2580 or email support@otan.us for more assistance.
Over the years, as adult education agencies have integrated more technology into classrooms and have become more sophisticated in their use of technology, we have seen an increase in TDLP goals that aim to provide learners with blended learning opportunities, a variety of combinations of face-to-face instruction and online learning. California adult ed agencies and others have come to recognize that blended learning is advantageous for teachers and learners in a number of ways, as Brandon Jarman at the website EmergingEdTech details:
- Blended learning helps students learn better – Blended learning is becoming the optimal learning environment, outpacing solely face-to-face and online learning.
- Blended learning promotes student ownership of learning – It gives students the opportunity to work at their own pace; slower students can review and repeat as often as they like, and faster students can move quickly through the material and explore additional learning resources that are often added as a supplement.
- Blended learning prepares students for tech in the real world – It gives students numerous opportunities to use tech tools independently and when collaborating with others.
- Blended learning has a financial impact – Although there may be initial start-up costs to integrate blended learning, over time, schools are finding financial savings as they reduce the need for brick-and-mortar operations.
- Blended learning increases collaboration – As teachers and schools rethink traditional instructional practices, tech tools provide the means for more student collaboration and ease the burden on teachers for so much direct (and one-directional) instruction.
- Blended learning is more interesting and engaging for students – There are exciting new tech tools out there that can be integrated into blended learning environments, and technology gives the teacher different ways to present information that can be accessed by a variety of learners.
If you need help with ideas for blending learning at your agency, either for the TDLP or at any time of the year, please reach out to us. We are happy to help you and your learners with ideas and ways to create the most impact with blended learning.
Source: 6 Reasons Why Classrooms Need to Implement Blended Learning
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