On November 4th, iNACOL’s Blended and Online Learning three-day symposium will commence in Palm Springs, bringing together more than 2,500 experts and educational leaders worldwide, focused on K-12 next generation learning. The annual conference has been labelled the industry’s leading event, with over 200 sessions and tracks for K-12 online and blended learning, competency-based pathways, research, and policy, among others. Attendees at the event will have the opportunity to explore all the latest trends, research, and technology making the biggest impact on 21st century education. With the world’s leading education leaders in one space, the symposium offers invaluable networking opportunities and insights into the future of education. To celebrate the event, we have devised a list of the top facts surrounding online and blended learning to date.

1. Blended and online learning models are moving at incredible speed.

In the year 2,000, 45,00 K-12 students were involved in some kind of online learning, a number which had increased dramatically to over 4 million by 2010. It is estimated that K-12 online education grew by 30% from the year 2000 to 2011.

2. Educators are aware of the importance of using technology to help students learn.

In a survey of more than 20,000 teachers, 83 percent of teachers said it was “extremely” or “very” important for teachers to incorporate technology to help students learn.

3. Educators want to offer students more control through blended learning.

In a survey carried out by Blackboard, 76 percent of educators said that they believe online learning to greatly benefit students by offering them more control over their own learning.

4. Blended learning models are more effective than fully online instructional models.

Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements are found to have a larger advantage for students as opposed to purely face-to-face, or purely online instruction.

5. Districts are spending increasing amounts on technology for schools.

In a survey of 16 districts, it was revealed that almost half of district spending (48 percent) has been on interactive whiteboards and other specialized devices over the past few years.

6. Blended and online learning is bringing focus on professional development.

72% of countries engaging in blended or online learning have their teachers participate in professional development.

7. State virtual schools are on the rise.

25 US states have state virtual schools operating since 2013, while „29 states and Washington, DC have statewide full-time online schools in operation.

Fishtree is celebrating its debut appearance at the prestigious iNACOL event, appearing alongside the world’s leading thought-leaders in blended and online learning. With education technology experts at hand, Fishtree will be presenting product demonstrations and providing an insight into the story behind the platform, and how it works to enhance the blended and online learning space. With a system that makes scaling one-to-one instruction simple and effective, blended learning models take a more personalized approach, adapting to every learner with one click. Adaptive learning systems are bringing blended and online learning to the next level, ensuring every student receives a one-to-one learning experience that works around them. Join us at the event, or follow us for more!

P.S. If you liked this post, you might want to check out fishtree.com. Start teaching with the 21st century learning platform today… the ideal tool for adaptive, blended and mobile learning!

About the author:

lorna2.jpg

Lorna Keane is a teacher of French, English and ESL. She specializes in language teaching and has taught in second and third-level institutions in several countries. She holds a B.A in languages and cultural studies and an M.A in French literature, theory and visual culture. Follow her on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

Image credits: Lars Plougmann / CC BY 2.0