A good idea is to start in small steps, to anchor the ideas with school staff and colleagues and approach the new way of working to the daily work with students. The Dalawux-Flexible learning project have created a lot of information films, instructional videos, guidelines and guides that can help you get started. This guide in 10 steps is based on the project’s joint experience in the introduction of digital technology in learning.
Step 1
Create a small introductory course on flexible learning for all teachers and for school leaders. This can be in the form of a mini-lecture of 30 minutes during the WPM (work place meeting), where you use the video about ”blended learning” and the ”flipped classroom” to support the lecture.
Step 2
Discuss with your principal about the need to develop the educational work and the benefit of working with flexible learning.
Step 3
Create a small working group of curious colleagues who want to explore flexible learning. This working group is tasked to embrace flexible learning, and to spread it to their colleagues. It is good if this some members of the working group are a little further ahead and have working experience in flexible learning ti give tips and guidence.
Step 4
Discuss in the working group what you would like to accomplish through flexible learning, and what kind of learning process is needed to be developed. Discuss the types of software tools that would be interesting to try in order to develop flexible learning on the unit.
Step 5
The working group selects some appropriate information films on digital technology and services, and look at them together. Consider these solutions can work for the learning process that you want to develop on the unit.
Step 6
Choose one or two appropriate digital solutions you deep dive in. You take some of the more technical instructional videos on how to use the solution. You test to use the solution. It can, for example be about how to share documents and work in the cloud, or how to make videos, and audio files that support your teaching.
Step 7
Start using these digital solutions in the educational work with students. Try to create tasks where digital solutions are included in a creative and effective way. Create a place in the cloud where you share digital materials and work with each other.
Step 8
Make a follow-up on the results of the use of new digital solutions
Step 9
The working group reports the results to the principal and other colleagues during WPM (work place meeting). Invite more colleagues to participate in the flexible learning.
Step 10
Select other digital solutions, which have different functions and provide various educational support. Try these solutions, and then try to use them in the practical work of the students. Make a follow-up of the results, and continue development.