What's Your Excuse?

Let me start by telling you a little about myself: I am fifty-something years old.  I always have to ask my husband how old he is, then I know I'm one year younger.  I think I began forgetting how old I was in my mid- forties.  Nothing earth shattering happened; I just always seemed to be off 1 year whenever anyone asked me how old I was.  Anyway, I tend to go off on tangents. Some of my friends tell me I need medication.  I prefer to think of it as being able to multitask, which I found out recently is impossible to do. (That was another tangent). I don't consider myself to be technologically gifted; even though I guess I have learned a lot about technology within the last 2 years. I just learned how to take a screenshot on an iPad this year!

What I do possess, however, is a deep driven desire to learn. The last course I took someone actually asked me why was taking the class. I was the oldest person there.  Even older than the instructor.  It was obvious that I could retire from teaching in 2 years and here I was taking what was a grueling 2 year course to get my math endorsement.  I must admit I even asked myself that question more than a few times as the course went on.  "Why am I doing this?"

I'll tell you why I took that course and it's the same reason I started flipping my class two years ago.  I absolutely LOVE teaching and making a difference in the lives of  the children I teach!  I always want to be able to offer my students the best that I have.  And sometimes that means I have to do better.  Sometimes that means I have to stretch myself.  Sometimes that means I have to ask someone else how to do something.  Even if no one in my school building is doing something that I know is good for children, I need to find a way to find out how to do it. 

I was talking with another educator friend of mine and she shared that some teachers were not flipping because no one in their school was doing it and they did not have anyone to show them how.  People, your Professional Learning Community has got to be larger than the building you work in. So if no one in your building is flipping their class, and you really believe it would be best for your students, then you have got to go to the places where it's happening. So, what can you do to get started?

• Join the Flipped Learning Network Ning. This site has different communities you can join to learn more.

• Read other teacher's blogs who flip their class.  Even though I teach 5th grade, I learned a heck of a lot about flipping from reading  Crystal Kirch's blog.  I also learned a lot from Delia Bush. I have never met either of these wonderful teachers but I feel like I know them well. There are lots of other teachers who blog about their experiences flipping. 

• Follow other educators on twitter who are flipping their classes.  Another friend of mine said he would join twitter when Jim Trelease is on twitter.  "Jim Trelease, why aren't you on twitter?" 

• Go to Sophia and take their course to get Flipped Certified. They also have free webinars to help you get started flipping. Right now you can go to Sophia and register to attend a webinar with Crystal Kirch on March 11. 

  So I ask again:  What's your excuse? 

What is a Flipped Classroom?

Initially, when I was going to write this post it was going to be about how I had just done a short presentation about what happens in my class for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce Business-Education Committee, which is a group of about 30 members made up of Business and Educators in our local area. The presentation was to happen on February 5, Digital Learning day.

I was really excited about the thought of sharing the magic that happens in my classroom on a daily basis.  Well, as you have probably guessed by now that didn't quite happen.  To make a long story short, I began to feel sciatica pain on Sunday morning, three days before I was supposed to present.  Each day the pain got progressively worse until I found myself in the emergency room the night before the scheduled presentation begging for something, anything to take the pain away.  My relief was soon found but sadly I was in no shape to present the next morning.

So, In the true spirit of the Flipped Classroom, I did what any flipper would do; I sent my video along with my co-presenter to speak for itself. So, here's a look at what happens in our Flipped Classroom. Oh yea, I forgot to mention that the video was made and edited by my students!

"Ask 3 before me" - There's an app for that!

Image from Ask3

ASK3 is NO LONGER AVAILABLE!  (INSERT SAD  FACE)


If you follow my blog, then you probably already know I got a class set of iPads this year!  And when I find something great I just can't help but share it. Well this time I have found a great FREE app that  encourages collaboration among peers.  It can be used for homework, classwork, in just about any subject area.  So what is it? Glad you asked.  It's Ask 3!   How many times have you found yourself saying "Ask 3 before me"?  Well now there's an app for that!

