Teachers “blending” face-to-face instruction with technology

During the month of February, all HISD teachers are being encouraged to try something new in their classrooms, as well as share ideas, resources, and lessons learned by posting their experiences and photos on social media using the hashtag #HISDdigital. Each week during the month, we are profiling a teacher or campus that is using technology to break up rows in classrooms, engage students, and innovate instructional practice. This week’s profile features McNamara Elementary.

Earlier this year, McNamara Elementary School  teacher Carlos Rosario started videotaping some of his lessons instead of delivering them in front of the class. The result has been somewhat surprising.

“I find that many of my students are more engaged watching me deliver a lesson on video than when I do it in person,” said Rosario. “Plus, I have built in questions with the videos to check for understanding. At the end, I also get a report, so if I need to pull anybody out to reteach or focus on small group instruction, I can do that.”

[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/120408639″ width=”500″ height=”280″ responsive=”no”]

Rosario’s “blended learning” approach, which combines face-to face-instruction with the use of technology, also allows students to learn at their own pace and move on to the next lesson when they have mastered the current one.

“It’s all about using the technology that occupies so much of their attention outside of school to get them more engaged in what we are doing in the classroom,” said Rosario.

Read below and learn how other teachers and schools are using technology in their classrooms. You can share, too, by tweeting with the hashtag #HISDdigital.