It would be grand to have a definitive glossary of terms to reference when discussing the use of educational technology these days. But simply put, we don’t.
That is, in part, because there is no “we.” Technology is used by educators worldwide in a plethora of different ways. Different countries use different terms to describe the same practices, as do (surprise!) different US states. Some have legislation defining “online learning” or related terms; others don't. How, then, to communicate at all?
There is no single adjective used to describe the totality of technology-enhanced educational experiences. Or there wasn't, anyway.
In my research I embrace the framework adopted for the annual Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning report, published annually since 2004, because I think it's the best one out there. A contributor to the report in 2013 and 2014, I am most definitely biased, but no matter the client or sector in question, I default to the Keeping Pace vocabulary.
Why? As the technology (inevitably) changes, so does the way we talk about it, and Keeping Pace – an "annual review of policy and practice" – acknowledges this reality in renaming its report accordingly. As the 2014 Executive Summary explains,
Keeping Pace with K–12 Digital Learning is the title of this year’s report. Digital learning is replacing the previous reference to online and blended learning. This seemingly small word change signifies a significant evolution in the landscape, and a major change in the way we are analyzing and reporting on it…
Keeping Pace with Online Learning was first published in 2004... In subsequent years two key changes happened. First, an ever-increasing amount of online learning activity developed inside individual schools and districts, as an ever-increasing number of students were taking online courses from within their own districts instead of from state virtual schools and virtual charter schools. Concurrently, a second shift was taking place. Schools were beginning to combine an online or digital content component with regular face-to-face classroom instruction in new and unique ways... In 2012, in recognition of these changes and the growing visibility of blended learning activity, the report’s title changed to Keeping Pace with K–12 Online and Blended Learning... |  Keeping Pace (2014) |
Organizations such as the Clayton Christensen Institute have made significant contributions toward creating blended learning definitions and categories of blended models, but while this has been highly useful, there is little consistency among the many interpretations of these definitions by schools for their programs. To further complicate matters—and create a need to expand the research—the broader digital learning landscape continues to shift in many ways, including the exploding growth of new digital learning technologies and products, the changing and merging ways these resources are used, and shifting levels of usage within the various sectors of the K–12 education industry.
And that’s the crux of the matter right there: there is no single adjective used to describe the totality of technology-enhanced educational experiences. Or there wasn't before, anyway. “Online learning” can now be reserved for exchanges that take place entirely through computers or tablets, where the teacher is remote; “blended learning” can describe the range of interactions which rely (at least in part) on the presence a face-to-face instructor; and “digital learning” can describe all of the above.
Keeping Pace (2014) defines terms more specifically on p. 176 (Appendix B: Definitions), and several of these are reproduced below.
- Digital learning is any instructional practice in or out of school that uses digital technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience and improve educational outcomes. Our use of the term is broad and not limited to online, blended, and related learning. It encompasses a wide range of digital tools and practices, including instructional content, interactions, data and assessment systems, learning platforms, online courses, adaptive software, personal learning enabling technologies, and student data management systems to provide timely and rich data to guide personalized learning.
- Blended learning is "a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.” (The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation)
- Online learning: Teacher-led education that takes place over the Internet, with the teacher and student separated geographically, using an online instructional delivery system. It may be accessed from multiple settings (in school and/or out of school buildings).
What, no "cyber," "virtual," "hybrid," or "flex" learning? Not for the purposes of this report, no; these all subtle variations on one of the themes described above, and there's very little consensus as to their meaning. Simple as it is, the new Keeping Pace lexicon allows us to differentiate between the key types of technology-enriched learning experiences (online and blended), or to refer to such interactions as a whole (digital). For at least another year, anyway.
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