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BLENDED Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools
「集団一斉授業」に「オンライン個別学習」を融合(ブレンド)し、 全米で大きな成果を上げつつあるブレンディッド・ラーニング。 日本のアクティブ・ラーニングが目指すべき未来は、ここにある! 序章 1.破壊的イノベーションのパターン 2.破壊的イノベーションとオンライン学習 3.工場型モデルの教育 4.学習者中心の学習 5.学校制度が転換点にさしかかっている理由 6.ブレンディッド・ラーニング専門家の育成 7.本書から学ぶこと 重要用語の定義/ブレンディッド・ラーニングのモデル分類 第I部 理解 第1章 ブレンディッド・ラーニングとは何か? 1.オンライン学習の急速な普及 2.ブレンディッド・ラーニングの見分け方 3.ブレンディッド・ラーニングのモデル分類 4.ブレンディッド・ラーニングのモデルを組み合わせる 第2章 すべての教室がブレンディッド・ラーニングに代わるべきか? 1.ハイブリッド理論 2.ハイブリッド理論と自動車業界 3.破壊的イノベーションへの引き延ばし 4.ブレンディッド・ラーニングは破壊的イノベーションか? 5.ハイブリッド型ブレンディッド・ラーニング 6.破壊的イノベーション型ブレンディッド・ラーニング 7.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2014
146 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
About the author
Michael B. Horn
17 books13 followersMichael B. Horn strives to create a world in which all individuals can build their passions and fulfill their potential through his writing, speaking, and work with a portfolio of education organizations. He is the author of several books, including the award-winning Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns; Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools; Choosing College; Goodnight Box, a children’s story; and the forthcoming From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)creating School for Every Child, which will be released in July 2022.
Michael is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank. He cohosts the top education podcasts Future U and Class Disrupted. He is a regular contributor to Forbes.com and writes the Substack newsletter The Future of Education. Michael also serves as an executive editor at Education Next, and his work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, and NBC.
Michael is a senior strategist at Guild Education, which partners with leading employers and organizations to help offer education and upskilling opportunities to America’s workforce. He serves on the board and advisory boards of a range of education organizations, including Imagine Worldwide, Minerva University, and the LearnLaunch Institute and is a venture partner at NextGen Venture Partners.
Michael was selected as a 2014 Eisenhower Fellow to study innovation in education in Vietnam and Korea, and Tech&Learning magazine named him to its list of the 100 most important people in the creation and advancement of the use of technology in education. Michael holds a BA in history from Yale University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Michael is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank. He cohosts the top education podcasts Future U and Class Disrupted. He is a regular contributor to Forbes.com and writes the Substack newsletter The Future of Education. Michael also serves as an executive editor at Education Next, and his work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, and NBC.
Michael is a senior strategist at Guild Education, which partners with leading employers and organizations to help offer education and upskilling opportunities to America’s workforce. He serves on the board and advisory boards of a range of education organizations, including Imagine Worldwide, Minerva University, and the LearnLaunch Institute and is a venture partner at NextGen Venture Partners.
Michael was selected as a 2014 Eisenhower Fellow to study innovation in education in Vietnam and Korea, and Tech&Learning magazine named him to its list of the 100 most important people in the creation and advancement of the use of technology in education. Michael holds a BA in history from Yale University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 5, 2015
There are often two categories of educational books. One is lofty and full of good theories and ideals, but do not have enough pragmatic tools to be utilized in an actual school environment. Another type has important research and actionable data, but is dense and hard to read with any sense of traction or pleasure.
Horn and Straker's book fits in a rare third category: engaging yet backed with research and examples, challenging yet full of pragmatic tools that you can envision actually using in a classroom. Starting with a great definition of what blended learning is, the book never stops being readable and useful. A bonus are the diagrams and videos of various blended models linked via QR codes.
Highly recommended, especially for those wanting to digitally convert their districts into a more personalized, student-centered learning environment.
Horn and Straker's book fits in a rare third category: engaging yet backed with research and examples, challenging yet full of pragmatic tools that you can envision actually using in a classroom. Starting with a great definition of what blended learning is, the book never stops being readable and useful. A bonus are the diagrams and videos of various blended models linked via QR codes.
Highly recommended, especially for those wanting to digitally convert their districts into a more personalized, student-centered learning environment.
March 7, 2015
While there were lots of good ideas for setting up blended learning in classrooms, the corporate influence and the lack of evidence to support this initiative make this a reluctant recommendation. Also, the authors mostly recommended using technology at the consumption level, instead of creating new content and connecting with other learners in communities.
October 7, 2015
Prett sweet idea, but practical application in a public school is difficult without some serious freedom to blow up master schedules and rework course offerings and FTE.
