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first-hand experience on which they can reflect when they come to approaching andunderstanding theory.We are also able to make much better use of the face-to-face time that is available forthe course because participants arrive with a good level of technical knowledge andsound experiences and have already had some time to absorb many of the technicaland theoretical aspects during the first online block of the course.Lastly, through exploiting the social networking and community building opportunitiesoffered during the initial online phase of the course, the participants arrive at theface-to-face part of the course already familiar with each other and this reallyaccelerates the bonding process that groups generally go through during theinitial stages of a face-to-face course.Design challengesBoth face-to-face and online courses can be problematic for the development ofteachers’ techno-pedagogical skills. Face-to-face courses generally tend to be tooshort and intensive for teachers to get past the ‘shock and awe’ impact that newtechnology can have, and whereas they can help to build or destroy enthusiasm fortechnology, it can be hard within short face-to-face courses to develop the degree ofbalanced critical understanding that is necessary for the effective use of technology.Online courses, on the other hand, tend to be far too theoretical with teacherslacking the practical ‘hands on’ guidance and experience that they can get within thephysical classroom. The blended learning structure of the course was employed toaddress both these areas. Teachers had the opportunity to be exposed through theonline course to some of the potential uses of technology to support developmentwithin an online environment, and then had the opportunity to employ their insightswithin a more practical face-to-face workshop environment.Most people still have a limited concentration span for online work. This, mixed withthe busy nature of teachers’ lives, influenced the design of the online tasks. Most ofthe active tasks were developed to be short and doable in chunks of 30 minutes orless. They are also very practical so that participants can immediately implementwhat they are learning within their own classroom.Future adaptationsThe course has been designed to evolve as more participants do the course and asthe technology changes. Because the online element of the course is Moodle-basedit can easily be edited and kept up to date. It is also anticipated that digital artefactsand teaching resources produced by each cohort within the course can be archivedand shared and be the basis for the development of new materials for later cohorts.Lessons learned and adviceTime managementBlended learning is often seen as a time-saving measure both in terms of coursedesign and tutor time for delivery, this is a huge misconception. The development70 | A blended learning teacher development course