Instructional Design Overview

The growth of technology in the field of education continues to impact the way students learn and acquire new tools for learning. The Blended Learning Model facilitates a student’s ability to attain more information while at the same time motivating them to increase their academic performance. Technology becomes more and more prominent in today's society. According to Bates (2016) the most basic type of blended learning models is having a technology-enhanced classroom.

The main goal that I have created in my innovation plan is to help students develop their foundational skills specifically in their reading fluency and grade levels. Students will use all online and digital resources available in the school combined with teacher assistance through blended learning models (small groups) where they are going to share their work, reflect on their growth and develop the C.O.V.A models, letting them have the opportunity to use their creativity in a blended learning environment.

I will be using the Three Column Table, the UbD Template that I have created previously, and that I am going to put in practice to guide my instructional design. I also have the scope and sequence that my district provides as a resource for the K-5 reading program, which will be helpful as I compile and adjust resources to fit the new blended learning design. In fact, I used this scope and sequence as a guide to create my course outline keeping in mind that every detail in this course is aligned with the Texas Essentials Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). 

I firmly believe that it is necessary to know where you are going in order to create a significant learning environment. Teachers need to consider that outcomes, activities, and assessments need to be aligned. Teachers must carefully evaluate their learning environments and situational factors before creating significant learning goals and using an inverse design to develop a course or unit. It is about more than collecting the dots; we cannot be providing students with only content when we should be focused on connecting the dots, allowing our learners to make connections with their learning (Godin, 2012).