Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN

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Blended Learning Project Plan:

The Creatively Flipped Middle School Journalism Classroom

Angelica Rossi

University of Florida

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Blended Learning vs. The Flipped Classroom: Which Model Fits Here?

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In deciding to create a blended learning module for my classroom I had to differentiate between a flipped classroom and a blended learning environment. I personally define blended learning as a hybrid model of learning including face-to-face classroom instruction and computer-mediated online learning. I would also include mobile learning as a new integral component of blended learning. The blended learning model includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning. Watson (2008) defines blended learning as, a pedagogical approach that combines the effectiveness and socialization opportunities of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of the online environment, rather than a ratio of delivery modalities. I am currently the middle school journalism teacher at Gulliver Academy. Due to my understanding of blended learning and the more constricted nature of traditional middle school education it is not possible to transform my classroom into an authentic blended learning environment. Within the past two years I have begun to hear more about the particularly popular term, the flipped classroom. The more that I learned about blended learning; the more I realized that the flipped classroom might be the grade school alternative to the blended learning environment. By utilizing technology, lectures are moved out of the classroom and delivered online as a means to free up class time for interaction and collaboration in the flipped classroom (Shimamoto, 2012). Historically, traditional teaching models are one-way channels. Teachers act as experts who stand in front of the classroom and impart their knowledge during their allotted class time. Though common, this model does little to effectively prepare todays students for a future where success relies on ones ability to think independently, solve unexpected problems and deal

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN

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with complex issues, (Shimmoto, 2012). With the rise of the constructivist model and educational technology, teachers are now utilizing technology to implement a blended learning method that shifts lectures out of the classroom and on to the internet in order to free up class time for collaborative activities (Shimamoto, 2012). This is inverted model is what we have come to know as the flipped classroom. The flipped classroom lends itself perfectly to the educational setting of a middle school journalism classroom. In a middle school journalism classroom it is very important that we produce a product; the yearbook and eventually the newspaper or magazine once the yearbook is submitted. The ultimate goal of a journalism class is to collaborate and create constantly. Students must gain the content and skills they need to create; however, can this be accomplished in 45-minute class periods with so many approaching deadlines? There is little time to be wasted when half of the 163 pages of the book must be submitted before the winter holiday break. The flipped classroom model in the journalism classroom will allow students to receive their lecture and assessment at home and participate in classroom discussion and constructivist creation activities during class times. Read on further to better understand this 2-week yearbook journalism blended learning module in which the objective is to impart the basics of yearbook design to students.

Institutional Context: Middle School Journalism Course Grade Level: 7th and 8th Grade Class Size: 15 Students Time Required: 2 weeks to deliver instructional content

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Description of Learners:

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Gulliver Academy is an independent day school located in Coral Gables, Florida. Tuition rates for the 2012-2013 school year range from $9,770 to $26,900 per student. There are more than 45 countries represented in Gullivers student body. There will be three 8th grade girls returning to the class from last year. It is my intention to give them leadership roles after they apply for specific editorial positions. There were 22 students who applied to the journalism class this past year yet only 12 were selected. These students were selected based off of teacher recommendations and writing samples. The majority of the students have never written journalistic copy, taken photos for publication, or designed layouts for publication. The content will be brand-new to all but three of the students therefore the returning girls will need to show exemplary leadership skills and editorial management. Typically, this class consists of mostly female students, however, last year there was one male student. I do not have access to my class roster until the week before school begins.

Existing Format of Course Module: The journalism course is classified as a Language Arts class. The previous instructor was a journalist so the course focused mostly on the writing aspect of the yearbook production. The journalism class has had 3 different teachers over the past 3 years. There has been a lack of continuity amongst the curricula. The design module has been taught in class generally during the second month of the school year. With my technology and design background, I intend to heighten the level of technology integration. The former journalism teachers did not focus on design with their students. In fact, the lack of modern design has been a concern of administration in the past few years. Parents and

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN

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staff have commented that the design of the yearbook has felt stagnant and outdated. Due to these concerns I have decided to add a new emphasis on design to the course while maintain a focus on exemplary journalistic writing and photojournalism.

