Ohio is at a crossroads on its path to personalize education for its students, and now is the time for the state to take a big step toward transforming teaching and learning through high-quality blended learning. In his Smarter Schools blog, Andrew Benson maintains that the state has made significant efforts to encourage blended learning through changes in policies and regulations. But as those changes take hold, the state should take the lead in providing schools and districts with the expertise to make blended learning be something more than computers in the classroom.  

Read more

You are receiving this as a member of the Ohio Blended Learning Network, and our goal is to help you learn more about blended learning by highlighting best practices, sharing insights, and advancing opportunities. Let us know how we are doing, and send along your own best pratices, updates and insights!

Be our guest on the eve of the BASA Fall Conference at the OBLN Superintendents’ Reception in Columbus on Sept. 29^th. Hear from Anthony Kim, founder and CEO of Education Elements, on what it takes to be successful in blended, and learn how three innovative schools got started in blended learning. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris.

CEE-Trust report: Creating a City-Based Blended Learning Network 

"Creating a City-Based Blended Learning Network" chronicles the work of the Chicago Public Education Fund. (August 2014)

The Learning Accelerator releases state framework to advance blended learning

The California-based non-profit outlines what states can and should do to succeed in blended learning. (August 2014)

Rhode Island creates evangelists to spread word about the change to blended learning

The state created the FUSE RI fellowship in which fellows help share, implement, evaluate and scale blended learning. The initiative is in partnership with the Highlander Institute and TLA. (September 2014)

HUFF POST Live: The Role Alternative Education Plays in Learning

Four panelists explore in a half-hour discussion alternative ways of enhancing a student's ability to learn in the classroom. (September 2014)

EdWeek Deeply Learning blog: Deeper and blended learning go hand in hand

The author takes on what she describes as the false dichotomy between blended learning and deeper learning.

PBS Podcast: How blended learning fits into the future of education

The half-hour podcast from MediaShift presents four education professors examining the role of blended learning in education's evolution. (August 2014)

Colorado school district advances competency education
The district is tapping into a larger movement around allowing students to advance when skills are learned rather than when courses are completed. (September 2014)

Your school can win classroom makeover worth $70,000 in CompassLearning contest

Schools can create music videos to show how their class envisions the use of technology to personalize the learning experience. Three grand prizes will be awarded. Submissions accepted between Sept. 19 and Oct. 24. (September 2014)

OETC 2015 calls for workshop presentations for annual conference in February

The Ohio Educational Technology Conference is calling for session proposals from educators for the February 2015 conference. Deadline for session proposals is Oct. 7. (September 2014)

The Number: 67

Latest count of schools and districts that reported to the state they are operating as blended learning classrooms. Of that total, 33 are community schools, 32 are traditional, and 2 are joint vocational schools. 

■   ■   ■   ■   ■   ■   ■   ■   ■ 

Last Word

"Students in classrooms where we implemented personalized learning have outperformed students in the ones where we didn't."

- Dr. Kenneth Eastwood, Superintendent of Middletown City School District in New York

◉     ◉     ◉