Getting Started with Blended Learning
This January I began using D2L's learning management system with my Grade 2 class. I have used a combination of GoogleDrive and TeacherWeb in the past, but was curious about how eLearning could foster greater student engagement and provide a platform for collaboration. By modifying the navigation bar and homepage design, I was able to create an easy to follow space linking content and discussions. Introductory activities have included watching videos from Learn360 about polar bears and migratory birds with follow-up discussion questions about how animals survive in the winter. Students also explored a resource from the Ontario Education Resource Bank that describes animal adaptations in greater depth and enables students to apply their knowledge by examining an interactive map with Canadian animals and asking them to select the matching adaption. To support our current math inquiries about time, students also explored an OERB activity about "Buster Beaver'...