February 1, 2019
Blended provides an excellent overview of what is being done today to blend online and face-to-face (F2F) learning in U.S. schools, both private and public. While Horn and Staker admit that their categories — Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual — are slippery and in flux, these do provide a framework for examining the choices involved in planning a blended learning school. The writing is generally clear, though at times, a tad jargony for my taste.
Not surprisingly, many of the real-world examples are charter schools. Their lack of history, established culture, state regulations, and teacher union contract restrictions provide charter schools a relatively fresh canvas on which to develop new models of schooling. As a public school teacher for the past 25 years, it's disappointing to see so few examples in the public sector.
Blending learning clearly benefits from using tried and true materials, reproduced online, and accessible to students on demand. To a significant degree, this allows students to work at their own pace — rather than that of the whole class, a quandary faced by nearly all F2F teachers. The authors point to reading and math scores that indicate faster and broader growth on test results too. So the blended learning models featured certainly qualify as successful, when viewed from the viewpoint of traditional schooling.
That still leaves me wanting, however. Mentions of "no excuses" policies and room diagrams showing row upon row of computer stations brought up images of the clone troopers "education program" in Star Wars. Efficient? Yes. Humane? Not so much.
The focus on regimentation may bring good test results in a selective charter school population, but maybe not joyful, independent thinkers. Sure, these models of blended learning aren't the "old school" factory model, but a factory model nonetheless.
True, students are not sitting in row upon row of desks, facefront, while a teacher drones on. In fact, a teacher may not even be present. But many of the models utilize very large rooms with row upon row of computer stations, in which students sit viewing, and perhaps interacting within, pre-determined lessons, developed by some teacher or corporation somewhere (remember those clone children?).
Students alternate online learning with "small-group direct instruction" and "modeled and independent reading." But the former sounds suspiciously like teacher-centered delivery of content (using "resource books"), and the latter involves reading pre-selected texts from a corporate series (such as READ 180). While this sounds different than the "old school" factory model. It still sounds like a factory model.
I would hope to see models that include and advocate for more engaging and meaningful F2F activity. For example, Project Based Learning and cooperative groups develop social intelligence and synergize learning in ways that we are just beginning to understand. What's more, these types of learning activities mimic real world work and civic engagement. Classes could complete a module of self-guided learning as individuals, supported by a classroom teacher, then come together to work on a group project, class discussion, or other activity.
While this might diminish the flexibility in students working strictly at their own pace, I think the benefits of socialization are more important. As the authors suggest, it's important to set school goals prior to establishing the model and the necessary technology. For my money, I'd like to see goals of student autonomy, socialization, problem-solving, and cooperative group skills as central.
Not surprisingly, many of the real-world examples are charter schools. Their lack of history, established culture, state regulations, and teacher union contract restrictions provide charter schools a relatively fresh canvas on which to develop new models of schooling. As a public school teacher for the past 25 years, it's disappointing to see so few examples in the public sector.
Blending learning clearly benefits from using tried and true materials, reproduced online, and accessible to students on demand. To a significant degree, this allows students to work at their own pace — rather than that of the whole class, a quandary faced by nearly all F2F teachers. The authors point to reading and math scores that indicate faster and broader growth on test results too. So the blended learning models featured certainly qualify as successful, when viewed from the viewpoint of traditional schooling.
That still leaves me wanting, however. Mentions of "no excuses" policies and room diagrams showing row upon row of computer stations brought up images of the clone troopers "education program" in Star Wars. Efficient? Yes. Humane? Not so much.
The focus on regimentation may bring good test results in a selective charter school population, but maybe not joyful, independent thinkers. Sure, these models of blended learning aren't the "old school" factory model, but a factory model nonetheless.
True, students are not sitting in row upon row of desks, facefront, while a teacher drones on. In fact, a teacher may not even be present. But many of the models utilize very large rooms with row upon row of computer stations, in which students sit viewing, and perhaps interacting within, pre-determined lessons, developed by some teacher or corporation somewhere (remember those clone children?).
Students alternate online learning with "small-group direct instruction" and "modeled and independent reading." But the former sounds suspiciously like teacher-centered delivery of content (using "resource books"), and the latter involves reading pre-selected texts from a corporate series (such as READ 180). While this sounds different than the "old school" factory model. It still sounds like a factory model.
I would hope to see models that include and advocate for more engaging and meaningful F2F activity. For example, Project Based Learning and cooperative groups develop social intelligence and synergize learning in ways that we are just beginning to understand. What's more, these types of learning activities mimic real world work and civic engagement. Classes could complete a module of self-guided learning as individuals, supported by a classroom teacher, then come together to work on a group project, class discussion, or other activity.
While this might diminish the flexibility in students working strictly at their own pace, I think the benefits of socialization are more important. As the authors suggest, it's important to set school goals prior to establishing the model and the necessary technology. For my money, I'd like to see goals of student autonomy, socialization, problem-solving, and cooperative group skills as central.
