Think About It... You Have Time

When anyone ever asks me why I started flipping my classrooms, my answer is always the same - "I wanted to improve the quality of learning in the actual classroom". I don't mean to sound all 'high and mighty', but it is the truth. The traditional classroom model wasn't doing it for me; I needed to do something more. Hence, the flip.

The benefits of the flipped classroom have been covered, and covered, and covered, and covered, and... well you get the idea. Most discuss the engagement of students, the connection they have with their teachers, and the ability of teachers to assess students' learning more effectively. This is all well and good, and the data supports it; but one thing that is not discussed enough is the enhancement in critical thinking. This is the one observation that struck me the most 'post-flip'. It's not something I necessarily planned on, but upon reflection, I realize that the flip allowed me so much more time to do activities; and this gave me the opportunity (finally) to really focus on improving the thinking during those activities.



There's no singular way to improve critical thinking; and really this is no different from a traditional classroom. No matter what the classroom, critical thinking is still composed of analyzing, evaluating, reasoning, decision-making, and problem solving.

Therefore, having the students reflect on their work, and answer those 'why' and 'how' questions should be done in any classroom.  The difference is, you have much more time to really answer those questions; while still providing the students with enough time to engage in hands-on activities.

My class time now is not rushed; I have plenty of time at the end of the period to really debrief, and have the students think about what they did for the class. With the flip, the students are now provided with the opportunity to share what they have learned, to discuss, to challenge, and to provide reasoning for their actions; something that may have been rushed previously.

I also have the time now to begin every class with discussions between the students - NOT directed by me. They are able to engage and question each other, because they have that opportunity. Every class (well most) begins the same way whereby the students discuss the previous nights video through summary, their own discussion questions, and then a question I pose to them. We have learned how to properly discuss, and are working on this very important skill. The students are beginning to see how discussion of concepts matter; as compared to simply copying down lecture notes of these concepts during class.

So whether you're considering the flip because of better engagement, assessment, or in my case, improved critical thinking, either way, you have lots of time to figure it out.

The Times They are a Changin'

I found myself today in the presence of a few hundred educators discussing the concept of the 'flipped classroom'. The day was filled with engagement, questions, and lots of enthusiasm for beginning the practice of flipping classrooms - both at the elementary level and secondary level.

I had the opportunity to share my own thoughts, beliefs, concerns, practices, and experiences from my time (albeit limited) flipping my own classroom. Such an opportunity to actually meet face to face has not presented itself all too often; well come to think of it, never actually. The communication that I have had up until this point has been all online; whether I'm reading articles, tweeting, emailing, or reading other peoples' blogs, I am constantly online looking to improve my professional practice with the flipped classroom. Therefore, today was a nice change to really talk to people face to face, and provide, as well as receive, instant feedback and input. From this, I came away energized and enthusiastic, just like those who attended, to get back at flipping my classroom and adding further experiences to the conversation.

Which brings me here. Friday night. Writing on my blog. The first sign of #flipclass addiction. I realize this seems ridiculous, and really it is, but here's why. The conversation that's happening regarding #flipclass is really happening online. The rare opportunities that we have to get together and share our experiences, are just that - rare. And because of this, I know now, more than ever, the importance to adding to the conversation; whatever the day, time, or place, you can add to this conversation. So here's my thoughts.

Instead of sporadically writing and reflecting - I need to write more often.
Instead of reading a lot from others - I need to add to the conversation. And more often.
Instead of long blog entries - I need to provide shorter entries. Just like my videos, short and sweet, means more meaningful learning.

My thinking is that adding something to this conversation, is something we can all do; and I hope we all do, no matter what stage you are at in this process.

Therefore, from here on in, I'm going to reflect more. Share more. And write about experiences with the flipped model. I'll try to add #edtech 'stuff' in as much as possible, but it won't be the same focus. I'll be sharing about how I start my classes; how I teach my students to take notes; the debate between long or short videos; how to ensure technology, and thus video access; how to get parents on board; how using YouTube has helped my process; the responses I've received from my students; how I use a Twitter class page in conjunction; and really any other thought I have regarding the flipped classroom.