My Experience with Course Module: I have never been a journalism teacher. I was previously Gulliver Academys Lower School Technology teacher. However, I have several years of student yearbook editorial experience. In 2003 and 2004, my schools yearbook, the Lake Orion "Dragon" was granted a Spartan awarded by the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. In 2003 The Dragon Yearbook was inducted into the MIPA Hall of Fame. To be inducted into the MIPA Publication Hall of Fame a publication must accumulate nine Spartans in a 10-year span. On April 22, 2005 I was awarded 1st place in the Division One "Student Life Spread" category. I was also awarded 1st place on that day in the "Graphics" category. In college I was a Student Life editor for the Loyola University Chicago, which had been on hiatus since 1986. I was recommended for the position by the current instructor after a chance conversation we had about my passion for student journalism. She had decided to resign due to personal reasons. While I may have never taught journalism, I view my background as a student journalist and educational technologist as my greatest advantage in filling this position. I believe in a highly organized, very technology immersed classroom. I have chosen technologies and tools that will allow students to gain knowledge, express creativity, and effectively manage their time in and out of class.

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Blended Module: Yearbook Layout Design 101

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Module Objectives:

Demonstrate an understanding of how to operate Macintosh computers and the Walsworth Online Design program.

Apply computer knowledge and Online Design skills to design pages that will go in each section of the yearbook both independently and in collaborative teams.

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Pedagogical Blending with Purpose- The Multi-Modal Model Objectives:

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN

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Photo Source: The Blending with Purpose Model is based off of the work of Picciano (2009).

I have decided to adopt the Blending with Purpose Model by Picciano (2009) to accurately gauge if students are gaining the pedagogical objectives outlined in this module. I have not included all of Piccanos objectives for this unit but instead have decided to focus on several that lend themselves to this module.

Content: Students will gain an understanding of typography, headlines, grid design, modular design, and design elements. (Tools used: Prezi, YouTube, Walsworth Online Design)

Dialectic/Questioning: Students will question their preferences and the rules of design. They will utilize critical thinking and participate in classroom discussion both face-toface and online. (Tools Used: Gulliver Student Portal Discussion Board, Class Discussions)

Collaboration/Student Generated Content: Students will generate original content by hand and with the use of technology. They will do so independently and in groups. (Tools Used: Pinterest, Walsworth Online Design)

Synthesis/Evaluation: Students will evaluate the work of professional publictions, their peers, and their own creations. They will reflect and transform their layouts to improve their craft continuously. (Tools Used: Pinterest, Walsworth Online Design)

Technology to Be Utilized in Class:

Classroom Computers, Desktop Macs

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Internet connection Personal computers at home (Mac or PC) SmartBoard Interactive White Board Teacher computer

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Web 2.0 Tools and User Accounts to Be Utilized: Gulliver Schools Student Portal powered by Senior Systems https://www.gulliverschools.org/userlogin.cfm Each student possesses a user-login and password that grants him or her access to the Gulliver Portal. Within the portal they have access to each of their classes complete with announcements, grades, email, blogs, discussions boards, online quizzes. The instructor is responsible for managing the class page and updating the course announcements and media. For this module the students will be using the portal to: Participate in online design discussions using the discussion board feature. Take all quizzes online at home. Access course materials, notes, links, and videos posted to the class portal from the comfort of their home. Walsworth Online Design Walsworth Online Design allows users to https://login.walsworthyearbooks.com/login/wpc_ work at anytime from any location. As an login.html instructor and advisor, I can stay in constant communication with my representatives, as well as send instant messages and assign To Dos to my staff. Students will be using Online Design to create layouts within this module as their culminating project. This program will be used in class and at home throughout this module. I had considered using Adobe InDesign, however, the accessibility and ease of use that Online Design offers is of the utmost importance to this module.

