The Flipped Classroom: Turning Education on it's head!

Many of today's educators are experimenting with the idea of a flipped classroom model. Basically the flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods, delivering instruction online outside the class and moving "homework" into the classroom. In a traditional classroom, the teacher's role is a "sage on the stage", whereas in a flipped classroom, the teacher's role is the "guide on the side". In a flipped classroom model, the students will watch lectures and do classwork at home and at their own pace; often they may have the opportunity to communicate with peers and the teacher via online instruction. The concept engagement then takes place inside the classroom with the help and guidance of the teacher. The classroom flip can provide opportunity for learning through activity and uses educational technology which in turn influences a positive learning environment. 

There are two key factors that drive increased adoption of the flipped classroom model. These factors are the following: Poor Learning Outcomes and Prevalence of Online Video. The first, poor learning outcomes, refers to the idea that the traditional 'one size fits all' method of teaching often can result in limited concept engagement and severe consequences. The second factor, prevalence of online video, refers to the availability of online video and increasing student access to technology has paved the way for flipped classroom models. The following picture shows some statistics of yearly high school dropouts currently with the traditional classroom model.

                                     

Benefits

This reversed teaching model has countless benefits. Flipped classrooms will deliver instruction at home through interactive, teacher-created videos and moves homework to the classroom. 

• Allows teachers to spend more one-on-one time with each individual student
• Creates a collaborative learning environment
• Builds stronger student/ teacher relationships 
• Offers a way for teachers to share information with other faculty, substitute teachers, students, parents, and the community easily
• Produces the ability for students to rewind lessons to master topics

Videos

The following video shows a fourth grade teacher sending a message to the parents of her students about how she is beginning to flip the math content in her classroom. She describes a flipped classroom as an innovative approach to classroom instruction. She explains that it will allow students to come to class prepared with background knowledge which will in turn bring their learning to a higher level as well as not waste any classroom instruction time. The flipped classroom is creative, incorporates technology, and will prepare students for possible future jobs that do not even exist yet.

This next video shows an eighth grade teacher talking about why she decided to flip her algebra 1 classroom. She talks about the idea of students having the ability to pause, rewind, and re-watch the videos as many times as they need, as well as post questions online to the teachers or other students. Each student is able to go at their own pace. ALL students are engaged and challenged. Flipped classrooms also allow more time for teachers to work with the students to provide effective differentiation.

As technology becomes more and more common in today's world, flipped classroom models are appearing in school more often. Not all students are able to learn the same way and at the same pace. A flipped classroom allows for students to watch and re-watch videos that the teacher has posted as many times as they need until they feel 100% confident in the material. Because more time is available for teacher-student interaction within the class, teachers can also get to know their students better. Teachers can send their knowledge out to students (and parents) to their homes as a 5-10 minute video, which in turn frees up more time for teachers to interact one on one with students. Grades improve, high order thinking skills are used, and students are overall more engaged. The technology is not limited to a home computer- laptops, ipods, ipads, iphones, and even DVDs are all ways that students can access the instruction. Flipped classroom is a great way for teachers to promote higher learning both inside and outside the classroom. 

Helpful Links

Click here for a link containing an infographic with good information about what a flipped classroom is. The infographic tells what a flipped classroom is, shows where it originally came from and where it is now. It also provides statistics, examples, and results.

Click here for a helpful link that gives great information about the definition, the benefits, and why it is useful. It also gives more links for further research as well as printable downloads that are available for free.

Click here for a blog with information about flipped lessons, videos, and blog posts with detailed information. The blog has posts that answer questions such as "How can administrators support their teachers as they start to flip" and "Flipped Learning: Revolution or Transformation?" 

Click here for a website that lists fifteen different schools that are currently using the flipped classroom method and give information about how that is working. It talks specifically about each school and how many teachers use the flipped classroom model, how it is works in their school, and whether or not it has been successful.