June 9, 2015
This may well be considered the authoritative guide to blended learning: "any formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace," in which "the student learns at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home," and "the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience." The authors assert that if an experience doesn’t meet this definition, it is something other than blended learning.
The authors explain the cycle of disruptive innovation, why the educational system is ripe for disruption, how and why blended learning is uniquely able to solve many problems and meet various needs, particularly those for personalization, access, and cost control. There are QR codes that link to videos of schools implementing the process. The authors provide some practical how-to advice, but there is a surfeit of theoretical underpinnings for models and teams that is more appropriate to the graduate school classroom than the typical K-12 environment.
Despite Clayton Christensen's name prominently displayed on the cover (he contributed the foreward), it is a wonderful thing that this book is not authored by him; this is far more practical and applicable to education than his other work, but it applies his groundbreaking work neatly since both authors are affiliated with his Institute, Horn as Executive Director.
This is a very helpful introduction and overview for educational administrators, edupreneurs, and homeschoolers who are new to or considering blended learning. For those who are already in the trenches, it still provides some ideas and theory that they may not have come across elsewhere.
The authors explain the cycle of disruptive innovation, why the educational system is ripe for disruption, how and why blended learning is uniquely able to solve many problems and meet various needs, particularly those for personalization, access, and cost control. There are QR codes that link to videos of schools implementing the process. The authors provide some practical how-to advice, but there is a surfeit of theoretical underpinnings for models and teams that is more appropriate to the graduate school classroom than the typical K-12 environment.
Despite Clayton Christensen's name prominently displayed on the cover (he contributed the foreward), it is a wonderful thing that this book is not authored by him; this is far more practical and applicable to education than his other work, but it applies his groundbreaking work neatly since both authors are affiliated with his Institute, Horn as Executive Director.
This is a very helpful introduction and overview for educational administrators, edupreneurs, and homeschoolers who are new to or considering blended learning. For those who are already in the trenches, it still provides some ideas and theory that they may not have come across elsewhere.
February 18, 2015
Well organized, a quick read for busy education leaders who NEED to think about this development. We need to differentiate between piling on technology and using new tools to change the system of delivery. I also think it was a good move to put long notes at the end of the chapters.
My disappointment comes with their laser focus on K-12 in the U.S. I work in adult education, where we are trying to reach "pockets of nonconsumption." This book falls short of asking the questions posed by educational fields or systems with low resources and fragile infrastructure. It's one thing to renovate a North American high school. It's another thing to use mobile technology to educate farmers or inmates in coordination with local programs. So this book is a quick, useful and important read for a middle school principal or teacher. But the rest of us need a sequel...or several.
My disappointment comes with their laser focus on K-12 in the U.S. I work in adult education, where we are trying to reach "pockets of nonconsumption." This book falls short of asking the questions posed by educational fields or systems with low resources and fragile infrastructure. It's one thing to renovate a North American high school. It's another thing to use mobile technology to educate farmers or inmates in coordination with local programs. So this book is a quick, useful and important read for a middle school principal or teacher. But the rest of us need a sequel...or several.
June 15, 2015
Weak. For the most part repeats much of the mantra from Disrupting Class. If you are looking for a corporate take on blended instruction - this is the book to read. Heavy on anecdote, light on any hard research done on efficacy and structure. If you are a practitioner, looking to leverage open resource content, are struggling with fragmented technology rollouts...look elsewhere. This feels like a very polished way to 'sell a product' and create a new consumer pipeline out of students . Blended Learning is not revolutionary or new. There needs to be some healthy skepticism around the mythology that is being created by Horn and his peers.
June 26, 2018
There was a lot of really great information provided for an approach to education I personally think will be quite beneficial for my students, but as their teacher I need more information about in order to implement effectively. I did, however, strongly dislike the number of times the book compares education to a company or business churning out a product, or even to the military. While the examples were to trying to give examples of disruptive innovation, the comparison ignores the personal relationships built in education and how much more important those are than remodeling the space of a classroom and utilizing technology.
June 17, 2021
The educational change process has fascinated me for over two decades now. It began with the most exciting class I ever took as a doctoral student (fittingly called “Educational Change”), and it has been a source of ongoing wonder and study for me ever since. It’s not a surprise that newer organizations tend to be more open to trying out ideas that shake up the traditional system. But as organizations begin to stabilize and develop processes and routines to make their operations smoother, that institutionalization makes these organizations more resistant to change. I am especially drawn to Lewin’s framework to explain the change process. A crisis moment shakes up a stable institution, and if that moment is serious enough, they will rethink their processes, otherwise known as unfreezing. During movement, the organization is most open to innovation and will try out new things to address the problem. Once they find new methods to successfully meet the crisis moment, stabilization begins and the organization will begin to refreeze its processes so that change will then become a fundamental part of the newly innovated institution.