So if you're already following along (all one of you?), or if you're new to the flipped class method, or if you're already invested in it, I hope you find this useful. I hope, if anything, I am simply able to add to the conversation. Oh, and if you have anything you'd like me to share, then let me know. Drop me a note, a tweet, a message, and hopefully I can provide some insight. I can't provide expertise, only experience.

One Semester Down...

Many more to go! That's the best way to describe the 'flipping' process. Like many of us like to say, "learning is a journey", the process of flipping your classroom is no different. There are the highs - students coming to your class the next day, all excited, laughing, and telling you that they enjoyed your video; the lows - students coming to your class the next day, confused, perturbed, and annoyed because the video you posted had its sound cut out half way through; and then everything in between. However, the one thing that I can say is that the process itself has been exciting.

As part of this exciting process, I, and a few other teachers, have been tasked with assessing this process; and to evaluate how effective the Flipped Classroom is for students. We have applied for resources ($) to help us on this journey and are approaching the date where we present our findings to others around the school board. However, whatever the data shows, and although I'm sure it will be positive, I don't think I need any data to tell me how this process has helped my own teaching practice, and here's why!

Physical Space - one thing I have discovered this year is how important the physical space of a classroom is! I know this seems silly, but when you have discussions, frequent technology use, group work, and a whole period worth of time of ACTIVE learning (75 minutes), you realize the physical space in a classroom is very important. Who knew round tables, bean bag chairs, and an open, airy environment would help so much?!

Student Technology Use - I've always realized that technology is important, I just have never placed as much importance on it in the classroom, as I have this year. When you are constantly using technology to create videos, activities and other resources for students, you begin to realize how important it is for students to also use it; and become comfortable with it. If a profession like teaching is bombarded with technology, just think what other professions will be like when our students begin their careers?

Support - flipping your classroom is not a practice for everyone. I, like many, are one of very few who are flipping their classrooms in their own schools; if there are any at all! I am lucky in that I have someone else to discuss the practice with on a daily basis, and in person; but for others, this is not the case. It is a new journey for many, and having others to discuss 'flipping' with is so vitally important. That's why I have to say that Twitter, yes Twitter, is probably your best support system. Featuring weekly #flipclass chats (Monday @ 8 pm EST), and hundreds of others who regularly tweet their thoughts and experiences on the Flipped Classroom, it has become my go-to for everything #flipclass.

So we will see what the data tells us, but either way, it has been well worth it.

Busy Year of Flipping

Busy - the one word that really summarizes this past year in my classrooms. This was due to the significant shift that occurred in my teaching and learning. What started as a modest curiosity, quickly morphed into a full-on ideological transformation in how I run my classrooms. The idea of 'flipping' my classroom was something that seemed too good to pass up; it seemed like something that was too beneficial for my students not to at least try for them. And so I did, jumping into the deep end with only the 'twitterverse' as my support. It has been an enlightening experience, it has added an energy boost back into my teaching, and it has improved the excitement of my classroom. So, at this time of year, one full of resolutions, reflections, and aspirations, I thought it was an appropriate time to do the same, with a little 'flipclass' focus.

Resolution
"I will add the flipped model of teaching to all of my courses."
This really summarizes my thoughts and opinions on the teaching methodology. I went into this year using one of my courses as the lab; experimenting with the flipped model to really see how effective it could be. Based on the results I can't, with good conscious, not at least try to do the same with my other courses. The results in my 'lab' have been too positive - improved test scores, greater critical thinking, improved application of course concepts, and a greater dynamic to the class itself. Therefore, it only makes sense to implement the model into my other courses/classes and continue the 'experiment'.