Click here for a website that gives pros, cons, what it is, what it isn't, why it works, and why it doesn't work. It goes on to describe why a flipped classroom matters. It talks about inspiring classroom teachers to change the way they've always done things and begin to incorporate modern technology and other tools.

References

"The Flipped Classroom Infographic." The Flipped Classroom: Turning the Traditional Classroom on Its Head. Web. 21 Sept 2012. <http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/>.

"The Flipped Classroom: Pro and Con." Edutopia. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://edutopia.org/blog/flipped-classroom-pro-and-con-mary-beth-hertz>.

"Teachers Use Technology to Flip Their Classrooms." TechSmith. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.techsmith.com/flipped-classroom.html>.

Formative Assessment McManus Article Reflection

Four key words are expressed in the CCSSO definition of Formative Assessment. What are those words and how do they relate to Formative Assessment?

The four key words expressed in the CCSSO definition of Formative Assessment are PROCESS, DURING, FEEDBACK, STUDENTS. The first word, process, relates to formative assessment because it is a process rather than product. “The process includes: sharing clear learning targets and the criteria for success, which are ways students can know they are successful; eliciting evidence of learning during instruction using a variety of strategies and activities; determining gaps in learning based on the evidence and the established criteria for success; providing students feedback on where they are in the learning process; and  taking action to adjust instruction by determining the next steps, adjusting the target, or moving to the next target.” The second word, during, relates to formative assessment because it does not take place after instruction but rather during instruction when students are expected to make mistakes. The third word, feedback, relates to formative assessment because during the process students are given provided descriptive feedback that is related to criteria for success. By sharing with the students the criteria for success and modeling descriptive feedback, the teacher will help the students learn to self-assess and take responsibility for learning. The fourth word, students, relates to formative assessment because it is important for students to be engaged in their learning by participating in formative assessment.

Why is planning an essential part of insuring that Formative Assessment is implemented during instruction every day?

There are many reasons why planning is such an essential part of insuring that formative assessment is implemented during instruction every day. It is important for teachers to understand the goal that all students are expected to master. “This includes understanding the cognitive level of mastery or level of precision.” Before the instruction, teachers should know what the ultimate goal is and how it will be measured using summative assessment. In order to reach that goal teachers need to break down the big idea that will be measures on the summative test into smaller, more reachable objectives that can be reached during the learning process.

Formative Assessment Goal

My goal as I complete the formative assessment module series is to become more aware of the various techniques of implementing multiple formative assessments within my classroom. I would like to learn ways that I can assess my students throughout the process of learning. I do not want to “teach to the test”, but instead I want to help my students learn along the way. I want to learn how to provide my students with the feedback they need to improve their achievement of intended instructional outcomes. 

Podcast Blog # 2

                               Podcast: Math Dude


Episode: How To Raise an Exponent to a Power

As I continued following the math dude podcast, I listened to the next episode called “How to Raise an Exponent to a power”. In this episode, math dude explains the importance of exponents. He tells his listeners that the further in math you go, the more important they become. First, he quickly reviews how to multiply exponents. After that he gets into telling listening what is means to raise an exponent to a power. He explains that an exponent is the little superscript number that tells you how many copies of the base number to multiply together. So, in the case of (2^3)^2, the exponent 2 tells us that (2^3)^2 is the same thing as 2^3 x 2^3. In the same way, we can now unwrap each of these 2^3s using the fact that 2^3 = 2 x 2 x 2 to find that the problem (2^3)^2 = 2^3 x 2^3 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2. In other words, it’s equal to 2 multiplied by itself 6 times—that is, 2^6. After he explains this, he gives a quick and dirty tip.   The quick and dirty tip for raising an exponent to a power is to simply multiply the two exponents. So instead of uncoiling the whole problem like we did before and multiplying everything out, we can simply multiply the exponents—3x2=6—to find that (2^3)^2 = 2^(3 x 2) = 2^6. At the end of this episode math dude gives several practice problems. 