Back in 2009, the book, Disrupting Class (Christensen, 2008), helped me understand how disruption impacts innovation. Today over a decade later, I just finished the book, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation (Horn & Staker (2015), which develops Christensen’s original concept even further. Specifically the newer book highlights how schools can use disruptive educational technology to expand opportunities for students and schools. Disruption in this sense isn’t a negative term, but instead is viewed as a way that old technologies and systems can be improve and (in some cases) replace older less effective or efficient systems.
Schools are the vital institutions responsible for passing along society’s values and knowledge to new generations. So, it’s no surprise that institutions by their very nature tend to resist innovation, after all, it’s their existing, proven systems that have successfully delivered education to most students over time. But what worked in the past, may look very different by today’s perspective. Over 100 years ago farming and basic industrial jobs dominated the job market. In the decades following World War 2, college education became more commonly available in countries around the world. From that time as more people gained higher levels of education, the educational needs of society expanded exponentially. More people engaged in research and contributed to our collective understanding. People thought more deeply and actively about what they learned from other’s knowledge. New ideas caused us to change our mindsets. Once we see a better way and develop a new mindset, we don’t easily go back to the old ideas. Think about it. At one time, 160 years ago, the telegraph was amazing new technology. It allowed people to communicate relatively quickly across long distances that couldn’t otherwise be easily travelled. Yet in time, the (landline) telephone evolved, signaling the decline and demise of the telegraph industry. Telegraph offices closed, and there was no need for telegraph professionals to send messages using Morse code. Telephones then dominated, until now in the 21st century, when we saw how the cellphone brought new technological disruption, leading to the near demise of the landline phone. Telephone operators, landline telephone companies, and rotary dial phones are almost things of the past. I’m further reminded of Malcolm Gladwell’s great book, The Tipping Point, (2002) and his exploration of how disruptive products gain traction dominate an industry, while other seemingly good ideas fail to gain any following. Lewin’s change model does help explain why some disruptions take off when other worthy competitors don’t. History shows that disruption is a natural cycle of human society, but it isn’t always accepted though. In truth, all of us eye change with a certain degree of skepticism, but history shows that successful institutions cannot ignore change, and as such, we cannot expect to thrive as a society if we do.
As with all industries, schools must innovate if they want to remain relevant in changing times. One doesn’t have to be an expert futurist to see that artificial intelligence and digital technologies are changing how our world operates. The pandemic has forced a crisis moment upon schools and businesses causing a seismic unfreezing toward adopting new operating technologies that 18 months ago would have been unthinkable. There is little question that many educational technology systems, which previously were seen as irrelevant and distractors, now can be seen as legitimate disruptors making substantive gains toward reshaping our educational world. Will those changes hold? Time will tell.
We’ve seen the unfreezing of schools as they have struggled to meet the challenges of the pandemic. This unfreezing moment is still evolving, so refreezing isn’t upon us yet, but it will happen when the pandemic subsides and the new normal pervades. What things will look like then as the system refreezes isn’t certain, yet with confidence, I can say that change will happen. Technology is likely to play a major role in that change – not only in the education workplaces but others as well. As we contemplate those changes and how they impact the demands placed on learning communities, our education system will definitely begin to refreeze around the new values and expectations of a post-pandemic age.
Back in 2009, the book, Disrupting Class (Christensen, 2008), helped me understand how disruption impacts innovation. Today over a decade later, I just finished the book, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation (Horn & Staker (2015), which develops Christensen’s original concept even further. Specifically the newer book highlights how schools can use disruptive educational technology to expand opportunities for students and schools. Disruption in this sense isn’t a negative term, but instead is viewed as a way that old technologies and systems can be improve and (in some cases) replace older less effective or efficient systems.
Schools are the vital institutions responsible for passing along society’s values and knowledge to new generations. So, it’s no surprise that institutions by their very nature tend to resist innovation, after all, it’s their existing, proven systems that have successfully delivered education to most students over time. But what worked in the past, may look very different by today’s perspective. Over 100 years ago farming and basic industrial jobs dominated the job market. In the decades following World War 2, college education became more commonly available in countries around the world. From that time as more people gained higher levels of education, the educational needs of society expanded exponentially. More people engaged in research and contributed to our collective understanding. People thought more deeply and actively about what they learned from other’s knowledge. New ideas caused us to change our mindsets. Once we see a better way and develop a new mindset, we don’t easily go back to the old ideas. Think about it. At one time, 160 years ago, the telegraph was amazing new technology. It allowed people to communicate relatively quickly across long distances that couldn’t otherwise be easily travelled. Yet in time, the (landline) telephone evolved, signaling the decline and demise of the telegraph industry. Telegraph offices closed, and there was no need for telegraph professionals to send messages using Morse code. Telephones then dominated, until now in the 21st century, when we saw how the cellphone brought new technological disruption, leading to the near demise of the landline phone. Telephone operators, landline telephone companies, and rotary dial phones are almost things of the past. I’m further reminded of Malcolm Gladwell’s great book, The Tipping Point, (2002) and his exploration of how disruptive products gain traction dominate an industry, while other seemingly good ideas fail to gain any following. Lewin’s change model does help explain why some disruptions take off when other worthy competitors don’t. History shows that disruption is a natural cycle of human society, but it isn’t always accepted though. In truth, all of us eye change with a certain degree of skepticism, but history shows that successful institutions cannot ignore change, and as such, we cannot expect to thrive as a society if we do.
