Blending technologies in ESL courses.

Blended learning refers to the combination of multimedia elements on a computer with classroom instruction with a teacher and peers. Although the TALL system began using blended learning over a decade ago, the concept has only recently gained currency in the world of computer assisted learning. 

The adoption of computer technology in all aspects of human lives in the last decade has led to its growing presence in educational settings. Teaching and learning do not have to take place in the traditional face-to-face classroom anymore and students increasingly expect some level of computer-mediated instruction in their college classes. This amount of

computer-mediated instruction can vary from, for example, students accessing the class syllabus and notes online to students taking part in online simulations of lab experiments.

According to Picciano (2009), classes where face-to-face and online activities are integrated in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner and where online activities replace a portion of face-to-face time are blended learning classes.