               Related Links:  

                          Basic Rules of Exponents
                           Kids Quiz on Exponents


Episode: How to Write Small Numbers with Scientific Notation 

The next episode I watched was called “How to Write Small Numbers with Scientific Notation”. In this episode he begins by reviewing what Scientific Notation is. He then explains what “really tiny numbers” are. He says “When I say small number I’m talking about a number with a small absolute value—that is, a number that’s much smaller in magnitude than the number 1. For example, in this sense the diameter of a hydrogen atom—which is about 0.000000005 cm—is a really small number.” The next things Math Dude explains is what negative powers of 10 are. A negative exponent tells you how many copies of the base you need to divide by. So 10^–2 means to divide 1 by 10x10. In other words, 10^–2 is equal to the number 1/100 = 0.01. Lastly, he explains how to use scientific notation to write small numbers. Remember that writing very small numbers using scientific notation is just like writing very big numbers except the exponents are negative. Before concluding the episode, math dude give several practice problems.


               Related Links:  

                          Scientific Notation Worksheet Website
                          Scientific Notation Game on Quia

Episode: What is Pi?

The last episode I watched was called “What is Pi?” First, math dude begins by explaining what the meaning of Pi is. The origin of the number that we call “pi” for short (and usually write with the Greek letter π) that’s equal to approximately 3.14 has a very easy-to-understand meaning. He explains how to make a perfect circle, then tells his listeners how to use that circle to find Pi. The next thing he does is tell everyone what Pi is. The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter is always pi…no matter what circle you draw. Lastly, Math dude sums up by explaining what Pi day is. Pi is 3.14 and if you turn this number into a date, you get March 14. This is why every March 14 math enthusiasts around the world gather together across the interwebs to celebrate and enjoy some pi. And the good news is that everybody is invited to celebrate in whatever way moves them. 


               Related Links:
                         Official Pi Day Website
                         Activities for Teaching Pi

                               Podcast: Grammar Girl


Episode: Bring Versus Take

In the podcast, Grammar Girl, the next episode I watched was called Bring Versus Take. In this episode grammar girl begins by discussing the difference between the word “bring” and the word “take”. You ask people to bring things to the place you are, and you take things to the place you are going. She then discusses the expection of "Bring" and "Take" is in Idioms as well as for future events. Before ending, Grammar Girl summarizes what she talked about in the episode. Remember that when the locations are clear, you ask people to bring things to you and your location and you take things to other people and locations. If you’re talking about an event in the future, the word you use indicates where you are imagining yourself in the scenario.

 

Episode: How to Speak English Like the Irish

The next episode I watched was called “How to speak English like the Irish”. This episode was in honor of St. Patricks Day. First Grammar Girl discusses how to sound Irish. English grammar is pretty consistent, but the standard spoken form in Ireland takes on a life of its own. For example, rather than rely on "to have just done" for a recently completed action, we would say "to be after doing." For example, instead of saying “I’ve just found a Euro on the road!” an Irish speaker would say “I'm after finding a Euro on the road!” Grammar Girl goes on to dicuss some Irish Phrases. She also later talks about their accent. One example is how they Irish took the “th” sound and simply replaced it with a “t” (unvoiced) or a “d” (voiced): So do ya see de tirty tree and a tird trees over dere? Basically this episode was a small summary of the many differences between Irish English and other brands of English

               Related Links:
                         More on Speaking English like the Irish
                          St. Patricks Day Coloring Pages

Podcasts

    For the last several weeks, I have been subscribed to the Math Dude podcast. In the first podcast I listened to “How to Memorize Numbers”. In this episode, math dude gave his listeners some tips on how to remember numbers by turning them into phrases. As an example, he said imagine you need to memorize the number 54,321. Using the Major System, you’ve converted these digits into the series of consonants “l-r-m-n-d”. Then, because you’re clever, you add in vowels and one “h” to turn this into the fairly memorable phrase “alarm hand.” He says that in order to remember this, the trick to doing this is to not actually try to remember the semi-memorable phrases you come up with, but instead to turn those phrases into impossible-to-forget mental pictures. For the previous example “alarm hand”, math dude says to think about waking up to the sound of your alarm and opening your eyes to see a huge hand hovering over you. The end result is that you’ll have turned your number into an out-of-the-ordinary mental picture that you truly can’t forget. At the end of the episode, math dude gives a couple practice problems.

