Topic 4 (Blended Learning) was the hardest topic for me to grasp.  I think from the science teaching perspective view, it was challenging for me to think outside of the box.  At first I thought about what is “blended learning” …What are we trying to catch from this topic.  What blends into what….I had a difficult time to understand at the beginning. Are we investigating the the online vs face-to-face? Is that why it is called blended learning?  Or it is named as blended learning because in teaching “different presence types are blended?” …I think , although I am not rally sure, all of those considered as blended learning. 

I learned from Dr. Cleveland-Innes talk that different presences are important which I never thought about.  I think during my teaching I had been using my inner judgement as a guide which is actually my emotional presence. 

Of course pandemic changed everything. Online meetings classes all are inevitable and it is hard to keep people engaged whole time. That is why a change has to happen in course design.

During our team work, we worked on a mind map which shows different opinions about social presence, teaching presence, emotional presence, cognitive presence. I think I now have an idea about blended learning.