The case for blended learning

(bright music) Brian: We live in a time when technology's changing just about everything in our lives, with the exception of our schools. Think about it. Go back a hundred years, our schools don't look that different than they do today and this factory model can result in a one size fits none education, where the conveyor belt keeps going at the same speed, resulting in a student dropping out of high school every 26 seconds in America. Michael: Our students deserve better. Our students deserve an education they can personalize for their specific needs, so that all of them can realize their fullest potential and be prepared for our post-factory economy. Brian: The concept of blended learning may have that potential and the big idea here is to take the best of traditional schools and blend it with the transformative power of online learning, so that each student gets a more personalized education that meets his or her needs. Michael: Leaders and educators from across America and beyond have realized the power of blended learning to create schools that are far more individualized, interactive, and ultimately successful for our students. Brian: I'm Brian Greenberg. I run the Silicon Schools Fund. We're a foundation on the cutting edge of the blended learning movement. I've spent most of the last 20 years in the trenches of education as a teacher, a principal, and chief academic officer, figuring out what works in schools in district and charter settings. Michael: And I'm Michael Horn. I'm the Executive Director of the education program at the Clayton Christensen Institute. We're a non-profit think tank that focuses on innovation in education and we've been researching the blended learning field since its early days. Our two organizations bring you this course, which is essentially a blended learning 101. Brian: But with an important caveat. We're interested in high-quality blended learning. We're not interested in just layering technology on top of existing systems or pushing computers into the classroom. We're interested in folks who are redesigning the structures and core concepts of how school works to make education more engaging for students, a more effective process, and increasing students' ownership of the learning process. Michael: We'll be your guides in this course and we're going to introduce you to some of the most interesting blended learning leaders in the world. We're also going to showcase three different schools that are actually doing blended learning so you can get exposure to three different blended learning models. Brian Our goal is to provide you with everything you need to experience blended learning yourself, whether you're a teacher, a principal, work in technology, or just want to learn more about blended learning. Michael: So, join us in this movement to shape the future of education. Learn about the ins and outs of high-quality blended learning and learn about online learning by actually taking an online course.