TECHNOLOGY IN A RURAL

CLASSROOM WITH
BLENDED LEARNING
Mallory Qualls

For my case study, I chose to work with a small rural elementary school, with
blended learning, and one to one technology availability. I chose a rural school
because my school was not, but my younger brothers is. I like the community
aspect of his school and the town that it is in and for that reason I would want to be
in a rural school. I am an Elementary Special Ed major so that was my reasoning
for the age choice. I chose blended learning because that is something I had in high
school. Each of us had our own device whether it be a laptop or an iPad, but we still
had some paper assignments as well as tests and quizzes being mostly on paper.
However, for projects we had choices to make them digital or on paper. I chose the
one to one for the same reason that I had experience with that in high school. I had
a negative experience with it and wanted to explore and see how maybe it could be
a positive way to learn.
According to The Glossary of Education Reform, blended learning is when
both online and in person learning experiences take place in a classroom. I like
this method of learning because it allows for some creativity from the kids as to how
they do some of their assignments and projects, but it also keeps an aspect of the
traditional learning style of pencil and paper. One challenge that I faced with
technology in the classroom in high school was the temptation to play games and
I would say just about everyone else was tempted by that, and fell in at some point.
However, I believe there are solutions to this. One solution being to have
designated gaming breaks for the kids to look forward to. This way they know
theyll have time to check in on their SIMS family or their clan as long as they can
get through their work on time. Another solution to this would be to incorporate
games into your lesson plans. This wont be any Clash of Clans or Candy Crush, but
it will give them some sort of competitiveness or point system for satisfaction.
Another challenge that also impacted me in high school was that not everyone
learns the same and technology may make it harder for some students. I am very
much a firm believer in paper and pencil. It is how I learn best and I think it is the
best method because it has clearly worked for so many years. I struggle with
technology, and dont want to use it unless I have to (or unless its my phone).
There are solutions for this as well. Having alternative paper assignments for those
who do not want to do the digital assignments is one option, but I think a better
option is just to have an equal number of digital and paper assignments each
lesson. With technology on the rise, I think it is important that everyone learn how
to use it and the alternative assignments may be used as a cop-out of learning
technology. The last challenge, and the one I may struggle with the most as a
teacher, is that my students may know more than me. I know many adults that
because they dont understand, dont want their kids to understand. There are two
different ways to go about this as well. There are classes out there for adults to
take to learn about technology. These classes are from the very basic to
professional level. It just depends on where the adults are. Another way to
overcome this challenge is to embrace that you dont know, and have your students
teach you. Encourage them to use different forms of media that you may not know
about to do their projects. See how creative they can get and maybe offer some
extra credit!

I would design my classroom like the picture below. Student tables for them
to work at together and collaborate at. Also, the comfy seating communities allow
for more relaxed collaboration. I have some seating by my desk in case students
need help, we can work together. The 4 desks in the middle are for the students
who do not want to collaborate, but do better working alone. The projector and rug
are for when it is time for me to do the teaching, the kids can either sit on the rug
for a closer view, or stay anywhere else in the room. The 4 desks are easily
moveable in the event we have a large project or activity they can be moved to
create a large space in the middle of the room. This space is about the students and
is flexible to their learning styles.

Innovation is defined as a new idea, device, or method; the act or process of

introducing ne ideas, devices, or methods (Merriam Webster). In a blended
learning classroom, students can look at assignments on paper, and turn them into
a video presentation or other visual projects. Like the youtube video Learning and
Creating with iPads in Kindergarten that we watched when learning about the
SAMR model, kids can take something they read about in a book and turn it into
their own pictures, digital drawings, and videos using technology. In an article on
edweek.org, April Wang talks about the struggles of a Rural School. She talks about
how some students have to walk to school on dirt roads not something I
necessarily think about living in the city. However, when it rains and the students
cant get to school, they need that digital learning option or they miss out on
education for that day. GoClass is an online tool that can and should be used to
help students keep up. Pictured below, it gives the teacher the ability to upload
lesson plans, make quizzes, and design activities. In a rural setting especially, that
is why teachers should embrace technology. It gives students a chance to be

creative in their learning and to have the ability to keep up with their learning when
they arent able to be in the classroom.

Resources

Bharti, P. (2014, November 3). 6 Great Tools for Blended Learning. Retrieved June
22, 2016, from http://edtechreview.in/news/1624-6-great-tools-for-blended-learning
Blended Learning Definition. (2013, August 29). Retrieved June 22, 2016, from
http://edglossary.org/blended-learning/
Bright, S. (2014, May 15). Pros and Cons of Blended Learning | DigitalChalk Blog.
Retrieved June 22, 2016, from http://www.digitalchalk.com/blog/pros-and-cons-ofblended-learning
Classroom Architect. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2016, from
http://classroom.4teachers.org/
Learning and Creating with iPads in Kindergarten. (2012, July 31). Retrieved June 22,
2016, from https://youtu.be/Y5b6y7DJuYk
Martin, N. (2016, June 7). Is Blended Learning the Magic Bullet. Retrieved June 22,
2016, from https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/L-and-D-Blog/2016/06/Is-BlendedLearning-the-Magic-Bullet
(n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2016, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/innovation
Study reveals pros and cons of rural schools attendance. (2012, December 4).
Retrieved June 22, 2016, from
http://www.ubmedia.biz/vernal/news/article_389b7a00-db26-545b-b217c058f5960b15.html
Wang, A. B. (2014, November 10). The Forgotten Struggles of Rural Schools.
Retrieved June 22, 2016, from
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/11/12/12wang.h34.html