• Click here for another helpful website for memorizing numbers!

Math Dude here!

 

The next episode I listened to was called “What is scientific notation?” In this episode math dude talks about what scientific notation is and how we can use it. The idea behind scientific notation is to write all numbers as decimal numbers times multiples of ten. In order to understand this, you must realize that any number that’s greater than or equal to 1 can be written as: some number of 1s (meaning 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on up through 9), plus…some number of 10s (meaning 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and so on up through 90), plus…some number of 100s (that is 100, 200, and so on through 900), plus…some number of 1,000s, plus…some number of 10,000s, and on and on up to some multiple of as large of a power of ten as needed. For example, a number like 4,250,000 can be thought of as: 4,000,000 + 200,000 + 50,000 = (4 x 1,000,000) + (2 x 100,000) + (5 x 10,000). Math dude goes on to explain how to write large number in scientific notation and gives a practice problem of the day.

 

The last episode I listened to was called “How to Convert Between Fahrenheit and Celsius.” In this episode math dude explains how we measure temperature through a thermometer. The thermometer is scales on it that is marked in either degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius, depending on where you are. In order to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, the quick and dirty tip is to remember that temperature in degrees Celsius = (temperature in degrees Fahrenheit – 32) / 1.8. For example, to convert a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit (which is the boiling point of water) into a temperature on the Celsius scale, simply subtract 32 from 212 to get 212 – 32 = 180, and then divide this number by 1.8 to get 180 / 1.8 = 100 degrees Celsius. In order to covert degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit you must first multiplying by 1.8 and then adding 32 to the result, like this: temperature in degrees Fahrenheit = (temperature in degrees Celsius • 1.8) + 32. Math dude ends by giving a few practice problems. 

Here is a short tutorial on how to covert from Celsius to Fahrenheit!  

 

 

Overall, I think the math dude podcast is good for students because they are able to learn a lot if they pay close attention. One problem I could see is that math dude talks fairly quickly and it is easy to get lost. I can see students have trouble keeping up and understanding what he is talking about all the time. I feel like this would be better for higher grades.

 

Grammar Girl!

The next podcast I am subscribed to is called Grammar Girl. In the first episode I listened to, called “When to use Articles Before Nouns”, grammar girl talks about the fact that with countable singular nouns, you have to have a determiner. Use whatever determiner you need; in particular, use “the” if you’re distinguishing the noun from other things; use “a” if you’re not. With proper nouns, plural nouns, and mass nouns, determiners aren’t necessary, though you can still use them depending on the meaning you’re after. Remember not to use  “a” or any other determiner that implies counting with a mass noun.

 

The next episode I listened to was called “Why are British English and American English so Different?” In this episode, grammar girl discusses how American English is different from British English because of the revolutionary leanings of a dictionary writer (Noah Webster), typesetting conventions, geographical separation, and the opinion of one influential style guide author.

 

The last episode I listened to was called “Sentence Fragments”. Grammar girl begins talking about fragments. A complete sentence must have a noun and a verb. Verb is an action word. The subject is doing the action of the verb. Imperative sentences are a command, such as “Run!” There are some tests to determine if the sentence is a fragment. First, ask yourself is there a verb? If there is not a verb, it is a fragment. Another way is to determine if it is a fragment, you can ask yourself if there is a verb but no subject- is it a command? If not, it’s a fragment.

