In response to recent articles on the concept of flipped instruction and iPad screencasting reviews, some educators have emailed or commented and asked how time-shifting lectures can be used beyond mathematics classes or math-based science classes.
Here are 10 quick examples of non-math flipped classroom ideas. The entire video clip was created using Explain Everything for the iPad.
Examples are provided for :
Language arts – sentence diagrams
Music instruction – reading a staff and ukelele tuning
Communications – user interface and graphic design elements
Web design – basic HTML5 structure
Visual art – vocabulary terms for photography
History – timelines and inventions
Health – the food plate replaces the food pyramid
Learning support – reading fluency support
Community service – coordinated neighborhood improvement
Foreign Language – drawing Mandarin Chinese characters
Apple’s iPad is becoming a common fixture in over 600 districts across the US ((Many US schools adding iPads, trimming textbooks STEPHANIE REITZ Published: Sep 3, 2011 (http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16026/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=QUDMd2uA#) )), and teachers are connecting online to share ideas for effective implementations. As the barrier to access has been removed in these classrooms, many teachers are considering a blended teaching model or flipped classroom opportunities*.
Flipped instruction (flipped classrooms, vodcasting, time-shifted instruction) allows students to view or review a lecture when they are ready to, at their own pace. This requires teachers to record lectures either live or, more often than not, prior to delivery. To capture a lecture, educators like Ramsey Musallam and Stacey Roshan use software that records their voice along with the action happening on their screen in real-time.
Screencasting software for desktop/laptops is fully developed** – users can record screens while opening and closing applications and have access to post production elements (titles, transitions, trimming, etc) all from within the software. iPad apps are not so fully developed yet – with iOS4, users can only record what is going on within the screencasting app.
Common features
All of the reviewed Apps allow the user to:
import a background image from the camera roll
choose pen colors for drawing
erase areas of the screen or the entire page
record voice along with what is happening on the screen
Name: Bryan Jackson (http:www.bryanjack.ca)
School: Gleneagle Secondary School – Coquitlam, BC
Current title: Humanities Teacher, gifted & talented program (more…)
Name: Jerome Burg (JeromeBurg @ GoogleLitTrips.org | GoogleLitTrip videos) Organization: Google Lit Trips Current title: GoogleLitTrip.org founder, retired 38-year English Teacher Selected accolades: CUE LeRoy Finkel Fellowship 2007, co-recipent of the 2008 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prize for Excellence in International Education, 2010 Laureate recipient of the Microsoft Award for Technology Benefiting Technology, 1 million + website visitors (more…)
At its core, flipped teaching (also called flipped classroom, flipped instruction, vodcasting, educational video-on-demand) is a format for removing some of the lecture-based lessons from classrooms and giving students the ability to learn that content in their own time at their own pace. This is done through recording video-based lectures* [editor note: flipped philosophy has moved away from requiring video – see this article for more information. 4/25/2012] and posting them online for students to engage and respond to.
There are several advantages to this model of teaching.
Flipped teaching means that an educator doesn’t need to guess at what speed to deliver content – with students watching lectures at home they can move at their own speed and review concepts as necessary.
Without large portions of classroom time spent lecturing, educators can use that time to see students working through projects and assignments that would have previously been done in isolation at home: break out sessions can occur spontaneously, students can work in mentor-based groupings, jigsaw opportunities, supplemental support, etc.
A means to INCREASE interaction and personalized contact time between students and teachers.
An environment where students take responsibility for their own learning.
A blending of direct instruction with constructivist learning.
A classroom where students who are absent due to illness or extra-curricular activities such as athletics or field-trips, don’t get left behind.
A class where content is permanently archived for review or remediation.
How is flipped instruction different from other educational movements?
Flipped classroom isn’t the first time that technology has been held up as a solution for the worldwide challenges that are occurring in education, and it won’t be the last. However, the focus of flipped teaching is different from other examples in that the technology itself is simply a tool for flexible communication that allows educators to differentiate instruction to meet individual student needs and spend more time in the classroom focused on collaboration and higher-order thinking. The technology solutions are varied and don’t rely on a single vendor to implement. Flipped teaching is a great example of using technology with intention.
The evolution of flipped instruction
This educational practice has been around for over a decade, but visibility in educational circles is increasing as the cost of implementation goes down and also through Bill Gates’ endorsement of Salman Khan. Khan takes both praise and criticism from teachers, media, education departments and business on a global scale.
Educators critical of Khan’s model point out that his lecture-respond model does nothing to inspire students and furthermore just encourages the “drill and regurgitate” learning that is built for standardized tests. Frank Noschese eloquently elaborates in his article Khan Academy: My Final Remarks:
[W]e should be inspiring [students] to figure things out on their own and learn how to create their own knowledge by working together. For example, instead of relying on lectures and textbooks, the Modeling Instruction paradigm emphasizes active student construction of conceptual and mathematical models in an interactive learning community.
Ramsey Musallam is working with the flipped model to address Noschese’s observation and push the practice into a more constructivist experience. His graduate work at the University of San Francisco focused on the cognitive psychology behind time-shifted instruction. Based on his research, Musallam adds a few best practices to the flipped model; ones he believes enhance student retention and understanding:
Musallam always introduces a new skill or concept IN THE CLASSROOM with open exploration. Students learn through true trial and error and make their own explorations prior to being exposed to the theory behind the experiments.
Students completed a 5 sentence typed recap of each lesson while watching the lecture. This immediate typed response forces student to recall and synthesize information, responding in their own words.
Musallam uses the same visual procedure every time when explaining a concept. This allows students to become familiar with his process so that they can begin to predict and hypothesize as they watch.
Musallam limits viewer input to one channel at a time. Visual and auditory channels of information delivery are alternated to avoid information overload. Furthermore, Musallam’s screencasts are as simple as possible – typically white background with text and simple diagrams.
Name: Ramsey Musallam (@ramusallam | www.flipteaching.com) School: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory & University of San Francisco Current title: Science Department Chair and AP Chemistry teacher at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, adjunct faculty in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco Selected accolades: Techsmith’s “Top 20 Educators to Watch“, Google Certified Teacher, Best of CUE Presenter 2010
Forward-thinking educators from around the United States converge in Seattle this week for conferences sponsored by two of the biggest names in technology: Microsoft and Google.
Both events are two-day affairs that highlight company web-based tools to promote inquiry-based, real-world learning experiences. The format for the two events differ:
Microsoft’s Innovative Education Forum will be hosted at MS Headquarters in Redmond. Keynote speakers at this event are researchers Dr. John Medina and Dr. Jane McGonigal. 100 participants will be in attendance and portions of the conference will be streamed via UStream. According to promotional materials, the group will head to some iconic Seattle landmarks to create project-based activities about the experiences.
Google Teacher Academy is held at Google’s Fremont office in Seattle. Presentations are made by classroom teachers who share successful Google product implementations across grades. 50 participants are split into teams that will spend time sharing ideas and resources, crowdsource questions that will define the agenda, and interact with Google employees and Google Certified Teachers to learn more about classroom opportunities. Day 2 at Google will be an “unconference.”