Reflection
"I have made some mistakes, but all-in-all, this has been fun."
I was excited to try the 'flip', but didn't expect it to be so much fun (that dreaded F word!). I found myself enjoying both making the videos for my students, and the discussions we had in class about them. Now don't get me wrong, I still find it highly embarrassing listening to myself on the videos, but my students, seem to enjoy them. What started as a simple request "Sir, can you add a theme song?", began a trend of me continuously adding more and more creative elements to the videos. I still have a long way to go on that front, but it's been fun (there's that word again!) learning about all the different ways to make creative videos. And as for the classroom, well the amount of time now available for class discussions, connecting with my students, and really applicable activities, has made the classroom itself so much more enjoyable.

Aspiration
"My classroom will become an inviting, welcoming, and creative place."
The transformation of my classroom is an ongoing process, one that I don't think will ever stop. The biggest challenge has been to modify my students 'way-of-thinking' from the traditional model, to the flipped model. This has been difficult at times, and I have quickly come to realize that my students have had 11 years of 'programming' completed on them; and so of course this will be difficult to change. Altering their programs will only come as a result of significant changes to the process AND the environment. Therefore, my whole classroom environment has to change - a layout that will allow for greater discussions and collaboration (it's all about circular tables!). I plan on continuously changing the classroom, and not just my teaching, to allow for greater learning, collaboration, and most importantly creativity.

So with one semester down, and many, many more to go, the future looks interesting, exciting, and yes fun!

Why Am I Still Using Paper? I Need a Mural (ly)

So I had this strange epiphany this week. I asked students to create a poster for an assignment in my Marketing class. It's something I've always done, and find the finished products turn out to be of fairly good quality. However, I also always seem to wonder how I can make it better; make it more visually appealing and creative; make it easier to cart around to mark; make it less of an issue to post so the class can see their peers' work. And then it hit me - why am I asking students to still create work like this on paper? I have my students create presentations online (Prezi), write experiences or answers to questions online (blogger), collaborate & discuss (wikispace), so why don't I have them create posters as well? The reason has simply been that there has not been a great tool to do something like this. Prezi is great, but it's a presentation type tool, a blog is really just for text and so you can't get all that creative, wikis are great but very basic and not very visual either. So what can I use? Well I think I found it - Mural.ly.

I've been messing around with the site the last couple days, and feel this is exactly the thing I can use. Now at first I was very disturbed by their lack of support for Internet Explorer (all of our school computers use IE, and I would guess most others do as well); however, this is a problem they are currently fixing and will soon be supported; so don't worry. Once I logged into the site and began to just 'play', I found that there are so many uses for this tool. I love the pre-existing templates they have, and the possible applications they have for the classroom. What I like most about them is the fact that they are all visual. Most students I find are visual type learners and if I can provide them with a tool like this where they can organize their thoughts, goals, ideas, events, work, in such a visual way, I can only imagine how much they will find it beneficial too. While using it I began thinking that this can be more than just a useful tool for presentations, and thus began to realize how much it is different from Prezi (and maybe better?). Now don't get me wrong, Prezi is great; but the fact that Prezi is all about following paths, and zooms in and out so much, means it is a little more complicated than it needs to be for certain tasks. Thus, Mural.ly might just offer more applications for classrooms, and can be used easily by our students.

So here's what I think could be the top 5 uses for Mural.ly in the classroom (besides using it as another presentation tool):