As with all industries, schools must innovate if they want to remain relevant in changing times. One doesn’t have to be an expert futurist to see that artificial intelligence and digital technologies are changing how our world operates. The pandemic has forced a crisis moment upon schools and businesses causing a seismic unfreezing toward adopting new operating technologies that 18 months ago would have been unthinkable. There is little question that many educational technology systems, which previously were seen as irrelevant and distractors, now can be seen as legitimate disruptors making substantive gains toward reshaping our educational world. Will those changes hold? Time will tell.
We’ve seen the unfreezing of schools as they have struggled to meet the challenges of the pandemic. This unfreezing moment is still evolving, so refreezing isn’t upon us yet, but it will happen when the pandemic subsides and the new normal pervades. What things will look like then as the system refreezes isn’t certain, yet with confidence, I can say that change will happen. Technology is likely to play a major role in that change – not only in the education workplaces but others as well. As we contemplate those changes and how they impact the demands placed on learning communities, our education system will definitely begin to refreeze around the new values and expectations of a post-pandemic age.
July 12, 2021
Although not suprising with a book about innovation, it is already a bit outdated, I'm reading it 6 years after publication. Just like with Disrupting Class, I thought there was too much business-speak and examples which I personally don't relate to. Most valuable to me were the specific schools implementing blended learning models. I loved the videos, and I now have a list of programs I'm going to research further.
June 21, 2016
There's a lot of good information about blended learning in this book, but it really dragged to read. There were a lot of QR codes interspersed throughout to watch example videos, but I don't like to interrupt my reading to watch videos, so I didn't really watch any of them.
Overall, it was OK, and hopefully I'll find the information useful next year at school, but I didn't really enjoy reading it.
Overall, it was OK, and hopefully I'll find the information useful next year at school, but I didn't really enjoy reading it.
November 30, 2020
Too much of this relied on anecdote rather than research. There were a few good points in the early chapters, but I imagine that after all the remote learning that occurred in 2020, much of this is now outdated.
July 22, 2015
Read this for work. A lot of great information and considerations to make before implementing a blended learning model in a school.
June 7, 2015
Good resource for teachers who want to implement blended learning
July 31, 2020
A very administrative/management-level, neo-liberal focus, but contains some interesting perspectives.
June 20, 2019
I picked up this book because my district is really pushing the blended models. In Utah, this is probably a decent idea, since we have approximately 7.2 billion children in our classrooms. (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but overcrowding and ridiculous class sizes with the lowest per-pupil spending in the US...yeah...Utah has some issues.) What blended learning can do is take some of the students out of the classroom for some of the time, basically doubling what a teacher can do. So it's not surprise that many of the examples of blended learning models here come from California, a place where the population continues to grow, but there aren't exactly a whole lot of places to build more schools to accommodate that growth.
So this book is aimed primarily at administrators. It goes into the research behind blended learning, gives several examples of it being used in classrooms, and used a bunch of examples of the theories in education reform working (or not) in the business world. That's where I hesitated to award five stars to BLENDED. There is a huge emphasis on education being like a business, which it is not. Students are not consumers or employees, and they do not behave as such.
That pet peeve aside, BLENDED does a good job setting up the theories behind blended learning and the most effective ways to get a blended model running at a school or a district.
This book is NOT geared toward educators, and it does not get into how to bend lessons into a blended learning model. So while it's great on theory and implementation at a higher level, classroom educators won't find it very usable. For them, I recommend Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Technologies = Blended Learning That Works.
This book is surprisingly readable with a good amount of personality. It doesn't condescend, and it's well-organized. It's a good guide of the blended learning basics.
So this book is aimed primarily at administrators. It goes into the research behind blended learning, gives several examples of it being used in classrooms, and used a bunch of examples of the theories in education reform working (or not) in the business world. That's where I hesitated to award five stars to BLENDED. There is a huge emphasis on education being like a business, which it is not. Students are not consumers or employees, and they do not behave as such.
That pet peeve aside, BLENDED does a good job setting up the theories behind blended learning and the most effective ways to get a blended model running at a school or a district.
This book is NOT geared toward educators, and it does not get into how to bend lessons into a blended learning model. So while it's great on theory and implementation at a higher level, classroom educators won't find it very usable. For them, I recommend Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Technologies = Blended Learning That Works.
