Welcome to the world of blended learning, where traditional teaching methods meet cutting-edge technology and creativity knows no bounds. In this magical realm, students don’t just read textbooks or listen to lectures, they create podcasts, solve digital puzzles, and collaborate on virtual art projects.
Imagine students escaping from a virtual room while solving riddles, brain teasers, and puzzles, or coming together to create a masterpiece on a digital canvas. Or maybe they are discussing course content on social media platforms or engaging in virtual reality experiences that transport them to different worlds. It’s all possible in the world of blended learning!
And let’s not forget about the joy of curling up with a good book and discussing it with peers. With digital book clubs, students can read and analyze books related to course content, sharpening their critical thinking and communication skills.
So why settle for a mundane classroom experience when you can explore these quirky and exciting blended learning activities? The possibilities are endless, and the learning opportunities are limitless. Welcome to the world of blended learning!
Mixing it up: Unconventional blended learning activities for a splash of fun and learning
1. Virtual Field Trips
Ready for a class trip without leaving your home? With virtual field trips, students can explore the world’s most fascinating sites and experience the wonders of the world without ever having to leave the classroom. Buckle up and get ready for an adventure!
To organize a virtual field trip, you can start by identifying a destination that aligns with your lesson objectives. You can then search online for virtual tours and resources related to the destination. Some popular resources for virtual field trips include Google Expeditions, Smithsonian Learning Lab, and National Park Service Virtual Tours. Once you have identified the resources, you can share the links with your students and guide them through the virtual tour. You can also use video conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Meet to facilitate a discussion and reflection after the virtual tour.
2. Collaborative Writing
Writing is a solitary task, or is it? Collaborative writing is all about bringing students together to brainstorm, share ideas, and collaborate on a common writing project. It’s a great activity to enhance paragraph writing skills while fostering teamwork and communication.
To set up a collaborative writing activity, you can use an online platform like Google Docs or Padlet. You can create a shared document or board where students can contribute their ideas and collaborate on writing assignments. You can also use features like comments and suggestions to provide feedback and guide the students. To promote engagement and participation, you can assign specific roles and responsibilities to each student, such as researcher, writer, editor, or presenter.
3. Online Debates
Get ready to engage in a battle of wits and words with online debates! This activity will challenge your critical thinking skills and help you develop your argumentation abilities in a virtual setting. With the help of modern video conferencing tools and collaborative resources, you will be able to connect with your classmates and engage in lively discussions on a wide range of topics. Get ready to prepare your arguments, challenge your opponents, and defend your position with facts and logic.
To organize an online debate, you can use video conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Meet. You can assign a topic and a position to each student or group of students, and provide them with resources and guidelines to prepare their arguments.
During the debate, you can moderate the discussion and encourage participation from all students. You can also use features like breakout rooms and polls to facilitate small group discussions and gather feedback. To promote critical thinking and reflection, you can ask students to write a reflection or a rebuttal after the debate.
4. Digital Escape Rooms
Get ready to put your critical thinking skills to the test with a digital escape room! In this blended learning activity, you’ll work with your classmates to solve puzzles and riddles related to your course content. Can you escape the virtual room before time runs out?
A digital escape room is a fun and engaging way to get students to work collaboratively while reviewing the course content. You can create a virtual escape room using a platform like Google Forms or Breakout EDU. The idea is to create a series of puzzles and riddles that students need to solve in order to “escape” the virtual room. The puzzles can be related to the course content or any relevant topic. This is a blended learning activity because it can be done both in-person and online.
5. Collaborative Digital Art
Are you ready to unleash your creativity and work together with your classmates? In this blended learning activity, you’ll use digital tools like Google Jamboard or Sketchboard to collaborate on a piece of artwork. Each person will add their own unique touch to the project, creating a masterpiece that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
Collaborative digital art is a great way to encourage creativity and teamwork. To start, assign a digital art project to your class and have students work on it in groups using tools like Google Jamboard or Sketchboard. Encourage students to add their own unique touches to the project and work together to create a larger masterpiece.
To blend the activity, have students work on the project in class and then continue collaborating online through a shared platform. This way, students can continue to build on their artwork even outside of class time, creating a truly collaborative and immersive experience. This activity can be blended by having students work on the project in class and then continue collaborating online.
6. Social Media Discussions
Join the conversation on social media! In this blended learning activity, you’ll use platforms like Twitter to discuss course content with your classmates. By using specific hashtags or prompts, you’ll stay on topic and engage with others in the online community.
Social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram can be used to create online discussions related to course content. Encourage students to use specific hashtags or prompts to keep the conversation focused and on topic. This activity can be blended by having students participate in the online discussion and then continue the conversation in class.
7. Online Mind Mapping
Looking for a way to organize your ideas and collaborate with your classmates? In this blended learning activity, you’ll use an online tool like MindMeister or Popplet to create a mind map related to course content. Whether you’re brainstorming ideas or breaking down complex concepts, this activity will help you work together to create a clear and concise map.
Being a mind mapping activity, mind mapping is a useful tool for brainstorming and organizing ideas. You can use an online tool like MindMeister or Popplet to have students create and collaborate on mind maps related to course content. This activity can be blended by having students work on the mind map in class and then continue collaborating online.
8. Podcast Creation
Are you looking for a fun and creative way to engage your students while reviewing course content? Assign them to create a podcast episode! With easy-to-use recording and editing tools, students can research, write, and record their own episodes on a topic related to the course. By sharing their podcasts online, students can also build their communication and digital media skills.
Assign students to create a podcast episode on a topic related to the course content. Provide guidelines and resources for research and script writing. Students can record their podcasts using a platform like Anchor or Audacity and publish it online for others to listen to. This activity can be blended by having students record and edit their podcasts in class and continue refining and publishing them online.
9. Digital Book Clubs
Looking for a way to promote critical thinking and analysis in your students? Consider creating a digital book club! By assigning a book related to course content, students can read and discuss the book online. With tools like Goodreads or Google Classroom, students can share their thoughts and insights with each other and build a deeper understanding of the course material.
By participating in both online and in-person discussions, students can also develop their collaboration and communication skills. This activity promotes critical thinking and analysis, as well as collaboration and communication skills. It can be blended by having students participate in both online and in-person discussions about the book.
Conclusion
Blended learning activities offer a fun and engaging way to enhance learning, have a ton of advantages and provide students with a well-rounded education. From virtual escape rooms to podcast creation and digital book clubs, these activities offer unique opportunities for collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. By blending in-person and online components, educators can create a flexible and dynamic learning environment that meets the needs of all learners.
So why settle for traditional classroom activities when you can incorporate blended learning to take your lessons to the next level? Get creative, have fun, and watch as your students thrive in this exciting and innovative approach to education.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,