Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Flipped classroom and the top 10 tech suggestions for the classroom



This week’s topic is the flipped class room.  In my mind it ties closely with last week’s technology focus.  However the flipped class room seems to take the classroom further.  So the acronym stands for F – Flexible Environment, The L is for Learning Culture, The I is for Intentional Content, and the P is for Professional Educators.  The idea of a flipped classroom is that lessons are viewed at home and students bring their previous knowledge and experience with the lesson into the classroom where they work on the content that was taught in the lesson.  His allows students the ability to ask teachers to clarify or re-explain anything.  Also since the instruction of a lecture or lesson are happening prior to the class room in the classroom a teacher has more time to go through problems that would have been assigned as homework  prior to the flipped classroom model.  Another asset to this model of classroom instruction there would be more one on one teaching time, more student driven conversations.  This model would also allow teacher more time to assess a student’s comprehension of the material. 
Now every lesson and or subject is not going to fit easily into the flipped model.  I think that over all flipped classrooms will be a great asset to future classrooms again allow for my in class discussions and practice WHILE the teacher is available to help.  As stated in the YouTube video by Salman Khan the creator of Khan University having the lecture portion of class in a recorded fashion allows students freedoms not easily accessed or desirable in class.  The student can pause, repeat at any point allowing them to go over any portion of the lesson they do not understand without fear of peer ridicule.  It allows them to view at their convenience in an atmosphere that is comfortable and of their own choosing.  I dare say that parents may even opt to view these lessons as a form of helping their child. I know that when common core math was being implemented in my area EVER parent I knew contacted me in some form to help them, help their child because the concepts seemed so foreign to the methods they once learned.  In addition to all these benefits imagine is a student is absent.  These digital lessons can help them stay on top of their studies even if they are out for a prolonged illness. 

I also found the article 10 Emerging Educational Technologies & How They Are Being Used Across the Globe. Particularly helpful.  I appreciated that they layed out specific programs with ideas on how it can be implemented in the classroom.  With specific suggestions and examples of schools using this technology it makes it easier for me, a tech novice, to see how a program can be modified to be used for my classes.