Welcome to this last in a series of five posts devoted to eLearning and the Coronavirus!  In this time of Coronavirus challenges, I want the opportunity to share thoughts, ideas, and questions that I hope are helpful to all of those amazing educators that are doing so much for our students. While I know I may fall short in some ways, I do hope everyone can discover at least one idea that might help their school, parents and students as they take on this new challenge (opportunity) in learning. Please feel free to contact me via email (mjgormans@gmail.com) or Twitter at (@mjgormans). If anything, I have learned from experience and  if I can help you at this time… please feel free to reach out.  I would be happy to join you and your staff in a Web Meeting.  I do hope you read, and please share with others through email and Tweets. It lets me know that I might be making a small difference. – Mike

In this series I would like to take the time to share some eLearning and Blended Learning ideas and pose some questions as schools begin to look at the next year. Some of the ideas I would like to bring out in this series include:

1. Managing devices from school year end to start
   1. Read the article or watch the webinar
2. Data collection for planning
   1. Read the article or watch the webinar (future)
3. PD for the next level of eLearning in a district
   1. Read the article or watch the webinar
4. Planning Blended Learning for another year
   1. Read the article
5. Short-term and long term-goals for Blended Learning
   1. Below

Please feel free to review these prior posts that have links provided. If you have contributions to make or ideas to supply please email me at mjgormans@gmail.com, or send me a tweet at mjgormans . I am trying to build even more ideas to share with everyone! Let’s continue this series by looking at goals, ideas, and questions  which should be a topic for discussion as you continue the journey of blended learning in your district.  I hope the information is helpful to you!

Coronavirus eLearning Series: Short-term and Long- Term Goals, Ideas, and Questions for Blended Learning 

With many schools getting ready to start a new year there will be a constant eye on elearning and how it blends in the total classroom experience.  As this happens, it is important to think about possible questions, goals and ideas that come with the territory. Some of these topics maybe short-term, while others could be farther down the road.  It is important to keep in mind that a powerful eLearning program is often blended, and as a result diminishes the classroom physical walls. Be sure to read my last post in order to review important Blended Learning attributes and resources.  I often say that Blended Learning focuses on the very best mix of technology, face to face instruction, and outside school connections. What are some of the goals, ideas, and questions that are both immediate and long term? Let us take a look.

Short-Term Goals, Ideas, and Questions

1. What are the expectations for teachers and students as the school year begins regarding eLearning and blended instruction?

2. What PD is necessary to make these expectations happen?

3. What information and training must be provided to students and parents to ensure success?

4. How is a culture at the beginning of the school year built to engage learners in a blended or total eLearning classroom?

5. If having the opportunity to begin face to face, how is time used to prepare for planned or unplanned eLearning? (Keep in mind that it could be useful to have teachers facilitate student practice sessions for possible or planned eLearning days.)

6. How can common subject area and grade level teachers work together to prepare quality lessons in a cooperative and productive manner?

7. What tools are in the LMS and other district approved applications that allow teachers to facilitate online instruction resulting in student deeper learning and understanding? How do teachers and students learn about and employ these tools?

8. How do educators engage students and facilitate needed rigor, while providing children ownership of their learning?

9. How do teachers transfer face to face social, emotional, and 21st century skill-based learning to the online and blended environment?

10. How are both student IEP’s and overall student equity supported both in and out of the classroom?

Long-Term Goals

1. How do we develop teacher leaders that can support others in properly blending the learning as an ongoing initiative?
2. How do we employ the blended learning successes we have found in the shorter-term crisis to be sustained after it is over?
3. What newly employed tools must be allocated to future budgets to honor the pedagogical shift teachers have made toward blended learning?
4. How must the curriculum of different subject areas be modified to best use the efficiency and productivity the blended learning environment has brought about?
5. How can the tools and methods found in blended instruction be used to promote initiatives such as PBL, STEM, Deeper Learning, and Maker’s programs?
6. How can teachers work together at integrating curriculums and outside connections to make the learning experience less compartmentalized and more authentic?
7. What methods were found to be successful and must be continued to finally provide students more ownership of their learning?
8. What were the positive unintended outcomes from the Coronavirus time period and how can educators identify and capitalize on them?
9. What is the new district blended learning vision and what does the timeline and related action plan look like?
10. What new questions can be asked, as prior questions are answered, in relationship to the district blended learning experience.

Please consider the short-term topics to be something educators in a district might want to look at as they start the year, while the long-term points might be something to look at as the new year concludes. Consider this well-known phase as you go forward.

“If you don’t know where you are going any road will get you there”

Likewise… once we get there, we must look and reflect back in order to reset our navigation and determine that new place we are going to next. I believe that through the Coronavirus challenge education will learn and will ultimately find a way to become even better. Together we will make real 21centuryedtech happen. I wish you the absolute best on this amazing journey!

Remember to check out the other posts that are a part of this series.

1. Managing devices from school year end to start
   1. Read the article or watch the webinar
2. Data collection for planning
   1. Read the article or watch the webinar (future)
3. PD for the next level of eLearning in a district
   1. Read the article or watch the webinar
4. Planning Blended Learning for another year
   1. Read the article
5. Short-term and long-term goals for Blended Learning
   1. Above

Thanks for joining me in this series! Think of this new reality, as a pilot, and know that educators, students, and parents will make adjustments on this journey.  Please feel free to contact me via email (mjgormans@gmail.com) or Twitter at (@mjgormans). If anything, I have learned from experience and  if I can help you at this time, please feel free to reach out.  I would be happy to join you and your staff in a Web Meeting.  I do hope you read, and please share with others through email and Tweets. It lets me know that I might be making a small difference.  It is important that we document the process so we can learn and plan from it. Thanks for joining me and please feel free to check with me on questions you might have involving lessons that I have learned. Best of all… remember that spring will be here soon! – Mike