Blended Learning in a Digital World: Writing and Research for the Facebook Generation

Course management systems such as Blackboard provide static, one-way communication for the on-line learner and educator. However, as the Web 2.0 phenomenon exemplifies, today's digital learner needs skills in an interactive, blended web environment. Blogs, wikis, online video, podcasts, and user-generated websites offer ideal pedagogical opportunities for collaboration and innovation in and out of the classroom. As part of an institution-wide effort to better meet digital natives' needs, Fort Hays State University faculty were encouraged to "Dare to Dream" during the 2007-2008 academic year. Utilizing this theme and also implementing the university's Writing Across the Curriculum program, faculty in the departments of English and Communication Studies collaboratively worked on a "writing with video for the web" project. With a deliberate focus on blended learning, this project involved students in English Composition II classes and Multimedia Production classes. The collaborative website was hosted on http://www.fhsudaretodream08.ning.com/. After the students turned in their final projects, all were showcased in a website created using Apple's iWeb application and hosted on the FHSU web server at http://www.fhsu.edu/communication/MultiMediaCompII