This book is surprisingly readable with a good amount of personality. It doesn't condescend, and it's well-organized. It's a good guide of the blended learning basics.
July 9, 2017
Interesante evidencia de la evolución de las formas en el manejo de la información para las instituciones educativas y de las estrategias en aula. Es cierto que las formas tienen que cambiar, pero me parece que la pedagogía para la educación se mantiene, de otra manera no sería educación, esta, debe ser personal.
Blended tiene una aproximación a la nueva era de escuelas con bajos costos y contenidos de primer mundo usando las tecnologías de información. El mundo definitivamente está cambiando.
Con ejemplos, casos, recursos, gráficos y herramientas la muestra del modelo blanded es certera, clara, y se podría decir que impresionante. Gran labor del autor.
La justificación pedagógica es muy pobre y los argumentos de apoyo iniciales se basan en modelos educativos que fallan, de la misma manera que un mal educador fallará aunque se encuentre en un sistema educativo eficaz. Me parece que los argumentos deberían ser mas realistas desde el punto de vista humanista y no tan extremos, en el sentido de "enjuiciar" a la tradición, ya que esta tradición es la que permite precisamente innovar.
En general me parece información necesaria que todo educador debería de leer.
Blended tiene una aproximación a la nueva era de escuelas con bajos costos y contenidos de primer mundo usando las tecnologías de información. El mundo definitivamente está cambiando.
Con ejemplos, casos, recursos, gráficos y herramientas la muestra del modelo blanded es certera, clara, y se podría decir que impresionante. Gran labor del autor.
La justificación pedagógica es muy pobre y los argumentos de apoyo iniciales se basan en modelos educativos que fallan, de la misma manera que un mal educador fallará aunque se encuentre en un sistema educativo eficaz. Me parece que los argumentos deberían ser mas realistas desde el punto de vista humanista y no tan extremos, en el sentido de "enjuiciar" a la tradición, ya que esta tradición es la que permite precisamente innovar.
En general me parece información necesaria que todo educador debería de leer.
March 3, 2018
This was such an inspiring book for me to read! It showcases a step-by-step process of how to effectively implement blended learning into classrooms, whether it be entire schools, entire districts, or just a few classrooms. Horn and Staker break down the different types of blended learning models and identify circumstances in which each model might be used. Throughout the book, I found myself constantly making connections between my students, my classroom, and the goals I want to achieve for each. This book takes the guessing work out of where to begin when it comes to implementing blended learning into a classroom simply guiding you through the steps of the innovation process one at a time.
August 19, 2017
This was required reading for teachers in return for Professional Development points. I thought some of the points made in this book about the current push for technology in the classroom were valid, but other things he mentioned seemed completely improbable to pull off in public schooling in this current political climate. Schools rely on government funding, and the government seems to be constantly wanting to cut that funding and putting more and more standardized testing in place, which eats away class time. So many of the things he said didn't match with what I know of the public schooling world and therefore didn't seem likely to change anything any time soon.
October 10, 2018
Good read and level-setting of blended learning. It is thrown around so casually these days, that this book helped define it.
Liked the part on patterns of disruptive innovation. New entities will tend to define quality different from an incumbent system.
Interesting to see all the types of teams, from grade and school level to those outside to truly create a new entity.
Much talk about designing from the student perspective, which we know is the right thing, but we still fail to do this.
Did not like them considering software ina box like K12, Apex, Compass, etc as blended learning.
Liked the part on patterns of disruptive innovation. New entities will tend to define quality different from an incumbent system.
Interesting to see all the types of teams, from grade and school level to those outside to truly create a new entity.
Much talk about designing from the student perspective, which we know is the right thing, but we still fail to do this.
Did not like them considering software ina box like K12, Apex, Compass, etc as blended learning.
February 17, 2018
The way it was written made the topics more interesting. The book used blended learning to teach about blended learning as much as possible (by using QR codes to watch videos as well.) At times the interesting analogies left me wishing for a more concrete definition. I feel like the book painted a great way that blended learning does NOT work (including not just using the blended format to do the same thing as before ie. worksheets online.) However, this book did not give me a clear example of what a successful blended classroom would look like.
March 21, 2018
An important discussion of how to incorporate online learning into a traditional setting. There has to be some way of going about it, because it's going to happen anyway, and it might as well happen in a deliberate way!
As someone who has been teaching online for ten years, I do have to say that the most important thing I gleaned from this book is that we need to screen students for how successful they will be online. Not every student will do well in that type of setting, even if it seems ideal.
As someone who has been teaching online for ten years, I do have to say that the most important thing I gleaned from this book is that we need to screen students for how successful they will be online. Not every student will do well in that type of setting, even if it seems ideal.