This app allows students (or teachers for that matter) to post questions on a class bulletin board and then other class members (or the teacher) can leave a text response, a drawing, or a video to explain the answer. It's great for a flipped classroom or any classroom where collaboration is valued.  You sign-up and are given a class code.  Students join your class using the code and the fun learning begins!  

The only concern I have is that you cannot "lock" your group once all of your students have joined.  That just means you have to make sure you don't post your group code where others can get it.   You should also probably monitor your student's submissions.  But you would do that anyway, right?

I used it in math class the other day to review test items the students had missed.  Students took pictures of a problem and posted their questions on the bulletin board.  I responded to some and other students responded as well.  It was nice to see the collaboration among students.  I am already thinking of other ways to use this in my classroom.

If you have used this before, please share how you used it in your class.  If not, what are some ideas you have for using this app?

TLC Conference ~ June 12-13

I just finished working on my flipping presentation for Teachers Leading Cobb Summer Conference (Yes, I know how that sounds).  I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Excited because I get to share what I believe is a tremendous opportunity for teachers to improve their craft.  Nervous because I want to make sure people come away from my session with the tools they need to be successful in their classes next year.

This was my first year flipping and I have learned so much!  Everything (with the exception of Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every day) I have learned about flipping has been online.  Through the internet I have been able to peek into the classrooms of some great teachers who are flipping their classes.  I have been able to learn from the comfort of my home while reading their blog posts and watching their videos showing their classes in action.  I have even had an opportunity to chat online and get clarification when things weren't going as I'd hoped.  (Thank you Crystal!)  Then I could go into my classroom and apply what I'd learned at home.  Wait a minute . . . Isn't that what flipping is all about!

Click here to view Prezi.

What's in a Name?

Parents eagerly anticipating a new addition to their families will spend many hours making preparation for their bundle of joy.  A lot of thought goes into things like picking the perfect crib or the perfect car seat.  Just as much, if not more, time is spent picking the perfect name.  A name which will, in most cases, stay with them forever.  When we picked names for our three boys we picked names that would represent who we wanted them to become.  Names that were distinguished.  Names that had been in our families.  Names that made a statement: Christopher Lloyd Fisher, Brian Howard Fisher, and William Drake Fisher. 

When I picked a name for my blog, I also wanted that name to make a statement.  I wanted it to reflect what this bog was about.  But unlike the names for my children, I could change the name of my blog and I have.  I started with "Flipping Out in Fifth Grade" because when I started flipping, I was flipping out!  I had questions like:  How am I going to do this?  Will this work in my class?  How do I make a video?  What is Edmodo?  What if my kids don't learn? What if it doesn't work? 

Then as time passed and I felt a little more comfortable, I took off the "out", just "Flipping in Fifth Grade".  I think that changed happened around about the same time I actually was able to post a video on Edmodo and the kids didn't send me messages saying they couldn't view it. 

Now there has been another change.  When I started flipping, I only flipped lesson in math.  What I have begun to realize is that I can flip lessons in other subjects as well. I don't have to entirely flip those content areas, just some of the lessons.  Which is what Jon Bergmann advises for teachers who want to begin flipping in Flipping the Elementary Classroom,  "Don't flip a class . . . flip a lesson".  So, to reflect my change, my blog's name has also changed.  I'm still "Flipping in Fifth" but now it's "Flipping in Fifth: mostly math sprinkled lightly with social studies, science, and language arts". Now that's a mouthful.

It Takes Two

In FlipYour Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Everday one of the many suggestion Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams give for making videos your students will love is to "create the video with another teacher".   I will admit that I hadn't actually read "the book" before I began flipping my classroom this year. After my initial introduction to Flipped Learning at the Model Schools Conference 2012, all of my flipping research was done online. The Fizz Institute, The Flipped Learning Network, and Crystal Kirch's website were my "go to" resources for what to do.  

