Blended Learning

New Technologies for a Language Classroom

Talking language teaching and learning in the new high technology, lead us to think about the strategies, methods, and techniques of language learning. It represents, in many cases, a fundamental change in the way teachers and students approach the learning experience. In this new technology era, there are some ways to teach or learn language. One example of education innovation is through blended learning. 

Blended Learning is a formal education program in which students learn through online learning with students control over time, place, path, or pace, at least in part, at the a brick-and-mortar facility. Blended learning refers to a term used to describe the way e-learning is being combined with traditional classroom methods and independent study to create a new, hybrid teaching methodology. Blended learning can be grouped into six models that vary by teacher roles, physical space, delivery methods, and scheduling. Those six models are face-to-face driver that is the teacher employs online learning technology in lab, rotation is students rotate on a fixed schedule, flex is teachers provide on-site, online lab is an online platform delivers the entire course, self-blend is students choose to take remote online courses, and the last is online driver that is an online platform and teacher delivers all the curriculum. The adoption of blended learning models can be enhanced with more development of the following; integrated system, high-quality dynamic content, analytic, automation, and applications that enhance student’s motivation. A course created in a blended learning model uses the classroom time for activities that benefit the most from direct interaction. There is a general consensus among education innovators that blended learning has three primary components: In-person classroom activities facilitated by a trained educator. Online learning materials include pre-recorded lectures given by that same instructor. The last is structured independent study time guided by the material in the lectures and skills developed during the classroom experience. 

The result of learning process of blended learning can be seen from two perspectives. The first perspective is from students. By doing blended learning process the students can easily get a feedback from online learning rather than from pencil paper learning, the students can control how fast they do the lesson, and although they learn in a big group or large number of students, they feel it is a small group because the experience they have with the teacher is in a small group. The second perspective is from teacher. By doing blended learning process, the teacher can easier to give the instruction for the students group and the teacher are surprised by how much idea in a classroom which students get from computer online. That is what I can explain all about blended learning.