The last few days have been bizarre and tragic for so many Californians, but other than having to stay inside more than usual, I didn’t suffer. They have been interesting ones for me, though, primarily because I got a chance to experience blended teaching for the first time. I was just at iNACOL (International Association for K-12 Online Learning–yes, I realize the acronym doesn’t really match up) and spent a lot of time thinking about how blended learning could improve my classes. Luckily, when the fire started last week, Jenny and Kate and I were able to come up with some pretty darn -tootin’ solid lessons on the fly. The bad news? Only about half of my students did those excellent lessons. So now, those who didn’t get to experience the amazing photos of Depression-era Americans, or who didn’t analyze character quotes from Of Mice and Men, are not understanding what Dust Bowl migrants might have looked like or thought much about Steinbeck’s descriptions in his portrayal of character. And since I won’t see my people for days now, I can’t encourage them to do it. I spent a lot more time on the computer answering emails about questions and grading schoology assignments than I ever do, but without the personal interaction in class, I’m not having nearly as much fun and it is harder to prod certain students to get important material. Some students don’t have the material I want them to.


Now, the flip side to all of this is that if students were accustomed to this scenario, they might be expecting to have to do this work online. Usually, they hear me remind them verbally, see it on the board, and have schoology. This situation eliminated most of those reminders and explanations.


I will be curious to hear what the students thought of the experience of working online. Without talking to them and finding out in real time what is and isn’t working, I’m still on the fence. 


Now, green bean casserole is waiting…