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Prezi prezi.com

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Teacher created presentation materials will be posted and emailed to students. After they review the Prezi presentation the students may be asked to log into their student portal and take a quiz in reference to the Prezi presentation materials. The instructor will post video messages at the beginning of the week to address the objectives of the week. Students will have debriefing sessions the following day regarding the YouTube video topics. The instructor will create a Pinterest account for the journalism class. The account will have several different boards including: Headlines/Typography Info Mods Photo Mods That POP! Innovative Caption Design Design Elements Students will have to pin at least 3 examples to each board to share with the class for full participation points. These can be images they found on the internet or pictures they take with their phone and upload to the boards.

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/

Pinterest www.pinterest.com

Week 1 Face To Face Instruction In-class activity: Learn grid design Collecting design elements from magazines collaboratively. Discuss together what we like and why we like them. Create pencil grid design on layout paper. Share your design with the class and discuss. Online Component YouTube Video: Week 1 Design Objectives: What is Good Yearbook Design? Pinterest: Begin pinning to the following boards: Headlines/Typography Info Mods Photo Mods That POP! Innovative Caption Design Design Elements

Monday

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Tuesday Share: Project the Pinterest boards on the SmartBoard and have each student explain what they pinned and why. In-class Activity: Learn modular design Create pencil modular design In-class discussion: Students will finish presenting their Pinterest choices and find ways to integrate these elements into their paper designs Continue to create paper modular designs Debrief: Discussion of the Prezi presentation In class critique and share: Present paper layouts What do we like? What would work for our book? What inspired us? Debrief: Discuss the assessment and answers to the Font/Typography Quiz In-class Workshop: Walsworth Online Design Learning the basics Logging on Creating a new layout Adding elements

Rossi Pinterest: Continue pinning to the following boards: Headlines/Typography Info Mods Photo Mods That POP! Innovative Caption Design Design Elements Prezi: Students will access Prezi presentation on fonts and headlines.

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Wednesday

Thursday Friday

Assessment: Students will access the Gulliver Portal online quiz: Font/Typography

Explore: Log into Online Design and play with the many features that we discussed in class.

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Week 2 Face To Face Instruction Debrief: What did you discover from Walsworth Online Design that you did not learn from class on Friday? Independently work on Online Design Layout Discussion: Debriefing from the Breaking all the Design Rules video Wednesday Independently work on Online Design Layout Debrief: Discuss the assessment and answers to the Walsworth Online Design 101 Quiz. Allow for discussion. Collaborative Group Work: Design a page for a specific section of the yearbook.

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Monday

Online Component YouTube Video: Breaking all the Design Rules

Tuesday

Assessment: Gulliver Student Portal Quiz: Walsworth Design 101

Athletics Clubs People/Flow This is not for their final grade; it is a class exercise. Debrief: Discussion of Prezi presentation In-class critique: Groups will discuss their yearbook section pages (clubs, athletics, flow) and the class will discuss. Work on personal layout for final submission. In-class critique: Each student will display his or her final layout to the class. They will explain their design and what inspired their design elements.

Prezi: Students will access Prezi presentation on the different sections of the yearbook and what needs to be included within each session. They may log into their Online Design account and work on their page if they choose to.

Thursday

Independent work: Complete final layout (one per student). Submit through Online Design.

Friday

Reflection Discussion Board: Each student will log into the Gulliver Student Portal and reflect upon the design process prompt that has been posted by the instructor.

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Justification for Blended Model:

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According to Garrison and Vaughan (2008) The second phase of the blended inquiry cycle involves the actual face-to-face session where learning technologies can be used to define the triggering events, provide opportunities for exploration, and create a first step toward the integration phase, (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). Using my flipped classroom model, I have placed Garrison and Vaughans second phase (face-to-face) first and then followed up with an online component. Despite the change, the educational purpose remains the same. The face-toface sessions are no longer a one-way channel. They are used to diagnose student misconceptions, foster dialogue, and support peer instruction, (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). As you can see from the table above, if there is a quiz or activity that was assigned the night before, the proceeding class session begins with a debriefing of that activity. I want students to feel free to explore at home, receive necessary remediation and support in class while still having time to reflect upon their practice in face-to-face sessions. For example, in-class debates and discussions allow students to define triggering events while sharing and comparing perspectives (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). Anderson (2004) states that learners, need opportunities to reflect upon their own thinking: automacy is a useful and necessary skill for expert thinking, but without reflective capacity, it greatly limits one's ability to transfer knowledge to an unfamiliar context or to develop new knowledge structures. I felt that it was most important to provide feedback to students throughout the entire process, which can be seen through the lesson outline.

