The integration of the physical and digital worlds is occurring at a bewildering rate. Many people are choosing the digital domain as their primary source of information (77% of Americans use it as their primary news source) (xv). MySpace has more than 100 million accounts and is growing at 250,000 a day. What is the impact of figures like these for teachers and trainers? What are the educational implications of social computing? These are some of the questions the authors address in this dense, information-rich volume. What exactly is blending? The authors, two British academics, divide blended e-learning (BEL) into four components: 1. Space blend-whether students interact face-to-face or use technology-mediated communication 2. Time blend-synchronous or asynchronous 3. Activity blend-the kinds of tasks involved 4. Media blend-the type of e-tools and resources available Increasingly, blended learning is used to describe a model that combines e-learning and face-to-face approaches. A simple example: electronic handouts before a class meeting, so that the face-to-face meeting can focus more on what it does best.
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