Ask a Tech Teacher

JUNE 13, 2025

She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today , and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days.

Activities 88

Activities Blended Learning Intelligence Motivation 88

eSchool News

OCTOBER 27, 2017

Earlier this year, the Highlander Institute, The Learning Accelerator and The Christensen Institute teamed up to bring together a conference on blended and personalized learning in Providence, R.I. Next page: 4 more must-knows from blended learning experts).

Blended Learning 476

Blended Learning Coaching Feedback Grades 476

eSchool News

MAY 26, 2016

Successful online and blended learning programs in a recent survey are those that prioritized better teacher-student relationships, used an online curriculum as a primary instructional source, and used a combination of in-person and virtual instructional support.

Online Learning 342

Online Learning Study Blended Learning Counselling 342

eSchool News

APRIL 27, 2017

[ Editor’s Note: This story is Part 3 of our April series on Blended Learning. Click here to read Part 1 on what makes a blended learning initiative fail. Click here to read Part 2 on what blended learning really looks like in the classroom.]. Trend 1: More student choice and responsibility for learning.

Blended Learning 386

Blended Learning Learning Education Reading 386

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 9, 2021

There is far less written about teacher engagement, even though teacher engagement and student engagement are reciprocal. When teacher engagement dips, it has a negative effect on student engagement. When teacher engagement is high, it positively impacts both student engagement and achievement. What is teacher engagement?

Blended Learning 533

Blended Learning Teachers Coaching Learning 533

Catlin Tucker

MAY 3, 2021

How can we leverage technology to provide meaningful choices within a learning experience and create the time and space needed to work with individual students or small groups of learners? In my upcoming book, I teamed up with Dr. Katie Novak to explore the complementary nature of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and blended learning.

Universal Design 545

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Motivation 545

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 22, 2021

What do teachers find mentally stimulating about their work? What causes teachers to invest their mental energy and time resources in a task? What aspects of a teacher’s work lead them to engage in problem-solving, critical thinking, and reflection? Teachers as Architects of Learning Experiences.

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Teachers Learning Grades 535

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 8, 2021

Teachers are frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of focus, engagement, and motivation. I can empathize with their frustration, but I attribute these behaviors to underdeveloped self-regulation skills, especially in online and blended learning environments. Blended Learning Environments Require Self-regulation Skills.

Blended Learning 543

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning Motivation 543

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 21, 2021

When I work with teachers who are new to blended learning, there is often a knee-jerk concern about the time required to design a lesson that strategically blends active, engaged learning online with active, engaged learning offline. The last year has presented educators with a steep learning curve.

Blended Learning 533

Blended Learning Learning Feedback Activities 533

eSchool News

DECEMBER 2, 2015

Public school districts can move to online learning in incremental steps — just one day a week. These days it seems most school-wide blended learning programs are taking place not in traditional public education, but in charter schools—for one big reason: Charter schools are able to essentially start from scratch.

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Blended Learning Learning History Textbooks 247

Catlin Tucker

MAY 11, 2021

Recently, a teacher posted a comment to my blog lamenting that direct instruction consumed much of the class period. Like many, this teacher felt intense pressure to teach the standards and wasn’t sure how to embrace Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and blended learning. This is not unusual.

Blended Learning 545

Blended Learning Learning Universal Design Disabilities 545

Catlin Tucker

JULY 19, 2021

The pandemic has elevated the phrase “blended learning.” ” When schools closed or shifted to hybrid schedules, many institutions turned to blended learning to navigate the new demands placed on teachers and educational institutions. What Blended Learning Is.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Learning STEM Online Learning 546

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

When I work with schools that have already adopted the UDL framework, they immediately recognize how blended learning can help teachers to implement many of the principles of UDL more effectively. I believe that blended learning models can make putting UDL into practice more manageable. Engagement.

Universal Design 545

Universal Design Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning 545

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 20, 2020

The events of the last nine months have launched the phrase “blended learning” into the mainstream. I worry that instead of articulating the value of a powerful blend of online and offline learning, teachers are receiving the message that they “must” adopt blended learning to meet the demands of the moment.

Blended Learning 545

Blended Learning Learning Online Learning Activities 545

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 5, 2021

When I work with teachers shifting to blended learning, I strive to establish the WHY driving our work together. I want teachers to understand the purpose and value of the shift to blended learning. Blended learning is not a reaction to a moment.

Blended Learning 544

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning Motivation 544

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 21, 2021

I like to compare the teacher’s work designing learning experiences to the work of an architect. In my new book with Dr. Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning , I share a story about working with an architect to design a new home after my family lost our house in the Tubbs Fire in 2017. 1 Get To Know Your Students.

Blended Learning 518

Blended Learning Learning Lecturing Motivation 518

Catlin Tucker

MAY 18, 2021

I am concerned about the impact that the imbalances in education have on teacher engagement and job satisfaction. I know firsthand the toll that the imbalances caused by traditional workflows in education can have on a teacher. When we design learning experiences with balance in mind, the output of a lesson will feel more balanced too.

Blended Learning 521

Blended Learning Feedback Learning Online Learning 521

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 23, 2022

Teachers have three primary roles – designer, instructor, and facilitator. When I facilitate blended learning workshops, I ask participants to think about these three roles and identify the role they spend the most time and energy in. Blended learning can help! The responses always yield the same results.

