Reflecting

The first 9 week period is over.  I really should be working on my report cards but working on my blog is a welcome distraction.   So I figure this is a good time to reflect on what things have gone well and what things I will revise?

The WSQ Form

I got this idea from Crystal Kirch.  It is a way for students to show what they have learned from watching the videos.  I still have some children that prefer to write their WSQ responses in their notebooks rather than type them and attach them online.  This means I have to physically check their individual notebooks rather than checking their assignments on line. On our last assignment  I attached a Google form with 3 questions they had to respond to.  I like having all their responses in 1 place.  This is something I will continue to use.

Videos

I still have a few students that are not watching their videos at home.  About 3 of them do not have Internet access at home and the other 2 or 3 always seem to forget.  Right now, when they first come in class in the morning they use the desk top computers to complete their assignment.  I will also let some of them go to the media center to work on their assignment.  When I post a video, I usually give them 2 days before the assignment is due.  That helps but there are still some students that I have to speak with individually about completing their assignments.  I have a feeling this would probably be true no matter what the assignment.

When I started flipping this year, I focused mainly on math.  I have used screencast-o-matic, Educreations, and Smartboard to record my videos. I like Educreations for explaining math concepts. The screen is small on the IPad, but you can have more than 1 page in your video.  The down side is that you can not edit your videos. When I watch the video I usually find some silly mistake that I've made (like calling the dividend the divisor).  In class you can correct your mistake and move on but on a video you have to rerecord the entire video, and being the perfectionists that I am I rerecord the video.  There have been times  when I have recorded the video 5, maybe 6 times before I was satisfied.  I got a 30 day trial for Camtasia, but I have not had time to try it out.  It allows for editing.  I am anxious to see how using this software will make a difference.  I ultimately want to record my videos with picture in a picture technique.  That will come. 

One suggestion I have is to watch the entire video before posting it to Edmodo as an assignment.  I usually post assignments later in the evenings, so I can make sure it is correct before my students view it the next day.  What I didn't realize was every time I create an assignment my parents get an email.  When I delete and re-post the assignment, they get another email. One night I had deleted and re-posted the assignment so many times that a parent sent me an email because they thought someone had hacked into my Edmodo account. 

Moving On

Eventually I want to add a form so the students can check off their videos and WSQ forms as they complete them. I would have the concepts for the entire unit along with the assignment.  This would allow students to work ahead if they wanted to.  I recently participated in a webinar hosted by Crystal Kirch and she shared a form that she uses.  She has the entire unit mapped out with the videos and assignments in advance.  This will take some discipline on my part.  But it is something to work towards.  Now back to those report cards!

In memory of Sweet Sadie