1. Poster - Yes this is a very basic use for the site, but why cart around bristol boards, or even 3-panel boards anymore? Students can arrange their information and visuals in the exact same way, and you don't have to fill up your back seat of your car with student work!
2. Ongoing Learning Page- With my marketing class, I'm always asking my students to share advertisements, products, or anything else they find that relates to marketing. I've thought about using a wiki, but just don't find it visually appealing enough for what I want. With Mural.ly however, we can create a class collaboration page where they can post pictures of advertisements, videos of commercials, articles discussing new products, and just about anything else they want to share. I'm thinking this is a great way to get them to always be learning and looking for items to post.
3. Group Work - Mural.ly provides a template for this very task, and I can't think of a better way for my students to work together on their summative then to use this site to do so. The template already has a structure to it that allows for students to organize their information in a easy-to-follow way. Students could arrange their information in any way they see fit, and the fact that they can work together on one site to do so (rather than email back and forth) makes it just that much more effective.
4. Online Portfolio - Many teachers use portfolios of student work for their final summative. This gives students a chance to really show off what they've done all year/semester. The problem with many portfolios, is that they are a combination of digital, written, and visual. I think Mural.ly provides an opportunity for students to organize their work in one place, and they don't have to worry about the mix of examples they use for their portfolio
5. Unit Review & Concept Mapping - This also may seem pretty straightforward or simple, but why not have students provide examples of concepts covered throughout a unit using this tool. As the unit is covered, post the concept on Mural.ly, and have students look online for examples of that concept - whether it is videos explaining it, pictures of it, text gathered from other sources, etc. This gives the students an opportunity to really apply what they've learned, share their knowledge, and use the page as a great study aid prior to an assessment. For flipped classrooms, this could be a great way to organize all videos pertaining to a unit in one easy to manage website. Students wouldn't have to search through Youtube, or other video hosting sites; they could just log onto the 'mural' and all the videos for the unit would be there, as well as text, and other sources of information to support all learning styles.

I think there are probably a hundred or more ideas out there, and this is just a very basic list. In due time, I'm sure the uses of Mural.ly will be well known, but in the mean time let me know what you think? 

Tech for Thought...

I was afforded the luxury of spending the last two days attending the Educational Computing Organization of Ontario Conference and learning about an incredible amount of education technology. I was able to attend a variety of workshops, share with a great number of fellow educators, and learn about some amazing things happening in education (in Ontario at least). Attending these kinds of events can be overwhelming, scary, enlightening, and incredible all at the same time. Educators are performing a wealth of activities that utilize technology very well, while at the same time still 'tinkering' to improve their practices so that technology becomes a great 'enabler' and not a 'distract-er'. Other than all of the useful resources, links, and connections, I found myself constantly typing ideas that popped into my head of where I think technology and education need to stroll. Therefore, rather than keep these in my head, although maybe that's what some may prefer (more on that later) I thought I'd write them down here and hopefully see what you have to say? So here we go:

