My Farewell to Emmett Blended Learning

By Susan Pierson

I actually don’t know where to begin ... it was all such a weird and crazy journey from Brain Honey, then to Buzz ... and now moving forward to Schoology. It was frustrating, aggravating, and in the end the most rewarding program I have ever become involved with and the best decision I ever made.

In the beginning our training was sketchy as best ... the five or six of us brave souls who dove into the early curriculum development using a funky at times learning management system (Brain Honey). Then to boot, we were going to use what we built as a tool in our classroom ... what?

Things became better when Buzz came along. It was still difficult to navigate at times, but we managed ... then it changed again! We lost content and rebuilt, but we never gave up. Our cohort grew and our instructors/mentors changed, and it finally began to be what we needed to become: a team of teachers determined to educate and prepare our students for the 21st Century.

Many hours, many failures, trial and error ... then it happened, at last, my students - our students - were learning using multiple tools to improve and build their education. When something didn’t work right, we adjusted. When the students got on board with Buzz, they made suggestions. And we adjusted some more.

Blended learning changed the way I teach, and it changed the way I learn; it changed the way our students learn. I can’t wait to take all my knowledge to another district and to broaden my teaching skills by bringing blended learning to more students and improving their futures.

NOTE: Susan Pierson has accepted a position teaching 3rd grade in Weiser, where she makes her home.

SBE Blended Learning Mentors