April 28, 2018
O caminho da educação atual é fornecer ao aluno todas as ferramentas necessárias para fomentar seu próprio conhecimento. É perceptível que a estrutura de escola industrial que ainda temos, não comporta mais todas as necessidades do do século XXI.
Novas propostas ganham espaço e a inovação disruptiva é uma delas. O livro apresenta propostas plausíveis com a realidade e já testadas. Um bom guia para iniciar a mudança. Traz todos os pontos desde a estrutura do espaço, a formação de equipe, software, currículo e pedagogia.
Novas propostas ganham espaço e a inovação disruptiva é uma delas. O livro apresenta propostas plausíveis com a realidade e já testadas. Um bom guia para iniciar a mudança. Traz todos os pontos desde a estrutura do espaço, a formação de equipe, software, currículo e pedagogia.
October 24, 2021
This is a book I studied (and will continue to refer back to) because it does such a good job of explaining and showing and reflecting on the blended learning model. I love that it includes QR codes that lead to video examples from other schools. I also love that it introduced me to Acton Academy in Austin, a wonderful place of education that I will continue to learn from through books and videos. And I hope to visit one day soon.
July 2, 2016
Discussion of Author Qualifications:
Blended – Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, is authored by two extremely qualified individuals, Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker. Michael B. Horn is cofounder of the Clayton Christiansen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. He directs its education program and leads a team that educates policy makers on innovation in K-12 and higher education. He is co-author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. He has also written numerous articles on blended learning and a five-part series of free online content with Khan Academy. He serves on several boards that research education policy, regularly testifies at legislative sessions, and is a frequent key note speaker at education conferences.
Heather Staker is a senior research fellow for educational practice at the Clayton Christiansen Institute for Distruptive Innovation. She appears on radio and television shows and at legislative hearings as a spokesperson for blended learning. Scholastic named her one of five people to watch in education in 2012.
Book Review:
Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker define blended learning as a disruptive innovation that is changing how learning occurs. The book is laid out in four parts – Understanding, Mobilizing, Designing, and Implementing.
In the Understanding section the authors explain that blended learning has roots in early online learning programs that were developed for students that had no other alternative. Online learning has now progressed to allow increased numbers of students to access it while still attending their regular schools – creating blended learning. Horn and Staker (2015) acknowledge that there are many theories on how students learn best, but “…what no one disputes is that each student learns at a different pace…if we hope to have all children succeed in school and life, then we need to be able to customize or personalize – an education for each student’s distinct learning needs. Blended learning is the engine that can power personalized and competency based learning” (p. xxvi). They describe seven blended learning models in detail and share links to video examples that show the models in practice in real schools. I agree with Horn and Staker’s (2015) assessment that, "Blended learning holds enormous potential to transform our factory model education system into a student-centered design that captures the benefits of personalization, equity and access and cost control” (p. 286). As I read about and watched the many examples being practiced I could see that blended learning allows teachers to differentiate and customize learning to fit the needs of their students, the available space, time constraints, and budget.
The next section, Mobilizing gave practical things to consider as a blended learning program is conceived. Horn and Staker (2015) assert that successful programs begin with SMART goals – specific, measureable, assignable, realistic, time related. A SMART goal anchors the implementation process and gives needed direction. “The most successful blended learning programs begin by identifying the problem to solve or goals to achieve” (p. 97). After the problems are defined and goals are set then a program can be designed.
The Designing section of the book focused on the specifics or the “how”. Creating a successful blended learning program requires a team effort from teachers, administrators, superintendents, school boards, parents, and students. Each of these stakeholders must be considered in the design phase. When embarking on a blended a learning design many things must be considered such as space, available devices, budgets, and circumstances. Additionally, the model that matches the problem, the students, the teacher, and the support team must be chosen carefully. The authors provide graphic organizers to help in the decision making process for each of these factors. Once the “how” has been decided it is time to implement the plan.
The Implementing section discussed the importance of establishing the proper culture in order to be successful. Horn and Staker (2015) emphasize that “Culture is especially useful or toxic in blended programs because blended learning goes hand in hand with giving students more control and flexibility. If students lack the process and culture norms to handle that agency, the shift toward a personalized environment can backfire” (p. 249). The authors advocate that teams should also employ the Discovery Driven Planning approach, which is described in the book and implement the plan over time in order to make necessary adjustments.
After reading Blended – Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, I now have a much deeper understanding of what blended learning is, the various models that are available, and what factors must be considered when designing a plan for implementation. I am confident that if the suggestions in this book are followed and a successful blended learning strategy is implemented, students can develop agency, increase the level of control over the time, place and path of their learning and as a result become life-long learners. Blended – Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools is an amazing resource in helping schools find the right blended approach for their circumstances.
