Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Where Do I Start?

Since I returned from the 2012 Model Schools Conference in Orlando, I have been reading everything I can find about flipping my class. For those of you that don't know what I mean when I say "flip my class" it involves students completing activities they typically do for homework (that often requires teacher assistance) during the school day.

"What will they do for homework?", you might ask.  Simply put, students will watch videos I have selected or created to teach or review content area lessons.  By doing this at home (or in small groups throughout the day) time is available for students to be engaged in activities to practice and apply what they have learned.   In Flipping the Elementary Classroom, Jon Bergmann's advice for teachers who want to begin this is "Don't flip a class...flip a lesson". 

I know I will need to take baby steps towards this goal.  The first thing I need to do is identify the software I am going to use.  It will be important to have a rotation during the day so students who don't have access to the Internet at night can view the videos at school.  I have joined Edmodo.  I plan on using that site to communicate with my students and to post videos and assignments.  Click here for a  video showing  20 different ideas for using Edmodo with students. Note to self: I think I will start with videos that explain our class procedures and routines.  Then when new students join our class, I can direct them to those videos.   That seems like a good place to start. Even though I have taught for 30+ years, there is still sooo much I need to learn. 


"Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase".   Martin Luther King, Jr.
Happy Fourth of July!

4 comments:

  1. I am so excited to follow your journey Sis! You are an excellent teacher and have a lot to share. I am going to take "baby" steps while trying to flip my classroom this year. I will definitely need a lot of assistance from you. I can't wait to see the response from my students and parents.
    Sharon

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  2. We can do this together too. We can share videos that they will view from home. It will cut down on our work load.

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    Replies
    1. That makes a ton of sense. I would love to be able to collaborate with you on this.

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