When I first started making my videos (just a few short months ago), I made them all by myself.  Then one day after school I was talking with another fifth grade teacher who was taking steps towards flipping his classroom.  He was saying that he needed to make a video for his class.  The more we talked we decided to make one together.  After we made our video, it was easy to see why Bergmann and Sams say you should make your videos with another teacher.  It seems more natural to have a conversation about the strategy as we are talking to each other.   Mr. Young also adds humor to the videos to keep you laughing as you learn.

One of my students wrote this post on Edmodo after watching a couple of the videos we had made together: "Hey Mrs. Fisher are you going to start having Mr.Young with you when we are doing math? I don't mind."  I guess that says it all.  Two heads are better than one!


What do you think?  Click here to watch one of my solo videos. 

A Child Will Lead Them

What's holding you back from flipping?  If you are worried that you don't know enough about technology to stick your toes into the flipping pool, don't let that stop you.  I call the tech department in our county at least once a week because I can't figure something out. Maybe more.  They are always very helpful. Today was different though. 

Today a couple of my students took the lead.  They used my laptop and Smart Board to show students how to upload files to their backpack and attach a file in Edmodo. Two students took it upon themselves to write a follow-up post reminding their classmates of the procedures after they got home.

Tonight I added a poll to Edmodo asking students what they thought they still needed help with on Edmodo. I will take those results and form small technology groups, lead by students of course! When I was checking assignments tonight, I saw that another one of my students had used something to do her work on the computer and then she attached it to her W-S-Q form before submitting it!  Wow!  Needless to say, she will be modeling a lesson on how to do that tomorrow.

Common Core, Flipping the Class . . .Help!!

In a little more than 4 weeks I will be officially returning to the classroom facing new changes and challenges.  I love a challenge!  As if implementing the new Common Core Standards were not enough, I have made a decision to flip my classroom this year. Why you might ask? 

Flipping my class will free up more time to work with my students both individually and in small groups throughout the day. Students will view and review material at home or at computer stations in class if needed.  Instead of spending precious class time spoon-feeding my students content information, they will spend more in-class time applying what they have leaned while engaged in activities designed to enhance rigor and relevance.  In a nutshell, flipping my class will free up time so I can meet the needs of all of my students.  Will these changes mean I have to completely change everything I currently do?  Absolutely not!

One practice I will continue is reading picture books to my fifth grade students.  Yes!  I said picture books.  They are a great vehicle to integrate content lessons into an already jammed packed instructional day.  They can be easily read in 1 or 2 sittings and are an excellent way to teach the ELA College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards.

The Easy reader section in our library (which has been more appropriately renamed the “Everyone” Section by our librarian, Mrs. Buro) contains some of my favorite read aloud books.  Here are a few of my favorites that I will use at the beginning of the school year to enhance my study of the Civil War.

· Pink and Say, written by Patricia Polacco, has proven to be the perfect book to introduce the Civil War to my students.  Through this biography I can easily introduce many historical concepts about the war such as: the Civil War was fought between the confederate and union states, Lincoln was president during this time in history, and during this war (commonly referred to as “The War Between the States”) many young boys and men suffered and died. 

· Nettie's Trip South, by Ann Turner, is a story of a young girl’s first glimpse into the world of slavery.  Through deeper reading one can discover the analogy between the physical sickness Nettie experiences to how slavery was a vile sickness in our country.   

·  The soul stirring Moses: When Harriet Tubman led Her People to Freedom, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.  This biography not only provides an opportunity to teach about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman’s role in freeing over 300 slaves, but also lends itself to explore the author’s craft of using different fonts to add meaning to a story.   

These books provide the perfect vehicle to explore Common Core themes such as how two or more texts address similar themes to build content knowledge and how characters and ideas change and develop over texts. Will it be necessary to make changes as I begin to implement the new Common Core and flipping? Of Course!  Will these changes mean I have to change everything I am currently doing?  Absolutely not!

If you are not already using picture books in your intermediate class, I challenge you to visit “The Everyone” section in your school media center.  Please let me know how your students respond.

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!