Blended Delivery Course Development Cadre

In their book Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, Christensen, Horn, and Johnson predict that 50% of all courses will be delivered online by 2019. Are you ready?

Blended delivery courses (sometimes called hybrid courses) combine face-to-face (F2F) instruction with technology-mediated instruction, such as virtual courses. Blended delivery enhances the traditional classroom by providing “anytime, anywhere” resources that students can access in the classroom, from home, and from any Internet-accessible location. It allows the school day to be extended into the evening, the weekend, and the summer. It supports instruction on days when students are out of school due to inclement weather, health crises, and natural disasters.

This summer, the West Virginia Virtual School is sponsoring Click and Mortar: Blended Delivery Course Development, a week-long professional development opportunity for classroom teachers who would like to enhance and extend their "brick and mortar" classroom with a quality, online component. Participants will explore the WVLearns eLearning platform in depth as they develop a web-based companion for a course they currently teach in a more traditional fashion. Topics include instructional design, integration of statewide technology resources and online activities, utilization of assessment and feedback tools, and supporting online communications. Participants will have plenty of time to plan and develop content for their own course.

A good candidate for the Blended Delivery Course Development cadre:

• Holds a valid WV teaching license;
• Has three or more years experience as a classroom teacher;
• Has a flexible, student-centered instructional style;
• Can demonstrate proficiency with common productivity applications including word processing, presentation software, email, and web browsers;
• Is comfortable with the use of various types of instructional technology; and
• Has regular access to a computer at home or school.

Teachers selected to participate in the Blended Delivery Course Development cadre will:

• Participate in online discussions and activities prior to July 20, 2009;
• Participate in and successfully complete the 5 days of required professional development at face-to-face sessions on July 20 – 24, 2009;
• Participate in and successfully complete 2 days of face-to-face follow-up sessions on August 3 – 4, 2009;
• Attend the Statewide Technology Conference on August 4 – 6, 2009;
• Implement the developed web component for the identified course;
• Participate in an online follow-up at the end of the 2009-10 school year; and
• Be a resource to other educators on online education.

The first week of training will be held at Embassy Suites in Charleston, WV on July 20 - 24, 2009. For the week of July 20 - 24, participants will receive a $165 daily stipend. Pre- conference and conference registration will be paid for the Statewide Technology Conference on August 3 - 7. Lodging and travel expenses for both weeks will be reimbursed by the WV Department of Education.

If you are interested in attending the Click and Mortar: Blended Delivery Course Development workshop, complete the application form at http://wvde.state.wv.us/survey/index.php?sid=86884&lang=en. Applications must be submitted by June 19, 2009. Registration is limited to 30 participants. Teachers selected to attend the workshop will be notified by June 26, 2009.