 

Overall, I think that Grammar girl is a good podcast. She talks slower and makes the episodes interesting. She is easy to understand and give a lot of good pointers. I would definitely recommend this for students.

Here are the websites for these podcasts!

• Math Dude 
• Grammar Girl

Useful Technology in my Future Classroom

This year in EDU 3110 I was exposed to many new ways to use technology in my future classroom. In my opinion the most useful tool we learned about would be the virtual field trip. A virtual field trip is a great use of technology to use in any classroom. I really enjoyed making the virtual field trip and was able to see how I could incorporate it into my classroom. Virtual field trips are a different way of using PowerPoint. It is a fun, easy way for kids to learn. I did my virtual field trip on food and nutrition. I had the veggie tales characters be the tour guides taking the students through the grocery store and teaching them about food groups and keeping a healthy diet. The field trip also taught the kids about which foods go in which groups and some examples of healthy meals to make in the kitchen. I was also able to include links and embed videos within the virtual field trip. I could definitely use this in my future classroom. I think that all students would be interested and have fun with this.

Another most useful tool that I learned about this semester in 3110 was Glogster. This was the project that I had the most fun working on. I really enjoyed making my glogster about our solar system. I will definitely be using glogster in my future classroom. I was able to create multiple different pages about the planets, the sun, moons, asteroids, comets, and much more. I included many helpful links as well as related videos. Glogster is a wonderful way for students to get engaged in the lesson. I showed my grandpa and my dad the glogster I made and they both said that they learned more about the solar system through my glogster than they had in their whole lives! That may be an overstatement, but it goes to show that glogster is a great way to teach kids (or anyone for that matter!) I will definitely be using glogster in my future classroom for lessons such as the solar system or learning the writing process, etc.

The third most useful technology project I did this year was ActivInspire. I really liked how it was very engaging. I can definitely see myself using this in my future classroom for lessons in which I want to get my students really involved, such as math or science. This is a great way for all types of learners to get engaged and excited. It is also a great hands on activity that will get the students up and active in the classroom. I liked how it was comparable to PowerPoint, which I am very familiar with, so I was able to catch on easily. I also liked how there were already pages you could use as examples or incorporate into your slides. I will definitely use this in my classroom.

There are so many useful tools we learned this semester that I will be using in my future classroom. The Virtual Field trip and Glogster were definitely my top favorites, but I was able to learn a lot from all of our other projects! I liked learning how to make a video through Animoto. It is something that is quick and easy to do, and can be used in the classroom at any time. I even incorporated my Animoto video into my Glogster site. This shows how we can incorporate different types of technology into one lesson. I really enjoyed each technology project we did this semester and will be able to use many of them in my future classroom.

iPads in Elementary Schools

          The iPad is a great tool that can be used in the classroom. In many cases it can replace the computer. It is small and fun to use as an educational tool, which makes it great to use in the elementary school classroom.
          In third grade, the ipad can be a very useful tool in the classroom. There are so many things students can learn from and do with the ipad. There are thousands of educational apps designed for students to help further their understanding of what they are learning in the classroom. These apps can help kids review basic skills, improve critical thinking and decision-making skills, and even learn to read better. Blogging is another great way to use the ipad in the classroom. Teachers can have their students blog about things that are on their mind. This is a great way from students to express themselves and their knowledge about what they are learning. Students can also use their ipads to track homework assignments, take notes, and surf the web. Another thing students can do with the ipad is download books to read, both educational and recreational. 
          For teachers, the ipad is also a very useful tool. It is a great way to help students learn more in the classroom.Teachers can give lessons, monitor progress, stay in touch with parents and other teachers, and much more. It is a great way for teachers to stay organized. 

Ways to use the ipad in the classroom

• Educational Apps
• Recreational Apps
• Blogging
• Books
• Videos/ Movies
• Podcasts
• Internet
• Twitter
• Music