I have attempted to scaffold this module in such a way so that students will gain knowledge and content at home and then generate creative work and question in class. According to Shimamoto (2012), in order to enhance student knowledge, participants must be

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN

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exposed to working examples within their area of instruction to build confidence in their ability to implement the method on their own. The participants will build confidence in class and experiment independently while still remaining supported by the instructor. Learners will have access to support communities and will be provided guidance in order to expand on the learned experiences shared by their peers. (Shimamoto, 2012).

With a constructivist project such as yearbook design, one would want the students to share their personal preferences in design as well as their own creations. Opening a dialogue about the books design is healthy because the class operates not only as just your typical classroom but a team with specific tasks. Effective communication skills and delegation of tasks are of the utmost importance for the classroom environment. I hope to instill the core knowledge of yearbook design as well as soft-skills such as time-management, conflict management, and open communication skills.

Closing Remarks: In conclusion, my ultimate goal is to prepare my journalism students to become creative, effective, self-sufficient young adults. The benefits of using blended or flipped model in the middle school environment is that it exposes learners to a blended model at a young age. In the future they will without a doubt take online courses. A flipped classroom or blended model such as this journalism course is an appropriate introduction to the expectations of the online classroom.

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN

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Assessment Rubric Blended Learning Module : Yearbook Design 101

Name:

______________________________________ 4 Exceeds Expectat ions All layouts have headlines that capture the reader's attention and accurately describe the content. All layouts have a byline. All graphics have captions that have interesting design elements. Graphics are in focus, are wellcropped and are clearly related to the layouts they accompany. Student readily contributes their ideas to the group without being prompted. They engage other students to do the same. 3 Meets Expectati ons All layouts have headlines that accurately describe the content. All layouts have a byline. All graphics have captions. 1 Below Expectati ons Layouts are missing bylines OR many layouts do not have adequate headlines OR many graphics do not have captions.

CATEGORY Layout Headlines & Captions

2 Satisfactory Most layouts have headlines that accurately describe the content. All layouts have a byline. Most graphics have captions.

Graphics

Graphics are in focus and are clearly related to the layouts they accompany.

80-100% of the graphics are clearly related to the layouts they accompany.

More than 20% of the graphics are not clearly related to the layouts OR no graphics were used. Student does not adequately contribute to the group discussion or interact with peers.

Contributions to Group Discussions

Student sufficiently contributes to group discussions. Student interacts with other students appropriately.

Student requires some prompting for group discussion contribution. They interact with other group members.

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN Pinterest Board Contribution The student submitted at least 15 pins total. This student submitted at least 10 pins total. This person submitted at least 5 pins to the pin board.

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This person submitted less than 5 pins to the board.

Quiz 1: Font/Typograph y

Received 4 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Received 3 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Received 2 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Received 1 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Quiz 2: Online Design 101

Received 4 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Received 3 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Received 2 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Received 1 out of 4 possible points on the quiz.

Running head: BLENDED LEARNING PROJECT PLAN References

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Anderson, T. (2004). Toward a theory of online learning. Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University Press: CA. Garrison, D.R. & Vaughan, N.D. (2008). Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. Picciano, A. (2009). Blending with purpose: The multimodal model. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(1), 7-18. Shimamoto, D. (2012). Implementing a flipped classroom: An instructional module. Presented at the Technology, Colleges, and Community Worldwide Online Conference. Retrieved from: http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/22527 Watson, J. (2008). Blended Learning. The convergence of Online and Face-to-face learning. NACOL. Retrieved from: http://www.inacol.org/research/promisingpractices/NACOL_PP-BlendedLearning-lr.pdf