Blended – Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, is authored by two extremely qualified individuals, Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker. Michael B. Horn is cofounder of the Clayton Christiansen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. He directs its education program and leads a team that educates policy makers on innovation in K-12 and higher education. He is co-author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. He has also written numerous articles on blended learning and a five-part series of free online content with Khan Academy. He serves on several boards that research education policy, regularly testifies at legislative sessions, and is a frequent key note speaker at education conferences.
Heather Staker is a senior research fellow for educational practice at the Clayton Christiansen Institute for Distruptive Innovation. She appears on radio and television shows and at legislative hearings as a spokesperson for blended learning. Scholastic named her one of five people to watch in education in 2012.
Book Review:
Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker define blended learning as a disruptive innovation that is changing how learning occurs. The book is laid out in four parts – Understanding, Mobilizing, Designing, and Implementing.
In the Understanding section the authors explain that blended learning has roots in early online learning programs that were developed for students that had no other alternative. Online learning has now progressed to allow increased numbers of students to access it while still attending their regular schools – creating blended learning. Horn and Staker (2015) acknowledge that there are many theories on how students learn best, but “…what no one disputes is that each student learns at a different pace…if we hope to have all children succeed in school and life, then we need to be able to customize or personalize – an education for each student’s distinct learning needs. Blended learning is the engine that can power personalized and competency based learning” (p. xxvi). They describe seven blended learning models in detail and share links to video examples that show the models in practice in real schools. I agree with Horn and Staker’s (2015) assessment that, "Blended learning holds enormous potential to transform our factory model education system into a student-centered design that captures the benefits of personalization, equity and access and cost control” (p. 286). As I read about and watched the many examples being practiced I could see that blended learning allows teachers to differentiate and customize learning to fit the needs of their students, the available space, time constraints, and budget.
The next section, Mobilizing gave practical things to consider as a blended learning program is conceived. Horn and Staker (2015) assert that successful programs begin with SMART goals – specific, measureable, assignable, realistic, time related. A SMART goal anchors the implementation process and gives needed direction. “The most successful blended learning programs begin by identifying the problem to solve or goals to achieve” (p. 97). After the problems are defined and goals are set then a program can be designed.
The Designing section of the book focused on the specifics or the “how”. Creating a successful blended learning program requires a team effort from teachers, administrators, superintendents, school boards, parents, and students. Each of these stakeholders must be considered in the design phase. When embarking on a blended a learning design many things must be considered such as space, available devices, budgets, and circumstances. Additionally, the model that matches the problem, the students, the teacher, and the support team must be chosen carefully. The authors provide graphic organizers to help in the decision making process for each of these factors. Once the “how” has been decided it is time to implement the plan.
The Implementing section discussed the importance of establishing the proper culture in order to be successful. Horn and Staker (2015) emphasize that “Culture is especially useful or toxic in blended programs because blended learning goes hand in hand with giving students more control and flexibility. If students lack the process and culture norms to handle that agency, the shift toward a personalized environment can backfire” (p. 249). The authors advocate that teams should also employ the Discovery Driven Planning approach, which is described in the book and implement the plan over time in order to make necessary adjustments.
After reading Blended – Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, I now have a much deeper understanding of what blended learning is, the various models that are available, and what factors must be considered when designing a plan for implementation. I am confident that if the suggestions in this book are followed and a successful blended learning strategy is implemented, students can develop agency, increase the level of control over the time, place and path of their learning and as a result become life-long learners. Blended – Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools is an amazing resource in helping schools find the right blended approach for their circumstances.
June 29, 2017
Jen Bush and I agree! This is a fine practical manual for launching a blended learning program in a school no matter what level of readiness the school is at. Good suggestions, insights, and authentic examples provide valuable guidance to decision making.
PS it took me all year because it was my desk book - I aimed for about a chapter a month. It is not an unreadable, dense monstrosity.
PS it took me all year because it was my desk book - I aimed for about a chapter a month. It is not an unreadable, dense monstrosity.
May 18, 2019
Provided ideas for educators and administrators who want to implement blended learning. It’s an exciting field and does give validation to flex models like Acton. They predict that someday online learning will replace traditional high schools. As a parent it was a little deep, but helped me see the many possibilities as I examine my children’s education options.
June 7, 2019
I typically enjoy metaphors in what I read, but this one carried it a bit too far. Technology in the classroom compared to people buying milkshakes on their way to work? Really? Every chapter had something like this, and I would have honestly just appreciated the authors sticking to the point.
The book did give me some ideas to consider for the fall though.
The book did give me some ideas to consider for the fall though.
November 22, 2017
This book contains several models for how blended learning can occur and create positive change within schools. The focus is on how blended learning can be used to meet the needs of diverse learners and differentiate instruction.
December 7, 2018
I was looking for a book that explained how to make this work in the elementary classroom. This might be a better book for middle or high school teachers.
It was less about how to make it work, and more about the research behind the idea.
It was less about how to make it work, and more about the research behind the idea.
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