Blended Learning 498

Blended Learning Feedback Learning Instructors 498

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 13, 2020

Can teachers who are teaching an AP course use blended learning models and cover the extensive curriculum? I get asked this question frequently as a blended learning coach. In this guest post, Cori Schwarzrock shares her experience using blended learning models in her AP psychology course.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Learning History Social Studies 546

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

As I work with leadership teams, many are struggling to engage their teachers in professional learning this year. They are excited about the potential of leveraging this technology to create more dynamic, differentiated, and student-centered learning experiences. Just as with students, every teacher is unique.

Blended Learning 540

Blended Learning Coaching Learning Feedback 540

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

It is important to let students know these features are available as it isn’t always possible for teachers to know which features will be most useful to students as they work online. Similarly, teachers may want to explore the tools available in the technology tools they are already using with students. Executive Functions.

Universal Design 546

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Textbooks 546

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

I field a lot of questions about classroom management when I work with teachers transitioning to blended learning. Teachers worry about what will happen when they shift from whole group lessons to blended learning models that encourage student agency. 8RespectfulRoutines.

Blended Learning 420

Blended Learning Learning Coaching Motivation 420

eSchool News

MAY 9, 2016

New survey reveals less than one-fifth of teachers give their school top marks for incorporating technology into the classroom. Eighty-six percent of teachers said they are either somewhat satisfied (64 percent) or very satisfied (22 percent) with how well the tools and technology in their classrooms facilitate learning.

Technology 233

Technology Teachers Schools Blended Learning 233

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

In my last blog, I focused on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principle of engagement. I highlighted how blended learning can help educators more effectively provide multiple means of engagement to increase student motivation and ensure all students can successfully engage with learning experiences.

Universal Design 546

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Feedback 546

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 7, 2020

At the start of a virtual workshop last week, a teacher sent me a note in the chat saying that she wanted to quit. I worry about the impact that this moment in education is having on teacher engagement. I worry about the impact that this moment in education is having on teacher engagement. She was frustrated and exhausted.

Blended Learning 420

Blended Learning Learning Coaching Discussions 420

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 3, 2021

Today is the official launch of my newest book UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes ! Explore how you can universally design blended learning to remove barriers, provide firm goals with flexible pathways, and cultivate expert learners who are motivated, resourceful, and strategic!

Blended Learning 427

Blended Learning Universal Design Learning Motivation 427

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Teachers all over the country are being asked to teach “concurrent classrooms” in which some students attend class in person and others attend virtually. The teacher in a concurrent classroom attempts to meet the needs of the students in class and online simultaneously. Several teachers have reached out asking for advice.

Blended Learning 545

Blended Learning Teaching Learning Students 545

Catlin Tucker

JULY 8, 2021

Universally designing blended learning presents educators with the opportunity to transition from designing a single experience that is teacher-paced and teacher-led to a more flexible experience that gives the students more control over the pace and path. 1 Student-Paced, Free-Flow Station Rotation Lesson.

Universal Design 367

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Feedback 367

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 16, 2018

Teachers return energized, refreshed and ready to tackle another year. To capitalize on this energy, most school districts organize mandatory professional development opportunities for teachers designed to teach them a new teaching strategy or introduce them to a new piece of technology.

Blended Learning 413

Blended Learning Coaching Learning Teaching 413

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 22, 2020

Now, you and your PLC can learn together online at a time, place, and pace that works for you! Explore how blended learning can help you partner with students to reimagine learning and find a realistic work-life balance! Consider bringing Balance with Blended Learning into your professional learning community.

Blended Learning 363

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning Coaching 363

eSchool News

JUNE 15, 2020

Two of the blended-learning models we’ve documented are well suited to these circumstances: the Enriched Virtual model and the Flipped Classroom model. Related content: 10 blended learning resources for schools. Combining independent online learning with face-to-face instruction.

Blended Learning 352

Blended Learning Distance Learning Learning Schools 352

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 30, 2021

This year, traditional approaches to professional development may feel daunting because teachers are spread thin due to substitute shortages and the challenges associated with returning to physical classrooms. A book club may present a more manageable, self-paced approach to professional learning.

Blended Learning 359

Blended Learning Learning Participation Reading 359

eSchool News

JANUARY 14, 2021

Despite these differences, we all shared three major challenges: the need to teach both face-to-face and online (sometimes concurrently); collaborate and connect while social distancing; and remain fluid, flexible, and agile in an evolving learning environment. 4 steps to success.

Blended Learning 319

Blended Learning Learning Teaching Teachers 319

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 24, 2021

As I’ve embraced blended learning, I have transformed many of my whole group, teacher-led lessons into student-centered, student-paced learning experiences using different blended learning models. The playlist model presents students with a sequence of learning activities that they self-pace through.

Blended Learning 397

Blended Learning Multiple Choice Questions Learning Discussions 397

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 28, 2020

I want students to know that their teachers are there to support them as they work because learning is a process and everyone needs feedback and help to improve. I want students to be intrinsically motivated to revisit and improve their work because they feel like active agents in the learning process. It is exhausting.

Blended Learning 343

Blended Learning Feedback Learning Communication 343

eSchool News

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Knowing that many students are struggling with learning setbacks can feel overwhelming, but we’re hoping we can help you look at these scores as an opportunity to implement new instructional strategies that engage students, and therefore, help mitigate learning loss. Blended Learning Increases Student Engagement.

Blended Learning 305

Blended Learning Student Engagement Learning Math 305

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 5, 2021

Using digital tools and blended learning techniques, she has created a student-centered environment in which her students engage and thrive in active learning online and offline. Courses on Sale for Back-to-School!

Blended Learning 521

Blended Learning Teachers Assignments Languages 521