Flipping the Classroom
Our students need more time with hands on inquiry activities. As a way to help alleviate the time restrictions we have in the classroom, we have begun to explore the possibility of flipping our classrooms. The following page describes the beginning steps of flipping the classroom.
There is no single way to flip the classroom. Teachers have been exploring the possibility of using video for many years. With the recent popularity of the Khan Academy, many teachers have been motivated to continue finding the best way to flip the classroom using video.
What does Flipping the classroom mean in terms of video lessons and hands on activities?
In the traditional classroom, the teacher is at the center of the stage, usually using a PowerPoint presentation while students take notes for a good part of the class period. In the flipped classroom, students take notes from video lessons at home or during their own time. This is supposed to allow for more time in the classroom for problem solving, inquiry, discussion, and group work. Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day, by Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann, is a great resource if you want to know more about flipping the classroom and how to get started.
Technology Used:
Camtasia Studio or Camtasia for Mac: allows you to capture video of your computer screen.
Bamboo Tablet: allows you to write on the screen. In Windows, the annotation feature is available for Microsoft Office, and you can write on all Word, PDF, and Power Point Documents.
Fly Des
k: Because the annotation feature is not available in Microsoft Office for Macs, you need to use a program like Fly Desk to put a transparent screen on your desktop and make annotations.
Desktop or laptop with webcam and microphone
Video Camera: To engage students with real world applications and experiences related to the content.
Video Hosts:
Examples:
Click on the link or on the picture to access a website with some beginning video lessons.
Reflection:
We are at the beginning stages of flipping our classroom, and one of the difficulties we have experienced is the number of students that do not have internet access at home. We are currently putting some of the lessons on DVD because 100% of them do have a DVD player. We would also like to make our videos a little more engaging. In the future, we will add footage of everyday activities that relate to the lessons; for example, a video of the teacher snowboarding to explain potential and kinetic energy. It would also be great to have the students involved in some of the videos.