1. iPads are the Educators Choice of Device. I could not get over the number of iPads in each and every workshop! A Christmas wish item of mine (for those who have not yet bought me a gift?!), I do not yet have one, and found myself being the 'ugly duckling' at the conference. Teachers, administrators, resource teachers, leads, etc., etc.; all of these positions are utilizing them in their daily activities and routines. I love iPads and tablets in general, but am quickly realizing that iPads are the common language platform used by most educators. I'm not saying that any other tablet device can not do the same tasks, it's just that when you are sitting in a room with a number of other teachers and they are all talking in 'iPad language', you quickly realize there is an immense benefit to having an iPad yourself; and if you were to try translating these conversations into your own 'tablet language', it would only mean you become disconnected from these important conversations. As well, it seems like most school boards, and individual schools, are investing in iPads rather than other devices; and the workshops were not titled 'Playbook in the Classroom,' nor 'Google Nexus...'. So time will tell if iPads win the war, but the way it looks now, they are certainly winning the battle.
2. Flipped Classroom is still in its Infancy (or Maybe it is Out of Focus?) I have converted my teaching method (some) into the 'flipped' model of instruction, and am quickly finding there are many advantages. Many educators in Ontario are realizing the same. However, I found that the conversations around this methodology are still focusing on (a) the general theory behind a flipped classroom and (b) what tech tools can you use to create videos & other materials to give as 'homework'? These are important conversations to have, but they are representative of where the 'flipped' model is in Ontario - its early stages. I would have liked to see more educators sharing their experiences, strategies, class activities, routine, and setup. I feel like these topics are overlooked when the 'flip' is discussed, and yet these may be the most important conversations to have? As teachers, "how to create a video?" is not employing my specialties; "how to run a flipped classroom?" definitely is. The wealth of people on Twitter, resources online, videos, and books you can now read, all provide the introductory information. I feel that when you have a chance to meet in person, the time could be better used.
3. BYOD & Digital Citizenship. Every school and school board looks to be transitioning to a BYOD policy. This is fantastic news, and allows many educators to really get creative with their teaching. However, it seems like many boards are doing this more for budgetary purposes, or that it 'looks good'. I do believe there are many 'Board People' who are pushing for this for the right reasons, however, there doesn't seem to be the back-end support for it. Where I see this most evident is 'Digital Citizenship'. Students are online every chance they get, and I would say their identities are more 'digital' than they are 'real'. Yet, there doesn't seem to be enough education happening around how to present yourself online; aka Digital Citizenship. With technology and online access increasing in our schools, I think it's imperative that we educate students, remind them, and mentor them when it comes to their digital persona. I believe there is a need to work digital citizenship into the curriculum, think civics - a mandatory grade 10 course; or school-wide initiatives, just like we do with literacy and numeracy. However, there are some amazing resources available that we, individually, can really start using and conveying the important lessons to our students, and maybe its not about waiting for the board to do so, but to take it on ourselves in the classroom.
4. A Commons for Discussion & Reflection. We all went through teacher's college preparing lengthy lesson plans that ask for too much detail and reflection. I still think that is an absurd task to do when you are prepping, teaching, coaching, extra-curricular'ing', mentoring, and doing just about everything else. However, because of these time constraints and not creating such lessons, I found myself reflecting very little on my practice. Therefore, I began this blog, and my reflection has become much more common. What I saw at ECOO is the idea that many teachers are doing the same thing. One of the great ideas I saw was presented by Lisa Neale & Jared Bennett on the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board's Commons Initiative. The idea put forth by a very 'tech-savvy' group at their board was to create a 'commons' for all teachers who are blogging to be able to blog, share, comment, and reflect. The whole board uses Wordpress and every teacher is able to see, well more like read, what their colleagues are doing. I think this is hugely important as we all find ourselves way to busy to share in person. Having an online resource/meeting space, where you can share and read about other practices, could be so valuable for everyone involved in the education system, not just teachers.
5. The Need for Tech in Education. I think this is all too obvious, and was surprised by the amount of presentations on this topic. However, I soon realized through the comments of some who attended, that this is still an important conversation to have. Many still are resistant to the idea, and are hesitant or fearful of technology. I don't think it could be stressed any more than it already has, but technology is not going away, and students are pleading for it to be used in their classrooms, just like they use it at home. The results and examples clearly illustrate how many technology tools can really help teaching, benefit student learning, improve assessment, and create a much more enjoyable and real classroom. I guess it will always be a conversation to have, I just hope it becomes less of one, and more of the norm.

Pow What? Powtoon!

Ok, I had to share this. One, because it has so much potential with the 'flipped' classroom, and two, because it's just cool! I don't mean to shamelessly advertise for company, but I find that every once in a while I come across a really useful website/app/tech. tool, that needs to be shared; and this one is definitely no exception. It really caught my attention when a coworker of mine created this video. It's simple, yet highly informative, entertaining, and effective. He did it using the website Powtoon - don't let the name confuse you!

I think it's so useful because unlike the typical videos I use for my 'flipped' classroom, Powtoon allows you to fully animate concepts and illustrate events using simple, but effective graphics. As soon as I watched the intro video on their website, my mind instantly remembered this video from girleffect.org. I remember showing the Girl Effect video to my geography class last year, and can remember how hooked they were. They wanted to watch it again, and again; they wanted to create one just like it for their project; but unfortunately at that time, I had no clue how they could create something like that.

For students, when learning any new concept, the delivery can mean the difference between understanding, and scratching their heads. For teachers, understanding how to deliver new information, can also mean the difference between students being hooked, or students being asleep. I think the more tools we as educators have at our disposal, the more dynamic our classroom can be. So whether you're using a 'flipped' classroom approach, or the traditional model, a tool like Powtoon can really make the classroom a more enjoyable place.