Jack and the Beanstalk is a familiar allegory about overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal. The allegory’s lesson is that with forethought and intelligent planning, we can overcome even gigantic inertia to secure treasure needed for survival.

For educators with pioneering experience in ALN as well as deep experience in traditional modes, an analogous treasure—quality education as an ordinary part of everyday life for all who are qualified and motivated to pursue it—seems sometimes a distant dream, sometimes within reach. For educators who met at the April 2005 Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning and Higher Education hosted by the University of Illinois Chicago, blended learning is a kind of sleeping giant which, carefully managed, could transform education. Blended learning has the potential for profoundly integrating education, an integration that demands rethinking the ways we teach and learn.